What Exactly Is Your Lan Chuan Planning to Do?

Siwei Yan stood at the entrance to Runlin An, an impeccable smile on his face as he waved vigorously.

He kept waving until that gentle figure with brown hair completely disappeared around the street corner.

He let out a long breath.

"Ugh, dealing with a future ultimate boss really takes years off my life..."

He rubbed his slightly aching cheeks.

Honestly, when he had first transmigrated here, he had tried being a copycat writer too, transplanting classic plots from memories like "Battle Spirit Realm" and "Mysterious Soul Society."

But what happened? They just didn't fit this world at all!

Even Lieutenant Kyunnan Shiro, who was usually dazed all day long, had read his draft and miraculously sobered up for thirty seconds, offering the review: "I don't understand it, but I'm deeply shocked."

After getting beaten down by reality and running out of options, he had no choice but to set his sights on the ready-made "material" around him.

With the spirit of sacrificing others to save himself, he had used Aizen as the template and heavily adapted The Loneliness and Arrogance of a Genius Boy.

He had thought this sort of artsy inner analysis would be too highbrow for most people, and that earning a little money to get by would be enough. Who would have thought it would explode in popularity overnight, with an absurdly good response?

Looks like all the readers were geniuses too~! Only geniuses could resonate with Aizen's experiences.

"Burp~"

Yan Si shook his slightly dizzy head and staggered along the riverbank toward the Ninth Division barracks.

Runlin An was not far from the barracks. Following this moonlit river for half an hour would get him there.

"I can't keep writing Aizen's story. If I do, it'll get censored..."

He rubbed his brow as his mind rapidly calculated.

"I need to start a new project soon. Otherwise, once next month's salary comes in, it'll all go toward paying off the tavern's debt, and I'll be drinking the northwest wind again."

Two possible options quickly surfaced in his mind:

The first was The Killer of Meteor City, with the protagonist modeled after the First Kenpachi, Unohana Yachiru!

The second was The Godfather of Death, depicting Captain-General Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni's bloody years founding the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.

Surely the legendary lives of these two big shots could earn him plenty of drinking money, right?

Bang!

Lost in a storm of ideas, Yan Si slammed solidly into a somewhat lean yet exceptionally sturdy "object."

He staggered back a step, steadied himself, looked up, and instantly put on a professional smile.

"Captain Hirako! Sorry, sorry. I was thinking about the plot of a new story and didn't watch where I was going."

Before him stood Hirako Shinji, the Fifth Division captain with dazzling golden hair and an expression that always carried a hint of laziness and mockery, tilting his head as he looked at him.

Rather than getting angry, he stepped forward and naturally slung an arm around Yan Si's shoulders, using no small amount of force.

"You brat," Hirako drawled, ill intent glinting in his dead-fish eyes, "you went drinking without inviting me. Are you looking down on me, your captain?"

He took a hard sniff, catching the distinctive wine fragrance of Spiritual Intoxication that still lingered on Yan Si. A vein immediately popped on his forehead.

"It was even Spiritual Intoxication! You've struck it rich, huh? And you're this disloyal? Have you forgotten who spoke up for you in front of that guy Kensei and got your manuscript approved?"

Hirako grinned, showing off his pale white teeth. His smile was positively "nuclear."

Yan Si's heart skipped a beat.

Indeed, when he had submitted the manuscript for Genius Boy to his own captain, Kensei Muguruma, that hot-blooded captain had been utterly unimpressed by such pretentious literary nonsense.

Hirako Shinji, who had happened to be visiting at the time, had skimmed a few pages and said, "Kind of interesting. Let him give it a shot." That was how the manuscript had been allowed to serialize in Soul Society Communication.

In a sense, Hirako truly was his talent scout.

"Captain Hirako, how could you say that? I wouldn't dare!" Yan Si hurriedly protested.

"You don't know this, but Lieutenant Kyunnan Shiro has been blocking me everywhere like she's gone mad lately, pressuring me to continue that Hell Girl disaster of a book. I can barely avoid her as it is. How would I dare show off in a tavern? I only went to drink by the river to hide from her!"

"One thing at a time." Hirako Shinji did not take the bait at all, poking Yan Si's chest hard with a finger.

"You can go drink with Aizen by the river, but you can't invite me? Do you think Hirako Shinji isn't worthy of drinking your wine, or... do you look down on me?"

His tone dipped slightly on the last few words, carrying a trace of pressure.

Yan Si cursed that old fox in his heart, but laughed it off outwardly.

"Captain Hirako, you've really wronged me! Aizen was the one who came looking for me at the tavern, and he even fought to pay for the drinks. It wasn't like I specifically invited him! When such a willing sucker—cough, cough, such a kindred spirit comes to my door, I can't exactly ignore him, can I?"

"Oh? He specifically came looking for you..." Hirako Shinji released him, planting his hands on his hips as his tone turned faintly teasing.

"Tomorrow is the day Central Spirit Arts Academy graduates choose their divisions. Are you the one recruiting newcomers for the Ninth Division?"

"Captain Hirako, please stop making fun of me." Yan Si scratched his head with a bitter smile.

"Even if Lieutenant Kyunnan Shiro doesn't go, Captain Kensei will personally oversee it. There's no way it would be the turn of a mere Fifth Seat like me to embarrass himself."

At the end of the day, Soul Society still respected strength above all else.

Before those radiant captains and lieutenants, what did a Fifth Seat like him have that could attract outstanding graduates?

Hirako Shinji slightly raised his chin. Moonlight fell across half his face, and his gaze held a deepness that seemed to see through everything.

"Not necessarily. Maybe... if you go, that Aizen Sōsuke will choose to join your Ninth Division."

He stuck his little finger into his ear and casually said,

"Don't be fooled by the fact that the kid is only first in Kidō at the academy. Maybe... he's someone even more dangerous than your 'Lan Chuan.'"

Yan Si's heart suddenly tightened! Hirako Shinji's instincts were terrifying!

At this point in time, there was probably no second person in all of the Seireitei who could see through appearances and detect Aizen's true nature.

He only knew how terrifying Aizen was because of the "script."

He forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart and asked with a smile, "Then... Captain Hirako, are there any graduates you want to recruit?"

"Hoo—" Hirako blew dust off his little finger, though there was no dust there, and his dead-fish eyes returned.

"Yeah. I've got my eye on that Aizen. I was just thinking of recruiting him into the Fifth Division."

Then his tone shifted, and he fixed his eyes on Yan Si again.

"Back to the point, brat. What exactly is Lan Chuan planning to use to break through his limits in that Genius Boy book? Don't tell me you're really stuck."

Warning bells blared in Yan Si's heart!

The concept of "Shinigami Hollowification" was an absolute taboo. He could not touch it even by implication!

Hirako Shinji might seem close with him now, arm around his shoulders and all, but if he let slip even the slightest hint of anything related to it, then if the "Hollowification Incident" really happened in the future, this seemingly easygoing captain would absolutely be the first to throw him into the lowest level of the Central Underground Great Prison!

"Haha, Captain Hirako, that's exactly where I'm stuck. I have no idea what to do!" Yan Si spread his hands, his expression utterly sincere.

"Do you have any good suggestions? I've already decided to put this book on a temporary hiatus and start a new one to clear my head. Maybe inspiration will come one day?"

"Lan Chuan's story will end here for now."

He maintained a flawless smile as he met Hirako Shinji's eyes.

Time seemed to freeze, until he felt the muscles in his cheeks beginning to stiffen and the corners of his mouth twitching slightly out of control.

Hirako Shinji's gaze, as though it could peer directly into people's hearts, lingered on his face for a long time before he finally turned around and casually waved without looking back.

"Fine. If... Lan Chuan gets any new developments, remember to tell me first."

With those words, his figure seemed to melt into the water, silently disappearing into the deep shadows of the street.

Only then did Siwei Yan fully relax, a layer of fine cold sweat already coating his back.

He let out a long breath and continued toward the barracks.

Aizen had just left, and Captain Hirako had appeared "coincidentally" right afterward? How could there possibly be such a coincidence in this world!

Hirako Shinji had probably begun closely watching Aizen long ago. Even his contact with Aizen had not escaped Hirako's notice.

"Sure enough, stopping the updates here was the wisest choice..." Yan Si felt a wave of lingering fear.

"If I kept writing, I'd probably end up on Hirako's watchlist."

He had only wanted to earn some drinking money and improve his life a little. How had he ended up having to play mind games with these big shots whose thoughts ran as deep as the sea?

This was exhausting!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"I'm innocent! I was framed!"

The heavy pounding on an iron gate and a shrill cry suddenly came from the corner ahead, interrupting Yan Si's self-pity.

Hearing that familiar commotion, Yan Si instead seemed to return to his comfort zone, and his steps immediately became lighter.

He quickly rounded the corner and arrived at the source of the noise: the side entrance to the Ninth Division prison.

The two Shinigami guards straightened at once when they saw him, standing at attention and saluting. "Fifth Seat Yan Si!"

Yan Si nodded and asked in a businesslike tone, "How many did you catch today?"

"Reporting to Fifth Seat! We apprehended ten Shinigami who violated discipline today!" the guard reported loudly.

"Oh? Only ten?" Yan Si was somewhat surprised. "Didn't those battle maniacs from the Eleventh Division go looking for fights today?"

The Ninth Division was mainly responsible for detaining Shinigami and civilians who violated Seireitei laws, conducting preliminary interrogations and holding them.

Only serious criminals guilty of heinous offenses would be transferred to the true Central Underground Great Prison after trial.

This place was more like a detention center with specialized functions.

"No! Today, we only caught a few freeloaders."

The words "freeloaders" made Yan Si's brow twitch wildly.

Not long ago, he himself had nearly become a potential offender for "snatching Spiritual Intoxication and running."

"Ahem! Good work!" He cleared his throat, concealing his guilty conscience.

"But make sure to strictly enforce the three-shift rotation system. Keep your energy up, and don't slack off!"

After giving them a few more instructions, Yan Si followed the road outside the detention center into the courtyard of the Ninth Division barracks.

However, the moment he stepped into the courtyard, his feet stopped.

Under the moonlight, an exceptionally tall and burly man with very short silver hair and a stern face stood in the center of the courtyard with his back to him.

Those broad shoulders and that straight back resembled a quiet mountain, carrying an invisible oppressive force.

It was none other than the Ninth Division captain, Kensei Muguruma.

Yan Si's heart skipped a beat. He quickly composed himself, stepped forward, and greeted him respectfully.

"Captain! You're still here so late... is something the matter?"

Kensei Muguruma slowly turned around at the sound of his voice.

His sharp eyes seemed especially bright beneath the moonlight.

"Mm." He responded concisely, his voice low and magnetic.

"I was waiting for you. I want to discuss something. Don't worry, it won't take much of your time."