Who are you calling a stable boy?!

Add to that the seemingly endless white desert before us...

This is not Soul Society.

It's clearly an imaginary circle!

Wait a minute, he was clearly the one marked as "Old Blue," so how did he end up in—

"Ok?"

Sensing something, Zheng Jing suddenly turned around.

Standing behind Zheng Jing, facing those golden eyes, Aizen moved his right hand, a smile on his face, and was about to speak.

"Zheng—"

"Old Lan!"

With his six arms outstretched, Zheng Jing scooped Aizen up in his arms.

Did you miss me?

Looking at Aizen, he chuckled.

I miss you!

"...It's good to see that you're still so energetic, Lao Zheng."

The same helpless smile that Zheng Jing always saw reappeared on Aizen's face.

"Anyway, put me down first."

-

After a while, sitting on the picnic blanket that Zheng Jing had laid out, Aizen accepted the hot tea that Zheng Jing handed him.

"More than a year..."

Holding his own cup of tea, he listened quietly to Aizen recount many of Zheng Jing's tales, and couldn't help but sigh.

It has been more than a year since he disappeared from the world.

In the year or so that followed, quite a few things happened in the Soul Society.

First, in the second month after Zheng Jing's disappearance, a major incident broke out in which a Vastod led several Adjuchas and dozens of Gillian to attack Soul Society.

Of course, the incident was eventually resolved. Apart from the leader Vasto Lorde and a relatively lucky Adjuchas, the rest of the Hollows that attacked Soul Society were annihilated on the spot.

Six months after Zheng Jing's disappearance, Aizen chose to graduate early.

He is now the fourth seat of the Fifth Division.

In this position, Aizen spent more than six months before finally finding a good opportunity to go to Hueco Mundo.

As for why he was so eager to make a trip to Hueco Mundo—

"So, after reading my letter, you've been thinking about coming to Hueco Mundo to find me?"

When Zheng Jing asked this question, Aizen remained silent.

He took a sip of hot tea, put down the cup, squinted, and smiled at Zheng Jing.

"..."

Seeing Aizen staring at him like that, Zheng Jing scratched his head and cheeks a couple of times, then made up his mind.

"Old Lan, there's something I need to tell you."

Chapter 129: Old man, you're really good at fighting, aren't you?

"..."

Aizen remained silent.

Looking at Aizen, Zheng Jing also quieted down.

He had planned to tell Aizen about the courtyard when he returned.

However, Zheng Jing did not expect that he would talk about these things as soon as he reunited with Lao Lan.

Perhaps I should wait until I have more convincing evidence to convince Lao Lan?

Perhaps we should wait until Lao Lan notices something and asks him about it before we talk about it?

......No.

There's no need for that.

because--

"Old Zheng."

"Ok?"

Beyond the Three Realms, there are other worlds.

Above the heavens, there is a new heaven!

Aizen had not hesitated for a single moment about this absurd statement.

He simply gazed at Zheng Jing, his eyes behind his glasses seeming to gleam with a light brighter than the moon in the night.

Can I become a player?

Aizen asked this question.

Zheng Jing was taken aback.

Is it possible?

Of course!

However, while he may have the ability, if Lao Lan really wanted to enter the courtyard and become a player, he didn't know how to help Lao Lan for the time being.

Zheng Jing never expected that the problem he had posed to Lin not long ago would now come full circle and land in his own hands.

He really hadn't studied this aspect much...

"Hey!"

Zheng Jing's expression suddenly brightened.

"Old Lan, wait a minute, let me take a look. Maybe it'll actually work!"

With that, Zheng Jing opened the panel.

He remembered that he actually had one of those player slots!

That was an invitation slot awarded to him by the courtyard when he became the first player in his own world to reach level 5 in overall level.

However, according to the hints given in the courtyard at the time, this spot would most likely only be used to invite people from his own dimension...

Seeing Zheng Jing's furrowed brows, Aizen felt nervous.

The last time he felt nervous was more than a year ago.

Correct.

It was when he opened the letter Zheng Jing had left for him.

At that time...

"Wonderful!"

Zheng Jing suddenly clapped and cheered, interrupting Aizen's wandering thoughts.

"Old Lan, it can be done!"

As he spoke, Zheng Jing seemed to remember something, and his cheerful expression suddenly turned serious.

"But, Lao Lan, don't blame me for being long-winded, are you really sure? You can take your time to think about this, I can help you with it anytime."

"...Then I'll ask you one question."

Aizen asked with a smile, "Old Zheng, are you happy being a player in the courtyard?"

"Then I am indeed happy."

Hearing Zheng Jing's unwavering answer, Aizen smiled even more happily.

"Then I'll be happy too."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jing blinked, pointed at Aizen, and laughed.

"Alright, then let's not delay. Old Lan, close your eyes, I'll pull you into the courtyard right now."

Seeing Aizen sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, Zheng Jing raised a hand and gently patted Aizen's crown.

The invitation slot that the courtyard had previously awarded him was indeed only valid for inviting intelligent individuals from his own plane.

But as the saying goes, money makes the world go round.

After Zheng Jing tried several times without success, the courtyard displayed a prompt to him through the panel.

The notice stated that he could use this invitation on Aizen, but at the cost of paying a processing fee of 10000 courtyard coins to the courtyard.

That's why they say having money in your pocket makes you stand tall.

See, these courtyard coins left over for improvisation are coming in handy!

"..."

A moment later, under Zheng Jing's gaze, Aizen opened his eyes.

"How's it going, Lao Lan?"

Seeing Zheng Jing's slightly nervous yet expectant expression, Aizen couldn't help but laugh.

"This...it's done?"

Seeing Aizen smile, Zheng Jing scratched his cheek.

Aizen nodded.

"Please take care of me from now on, senior?"

"Hiss! Old Lan, where did you learn that? Did Haki teach you at night?"

Six hands rubbed their arms together vigorously, and Zheng Jing glared at Aizen.

"We two brothers don't do that!"

-

"grim Reaper?"

Seated on his throne, Baregan spoke in a deep, aged voice.

This sound made Xu, who was kneeling on the steps, tremble even more violently.

"Yes, yes! And not just any ordinary Grim Reaper, but very likely a vice-captain—no! He might even be a captain-level one!"

Aizen was searching for Zheng Jing in Hueco Mundo, and he questioned more than just one Adjuchas after encountering him. And not all Adjuchas were completely ignorant of Shinigami.

Adjuchas, who rushed to report to Barragan after being questioned and released by Aizen, is a Hollow who knows a little about the Shinigami's squad system.

"Um......"

Holding his jawbone, Baregan waved listlessly.

"Kill them."

As soon as he finished speaking, the eight Void creatures standing in two rows below the steps suddenly pounced on the Adjuchas.

Before Adjuchas, who was kneeling on the ground, could react, he was pounced on, torn apart, and devoured by eight of his kind.

Listening to the screams echoing in his ears, Barragan watched with utter boredom as the Adjuchas was torn to pieces.

Final Destination: Hueco Mundo?

That's great.

He had always longed for the army of death to storm Hueco Mundo, so that he could pass the time with those foolish death gods, instead of only being able to find amusement from time to time by listening to the cries of criminals, as he was doing now.

As one of Barragan's men, he encountered death but lacked the courage to even fight it, and simply fled back. Such cowardice deserves death.

An extraordinary Grim Reaper?

Vice-captain? Captain?