Organization Leader
To reach the organization's base, Nie Yin Meng, vice-captain of the Shinigami rebels, could no longer stay conscious.
Bai Shi, controlling his strength, struck once and knocked her out. He carried her across his back.
Her body, though she seemed ordinary at first glance, was supple and well-shaped. With her head resting against his shoulder, her sleeping face close, she looked unexpectedly serene.
"You really do like young girls," Gui Die muttered, then turned and walked back into the teahouse. "Come with me."
Bai Shi followed, still carrying Nie Yin Meng.
Gui Die entered her private chamber, pulled a book from the shelf, then replaced it. She repeated the action three times. With a click, the floor split apart, revealing a slab of dark green stone.
"Come here," she beckoned.
Bai Shi stepped forward curiously. Gui Die stomped her foot, and the slab sank, lowering them into darkness before the ground sealed overhead.
After descending several meters, a corridor appeared, its walls and floor a cold cyan.
"So your base is underground?" Bai Shi asked.
Gui Die nodded. "It's quieter this way. On the surface, we'd always risk running into Shinigami patrols. Better to remain unseen."
They followed the passage until it opened into a wide main tunnel. Gui Die pressed a switch on the wall, and mud surged in, sealing the way behind them. She led him left.
The main road stretched ahead, with branching paths connecting here and there.
Bai Shi glanced around. He had little interest in the rebel cause itself, but he appreciated the secretive atmosphere—it felt like walking into the set of a spy film.
At the end of the road, the space opened up. The cavern was enormous—tens of meters tall and hundreds wide. The ceiling was painted with an artificial sky of blue and white clouds.
At the center roared a hot spring waterfall, cascading with endless steam. Around it spread turquoise grass and clusters of red, white, and green flowers, a strangely vibrant sight in the underground.
Bai Shi followed Gui Die toward the waterfall. From its depths, he sensed a violent, destructive spiritual pressure.
At the foot of the falls stood a figure.
"That is Oda Nobunaga, leader of our Owari group," Gui Die explained softly.
Bai Shi blinked. He only knew the name from fragments of Japanese history and anime—Oda Nobunaga, the warlord of Owari Province, famed for his ruthless ambition and iron will.
He hadn't expected to meet him here, in the Soul Society.
As if in answer, a hand emerged from the waterfall—scarred and burned beyond recognition. A rasping voice followed:
"As you can see, my body was seared by flames. Only the hot springs dull the pain."
"Yamamoto Genryūsai," Bai Shi murmured at once.
"You guessed right." Nobunaga's voice carried no hatred, only calm acceptance. "In my youth, I was arrogant enough to try assassinating him. He burned me like this. For three hundred years I have not left this waterfall."
Even so, his tone carried a grim joy. "The greatest delight in life is to defeat a worthy enemy. As long as I imagine surpassing Yamamoto Genryūsai, this pain means nothing. It is the thought that sustains me."
Bai Shi frowned. "If you're this determined, isn't there a way to heal these burns?"
"There is," Nobunaga admitted. "With a rare snow lotus, a cooling elixir could be made. It would drive away the flames within me."
"And you want my help to obtain it."
Nobunaga nodded slowly. "At the end of each month, the Rukongai districts pay tax to the Central Forty-Six. The tribute is escorted by officers of the Eleventh Division. Among the offerings, I've learned, lies the snow lotus. It will be transported with the May convoy. Our target is in the West Fifteenth District."
He rasped, "The gold and treasures are yours. All I require is the lotus."
Such generosity made Bai Shi wary. "You're offering all the wealth, just for one flower?"
"To me, it is priceless," Nobunaga said firmly. "I cannot fail."
His voice cracked into another cough, steam hissing from his body as if the flames within devoured his strength. Gui Die hurried forward.
"Lord Nobunaga, please, you must rest!"
Nobunaga forced himself to drink deeply from the steaming spring, suppressing the searing pain.
Bai Shi inclined his head. "Rest, then. Leave the snow lotus to me. I'll bring it back."
Nobunaga's scarred lips curled faintly. "I believe you will… cough, cough…"
His body shook as the flames gnawed at him. Bai Shi watched quietly, then turned to Gui Die.
"I'm tired as well. Arrange a place for us to rest."