After entrusting Sanhua to Shisui, Ren stayed at the Stealth Force for a while to arrange some personnel transfers.
Having hurriedly finished the work planned for the day, he didn't linger and headed straight home.
By the time he returned to the Shihoin manor, the sun was high in the sky.
Upon his return, Ren went directly to Yoruichi's room to inform her of how he had handled things.
However, when he arrived, he found that Yoruichi was not in her room.
"Lady Yoruichi left a message for Lord Ren. She is waiting for you at the family training grounds."
A servant of the house relayed Yoruichi's words to Ren.
"The training grounds? What is she waiting for me there for?" Ren asked.
The servant suddenly became anxious. "Lady Yoruichi said... she wants to teach Lord Ren a lesson."
Hearing the servant's words, Ren understood immediately.
Yoruichi hadn't cooled off yet.
She was planning to use him to vent her frustration.
"Fine, I understand. You may leave."
Ren glanced at the terrified servant, waved his hand dismissively, and walked toward the training grounds.
On the way, he happened to run into Walter, who had come upon hearing the news.
"Lord Ren, Lady Yoruichi mentioned she is waiting for you at the training grounds."
"I've heard."
Ren's heart stirred as he looked at Walter and asked, "You knew as well?"
"Yes, Lady Yoruichi also instructed me to pass on the word."
As he spoke, Walter pulled a transparent zipper bag from his coat pocket, containing a single hair.
A hint of a complex expression appeared on his long face.
"Lord Ren, if I may be so bold as to ask... is the reason Lady Yoruichi is so angry because... you're keeping a cat on the side?"
"What else could it be?"
Walter's eyes twitched.
'So, just for the sake of a pet, you two caused such a huge scene?'
'Was it really worth it?'
'He... still couldn't understand.'
Seeing his expression, Ren sighed inwardly and said no more.
Just as the two reached the training grounds, a burst of violent shouting came from within.
"That's it, Suì-Fēng! Keep up that spirit and give this scumbag a proper lesson for me!"
"Please leave it to me, Lady Yoruichi! To think he'd dare philander despite being married to you... how truly shameless!"
Standing outside the courtyard and hearing the commotion inside, Ren looked at Walter with a hint of reproach.
"Walter, didn't we agree to keep it a secret?"
"Lord Ren, the household servants heard my instructions and would not leak it to the outside."
Walter spread his hands, a trace of helplessness on his face.
"But Suì-Fēng is here... Lady Yoruichi summoned her personally."
Hearing this, Ren realized that Yoruichi must be up to her old tricks again.
He said no more, pushed open the door, and entered the training grounds.
Due to Yoruichi's preferences, the Shihoin family's training grounds were built on a massive scale, roughly a thousand meters long and wide, providing plenty of space to go all out.
An outer wall surrounded the area, and a row of rather luxurious buildings had been constructed along the northern wall. These houses not only stored various equipment but also allowed people to rest at any time.
In front of the buildings was a continuous wooden veranda.
Just as Ren entered, he saw Yoruichi and Suì-Fēng sitting on the veranda, with tea and snacks laid out before them.
Behind them sat four members of the family's Kidō Corps, who were normally responsible for the maintenance of the Shihoin barriers and repairs to the buildings.
"You two seem quite excited. Who exactly are you planning to teach a lesson?"
Ren's voice rang out, startling Yoruichi and Suì-Fēng in the middle of their enthusiasm.
Yoruichi's expression immediately soured when she saw Ren suddenly appear.
"You, of course!"
"To think you'd dare betray me after I trusted you so much."
"This time, I've brought backup. I'm going to give you a proper lesson and make sure you understand who's the boss of this house!"
Yoruichi jumped up and pointed a finger at Ren.
"Suì-Fēng, get him!"
"Give him a piece of my mind!"
Suì-Fēng's figure flashed in front of Yoruichi, assuming a combat stance.
"Certainly, Lady Yoruichi!"
Ren looked at Yoruichi, who was making such a fuss, and then at Suì-Fēng, whose serious expression was mixed with resentment. He couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose.
Behind him, Walter watched the two with equal speechlessness.
'All this over such a trivial matter... getting so worked up?'
'Are they serious?'
He looked at Ren's helpless expression ahead of him, sighed, and stepped forward to block Ren's path.
Wearing dark fingerless gloves, his fingers danced with agility.
"It is a butler's duty to ease the master's worries."
He looked at Suì-Fēng.
"Little girl, be sensible. I advise you not to get involved in this matter."
'When the master and mistress of the house are having a spat, what's the use of servants meddling?'
'It only ends up causing a lot of trouble.'
"Walter, move aside."
"The one I'm looking for isn't you!"
Suì-Fēng shouted, waving her hand as her sharp gaze bypassed Walter and landed on Ren.
It was as if she held some deep-seated grudge.
Walter knew it would be like this.
"Fine then."
As he spoke, Walter's fingers paused and he gave a light pull.
"Suì-Fēng, get back!"
Yoruichi reached out, grabbed Suì-Fēng's shoulder, and pulled her back.
Clang.
Caught by Yoruichi's strength, Suì-Fēng stumbled back two steps.
Meanwhile, the Zanpakutō at her waist unsheathed itself and hovered in the air.
"Wires?"
Looking closely, Suì-Fēng saw that two nearly transparent wires had wrapped around the hilt of her Zanpakutō at some point.
It wasn't just on the hilt; as Suì-Fēng's eyes widened in realization, she saw that the nearby veranda was already covered with taut wires.
If one didn't look carefully, it would be almost impossible to see these lines.
"When did he...?"
"I didn't notice a thing."
Walter tightened his hand, and Suì-Fēng's Zanpakutō followed the pull of the wires, falling into his palm.
Toying with the Zanpakutō, a smile appeared on Walter's face.
"Just now."
"Now that I've taken your Zanpakutō, the winner has been decided. You should give up while you can."
Suì-Fēng grit her teeth, feeling deeply insulted. She said coldly, "So these wires... is this your ability?"
'As a Soul Reaper, and a member of the Second Division within the Stealth Force, having my weapon taken without me even noticing is a massive humiliation.'
'I was careless and failed to observe properly.'
'But now that I know his ability, I won't fall for it so easily next time.'
"It's not an ability, just a technique."
Walter turned his head slightly. His monocle glinted under the sunlight while the other half of his face was shrouded in shadow, giving him an enigmatic appearance.
He saw every bit of Suì-Fēng's indignation but didn't care in the slightest.
Yoruichi patted Suì-Fēng's shoulder and looked at Walter.
"Walter, give the sword back to Suì-Fēng."
"You step down too. The one I want is this fellow Ren."
Walter glanced sideways at Ren behind him.
Ren gave a slight nod.
Having received permission, Walter tossed the Zanpakutō back to Suì-Fēng and retracted his fingers, drawing back the wires that had been spread across the entire veranda.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]