"Cough, cough—"
Ye Xi nearly choked on his tea.
[This damn fox, speak clearly!]
[What do you mean 'because I didn't sleep well'?]
Who could handle that!?
Having overheard Ye Xi's inner thoughts, Yae Miko walked away leisurely, a mischievous smile playing on her lips—the kind that thrived on stirring up trouble. Her mouth curved in amusement.
With words like that, she refused to believe the young lady from the Yashiro Commission wouldn't get upset!
Sure enough, after Yae Miko left, Kamisato Ayaka's gaze was filled with disappointment and dejection.
She looked like a white heron that had lost a loved one, brimming with sorrow.
"Xi, did you two sleep together last night?"
"How could that be?!"
Ye Xi's face was a mix of exasperation and amusement. "Don't listen to that ghost's nonsense. That stinky fox takes joy in teasing people."
[One dares to say it, and the other dares to believe it.]
[Stinky fox!]
[The high priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine would never do something so impure.]
[This fox only said it because she knows Ayaka's obedient nature—she won't spread rumors.]
[If it were anyone else, the whole place would be buzzing in no time!]
Ye Xi felt a massive headache coming on. But hearing the word "sleep" come out of the young lady's mouth felt oddly out of place.
It was like she had blurted it out on impulse without thinking.
[This doesn't match Kamisato Ayaka's original character setting at all...]
Kamisato Ayaka picked up her teacup and nodded calmly, without a change in expression.
If she couldn't hear Ye Xi's inner voice, she might have exploded in anger by now.
Even with her usual poise and elegance, she would have had to tug at Ye Xi's sleeve and demand an explanation.
It seems the Guuji herself is trying to sow misunderstanding, she thought to herself.
She secretly felt relieved that when Yae Miko had asked her earlier if she could hear strange voices, she had played dumb and feigned ignorance.
Otherwise, Yae Miko would surely have seen her as an enemy!
That's right.
When Ye Xi had first brought her to Mount Yougou, Yae Miko had privately asked her about it.
At that moment, she realized the Guuji could also hear Ye Xi's inner thoughts.
Admitting she could hear them would have been unwise.
But since the Guuji was deliberately stirring things up, she couldn't afford to show weakness!
Gripping her tea fan, she rose slowly and invited, "Xi, may I take a stroll in the courtyard?"
"Of course."
Ye Xi stood and accompanied Kamisato Ayaka, sighing inwardly. As expected of the young lady—always so subtle in her words.
If she wanted company, she could just say so...
They walked along the path through the pavilion.
In this Small World, all its myriad changes stemmed from his heart.
With a mere thought, the courtyard stretched out.
The pavilion path grew longer, revealing gardens, rockeries, ponds, and shrubs...
A pebble path wound through the woods, with clear springs gathering into pools between the stones.
Bamboo conduits filled with water, then tipped over, striking moss-covered rocks with a "clack," echoing through the winding paths to secluded depths, where zen chambers hid amid deep flowers and trees.
Inspired by this poetic essence, the world unfolded in boundless variety.
Watching the scene shift before her, Kamisato Ayaka felt a surge of admiration.
"Though it's not my first time witnessing this wondrous transformation, this fine weather and beautiful scenery carry such profound charm."
"Strolling with you, Xi, is a rare elegant pleasure."
She greatly admired Ye Xi's ability, knowing full well how difficult such feats were.
It was like painting.
Without a picture in one's heart, how could it ever grace the canvas?
If someone else had this power, they might conjure nothing more than a barren desert, devoid of poetry.
Her words pleased Ye Xi immensely.
Amid mountains and flowing waters, one seeks a kindred spirit.
If he created his favorite landscapes from the heart, only for them to go unappreciated in solitude, even the beauty itself would feel forlorn.
[The young lady has real taste. This Small World is on par with Ei's, but her Plane of Euthymia is...]
[Well, indescribable.]
[Plus, back in life, most players designing their Serenitea Pots had such lackluster imagination.]
[They'd just throw things around to hit 20,000 Immortal Force.]
[Ending up with realms that no carbon-based life could survive in.]
[Whatever, no more griping. As a fellow company drone, the more I see, the sadder it gets.]
Ye Xi shook his head with a wry smile.
Picking up her thread, he smiled faintly. "Over these years, you've grown fonder of these refined pursuits."
"Elegant music and poetry, the arts of go, dance, tea ceremony, and swordsmanship—with such inspirations, naturally, these beautiful scenes emerge."
"Look, 'Gathering chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, I gaze leisurely at the southern hills.'"
With a point of his finger, the environment shifted dramatically.
Chrysanthemums bloomed across the fields, distant mountains layering in majestic peaks.
Kamisato Ayaka's eyes lit up, her small hands clapping joyfully before her.
"So beautiful!"
"Xi, is this a scene from your homeland?"
Ye Xi nodded. "Yes, this is Liyue."
He had lied to Kamisato Ayaka, claiming his home was in Liyue.
Little did he know, she saw right through the deception.
She knew even better that this scenery wasn't Liyue—it surpassed it by far!
This was the true splendor of Ye Xi's real homeland!
"'Dew-kissed feathers vanish in an instant; how can the white heron resent treading the waves?'"
Hearing her recited verse, Ye Xi altered the Small World's landscape once more.
A white heron stepped across the water, snatching a fish from the pond.
Splashes erupted as the heron elegantly soared away.
Ye Xi found it amusing and recited a few more poems.
The two continued along the pavilion path, the scenery shifting endlessly at their sides.
From dawn to dusk, from spring rains to autumn rice fields.
Finally, crimson maple trees lined both sides, leaves drifting down as a carriage halted in the road's midst.
"'I halt my carriage by the maple woods at dusk; frost-touched leaves glow redder than February blooms.'"
A faint blush colored Kamisato Ayaka's cheeks as she praised, "Every stroll with you, Xi, leaves me feeling so at ease."
Ye Xi turned to her. "Ayaka, I need to leave Inazuma soon, to see the world outside."
Kamisato Ayaka froze, her steps halting.
"Where are you going?"
Ye Xi thought it might be his imagination, but her voice seemed to tremble.
"I'm going back to my homeland for a visit."
He offered an excuse, yet it filled him with a pang of guilt for the deception.
But Kamisato Ayaka already understood.
It was for that matter.
She had learned so much from Ye Xi's inner thoughts long ago.
She knew that in the distant Seven Nations, there were many people who intrigued him.
She understood she had no way to hold him back.
If even Yae Miko couldn't stop him, what reason did she have?
It was just unfortunate that the Kamisato Clan was in dire straits now, with Inazuma in turmoil and the Fatui scheming with honeyed words and hidden blades. For the clan's honor, for Inazuma's people, she couldn't abandon her duties for selfish desires.
Otherwise, she would have gone with Ye Xi without hesitation!
What could she do?
Suddenly, Kamisato Ayaka recalled the rumors she'd overheard beneath the Sacred Sakura Tree. It was like grasping at a lifeline; she tugged at Ye Xi's sleeve.
"Xi—"
"Time flies. By the Kamisato family's traditions, I... I've reached the age of betrothal!"
"I want... uh, my brother says you're the most suitable match for the Kamisato Clan."
Her face flushed crimson now. In the end, she lacked the courage to admit it was her own idea.
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