I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

Gu Yan wanted to say something more.

He really should say something.

But what could he say?

He owed so much, so much that he felt he was not worthy of enjoying this almost luxurious tenderness.

But he couldn't say it, because Chiyomiya Hanyu didn't give him a chance to speak.

She cupped his cheek with one hand, her thumb gently resting on his cheekbone, while her other hand pressed against his shoulder.

Then she kissed him again.

This time, it was no longer the cautious probing or the half-hearted touch.

She kissed him forcefully, as if she were using her lips to remember the warmth of someone she had waited more than a decade for.

Her eyelashes brushed against his eyelids, tickling him. Her breath mingled with his, warm and sweet, with the lingering sweetness of dew.

Gu Yan's mind went blank, with only one thought echoing repeatedly in her head.

Are all girls in Japan this open-minded?

Yuzuru gently bit his lip, then pulled away slightly.

Those deep brown pupils were looking into his eyes from a very, very close distance.

The corners of her mouth still held the moisture of that kiss, and a very faint blush rose on her cheeks, spreading from her cheekbones all the way to her ears.

She looked at his slightly dazed expression and chuckled very softly, her voice carrying a hint of mischief and understanding.

Mr. Gu was wondering if all girls in Japan were this open-minded.

She tilted her head, her long, jet-black hair slipping down her shoulder, the ends brushing against Gu Yan's hand.

No.

"The shrine maidens of the Chiyomiya family have very strict rules."

"The first rule is to maintain purity of mind and body."

"It's not just the body, it's even the heart that's not allowed to flutter."

"Because the Chiyomiya family's spiritual power inheritance is too domineering, any violent fluctuation in emotions can cause the spiritual power to go berserk."

"Therefore, priestesses cannot fall in love, cannot get married, and cannot develop feelings for anyone that go beyond the bounds."

"The chief priestess of each generation has always walked to the end alone."

"My mother was like that, my maternal grandmother was like that, and the first priestess was like that too."

"So I have no reference point, and I don't know how to gradually like someone."

"Those steps that seem obvious to ordinary people are forbidden territory for me that I have never set foot in before."

"I can only do it my own way."

"If I want to see you, I'll wait. If I want to kiss you, I'll kiss you directly. If I want to say that I've been waiting for you for a very long time, I'll say it to your face, word by word."

As she spoke, she lowered her eyes, her eyelashes casting two faint shadows on her face. The curve of her lips was still there, but there was a very faint bitterness in her smile.

"After all, I don't even know if I'll be able to wake up once the seal is reinforced."

"None of the chief priestesses of the Chiyomiya family can maintain their full spiritual power after the seal is reinforced."

"Some lost all their spiritual power and became ordinary people, while others simply fell into a deep sleep and never woke up."

"I don't want to regret it inside."

I regret not kissing you harder just now.

Gu Yan fell silent.

He looked at the girl in front of him, whose fingertips were trembling with nervousness, yet she still spoke these words with a calm and composed demeanor.

She never hid her feelings, nor did she ask for anything in return.

She was simply doing something she had been preparing for for over a decade.

Tell your feelings to the person you've wanted to see since you were twelve.

He reached out and took her hand in his. Those hands had just slain two S-class calamities and had just kissed him twice, cupping his cheeks. Now they were quietly curled up in his palm.

"Go and reinforce the seal."

"I'll stay here with you."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Yuzuru looked at him and nodded.

She stood up and walked to the ancient tree. The pheasant sword was still leaning against the back of the chair, the dark red runes on the scabbard gleaming under the silver light.

She reached out and drew the pheasant sword from its sheath, the blade emitting a very faint ringing sound as it was drawn.

It wasn't the vibration of metal; it was more like something that had been dormant for hundreds of years had finally awakened and was softly calling her name.

She pressed the tip of the knife against the ground and then closed her eyes.

The ground beneath her feet began to tremble slightly, and all the thousands of vines hanging down from the ancient tree lit up at the same moment. The translucent white flowers fell from the vines, like a snowstorm gathering towards her.

Each flower is a fragment of spiritual power left behind by a former witch. When the petals fall on her shoulder, they turn into a very faint wisp of silver light and penetrate deep into her meridians.

Her brows furrowed slightly, her lips tightened, her knuckles turned white as she gripped the knife, and beads of sweat trickled down her pale cheeks from her forehead.

Gu Yan activated the Mirror Flower Imperial Seal behind her.

A seven-colored light silently shone from the depths of his pupils, transforming into an extremely fine thread of spiritual energy that extended from his fingertips and precisely touched the center of the vortex of spiritual energy on Yu Sheng's back.

His spiritual power, like the gentlest spring rain, gradually channeled the rampant spiritual energy out of her meridians.

Her tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and her fingers gripping the knife stopped trembling so badly.

About fifteen minutes later, the glowing vines on the ancient tree slowly dimmed, and the white flowers that had been floating in mid-air fell back to the ground petal by petal.

The seal reinforcement is complete.

Yu Sheng opened his eyes, sheathed his pheasant sword, and turned to look at Gu Yan.

Sweat still clung to her face, a few strands of hair clung damply to her forehead, and her lips were slightly red from biting so hard earlier.

But her eyes were bright, brighter than ever before.

"Thank you, Mr. Gu."

"Much easier than I imagined."

"In the past, the priestesses all bore the burden alone, with no one to help them alleviate their pain."

"I am probably the first chief priestess to have mental assistance when reinforcing the seal."

She stopped in front of Gu Yan and looked up at him slightly.

A very faint smile reappeared on her lips, maintaining her composed and elegant demeanor, but her tone carried a hint of intimacy that only she knew.

"Mr. Gu, you don't need to worry about what just happened."

"The shrine maiden of the Chiyomiya family does not need a title, nor does she require any promises."

"I just finished doing what I wanted to do."

"After all, I'm a latecomer."

"Senior Sister Lin arrived first, Miss Pei also arrived first, along with those girls surrounding you."

"They were all here first."

"I have no right to compete with them, nor do I want to."

"I'm just very happy to be with Mr. Gu these days."

After saying that, she turned around and walked behind the ancient tree.

"Come with me."

"Let me do some makeup for you."