BLEACH: Blade of Purification

Shihouin Souichirou gave a whole list of reasons, but none of them were as effective as the excited smile that he couldn't help but show on his face. It was that smile that confirmed to Ling Qing that this guy, Souichirou, was fundamentally a restless soul! He was truly ready to battle those internal and external obstacles and give them a big surprise!

Ling Qing didn't know what exactly had triggered this impulse in Souichirou. After all, since they had sat down to talk, Souichirou had barely said a few words before getting lost in his own world of speculation. In other words, while Ling Qing wasn't paying attention, Souichirou had managed to convince himself.

Of course, although for Ling Qing this was almost as good as a poor country kid suddenly inheriting the entire fortune of a distant, wealthy relative he'd never met, the idea of becoming a Lu Bu and calling someone else 'father' was something he was still quite resistant to! Not to mention, before he died, both his parents were alive, and his family was harmonious. Now that this afterlife existed, maybe, just maybe, he could go back and see his parents someday.

Ling Qing's resistance didn't anger Souichirou. In fact, he seemed to appreciate Ling Qing even more. With a strangely refreshed expression, he slapped Ling Qing's shoulder vigorously and comforted him, spouting incomprehensible things like, "Young people shouldn't be so closed-minded," "You need to be more open," "Just think about it differently," and "At worst, we can keep our own accounts; I'll call you son, and you can call me dad, that works, right?"

In the end, seeing that Ling Qing was truly unwilling to accept, he finally brought out his ultimate trump card—we'll just be father and son on the surface!!

You, Ling Qing, as a grown man, suddenly having an adoptive father feels awkward. I, Shihouin Souichirou, don't have any children yet, so suddenly having such a big son is awkward for me too! And I don't even get the pleasure of raising him from scratch.

So, in public, you call me dad, I'll call you son. In private, we'll act as we always have. At worst, just think of it as me hiring you for a long-term disguise mission, and that's that.

Did one have to say that Souichirou, having lived longer, was indeed more cunning? Upon hearing this, the ever-resistant Ling Qing became not so resistant anymore...

Seeing that Ling Qing was no longer so resistant, Souichirou immediately struck while the iron was hot. He said that he wasn't asking for an immediate answer and that Ling Qing still had time to think it over. Adopting Ling Qing was a difficult move in itself, and Souichirou didn't shy away from admitting that he intended to use this as a pretext to stir things up among the nobles.

According to him, even if the Central 46 would consider his opinion and temporarily refrain from acting against Ling Qing, the dissenting voices among the nobles, as well as the nobles whose interests would be affected or even purged, might still try to harm Ling Qing at all costs, using him as a breakthrough point.

Therefore, he wanted to send Ling Qing to the World of the Living to participate in a battle for a while, to avoid the incidents and turmoil back in the Seireitei. During this time, Ling Qing could also think things over properly.

But Ling Qing didn't need to think it over. Just by looking at Souichirou's expression when he said this, he knew what he was really thinking—Gyehehe, by the time you get back, I'll have already made the situation irreversible. I won't have to worry about you not agreeing then, gyehehe!

However, Ling Qing had his own thoughts, so he didn't immediately object to Souichirou's arrangement.

Of course, Souichirou also thought of something. Amidst his eagerness, he immediately warned Ling Qing not to think that just because he was in the World of the Living and far from the Seireitei, he could rest easy. A target like Ling Qing, once locked onto by the Central 46, would be hunted down at all costs. If Ling Qing were to disappear in the World of the Living, all his efforts would be for naught.

What Souichirou didn't know was that Ling Qing wasn't thinking about that at all. Faking his death to escape was something Ling Qing had considered. But he felt that every world had its own rules. Humans live in the World of the Living, and souls live in the afterlife; this was a natural law. It wasn't necessarily a good thing for a dead person to linger in the World of the Living. Since he had already accepted his death, he wouldn't cling too much to the world of the living.

What he was actually thinking was, with this chance to return to the World of the Living, could he go home and take a look? And then try to see if he could pack some modern equipment or tools to bring back to Soul Society. The backward productivity and environment of Soul Society were really too uncomfortable!

And then, the dramatic effect arrived...

Ling Qing had thought the afterlife was just technologically behind. He hadn't expected that after arriving in the World of the Living through the portal called the Senkaimon, what he saw before him would be a huge surprise!

The place he emerged from the Senkaimon was Japan. Ling Qing had long found it hard to understand why he, having died in China, would appear in a Japanese-style Soul Society. So, arriving in Japan from Soul Society was both unexpected and logical.

But... those vast fields and thatched-roof huts, those low-eaved, tiled buildings as far as the eye could see, a modern world without a single skyscraper... was something wrong with this picture? This was a bit too retro!!

Ling Qing spent a little effort using his ability to be unseen by ordinary humans to eavesdrop on their conversations. He heard them say that a guy named Matsudaira Sadanobu seemed to be carrying out reforms...

Realizing something was wrong, and not being particularly familiar with Japanese history, he spent a great deal of effort to finally determine the current era.

The current era was... some year between the late 18th and early 19th centuries!

Damn! This isn't just dying in the wrong place! This is f*cking transmigration!!

It was only after nearly half a year of being transmigrated that Ling Qing finally learned this. If he hadn't been sent to the World of the Living by Souichirou this time, this misunderstanding might have persisted for several hundred years!

Finally knowing that he had actually transmigrated, Ling Qing had no other thoughts. Firstly, his parents were not in this world, so even if he returned to the World of the Living, he couldn't see them. Secondly, it would be another one or two hundred years before Japan entered the modern era. Right now, Japan's doors hadn't even been pried open yet.

Feeling that being a Shinigami was probably a more promising path, Ling Qing decided to follow Souichirou's instructions and make a name for himself in this battle against the Quincy, to fight with style and skill!

This was a two-pronged cooperation between Ling Qing in the World of the Living and Souichirou in Soul Society. Souichirou would handle the security and identity issues for Ling Qing in Soul Society, ensuring his life was not in danger. Meanwhile, Ling Qing would use this rare opportunity to showcase his power and style. This way, with the Central 46 not daring to touch him, and Ling Qing now being part of the Shihouin family, the possibility of him being a traitor would be eliminated. He might even gain the attention and favor of the Head-Captain.

Then, Ling Qing, who had been sensing the faint spiritual pressure all along, finally arrived at its location. The position of the spiritual pressure had not changed from beginning to end.

Blocking Ling Qing's view was a cluster of low bushes. But with his current power, he could even hear the suppressed breathing behind them.

Ling Qing reached out and parted the bushes. What appeared before him was orange hair, and a spirit particle arrow flying towards his face!