Chapter 109: In Light Banter, Determining the Upper Nobles' Fate

"Alright, since the tasks have been assigned to each of you, you may disperse and go home! By the way, be sure to finish your assignments for me on time."

Araki smiled gently and spoke softly to Jingyue and the others. After Araki finished evaluating all his disciples and assigned each of them a task, he decided to let them leave from here.

"Okay, teacher!"

Jingyue, Fuzhu, Ye Yi, Shi Tan, and Sui Feng's eyes lit up the moment they heard they could disperse. After all, they had been away from Jinglingting for over two hundred years, and hearing Araki say they could go home filled them with excitement; even Shi Tan began to miss his not‑so‑cozy home.

"Goodbye, teacher!"

For a moment, Jingyue and the others first said farewell to Araki…

Then they each used Instant Step, vanishing before Araki's eyes at their fastest speed.

"Heh, am I some terrifying demon or something?!"

Araki watched the departing students and smiled helplessly.

Then Araki slowly rose and walked toward the Zhi Bo family courtyard behind him.

Yes, after dismissing his students, Araki didn't rush away; after all, he had caused the Zhi Bo family a fair amount of trouble and owed them a bit of repayment.

So, twenty minutes later…

Inside the Zhi Bo family's reception hall.

The current head of the Zhi Bo family sat smiling in the room with Araki.

In fact, Araki and this Zhi Bo head were old friends; whenever Araki needed the Heaven Pillar Carriage, he would borrow the Zhi Bo Cannon from the Zhi Bo family.

As the saying goes, familiarity breeds affection; after borrowing the Zhi Bo Cannon many times, Araki became "friends" with the head.

At this moment Araki was sipping tea while chatting idly with the Zhi Bo head before him.

"Captain Araki, may I ask if there's anything you need from the Zhi Bo family right now?!"

"Whether the task you require of the Zhi Bo family is big or small, just give the order; as long as we can accomplish it, we will give it our all…"

The current head, Zhi Bo Tiansun, smiled at Araki as he spoke.

"Haha, brother Tiansun, you're being modest~"

"I have no orders left unsaid when I come to the Zhi Bo family this time!"

"I'm just a lowly Royal Agent of the Zero Squad! I have no right to order the heads of the Five Great Nobles. I'm here only to discuss a small matter with you…"

Araki gave a light smile after hearing Tiansun's words and continued to flatter him.

"Oh?!"

Tiansun's brows twitched slightly at the remark. Based on his years serving the Zhi Bo family, he judged that Araki's visit was not a friendly one.

"The current captain of the 9th Squad should be a member of the Zhi Bo family, right?"

Before Tiansun could think further, Araki spoke again.

Araki did not reveal his purpose immediately; instead he pretended to ask Tiansun a question.

"The captain of the 9th Squad is indeed my sister, Zhi Bo Zehu…"

Tiansun nodded lightly after hearing Araki.

"Just as I thought…"

Araki's face showed a unsurprised expression.

At the same time, Araki was intrigued by the Zhi Bo naming convention: the current main branch uses the characters 'Heaven', 'Mountain', 'Marsh', and 'Forest' combined with a type of bird to form each name. The next generation of the main branch will naturally be the trio 'Sea', 'Sky', and 'Rock'.

The Zhi Bo sub‑branch uses the prefix 'Yi' in a lineage, such as 'Yi Xin', 'Yi Hu', 'Yi Yong'…

"Brother Tiansun, do you have any plan to transfer my sister to another squad?"

Araki voiced his thought to Tiansun.

"Change her squad?!"

Tiansun's brows knit tightly after hearing Araki.

In fact, Tiansun had no intention of moving his sister Zehu to another squad, even if other squads offered richer prospects for the Zhi Bo family's future; he did not wish to meddle in other squads' affairs.

After all, richer gains would mean the Zhi Bo family would clash with other nobles; although the Zhi Bo family, together with Four Maple Court, Rotten Wood, and Gang Mi Dai, is one of the Five Great Nobles…

However, the Zhi Bo family lacks the massive scale of those three houses and does not wish to create unnecessary conflicts with other nobles or noble groups for a few benefits.

"Heh! I suppose you're worried that the Zhi Bo family changing squads might upset other nobles, but you need not worry about that…"

"All the 'discontent', 'condemnation', 'conflict', and 'curses' will be borne solely by me! Whoever is dissatisfied may go to the 11th Squad to find me~"

"As for my wish that the Zhi Bo family relinquish control of the 9th Squad and let my sister leave it to become captain of another squad, it isn't solely for my benefit! In my view, switching squads would actually be quite advantageous for the Zhi Bo family…"

"If I recall correctly, the 9th Squad is the Prison Squad, so my sister must have a hard time—on one side dealing with the judicial affairs of the 13th Guard Court and the entire Jinglingting, and on the other side confronting powerful noble groups who disregard law and even contract assassinations…"

"Upholding the judiciary pits you against noble groups, while currying favor with those groups brings double condemnation from conscience and law! Honestly, I don't think the 9th Squad benefits the Zhi Bo family's development…"

Araki naturally saw Tiansun's worry, gave a gentle smile, and explained the 9th Squad's drawbacks to him. Since Araki dared to come, he was prepared; in a few short sentences he hit the core of Tiansun's concerns.

"This…"

Tiansun seemed surprised that Araki could read his thoughts so easily; his expression turned awkward and he gave a bitter smile.

"Sorry for making you look foolish…"

"As you said, I indeed have this concern!"

"Honestly, the Zhi Bo family has long considered relinquishing control of the Guard Court 9th Squad…"

"Just as you said, it's a thankless job! The Zhi Bo family cannot do something against our conscience! I'm not afraid of your ridicule; in fact, my sister has already prepared to 'retire from the squad'…"

"However, the Zhi Bo family has not yet found a suitable time to 'retire the squad'; after all, it's not just an internal matter—it involves other noble powers. If we rashly abandon control of the Guard Court 13th Squad's leadership, it may also provoke other nobles' displeasure…"

Tiansun gave a wry smile and slowly explained the Zhi Bo family's situation to Araki.

"Captain Araki, what do you think the Zhi Bo family should do to get through this difficulty?!"

After finishing his explanation, Tiansun still asked Araki a question, as if waiting for his direction.

"Old fox!"

Araki, hearing Tiansun's words, silently cursed him as an old fox; although Araki had already brought up the idea of changing the Zhi Bo family's squad, Tiansun never mentioned it and instead tossed the problem back to Araki, acting as if everything depended on Araki's decision.

In that case, even if something goes wrong in the end, it will be Huangmu's decision, having nothing to do with him, Shibo Tianxun; if other nobles come to him, Shibo Tianxun also has an excuse, so he won't bear a grudge!

Needless to say, Shibo Tianxun has mastered the art of balancing to the highest degree; whenever a decision would clash with other factions' interests, he dumps it all onto Huangmu—after all, if anything goes wrong, it's Huangmu's problem, not his.

「If Haiyan had Tianxun's skill, he probably wouldn't have died so early? When facing the one who killed his wife, Shibo Du—Metasitaxia—he would likely have directly asked Fuzhu to act, or launched a joint attack! Haiyan, Haiyan! You should pay more attention~」

Huangmu thought silently to himself.

Not long after, Huangmu continued to Shibo: "In fact, I indeed have a method to help the Shibo family resolve the current problem~"

"Oh? Please enlighten me, Brother Huangmu!"

Tianxun's eyes lit up instantly, and he continued to ask Huangmu.

「How about the Shibo family directly changes from the Ninth Division's Prison Unit to the Tenth Division's Guard Patrol Unit? 」

Huangmu directly told his idea to Shibo Tianxun.

「The Tenth Division... 」

Tianxun couldn't help but frown after hearing Huangmu's words.

「The Tenth Division is indeed good! But right now, more than just our Shibo family is eyeing the Tenth Division; if the Shibo family also joins the competition for the Tenth Division's captain, it would surely stir up a lot of unnecessary trouble~」

Tianxun's brows were tightly locked, and he was also deeply torn right now—the Tenth Division is far better than the Ninth Division!

But it's not just the Shibo family who knows that the Tenth Division's work is easy and its power great……

If they were to switch from the Ninth Division to the Tenth Division, it would somewhat conflict with the Shibo family's core principle of not competing with other nobles.

"I've said it all—no need to consider anything else! You just need to answer one question: does the Shibo family actually want the position of Tenth Division captain?!"

Huangmu looked at Tianxun before him and asked.

"Naturally, we want it!"

After thinking for a long time, Tianxun nodded firmly.

"Alright, I understand."

Huangmu nodded satisfactorily after hearing Tianxun's words.

"That's it?!"

Tianxun looked at Huangmu in disbelief and asked.

"That's it!"

"Oh, right, remember to write a report for Old Man Shan; we have to follow proper procedure~"

Huangmu first gave Tianxun a light smile, then reminded him.

"Oh! Okay……"

「Rest assured on this point—I will definitely write the transfer report as quickly as Captain-Commander Yamamoto does. 」

Tianxun didn't try to shirk this point; writing a transfer report is still easy for him, and moreover, in his view, following proper procedure is still necessary, so as to avoid later accusations that the Shibo family is abusing its privileges as one of the Five Great Noble Houses and engaging in special treatment.

"Then I'll be going first."

Huangmu said, slowly rising from his seat, seemingly without intention to stay longer at the Shibo family.

"You're leaving so soon? Don't you plan to stay a bit longer?"

Tianxun looked at Huangmu and asked.

"No, after all I still need to visit the mansions of those few nobles who plan to compete for the Tenth Division captaincy."

Huangmu looked at Tianxun and chuckled.

"Huh? What are you going to do in those nobles' eyes?"

Hearing that, Tianxun furrowed his brows slightly, looking at Huangmu with some confusion and asked.

If Tianxun remembers correctly, Huangmu hates nothing more than mingling with those nobles……

The reason Huangmu gets along relatively well with the Shibo family is that, although they are one of the Five Great Noble Houses, they have no aristocratic airs whatsoever and are extremely affable toward anyone.

"If I don't go to their houses and take care of them all, how will the noble sister accomplish the division's reorganization?!"

Huangmu chuckled after hearing Tianxun's words. In the course of his pleasant chat with Shibo Tianxun, he had already decided in his mind the final fate of those few senior nobles who covet the Tenth Division.

"Er……"

When Tianxun heard Huangmu's words, he fell completely silent.

After a moment, Tianxun finally realized what kind of person Huangmu was—he is a veritable killing god!

And yet he actually spent half a day bargaining with such a killing god……

In that moment, Tianxun himself felt quite formidable.

"He's gone!"

Huangmu lightly patted Tianxun's shoulder, then his figure vanished from the spot.

"Hiss~"

After Huangmu left, Tianxun then took out a towel and lightly wiped the cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Indeed, communicating with Huangmu still puts too much pressure on him……

"Looks like it's better to let the next generation take over sooner!"

While looking toward the direction Huangmu went, he shook his head helplessly.

Elsewhere……

Not long after Huangmu left Tianxun, he arrived at the street where the nobles of the Tranquil Spirit Court reside.

「Those planning to compete for the Tenth Division captaincy are the three houses of 【Yoshikawa】【Takao】【Matsuki】, right?! 」

"Then let's go to them one by one~"

Huangmu said, and, following the information and address sent by the 【Four Maple Court】 family, he headed toward those three houses.

Huangmu first went to the Yoshikawa family's estate.

"Boom!"

Accompanied by a terrifying spiritual pressure, the entire Jichuan household instantly fell into chaos; everyone except the head rolled their eyes back and collapsed unconscious on the ground.

Who are you?!

The head of the Jichuan family, seeing Huangmu intruding onto his clan's territory with an extremely grim expression, gripped his Soul-Cutting Sword and asked Huangmu.

If you had attended the soul funeral ceremony of the previous captain of the Tenth Division, you would know who I am.

Although Huangmu rarely appears in public, he hardly ever attends the captains' meetings convened by Old Man Shan, yet he has participated in some major ceremonies; recently, he attended the soul funeral ceremony of the Tenth Division's previous captain.

Yet the Jichuan family head before him failed to recognize who he was, indicating that the other party had not attended that day's soul funeral ceremony……

Hah?!

Hearing this, the head of the Jichuan family showed a doubtful expression.

Boom

Before the Jichuan family head could think further, Huangmu's blade had already fallen.

Accompanied by a dark crescent, the Jichuan family head was cut down and fell to the ground, completely unconscious.

Next…… Gaowei family!

After incapacitating the Jichuan family head before him, Huangmu began walking toward the territory of the next family.

Indeed, Huangmu had no intention of killing the Jichuan family head; he only needed to ensure that the head before him lacked the strength to continue running for captain of the Tenth Division. As for what comes next, someone will handle it for him. Don't be fooled by these nobles' glamour—even the laws of Soul Society protect them!

In fact, the nobles' glory and privileges are entirely built upon their families' formidable strength; once a family's pillar disappears, other nobles will mercilessly swallow up the weakened family……

These Soul Society nobles are precisely such a realistic bunch……

Boom!

Several minutes later, accompanied by a rumbling sound, Huangmu continued toward the Songmu family.

Meanwhile……

Guardian Court First Division barracks.

Reporting to General Commander Yuanliuzhai, just now the captain of the Ninth Division's Zhibo family had me submit this report to you.

Inside the captain's chamber, a squad member of the First Division, presently showing a respectful expression, knelt on one knee before General Commander Yuanliuzhai and handed over the report submitted by the Zhibo family.

I understand! You may withdraw!

After taking the report from the squad member's hand, General Commander Yuanliuzhai frowned slightly.

All that could be seen was General Commander Yuanliuzhai lightly waving his hand at the squad member delivering the report, indicating that the member could leave first.

Yes, sir!

That squad member wasted no words; the moment General Commander Yuanliuzhai told him to leave, he instantly turned into a black shadow and vanished before the general commander's eyes.

Huh? Strange……

The Zhibo family plans to change divisions? That girl Ze'e is doing quite well in the Ninth Division, isn't she?

General Commander Yuanliuzhai looked at the report in his hand, his expression showing a hint of puzzlement.

If it were another division captain applying early to change divisions, General Commander Yuanliuzhai might not have such great doubts, but the Zhibo family is different; after all, the Zhibo family is one of the Five Great Noble Houses of Soul Society, and every move they make involves many matters……

Zhangcilang, what do you think of this?!

General Commander Yuanliuzhai looked at the report in his hand, turning it over in his mind; he simply couldn't figure it out, so he asked Zhangcilang, who was inside the captain's chamber.

Reporting to General Commander Yuanliuzhai, I believe the Zhibo family's decision to change divisions this time is not necessarily their own choice; it is very likely that someone is urging them from behind the scenes……

As General Commander Yuanliuzhai's words fell, Quebu's figure slowly emerged from the shadows and spoke to him.

I think so too.

After hearing Quebu's words, General Commander Yuanliuzhai lightly nodded.

Evidently, General Commander Yuanliuzhai and Quebu Zhangcilang had arrived at the same idea……

So the question arises: in this vast Soul Society, who could possibly have the influence to urge the Zhibo family to do certain things?! After all, there are not many people capable of doing that……

Quebu, go investigate who the Zhibo family has recently been in contact with.

General Commander Yuanliuzhai looked at Quebu and gave the order.

Yes, sir!

Upon hearing this, Quebu faced General Commander Yuanliuzhai and gave a heavy nod.

Reporting, Commander-in-Chief Shanben!

This is the latest confidential letter we have received concerning Captain Huangmu.

Just as General Commander Yuanliuzhai was preparing to send Quebu to investigate the Zhibo family's matter thoroughly……

A squad member of the First Division's Special Unit, dressed in black, entered the captain's chamber, holding a stack of documents. Because there were simply too many matters to report, the Special Unit member fortunately had written all these reports into documents, thus avoiding the need to orally report to Commander-in-Chief Shanben.

Oh?!

General Commander Yuanliuzhai glanced at the stack of documents in the squad member's hand, his eyelid twitching slightly.

So what good deeds has his prized disciple recently done, that his squad members would write them up in document form?!

I understand, you may go.

Saying this, General Commander Yuanliuzhai took the stack of reports from the squad member's hand.

Yes, sir!

The squad member who had obtained General Commander Yuanliuzhai's assent instantly turned into a black shadow and left the First Division's captain's chamber.

This seemingly empty captain's chamber is not only the place most feared by the captains of the Guardian Court Thirteen Divisions, but also the place most feared by these squad members……

Apart from Quebu Zhangcilang, there is basically no one in the vast Seireitei who would willingly be alone in the same room with the perpetually stern Commander-in-Chief Shanben!

Huh?

What?!

As General Commander Yuanliuzhai flipped through Huangmu's recent deeds, his headache grew; each page recorded something sufficient for the Central 46 Chambers to sentence a Guardian Court Thirteen Division captain to over a hundred years in prison, and there were over thirty such pages.

Fortunately, Huangmu is a Royal Special Duty of the Zero Division, exempt from the laws of the Central 46 Chambers and the regulations of the Guardian Court Thirteen Divisions~

Changcilang, you don't need to investigate the Zhibo Family's affairs anymore; this report already states it clearly.

After looking at the report, Yuanliuzhai first remained silent for a few seconds, then slightly tilted their head, and spoke to Quebu Changcilang beside them.

"What do you mean?"

Upon hearing that, Quebu's expression slightly froze.

"See for yourself!"

Yuanliuzhai said while handing the report in their hand to Quebu.

"Let me see..."

Quebu flipped through the document in his hand, looking at the shocking handwriting, sweat continually beading on his forehead.

After a moment...

Quebu closed the document he had finished reading, feeling only that at this moment he saw stars and his head kept emitting a 'buzzing' sound.

"Quebu, have you finished reading this document?!"

Yuanliuzhai gripped the Soul-Cutting Sword, stood in front of Quebu, and inquired.

"Finished!"

Quebu answered truthfully.

"How does it feel?"

Yuanliuzhai continued to ask.

"This document must not be seen by anyone else."

Quebu's expression changed, and they spoke solemnly.

"Boom!"

At the exact moment Quebu's words fell, the document in his hand instantly ignited in flames.

This fire was naturally set by Yuanliuzhai.

"Hah..."

Quebu looked at the flames burning in their hand and slowly exhaled.

The temperature of the flames was not high, and with his spiritual pressure he could completely withstand it.

I never expected Huangmu to have connections with the Zhibo Family; looking at Huangmu's appearance, they also intend to use the Zhibo Family's power to plot for the currently vacant position of Guard Court Tenth Division...

After the report in Quebu's hand burned completely, they spoke to Yuanliuzhai.

"Just the Tenth Division? I feel Huangmu's goals aren't limited to the Tenth Division; the Ninth Division also seems to be within Huangmu's plans~"

After hearing Quebu's words, Yuanliuzhai countered.

"Eh? Even if Huangmu wanted control of the Ninth Division, they currently have no one to send to replace the Zhibo Family in the Ninth Division; could Huangmu intend to send Zhaiteng over?"

Quebu looked at Yuanliuzhai doubtfully and spoke.

"It wouldn't be Zhaiteng..."

Yuanliuzhai directly rejected Quebu's answer.

"What is that?"

Quebu became even more doubtful.

"Those few disciples of Huangmu have all come down from the Soul King Palace."

Yuanliuzhai reminded Quebu.

"Are you saying there is the direct heir of the Four Maples Clan, and also a branch of the Gangyidai Clan, those few children?"

After hearing Yuanliuzhai's words, Quebu then realized.

"'Four Maples Clan', 'Gangyidai Clan', 'Jingyue', 'Fuzhu', and also the 'Bee Family's Little Girl', plus Huangmu's kid roping in the Zhibo Family, and Gengmu's little monster! Huangmu has unknowingly accumulated enough emerging power! Surely before long they will challenge my position!"

Yuanliuzhai seemed to sense something, turning his body to gaze out the window at the leaves continually falling due to the changing seasons, the corners of his mouth slightly rising. 'Guard Court Thirteen Divisions' is like that old tree outside his window; the old leaves on the tree will eventually fall, replaced by new leaves! And he too will eventually be replaced by Huangmu, becoming a thing of the past……

"Yuanliuzhai Sir! No matter the final outcome, I will forever follow at your side!"

Upon hearing Yuanliuzhai's words, Quebu Changcilang suddenly felt a sense of crisis.

As Yuanliuzhai said, Huangmu's preparations seem complete; next they will launch a challenge against Yuanliuzhai, and then completely take over the Guard Court Thirteen Divisions……

Quebu naturally feels proud of his brother Huangmu, and he will also, out of faith and loyalty, choose to forever follow at Yuanliuzhai's side!

Regardless of whether Yuanliuzhai wins or loses in the future, in Quebu's eyes, Yuanliuzhai is the strongest Shinigami in the Soul Society.

Seven thousand words, middle chapter. The night before last I drank coffee to stay awake, but my gastritis flared up again, and yesterday I went to the hospital.