Flecks of dim starlight fell upon Li Zijun’s face, the strands of hair at her forehead clinging with droplets that slid down to her collarbones.
After getting wet, her clothes clung to her body, her exquisite, well-proportioned figure revealed as if half-bare. Her jade-like arms bent gently, every movent a display of grace.
Her fair hand gently gathered the water-soaked hair behind her head; the water soaked her gown, outlining the perfect shape of her body, and she looked at Ji Nanjue sowhat embarrassedly.
The clothing that she hadn’t fully removed now stuck to her delicate body, slightly translucent, revealing the flesh beneath. The usually loose-fitting gown had concealed everything, but now its true form was laid bare for all to see.
Ji Nanjue watched her with clear surprise, before curling the corners of her lips. With an amused tone, she said,
"True to being teacher and disciple, even the lies you tell are cast from the sa mold..."
"Well, if you want to call sister, then do so; ’Mistress’ sounds terribly old anyway."
...
Her jade-like legs, subrged under the water, gently stirred the surface, spraying a few droplets.
Then, with a light push of her jade-like arms, she stood up, completely naked, the water level barely reaching the top of her thighs, revealing her slender waist, firm and without an ounce of excess fat.
"Take off your clothes; you can’t possibly bathe with them on, can you?"
This one gown had accompanied Li Zijun for who knows how long on the road, although it bore no stains.
Li Zijun, sowhat shyly, took off the gown she was wearing and placed it on the shore, then imdiately sat down in the pool, hiding herself thoroughly.
Ji Nanjue didn’t laugh at her and sat down beside her.
The air felt slightly oppressive; the period before rain always brought a particular sense of restlessness.
Her small hand gently lifted water, letting it splash down, before suddenly speaking up,
"You’ve only seen him a few tis, yet you’re certain of your feelings?"
"It’s normal to yearn for soone at your age, but from your actions and behavior, you don’t seem like an impulsive person."
"I’m quite curious, can you tell what’s on your mind?"
After a pause, feeling her question was sowhat tricky, Ji Nanjue added with a smile,
"Of course, it’s okay not to answer..."
Throughout the conversation, Ji Nanjue’s eyes were fixed on her.
"Thoughts?"
Li Zijun lightly pursed her lips, not looking at Ji Nanjue and murmuring softly.
Gazing at the sowhat murky water and after a mont of reflection, she said quietly,
"Does liking soone necessarily require a reason?"
"Isn’t it just that, at so point, due to sothing deeply stirring, soone inadvertently occupies your heart?"
"Maybe just a glance, just a gesture."
Ji Nanjue was taken aback for a mont, hearing the sadness in Li Zijun’s voice. Despite the gentleness of her tone, Ji Nanjue could sense the frustration within it.
She then held Li Zijun tightly in her embrace, her cheek against hers.
"Love at first sight?"
Perhaps previously Ji Nanjue would have scoffed at this notion; the idea of two people locking eyes and imdiately knowing their feelings was ultimately viewed as nothing but a superficial lust for beauty.
Yet now, her heart had gradually co to accept the term. Her path with Su Bei had always seed to inadvertently intertwine. After returning from that brush with the afterlife, the emotion shared between them from overcoming adversity together was inevitably profound.
Perhaps even before that night, her heart had already been imprinted with his shadow; it was just that she had never acknowledged the long-sealed feelings within.
"That’s one way to see it," Li Zijun murmured, then smiled wryly. It seems she misunderstood .
Her feelings for Su Bei weren’t as casually described as she had made them sound—hers had been nearly a century of evolving connection before she was certain of her feelings.
"Sister Nan Ji, Zi Jun feels a bit cold..."
She hugged her arms lightly and blinked at Ji Nanjue.
"Let’s go back."
"You go back," Ji Nanjue said. "Sister... I’ll stay by myself for a while."
Ji Nanjue gave her a warm smile, her heart sowhat conflicted.
At the end of the day, she was a woman. Although she knew she and Su Bei would never have their relationship publicly acknowledged, she still felt resistant towards any woman who wanted to take a share of his tenderness.
Moreover, this woman was his disciple... Morally and emotionally, it was quite scandalous.
A rather bizarre thought surfaced in Ji Nanjue’s mind: his disciple, my own master... and herself caught in between?
What a complicated relationship... Three generations under one roof, it would seem.
It’s all Su Dudu’s fault.
There’s no right or wrong in matters of the heart. If bla were to be assigned, it all stemd from that fickle-hearted scoundrel. Hadn’t he left a trail of emotional debts by indulging in romantic dalliances everywhere?
—He seed to be having the ti of his life...
Li Zijun waved her hand in front of Ji Nanjue’s face. When Ji Nanjue snapped out of her thoughts, she gently tweaked Li Zijun’s delicate little nose and said with a smile,
"You’ve worn that dress for too long. If you don’t mind, wear mine for now."
...
Her hand then pointed towards the white silk gown on the shore.
Li Zijun blinked, then gave Ji Nanjue a sweet smile.
Rustling softly, she slipped into the gown and walked toward the Daoist Temple.
As Ji Nanjue watched Li Zijun’s receding figure, she sighed softly.
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