Chapter 237

Unohana was taken away, and Yamamoto returned to the First Division with his men.

Wang Xun also returned to the Fourth Division.

The next day, there were not many changes within the Fourth Division.

Wang Xun walked to the office window and looked at the team members scattered in twos and threes in the inner courtyard.

Despite the general sense of unease following the Captain Hollowfication Incident, daily operations still needed to continue.

The news of Retsu Unohana's detention was not officially announced; the only notification was that Unohana had been assigned a field mission.

There was a knock on the door.

Third Seat of the Fourth Division Iemura, pushed open the door and entered, holding a document in his hand. He was slightly out of breath, clearly having run all the way there.

"Vice-Captain Wang Xun," he handed over the document, "This is a notice just received from the First Division. During Captain Unohana's absence, you will act as the Fourth Division Captain, fully responsible for team affairs and medical dispatch."

Wang Xun took the document.

"Knew."

Iemura hesitated for a moment, his lips moved as if he wanted to ask something.

Wang Xun could tell that he was curious about when Captain Unohana would return and also wanted to know what exactly happened with the Hollowfication Incident.

But in the end, he didn't ask anything, only bowed slightly, and turned to leave the consultation room.

Wang Xun withdrew his gaze, tidied up the medical records on Unohana's desk, stacked them neatly, and placed them on his own desk.

From now on, he will have to sign all of these documents.

Wang Xun closed the door to the captain's office and sat back down at the table.

The sunlight outside the window slowly faded from warm gold to pale orange, and then from pale orange to grayish blue.

After reviewing the day's medical records and signing all the dispatch forms, he sat there, staring blankly at the empty office for a long time.

Wang Xun stood up from behind the desk, pushed open the door, and walked towards the dormitory in the darkness.

The moonlight was faint, obscured by clouds, leaving only a hazy, indistinct shadow.

He walked slowly, and his expression was not clear.

However, he stopped in his tracks.

A dark figure emerged from the shadows of the high wall.

Soi Fon walked to the middle of the road, the moonlight shining on her and gilding her slender figure with a faint silver edge.

Her shihachi uniform fluttered slightly in the night breeze, and her short hair was a little messy.

Soi Fon?

Soi Fon didn't respond, she just looked at Wang Xun.

Those eyes held an indescribable mix of sorrow and hatred, along with a broken, aimless bewilderment.

She is a close confidante of the captain of the Second Division, a core member of the Stealth Force, and someone who grew up alongside Yoruichi Shihōin since childhood.

Her trust in Yoruichi wasn't based on missions or orders, but on something deep within her soul.

The Seireitei has now issued a formal warrant for Yoruichi Shihōin Shihouin's disappearance, along with Kisuke Urahara.

"When I received the notification, I couldn't believe it was real."

Her voice was very soft.

"Lady Yoruichi defected, do you know how ridiculous that is?"

Wang Xun remained silent.

Soi Fon looked at him, took a step forward, getting closer to him, her voice trembling slightly with confusion.

"You're close to Kisuke Urahara, do you know something inside?"

"Lady Yoruichi, why did you make this choice?"

Wang Xun remained silent for a moment.

"This was her personal choice; she chose to believe in Kisuke Urahara and Tessai Tsukabishi, and follow them."

His voice was very soft.

"Perhaps she made the right choice, perhaps they are innocent. Don't worry, you will definitely see them again in the future."

Soi Fon looked at him, remained silent for a moment, then stepped forward and punched Wang Xun in the chest, making a dull thud.

You lied to me.

Her voice was muffled, and her fist was still pressed against Wang Xun's chest.

But the next moment, her forehead pressed against the back of his hand, and his short hair slipped down from his ear, obscuring his entire face.

She didn't say anything more, but her shoulders were trembling slightly.

Wang Xun felt a warm, moist sensation slowly seeping into his chest.

He didn't speak, but simply raised his hand and gently placed it on the back of her head.

After a long time, Soi Fon pulled away from his embrace.

She quickly wiped her reddened eyes with the back of her hand and sniffed hard.

"My Shunkō technique has improved quite a bit lately."

Her voice was still a little hoarse.

"But now, nobody watches it."

Wang Xun looked at her.

"I'm still here. If you want to show off, how about the Second Division training ground, our usual spot?"

Soi Fon nodded slightly.

The training ground for the Second Division appeared exceptionally empty in the night.

Soi Fon walked to the center of the training field, turned around to face Wang Xun, and assumed a starting stance.

During her fight with Wang Xun, Wang Xun could clearly sense that she was distracted.

However, her Shunkō has indeed improved.

The Reiatsu exploded in his shoulders and back, becoming more concentrated than before.

It was no longer an uncontrolled explosion, but rather a precise attachment to the outer sides of her shoulder blades and arms, amplifying its power with the trajectory of her punches and kicks.

Every movement carried a more steady and powerful force than before.

After hitting for a long time, she stopped, supporting herself on her knees and panting heavily.

A moment later she straightened up and looked at Wang Xun.

I'm hungry.

What would you like to eat?

"... Yakitori, Lady Yoruichi's favorite."

Looking at Soi Fon's gaze, Wang Xun nodded.

The yakitori restaurants on the noble street are still lit up late at night.

When Ganju was doing the accounting behind the counter, he was initially delighted to see Wang Xun push the door open and enter. Then his gaze fell on Soi Fon, who was following behind him.

He licked his lips, wisely swallowing his greeting, but instead wiped the table more quickly than usual and served several dishes.

Freshly grilled skewers.

Then I retreated to the kitchen, only occasionally glancing at that area.

Soi Fon sat by the window and ate slowly.

She ate without speaking, Wang Xun sat opposite her, also eating slowly.

Do you have any wine?

Soi Fon suddenly asked.

Wang Xun nodded slightly.

Before long, a waiter brought over a pot of sake.

Soi Fon poured herself a glass and tilted her head back to drink the whole thing.

The spiciness made her frown.

"It tastes awful."

She said she poured herself another glass.

Wang Xun didn't stop her; he just drank some with her and watched her chug down one glass after another.

She clearly didn't have a high alcohol tolerance; after just a few drinks, her face started to turn red.

It's late at night.

One by one, the lights on Noble Street went out, Soi Fon lay on the table, seemingly unconscious.

Wang Xun stood up and helped her up from the chair.

Soi Fon staggered slightly, leaning on Wang Xun's shoulder. Through the thin layer of her Shinigami uniform, her body temperature was very warm.

Wang Xun pushed open the door to Soi Fon's dormitory and helped her to the bedside.

Just as he turned around to find some warm water, Soi Fon tugged at his sleeve.

Wang Xun turned around.

In the darkness, faint moonlight filtered through the windowpane, falling on her dazed eyes.

Her face was very red, burning from her cheeks all the way to her ears; it was hard to tell if it was from the alcohol or something else.

Wang Xun gently stretched, but Soi Fon didn't let go.

She simply tugged at Wang Xun's sleeve, pulling him slightly towards her.

The force wasn't great; in fact, Wang Xun could feel Soi Fon's arm trembling slightly.

Soi Fon looked up at him, the emotions surging in her eyes were something even she herself couldn't quite decipher.

With teary eyes and a bewildered expression, she resembled an abandoned little animal.

There was nothing else, but she didn't say, nor did she need to.

Wang Xun did not refuse.

He turned around and chose to fill the void left by Soi Fon.

Soi Fon's fair skin gleamed with a thin layer of coolness under the moonlight, but her breath carried a hint of burning intoxication.

Wang Xun's fingers ran through the short hair at the back of her head, his fingertips caressing the softness of the back of her neck.

Her lips touched mine with a slightly clumsy awkwardness, but also with a kind of candor that came from letting down all defenses.

The moonlight moved slowly through the windowpane, creeping from the edge of the bed to the pillow, and then from the pillow to the clasped fingers.

The clouds outside the window gather and disperse, disperse and gather again.

Soi Fon trembled slightly, then buried her face in Wang Xun's neck.

Moonlight streamed in, falling on her slightly furrowed brow, her fingers gripping the sheets tightly, and on their intertwined breaths.

The next day, Wang Xun was awakened by the sunlight streaming in through the window.

He instinctively reached out to his side, only to touch the slightly cool sheets.

Soi Fon is gone.

The blanket was haphazardly tucked into his side, the pillow was fluffed up, and a few fine, soft black hairs remained on the pillow.

Wang Xun sat up and rubbed his throbbing temples.

Soi Fon's shihachi outfit wasn't on the hanger, her shoes weren't by the door, and all traces of her in the room had been cleaned up.

What happened last night was indeed quite sudden.

Soi Fon was clearly unprepared, but she didn't resist at all and let everything happen.

It was raw and inexperienced, but it was worth reminiscing about.

She's not here now, probably... she's shy.

Wang Xun stood up and picked up his Death Knight's Armor, which was next to him.

I got dressed and opened the door.

Wang Xun stood in the empty corridor for a few seconds, sighed, and then turned and walked towards the Fourth Division.

When he returned to the Fourth Division, the members of the First Division were already waiting for him at the door of the vice-captain's office.

"Vice-Captain Wang Xun, the captain's meeting is about to begin. Please follow me to the First Division's meeting room."

Wang Xun's expression turned serious as he followed the team member to the First Division.

The door to the brigade's conference room was wide open.

But at this moment, many seats in the meeting room were empty.

Captain Rōjūrō Ōtoribashi of the Third Division Captain, Captain Shinji Hirako of the Fifth Division Captain, Captain Love Aikawa of the Captain of the Seventh Division, and Kensei Muguruma of the Captain of the Ninth Division.

The news that the four captains Hollowfication was already known to the captains present.

The few remaining captains all wore expressions of profound solemnity.

The positions of the Fourth Division Captain Unohana, who was implicated in the incident, and the Second Division Captain Yoruichi Shihōin are also vacant.

Wang Xun walked to the spot that originally belonged to Unohana and stood there. Beside him was Lieutenant Ōmaeda of the Second Division.

Shortly after, Shigekuni Yamamoto walked slowly in through the main gate.

He walked to the head of the table, looked around, and his aged eyes swept over everyone present.

"There's something I need to inform you about at today's captain's meeting."

"The existence of Quincy has been confirmed."

"Breaking news: Among those imprisoned in the Maggot's Nest, former Twelfth Division researcher Mayuri Kurotsuchi has made meritorious contributions in reporting Kisuke Urahara's defection."

"Mayuri Kurotsuchi, come up here."

As Yamamoto finished speaking, Mayuri Kurotsuchi walked in from outside the door.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi walked at a leisurely pace, her blue hair still sticking out in a messy, unruly manner.

He glanced at the empty seats as he walked past them, his gaze lingering for a moment on Wang Xun's seat before a smile appeared on his lips.

"Mayuri Kurotsuchi, state your situation to the captains present."

Yamamoto said.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi nodded slightly, then began to speak.

His voice was sharp and clear, particularly jarring in the empty conference room.

"During his tenure as the Third Seat of the Second Division, Kisuke Urahara repeatedly entered the Maggot's Nest and coerced me into assisting him with research in space technology."

"At the time, he offered to lift some of my Reiatsu restrictions in exchange for me solving a technical problem related to a spatial barrier."

"The technical data he provided overlapped in several places with the characteristics of the Quincy Shadow Domain that I later read in the report given to me by the Stealth Force."

"Therefore, I can confirm that he had already established a relationship with the enemy in the shadows."

Yamamoto nodded slightly and continued to ask.

"If that's the case, you should also have the corresponding technology, right? Are you able to reproduce it again?"

Mayuri Kurotsuchi nodded.

"Of course, the core elements of this technology have been processed by me, and after a simple reorganization, it can naturally be reproduced."

"At that time, I can recreate that technology, open the gates to the Shadow Domain, and expose those Quincy to the sunlight of Seireitei."

Yamamoto nodded.

"That's right, the arrest warrant for Kisuke Urahara has been issued. Now, we need to do more than just pursue the accomplices of those who have defected; we also need to lock down..."

The enemy has not yet surfaced.

"The Quincy will pay the price for their actions."

"Effective immediately, Mayuri Kurotsuchi will be assigned to the Twelfth Division, where he will lead the technological search for the Quincy's hideout."

"Kirio Hikifune, please take special care of him."

Kirio Hikifune nodded slightly.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi bowed to Yamamoto and then stood behind Kirio Hikifune.

But then he looked at Wang Xun.

"Speaking of which, during the time I was assisting Kisuke Urahara space technology research at the Maggot's Nest, I also met Wang Xun..."

"I wonder if he was also aware of this matter?"

Looking at Mayuri Kurotsuchi's strangely smiling face, Wang Xun was surprised that he would suddenly ask a question at this moment.

But Wang Xun already had a plan in mind for these things.

"During my time in the Second Division, I worked with Kisuke Urahara and assisted him in many experiments."

His voice was steady.

"I have already submitted his research report on Hollowfication and space technology to Central 46 as evidence, as a witness."

"However, I never expected him to do something so treacherous to the Soul Society behind the scenes."

Ultimately, it's because he kept it too well hidden.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi tilted her head and looked at him, the corners of her mouth widening until she let out two short, sharp laughs.

"Cool, really... that's a shame."

Mayuri Kurotsuchi's gaze lingered on Wang Xun for one last moment before turning away and saying nothing more.

Ultimately, Kisuke Urahara would be happy to see Mayuri Kurotsuchi suffer any misfortune.

To be able to step on him twice at such a time would be an unexpected delight for him.

Yamamoto's cane slammed heavily on the stone slab.

Led by Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the Twelfth Division and the Stealth Force jointly launched a search for the Quincy's hideout.

"The operation to Quincy has officially begun."