Western Rukongai, District 40.
Lengqing moved through the not-so-dense grassland and thickets.
The reason he appeared here was because there were Hollows in the area.
Since Lengqing had escorted Yui Indigo back to his home in District 45, a month had passed in the blink of an eye, and the scorching summer was finally coming to an end.
Although the weather was still somewhat hot, one could already detect a hint of autumn coolness in the heat. Presumably, the refreshing autumn season would arrive soon.
Of course, that was assuming there wouldn't be an "autumn tiger" heat wave.
During this month, Lengqing's reputation had gradually spread, and people continuously came to his door commissioning him to solve Hollow problems.
For these Rukongai residents, Hollows had truly transformed from some kind of legend into a real threat to their daily lives and even their safety.
To put it simply, it was similar to how villages on the edge of mountainous areas often encountered wild beasts like boars that would damage crops and injure people.
However, Hollows were different from wild beasts. Hollows had no interest in crops or normal production—they were only interested in the souls living in Rukongai. In other words, they were interested in the residents here. More specifically, they appeared in Rukongai to kill people.
Hollows seemed to treat souls as food, possessing the ability to distinguish the taste of souls, and were particularly fond of hunting ordinary residents who had no power to resist them.
Because there was a real threat right before their eyes, it was almost like seeking any cure in desperation. The high-and-mighty Soul Reapers were nowhere to be seen in daily life, so whenever people heard that someone could solve the Hollow problem, they would come running with a "what if" mentality to try their luck.
For those who came to his door, their luck was indeed good.
Because Lengqing truly possessed the strength to kill Hollows, and he was happy to do so.
During this month, Lengqing had not only gradually gained fame but had also accumulated considerable wealth.
After all, Hollows were opponents that ordinary souls couldn't fight against—calling them natural disasters wouldn't be an overstatement. As long as someone could actually drive away or kill Hollows, even if one or two households couldn't afford much money, when an entire town or several surrounding towns pooled their money together, it became a substantial sum.
Yui Indigo had even jokingly told Lengqing that he now earned more money in a day than their business made in a week.
However, while he said this, there weren't many other thoughts behind it. After all, if someone else tried to do the same thing, they would only lose their life in vain.
Although Lengqing had emphasized more than once that he wasn't a Soul Reaper, the people around him still regarded him as one, or as a man who would eventually become a Soul Reaper.
The reason Lengqing stayed in District 45 instead of continuing forward was because he had obtained more detailed information about this world and the Soul Reapers from Yui Indigo, which gave him different ideas.
Simply put, the Soul Reapers' residence at the center of Rukongai—the Seireitei—and the organization that trained Soul Reapers—Shin'ō Academy—were definitely places Lengqing would visit, but he wasn't in such a hurry now.
First, after repeated confirmation, Lengqing learned that although Shin'ō Academy had admission requirements, there were no age restrictions. It was said that souls living in Soul Society could continue living there for a very long time as long as no accidents occurred. For souls in Soul Society, even a hundred years was equivalent to only twenty or thirty years in the past.
This meant that souls in Soul Society would maintain their prime years for quite a long period, so age restrictions were meaningless.
This meant that Lengqing didn't need to rush there due to time and age constraints—he had the luxury of planning carefully.
The other reason that made Lengqing decide to temporarily live here was the Hollows.
Or more directly—combat!
Most Rukongai residents who wanted to become Soul Reapers did so either for a better life or for greater power.
Now, Lengqing felt his life wasn't too bad. After all, due to the limitations of the era, he couldn't even see a radio, lacking the entertainment methods of modern society. As long as he could survive, that was enough.
As for power...
He fought Hollows not out of any sense of justice or desire to help others. Rather, from the mouth of the first Hollow he had slain, he had faintly heard the word "Lord," which meant there must be stronger individuals above that Hollow.
Shin'ō Academy taught the complete set of skills to become a Soul Reaper, but Lengqing wasn't powerless either.
For some unknown reason, he could manifest Sephiroth's skills and make them reality.
However, he could only use them. To become stronger, he needed training and constant battle. During his initial journey, due to food shortages, Lengqing hadn't seriously trained much.
But now that he had stabilized and had abundant sources of funding and food, to prevent his skills from conflicting with the Soul Reaper curriculum at Shin'ō Academy and causing uneven distribution of time and training that would force him to abandon one or the other...
Lengqing felt it would be better to understand his own abilities before going to Shin'ō Academy.
On another note, to speak plainly, Lengqing was also the type of vulgar person who liked to hide his strength and surprise others.
Before going to Shin'ō Academy to study, he wanted to first develop the power and skills of a "sword master." That way, if the academy held competitions, rankings, or if he was bullied at school, Lengqing felt he wouldn't be passive. After all, the premise of hiding one's strength was actually being strong, not weak.
No matter when, having real strength was better than bluffing. And taking things step by step, avoiding haste and impatience, was another aspect of strength.
On one hand, he engaged in daily repetitive sword swinging and training. On the other hand, he waited for commissions to come to his door, finding Hollows that appeared throughout Rukongai to fight them, verifying his training results while also gaining practical combat experience.
For now, this was a quite healthy training plan, and at least Lengqing could clearly perceive his power growing.
However... it wasn't all benefits.
As his power slowly increased, Lengqing increasingly felt that these huge, monster-like Hollows that appeared in Rukongai causing trouble were no different from the Rukongai thugs.
Killing them with one strike was simpler than killing chickens. Most of the time was wasted on traveling and searching for Hollows. The actual combat ended so quickly it was outrageous, even making people wonder if they were acting.
Lengqing gradually felt that hunting Hollows was becoming boring too.
Of course, thinking was one thing—before the Hollows used for sharpening his blade became completely useless, Lengqing wouldn't stop taking commissions. After all, he could earn money from them.
No matter which world it was, money wasn't everything, but without money, nothing was possible!
Within the Hollow's active range, all residents had fled like refugees, leaving only Lengqing advancing toward the location his employer had indicated.
Soon, he saw the eerie white monster ahead—a Hollow—emanating a strong sense of foreboding that completely clashed with Rukongai's peaceful scenery.
He had seen such grotesque and terrifying figures too many times during this past month.
However, today Lengqing showed surprise.
Not because of the Hollow's appearance, but because he was surprised that before his arrival, someone was already facing the Hollow in front of that massive creature.
That's right—not fighting the Hollow, but confronting it with both hands raised holding a sword, wearing a determined expression.
It was a boy who looked at most twelve or thirteen years old, with long bangs parted in the middle, appearing gentle, weak, and frail.
After all, to put it bluntly, the premise of pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger is that you must actually be a tiger, not a pig.
No matter when, having real strength is always better than bluffing. And taking things step by step—avoiding haste because "haste makes waste" and "you can't eat hot tofu when you're impatient"—is another aspect of being strong.
On one hand, there was daily repetitive sword swinging and training. On the other hand, he waited for commissions to come to his door, finding Hollows that appeared throughout Rukongai to fight them, verifying his training results while also gaining practical combat experience.
For the time being, this was a quite healthy training plan. At least Lengqing could clearly perceive his power growing.
However... it wasn't all benefits.
As his power slowly increased, Lengqing increasingly felt that these huge, monster-like Hollows that appeared in Rukongai causing trouble were no different from the Rukongai thugs.
Killing them with one strike was simpler than killing chickens. Most of the time was wasted on traveling and searching for Hollows. The actual combat ended so quickly it was outrageous, even making people wonder if they were just acting.
Lengqing gradually felt that hunting Hollows was becoming boring too.
Of course, thinking was one thing—before the Hollows used for sharpening his blade became completely useless, Lengqing wouldn't stop taking commissions. After all, he could earn money from them.
No matter which world it was, money wasn't everything, but without money, nothing was possible!
Within the Hollow's active range, all residents had fled like refugees. Only Lengqing was advancing toward the location his employer had indicated.
Soon, he saw the eerie white monster ahead—a Hollow—emanating a strong sense of foreboding that completely clashed with Rukongai's peaceful scenery.
He had seen such grotesque and terrifying figures too many times during this past month.
However, today Lengqing showed surprise.
Not because of the Hollow's appearance, but because he was surprised that before his arrival, someone was already facing the Hollow in front of that massive creature.
That's right—not fighting the Hollow, but confronting it with both hands raised holding a sword, wearing a determined expression.
It was a boy who looked at most twelve or