Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero

Several days later, at dawn, outside the Seireitei, in a wide-open area enclosed by high walls and a simple security barrier.

Liuchuan stood in the center of the open space, the Zero Division's haori fluttering slightly in the morning breeze.

Beside him was Shiba Isshin, who had changed into a neat dark outfit and wore a short jacket embroidered with a flame family crest.

This means that he was not participating in this operation as the captain, but as a member of the Shiba family.

"So, the way to the Spirit King's Palace is actually related to Captain Isshin's family?"

Looking around at the somewhat desolate area, which seemed to have nothing but a large campus, Liu Chuan voiced his doubts. This place didn't seem like an important transportation hub at all.

Shiba Shin grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and smiled mysteriously: "Hehe, didn't expect that, did you? You'll understand in a moment, it'll definitely open your eyes."

He rubbed his hands together, looking eager and excited, seemingly quite looking forward to what was to come.

Just as Liuchuan was about to ask something else—

Whoosh—buzz—!

A very deep, muffled sound shook the air without warning!

Immediately following was a sharp, piercing whistle that came from afar, arriving in an instant!

Yanagawa and Shiba both looked up at the same time.

High in the sky, an almost imperceptible black dot suddenly appeared!

It was a giant metal pillar with a diameter of several tens of meters and a length of nearly a hundred meters!

It plummeted towards the open space!

Boom-! ! ! !

The base of the giant metal pillar slammed into the center of the open space, which had obviously undergone additional reinforcement and cushioning, but the impact still created a huge crater tens of meters in diameter.

The hard, specially made stone crumbles into layers like a crisp biscuit!

Thick gray smoke, mixed with violent and chaotic spiritual energy currents and high-temperature air waves, swept wildly in all directions!

Shiba Isshin was prepared. His crimson spiritual pressure erupted, forming a solid wall of flames that blocked the incoming shockwaves, debris, and heat waves.

"Cough cough... It's always like this. Can't Zero Squad ever choose a gentler landing position?"

Shiba waved his hand to disperse the smoke and dust in front of him, muttering his usual complaints, but his face showed little surprise or dissatisfaction. Instead, he seemed to have a sense of "I knew it."

At the base of the giant pillar, a portal slid open silently.

A figure with dark prayer beads around his neck walked out leisurely with steady steps, stepping onto the cracked and loose ground.

It was Hyosube Ichibei.

His face bore that gentle, tolerant smile that seemed unchanged for eternity, and his resounding voice rose amidst the gradually clearing dust, carrying a perfectly appropriate hint of apology:

"Oh, Shiba kid, Yanagawa kid, we meet again. This landing seems to have been a bit too loud, didn't it? Didn't scare you?"

"Come on, the 'Heavenly Pillar Chariot' makes a huge impact every time we descend, like a meteorite crash. We're used to it!"

Shiba replied irritably. He stepped forward, patted the cold, hard pillar, making a dull thud, then turned to Yanagawa and formally introduced:

"Liuchuan, look closely, this is the way to the Spirit King's Palace—the Heavenly Pillar Chariot!"

Liu Chuan stared at the colossal pillar before him, which had nearly destroyed the specially constructed area simply by "landing," and remained silent for a moment before slowly nodding.

"...I can see that, it really is...special."

Hyosube Ichibei chuckled and added an explanation:

"The Heavenly Pillar Chariot is one of the main tools used for travel between the Spirit King Palace and the Soul Society. It's sturdy and durable, but it has a small problem," he said, pointing to the pillar that was stuck diagonally into the ground.

"This big guy can't fly by himself."

"Can't fly?" Yanagawa looked at Shiba Isshin, a vague guess forming in his mind.

"That's right." Shiba Isshin chimed in, his expression becoming more serious, carrying a hint of pride as a family heir.

"The Heavenly Pillar Carriage needs a special and powerful driving force to break free from the shackles of the Soul Society and ascend to the Soul King Palace along the fixed 'Heavenly Path.' This driving force comes from the unique secret technique passed down through generations of our Shiba family—'Spiritual Particle Reconstruction Technique.'"

He explained in detail: "Simply put, our family's spirit particle reconstruction technique can, within a certain range, massively and with high precision, interfere with and temporarily reconstruct the basic attributes and spatial arrangement of spirit particles, generating a kind of 'recoil force at the rule level' and 'directional spirit particle tides'."

The materials and runes of the Heavenly Pillar Chariot are a perfect match for our spell.

Hyosube Ichibei nodded: "That's right. The power for takeoff and the opening of the flight path depend entirely on the Shiba family's unique skills. This is an ancient agreement between the Rei-o Palace and the Shiba family."

"I see." Liu Chuan understood. This explained everything.

No wonder Shiba Isshin needed to be present, and no wonder that although the Shiba family has declined, it still holds a special position and controls such crucial "transportation technology".

"Alright, that's enough of the pleasantries and explanations." Hyosube Ichibei clapped his hands and looked at Shiba Isshin. "Isshin, I'll need you to lead the way from now on."

"Of course! Follow me!" Shiba Isshin readily agreed, turned around and walked out of the open space, gesturing for Yanagawa and Hyobu Ichibei to follow.

West Rukongai, this is where the Shiba family now lives.

The main building of the mansion is a large Japanese-style house with a sense of history, but it is well maintained. The roof is covered with dark tiles and the eaves are wide.

Scattered around the main house are several smaller houses, warehouses, and a building that looks like a workshop, with wisps of smoke rising from its chimney.

The mansion was surrounded by a large open space, like a testing ground. The ground was scorched and scattered with some strange-shaped objects that looked like fireworks or the remains of some kind of spiritual device.

"We're here." Shiba Isshin pushed open the half-closed wooden gate, engraved with the Shiba family's flame crest, and shouted loudly into the room:

"Hey! Kukaku! Ganju! We have guests! Come out and greet them!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the sliding door of the main house was pulled open with a "whoosh".

A tall woman strode out.

She had long, glossy black hair, neatly divided into two sections at the back of her head and tied with a dark red hair tie.

His brows exuded a sharp and spirited air that rivaled any man's, even bordering on shrewish.

She wore a striking red short-sleeved top with the Shiba family's flame crest embroidered prominently in the center of the chest, paired with dark trousers for easy movement and wooden clogs, moving with a brisk and energetic pace.

She is Shiba Kukaku, the younger sister of Shiba Kaien, the current head of the Shiba family.

"Shut up, Uncle! What are you shouting about in broad daylight!"

Shiba Kukaku put his hands on his hips and first "roared" at Shiba Isshin without any politeness, but there was not much real dissatisfaction in his eyes. Instead, there was a hint of joy at seeing a relative.

Her gaze then swept over Yanagawa and Hyosube Ichibei behind Shiba Isshin, lingering for a moment on their Zero Division haoris. A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, but she quickly concealed it and bowed gracefully.

"So you are the distinguished guests of the Zero Division and... who is this?" She looked at Yanagawa, clearly curious about the unfamiliar young man dressed in the Zero Division uniform.

"This is Liu Chuan, the new member of the Zero Squad. He's going to report to the Spirit King Palace today, and our family will 'send' him there."

Shiba Isshin gave a brief introduction, and then spoke to Yanagawa and Hyosube Ichibei.

"This is my niece, Konghe. When Kaiyan isn't home, she's the one who calls the shots. She has a bit of a temper, but she's quite capable, especially when it comes to tinkering with those explosive gadgets and spirit particle mechanisms."

"Uncle!" Shiba Kukaku glared at Shiba Isshin, seemingly dissatisfied with his description of him as an "explosive thing," but still bowed again to Yanagawa and Hyosube Ichibei.

"Lord Yanagawa, Lord Hyosubu, welcome to the Shiba residence. Please forgive my humble abode. My elder brother has been busy with corps affairs and is not home these days, so please excuse any shortcomings in our hospitality."

She was poised and decisive, and despite her noble birth, she possessed an air of neither servility nor arrogance.

Hyosube Ichibei nodded slightly, his smile gentle: "No need for formalities. I've come today to trouble the Shiba family once again."

Yanagawa responded politely, "Miss Kukaku, I apologize for bothering you."

Just as the group was exchanging pleasantries and Shiba Kukaku was preparing to lead the guests inside.

"Boss! Boss! Look what I brought back! The 'Rock Eagle Family' won a resounding victory in West District 3 today!"

"I shot that biggest wild boar king in the rear with an arrow, and it ran for dozens of miles yelling, but in the end, I, 'Crimson Bullet of West Rukongai,' finally took it down! We'll have a whole roasted pig tonight! Hahaha!"

A triumphant shout, growing louder as it approached, accompanied by the dull thud of hooves and the heavy panting of some large animal, came from the path beside the mansion.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.

There stood a burly young man with dark skin, a nearly shaved head, short hair, and a carefree smile on his face.

Riding on the back of a huge wild boar with its tusks bared and panting heavily, he charged towards the main house like a victorious general!

He wore only a sleeveless leather vest on his upper body, revealing his muscular arms, and loose trousers covered in mud on his lower body. A rugged bow and a quiver of arrows hung at his waist.

The wild boar had a rough rope around its neck, clearly indicating that it had been forcibly tamed.

The visitor was none other than Shiba Kukaku's younger brother, Shiba Ganju.

"Ganju!!" Shiba Kukaku's expression instantly shifted from sunny to stormy, her eyebrows furrowed, and her voice suddenly rose, filled with rage.

"You little rascal! Where have you been gallivanting off to again?! And riding this filthy beast back like that! Don't you see we have important guests?! Get off this!"

As she shouted angrily, she grabbed a broom leaning against the porch, ready to rush up and carry out family discipline.

Shiba Ganju then noticed that besides his older sister and uncle, there were two strangers in front of the main house, one of whom was a bald monk who looked very intimidating.

His smug smile froze for a moment, but he still refused to admit defeat:

"Big sister, you're too rigid! This is the freshest wild boar meat! Hey, you over there, the guy in white, and the big monk, let's eat together later! It's on me, Ganju! In West Rukongai, just mention my name 'Crimson Bullet,' it'll work!"

He tried to project the image of a "gangster boss," completely oblivious to the bulging veins on his older sister's forehead and the helpless expression on his uncle Shiba's face.

"Eat your big head, you idiot!" Shiba Kukaku completely erupted, swinging her broom and charging forward.

"I'll teach you to neglect your duties! I'll teach you to hang out with those scoundrels all day! 'The Ganju Family'? 'Crimson Bullet'? You've completely disgraced the Shiba family! Get down here! Apologize to our distinguished guest!"

"Waaah! Big sister, spare me! Uncle, save me!" Seeing that things were not going well, Shiba Ganju let out a strange cry and tried to drive the boar to turn around and run away, but the boar seemed to be frightened by Shiba Kukaku's aura and instead stood up on its own, throwing him off.

Thump! Shiba Ganju fell hard on his butt, yelping in pain.

The wild boar squealed and, with its hooves flailing, rushed haphazardly into the training field next door, knocking over several wooden stakes.

The scene was chaotic and disorderly.

Yanagawa watched this scene speechlessly, while Hyosube Ichibei stroked his chin with great interest, his smile deepening, as if he were enjoying an amusing family farce.

Shiba Isshin, with an expression of "family misfortune," gave Yanagawa and Hyobu Ichibei an awkward smile:

"Ahem... Please excuse my poor appearance. That kid, Ganju, is just... a bit too lively."

In the end, under Shiba Kukaku's "forceful suppression," Shiba Ganju, clutching the bump on his head from being hit with a broom, reluctantly allowed Shiba Kukaku to drag him away by the ear to "fix his appearance."

The wild boar that caused the trouble was quickly subdued by several servants of the Shiba family who rushed over after hearing the news, and dragged to the animal pen in the backyard.