Chapter 4: Fishing
Outside the stone wall, Su Xiao and Jidanfang faced each other. He was approaching the Seireitei area, but certainly not to cause a major disturbance there.
Based on Su Xiao's assessment, his combat power in the Bleach world was actually not that strong. Or rather, there were too many people who could kill him.
If he used the combat power of the Gotei 13 captains as a benchmark, Su Xiao could defeat some of the weaker captains. As for captains like Kuchiki Byakuya or Kyoraku Shunsui, Su Xiao was not yet a match for them. As for the Head Captain, Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, don't even joke about that—it would be a blessing just to not be instantly killed by that old man.
That was no longer a question of whether activating Demon Hunting Hour could win, but whether activating Demon Hunting Hour could allow him to escape. The ability of Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni's Zanpakuto was simple: flames, or rather, high temperature.
Ryujin Jakka: After Shikai, the flame temperature reaches the surface of the sun. After Bankai, the flame temperature rises to that of the sun's core.
Su Xiao didn't want to calculate how many degrees the sun was. Either way, he'd be dead; calculating that was a waste of time.
He wouldn't provoke enemies he couldn't defeat. Knowing he was no match and still picking a fight was just asking for death. It wasn't about being fearless of death.
Su Xiao's purpose in approaching the Seireitei was simple: find a way to enter. If his guess was correct, the early events of the Bleach world would all erupt here.
If he couldn't enter openly, he would infiltrate secretly. The latter carried far more risk than the former. That was precisely why Su Xiao was trying to enter the Seireitei through legitimate means.
The Bleach world was crawling with powerful beings. This kind of open world had no rank restrictions; some beings were simply strong beyond measure.
What Su Xiao needed to do was avoid these powerful beings and gain benefits within his capabilities. Of course, if the rewards were substantial enough, taking appropriate risks wasn't out of the question.
"Surrender?"
Jidanfang rubbed his chin, his thick lips pursed. He sensed that Su Xiao was not to be trifled with, but he wasn't afraid of him, because this was the Seireitei.
Although he wasn't afraid, fighting Su Xiao here clearly wouldn't benefit Jidanfang. His title as the guardian of the White Way Gate sounded impressive, but in reality, he was just a gatekeeper on the outskirts of the Seireitei.
"That's right, surrender. What, are there rarely... wandering souls surrendering at the Seireitei?"
Su Xiao temporarily didn't want to reveal his human identity. 'Souls' entering the Soul Society through illegitimate means were called Ryoka.
Of course, Su Xiao wasn't in soul form, but he had indeed entered the Soul Society. This should be the Reincarnation Paradise's disguise mechanism. Without such a mechanism, all contractors would be unable to move a step in the Soul Society. Therefore, in the eyes of the Shinigami, Su Xiao was a wandering soul, a fact already verified by Jidanfang.
"It's not unheard of, but someone like you suddenly coming to surrender..."
Jidanfang looked Su Xiao up and down. He didn't detect anything unusual about him. In Jidanfang's perception, Su Xiao was just a wandering soul with a heavy blood aura.
"So, as a future colleague, could you do me a favor?"
A silver coin slid out from Su Xiao's sleeve. The obverse had a seagull pattern, and the reverse had four dots connected in a cross shape.
[World Government Commemorative Coin (Green Quality, Valuables).]
This was obtained by Su Xiao during his first entry into the One Piece world. It had been lying in a corner of his storage space, three coins in total.
The [World Government Commemorative Coin] was a type of gold coin with high gold content. It weighed several times more than an ordinary coin and had an excellent feel.
Moreover, before this, Su Xiao had given the coin special treatment. He used the Devouring Core to absorb a cluster of Reishi in his hand and then compressed this Reishi into the commemorative coin.
From the outside, it looked like something produced in the Soul Society, and very exquisite.
Gold had considerable value in the Soul Society, a fact Su Xiao had confirmed. As for the currency of the Soul Society, this place was too special; the currency mechanism couldn't achieve maximum universal adoption.
With a clink, Su Xiao flicked the [World Government Commemorative Coin] in his hand. Jidanfang, not far away, squinted, thinking Su Xiao was up to no good, but upon seeing the gold coin shining in the sunlight, he casually caught it.
"You are..."
Jidanfang's expression showed some displeasure.
"A meeting gift."
"Uh..."
Jidanfang was about to toss away the gold coin in his hand, but the exquisite coin made him reluctant to part with it. It was no wonder Jidanfang felt this way. As a green-quality valuable item certified by the Reincarnation Paradise, how could the [World Government Commemorative Coin] be of poor appearance?
"It seems... there are precedents."
Jidanfang played with the gold coin between two fingers. There was no concept of bribery in the Soul Society. Gift-giving between friends was not uncommon. As for non-friends, this was Jidanfang's first experience with such a thing, but he was in a good mood. Guarding a broken gate for centuries was inevitably boring.
'It's easier to deal with a god than a demon guarding the door.' This saying held true. If Su Xiao had tried to force his way in, it would likely have led to a situation where he was hunted by the Shinigami and became a 'fugitive' of the Soul Society.
This was the last thing Su Xiao wanted. He was a harmless researcher; how could he be treated like that?
Su Xiao didn't believe the Seireitei would reject alchemical potions. He hadn't seen any very strong recovery potions in the Bleach world.
Since Shinigami were bodies composed of Reishi, they bled when injured, and excessive blood loss could kill them. Su Xiao didn't believe alchemical potions would be ineffective against them. At most, they would need a temporary modification, adding Reishi.
"Wait here for a while. Don't move recklessly, or you'll be considered a Ryoka."
"No problem."
Su Xiao lit a cigarette. He had already figured out how to infiltrate the Seireitei.
From the start, Su Xiao hadn't planned on joining the Seireitei as a combatant. That would require a very long process. A 'researcher,' on the other hand, was different. In most people's minds, researchers had little combat power and were harmless.
The stone gate rumbled shut. Su Xiao waited for about half an hour before the gate rose. Jidanfang lifted the gate, and a white-haired youth walked out from inside.
"Jidanfang, is this the person you mentioned? I'm very busy; there's no need to come to me for these things."
The white-haired youth seemed impatient. He was only about 1.3 meters tall and looked young, but a Shinigami's age couldn't be judged by appearance.
"Toshiro, I'm a bit slow-witted, so..."
Jidanfang scratched his head with a simple expression, clearly not very cunning. This was also why the white-haired youth was friends with him.
"I see. Ah~ I have to deal with a bunch of trivial matters every day."
The person Jidanfang had called was no small fry. This youth, only about 1.3 meters tall, was one of the Gotei 13 captains, the captain of the 10th Division, Hitsugaya Toshiro.
As for why Jidanfang could summon the captain of the 10th Division, the reason was simple: he was friends with Hitsugaya Toshiro.
Su Xiao chose to approach the Seireitei from this direction because he knew the guardian here was Jidanfang.
However, Hitsugaya Toshiro was not Su Xiao's ideal target. His target was another Shinigami, one who bullied the weak and feared the strong, and was extremely greedy for money.
"So, you're the wandering soul Jidanfang mentioned, the one who wants to surrender?"
Hitsugaya Toshiro looked into Su Xiao's eyes. Unlike Jidanfang, he knew that to make a preliminary judgment of a person, the most important thing was to know what they were thinking.
Su Xiao put on a smile and tried to restrain his aura as much as possible.
"That's right. I've been wandering in the Rukongai for a long time. Out of boredom, I came to the Seireitei to try my luck."
"Is that so," Hitsugaya Toshiro's lips curled up slightly. "You're not the strongest wandering soul I've seen, but your Reiatsu is the most ominous. Jidanfang, close the gate."
As he spoke, Hitsugaya Toshiro turned and walked back inside the stone wall.
"Here, a gift for you."
Su Xiao tossed out a test tube. It was an intermediate alchemical potion, into which he had mixed semi-solid Reishi.
Semi-solid Reishi was something Shinigami would never refuse. Before approaching the Seireitei, he had already prepared this potion.
With a rumble, the stone gate closed tightly. Su Xiao wasn't disappointed. Fishing always takes a process; the fish won't just jump straight out of the water.