Ji Nanjue looked at him puzzledly, not knowing what Su Bei ant.
Perhaps Su Bei had noticed that Ji Nanjue didn’t respond imdiately. After so thought, he realized he had rashly asked if the person before him had an older or younger sister... Who would ever speak like that? Yet, it was also because the Eastern Emperor before him was so strikingly similar to the woman he had t beneath Unrepentant Cliff.
"It seems I have been sowhat presumptuous," Su Bei said.
Seeing a trace of contemplation on that handso, jade-like face, Su Bei spoke up, "I once saw a lady below Unrepentant Cliff. For so reason, she bore a seven-tenths resemblance to Brother Ji!"
"That is why I ventured to ask!"
Ji Nanjue’s eyebrows raised slightly, a stir in his heart, but his expression remained unchanged as he smiled faintly and said, "There’s nothing that can’t be said."
"I do indeed have a younger sister, Nan Ji. How did Elder Su co to know Nan Ji?"
If the Empress were here, she’d see right through my lie in an instant, he thought.
Upon hearing Ji Nanjue’s words, Su Bei’s eyes brightened. Indeed! It hadn’t occurred to that the Eastern Emperor’s sister would have such a high level of cultivation; then he himself must be at least at the Tribulation-Crossing Stage. That also explains why the Saintess had so interaction with him. Nan Ji must be one of the elders of the Sacred Land!
"Miss Nan Ji once saved my life, a great kindness I can never forget. Our separation last ti was too hasty, and I have always wanted to see her again to express my gratitude," Su Bei said. As he spoke, he was confident the look in his eyes was clear and fervent, imbued with an air of utter sincerity.
A strange hint of a smile touched Ji Nanjue’s lips as he casually waved his hand at Su Bei and said, "My younger sister simply lent a hand casually, Elder Su. There’s no need to be concerned about it."
But Su Bei was serious, with an air of determination not to give up until he saw Nan Ji, and said, "Brother Ji, it’s true you are Miss Nan Ji’s elder brother, but you cannot make decisions for her!"
"Although my cultivation isn’t high, and I have nothing noteworthy to offer, how can a life-saving debt be brushed aside so lightly after such a hurried parting?"
"..."
Ji Nanjue was taken aback by Su Bei’s earnest deanor, and a strange sensation rose in his heart. After hesitating, he said, "Hmm, my younger sister once saved Elder Su’s life beneath Unrepentant Cliff?"
"Then, what does Elder Su think of Nan Ji as a person?"
Why do I care so much about his opinion? Ji Nanjue wondered, a flicker of anticipation rising within him.
Su Bei thought seriously for a mont, recalling that night with Miss Nan Ji, wondering if anything particularly morable had happened.
After pondering, it seed they hadn’t really talked about anything. Did they just share so roasted kidneys?
"Miss Nan Ji gave a feeling of... um, being sowhat unreal."
"I don’t know why, but I felt she seed a bit lonely. Perhaps that’s the disposition of the strong? Independent and unique?"
"..."
Su Bei didn’t resort to flattery just because the man before him was Miss Nan Ji’s brother. What’s the point of putting on a false front before such a powerful individual?
Lonely, huh? The Eastern Emperor was slightly startled, then a bitter smile touched his lips. I hadn’t expected him to see that way.
"Although Miss Nan Ji didn’t say much to , I could still feel that she was carrying sothing very heavy."
"It’s shaful to admit, but though I did nothing, I received quite a few benefits – the Demon Core of that Dao Integration Monster Beast, the Cultivation Techniques of the Sword Sect..."
"And, she actually doesn’t like eating kidneys!"
"..."
Upon hearing this last remark, Ji Nanjue burst out laughing, "What’s this about not liking kidneys?"
The exquisite beauty of his features seed to thaw ice and snow in an instant, blossoming!
Su Bei, looking at this sowhat familiar face, was montarily taken aback. In a daze, he seed to see again the woman who had left such a deep impression on him that night.
That was the first woman I’d ever t who seed as high and unattainable as an Immortal.
He quickly shook his head, silently reminding himself. There’s nothing wrong with my preferences! I’m not delusional! Nor am I shallow. Besides, this man is married! So what if he’s good-looking? But then again, how can a man be born with such delicate, feminine beauty? When Queen Lin shares a bed with him in the dead of night, doesn’t she find it... odd?
Ji Nanjue, also realizing his lapse, composed his smile and said coolly, "I will convey Elder Su’s words to my younger sister."
"The weather is fine today. Why doesn’t Elder Su join for a stroll around Azure Cloud View?"
"..."
Though Su Bei had only t this man a few tis, the more he learned, the more he felt drawn to him, as if to a profound abyss, one that irresistibly drew you in, compelling you to explore its depths. It was a sensation he had never experienced before.
Su Bei looked at the Eastern Emperor. He had made various speculations about him before, but actually conversing with him felt as pleasant as a spring breeze, devoid of any arrogance. His every word and action were delivered with an understated grace, like that of a refined and gentle scholar.
This ability to effortlessly earn goodwill must be his truly remarkable aspect.
"Then I shall trouble Brother Ji..."
Behind Azure Cloud View lay a lake nad Han Hai.
It was so vast that it resembled the sea, hence its na.
The fine, cotton-like rain continued to fall upon the lake’s surface. Gazing at the scene, the accumulated stress of the past few days seed to gradually recede with the sound of the waves.
Su Bei, struck by a childlike whim, picked up a flat stone from the ground—one that any boy from his village on Blue Star would have considered a divine artifact—and skipped it across the water. A smile touched his lips as he watched it sorsault and tumble.
Ji Nanjue observed Su Bei’s childlike expression and spoke softly, "Elder Su, why did you take that child as your disciple?"
Su Bei sighed, clasping his hands behind his back, montarily at a loss for words.
Truth be told, taking Sword Maiden as my disciple was a spontaneous decision. I had always followed the system’s guidance, accepting disciples who were girls marked by red threads of fate. My motives weren’t entirely pure, and there was sothing undeniably strange about it. Indeed, each disciple I’ve taken has been stranger than the last—or perhaps all the red-fated girls I’ve encountered are simply odd. Sotis, I even wonder if the system deliberately orchestrates these encounters. Why are only they marked in red?
"Taking a disciple is a matter of following one’s heart. Why so many questions? I simply liked the child, admired her uncompetitive yet resilient nature."
"Even if the circumstances had been different, I probably would have taken her as my disciple at so point."
"Are there so many rules to accepting a disciple? Must it always be the one with the greatest innate talent in the world?"
"..."
Ji Nanjue looked at Su Bei, who had turned to look back at him. A gentle smile danced in Su Bei’s eyes, his expression like a caress of spring breeze.
It was a closeness she could feel, sothing akin to what she had once felt from her Master, Key Smoke—that way of doing things that most people in this world could not comprehend.
Back on the high platform, I, too, wondered if he was rely seeking fa, or perhaps deliberately putting on a show to recruit disciples for the Sword Sect. After all, in the heat of the mont, many might have been swept along, applauding with the crowd. But once things cald down, how many would truly care?
She felt as if she was beginning to understand this man. Other things aside, she was certain of one thing: at that mont, the little girl called Sword Maiden must have felt incredibly happy.
In Ji Nanjue’s eyes, Su Bei seed to sense sothing familiar, reminiscent of his own experiences from Blue Star, yet not entirely the sa. Those beautiful eyes were like pools of pure water, clear and bright.
The overcast sky didn’t dampen Su Bei’s spirits. Looking at the silent Ji Nanjue, Su Bei thought for a mont, then retrieved a jar of wine from his storage ring. He placed it between them and sat down on the ground.
"Brother Ji, care to try this wine? I brewed it myself!"
"Drunken Life Dream!"
There was a hint of pride in his voice. Su Bei was confident his unique brewing thod would make the man before him’s eyes light up.
The waves lapped rhythmically.
Slling the fragrance wafting from the wine jar, Ji Nanjue was clearly intrigued and instinctively asked, "Why didn’t you bring this out last ti?"
Last ti? Su Bei thought. What last ti?
He looked puzzledly at Ji Nanjue, then glanced doubtfully at the wine jar. Isn’t this our first eting?
Ji Nanjue instantly realized her slip. That was close! she thought, clearing her throat lightly and saying coolly, "What I ant was, just now, earlier... that previous ti, why didn’t you bring it out then?"
Oh!
Su Bei understood and smiled at Ji Nanjue. "In my holand, once you’ve shared a drink, you’re friends!"
As he spoke, he poured the wine into two jade bowls.
"Wine, when sipped in moderation, delights the spirit. Drunk recklessly, it throws the mind into chaos!"
"One of my junior brothers is too fond of drink. Not long ago, emboldened by wine, he even set fire to the Second Elder’s grave..."
"..."
Ji Nanjue eyed the wine. Oh well, it’s a rare day of leisure. I might as well indulge myself this once, she thought.
The sound of the waves was incessant.
Perhaps it was his favorable impression of the Eastern Emperor, or perhaps his curiosity about the series of policies supposedly implented after the Emperor’s ascension. Su Bei, who hadn’t truly relaxed in a long ti, grew more casual in his speech as the wine took effect.
Neither of them used Spiritual Energy to specifically counteract the alcohol. Bowl after bowl, their conversation flowed, and the more they talked, the more delighted they beca. This man, who had to be at least at the Tribulation-Crossing Stage, unexpectedly gave Su Bei a feeling of camaraderie!
Lazy sunlight fell upon this corner of the world, bathing the azure-robed man before Su Bei. A flush rose on ’his’ cheeks, and for a fleeting mont, Su Bei was struck by an impression of unparalleled, nation-toppling beauty.
Vaguely, it seed as if that imposing figure, who held sway over the entire Twenty-One Provinces, was no longer a great personage but an old, familiar friend.
"Fine wine brings a carefree life, a smile adds a rosy blush!"
「In springti Jiangnan, all is serene.」
「Thousand-mile mist over waves.」
Gentle breezes caress, causing ripples to undulate like fluttering gauze.
One could see a ferryman at a distance, standing at the bow of his boat, pushing up his bamboo hat. His long-drawn-out cry startled birds into flight. With a silent laugh and a raised eyebrow, he dipped his long pole into the water.
「A single ripple spread outward.」
Su Bei casually recited the lines of poetry. For so reason, perhaps an illusion, he just felt that the man’s face before him seed even more flushed.
Watching this, damn it, I haven’t awakened so terrifying new preference, have I? he couldn’t help but think.
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