Chapter 167: Thoughts Underneath the Azure Sky

For a man who's only significant woman in his early childhood years was his old grandmother that favored his older brother more—Li Yang's experience with women was far and few in between.

He never had to trouble himself with it before, though.

What mattered back then had been his education and being a respected member of the Li Family, and so he had gotten away with a major part of his life by being polite and respectful. He did interact with women as he grew up, but they had mostly been in a professional and even distant manner.

There was no love to be had or even to be lost.

It usually meant he dealt with them in university student council gatherings, class and group projects, but never more than that. Well… if there had been one—he tried not to think about it. The man instead concentrated on the woman asleep in his arms.

He should have gone back to the temple, but the idea of carrying Priestess Mitsuko there and getting interrogated on how she passed out was something he was willing to avoid. Instead, he decided to stay here until she woke up.

The man leaned back against a tree that hadn't been uprooted earlier in the fight. He had plopped down into the grass and relaxed. Mitsuko's head rested gently on his shoulder, and she softly and quietly breathed as she did. She was not a restless sleeper.

Li Yang stared up at the magnificent blue sky ahead of him. It was so vast and rich in color that perhaps if someone had to compare the earth's own sky; it paled ever so much.

This was his current life.

Moments like this one—where he didn't have to think and worry about the corporation, the family and the stress of always being active for a good part of his life gave him the terrible opportunity of being alone with his thoughts. Of thinking back and considering his actions.

He knocked his head back against the wood and shut his eyes.

While he still hated the fact that his own choice in the matter of obtaining a System was done without his will and consent… he wouldn't have even gotten a moment to breathe without it. This peaceful moment now and even with a woman resting on him as they sat underneath the shade of a tree—it was only possible through it.

The man slowly drifted off into his own sleep.

Everything was calm. It was as if there was nothing wrong in the world.

Priestess Mitsuko's eyes fluttered open. Her mind was clear and her thoughts were clarified. She felt good and at ease, warm, but then realized the sensation of someone's arms protectively wrapped around her waist. She raised her head slowly and found the man dozing off in a sleep.

His dark hair shaded his eyes at that moment.

Instead of reeling back and quickly untangling herself from this position, she… she took advantage of this moment. Her entire body was nestled against the man's own and she could feel his warmth and hear the sounds of his steady heartbeat.

This was a far too intimate moment for someone like her. She wasn't supposed to be the one experiencing this with him—a romantic nap together underneath a tree? It should be Setsuko. Or if the man had wanted to, then even Leila could have been a candidate for this current position and yet she took it all for herself.

And she couldn't even help but feel fortunate in this hour.

"Why?" she asked herself quietly—and then held her breath. The man did not wake up yet, and it seemed like he was in a deeper sleep. His breathing was long and steady. If there was anything tarnishing his visage now, it was the bruise forming on his jaw and cheek.

She had caused that.

Mitsuko raised her hand and stretched out once again to cup his cheek. She rested her fingers gently on his jaw and took note of the way his jaw differed from hers—little differences and nuances that made a man and woman different.

She didn't want to say that she liked it.

But she did.

Mitsuko lifted her body slightly, careful as to not wake him, until her face hovered close to his. Why was he not awake? Did she want him to be awake at this hour? Her heart thundered inside of her chest. Why would she want him awake right now when she did it—this was only to fulfill her lingering curiosity.

Why were others so beholden by this man?

She did not understand it, even as she leaned in for a kiss—

Li Yang caught her hand on his face, thinking it was some kind of mosquito he had to kill except when he opened his eyes, the Priestess Mitsuko's lips were on him. He could have pulled back, questioning why—and yet in moments like this one, his body moved on his own and reacted to her touches and action.

He reached out and tangled back some of her pink hair in his fingers. This kiss was lingering, feathery and almost had a dream-like quality to it. Perhaps it was just the inexperience of the woman who kissed him as his hand lingered down behind her neck, and his hand finally crossed her jawline.

Some kisses didn't need to escalate into anything further.

And yet he pulled back to trace his thumb below on her rosy lips. Mitsuko's face was red—caught in the act—but she didn't pull away or recoil from his touch. It was a good sign. He kissed her once again, this time flickering his tongue out to ease her own inhibitions—she seemed to need a lot more time before she opened up to him.

Finally, he stopped to breathe and give her time.

The two of them had kissed. Priestess Mitsuko turned away from him and didn't exactly look him in the eye—how was she going to explain what she did? She eyed him from the corner of her eyes, and the man only eyed her back silently.

Well, the man only seemed happy enough to receive her first kiss…  not that one could tell if he was happy based on just the expression on his face. However, since he kissed her back, then, it meant that he enjoyed it. So that was that.

Nothing more to it?

She thought he was going to do something more—but then he had stopped. She didn't know if she should have been this frustrated over it. Possibly nitpicked and annoyed, but not exactly wondering for what happened next. Why was he so difficult to read?

"So…"

"So what?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "Spit it out if you have something to tell me."

He shrugged. "As much as it is pleasant to have you in my arms—my legs feel numb. But you can stay on my lap if you inch back a little."

She realized that she really was still in his lap and made a quick move to stand up and dust her robe. "You should have said so. I have no desires to remain in your arms...and well—"

"Well?"

The Priestess turned around and checked her robes behind her back. She sighed and shook her head. "Great, now it seems like I rolled around with you in the dirt for a great part of the day."

"We did," he said, as his lips twitched in what appeared to be amusement. "Although it's less rolling than wrestling in the grass."

He didn't even need to say more for her mind to flicker to other, less innocent thoughts. When he had grabbed the back of her robes and tried to choke her—she thought it was the way men did it in bed. But that had been simply his way of trying to make her forfeit the battle.

—She wasn't disappointed about it. Not at all!

Mitsuko stifled a scowl and stomped her foot. "I cannot go back to the temple wearing these robes." This long day had made her worn out from keeping her posture and dignified aura—and it was just the two of them here. She didn't feel the need to hold herself back.

"Why not?" he asked.

"Because they've got mud and dirt!" The Priestess huffed and shook her head. It was if he didn't understand the significance of these robes. They were the way of showing her purity and dedication to the temple. But what could she expect from someone like him? "You can now leave me be, I'll be going."

"Where else can a Priestess go?"

"There's a river in the forest, more of a spring if I were to be honest." Mitsuko rubbed the back of her neck. "I will wash my clothes there, remove the dirt and then dry my robes."

Li Yang raised a brow. "I can also head to the temple and get you a fresh change of clothes."

"And have you come inside the premises of my room and sanctuary?" Mitsuko stared at him. "No sane Priestess would allow a man bonded with another woman to enter their chambers. It is a ridiculous notion. But now that it is settled—I will be heading to the river. Have a nice day."

Priestess Mitsuko moved away from him, taking the quickest path to find the spring. But then soon realized he followed after her. "What do you want?"

"I'm retrieving my sword—you threw it away when we were sparring."

So he wasn't making any excuses to follow her around.

"Oh."

—-—-

Author's Note: If I had to pick one word… it's "soft" for this chapter. Maybe agonizingly soft… a bit different from Ying Yue He's own daydreams in her bed. The spacing is a bit… different. About *two* spaces when the limited perspective shifts from Li Yang to Mitsuko. And also a much slower pace. I wonder if this kind of thing is fine, or if it feels like a waste of time xD We also got some background *slightly* at Li Yang's life. Thank you for reading!