Who are you calling a stable boy?!

After saying that, he turned around, smiled at the captains again, and didn't look at Zhicheng on the ground again.

"Come on, everyone! Let's go have a drink together!"

Once inside the crowd, Zheng Jing grabbed Lao Lan with his right arm and Ye Yi with his left, leading the way as they ran out of the test site.

"well enough?"

Chunshui squatted down next to the city of moles, adjusted her straw hat, and asked in a low voice.

"...I'm fine, thank you for your concern."

The voice of the person in the mole city sounded somewhat muffled.

"His nose is broken, but he's not seriously injured..."

She patted herself all over and finally found an embroidered handkerchief. Chunshui stared at the handkerchief with a hesitant expression.

This was given to him by Lisa.

"Oh, you have it yourself, that's good."

Just as she was hesitating, she saw Zhicheng pull a white handkerchief out of her bosom, and Chunshui quickly put hers away.

“Ah Zheng is different from me and Fuzhu. He has a fiery temper, which is the most like the old man in the mountains. So, don’t take this punch too seriously. Once it’s over, it means he really won’t pursue it any further.”

"I understand."

He sat up, raised his hand to straighten his nose, and blew out the blood clots that had formed inside. Only then did Zhicheng's voice regain its usual clear and crisp tone.

"And you, the head of the Peking Opera band?"

He looked up at the spring water.

He looked at the man who had witnessed how he killed Kenpachi Kuruyashiki.

Chunshui smiled and stood up.

"Anyway, try to avoid being alone with Ah Zheng in the future. Ah Zheng isn't petty. In two or three hundred years at most, he won't be thinking about beating you up anymore!"

With his back to Mole City, Chunshui waved goodbye and strolled away.

Zhicheng watched Chunshui's departing figure and felt apologetic.

It wasn't just because of Kenpachi Kuruyashiki, but also because he wasn't prepared to listen to Shunsui's advice.

"Haha! Your face looks hilarious! What are you going to do? They've practically made it clear they don't want to see you again, and you still want to go? You might get beaten up even worse next time!"

The mockery, which only he could hear, echoed in Mole City's ears.

He didn't respond, but silently stood up and walked towards the exit of the testing ground under the watchful eyes of the 12th Division members who stayed behind to handle the aftermath.

"I said, you're not thinking of doing something, what's that called again... Ah! Apologizing with thorns on your back! You're not trying to use that to move Zheng Jing, are you? But he seems to actually fall for it!"

All he could hear was Diao Yichang's incessant chatter, while the silent Zhicheng wiped the last trace of blood from his face.

The image of Zheng Jing appearing in front of him just now kept replaying in his mind.

It's invisible.

No matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn't find Zheng Jing's movements at that moment.

What an exquisite Instant Step...

No, was that really Instant Step?

"Zheng Jing".

Mole City murmured.

Seeing is better than hearing.

He could finally be certain...

Zheng Jing was the kind of person he was looking for.

-

Where to go for drinks was something Zheng Jing didn't need to worry about.

I booked a table at the best tavern in the city early that night.

Besides the captains who went at the beginning, after sunset, vice-captains and executive officers from various teams arrived one after another.

Some came to pick up their captains who couldn't hold their liquor, while others came to have a couple of drinks together to celebrate Zheng Jing's return to Seireitei.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, they drank until almost midnight. Lisa, slightly tipsy, carried Chunshui, who was already drunk and talking nonsense, back home. After seeing off this last group, Zheng Jing and Lao Lan headed towards the Twelfth Division's barracks.

The Special Investigation Team did not have dedicated quarters within Seireitei.

Yoruichi initially wanted Jung Kyung to stay at her place, just like in the past.

However, Aizen, who is now the captain of the 12th Division, said that he has already prepared a room for Zheng Jing in the 12th Division.

Zheng Jing didn't care where he stayed; it didn't matter where he stayed.

But he probably won't be able to stay at Lao Lan's place tonight.

"hiss......"

Gazing at the slender figure standing at the end of the quiet street, bathed in moonlight, Zheng Jing couldn't help but grin.

Meeting his and Aizen's gazes, Unohana Retsu, her smile radiating kindness, spoke.

"Captain Aizen, could I borrow Captain Zheng Jing for the night?"

Chapter Nine: I've Heard There's a Genius Boy!

The doors to the Fourth Division's martial arts arena were pushed open at midnight.

Following Unohana into the dojo, Zheng Jing scratched his cheek as he looked at the dimly lit, empty dojo.

He knew, of course, that when Unohana patted him on the shoulder three times, she meant for him to come to the Fourth Division at midnight.

But he had made up his mind not to come.

At the welcome banquet, everyone was so drunk they were staggering, or perhaps they simply didn't understand what those three moves meant. In any case, if they hadn't gone, it certainly wouldn't have been Zheng Jing's fault!

Unfortunately, he guessed the time right, and that was all he guessed.

Unohana did indeed arrange to meet him at midnight.

But it didn't say who was looking for whom in the middle of the night.

"what happened?"

Unohana suddenly spoke up: "You seem a little nervous."

"Why would I be nervous? Hehe, what's there to be nervous about when I'm with my sister!"

"is it?"

Turning around, bathed in the moonlight streaming in from under the dojo's corridor, Unohana chuckled softly, "I actually hope you'll be more nervous."

As she spoke, she tossed something to Zheng Jing.

Zheng Jing reached out and took it.

It's a wooden stick.

Its length and thickness are exactly the same as the specifications he usually uses when wielding the golden cudgel.

"when!"

—Then, Zheng Jing casually raised his stick and blocked the wooden knife that was heading straight for his face!

When the two pieces of wood collided, they produced a sound like metal clashing.

"how?"

As the swords and clubs clashed, Unohana leaned forward, her eyes, which seemed to shimmer in the darkness, fixed on Zheng Jing, her warm breath, carrying a strange sweetness, almost touching Zheng Jing's nose.

"Have I made you nervous now?"

Zheng Jing grinned.

A pair of golden eyes, as if lit up in the night.

"Is my sister testing my skills? Fine!"

With a flick of his wrist, Zheng Jing sent Mao Zhihua staggering back several steps, twirled his stick, and chuckled.

"Then you'd better watch out!"

The flower of the rabbit fluttered to the ground, and she raised the knife in her hand.

The two figures moved at the same time, and in an instant, only the crisp sound of clanging and clattering could be heard in the martial arts arena, like a torrential downpour or scattered pearls falling onto a plate.

Fortunately, soundproofing measures had been set up around the martial arts arena in advance, so no noise from inside could disturb the sleeping members of the Fourth Division in the nearby barracks.

After a while, the sound of clashing metal abruptly stopped, and the martial arts arena returned to silence.

"Tsk tsk."

A few seconds later, Zheng Jing's smacking of his lips broke the silence.

He tossed the broken wooden stick in his hand: "Almost there, isn't it, sister?"

"...In the end, it's just a substitute, not the real thing."

Taking a deep breath to calm the turmoil churning in her chest, Unohana closed her eyes, straightened her clothes that Zheng Jing had messed up, covered her fair skin stained with red, and walked to the wall to hang the half of the wooden sword in her hand.

When she turned back, she saw that Zheng Jing's face had regained its usual gentleness and kindness, with only the lingering blush indicating the intensity of their earlier entanglement.

"What would you like to drink?"

After tucking her nearly undone braid, Unohana asked softly.

"I've been craving this tea since my sister brewed it!"

"You, after all these years, you still haven't developed a steady demeanor, and you're still as glib as ever."

A moment later, in the corridor of the martial arts arena, Zheng Jing and Mao Zhihua sat side by side, each holding a cup of fragrant tea.

"...The Captain misses you very much."

Unohana said, "As soon as Captain Aizen announced the completion of the new type of portal, the Captain-Commander immediately sent a letter to the 46th Chamber, requesting that a team be dispatched to Hueco Mundo to find you."

"Grandpa, well, I understand what my sister means."

Zheng Jing shook his head: "Don't worry, I have absolutely no resentment towards the old man. On the contrary, I, Old Zheng, am truly grateful to the old man. There's nothing wrong with the virtual circle. I haven't had a bad time these past few days."

Upon hearing this, Unohana turned to look at Zheng Jing's smiling face.

She suddenly reached out and put her hand on Zheng Jing's shoulder, then gently pulled him into her arms.

"Uh... what's wrong, sister?"

Slightly stiff, Zheng Jing rested his head on Unohana's lap, blinked, and asked.

"What? Are you actually starting to get nervous now?"

Unohana smiled and touched Zheng Jing's forehead: "Could it be that you didn't lie down enough when you were learning the Dao from me?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jing relaxed and closed his eyes.

"After you finish your report this time, the Captain-Commander will propose to the 46th Division that the Special Investigations Team should regularly send personnel back to Soul Society to report. This way, you will also have the opportunity to come back and visit... Don't be impatient. In another hundred years, perhaps you will be able to return to the City."

"Oh?"

Zheng Jing raised an eyebrow: "Why a hundred years?"

"In the years you've been away from the court, the genius boy from the Kuchiki family has grown up very quickly and has become quite famous in noble circles. Once he graduates from the Spirit Arts Academy next year, he'll probably be the vice-captain of the Sixth Division in less than five years."

"Wow, that's amazing."

Zheng Jing smiled.

Among the current captains, aside from Mochishiro, whom he just met and beat up today, the captain of the Sixth Division has only a casual relationship with him.

It's not that Zheng Jing has any prejudice against the current captain, Kuchiki Ginryu.

Although he is a stubborn and serious old man, he is not a bad person. From the perspective of a colleague, he can even be considered a good colleague.

However, as the captain of the Sixth Division and a representative of the nobility, Kuchiki Ginrin clearly felt that there was a difference in stance between herself and Zheng Jing. Therefore, she deliberately distanced herself from Zheng Jing and even impeached him in front of Yamamoto, accusing him of misconduct as captain.

Zheng Jing wouldn't hold a grudge against the old man over such a trivial matter.

After all, he did indeed blow up the toilet in the Sixth Division barracks with Hiyori.