Aizen's Probing (3)

In the evening, Liu Ziyun walked towards his dormitory along his usual route.

The setting sun bathed Seireitei in a warm golden-red hue. Soldiers strolled in twos and threes along the streets, discussing their work for the day and their plans for tomorrow. Everything seemed so normal, so peaceful.

Then, Liu Ziyun stopped in his tracks.

In his perception, a familiar yet unfamiliar Reiatsu appeared ten meters ahead.

It felt familiar because it was a powerful and stable Reiatsu at the Captain-level. It felt unfamiliar because he had never sensed the true state of this Reiatsu at such a "close" distance before.

A perfectly timed look of surprise crossed Liu Ziyun's face. He bowed slightly, his tone respectful and polite. "Captain Aizen, hello."

Sōsuke Aizen stood before him, a faint smile on his perpetually gentle and harmless face. His demeanor was composed and elegant, as if he had merely encountered a junior on his way home from work.

"Hello, Liu Ziyun, Fifth Seat."

His voice was gentle and humble, carrying a warm and welcoming quality. "Speaking of which, you should be considered my senior. You've been serving in the Fourth Division for almost a century, haven't you?"

Liu Ziyun gently shook his head, his tone humble. "Captain Aizen, you flatter me. I'm just an ordinary medical team member; I dare not call myself a senior."

Sōsuke Aizen smiled at him, "After you took over as the Fifth Seat, many people praised your strong abilities and how well you handled team affairs. So..."

His tone was sincere and gentle. "I've come to ask you to come to the Fifth Division to help me. What do you think?"

Liu Ziyun remained silent for a moment.

His face showed just the right amount of surprise, followed by just the right amount of hesitation, and finally just the right amount of apology.

"I'm sorry, Captain Aizen." His voice was calm yet firm. "I don't want to leave the Fourth Division. My abilities aren't very strong; I only have the Kaidō, which is passable."

Sōsuke Aizen: "You've served in the Fourth Division for nearly a century. I believe your strength should at least be at the Captain-level. There's no need to be so self-deprecating."

His tone was gentle, yet it carried an invisible sense of oppression.

Liu Ziyun lowered his head, his voice tinged with bitterness. "I'm sorry to disappoint Captain Aizen. My strength hasn't increased with the years I've spent here."

He paused, his tone becoming more sincere. "To repay Captain Unohana and Tazawa Kentarō for saving my life, I focus solely on treatment, so I have no martial arts skills. We are just a medical unit; martial arts are useless to us."

Sōsuke Aizen looked at him, a certain unfathomable light flickering in his eyes.

After a few seconds of silence, he sighed softly, "Really? That's a real shame."

He paused, then suddenly changed the subject. "By the way, Liu Ziyun, the Fifth Seat —what's your opinion on what happened to Captain Hirako and his group a few years ago?"

This question came suddenly and directly.

Liu Ziyun's expression remained unchanged. His voice was as calm as if he were discussing the weather. "What can we say?"

He shook his head slightly, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "I have no decision-making power, nor do I have any opinions. All of this should follow the handling plan of the Gotei 13 and the Central 46."

Sōsuke Aizen looked at him, his tone gentle yet tinged with a hint of probing. "As far as I know, you two used to be friends. Don't you think it's unfair to treat them like this?"

Liu Ziyun fell silent.

His face showed no anger, no sadness, only an almost numb calm. "What fairness is there in this world?"

His voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear. "If you have the ability, be fair. If you don't, follow the rules."

Sōsuke Aizen's eyes narrowed slightly. "I see..."

He paused, his tone softening further. "And what about the mastermind? Aren't you going to avenge him?"

Liu Ziyun his head slightly, a bitter smile playing on his lips, "Revenge? You need the ability to do that."

His voice carried a hint of self-mockery. "I'm just a member of a medical team, I have neither strength nor status. How can I take revenge?"

He paused, his tone becoming even calmer. "Besides, my relationship with them wasn't that kind of reckless, life-risking kind of revenge. From beginning to end, I only wanted to serve Captain Unohana in the Fourth Division. Everything else..."

He gently shook his head. "It doesn't matter to me."

Sōsuke Aizen looked at him, a strange light flickering in his eyes. "But as far as I know..."

His voice remained gentle, but every word was like a sharp knife. "You risked exposing your hidden strength to save them. Why are you acting so insignificant now?"

Liu Ziyun's expression changed slightly.

It wasn't anger, nor fear, but a complex, long-suppressed emotion—resentment, bitterness, regret, and a touch of indescribable bitterness.

His voice turned low, carrying a hint of suppressed resentment. "I revealed my strength to save them because they were implicated because of me."

He paused, a barely perceptible tremor in his voice. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have intervened to save them."

He took a deep breath, his voice becoming calmer, yet carrying an undeniable weariness. "Moreover, in order to save them, my Reiatsu has decreased. It's also because of this that I haven't had the possibility of increasing my strength for over a hundred years."

He raised his head and looked at Sōsuke Aizen, a complex light burning in his empty eye sockets. "Since Captain Aizen investigated so thoroughly, he should know that from the moment I entered the Seireitei, my only goal was to join the Fourth Division and follow Captain Unohana."

His voice carried a hint of suppressed anger. "And they kept getting close to me, ultimately getting involved in so much trouble..."

He paused, his tone becoming even calmer, yet carrying an almost numb indifference. "If Captain Unohana hadn't called in the Captain-Commander, I don't know where I'd be right now."

Sōsuke Aizen remained silent.

He looked at Liu Ziyun, and for the first time, a subtle change appeared on that perpetually gentle and harmless face—not disappointment, not anger, but a kind of almost... confirmed understanding.