Chapter 131: No sooner had he become Captain-Commander than he killed two

As the Guardian Thirteen Divisions officially entered the Huangmu Era.

Huangmu began the first captains' meeting since he became Captain-Commander.

"Today I summoned you all to inform you, aside from the matter of promoting Teacher Yuanliuzhai to the Zero Division..."

"Moreover, I wanted to ask: in your opinion, how should we resolve the current vacancies for the captains of the Third, Fifth, Seventh, and Twelfth Divisions within the Guardian Thirteen Divisions?!"

Huangmu stood at the forefront of the captains and softly inquired of Sifengyuan Yichi, Maohua Lie, and the others before him.

After Yuanliuzhai's promotion, Huangmu transferred from the Eleventh Division to the First Division to serve as Captain-Commander.

The current configuration of the Guardian Thirteen Divisions is…

The captain of the Second Division and commander of the Covert Mobilization, Sifengyuan Yichi,

The captain of the Third Division, who was just slain by Huangmu with a single blow, is currently vacant,

The captain of the Fourth Division, Maohua Lie,

The captain of the Fifth Division did not attend Huangmu's captains' meeting due to unknown reasons,

The captain of the Sixth Division, Kaomu Ginling,

The captain of the Seventh Division, who is also the head of the Kangemidai family, is currently missing,

The captain of the Eighth Division, Jingle Chunshui,

The captain of the Ninth Division, Kangemidai Shitan,

The captain of the Tenth Division, Shibo Zehong,

The captain of the Eleventh Division is the newly appointed Sword Eight, Gengmu Bajie,

The captain of the Twelfth Division, Xiuduoluo Qian shou wan, was promoted to the Zero Division; the vice captain, Nie Juanli, was arrested and imprisoned for privately researching the forbidden subjects of the Forty-Six Chamber, leaving the position vacant, currently filled temporarily by the Third Seat,

The captain of the Thirteenth Division is Fuzhu Shisi lang.

"Huh?!"

After Huangmu's words fell, the captains present all showed looks of confusion.

"The captain of the Seventh Division, Kangemidai Shitan, is missing, and the captain of the Twelfth Division, Xiuduoluo Qian shou wan, has been promoted, so the leadership of those two divisions is temporarily vacant—I know that! However, as far as I know, the Third and Fifth Divisions are not lacking captains; their leaders should still be in office..."

The captain of the Sixth Division, Kaomu Ginling, furrowed his brow slightly, somewhat unable to grasp Huangmu's meaning.

"That Teacher Huangmu, the captains of the Third and Fifth Divisions should still be in office."

After a moment, the honest Fuzhu mistakenly thought Huangmu had not returned to the Pure Spirit Court for a long time, so he was unaware of the current configuration of the Guardian Thirteen Divisions; after thinking it over, he still stood up to remind Huangmu.

"The captain of the Third Division is dead."

After hearing Fuzhu's words, Huangmu explained with a slight smile.

"Dead? Could it be that enemies have invaded?"

Huangmu's words made the captains present tense up.

"You've misunderstood; the Soul Society is currently very safe, and there is no enemy invasion..."

Huangmu first dispelled everyone's doubts, allowing the captains present to breathe a sigh of relief.

However, Huangmu's following words once again tightened everyone's hearts, as he smiled and said to those present: "As for why the captain of the Third Division suddenly faced life and death, it is because I killed him."

"Ha?!"

The captains, upon hearing this, froze on the spot.

"On the way to hold this meeting with you, I happened to pass by the Eleventh Division's barracks and, by chance, spotted the Third Division's captain acting suspiciously outside the Eleventh Division captain's quarters, so I followed him inside to have a look..."

"As it turned out, this esteemed captain of the Third Division was actually the one who caused the entire Zhi Cheng family of the upper-class nobility to bear false charges, resulting in the whole family being sentenced to death by the Forty-Six Chamber; he was one of the two masterminds. To uphold the absolute justice of our Guardian Thirteen Divisions, I decided to slay this evildoer on the spot and execute him summarily."

Huangmu looked at the cold-faced crowd and spoke in a calm tone.

"I see, no wonder as Captain-Commander Huangmu, killing such scum is excellent."

"How embarrassing! I have worked with the Third Division captain for years and never noticed his fault, but Teacher Huangmu, shortly after returning to the Pure Spirit Court, seized his fox tail! Such keen observation truly befits Teacher Huangmu; I am ashamed to compare."

As Huangmu's words fell, Jingle and Fuzhu, among others, immediately echoed his decision before all the captains; clearly, anyone of sound mind hearing Huangmu's explanation would find it problematic…

However, Jingle and Fuzhu would not think so; in their eyes, everything Huangmu said was correct, and Huangmu is the eternal god in their hearts.

"Well..."

Shitan and Yichi, although not as blatant in flattering Huangmu as Jingle and Fuzhu, likewise showed that they considered everything Huangmu said to be correct, without doubting the accuracy of his words in the slightest.

"What good are you doing here?!"

"Just how far is the Eleventh Division's barracks from the First Division's, you lot? How could anyone on the way to the First Division's barracks happen to pass by the Eleventh Division's? Does your notion of 'passing by' mean you deliberately loop around the Pure Spirit Court?!"

"Moreover, even if that Third Division captain truly committed such heinous acts, Captain-Commander Huangmu lacks the authority to judge him directly; this utterly violates the Pure Spirit Court's rules—only the Central Forty-Six Chamber can rightfully sentence him! Huangmu should have subdued him, then brought the evidence and the offender to the Forty-Six Chamber."

Only Kaomu Ginling felt utterly torn inside at this moment.

Although Kaomu Ginling knew the current situation—Huangmu and the Yuanliu faction held the advantage, and many of the captains present had some connection to Huangmu—if he wanted to get along well in these Thirteen Divisions in the future, he should simply flatter Huangmu like everyone else, treating any loopholes in Huangmu's words as unheard.

However, the blood of the Kaomu family flowing in his veins was now crying out, for the Kaomu family values rules above all, yet it is obvious that Captain-Commander Huangmu fundamentally disregards them…

"Um, Captain-Commander…"

In the end, Kaomu Ginling still intended to admonish Huangmu; otherwise, the noble blood of the Kaomu family inherited in his veins would surely bring him to tears!

"Captain Kaomu, please speak cautiously."

However, before Kaomu Ginling could speak, Shibo Zehong, standing not far away, interrupted him first.

"Captain Shibo, what do you mean by this?"

Upon hearing Shibo Zehong's words, Kaomu Ginling showed a puzzled expression.

"Senior Ginling, I know what you're torn about, but for now please don't dwell on it…"

Shibo Zehong looked at Kaomu Ginling and advised him.

"But…"

Upon hearing this, Kaomu Ginling's brows tightened; although the captain of the Third Division is at least the head of an upper-class noble family, as the current head of all nobility and one of the Five Great Noble Families bearing the title of Noble Exemplar, the Kaomu family head, if he does not assist the other party in questioning Huangmu, it would seem that he, as the head of the nobility, is failing to act.

"It's merely killing a captain of the Guardian Thirteen Divisions who made a mistake..."

"As Captain-Commander Araki, with his strength and status, he actually doesn't need to explain anything like we captains of the Thirteen Squads do! But Captain-Commander Araki didn't do that— isn't that enough?!"

Before Xiùmù Yínlíng could speak, Zhìbō Zéhóng took the initiative and asked Yínlíng.

"This…"

Xiùmù Yínlíng, upon hearing this, quickly fell silent.

Zhìbō Zéhóng's words do indeed make some sense…

In terms of strength, Araki defeated Yuánliǔzhái, making him the newly appointed strongest Death God of the 'Guardian Thirteen Squads'.

In terms of status, Araki is not only the Captain-Commander of the 'Guardian Thirteen Squads', but also a royal special agent of the 'Zero Division'.

With Araki's strength, coupled with his formidable status, he could kill a captain of the Thirteen Squads in the Pure Spirit Court without needing to explain himself to anyone— not even the Room 46 could do anything about Araki— yet Araki didn't do that! Despite his reasoning being full of holes, he still explained! This shows Araki respects these Thirteen Squads captains; he's truly too gentle…

"Senior Yínlíng, think about it carefully— even if part of what Captain-Commander Araki just explained is not true but a false lie! But what does it matter?"

"On the contrary, Captain-Commander Araki, in order to give us a convincing reason, is even willing to sacrifice a few tens of seconds to fabricate a lie— doesn't that show that Araki values us?"

"As for the reason Captain-Commander Araki killed the captain of the Third Division, although I don't know the exact circumstances, I think Araki must have had an extremely profound reason for suddenly lashing out and killing."

Before Yínlíng could speak, Zhìbō Zéhóng continued to talk at length to Yínlíng.

"It seems… there is a grain of truth to that."

Upon hearing this, Yínlíng's aged face finally showed a hint of emotion.

Although Yínlíng didn't know exactly what felt off, he felt that what Zhìbō Zéhóng said really did make a certain amount of sense.

"Hehe…"

Zhìbō Zéhóng looked at the contemplative Xiùmù Yínlíng and merely gave a faint smile.

Just now, the lines she gave Yínlíng were all things Araki had once told her.

If we must count it, she could actually be considered half a disciple of Araki, although only when Araki oversees the Shiba family borrowing the Shiba Cannon does he give her a bit of guidance.

"With Captain-Commander Araki's strength and authority, he truly doesn't need to explain anything to us, yet now Captain-Commander Araki not only explained to us, but also spent considerable mental effort and energy, carefully preparing his speech— could it really be, as Zéhóng said, that Captain-Commander Araki actually values us? It's strange— why do I always feel something's off, yet I can't put my finger on it? What on earth is going on?"

Yínlíng gradually fell into contemplation.

However, he still wasn't aware that the words Zhìbō Zéhóng said to him were a textbook example of PUA-ing him…

Despite being up in years and famous for his wisdom in the Pure Spirit Court, the old captain Xiùmù finally stumbled badly on the matter of 'tactics'.

"Professor Araki, aside from the captain of the Third Division, the captain of the Fifth Division is still alive…"

"I mean, the captain of the Fifth Division is still in office, so there's no need to re-select someone."

Just as Yínlíng fell into contemplation, the honest Fúzhú once again reminded Araki.

"That was my oversight…"

After hearing Fúzhú's words, Araki raised his eyebrows slightly.

"So, for the captain of the Fifth Division, do we not need to choose anymore?"

After a brief period of thought, Yínlíng ultimately chose to stop thinking; once his mind relaxed, he felt his overall condition improve greatly. Moreover, after hearing Fúzhú's words, Yínlíng still didn't forget to look at Araki and ask.

"Sorry, I'm late."

It was precisely at the moment when Yīnlěng and the others' words fell silent that the captain of the Fifth Division finally arrived late.

Of course, it's not that the captain of the Fifth Division doesn't value the Captain-Commander's convened captains' meeting…

but rather he had more important things to do just now, as Araki previously said—the captain of the Third Division whom Araki killed with a single blow was merely one of the masterminds behind the framing of the Zhìchéng family…

Since he is one of those masterminds, aside from that poor captain of the Third Division, there are actually many other masterminds, and the captain of the Fifth Division is exactly one of them.

As for the so-called more important matter of this Fifth Division captain, it was naturally to wait for his companion—the captain of the Third Division who went to burn the Eleventh Division's captains' chamber—to promptly report to him the news of burning the captains' chamber.

But he waited nearly two hours, and the Third Division captain who had gone to burn the Eleventh Division's captains' chamber never responded to him, which left him feeling panicked while a vague premonition rose in his heart— he knew that his companion, the Third Division captain, was likely to have met with trouble.

After figuring this out, the Fifth Division captain silently cursed, as the Captain-Commander of the Guardian Thirteen Squads, Yuánliǔzhái Shígéguó, neither early nor late, chose to show up at this critical moment, and with a nervous feeling and under tremendous pressure, he arrived at the First Division's barracks and entered the captains' chamber…

However, when this Fifth Division captain entered the First Division's captains' chamber, he froze on the spot.

For the person now standing in the Captain-Commander's position was not the imagined Yamamoto Yuánliǔzhái Shígéguó, but had been replaced by Araki; and standing in Araki's original spot was— Araki's disciple, Gèngmù.

At this moment, the Fifth Division captain's mind went blank; he suddenly realized a serious problem— although Zhāiténg bù lǎo bù sǐ had told them that the Captain-Commander was to convene a captains' meeting in the First Division, they had never been told which Captain-Commander was to do so!

"Run…"

After the Fifth Division captain's brain crashed, he immediately turned around; he now finally knows what's wrong with his ally, the Third Division captain— likely the latter has already gone to hell at this very moment, and in order not to accompany his close friend, he now has only one path to take…

That is to flee, to escape this damned Pure Spirit Court, and even escape the vast Soul Society— he wants to flee to the Hollow Realm, to flee to the Living World! As for the wealth he has cultivated over hundreds of years in the Pure Spirit Court, those external possessions can be abandoned; what matters most now is to find every possible means, and then survive.

"Hehe…"

Araki looked at the Fifth Division captain's extremely guilty expression, and the corners of his mouth twitched upward slightly.

Originally he had merely suspected this matter was related to the other party, after all, compared to the careless Third Division captain, this Fifth Division captain could be said to be extremely cautious…

But when Araki saw the other party, and after seeing him in person, his first reaction was not astonishment but immediate flight— at that moment his heart filled with absolute certainty, confirming that this person was indeed the one he was looking for.

"Divine Avoidance."

In response, Araki directly drew the Soul-Cutting Sword at his waist and, aiming at the Fifth Division captain, fiercely swung it down.

Only a jet-black crescent could be seen, following Araki's swinging arm, speeding after the fleeing Fifth Division captain. Faintly, a mysterious force seemed to lock onto that Fifth Division captain; no matter how he used Flash Step to escape, the slash closely trailed behind him.

"Final Release!"

Left with no choice, the Fifth Division captain had no option but to unleash his Final Release, intending to block Araki's attack head-on.

"Boom!"

However, before he could act, the slash struck his body, not only destroying his Final Release instantly but also knocking him unconscious outright.

"Send him to the Secret Mobile Unit, and make him tell me everything he should and shouldn't say."

This time, Araki did not deal a killing blow; he merely disabled the opponent's Final Release and left him with a breath, while speaking softly to Shìfēngyuàn Yèyī beside him.

"Good…"

Shìfēngyuàn Yèyī, upon hearing this, immediately nodded.

"Captain-Commander sir, after I finish my questioning, what should I do with this former Fifth Division captain?"

Immediately after, Yèyī looked at Huāngmù and asked.

"After you finish asking, handle it yourself."

"Huāngmù replied indifferently."

"Then I understand..."

After hearing Huāngmù's words, Yèyī became attentive.

Like those worms in the Soul Society, and moreover the larger kind among them, of course it's best to kill them.

"Alright, just now our Fifth Division Captain was also removed; now we can discuss the nominations for the new Third and Fifth Division Captains, right?!"

After Huāngmù cut down a captain with a single blow, he silently sheathed his Zanpakutō.

"Captain-Commander, wise..."

Upon hearing this, all the captains immediately began to flatter Huāngmù.

"Captain-Commander, wise..."

As for Xiǔmù Yínlíng, who had previously held a slight prejudice against Huāngmù's actions, he also fell silent just now. Just moments ago, Huāngmù, right in front of him, directly removed a veteran captain; the worst part is, he couldn't say anything...

At this moment, Xiǔmù Yínlíng realized that Huāngmù is a lawless overlord. Previously, in the Seireitei, there was still Captain-Commander Yuánliǔzhāi who could keep Huāngmù in check, but now that Yuánliǔzhāi has been promoted, this vast Seireitei has become Huāngmù's personal plaything.

As the captains' flattery ended, the election of division chiefs commenced.

"Captain-Commander, I believe that Suìfēng, the Vice-Captain of the Second Division, is capable of serving as the Third Division Captain!"

"I have witnessed Suìfēng's strength; whether it's his fist techniques or his Zanpakutō training, he has reached an extremely profound level. If we speak solely of assassination and beheading abilities, he might even surpass most of us division chiefs."

The first to speak was Gāngmídài Shítān, who as soon as he spoke dealt Yèyī a backhanded blow, pushing her little follower Suìfēng forward.

"Huh?! What nonsense are you spouting now?!"

"Suìfēng is currently my Vice-Captain in the Second Division and the deputy commander of the Covert Ops, doing fine; why would she go to that damn Third Division to be an idiot captain?!"

Upon hearing Shítān's words, Yèyī's brows furrowed instantly; her ambitious golden eyes filled with dissatisfaction toward Shítān.

"Yèyī senior, watch your words, your words..."

Jīnglè heard Shifengin Yèyī's words, his brows slightly furrowed, and he hurriedly stepped in to mediate.

"Shítān, you too, knowing full well that Suìfēng is Yèyī senior's retainer, yet you push her outward."

Fúzhú also stood up at this point, feigning anger toward Shítān.

Actually, Fúzhú did this to give Yèyī and Shítān each a way to save face, so as not to create a grudge between them.

"Yèyī senior, regarding the regulations, personnel, and recruitment standards of your Second Division and the Covert Ops, do you know them all? Let's not ask about anything else for now—if you can name the commander of the Third Unit of the Covert Ops, I won't recommend Suìfēng for the Third Division captain position."

Shítān ignored Fúzhú and Jīnglè before him, looked expressionlessly at Shifengin Yèyī, and asked.

"Ah, this..."

"Heh heh, yeah! What's his name again?!"

Upon hearing Shítān's words, Yèyī immediately found herself in a dilemma—who knows what the commander of the Third Unit of the Covert Ops is called? She had left all Covert Ops matters to Suìfēng...

"Is it a man or a woman?"

Seeing Yèyī struggle to answer for a long time, Shítān, resigned, simplified the question further.

"It should be a man! But it could also be a woman..."

Upon hearing that, Yèyī's eye twitched slightly; she felt her mind go blank, unable to answer anything.

"That's how it is..."

Shítān looked at the empty-headed, clueless Shifengin Yèyī, retreated to his own seat, and addressed the surrounding captains.

"Um..."

Jīnglè and Fúzhú, who had been acting as peacemakers, seeing Yèyī's complete ignorance of her own division, said no more and returned to their seats, standing just like Shítān.

"All these matters are handled by Suìfēng! It's normal that I don't know them, right?!"

Seeing herself unable to answer, and noticing the strange looks from the surrounding captains, Yèyī immediately puffed out her still decently full chest and tried to explain.

"It's precisely because you, Senior Yèyī, are always like this that I must have you leave Suìfēng!"

"Senior Yèyī, I'm not saying this about you, but you should learn to fend for yourself."

Shítān looked at Yèyī and spoke helplessly.

"..."

Upon hearing that, Yèyī fell silent directly.

Yes, she surrendered...

"Then, following the suggestion of the Ninth Division Captain Shítān, we nominate the Second Division's Vice-Captain Suìfēng as the new Third Division Captain."

After seeing Yèyī's silence, Huāngmù announced the final result.

"Alright."

Upon hearing that, Yèyī slumped her shoulders, listless, standing in her spot. At this moment, Yèyī was absent-minded, her thoughts wholly on Suìfēng leaving her to become captain of the Third Division...

"Currently, the divisions without captains are the Fifth, Seventh, and Twelfth Divisions..."

"For these three divisions' chiefs, do any of you have good candidates?!"

After the crowd selected the new Third Division Captain, Huāngmù continued to ask the assembly.

"Captain-Commander, the Seventh Division Captain has always been the head of the Gāngmídài family; as for the Seventh Division's current situation, it is indeed somewhat special!"

"Even now, I clearly remember that the current head of the Gāngmídài family, after attending the Five Great Nobles' chiefs meeting with us, departed safely; I have no idea what happened to him on the road, yet he suddenly lost his whereabouts in the Soul Society."

At this moment, the Sixth Division's Xiǔmù Yínlíng finally spoke.

Although he didn't dare say anything about the Third and Fifth Division chiefs, since the matters of the Third and Fifth Divisions have already been settled, no matter what he does he cannot change Huāngmù's decision! So even if he really helped, it would likely be thankless effort; nevertheless, lightly assisting the Gāngmídài family, Xiǔmù Yínlíng is still willing...

After all, as one of the Five Great Nobles, he, as the head of the Xiǔmù family, naturally has no reason to stand by and watch someone die; moreover, he understands the principle of 'when the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold.' If today we truly let Captain-Commander Huāngmù take back the Seventh Division captain's position from the Gāngmídài family, then next time wouldn't they try to take the Sixth Division captain's position from his hands?!

Yes, Xiǔmù Yínlíng naturally does not think that Huāngmù has forgotten that the Seventh Division chief has always been held by the head of the Gāngmídài family; he merely feels that Huāngmù is deliberately suppressing the Gāngmídài family, seeking to seize back the position of chief of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads from the hands of the Five Great Nobles' heads.

"Alright, then let the Gāngmídài family choose the candidate for the Seventh Division chief."

After hearing Xiumu Yinling's words, Huangmu lightly nodded, not dwelling too much on this matter.

"Huh?!"

Xiumu Yinling never expected Huangmu to agree so readily; regarding the selection of the 7th Division's captain, he showed no intention of saying more, as if Huangmu truly didn't remember that the 7th Division's captain had always been the head of the Gangmidai family, which left Xiumu Yinling lost in thought.

"Could it be that I guessed wrong? I misunderstood Captain-Commander Huangmu..."

"That's right! Captain-Commander Huangmu usually rarely attends the captains' meetings and seldom communicates with the previous captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads! He doesn't know that the situation of the 7th Division is normal! It seems I judged a gentleman with a petty mind! This really makes me feel ashamed..."

Thinking this, Xiumu Yinling looked at Huangmu's eyes, which now carried a hint of guilt.

"Hehe..."

In response, Huangmu simply gave a hearty laugh.

But deep inside Huangmu's heart, there was another thought.

"The 7th Division's captain has always been the head of the Gangmidai family? That's indeed not bad!"

"However, who exactly will be the head of the Gangmidai family to take that position is up to me to decide."

Thinking this, Huangmu glanced at Gangmidai Shitan, who was smiling.

"Hehe..."

Upon meeting Huangmu's gaze, Shitan instantly understood his meaning, smiled at Huangmu, and lightly clasped his hands.

"For now, there are still the 5th and 12th Divisions."

Then, Huangmu continued.

"Speaking of the 12th Division, I do know someone!"

"Although she now looks a bit immature, in my view she won't need a century to formally assume the captaincy of the 12th Division..."

When Huangmu mentioned the 12th Division, Jingle seemed to think of something, rubbing his chin while looking at Huangmu as he spoke.

"Speak..."

After hearing Jingle's words, Huangmu spoke calmly.

"Yezhou Tongsheng"

Upon hearing that, Jingle spoke the name Yezhou Tongsheng.

"Yezhou Tongsheng?!"

"Alright, I understand..."

Upon hearing that, Huangmu's eyes lit up; the name Yezhou Tongsheng was naturally familiar to him...

The last member of the 0th Division, and also the original creator of the "Soul Burial" technique...

"As for the 5th Division, I think there's no need for Captain-Commander Huangmu to worry about anything..."

"I've already seen a few promising seedlings with some talent in the 5th Division!"

"The reason these promising seedlings have remained unnoticed in the 5th Division all these years is because their former captain was a narrow-minded, petty person!"

"I think that once those promising seedlings are no longer suppressed by their captain, someone among them will soon stand out and become the new captain of the 5th Division."

After Huangmu finished speaking, Fuzhu Shisilang immediately chimed in.

"I see..."

Huangmu lightly nodded; he naturally never worried about the 5th Division captain's strength being insufficient, after all, in a few hundred years, a certain hair gel guy will come to serve as captain of the 5th Division.

"Since the vacancies for captains in the 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 12th Divisions of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads have been resolved, this captains' meeting is now concluded; please proceed."

After everyone had resolved the issue of vacant captain positions in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, Huangmu immediately announced the end of the captains' meeting and, at the first moment of dispersal, headed toward the resting quarters behind him.

It seems that, as Captain-Commander, Huangmu is even less willing to convene a captains' meeting than these ordinary captains...

"All right, let's go, let's go."

As Huangmu's words faded, aside from Unohana, who stayed in the 1st Division to attend to important matters concerning Huangmu, the other division captains all left the captains' room of the 1st Division.

"This Seireitei will probably become lively from now on..."

Kuchiki Ginrei naturally was also among the captains leaving the captains' room; his eyes revealed endless solemnity, with his right hand behind his back, he quietly strolled through the streets of Seireitei.

"I don't know what our Kuchiki family will do in the coming era..."

"I don't know whether that child Cangchun can bear the burden of the Kuchiki family and become a qualified head of the family."

As Kuchiki Ginrei walked down the street, he pondered with a tangled mind, feeling an indescribable worry. Others envy the Kuchiki children's exceptional talent, but only he, as the head of the Kuchiki family, knows that excessive talent is a kind of pain.

For example, his child Kuchiki Cangchun, although he inherited the Kuchiki family's strong talent, due to a minor accident at birth, ultimately resulted in his spiritual body being innately extremely frail, unable to bear excessive spiritual pressure.

However, the Kuchiki family's talent also makes Cangchun extremely sensitive to spiritual particles; his body constantly slowly absorbs external spiritual particles to strengthen himself, which causes Kuchiki Cangchun's body to deteriorate further, trapping him in a vicious cycle of his frail spiritual body.

"Sigh..."

"Forget it, descendants have their own blessings!"

Thinking this, Kuchiki Ginrei sighed helplessly; anyway, he could continue to shield his descendants from wind and rain for hundreds of years in his position as captain of the 6th Division, leaving the future of the Kuchiki family to his future self to handle! After Kuchiki Ginrei figured this out, he let out a long sigh and walked toward his home.

At the same time, all the sages and judges of the Central 46 Rooms also went to the dojo.

Because Huangmu's return was such a major matter, too big to contain, the Central 46 Rooms only learned of Huangmu's return after his captains' meeting ended...

Besides that, they also learned that the former Captain-Commander had been promoted to the 0th Division, and the new Captain-Commander was succeeded by Huangmu; furthermore, on his first day as Captain-Commander, Huangmu had also taken out the captains of the 3rd and 5th Divisions. Huangmu didn't particularly care about this, after all, these were the very pieces of information he deliberately leaked to the sages of the Central 46 Rooms.

"Just on the first day of taking office as Captain-Commander, he killed someone?"

"Or did he directly kill two captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads?"

"This isn't something we can brush off by donating teaching materials and promoting the development of the Shin'ō Academy."

A sage, seeing Huangmu's actions in that short day, furrowed his brow, shook his head, and said:

"Those two captains deserved to die; the nasty things they did make me feel sick just looking at them."

Some sages also supported Huangmu's actions.

"Even if those two captains really deserved to die, it should have been us who killed them; Huangmu, a mere captain, directly took lives in our place—what does that mean? Is he trying to act as our Central 46 Room's arbitrator?!"

Likewise, since there are supporters of Huangmu, there are naturally also those who are extremely dissatisfied with his actions.

Not just any captain, but the Captain-Commander……

Someone reminded this sage.

The Captain-Commander is still a captain, and the Captain-Commander also has to listen to us of Central 46!

Without our consent, killing people privately! Isn't this bullying us of Central 46 for having no one?

Upon hearing that, the sage flared with anger and retorted.

Indeed! This Captain-Commander Huangmu is just bullying honest people.

As the sage nearly roared out his opinion, he immediately gained the support of the other sages.

I think we need to warn Captain-Commander Huangmu, tell him not to be so arrogant……

At this moment, a sage proposed.

Give it up, our warnings to Huangmu are utterly useless!

Besides being the Captain-Commander, he's also a member of the Zero Division, directly serving as a royal special agent of the Soul King's Majesty, able to strike first and report later! Moreover, it's not reported to us, but he directly meets the Soul King's Majesty and tells the matter to the Soul King's Majesty……

There was also a relatively calm sage, yawning while speaking helplessly.

This won't work, that won't work either……

Our Central 46 is utterly stifled.

After the sages and judges discussed for several hours, they actually discovered that they had no means to deal with Huangmu, and could only watch him display his might in the Pure Spirit Court.

Sigh……

In an instant, the sages of Central 46 beat their chests and stamped their feet, sighing and lamenting.

Since becoming sages of Central 46, this is the first time they have felt such bitter misery.

Thus, as the sages of Central 46 discussed, several hours passed, and even the originally setting sun quietly rose from the east, yet the sages of Central 46 still had not come up with a suitable method.

Meanwhile……

Several hours after the Captains' Meeting.

The next morning, Gangmidai Shitan conspicuously returned to the Gangmidai Family.

"Yo, you're all here?!"

When Shitan pushed open the elders' meeting room, he happened to see the Family Head and others in session; evidently, Huangmu's conspicuous return yesterday had also stirred the entire Gangmidai Family.

"Shitan, you still have the nerve to come back?!"

In the family's meeting chamber, the Gangmidai family, together with the remaining four elders, looked at Gangmidai Shitan and questioned him angrily.

"I'm not trying to ease relations with you all?!"

"Don't rush to drive me away; I've brought you a gift……"

Shitan said, and tossed a wrapped gift box before everyone.

"What is this?!"

The Gangmidai Family's elders stared at the gift box before them, momentarily stunned.

"Be careful, this is very precious!"

"If you're curious, you might as well open it and have a look……"

Shitan said, waving his hand at everyone.

"Huh?!"

Although the Gangmidai Family's elders were somewhat hesitant, out of respect for Gangmidai Shitan's status as captain of the 9th Division, and given that last night his teacher Huangmu had officially become Captain-Commander of the Court Guard Squads, they, despite their displeasure, still opened the gift box before them.

When the gift box opened, what met everyone's eyes was a small ash urn.

"Damn thing!!"

The Gangmidai Family's Family Head, seeing the ash urn before him, instantly had his eyes blaze with fury, and he hurled the urn to the ground. With a light "crack" sound, white dust spread across the floor……

"You're the damn thing! Take a good look—how are you treating your father? You actually threw him on the ground! You unfilial descendant!"

Seeing the Family Head's action, Shitan instantly changed from his usual mildness; his forehead veins bulged as he furiously addressed the Family Head before him.

"Shitan, what do you mean by this?!"

The Family Head, upon hearing Shitan's words, first blinked in surprise, then realized something, his face changing dramatically.

Although the Family Head felt Shitan meant to insult him, he thought Shitan wouldn't be so petty; that inherently evil branch-family imp must have prepared something even more disgusting for him……

Just as the Family Head had thought.

"Sigh……"

Only seen, Shitan, upon hearing the Family Head's words, first let out a long sigh of turbid breath.

Then he untied the sword at his waist and, before everyone's eyes, tore off the disguise of that Soul-Cutting Sword!

As the paper bearing the "Hidden" character vanished, the sword's true form appeared before everyone present.

"Is this the Gorgeous Net Mirror Canon?!"

In an instant, everyone was stunned.

As members of the Gangmidai Family, how could they possibly fail to recognize the ancestral Soul-Cutting Sword?!

But shouldn't this sword be in the hands of the family head?!

Thinking thus, everyone looked at the ashes on the floor, lost in thought……

"Father!"

And that Family Head directly knelt on the ground, cupping the ashes on the floor with both hands.

"I told you to be careful, but you wouldn't listen—now is it alright?! Your father is gone, smashed by your own hands……"

Regarding this, Shitan looked at the Family Head kneeling on the ground and spoke helplessly.

Continue, ten thousand words!