A Dashing Young Lady / The Mysterious Girl in the Deep Mountains

"I was drugged by the anesthetic I made myself, how embarrassing," Aizen muttered to himself.

"It's not that it's too embarrassing, it's that you lost from the very beginning." Yamabuki Chidori's voice came from the side, handing over a bowl of warm white porridge.

"Teacher, how long have I been asleep?" Aizen asked, rubbing his head.

"I want to ask you, how much of that anesthetic did you use? You've been asleep for four whole days!" Yamabuki Chidori said without any curiosity, "I almost had to give you emergency treatment!"

Four days?

This medicine is really potent.

After drinking two mouthfuls of congee, Aizen's dizziness gradually subsided.

"Teacher, which drink did you put the anesthetic in that night?" Aizen asked, very curious.

"You lost the moment you made your choice, because I drugged all three drinks," Yamabuki Chidori said.

Aizen didn't know what to say; it seemed he was destined to lose no matter what he chose!

"Why choose? Why follow the rules? When you follow someone else's rules, you've already lost. Rules are for the weak who can't survive without them. Are you weak? Remember, once you're caught in the enemy's rules, the first thing you need to do is find a way to break them, not blindly follow their lead. Do you understand?" Yamabuki Chidori said, exasperated.

Aizen, in a daze, repeated Yamabuki Chidori's words, "Rules are for the weak who cannot survive without rules! So that's how it is!"

I thought I was just having a chemistry class, but it turned out to include a philosophy class as well.

Rules are made by the strong, and the rules made by the strong are always in their own best interest.

If the weak want to defeat the strong, they must never play by the other party's rules.

Only by breaking the deadlock can a new game begin.

"Teacher, I understand," Aizen said solemnly. This philosophy lesson was far more useful than learning how to make poison.

"Also, Teacher, how can you tell if a glass of wine is poisoned?"

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Heroic and Spirited Young Lady

"Teacher, how exactly do you tell if a glass of wine is poisoned?" Aizen asked curiously.

"This problem is actually very simple. As long as you don't drink it, you won't get poisoned," Yamabuki Chidori said earnestly.

Aizen???

Although there's something wrong with this statement, upon closer reflection, it seems to make sense.

"Just kidding, you actually took it seriously!" Yamabuki Chidori said with a laugh, "It's very difficult to identify poison with the naked eye. You can only roughly identify the type of poison by its smell. If you want to know the specific type of poison, you need some tools."

Yamabuki Chidori took out a Silver Needle from her hand.

"Silver Needle? Teacher, although my knowledge is not extensive, I do know that only a very small number of poisons react with silver," Aizen said with a curious expression.

"Ordinary Silver Needle won't do. Mine has been specially treated, processed using Kidō. Any substance harmful to the body can be identified as poison, and this Silver Needle will react and transmit the information to the brain. There are currently 1562 types of deadly poisons identified in Soul Society, and this Silver Needle can distinguish them all." Yamabuki Chidori placed the needle in Aizen's hand. "Keep it safe. Don't underestimate this small thing; it's very precious. I only made four when I made them."

Aizen carefully took the needle.

"Besides, where there is poison, there must be an antidote. Everything in the world has its counterpart; there is no absolute strength or absolute weakness. After you learn how to make poison, I will teach you how to make antidotes," said Yamabuki Chidori.

Aizen nodded; it seemed he still had a lot to learn.

The decision to survive for three hundred years now seems to be the right one. There are too many people in Soul Society who are stronger than me. Once I have enough power and knowledge, I will find a way to overthrow this false world.

"After dinner, let's practice some Hakuda. You've been sleeping for four days straight, are you feeling a bit rusty?" Yamabuki Chidori asked.

Indeed, after not moving around for several days, Aizen felt quite unwell. It seemed he needed to get some exercise later.

The next day, Aizen went to work as usual.

The concept of child labor doesn't exist in this day and age.

According to the previous schedule, Aizen was to patrol Rukongai today, and as instructed by Yamabuki Chidori, he was not assigned any teammates and was to carry out the mission alone.

"Since this is your first patrol mission, I'm giving you some special instructions. Remember, our main mission as Shinigami is to deal with Hollows. I'm just an ordinary bandit or thief. Whether we deal with them or not depends entirely on our mood. If we're in a bad mood, we'll just chop them down; if we're in a good mood, we'll just let them go. There are no rules or regulations about this, so it's very easy," Hyakki-ji Kenpachi said.

"Yes, I understand, Captain," Aizen said respectfully, then withdrew to prepare for patrol.

Just as Aizen left, a member of the 11th Division rushed in. Upon seeing Hyakki-ji Kenpachi, his expression became extremely hurried.

"Captain, all the Shinigami (death gods) we sent out to patrol the South 28th District Rukongai have gone missing. Something's not right," the team member said gravely. "Should we send reinforcements?"

Hyakki-ji Kenpachi frowned almost imperceptibly. "Don't you know what happened over there?"

The team member shook his head vigorously. "If we knew, we wouldn't be in such a hurry. Four team members are missing now, neither alive nor dead."

After a moment of silence, Hyakki-ji Kenpachi made a decision. "Send a small team of twelve people, primarily to gather intelligence. Whether they encounter Hollows or something else, they must retreat immediately after obtaining information. Do not engage in prolonged combat; their own safety is paramount."

"Yes, Captain." Just as the team member was about to leave, Hyakki-ji Kenpachi suddenly remembered something. "Where is Aizen going on his mission?"

"South 28th District."

Hyakki-ji Kenpachi looked like he had a headache.

"Let's leave him for now. There are so many people in the 11th Division, it's not up to a kid to lead the charge. Remember, your own safety is the most important thing, and you must bring back the intelligence," Hyakki-ji Kenpachi said.

After explaining these matters, Hyakki-ji Kenpachi reported the matter directly to the Staff Department. With so many Shinigami suddenly disappearing, the Staff Department did not dare to make any decisions on their own and could only place the documents in front of Yamabuki Chidori.

After reading it, Hyakki-ji Kenpachi Yamabuki Chidori did not immediately issue an order. Hyakkiji Kenpachi handled the matter very correctly. Before clarifying the problem, it was necessary to send someone to gather information before making a decision.

"What do you think? The sudden disappearance of the Grim Reaper, could it be... Quincy?" Hyakki-ji Kenpachi asked in a low voice.

Upon hearing the words "Quincy," Yamabuki Chidori revealed a disdainful smile, "The last time they appeared was over two hundred years ago. I don't believe they lack the guts to openly defy death."

There are indeed still some Quincy, but Yamabuki Chidori did not exterminate them all. As long as Yhwach is alive, killing more of these small fry is useless.

"So, it's a void?" Hyakki-ji Kenpachi asked.

"There's no point in guessing here. Let's wait until we bring back the information before making any decisions," Yamabuki Chidori calmly assessed.

The South 28th District Rukongai.

This place is mountainous, with steep peaks and undulating terrain; ninety percent of the area is filled with mountains.

Chiharu Reika is the Tenth Seat Officer of the 11th Division and one of the few women in the 11th Division.

The girl wasn't tall, about half a head shorter than the male Shinigami around her, probably only a little over 1.5 meters. She had a neat ponytail, wore black clothes, and held Zanpakuto in her hand, exuding a rather heroic and dashing air.

She's been a very strong-willed girl since she was little.

Before she joined the Gotei 13, Chiharu Reika's father was always nagging her.

"I wish you were a boy."

Chiharu's father was a very famous swordsman in Seireitei and had many disciples. When she was young, Chiharu Reika greatly admired her father and hoped to learn swordsmanship with him.

But in the end, her father rejected her without hesitation.

In her father's eyes, girls should do things that girls should do: cook, embroider, play musical instruments, and practice calligraphy and painting, but they should never use weapons.

In a fit of anger, Chiharu Reika enrolled in the Shino Academy. After six years of study, she graduated and strongly requested to join the strongest 11th Division.

And after ten years of hard work, he finally rose from an ordinary team member to Seated Officer, and even surpassed his father in swordsmanship.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Mysterious Girl in the Deep Mountains

Now, Chiharu Reika has arrived in the South 28th District of Rukongai with eleven team members. Four of their team members have gone missing here, and Chiharu Reika has been ordered to lead a small team to search for them.

"Chiharu-chan! It's getting late. Let's rest here for the night and continue searching tomorrow." One of the team members said, "Continuing to explore in the dark will also put us in danger. The Captain's orders are to prioritize our own safety."

Chiharu Reika flicked her ponytail and said unhappily, "Don't add 'chan' after the officer's name, it makes me look stupid."

"We know, Chiharu-chan. We'll never call you Chiharu-chan again, Chiharu-chan." The team members grinned.

It was nearly dusk, and the trees in the mountains were so dense that it was almost impossible to see anything once it got dark. If the enemy were to hide in the darkness and launch a sneak attack, it would be very easy.

They are currently on the outskirts of the mountains and have not yet truly entered the Dachuan Mountain. For now, they can only rest here for the night and continue searching for the missing team members when it gets light tomorrow.

The men of the 11th Division were used to surviving in the wild. They started a fire, gathered firewood, cooked, and set up a tent in less than an hour.

"How can you guys not be nervous at all? Four of our team members are missing. There might be some terrifying monsters lurking in the mountains." Chiharu Reika held the bowl with both hands and took a sip of the meat soup.

"That's right. Maybe there's a blood-soaked corpse hiding in the mountains, with half its head shaved off, that will suddenly rush out and bite you all over!" The team members started telling ghost stories.

Chiharu Reika couldn't help but shrank her shoulders slightly.

Despite living in the Soul Society, this girl was surprisingly afraid of ghosts, especially those gory, mangled things.

If these legendary monsters actually appeared in front of him, Chiharu Reika would dare to slash at them with her sword.

But even after she finished cutting everything down, she was still very scared.

Knowing this weakness of hers, the team members took turns telling ghost stories. Although Chiharu Reika was terrified inside, she stubbornly maintained her composure in front of her teammates. After all, she was their superior; how could she show any fear?

As a result, because the ghost story was so terrifying, Chiharu Reika's shoulders trembled slightly, causing her ponytail to quiver as well.

The teammates around him tried hard not to say anything, but they were actually holding back their laughter.

"Legend has it that long, long ago, the story of the Bone Woman circulated on this mountain. It is said that the Bone Woman was a very beautiful woman in her past life, but her husband went to war and did not return for many years. The Bone Woman embarked on a journey to find her husband alone, but she encountered bandits along the way and was brutally murdered. From then on, she became a vengeful ghost, killing any man who comes near her. Maybe she is standing right behind you now, yelling, 'Give me back my life!'" A team member told the ghost story vividly.

He originally thought that Chiharu-chan would cover her ears in fear, but to his surprise, Chiharu Reika actually gripped her knife and stared solemnly behind her.

"Chiharu-chan, you don't need to be so scared, your face looks terrible..." Before the team member could finish speaking, she noticed that the other team members' faces were also off, each of them gripping their knives and staring intently behind them.

The team member realized something was wrong and slowly moved his hand to grip the knife handle.

There's something behind me.

The atmosphere suddenly became very strange. The team members turned their heads stiffly, glancing back repeatedly. But after just one glance, their scalps tingled with fear.

A woman had appeared behind him without his noticing, silently, like a ghost.

These Grim Reapers are ruthless characters who have lived on the edge of a knife; what kind of evil spirits haven't they seen?

But this woman's appearance was truly bizarre.

The Death Squad members looked up stiffly and saw that the woman was wearing tattered white clothes, so tattered that it looked as if she had been buried in the ground for many years and then dug out.

The first thing that catches the eye is this woman's hand.

Her fingers were slender and long, but very thin—the kind of unhealthy thinness, almost skin and bones.

Then there's this woman's figure.

She was quite tall, about 170 centimeters, and her figure was also very slender. It felt like a gust of wind could blow her over because she was so thin that you could hardly feel the curves of a normal girl's body, and her chest was completely flat.

Her hair was casually tied up with a straw strip.

Her features were very well-proportioned and unexpectedly beautiful, but because she was too thin, her eyes stood out too much, making her look rather uncomfortable.

His eyes were devoid of any color, staring straight ahead, making one wonder if he was dead.

The twelve Grim Reapers all wore strange expressions. None of them had noticed when this woman had appeared; they had only glanced up briefly and seen her standing behind their companions.

Chiharu Reika was the first to react. "Excuse me... do you need help?"

Chiharu Reika's first thought was whether this woman had escaped from a bandit's den, or suffered a mental breakdown from being tortured by the bandits.

But just a second later, Chiharu Reika overturned her own guess.

Because she saw that the woman was carrying a sword on her back.

That wasn't a samurai sword, but a real double-edged greatsword.

This sword is over 150 centimeters long, with the thickest part of the blade exceeding one inch and a width exceeding 40 centimeters; it's practically like carrying half a door panel while walking.

Moreover, such a large piece of metal is too heavy for such a frail woman to lift, yet this mysterious woman defies common sense by carrying this double-edged giant sword silently and moving freely!

"Could it be that the mysterious disappearance of the Grim Reaper is related to her?" Chiharu Reika gestured to her companions, signaling that if the woman made any strange moves, they should all work together to capture her.

The two sides remained deadlocked, neither speaking first.

Or perhaps this mysterious woman is completely mute.

"Do you need help?" Chiharu Reika asked again.

The other Grim Reapers were already preparing to draw their swords; after all, encountering such a strange woman in this desolate wilderness was terrifying enough.

The woman's eyes darted around, creating a very unsettling feeling.

The Grim Reapers' swords were already half-drawn; if this woman made any rash move, they would attack immediately.

Just then, the mysterious woman whispered, "You... you're blocking my way, can you move aside?"