To Catch a Fish, Start with the Fry / Recovered from a Serious Illness

Perhaps hearing his mother's cries, Jūshirō Ukitake struggled to open his eyes and reached out his small hand to wipe away the tears on his mother's face.

Seeing how sensible the child was, the silver-haired woman felt even more distressed.

Whether it's the Kido, the Bone Hell, or the Blood Pool Hell, their purpose is "restoration."

To restore the damaged body to its pre-injury state.

However, young Jūshirō Ukitake was already in a very bad condition. The Kido and the hot spring were completely useless. Even if they gave him strong medicine Yamabuki Chidori might not be able to make it through.

Wait a minute, Jūshirō Ukitake couldn't have died so young, could he?

He could live for at least several hundred years until the Second Blood War, when Yhwach devoured the Soul King, causing the Three Realms to collapse. Only then would he step forward and offer the Soul King's Right Hand from within him to prevent the collapse of the Three Realms until the war ended.

Wait, the Soul King's Right Hand?

Yamabuki Chidori suddenly realized, "So that's how it is!"

This kid lived for hundreds of years thanks to the Soul King's Right Hand.

And he happened to know that this was news from the right hand.

More than seventy years ago, when he subdued Ōtōgawa Utsugi, he went to a temple where the Soul King's Right Hand was enshrined.

Indeed, after the Soul King was dismembered, the power of these scattered limbs was removed by the patriarchs of the Five Great Families before they were thrown into the lower realm. The right hand did not have much divine power left. At that time, Yamabuki Chidori was not as ruthless as she would become later, so she spared his life.

I never expected it would actually come in handy now.

Jūshirō Ukitake is generally a kind-hearted person with outstanding combat skills, but due to his chronic illness and poor physical condition, he is at a great disadvantage in a prolonged battle.

Furthermore, he possesses exceptional insight. When Rukia Kuchiki was framed by Aizen and about to be executed, Jūshirō Ukitake already sensed something was amiss and repeatedly spoke out in favor of Rukia Kuchiki.

It would be such a pity if such a talented person were to die like this.

"Don't worry, I have a way to cure his illness! Here's what you do: leave the child here, go back in three days, and I guarantee the child will appear before you alive and kicking!" said Yamabuki Chidori.

The silver-haired woman wept with joy, overwhelmed with gratitude!

After the silver-haired woman left, Unohana asked softly, "What method do you have to cure this child's illness? Conventional treatments probably don't work..."

"Since conventional treatments are ineffective, let's use unconventional methods," Yamabuki Chidori said with a smile, then reached out and rubbed Jūshirō Ukitake's cheek. It must be said that Jūshirō Ukitake was indeed very cute when he was young.

"Go cook some plain porridge! I'm going out in a bit, and I'm afraid he won't be able to hold on if I don't feed him," said Yamabuki Chidori.

Ukitake's flavor is similar to that of Yamabuki Chidori, very bland. However, being seriously ill, he couldn't eat much. He was already full after barely managing to eat a third of a bowl of white porridge.

At the same time, he slowly regained consciousness.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Fishing Starts with Fish Fry

Seeing some people leave, young Ukitake was surprisingly calm, kneeling at the dining table like a well-behaved child. Indeed, Ukitake was very well-behaved as a child.

"Is there anything you want to eat? Try this!" Yamabuki Chidori handed a plate to young Ukitake.

It was a stir-fry dish with green bell peppers, red carrots, and white onions. What was the last thing?

It appears to be some kind of meat!

Yamabuki Chidori's lips curled into a wicked smile; the last item was none other than the Daimyo large intestine!

Braised pork intestines is a famous dish!

He had wanted to eat this dish for a long time, but most nobles in Seireitei did not eat animal offal.

He went through a lot of trouble to get one.

This almost caused a breakdown in the couple's relationship, with Unohana threatening, "If you dare to take a bite, don't even think about getting into my bed again."

After it was made, Unohana exclaimed, "It smells amazing!"

She originally preferred strongly flavored food, and with Yamabuki Chidori's cooking skills being quite exceptional, the food that initially seemed somewhat disgusting turned into a mouthful of delicious flavor.

"Oh... what is this?" Young Ukitake looked at the strange dish in front of him and involuntarily moved back a little because of the strange smell coming from it.

"It's good for your illness! Try it! Your mother has gone to great lengths to cure you, so you can't refuse to take the medicine just because it tastes bad! Your mother will be heartbroken!" Yamabuki Chidori directly resorted to moral blackmail.

I can't kidnap the Captain Commander, but I can't kidnap a three-year-old child like you!

Despite his discomfort, Jūshirō Ukitake picked up a piece of fatty intestine and stuffed it into his mouth. Surprisingly, the taste and texture were quite good!

Not only that, the chili peppers, carrots, and onions in the ingredients are also delicious.

"Eat as much as you can! We have a long way to go later, and we won't be able to keep up if we don't eat more!" said Yamabuki Chidori.

Unohana has thoughtfully prepared a raincoat for Yamabuki Chidori, which is also to prevent the snow from melting and causing her to have to wash her clothes.

These are some life hacks for housewives to minimize their workload.

However, she can hardly be considered a true housewife!

After finishing their meal, Yamabuki Chidori drank another pot of sake, while young Ukitake drank a cup of hot tea. The two, one big and one small, left home to continue their journey.

"Yama... Yamabuki... How should I address you?" Jūshirō Ukitake asked softly.

"Call me whatever you want. But since we have a doctor-patient relationship, please call me Doctor," said Yamabuki Chidori.

"Doctor, where are we going? Are we going to see a better doctor?" young Ukitake asked.

"In the entire Seireitei, no one can surpass me in medical skills. Of course, I don't mean to brag; I'm just stating a fact. I'll save those that Tenjirō Kirinji dares not save, and I'll cure those that he dares not cure. Isn't it obvious who the number one divine physician is?" Yamabuki Chidori said to herself.

He knew that his medical skills were still slightly inferior to those of Kirinji.

Most importantly, this kid has started to keep his secrets to himself in recent years. He treats any new technology he develops as if he were a thief, and the two of them have been engaged in a series of battles of wits and courage over the decades, which they thoroughly enjoy.

"So what are we going to do?" Ukitake asked.

Because the weather was too cold, and his body was too weak, he spoke very softly. Moreover, he had no strength left after walking for a while. Yamabuki Chidori had no choice but to weave a basket out of Reishi and throw the boy into it.

The two of them left Seireitei just like that.

"I'm not taking you away from Seireitei to find a better doctor or better medicine. Your condition is a congenital deficiency. No matter how much money we spend or how many doctors we see, you can basically only wait to die." After Yamabuki Chidori finished speaking, young Ukitake huddled in the basket and didn't move. Although his father and mother loved him very much, he gradually realized that his parents were under a lot of pressure. His father was Low-Ranking Noble and one of the members of the Gotei 13. His father spent most of his salary on medicine, and the two of them lived a very frugal life.

If he could, he wouldn't want to be a burden to his parents.

Yamabuki Chidori continued, "It's only because you met me that you were able to cure your illness. Apart from me, no one else in the entire Seireitei can cure you."

Young Ukitake whispered, "My mom and dad must have spent a lot of money to hire you, right?"

The family was already struggling financially due to his medical expenses.

"My medical checkups are free; it's all about fate. I feel like we're quite destined for each other!" Yamabuki Chidori said with a smile, "What are your dreams? Do you want to become the Grim Reaper when you grow up?"

"Yes!" Young Ukitake blurted out without hesitation.

A smile appeared on Yamabuki Chidori's face. Indeed, fishing should start with frying fish.

At this moment Ukitake said again, "Doctor, where are we going? It's all snow here, nothing looks the same!"

"Don't worry, I wouldn't get lost even with my eyes closed in Soul Society. With your small frame, you think I'd sell you? You wouldn't even fetch three strings of cash as a piglet!" Yamabuki Chidori looked around, and her expression froze.

According to my previous memory, there should be a village here, and in the village there is a temple, which enshrines the Soul King's Right Hand.

But now...

Where's the village? Why is the village gone?

Am I lost?

"You're not lost, are you?" Jūshirō Ukitake added insult to injury with his usual helpfulness.

"Cough cough cough, how could someone like me get lost? Don't talk nonsense!" Yamabuki Chidori took a deep breath.

Seventy years may not seem like a period of dramatic change, but it's enough for a small village to disappear silently.

Moreover, this small village did not disappear because of the war; it was most likely because the villagers moved to a wealthier area nearby.

Ukitake stared at Yamabuki Chidori's profile, Yamabuki Chidori stared awkwardly at the snow-covered ground ahead.

"Cough cough cough, are you hungry? Let's find a place to get something to eat!" Yamabuki Chidori remembered there was a tavern nearby. He had been there decades ago. The tavern owner had tried to make human flesh buns, but he and his teammates beat him up. If they went to ask him, they might find out the whereabouts of that village.

With a light flick of her toes Yamabuki Chidori soared into the sky, arriving at the location of the tavern from years ago in less than ten minutes.

"Damn! I should have realized that. The village is gone, how could the tavern still be there?" Yamabuki Chidori did find the tavern from back then, but it was long gone. Should she go back to Seireitei and ask her teammates to help her find the village's location?

This is how you normally do it!

But doing it in front of the children... that's just too embarrassing!

Chapter Thirty: Recovery from Serious Illness

Young Ukitake whispered, "Doctor, if we can't find it, let's go back. I'm so cold!"

A three-year-old child is already physically weak, and young Ukitake was born with congenital defects. His body would soon be unable to withstand being in the icy and snowy environment for a long time.

Yamabuki Chidori patted the child's head. "I was originally thinking of going back, but since you said that, I have to find this village today!"

Yamabuki Chidori flew through the sky with Ukitake. About twenty minutes later, she saw some lights on the ground. She really couldn't care less about anything else and just wanted to find a place to warm up.

At first Yamabuki Chidori, I thought there was a small village below, but when I got there, I found that there were only a few households with a lot of firewood piled up in the yard, which looked like charcoal sellers.

Yamabuki Chidori knocked on the door very politely, and after a moment, an elderly couple opened the door very cautiously.

Yamabuki Chidori showed a very kind expression. "We two are lost in the mountains and would like to ask for lodging for the night. Please do us a favor!"

When the old man at the house saw that it was a teenager and a child knocking on the door, he lowered his guard and let them into the house, and even boiled some water for them.

Yamabuki Chidori took out the dried meat and dry rations she carried with her and offered them to the elderly couple. The atmosphere quickly became lively, and Yamabuki Chidori also took the opportunity to inquire about the whereabouts of that village.

"I heard there was a very effective temple in that village. This child was seriously ill, and we wanted to cure him! But we didn't know that the village had disappeared! Old man, do you know where that village went?" asked Yamabuki Chidori.

"That happened decades ago. You know that great war, right? The war Quincy invaded. I heard that towards the end, a huge fireball fell from the sky and burned all the enemies to death. But where the fireball burned, nothing grew. The people in that village used to make a living by cutting firewood in that mountain. As a result, the whole mountain was burned down, and the whole village had to move. Decades later, the houses and buildings were all worn away by time, and no one knows where they went!" The old man took out the strong liquor that he usually couldn't bear to drink and gulped down two mouthfuls.

A giant fireball fell from the sky?

Isn't that the Captain Commander after his Bankai?

It turns out the Captain Commander was to take the blame for all of this.

"I heard from others that the people in that village all moved south, since there's a large lake to the south with abundant water and lush vegetation, making it a suitable place to live," the old man said.

"Thank you so much! I'll go right now!" Yamabuki Chidori stood up, leaving the elderly couple some meat and money.

Jūshirō Ukitake's body is growing weaker and weaker. If they can't find the Soul King's Right Arm soon, this kid might die. Then who will succeed him as the Captain of the Thirteenth Division?

Jūshirō Ukitake didn't cry or make a fuss and obediently jumped into the basket. After walking about two hundred meters, they finally saw the big lake. Coincidentally, this lake was the same one where the girls of Seireitei had their swimsuit party back then. It all seemed like it happened just yesterday.

Sure enough, there were many buildings along the lake, and many of them were still lit up.

Yamabuki Chidori also sensed a very faint trace of the Soul King's Power.

That's right, this is it!

Following her intuition Yamabuki Chidori found the temple. Although many years had passed, the temple was still very popular. The right Soul King's Right Arm was enshrined in the very center of the temple.

"This is the medicine I found for you!" Yamabuki Chidori reached out and took off the Soul King's Right Arm.

Jūshirō Ukitake's small head was filled with big questions. Was he going to have his arm eaten? This arm was bigger than him; he definitely couldn't eat it.

Yamabuki Chidori grabbed Ukitake by the neck, like lifting a kitten, and shoved him to the ground. Then, she said to the Soul King's Right Arm, "As the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Besides, you haven't disappeared; you're just parasitizing this child. I think you know what's more important! Be dignified, and we'll both be happy. If you're not dignified, I'll make you dignified!"

After the Soul King's Right Arm detached from Soul King, it actually developed its own consciousness, and even grew an eye in its palm. It could clearly feel that the strength of the man in front of it was overwhelming, and there was no point in staying in the temple. It would be better to parasitize this child's body.

Ukitake gently closed his eyes, Yamabuki Chidori pressed down on the Soul King's Right Arm, directly inserting it into Jūshirō Ukitake's body. The process was not as bloody as imagined. The Soul King's Right Arm turned into a beam of light and entered Ukitake's body. The process was quite simple, and Ukitake didn't even feel a thing.

"Alright, get up! The treatment is over. Feel your body and see if you notice any differences," said Yamabuki Chidori.

Ukitake stood up and gently clenched his fist. He felt incredibly light, something he had never experienced before.

He used to be very weak, and even a little exercise would leave him drenched in sweat and exhausted, but now this condition has been greatly alleviated.

"It actually worked?" Ukitake never expected that his body could be cured.

"It's alright! Let's go home!" Yamabuki Chidori stuffed Jūshirō Ukitake into the basket she had woven and flew straight into the sky.

The next day, when the villagers came to worship the gods, they discovered that the gods they were worshipping had disappeared. They were filled with fear and thought that the gods had punished them.

The journey there was slow, but the return trip was quick. In just over ten minutes, Yamabuki Chidori returned to Seireitei at an extremely fast pace.

After sensing the Reiatsu from Yamabuki Chidori, Unohana cooked a pot of millet porridge and waited for the two of them to return to eat.

Sure enough, as soon as she entered the house, Yamabuki Chidori cried out that she was hungry.

Ukitake also felt his stomach growling with hunger. The two of them sat around the fire pit and ate a large pot of porridge before finally falling asleep peacefully.

For the remaining two days, Yamabuki Chidori planned to observe whether there were any side effects after the Soul King's Right Arm parasitized the Ukitake. Only after confirming that there were no side effects did Yamabuki Chidori feel completely relieved.