Death: Captain Millennium

As time passed, Soul Society returned to its original state, but Lin Yu still hadn't woken up.

"Bayunzhai, it's time for graduation from the Shinyang Spiritual Arts Academy again. Let's go shopping. I heard there are two geniuses in this class."

"Genius, you're talking about Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro, right?"

"You know them two? How come I don't know them?" Saito tilted his head and asked the doubts in his heart.

Bayunsai showed a surprised expression. "You don't know them? They were both students at Genjijuku before the establishment of the Shinō Spiritual Arts Academy. They were disciples of Captain Yamamoto. They have shown extraordinary talent before, and you say you don't know them."

"What? They are two of the captain's disciples. Oh! Bayunsai, you should know that I seldom go to the First Division, let alone the Genji Academy before." Saito felt that it was normal that he did not know Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro.

Bayunzhai stroked his face with his hand, "I really don't know what to say to you. Forget it, let's go to the Zhenyang Spiritual Arts Institute." The two chatted as they walked towards the Zhenyang Spiritual Arts Institute. As they reached the door, they heard a commotion coming from inside.

"Look, that's Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro!" someone said, pointing in the distance.

Bayunsai and Saito looked in the direction of the voice and saw two young men standing on the playground, surrounded by their classmates.

"What a promising young man!" Bayunzhai exclaimed.

"It's said that the two of them have mastered Shikai and have already reached the level of vice-captains. How impressive!" Saito couldn't help but sigh. "Bayunsai, that Ukitake Jushiro is quite handsome, with that flowing white hair."

At this moment, Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro noticed Bakunsai and Saito at the door, and they walked over with a smile.

"Hello, Captain Saito, Captain Takensai." Kyoraku Shunsui said.

"Hello, two little ghosts. Long time no see." Bayunzhai responded with a smile.

"Huh? Do we know each other?" Ukitake Jushiro also greeted.

"You two are still so polite. We met once before at Genjijuku, but you may have forgotten." Saito smiled. "By the way, what are your plans after graduation? Which squad are you going to join?"

"We haven't decided which division to join yet, but no matter which division we join, we will be making our own contribution to Soul Society." Kyoraku Shunsui said firmly.

"Very good, you are worthy of being the captain's apprentice." Saito nodded, "I believe you will become excellent Shinigami."

"Thank you Captain Saito for your encouragement!" Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro said in unison.

While the group from Bayunzhai were chatting, a large group of students gathered around. After all, they were two captains, and it was rare to see them at other times.

"Captain! Captain Bayunsai! Captain Saito! Tell us something." Seeing more and more people gathered around them, several people were about to flee when someone suddenly took the lead and shouted.

"That's right! Captain, can you tell us about your experiences with the Gotei 13?" another voice echoed.

Hearing this request, Bayunzhai and Saito exchanged a glance and smiled wryly. They knew that if they didn't respond to these enthusiastic students, they would probably have a hard time getting out of this situation.

Reluctantly, the two paused, facing the expectant gazes of the crowd, cleared their throats, and said, "Dear students, I'm very happy to be here with you. As team leader, I understand the heavy responsibility, but I also hope that everyone can maintain an optimistic and positive attitude and face the challenges together. I believe that as long as we unite as one, there will be no difficulties that cannot be overcome. Finally, I wish you all better results in the days ahead!"

Saito then added, "That's right, Captain Bayunsai said it very well. At the same time, I would like to remind everyone to constantly improve their abilities and be brave enough to try new things, so that they can gain more from it. Remember, a brave heart will never be defeated!"

The official-style speech really frightened the group of students.

These words were met with enthusiastic applause and cheers from the students. However, at this moment, a sharp voice rang out from a corner of the crowd: "Captain, can you tell us more about the war with the Quincy hundreds of years ago?"

This question caught Bayunzhai and Saito off guard. They looked at each other and replied with a smile: "Of course, but time is limited today. I will tell you in detail when I have the chance. Now, we have other things to deal with, so I'll say goodbye first." After that, they turned around quickly and fled the scene before the students could react.

Finally, after a frantic run, Bayunsai and Saito managed to escape the crowd. They breathed a sigh of relief, smiled at each other, and secretly rejoiced that they had finally escaped this unexpected "lecture."

"Wow! These people are so enthusiastic." Kyoraku Shunsui looked a little lazy now.

"That's because of Captain Bayunsai and Saito. It's very difficult for students to see the captain. Do you think they are disciples of Master Shan like us? Really." Fuzhu curled his lips.

"Okay, okay, stop arguing with each other. I came to the Zhenyang Spiritual Arts Academy today because I want to talk to you two about something." Bayunzhai stopped the two of them.

"Captain Bayunzhai, is there anything that needs the two of us to handle?" Fuzhu was very curious about this. Is there anything that the captain can't handle that needs to be completed by two of them who have not yet graduated?

"Kyōraku Shunsui, I'm here to invite you to join the Eighth Division."

"Huh?" Saito and the other two were a little surprised.

"Bayunsai, are you attracted by Shunsui's talent? You didn't tell me this when you came here." Saito looked incredulous.

"Well! I just did it on impulse. I didn't mean to hide it from you." Bayunsai hurriedly explained to Saito.

"Reason? Captain Bayunsai, can you give me a reason to join the 8th Division?" Kyoraku thought for a while.

"Chunshui, you are a noble, right?"

"Yeah. I was born into a high-ranking noble family. Does that have anything to do with me joining the Eighth Division?"

"Harusui, you should know that the Eighth Division is an intelligence team. Collecting intelligence requires various talents and channels. It is difficult for me to get help from the higher-level nobles. It just so happens that you are very strong and have already learned the Shikai. If you can come to my Eighth Division, I can directly appoint you as vice-captain." Bayunsai explained to Kyoraku Shunsui the reason for inviting him to the Eighth Division.

"That's a really tempting offer, but I still need to think about it."

"Then I will wait for your reply, Chunshui." Bayunzhai received a reply from Chunshui which was not really a reply.

"Saito, aren't you going to invite Ukitake to your Sixth Division?"

"I want to, but it's impossible." Saito looked worried.

Ukitake, with a smile on his face, spoke up, "How do you know I won't go to the Sixth Division if Captain Saito hasn't even invited me?"

"Although you two are considered very powerful students, you have not had contact with the core of the Gotei 13. It is normal that you don't know some information. The arrangement for you, Ukitake, has already been decided." Saito's words caught the attention of Kyoraku Shunsui and Ukitake Jushiro.

"Is it arranged? Captain Saito, can you tell me?" Ukitake wanted to know anxiously.

"It's okay to tell you. You'll know soon anyway, and this isn't information that needs to be kept secret. Ukitake, you'll be assigned to Squad 13. Currently, captain positions for Squads 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 are all vacant. Vice Captain Kotsubaki Ichirō is acting in Squad 7. The affairs of Squads 9 and 10 aren't crucial. Squad 11 is a combat unit, so there's no way you'll be assigned there. After all, you're... That leaves Squads 12 and 13. After discussion, you should be assigned to Squad 13 as the acting vice captain."

"I see. Thank you, Captain Saito, for letting me know. I will always remember this favor. If you need my help in the future, please feel free to ask." A serious look appeared on Ukitake's face as he solemnly made a promise to Saito.

"It's just a small matter, Ukitake, there's no need to take it so seriously." Saito waved his hand quickly, indicating that there was no need to worry about it.

"It may be a trivial matter for the captain, but it helped me a lot. It allowed me to understand the future and not be too passive when taking over as vice-captain. Thank you again, Captain Saito." Ukitake expressed his gratitude sincerely.

"Okay, now that the matter has been resolved, we will return to the Gotei 13. And Shunsui, I'll be waiting for you in the Eighth Division." Bayunsai and Saito prepared to leave.

"Captain Bayunsai seems to have already predicted that I would go to the Eighth Division. Really, haha..." Kyoraku Shunsui showed a helpless smile.

In the blink of an eye, Ukitake Jushiro and Kyoraku Shunsui have graduated.

Ukitake went to the 13th Division to serve as vice-captain, and Shunsui came to the 8th Division as promised.

"Hey! Captain Bayunzhai, I'm here to report."

"It's Shunsui. I knew you would join the Eighth Division. The promise still stands. From today on, you will be the Vice Captain of the Eighth Division. However, you must demonstrate your strength, or the commander and soldiers of the Eighth Division will not be convinced. After all, the previous Vice Captain was a very outstanding Shinigami."

"The new vice-captain? Captain Bayunsai, I just have something to ask you. When I was young, I saw two paintings in Sanye's bedroom. One was the image of a Shinigami engulfed in flames, and the other was a Shinigami surrounded by stars and lightning. I asked Sanye what they meant, and he scolded me. Sanye explained that they were two "demons" that appeared long ago when Soul Society was in crisis. However, the appearance of these two "demons" would plunge Soul Society into an even more precarious situation. He then mentioned that if these two monsters appeared again, it would also mean that Soul Society would face unimaginable disasters from then on. I think the Shinigami covered in flames is Sanye, but I haven't heard of the other Shinigami in all these centuries. Since Captain Bayunsai mentioned the new vice-captain now, it's hard not to connect the two events. Captain Bayunsai has been captain since the Gotei 13 was founded, so he should know the inside story." Kyoraku Shunsui got to the point immediately.

"As expected of you, Shunsui. You have a natural talent for gathering intelligence. Yes, I do know that Shinigami. Let's eat something first and talk while we eat."

Bayunsai created a dish Kyoraku Shunsui had never seen before: a copper pot filled with a chili and oily broth, and various raw and cold foods placed beside it.

"What is this? It smells so good?" Chunshui was eager to start eating.

"This is called hot pot. It was invented by my former vice-captain. It was our favorite dish back then. The time back then was really wonderful." Bayunzhai fell into memories as he spoke.

Looking at the expression on Bayunzhai's face, Chunshui felt that things must be very complicated.

"Okay, let's eat. Put these things in the hot pot and you can eat them when they are cooked. Here, this is the dipping sauce. Dip the cooked food in it." Bayunzhai taught Chunshui how to eat hot pot. This scene reminded her of the first time Lin Yu taught her, and he said that only putting sesame oil in the dipping sauce would make it taste the best and ensure the original flavor of the hot pot.

"huhuhuhu"

"It's so hot and delicious. But Captain Bayunzhai, you haven't told me about the Grim Reaper yet." Chunshui didn't forget to continue asking for information about the Grim Reaper while eating hot pot.

"Okay, let me tell you about it. That Shinigami is called Lin Yu. He's known as a genius in Soul Society. He has a personality similar to yours, and is also a lazy person. He used to be my vice-captain, and later he was promoted to captain of the 7th Division. He was the second captain of the 7th Division of the Gotei 13. He's a person of the same era as us."

"He's from the same generation as you. Vice Captain Quebu should know him. I never heard him mention this name when I was a kid."

"Vice-Captain Suzube only became Vice-Captain of the 1st Division after he joined the Gotei 13."

"And you said he was the captain of Squad 7. Now the captain position is vacant. Did Captain Lin Yu die in battle?" Kyoraku Shunsui asked curiously. However, as soon as he said that, he realized he had asked the wrong question, because Captain Bayunsai's face suddenly darkened.

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely awkward. Both of them were silent, leaving only the bubbling sound of the soup in the hot pot.

After a long while, Captain Bayunzhai slowly spoke: "Captain Lin Yu did not die in battle, but fell into a deep sleep." When she said this, a trace of sadness and helplessness appeared in her eyes.

After hearing this, Kyoraku Shunsui couldn't help but wonder: Did he fall into a deep sleep?

Bayunsai continued, "Hundreds of years ago, a brutal battle broke out between Soul Society and the Quincies. The Quincies attacked the Soul Society, and the Gotei 13 currently has so many vacant captain positions precisely because of this incident. At that time, Lin Yu killed a dozen captain-level Quincies, prompting the Quincies' leader, Yhwach, to attack him. Originally, Lin Yu and Yhwach were equally powerful, but for some other reason, he was injured by Yhwach and fell into a deep sleep, from which he has yet to awaken... Captain-General Yamamoto once said that if Lin Yu was given time, he might replace the captain-general as the strongest Shinigami."

Hearing this, Kyoraku Shunsui couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration. Killing a dozen captain-level Quincies—what kind of combat power was that? He couldn't imagine what kind of disaster Seireitei would have suffered if it weren't for Captain Lin Yu.

"Destroying over a dozen captain-level Quincies—what kind of combat prowess is that? I hope Captain Lin Yu wakes up soon," Kyoraku Shunsui whispered. This captain, who once made such great contributions to Soul Society, now lay in a deep sleep. Hopefully, he'll recover soon and return to everyone's side.

For the next few minutes, both of them fell into deep thought, each thinking about their own concerns, while the ingredients in the hot pot continued to simmer, emitting an enticing aroma.

"One last question, how come Captain Bayunsai is so familiar with Captain Lin Yu, even though he was your vice-captain before?" Kyoraku Shunsui's curiosity was not satisfied.

"Captain Lin Yu is not only my comrade-in-arms and subordinate, he is also my lover. He was injured by Yhwach and fell into a deep sleep in order to save me." The explosive news came out calmly from Bayunzhai's mouth.

At this moment, Chunshui wanted to slap himself twice. If he had known earlier, he would not have asked this question...

Captain Bayunzhai must be in great pain. His lover has been sleeping for hundreds of years to save him. He doesn't know when he will wake up, or maybe he will never wake up.

Chunshui was like a child who had done something wrong, "I'm sorry, Captain Bayunzhai, I shouldn't have asked."

"It's okay, Chunshui, Lin Yu will wake up, right?"

"Yes, I believe Captain Lin Yu will wake up." Chunshui was like a drowning man who suddenly grabbed a life-saving straw.