Bleach: From the moment I was invited by Squad Zero.

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 my, 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, every time we come down from the 'Heavenly Pillar Chariot,' it feels like a meteorite impact. 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:

"Liu Chuan, 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 is indeed very...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's Palace and the Soul Society. It's sturdy and durable, but it has a small problem," he pointed to the pillar diagonally embedded in 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 Chariot 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, precisely 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 deep 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 "yelled" 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 Hyosube, welcome to the Shiba family. My elder brother has been busy with corps affairs and is not at home recently. Please forgive 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."

Liu Chuan also responded politely: "Miss Kukaku, I apologize for disturbing you."

Just as the group was exchanging pleasantries, 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 with a howling voice, but in the end, it was still taken down by my 'Crimson Bullet of West Rukongai'! 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, 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 furrowing, and her voice suddenly rising in pitch, filled with rage.

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

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,' and 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 his uncle Zhibo's helpless expression as he covered his face.

"Eat your big head, you idiot!" Shiba Kukaku erupted in fury, brandishing 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 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 wore an expression of "family misfortune," giving Yanagawa and Hyobu Ichibei an awkward smile:

"Ahem... Please excuse my poor appearance. This kid, Yanjiu, 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 from the Shiba family who rushed over after hearing the news, and dragged to the animal pen in the backyard.

Chapter 29 Heading to the Spirit King's Palace

When everything was ready, Yanagawa and Hyobu Ichibei entered the Tenshu-nen carriage in the launch pad.

At the edge of the launch pad, Shiba Kukaku stood solemnly.

She changed out of her eye-catching red crop top and into a more streamlined, seemingly specially made dark gray bodysuit. Her expression was focused, and the previous shrewishness was gone from her brows, replaced by a serious concentration and a hint of excitement.

She was the lead operator for today's "launch".

Shiba Isshin stood a little distance away, arms crossed, watching intently.

Shiba Ganju changed into relatively clean clothes, rubbing his still sore head, and huddled behind his uncle, but his eyes were wide open.

He gazed at the enormous celestial chariot and his elder sister's back with curiosity and awe; clearly, this "grand spectacle" held an irresistible attraction for him.

"Kukaku, are you ready?" Hyosube Ichibei asked with a smile as he stood by the open entrance of the Tenjuran.

"At any time, Lord Hyosube." Shiba Kukaku took a deep breath, his voice steady and powerful.

She looked at Liu Chuan and nodded: "Lord Liu Chuan, please come in. Once the Spirit Reconstruction Technique is activated, the Heavenly Pillar Chariot will ascend at an extremely rapid speed, so there's no need to worry. I wish you... a safe journey."

"Thank you for your help, Miss Kukaku, Captain Isshin."

"Well then, let's begin." Hyosube Ichibei's voice rang out in the cabin as he looked at the huge viewing window.

Almost as soon as he finished speaking—

hum! ! !

Shiba Kukaku's eyes flashed with a sharp light. She spread her fingers, palms down, and pressed her hands firmly into the two specific palm print grooves on the stone platform.

She didn't unleash any particularly astonishing spiritual pressure, but an incredibly condensed stream of spiritual particles, like living magma, surged from her palm into the stone platform.

boom--!!!

The Heavenly Pillar Chariot suddenly shuddered and flew into the sky at an extremely fast speed!

"It's...it's a success...Big Sister is amazing!" Shiba Ganju, who was hiding in the back, stared wide-eyed at the rapidly shrinking point of light above his head, his face full of shock. For the first time, he had such a direct and intense understanding of the secret technique passed down in his family.

"Yes, it worked." Zhibo, supporting his niece, also looked up at the sky and grinned.

"You brat, see that? This is the real 'fireworks' of the Shiba family, a million times better than the nonsense you've been spouting in Rukongai!"

High in the heavens, inside the Heavenly Pillar Chariot.

Through the observation window, Yanagawa looked down at the Seireitei and Rukongai, which were rapidly shrinking and turning into blurry spots.

“It was spectacular, wasn’t it?” Hyosube Ichibei’s voice rang out. He remained seated calmly, as if the earth-shattering launch just now was nothing out of the ordinary.

"The craftsmanship of the Shiba family is always amazing."