The young Priestess who had grown up all her entire life stared at the man shell-shocked. Was he really asking for something like beast cores? Those were precious things that as a low-ranked Priestess herself could not obtain easily.

Cores were often used as resources, something to help increase the attunement one had to a certain type of Ao element. What he was asking for just to see him..

Leila bit on her lip, "Can I make my decision later and come back again when I'm ready?"

"Of course." Li Yang nodded. It was a bit of a pity that she didn't have anything right now—the man was curious if he could use cores to help recharge his System faster. He probably had the option of asking Setsuko for help, but she was still in the learning process.

The two of them watched her bow her head, apologize and then quickly head out of their room and run back to her designated hallway before she could get caught. Thump. Thump. Her footsteps thudded louded across the quiet hallway they were in..

Setsuko pursed her lips. "Was that your way of turning her down? You gave her an impossible task. It's a little bit cruel for you to let her think she had a chance."

"If she wants to, then she will find a way to obtain it.. if not, then it is a pity. I did want to try using one myself and see if it would be helpful to me," Li Yang said.

"Oh." Setsuko frowned and thought he was uninterested—but some part of him was still considering it then. "Why is it so important for you to get beast cores? Is it really just to practice with them? You have more grasp on Ao than people in my class, and I bet you're doing better than the one teaching us."

It was a compliment, but Li Yang knew how much he needed to gain even stronger. He was at the seventh stage of Qi Condensation, and then there was Foundation Establishment, Core Formation and so on, and so forth.

This was always a never-ending goal to reach for the top. And his ultimate desire was to reach the Heavens for himself.

"Yang?" Setsuko asked again. Quieter, and a bit more petulant.

This time, she felt something strange at the pit of her belly. It was like a fire that burned within her—but it wasn't hot. Instead, it felt like it was condensed, reduced to such a miniature size but it never meant that the fire wasn't there. Something so hot that it became cold, shaped into something else and instead conduit into another form.

It was a strange sensation that befuddled her, but it matched the serious expression on Yang's face. She was not privy to his thoughts, the two of them weren't at that stage yet.. but she could at least feel a certain extent of his emotions, couldn't she?

A surreal experience she was living, until the man himself spoke up.

"I need to gather a certain amount of energy to find a way back home," he said. This was the truth and she must have already known it for a while. It was an easy conclusion to reach—he wasn't from this world, so it was only right he came back home.

His daughter, Miss He, Taiga and everyone else must have been waiting for him. At least he thought that was the case, he had no idea of what was happening there. It was almost impossible to think that the universe and time on earth would stop moving because he was somewhere else.

The world didn't revolve around him, even as the Heavens watched.

But there was also a chance that time moved differently here? That would be a hopeful thing to imagine if the world was faster here, and he returned without missing a minute of anything. Li Yang wondered about it briefly, choosing to neglect and avoid the myths of men returning from distant lands and crumbling to dust once they returned to earth.

"Hey, aren't you hungry?" Setsuko grabbed his sleeve and tugged him forward. She had a frown on her face and clicked her tongue. "Let's have dinner now. I know you just stayed here in the room all day, but training and using Ao is quite draining for me. Let's go eat."

"Ah, my apologies for being caught up in my thoughts," he said. He probably needed to tell her about Mitsuko too—

"Yeah, but it's always hard to read if you're thinking or just have that blank look on your face—for now, let's eat." Setsuko dragged him to the dining area of Mashiro Temple. She had heard his words alright, but she didn't want to think about it now.

Didn't want to think about it at all.

.

.

.

Naturally, Setsuko wasn't the only one who had the man in her thoughts. Ellwynn, Tomura and Mareena caught Leila as she left the hallway and the first one grabbed her ear. "What did you think you were doing there and leaving us earlier?"

"You know, just because Setsuko was placed there doesn't mean that it would always be the case." Mareena looked into the hallway as they ushered the younger woman, almost like a little sister, away from the hallways and into their shared quarters. "Have you seen the look on Rei's face? She looked like she would eat the woman's heart out, that was supposed to be her old room!"

"She didn't seem that mad when I saw her," Leila protested. "Besides, I wasn't there because.. well, actually..." She didn't want to admit that she went to the room to see Setsuko's consort's dick. It was an embarrassing thing to admit.

"Did the Lady drag you over to her room?" Tomura asked. Her brows were raised. "I know some of the higher-ranked Priestesses do like adopting a younger sister to help them around in their rooms, but it's a little too early for that. And she isn't even supposed to know that."

A hierarchy was present in the temple, as all organizations did. But it didn't matter much to Leila, instead, she was just a little sad about her situation. She rubbed her arm and squeezed it a bit tightly. "Well you know, dear Sisters—"

"Spit it out."

"She wanted beast cores." Leila blurted out. "She was interested in getting some and would give me a favor if I could get them from her." This wasn't exactly a lie because who else would the beast cores be for, right?

Although Li Yang had a cold and even sullen beauty to him—it was obvious that he wanted to give the best for his Lady by asking for something useful for her. Even if it meant that he could have asked for anything else. This was something that made her look at the man beyond just his body, but also a reflection of his character.

"Beast cores, who did she think you are?"

"Only those higher-ranked than us get the chance to obtain beast cores through passing their own tests, maybe you could give her plant ones?" Ellwyn frowned. "I mean, at least those are easier to obtain—less Ao, but it is still concentrated enough."

"Do you guys have any idea how much one is in the market?" Tomura rubbed her chin.

Leila's heart dropped slightly. Even though she said that she would think about it, here she was, already thinking of ways to obtain a beast core. Why did she have to be this way? Was this a test of the Goddess?

The ancient scriptures had talked about how men were vile creatures who betrayed women—similar to the story of how the Goddess' was betrayed by her brother, but ever since the Goddess had slept, customs began to become slightly easier.

"Let's just head to dinner now," Mareena decided.

Leila sighed. "I.. I'm not really hungry for it. Please have a good dinner to the three of you."

The other Priestesses gave her a sympathetic look, but then nodded. "We'll bring you some later if you're up for it." They knew that Leila was a bit of a people-pleaser at heart, and it wasn't exactly something they could help with.

She crossed her arms and racked her head for ideas.historical

Who else could she even ask for a beast core? She had no way to obtain one for herself, unless.. she asked Rei, herself. If she begged the higher-ranked Priestess, would she give in?

Maybe if she offered to do a lot more chores, worked even harder and offered foot rubs or massages to the Priestess, she'd be more willing to give in even one core?

She didn't know her chances of luck, but if it worked--she'd be elated. However, it meant that she also couldn't exactly tell the truth about wanting the beast core. Rei would no doubt feel betrayed if she ever figured out that Leila gave it to Setsuko.

An excuse had to be made.

It didn't take her much time to find the Lady when she left her quarters and then asked, "Priestess Rei, could I ask you a favor?"

"What is it this time?" Rei eyed the younger girl dourly.

"... I wanted to advance my studies, and I was wondering if I could do anything to obtain a beast core from you?" Leila winced, but she had already said it. Learning about the other sex was still... studying, right?

—-—-

Author's Note: Lies. Lies and more lies. Not sure if it's still accurate today, since the research was done back in 2002, but here's the headline: 'UMass Amherst Researcher Finds Most People Lie in Everyday Conversation'... a bit of a white lie, I guess? Either way, thanks for reading today's chapter.