Dim starlight fell upon Li Zijun’s face, where water droplets clung to the strands of hair on her forehead, trickling down to her collarbones. The wet fabric clung to her body, outlining her delicate and exquisite figure; her jade-like arms were slightly curved, her graceful charms fully revealed. Her fair hands gently gathered her water-soaked hair behind her head. The water clinging to her robes further accentuated her perfect figure as she glanced at Ji Nanjue, looking sowhat embarrassed. Her garnts, not yet entirely removed, clung fast, faintly revealing the color of her skin beneath. While her usually loose robes concealed her form, now its true beauty—the ’true face of Mount Lu’—was revealed.
Ji Nanjue watched her with a hint of surprise, then a playful smile touched the corners of her lips as she said, "It’s no wonder you’re master and disciple—you even lie the sa way, as if cast from the sa mold..."
"Fine, if you want to call ’Sister,’ go ahead. ’Shiniang’ does sound rather old-fashioned."
Li Zijun remained silent. Her jade-like legs, hidden beneath the water, gently stirred the surface, sending out a few ripples.
Then Ji Nanjue, with a soft push of her arms, stood up, completely bare. The water reached just past the tops of her thighs, revealing the lower half of her slender, flat waist, devoid of any excess fat.
"Take off your clothes," Ji Nanjue said. "You can’t very well bathe with them on, can you?"
This robe was the only one Li Zijun had worn on their journey for who knew how long, although it showed no signs of being soiled.
Feeling a little shy, Li Zijun removed her robe and placed it on the shore before imdiately sinking back into the pool, concealing herself thoroughly.
Ji Nanjue didn’t laugh at her; she simply sat down beside her in the water.
The air was sowhat oppressive; the monts before rain always felt particularly stifling.
Ji Nanjue’s small hand gently stirred the water, letting droplets sprinkle down as she suddenly spoke, "You’ve only seen him a few tis; are you so sure of your feelings?"
"At your age, it’s normal to admire soone, but your words and actions don’t seem like those of an impetuous person."
"I’m quite curious. Can you share what’s on your mind?"
After a pause, perhaps feeling her question was a bit too probing, Ji Nanjue added with a smile, "Of course, you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to..."
As she spoke, her gaze remained fixed on Li Zijun.
"Thoughts?" Li Zijun gently pursed her thin lips. Without looking at Ji Nanjue, she murmured softly, more to herself than to Ji Nanjue. Gazing at the sowhat murky water, she pondered for a mont, then said in a faint voice, "Does liking soone necessarily require specific thoughts?"
"Isn’t it rather that at a certain mont, because of sothing that deeply touches your heart, you find that soone has unknowingly taken root there?"
"Perhaps it’s just a glance, or a particular action."
Ji Nanjue was taken aback. Li Zijun’s voice sounded sowhat forlorn; though her tone was gentle, Ji Nanjue sohow detected a deep sense of lancholy within it.
Then Ji Nanjue drew Li Zijun tightly into her embrace, their cheeks touching. "Love at first sight?" she asked softly.
Perhaps Ji Nanjue would have scoffed at this phrase before, dismissing it as nonsensical. Two people deciding their feelings after rely exchanging a glance? That could only be attributed to lust for beauty. Yet now, her heart was gradually coming to accept the term. The trajectories of her and Su Bei’s lives always seed to align unexpectedly. That ti they had returned from the brink of death, the emotions they shared after such an ordeal were naturally profound. Perhaps Su Bei’s image had been imprinted on her heart even before that night; it was just that, with her heart closed off for so long, she had never acknowledged it.
"Perhaps," Li Zijun replied with a wry smile. It seed Ji Nanjue had misunderstood. Her feelings for Su Bei couldn’t be described so simply. It had taken nearly a hundred years of developing their connection for her to beco certain of her feelings.
"Sister Nan Ji, Zi Jun is getting cold..." Li Zijun said, hugging her arms and blinking her eyes at Ji Nanjue.
Ji Nanjue gave her a gentle smile. "Go on back then."
Li Zijun hesitated, "Master..."
"Sister will stay here alone for a little while," Ji Nanjue said.
Her heart felt complicated. At the end of the day, she was a woman. Although she knew that she and Su Bei could never have a publicly acknowledged future together, she still felt a natural aversion to any woman who might take even a sliver of his tenderness from her. Moreover, this woman was his Disciple... In terms of both relationship and propriety, it felt quite taboo.
A peculiar thought surfaced in Ji Nanjue’s mind: Li Zijun was Su Bei’s Disciple, and Su Bei was *her own* Shizun... with herself caught in the middle? What a tangled web... three generations under one roof, so to speak!
It’s all Su Dudu’s fault. There’s no right or wrong in emotions. But if bla had to be assigned, the root cause was that philandering man, Su Dudu. If he hadn’t sown seeds of affection and left a trail of romantic entanglents everywhere, how could such a complicated ss of feelings have arisen? —He’s certainly had his fun...
Li Zijun waved her hand in front of Ji Nanjue’s face a few tis. Ji Nanjue snapped back to her senses and playfully tapped Li Zijun’s delicate, lotus-root-like nose, saying with a smile, "You’ve worn that robe for too long. If you don’t mind, you can wear mine for now." She pointed toward the white gauze dress on the shore.
Li Zijun blinked, then smiled sweetly at Ji Nanjue.
With a soft rustle of fabric, Li Zijun put on the dress and headed toward the Daoist Temple.
Ji Nanjue watched Li Zijun’s retreating figure and sighed softly.
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