Birthday Wishes

Ye Yang stood up, picked up the guqin and returned it to Kūkaku, then turned to Soi Fon and said, "Hehe, looks like your skills haven't deteriorated much. How about it, Shaoling? I haven't given you any gifts since I came back, so I'll give you this piece, 'Phoenix Seeking Phoenix'."

Soi Fon trembled, unable to hold back any longer, and hugged Ye Yang tightly. She remained silent for a long time, perhaps because she was too moved to speak. Ye Yang simply patted her back, and the two embraced quietly.

No one disturbed them, deliberately giving the two of them some space. After a long while, the two separated, and Ye Yang took Soi Fon's hand and walked to the front of the crowd.

It was nearly midnight, and everyone was quietly waiting for the new year. Soon, midnight arrived, and the sky was illuminated by a burst of light. Every household was celebrating the arrival of the new year with fireworks. The fireworks, especially those from the Shiba Clan, were even more dazzling and brilliant than before.

At this moment, everyone surrounded Ye Yang, who asked curiously, "What are you all doing here...?"

Soi Fon chuckled and said, "Happy birthday, Brother Ye Yang!"

"Happy birthday!" everyone shouted in unison. In fact, Soi Fon had been planning this for a long time, because Ye Yang's birthday is on the first day of the new year, and he rarely has the opportunity to celebrate his birthday.

He used to have Yoruichi and Urahara with him to celebrate his birthday, but he hasn't celebrated it since they left. Also, the concept of time isn't very clear in Soul Society, so Ye Yang didn't care about these things, and over Ye Yang he even forgot about them.

And this has been the case for the past few years. Although he is not too busy on ordinary days after becoming the head of the family, as most things can be delegated to trusted family members, Ye Yang, as the head of the family, must appear on New Year's Day. Many nobles will come to visit. Ye Yang must greet the guests as the host, after all, there must be exchanges between nobles.

Soi Fon decided to give Ye Yang a surprise and a meaningful birthday celebration. She mobilized everyone to help her. Several days ago, Soi Fon had already visited several squads to ask for their help, and the captains were naturally willing to cooperate.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from the sky, "Ah! Help me! I can't land!" A giant cake appeared in the sky, and beneath it stood a person—none other than Tōshirō had vanished without a trace!

Tōshirō was holding a cake in one hand and a strange object on the other —Tōshirō a wing. He was piloting it into flight, though he didn't seem to have learned how to land.

Ye Yang sighed helplessly, then instantly caught Tōshirō and gently placed the cake on the ground. Holding the wing-like object that Tōshirō had been holding, he flipped a switch with his right hand to retract the wings, which shrunk into something the size of a dagger. There was also a head that looked like a bird's head.

"I don't even need to look to know it was from Soi Fon." "Shaoling, didn't I tell you not to use those tools lightly? You gave him this Tenshiken, didn't you?"

Soi Fon nodded sheepishly, "Brother Ye Yang, don't be angry. It's just that we didn't have enough time. Otherwise, we wouldn't have needed the Tenshiken."

Ye Yang understood that this was all for his sake, and said helplessly, "This is a one-time thing, and there won't be a next time."

This Tenshiken is a unique artifact of the Shihoin Clan, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a divine weapon. The Shihoin Clan is known as the "Keepers of the Heavenly Granted Armaments," and the family has many similar artifacts, most of which are auxiliary equipment.

For example, the Tenshiken is a rather special device. As long as you input Spiritual Power into it, it will turn into a coat and be draped over the user's body. Then, it will spread out a wing, allowing the user to fly in the air at an incredibly fast speed. Although it cannot compare to the Shunpo, the Shunpo requires a large amount of Spiritual Power, while this only requires a small amount.

There are many other tools, which I won't go into detail about. These things are not usually used; they are only used in special circumstances. Ye Yang has hardly ever used these tools. If he were to become dependent on them, it would be detrimental to his future development. Therefore, Ye Yang will not use these tools except in very urgent situations.

Hearing that Ye Yang didn't blame her, Soi Fon chuckled and said, "Happy birthday, Brother Ye Yang!" Her face suddenly turned red, and she quickly kissed Ye Yang on the cheek before blushing and lowering her head, not daring to look at him.

Everyone was used to it. "Happy birthday, Ye Yang!"

Feeling the blessings from everyone, Ye Yang felt a warm current flow through his heart. At this moment, they all brought sincere blessings. This was also the reason why Ye Yang refused to go to the World of the Living with Yoruichi. Because there was always a group of friends who cared about him here, and his home was here. Soi Fon was also in this place, and he did not want to leave.

They began to share the cake. Kaien led Du over and asked, "Ye Yang, Soi Fon, when are you planning to get married? Why don't we pick a date and get married together? That way, we'll have double the joy. Ye Yang, what do you think of this idea?" Kaien held Du's hand. Du wasn't surprised at the mention of marriage; his eyes were filled with happiness.

Ye Yang nodded. "I've thought about getting married a long time ago. Shaoling and I have also discussed it and we don't need to rush. Don't you think so?"

"Yes, Brother Ye Yang and I aren't in a hurry. I'd love to drink your wedding wine first," Soi Fon said with a smile.

"Huh? Why? It's not good to keep dragging this on," Kaien asked curiously.

Ye Yang looked up at the starry sky, seemingly reminiscing about something. "Because our wedding is still missing one person, Shaoling and I made a promise to get married when she returns."

Kaien also remembered something, "Alone? It must be Yoruichi. I haven't seen her for decades. I wonder how she is now. You're telling me you don't know where she is?"

"Of course I know. You don't need to worry about her. She's living a comfortable life somewhere in the World of the Living. It's just that she can't come back for some reason. Whether it's for me or Shaoling, Yoruichi is an indispensable person to witness our wedding. We want to wait for her to come back to witness it. I think you feel the same way, Shaoling." Ye Yang's tone was firm.

Soi Fon nodded in agreement. "Yes, Lady Yoruichi... I wonder how you are doing these days?"

"I've already told you not to worry about her. There's one more thing I need to correct you on: don't call her 'Lady Yoruichi' anymore. It feels really awkward."

Soi Fon shook her head. "It doesn't feel awkward at all. Isn't Lady Yoruichi quite nice?"

Ye Yang thought for a moment and said, "From now on, you can call her Sister Yoruichi. She's my older sister, and you'll have to call her that after you marry into the family. Let's start changing how we address her now, so it won't feel awkward later."

"No, what's wrong with Lady Yoruichi? I'd feel uncomfortable calling her 'older sister.' Besides, I'm not married to you yet. Let's talk about it when the time comes," Soi Fon still refused to change her address, because Yoruichi still held a place of longing in her heart, and she would feel uncomfortable calling her 'older sister.'

Ye Yang said helplessly, "Alright, alright, call me whatever you like." Then he turned to Kaien and asked, "When are you two planning to get married? You must invite us then!"

Kaien laughed and said, "Of course! I won't allow it if you don't come! We're planning to get married on the thirteenth day after the New Year~ because we're from the Thirteenth Division, so you absolutely have to be there!"

"So fast? Then I must congratulate you in advance," Soi Fon said. In Soul Society, the concept of time is not strong. Years or even decades often pass by unnoticed. Therefore, important events like marriage usually require a long period of preparation. Their situation inevitably feels a bit rushed.

At this point, Kaien gave Ye Yang a resentful look, "Isn't it all because of you? Didn't you train a group of outstanding newcomers at Shin'ō? The captain instructed me to mentor them well, so hurry up and get this done, otherwise we'll have to wait several more years."

"You know how sick the captain is, so all the missions have fallen on my shoulders. And Byakuya's sister Rukia Kuchiki, is joining our Thirteenth Division this year. Ugh, what a miserable life!" Kaien complained.

"Really? Rukia is going to join the Thirteenth Division too? Speaking of which, I was the one who found her at the Shin'ō. I even mistook her for Hisana back then. Hey, Kaien, could you please take care of her a little?" Ye Yang instructed. Whether it was because she was the female protagonist of the original story or because she was Hisana's sister, she should be taken care of in some way.

Kaien looked knowing. "I understand, I'll keep that in mind. Byakuya already told me."

"Byakuya? He would tell you this? It's really putting him in a difficult position." Ye Yang couldn't believe that Byakuya would ask someone else for help.

Kaien laughed loudly and said, "Haha, you didn't see what he looked like! It's really rare to see him like this. ' Kaien, please take care of Rukia for me, and don't let her know,' hahaha... He even asked our captain not to let Rukia Seated Officer. As for the reason, he said it was Rukia wasn't strong enough. In my opinion, it's because the Seated Officer has to carry out some dangerous missions. He really goes to great lengths."

Ye Yang chuckled and shook his head, "Byakuya is really... He clearly cares, but he pretends to be indifferent. Sigh! Is this really a good thing?"

Soi Fon said slowly, "Actually, Byakuya has it tough too. He has to handle team affairs, manage his clan, and take care of Rukia all at the same time."

"Tch, that's their family matter, why should we care so much? We just need to live our lives well, right?" Kaien looked up at the starry sky and sighed softly.

Ye Yang simply smiled without saying a word, but his left hand, which was holding Soi Fon's, tightened its grip even more. Under this starry sky, they held each other's hands tightly, never separating.

A night filled with laughter and merriment, everyone seemed to forget their responsibilities and identities. Under the shimmering starry sky, they played to their hearts' content. At that moment, they were no longer captains or vice-captains, no longer clan leaders, but simply friends, family, and lovers laughing together. Everything was so harmonious and natural, like the brightest star in the night sky!