"Isn’t there a mont worth rembering, just in those everyday details? That man is strange, isn’t he? You clearly know his flaws—they’re so blatantly obvious—yet you still fell deeply for him. You found yourself caring more and more, until you suddenly realized that perhaps you’ve already grown to like him?"
...
Ji Nanjue’s eyes were briefly clouded with mist as he thought of his encounters with Su Bei, from their first eting to the present. Indeed, as Key Smoke had said, there was nothing particularly special, no deeply impressive monts. Yet, it was as if so magic had made him gradually open his heart to Su Bei, allowing him to be completely honest and open.
"Can Master really not let go of him?" Ji Nanjue asked. "This Disciple ultimately fails to understand Master’s thoughts... but must it be him, and no one else?"
...
Without realizing it, they had drunk most of the wine in the jar. Since they hadn’t used Spiritual Energy to counteract the alcohol, their heads were sowhat groggy, and their conversation grew much more casual.
Ji Nanjue looked at Key Smoke with a hazy gaze, then hugged her tightly and buried his head in her chest, rubbing it back and forth. "Master," he murmured, "in reality, Su Bei is not as good as you think. It’s all an act; his mind isn’t wired like a normal person’s. He’d make you wear those tight stockings and then... then... deliberately tear them."
"Master, please, just forget about him. Or perhaps find another man? This Disciple will help Master look for one."
"This Disciple truly doesn’t want to see Master... in the sa bed with him."
...
Key Smoke stretched out a slender finger and sharply flicked Ji Nanjue’s forehead. She pushed away his hands, which were trying to steady her by her delicate arms, her eyes flashing with embarrassed anger as she retorted, "PAH, PAH, PAH! What nonsense are you spouting? What are you even saying? In the sa bed? How could that possibly happen!?"
Key Smoke swayed, her eyes becoming increasingly unfocused. She gazed at the hazy moonlight, then gently tapped Ji Nanjue on the head. Her voice, laced with lancholy, carried over the howling wind outside as she said, "You don’t have to worry. As your master, I won’t disturb the two of you... I will forget him."
"I have been waiting for this day for a very, very long ti..."
"Honestly, even if you had never co here, nothing would have happened between Su Bei and . Forget all this, Disciple. Just think of it as a re dream."
Hearing Key Smoke’s words, Ji Nanjue instantly understood. He looked at her face, at her eyes that still held a lingering affection yet were already at peace, and exclaid in shock, "Master, are you... are you about to undergo the Tribulation-Crossing Stage?"
Key Smoke, however, did not answer his question. With a drunken smile, she began to sing loudly, her voice carrying on the clear wind under the bright moon:
"The mortal world, what a joke; infatuation, so utterly dull. Better to be detached from it all..."
This song carried all their shared mories from the Illusion World. It was as if this lody from that Illusion World had been composed especially for her. Now, only Ji Nanjue was beside her, her sole audience, yet she smiled with genuine delight.
"This life’s not over, yet my heart’s untroubled. I only wish for half a lifeti of carefree joy."
"The next life’s unknown, love and hate, all wiped clean. With wine and song, I only wish for happiness until I’m old..."
...
Countless wine jars were now empty; the wine had long since run out. Key Smoke sang the song over and over again. The alcohol had long since gone to her head, and her singing was no longer in tune.
Tears stread down Ji Nanjue’s face as he watched. He wanted to stop her, but what right did he have? If it weren’t for his Supre Yin Body, she was the one who deserved to be loved...
The night deepened. Key Smoke, reeking of wine, pulled Ji Nanjue out of the room. She gazed at the solitary moon.
"Nan Jue, do you know?" she asked. "I have gazed upon moonlight like this for nearly a thousand years. Looking back now, a thousand years have passed. What difference would another thousand make?"
Her steps grew more unsteady. Perhaps this was her final indulgence.
"Nan Jue? Why aren’t you saying anything?"
There was no sound from Ji Nanjue beside her, yet Key Smoke could still feel his presence, couldn’t she?
Sothing felt strange. The drunkenness surged through her again, and she stumbled, falling into soone’s embrace.
This embrace felt different from Ji Nanjue’s soft warmth. It carried a faint, dry scent, yet it was exceedingly warm, allowing Key Smoke to gradually lt into it.
"Why did you drink so much?" a gentle voice asked, tinged with both reprimand and concern.
Key Smoke froze for a mont, then lifted her head.
Under the cold moonlight, a familiar face looked back at her, eyes smiling with concern.
"Su... Bei?"
...
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