If only I were truly a man...
...
The light from a pile of firewood in the Daoist Temple was dim and faint.
Su Bei gently wiped the two swords in the Sword Box. Feeling a brand-new stream of energy flowing through his body, he muttered to himself, "A sword needs nurturing."
The Qingping Sword was already second nature to him, but his control over Missing Departure still left much to be desired.
All things under heaven change in myriad ways but never stray from their root. What countless cultivators have sought since ancient tis is that lofty immortality.
Only cultivators who have achieved lesser immortality are truly worthy of the title "Immortal," having initially "achieved Dao." For Sword Cultivators, the sword nurtures the man, and the man nurtures the sword. Although it's not as exaggerated as complete unity between man and sword, if one wishes to reach the end of the cultivator's path, they must at least cultivate a Sword Spirit.
A Sword Spirit of their own.
Su Bei slowly closed his eyes, his Dantian Knowledge Sea completely opening. His soul drifted out, rging with the surrounding heaven and earth. Then, he saw himself sitting cross-legged.
His soul wound around Missing Departure, then returned to his body.
Touching the sword again, he could feel it had beco sowhat more intimate than a mont ago.
Seeing this, Su Bei nodded in satisfaction. He then picked up the Longsword, skewered a piece of pork, and began roasting it over the fire.
"The sword has been well nurtured."
Missing Departure: "..."
Flowers glowed under a dim moon, shrouded in light mist.
Soft footsteps approached from behind Su Bei. In the dim, flickering firelight, a familiar wisp of white gauze beca visible.
The sky was moonless, and everything around was rather dim.
Su Bei's lips curled into a smile. Without looking, he wrapped his arm around the woman's waist, pulling her into an embrace, and chuckled, "Ji Baoer, why did you co back alone? Speak! Where did you leave Zi Jun?"
"..."
As he spoke... his hands began a gradual ascent. Pressing down on her, he nuzzled her ear... his touch tracing the curves of her body.
Li Zijun's eyes were wide, her mind blank, as Su Bei pulled her towards him without resistance.
Feeling his skillful hands caressing her, she couldn't think for a mont.
She had just bathed, and her body was still fragrant, an enchanting atmosphere filling the Daoist Temple.
Her face gradually reddened, though it was unclear if it was from the awkwardness of her position or from his large hand grasping her wrist.
Su Bei frowned slightly, also beginning to realize that sothing wasn't quite right.
Ji Baoer's figure should have been more... developed? And she isn't usually this inexperienced. He could feel the woman beneath him trembling.
"Mas... Master." Li Zijun finally snapped out of her shock. With small hands, she sowhat frantically pushed at Su Bei and said nervously, "I'm not Sister Nan Ji... I'm Zi Jun..."
"..."
There was a trace of grievance in her voice. She turned her head away, biting her lip.
Su Bei froze, leaning down to stare blankly at the woman before him.
What beastly act had he committed?
The atmosphere grew awkward. Su Bei wanted to comfort her by patting her head but feared the gesture would be misunderstood. His hand hovered in mid-air as he swallowed hard. "Disciple, your Master didn't know it was you... You were wearing your master's wife's clothes, and the firelight was dim..."
Li Zijun lowered her head and gave a muffled acknowledgent, her expression unreadable.
"Master... can you get off first?"
"..."
Su Bei gave her an awkward smile and then gently got up. He touched his nose and, after a mont, said, "Your Master really didn't know..."
As he spoke, he grabbed her snow-white wrist, intending to pull her to her feet.
The firelight flickered, casting its glow on their faces as each beca absorbed in their own thoughts.
For so reason, as Su Bei gazed upon Li Zijun's translucent, jade-like face, an impulse surged within him, and his heart began to beat faster.
Compared to Nan Ji, his actions just now had been undeniably bold. The impression Li Zijun gave was vastly different. Yet her gentleness, combined with an elusive, faint distance, evoked a peculiar sensation in Su Bei.
As if forgetting the previous awkwardness, Su Bei raised his hand again, tentatively extending two fingers towards Li Zijun's face.
He paused for a mont before his fingers finally touched her smooth, jade-like cheek.
Li Zijun's delicate body trembled slightly. Her eyes, like stars, glimred as she shifted, creating a little space between them. This ti, however, she didn't react violently. Closing her eyes, she allowed Su Bei to gently caress her beautiful face with his two fingers.
Her cheek felt as smooth and warm as jade.
Suddenly, Su Bei saw a pearlescent tear escape the corner of Li Zijun's eye and slide down her snow-white cheek.
The flickering firelight illuminated two trails of tears.
Su Bei's hand paused. He then gently slid his fingers to her delicate chin, tilting her face up to gaze at her exquisite beauty.
With two fingers, he gently wiped away her tears and said softly, "I'm sorry. This Master..."
Li Zijun looked at Su Bei, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears.
She didn't know why she was crying. Was it because of his transgression? Or because their relationship was dood to have no future? Seeing the montary lapse in his eyes, Li Zijun didn't know what expression to wear. Was it helplessness?
"Flowers in the mirror, the moon in the water."
Li Zijun gently lifted her head. A faint smile touched her lips as she blinked back the last tear. "Disciple doesn't bla you, Master. Sister Nan Ji gave the dress; that's why you mistook for her."
"..."
Su Bei gave her a sheepish smile, suppressing the terrifying thought that had just occurred to him.
Why were all the disciples he took so strange? Each one felt as if they had shared a long history with him, an indescribable emotion always lingering between them.
Just then, the door opened.
Dressed in a different robe, Ji Nanjue walked in. She surveyed the scene with a peculiar expression.
Barefoot, she sat down beside Su Bei and began to wipe away the water droplets that still clung to her skin.
A hint of confusion flashed in her eyes. Usually, he would pounce on her. Why was he so composed today? What happened between these two while I was gone? The atmosphere is so strange.
"Husband, what's wrong? You seem distracted."
Su Bei smiled at her and pulled Ji Nanjue into an embrace.
In Su Bei's embrace, Ji Nanjue seed to sense a whirlwind of complex emotions. She tilted her head up and kissed the corner of his mouth.
She had been thinking a great deal just now. She knew the road ahead was long and arduous. The world was heartless, often making their path exceptionally difficult. Yet, this montary peace filled her heart with satisfaction. Her perspective began to shift, ever so slightly.
——Not seeking to be together day and night, but to cherish having once possessed.
"It's nothing." Su Bei stroked her hair. "It's getting late; we should go to sleep..."
Ji Nanjue stood up and took Li Zijun's hand, who still seed absent-minded. Carefully examining the dress Li Zijun wore—her own dress—Ji Nanjue nodded. "Zi Jun, you look quite good in this dress..."
Li Zijun's face turned crimson.
Then Ji Nanjue glanced at Su Bei and said with mock coldness, "As punishnt, you'll sleep outside tonight. I'll sleep with Zi Jun. Is that alright, Zi Jun?" She winked at Li Zijun.
Li Zijun was taken aback. She looked at Su Bei, then at Ji Nanjue beside her, and said, feeling a bit reluctant, "That doesn't seem right... It looks like it's about to rain outside."
Su Bei knew Nan Ji was giving him an out. She must have noticed the earlier awkwardness.
A warmth spread through his heart. He looked at Ji Nanjue. "I'll just go outside then..."
Just then, faint footsteps suddenly sounded from not too far away.
The sudden sound made all three of them frown. Su Bei asked, puzzled, "Who could be out walking at this hour?"
"..."
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