Death God: Starting from Refining Essence into Qi

The year 1004 AD.

Autumn always arrives exceptionally early in Seireitei. The maple forest at the Kidōshu's residence is already ablaze with red leaves, and the wind rustles as they fall, carpeting the cobblestone paths.

Xuan sat at a stone table in the center of the courtyard, on which were several simple dishes to accompany his drinks: salt-grilled saury glistening with oil, boiled edamame steaming hot, and a dish of translucent pickled plums.

The plum wine in the flask was something he had brewed himself a few days ago. It wasn't very strong, and it was smooth and sweet, perfect for an afternoon like this.

Xuan raised his hand and caught a red leaf that was about to fall onto the vegetable. With a slight pressure from his fingertips, the red leaf disappeared into the wind.

A year has passed since the Ryudoji family rebellion, and the Seireitei has seemingly returned to its former tranquility, but patrols are now much more frequent than before. The drills of the various squads of the Gotei 13 never cease from morning till night, and a subtle tension permeates the air.

The courtyard gate was gently pushed open, and a silver-white figure walked in first. Shihouin Senji was not wearing his captain's haori, but only a plain white casual outfit, with his Zanpakuto casually tucked into his waistband and a gold-plated food box in his hand.

He appears more composed than he did in his youth, but years of managing his family and the squad have not diminished his cheerful and unrestrained spirit.

"Yo, Xuan, I knew you were prepared all along." Qianri strode to the stone table, placed the food box on it, and unceremoniously picked up a skewer of grilled saury and took a big bite. "Your snacks are still the best. The Ghost Path Clan is really good at controlling the heat."

Xuan poured him a glass of plum wine and pushed it in front of him: "The Ghost Path Cult isn't for cooking. If you want to eat, have your daughter learn; it'll definitely taste better than what I make."

"That's great." Chihiro picked up her glass and downed it in one gulp, then smacked her lips. "I feel like the sake brewed at the Ise family's house tastes better than sake from other places. Do you know why?"

"It's just a little distillation. I'll have the Ise family send you a lot. With the captain of the Gotei 13 promoting them in Seireitei, they should be happy."

Before the words were finished, a soft sound came from the courtyard wall. A purple figure flipped and leaped down, the movement swift and clean, landing without making a sound. Saito, seemingly immortal, still sported her signature twin tails, the captain's haori from the Sixth Division casually draped over her shoulders.

She walked to the stone table, snatched the wine pot from Qianri's hand, poured herself a full cup, and gulped it down.

"Drink slowly, don't get the captain's haori dirty again, or you'll get criticized by Captain-Commander Genryusai at the captain's meeting." Chihiro looked at her helplessly, and only poured herself a drink after she finished pouring it.

Gen knew what was going on as soon as he saw Saito's familiar posture: "Not used to it yet?"

"Don't even mention it." Saito wiped his mouth, slammed his wine glass down on the stone table with a thud, "The team must use proper etiquette and greetings, but I've never cared about those things. Nobles and team members often try to persuade me, but I don't listen and continue to do things my own way. Even so, those nobles and the 46 Chambers still won't agree to let me step down as captain."

"And there's a lot of mess on Noble Street, can't they handle it themselves? What does it have to do with me?"

Qianri said, "In that case, I'm the one who's busy, having to manage both my family and the team."

Saito completely ignored Chihiro's words and drank another cup.

Xuan poured her another full glass: "The Sixth Division is responsible for noble affairs, and these matters are your duties."

"Responsibility my ass." Saito rolled her eyes, picked up a green plum and threw it into her mouth. It was so sour that she frowned. "If it weren't for the vice-captain being reliable, I would have quit long ago. Speaking of which, I learned this from you. Push it away if you can, dodge it if you can, anyway, if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up."

Xuan looked at her helplessly: "Don't say you learned to be lazy from me. I just delegate daily tasks to Kiyoko Ise; she's much better at that than I am."

"Anyway, we're both just figureheads, what's the difference?" Saito snorted, took a piece of osmanthus cake from the food box Chihiro had brought, and turned to look at Chihiro. "Speaking of which, what brings you here today? Don't you have to keep an eye on your little tyrant?"

When Qianri mentioned her daughter, her eyes softened instantly, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up.

"I just picked her up from her swordsmanship class, coaxed her to finish her history homework, and then took the opportunity to come out while she was at her math class." Chihiro picked up a wagashi (Japanese sweet), carefully broke off a small piece and put it in her mouth. "This girl is still as mischievous as ever. Yesterday, while I was in the Second Division, she drew a tiger's head on the captain's haori (a type of traditional Japanese garment) that I kept in my bedroom for changing."

"Isn't it because you spoiled her? You used to turn into a tiger and let her ride it for fun?" Xuan said chuckled upon hearing Qianri's words.

"I didn't spend much time with her before, so I wanted to make it up to her," Qianri said, her tone full of affection rather than blame.

Saito scoffed, "She's seventeen already, looks like a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl in human years, and you still raise her like a little doll. You're not even two hundred years old, why are you so enthusiastic about talking about your daughter?"

"I'm just sharing my experience," Qianri said matter-of-factly. "You'll understand how I feel when you have kids. Learn a little in advance so you won't be caught off guard later."

"Get lost, get lost, what nonsense are you talking about? Just admit you're a doting father." Saito picked up a bean and threw it at him. "Who wants to learn how to be a doting father from you? I'll never have kids in my life, it's too much trouble."

Qianri laughed as she caught the edamame and popped it into her mouth: "It's too early to say that now."

Qianri then turned to Xuan: "You're an uncle now, shouldn't you show your support and teach her a few tricks of demonic arts?"

Xuan didn't immediately respond to Qianri's question: "I'm over eighty years older than her, and you expect her to call me uncle?"

Qianri laughed and said, "An age difference of over eighty years is indeed a bit small, but if she calls you brother, then the generational order will be messed up."

Chihiro picked up his wine glass and took a sip, a complex look in his eyes: "To be honest, I'm actually quite envious of you two. Gen, you don't have to worry about the affairs of the Kido Clan, you can just focus on your training every day; Saito, although he is the captain of the Sixth Division, he just pushes the things he doesn't want to deal with to the vice-captain, and everyone else is used to it, and no one dares to say anything."

Neither Gen and Saito spoke, quietly listening to Senri's rambling as they ate their food and drinks.

"As you all know, my father only seemed to care about the family; in reality, he always longed for freedom. Back then, he raised me to be the head of the family, and as soon as he handed over all the affairs, he took my mother to the mortal world without even leaving a specific address. He only left a letter saying that the world was so big, and he wanted to go see it." Qianri smiled helplessly. "The heads of the Shihōin family throughout history have served for at least three hundred years, but he was different; he ran away after less than a hundred years, setting a record for the shortest tenure of the head of the Shihōin family."

"Actually, I didn't want to be the head of the family either," Qianri said softly, swirling the wine in her glass. "But then I fell in love, and my daughter was born."

He looked up at the crescent moon in the night sky, his eyes so tender they could melt: "I've made up my mind. When she turns twenty-five, if she's willing to inherit the position of head of the Shihōin family, I'll immediately pack my things and go traveling, never to concern myself with these trivial matters again. If she's not willing, then I'll just have to keep waiting. Anyway, I'm used to it now."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment, save for the rustling of maple leaves in the wind. Looking at the longing and helplessness in Qianri's eyes, Xuan recalled the scene a hundred years ago when he first arrived at the Shihouin family. Back then, Qianri was just a boy who would sneak into the imperial kitchen to steal sweets; now, he had shouldered the heavy burden of the entire family.

"Actually, being a captain is no better than being a nobleman," Saito broke the silence, his tone tinged with annoyance. "I thought becoming a captain would bring me freedom, but it turns out I'm busier than before. Every day I'm either dealing with noble disputes or handling all sorts of boring paperwork, and I also have to deal with the criticisms of those old fogies. If I hadn't failed to find a new person who could pass the captain's exam, I would have resigned from my position as captain of the Sixth Division long ago."

"Stop complaining," Qianri said with a smile. "Everyone knows that you, the vice-captain, basically handle everything in the Sixth Division. You spend your days either practicing your sword at the training ground or wandering around. You're much more relaxed than me."

"It's definitely more comfortable than being the head of the family like you." Saito snorted, then turned to look at Gen. "Speaking of which, Gen, you're over a hundred years old. How come you haven't reached the third level of spiritual power yet? Qianri and I became captains before we were even a hundred. Your progress is too slow."

Xuan gave a wry smile, picked up his wine glass and took a sip: "Not everyone is like you two, with such ridiculously fast cultivation speeds. Which of the other captains of the Gotei 13 hasn't lived for hundreds of years?"

Oh, except for Captain Wang Tuchuan and Captain Lu Qu. I've cultivated my spiritual power for a hundred years and only reached the peak of the fourth level; that's already quite good.

"Fourth rank is fourth rank. Apart from you, I've never heard of anyone else having terms like peak, perfection, or half-step," Qianri said. "Although it's true that very few Death Gods can reach the fourth rank of Spirit Might at the age of one hundred, you're different. You cultivate for more time every day than the two of us combined. One hundred years of your cultivation is equivalent to several hundred years for others."

If you had focused on improving your spiritual power, you might have already broken through to the third level of spiritual might.

Xuan shook his head. Because he hadn't told the two about his soul, they didn't know the importance of cultivating the primordial spirit for him.

Moreover, Taoism emphasizes the dual cultivation of nature and life, with nature inseparable from life and life inseparable from nature. Only when the nature and life of one's body are united can the nature that was not yet inherent in one's body and the life that was not yet inherent in one's body be revealed.

"You're just too cautious." Qianri pouted. "If I trained for as long as you do every day, I'd be the captain by now."

"Oh? Is that so?" Saito's eyes lit up, and he immediately sat up straight. "Then next time I see old man Yamamoto, I'll tell him that you're eyeing his position and want to oust him to become the captain-in-chief yourself."

"No, I was just saying." Chihiro quickly begged for forgiveness, pouring Saito a full glass of wine. "You absolutely mustn't tell Captain Genryusai, or he'll definitely make me train for free."

The three men exchanged a smile, raised their glasses, and drank them down in one gulp.

As night deepened, moonlight spilled onto the stone table, bathing everything in a silvery glow. Wine jugs emptied one after another, and the snacks on the table gradually dwindled.

The three chatted about their youth, their days at Shihōin Academy and Genji Academy, the chaos when Gengang established the Kidō Clan, and the embarrassing incident of not recognizing their team members after becoming captain.

Laughter echoed in the courtyard, dispelling the tension and oppression of the past few days.

"Speaking of which, the situation has been getting increasingly tense lately." Chihiro put down his wine glass, his smile gradually fading. "Our covert operations in the human world have discovered that the Quincy are gathering forces, and it seems they are preparing to make their move. However, to avoid causing a large number of deaths among humans in the human world, we should probably hold the battlefield in the Soul Society. That way, we won't have too many concerns, and we'll also be more familiar with the terrain of the Soul Society."

Saito also dropped his joking expression and nodded: "The Central 46 has also ordered all members of the Gotei 13 to be on high alert. This battle is probably unavoidable."

Xuan looked at the swirling liquid in his glass and said softly, "The Ghost Path Squad is fully prepared for battle. All high-ranking Ghost Path Squad members have undergone rigorous training, and mid- and low-ranking Ghost Path Squad members can now unleash multiple Ghost Paths without chanting. As soon as the war begins, the Ghost Path Squad can support the various squads at any time."

"No matter what, we will definitely win this battle." Qianri slammed his hand on the table, his eyes resolute. "With Captain-Commander Genryusai here, with the Gotei 13, and with your Kido, the Quincy can't turn the tide."

He raised his glass, looked at Gen and Saito, and said earnestly, "After this battle is over, the three of us will still be drinking here. I'll bring my daughter then, and she can pour you drinks."

"Who wants her to pour me drinks?" Saito scoffed, but a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. "I'll teach her Shunpo and tactics, and make her a Shinigami even more powerful than you."

"Sure, of course I have no objection." Qianri laughed heartily.

Xuan Ye smiled and raised his glass: "Alright, it's a deal. After the war, we'll drink until we drop."

Three wine glasses clinked gently together, producing a crisp, tinkling sound. The wine shimmered in the setting sun, reflecting the expectation and determination in the eyes of the three people.

Just then, there was a rapid knocking on the courtyard door.

The knocking broke the tranquility of the courtyard, carrying an undeniable sense of urgency. Xuan frowned slightly and called out, "Come in."

A member of the Liting team pushed open the door and entered. His face was pale, and he knelt on one knee, saying:

"Great Demon Master, Captain Senri, Captain Saito. Captain-Commander Yamamoto hereby orders all captains and Great Demon Master to immediately proceed to the First Division meeting room for an emergency meeting."

It is said that an envoy from the Quincy has just arrived in Seireitei, bringing a declaration of war.

The courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

The wind blew through the maple forest, and red leaves fluttered down, landing one after another on the stone table, beside the empty wine pot, and beside the three still wine glasses.

The smile on Qianri's face vanished completely. He slowly put down his wine glass, and his aura instantly became sharp, with the oppressive presence of the Commander-in-Chief of the Covert Forces spreading out silently.

Saito also suddenly stood up, put on the captain's haori, and a cold glint flashed in his purple eyes.

"Let's go." Gen looked towards the direction of the First Division. Although the sun had not yet set, all the lights there were already lit, like burning beacon fires illuminating the sky of Seireitei.

War has finally come.