Death God: Starting from Refining Essence into Qi

As Xuan pushed open the stone door of the cellar, a dusty face cautiously peeked out, looking around with murky eyes full of surprise and doubt.

There was no emptiness. There was no roaring. There was no death.

Only the morning light, and two Grim Reapers standing on the ruins.

The first person crawled out of the cellar, then the second, the third... They were like ghosts emerging from the ground, staggering one by one onto the ruins.

Twelve people.

Some of the able-bodied men were barefoot, their soles calloused from years of hardening.

There was a woman holding an infant in her arms. The child was not crying, but had its eyes closed, and its thin chest was rising and falling slightly.

There were also a few boys and girls, as thin as bamboo poles, with sunken collarbones and high cheekbones, but their eyes were still relatively bright.

They gazed upon their devastated homeland—charred timber beams, crumbling mud walls, and the ground covered with faint claw marks. Some knelt on the ground, weeping and covering their faces; some trembled, unable to speak; others sat numbly on the rubble, their eyes vacant.

Xuan didn't speak, he just watched them quietly.

The crying gradually subsided. A woman carrying an infant mustered her courage and stepped forward, stopping three steps in front of Xuan. She bowed deeply, her forehead almost touching her knees.

"M-Master..." Her voice was hoarse and trembling, "Our home...is gone. Could...could we follow you for a while? Just to the district ahead, we won't cause any trouble..."

As she spoke, the baby in her arms stirred and let out a soft cry. The woman quickly bent down to soothe it, but tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

Gen turned his head to look at Saito.

What do you think?

Saito was leaning against the broken wall, yawning. Hearing this, he paused for a moment, then shrugged: "It's none of my business, I don't object. Anyway, I said I'd go with you when I left Genji Academy, I still owe you money."

Her tone was as casual as if she were saying, "The weather's nice today." But Xuan noticed that she lowered the hand that was holding the knife, the tip pointing downwards—a preparatory move before sheathing it—she had actually been keeping a watchful eye on her surroundings the whole time.

Xuan withdrew his gaze, looked at the woman, and then swept his eyes over the wandering souls behind her.

"Can."

The woman looked up abruptly, her eyes reddening, and bowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

Several wandering spirits behind them reacted and bowed to express their gratitude. However, a few others didn't react much, simply standing or sitting motionless, numb.

"Pack up what you can take with you," Xuan said. "We'll be leaving in fifteen minutes."

The wandering spirits immediately sprang into action. Some searched for valuables in the ruins, while others helped up their wounded companions.

Fifteen minutes later.

Excluding the child in the woman's arms, there were a total of twelve wandering spirits, following Genwa and Saito westward.

Xuan walked at the front, his Zanpakuto at his waist, his steps steady.

Saito walked along the side of the group, occasionally glancing back to see if anyone had fallen behind. She still wore that carefree expression, but her pace had noticeably slowed, matching the group's speed.

No one spoke. Only footsteps crunched on the gravel and dust. Occasionally someone coughed, someone whispered comforting a child in their arms, and someone helped a wounded companion catch their breath.

The distance from District 55 to District 53 wasn't far, but the wandering souls walked slowly. Some people's feet were already blistered, leaving faint trails of blood on the ground, but they gritted their teeth, and no one fell behind.

Xuan did not urge him.

The sun rose from the east, shining on the group and casting long, slanted shadows.

It was nearly noon when we arrived at West District 53.

This is a relatively stable neighborhood. There are simple wooden houses and thatched huts on both sides of the street, and occasionally you can see a shop or two made of blue bricks. There aren't many pedestrians on the street, but it's much better than the deathly silence of District 55—at least there's some life in it.

Xuan stopped in front of a water shop.

The water shop was small, with several rough earthenware water jars placed at the entrance, their mouths covered with wooden boards and weighed down with stones. The owner was a middle-aged man wearing a patched-up gray cloth shirt. Upon seeing Gen and Saito's Zanpakuto at their waists, he immediately put on a smiling face and came to greet them.

"Gentlemen! Would you like to buy some water? It's transported from the inner perimeter, and it's very clean!"

"Bring fourteen jars," Xuan said.

The shopkeeper paused for a moment, glanced at the group of disheveled wanderers behind him, and said with his smile unchanged, "Fourteen jars... sir, I'll give you a discount. It'll be five thousand six hundred rings in total. I'm just a small business, and I really can't go any lower."

Xuan took out his money pouch from his pocket, counted out the corresponding amount of coins, and placed them on the counter.

The boss immediately beamed and told his employees to move the water.

Saito took a jar of water, took a swig, and said, "You're quite generous. You wouldn't be thinking of drinking these people to their hearts' content and then selling them to work in the mines, would you?"

In this era, mines are the most terrifying places in Rukongai—collapses, poisonous gas, and endless, dark labor; if you go in alive, it's almost impossible to come out alive.

The wandering spirits were terrified by Saito, and the woman was so frightened that she fell to the ground.

Gen knew Saito was just trying to scare the rookies, perhaps intentionally playing the bad cop. But Gen didn't want to scare them away, so he looked at the group of frightened rookies and said, "She was just joking. If she really wanted to, I'd be counting money by now, why would I need to buy you water?"

These wandering spirits immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Xuan's act of showing kindness to these wandering souls was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. After clearing away the illusory calamities, Xuan truly realized that his power was no longer weak.

Xuan's assessment of the future situation is much more optimistic than before, and he has also come up with new ideas:

Why should I be timid and hesitant in the face of the Quincy army led by Yhwach a hundred years from now?

Without a doubt, the Ghost Path had already been born ahead of schedule because of him, so it was only natural that he would push for the early birth of the Ghost Path followers.

What if he could cultivate a force skilled in using Kido and put it into the front lines against the Quincy?

Whether it's the students from the Genji Academy and the family school, or the immortal Shihouin Senhi and Saito—with the addition of a new force, the Soul Society can win more easily, the war can end more quickly, and fewer lives will be taken.

These wandering souls before us are seeds, an attempt to cultivate a force. Even if these wandering souls lack spiritual aptitude, it doesn't prevent them from becoming part of a force.

A few thousand ringgit is merely the initial investment for starting a business. Success is a pleasant surprise; failure is no big deal.

The water jars were carried out one by one and placed on the ground. The wandering souls' eyes lit up when they saw the water jars, after all, drinking from one jar of clean water would provide enough spiritual energy to sustain an ordinary wandering soul for several days.

Xuan stood before the water altar, facing the group of wandering souls, his voice calm yet clear:

"This water is for you."

All twelve pairs of eyes turned to look at him.

"I need people who can do the work," Xuan said. "Those who are willing to work will naturally be paid, and they can support themselves in the future. The more they do, the more they will be paid, and they will also have some spare money for leisure or settling down. Those who don't want to work can leave on their own after drinking some water, and I won't interfere."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over each face.

"Now line up and come forward one by one to get your water."

Xuan observed the process of water distribution very carefully; it was like an "interview." He discreetly observed everyone's reactions—who knew how to be grateful, who was greedy and demanding, and who was quietly helping others.

A middle-aged man knelt down on the spot when he received the water jar, his forehead hitting the muddy ground, muttering, "I will never forget your kindness." His eyes were sunken, and most of his teeth were missing.

A thin, dark-skinned girl helped the woman holding the baby up, placed the water jar in front of the woman, and then took small sips of her own water jar.

The woman's lips were chapped, yet she held the water jar to the child's mouth first.

Another boy, around fourteen or fifteen years old, thanked the water jar in a low voice as he took it, his hands trembling so much that he spilled water, and looked at the water stains on the ground with a look of annoyance.

There were also a few wandering spirits standing together, their eyes sharp and lively, giving off an air of street thugs just by standing there. When it came time to distribute the water, they rushed ahead, but after receiving the water jars, they didn't drink immediately. Instead, they stepped back to the edge, making sure that the other wandering spirits drank the water without any problems, before they picked up the jars and gulped down the water.

Xuan watched all of this until the wandering souls had finished drinking all the water.

After finishing his water, one of the wandering spirits slowly backed away while staring at Gen, then turned and quickly left. Two other people, seeing that neither Gen nor Saito stopped the departing person, also jogged after him.

Finally, apart from the baby the woman was holding, the remaining nine people stood still and waited.

Xuan opened his mouth and said:

"Those who wish to stay, I will take them in. But there are three rules."

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"First, whatever you did in the past to survive, that's all wiped clean from this moment on. But from now on, you must not do anything immoral."

Someone scoffed under their breath: "What is morality?"

He was one of the men who looked like a petty thug. He had a crooked mouth and a defiant look in his eyes, as if he was testing the bottom line of this "adult".

In his mind, a Grim Reaper who was willing to pay for water for a wandering soul was probably a kind-hearted, soft-hearted person. Why not take advantage of such a person?

Xuan's gaze swept over and landed on him.

"Don't you know what morality is?" Xuan's voice was as calm as stating a fact, but there was no warmth in his eyes. "I can tell you what immorality is."

The man's sneer froze.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but when he met Shang Xuan's gaze, his throat felt like it was being choked, and he couldn't utter a sound. He looked away, took half a step back, and said nothing more.

The other wandering spirits also toned down their roguish behavior and stood up straight obediently.

"Secondly," Xuan continued, "if someone can't get along with their companions, I don't mind helping them learn 'harmony'."

No one dared to utter a sound.

"Third, you must earn your own living," Xuan said. "You have to work to earn money to buy water and food. The more you work, the more you earn. I don't support idlers here."

As soon as he finished speaking, a low murmur arose from the crowd.

The woman holding the baby spoke first, her voice soft: "Sir, I'm willing to stay. I... I can do any kind of work, washing clothes, cooking, cleaning... Please take me in."

As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again.

Xuan did not express his opinion, but simply looked at the other wandering souls.

People started speaking up one after another.

In the end, all the wandering spirits chose to stay—including the few with a thuggish air. They knew in their hearts that the Grim Reaper before them was rich, powerful, reasonable, and had a rare kindness in Rukongai—following him was definitely better than just waiting to die.

Xuan had everyone form a circle and stand in the open space.

"If any of you feel hungry even after just drinking water, raise your hand."

The group looked at each other, momentarily confused as to what this meant.

"Just do it. I'm not after your bodies," Saito added impatiently from the side.

After a moment's hesitation, three people raised their hands.

The thin boy raised his hand, his eyes bright.

The man who had scoffed at "what is morality" also raised his hand—he tried his best to maintain his previous disdainful demeanor, but his stiff body and the panic in his eyes betrayed him.

There was also a skinny, dark-skinned girl of about seventeen or eighteen, wearing a coarse cloth headscarf, with her head down and her hands raised low, as if afraid of being seen.

There were two men and one woman, all young people. Although the proportion was quite large, Xuan wasn't surprised.

Those with spiritual aptitude need to consume more food rich in spiritual particles in order to survive. These spiritual particles will integrate into their bodies, making them stronger and faster than ordinary wandering souls, and more likely to survive after encountering void disasters.

Xuan took out several rice cakes wrapped in mulberry paper—the Grim Reaper had given them many rice cakes, and they hadn't finished eating them yet—and distributed them to the three people.

"This is dry rations; you won't be hungry after eating it," Xuan said, then changed the subject, "But if anyone lies, and I find out it's not true, I'll punish myself. There's a reward for reporting liars."

A low murmur arose from the crowd, but no one spoke.

The three people who received the dry rations reacted in different ways.

The young man took the dry rations, immediately took a big bite, and chewed until his mouth was full of crumbs.

The thin, dark-skinned girl took the dry food, lowered her head, and whispered "thank you." After hesitating for a moment, she put the dry food into her clothes.

The boy didn't rush to eat the dry rations after receiving them.

He first looked at the paper package in his hand, then raised his head and looked directly into Xuan's eyes.

"Sir, what do we need to do?"

Xuan glanced at him.

What is your name?

The boy's eyes lit up, he straightened his back a little, and his voice was filled with barely suppressed joy: "Replying to your question, sir, commoners don't have surnames. My name is Jiro!"

Xuan nodded, then looked away from him.

"Our next destination is the inner perimeter of West Rukongai, which is the first thirty districts." Xuan looked at the other wandering souls. "This jar of water is rich in spirit essence, enough for the next few days of travel. I'll treat you to this water, but there won't be any more of this kind of benefit in the future. You'll have to earn your own wages through work, and you'll need to earn your daily necessities through labor."

"If there are no objections, then we shall depart."

The group set off again, heading east along the dirt road.

Jiro walked in the middle of the group, still clutching the rice cake in his hand, uneaten. He glanced back to the west—the ruins were no longer visible. Only a hazy gray horizon and the terrifying female Grim Reaper with her eye patch.

Jiro quickly quickened his pace to catch up with the person in front of him.

He didn't know what the Grim Reaper who saved them from the illusory disaster was after, nor did he know what awaited him in the future.

But he knew that from today onwards, he would no longer have to worry about going hungry.