If only I were really a man...
...
The light from the pile of firewood in the Daoist Temple was dim and subdued.
Feeling the fresh flow of energy coursing through his body, Su Bei gently caressed the two swords in the Sword Box and murmured, "Swords need nurturing."
The Qingping Sword was already second nature to him, but when it ca to Missing Departure, he still had much to learn in terms of control.
The myriad laws of the world vary infinitely but stem from the sa root; what countless cultivators have sought since ancient tis is the immortality offered by the great long life.
Only those cultivators who have achieved the lesser longevity are truly worthy of the title 'Immortal,' having taken the first step towards 'Achieving Dao.' For Sword Cultivators, the sword nurtures the person, and the person nurtures the sword. While the fusion of person and sword isn't as exaggerated as spoken of, if one wishes to reach the ultimate end of a cultivator's path, one must at the very least cultivate a Sword Spirit.
A Sword Spirit that belongs to oneself.
Su Bei slowly closed his eyes. His entire Dantian Knowledge Sea opened up, his soul drifting out to beco one with the surrounding heaven and earth, and he saw himself sitting cross-legged.
His soul wound around Missing Departure and then returned to his body.
When he touched the sword again, it felt more intimate than a mont before.
Upon seeing this, Su Bei nodded in satisfaction. He then picked up Longsword, skewered a piece of pork with it, and began to roast it over the fire. "The sword is well-nurtured," he remarked.
Missing Departure: "..."
Bright flowers and a dim moon lay shrouded in a light mist.
Footsteps approached quietly from behind Su Bei. In the flickering firelight, a familiar silhouette of white gauze could be glimpsed.
Without the moon in the night sky, everything was cast in soft shadows.
A smile curled at the corner of Su Bei's mouth. Without looking, he pulled the woman into his embrace by her waist and laughed, "Why has Ji Baoer returned alone?"
"Speak! Where have you left Zi Jun?"
"..."
As he spoke, his touch began to gradually explore upwards... He pressed against her, his fingers tracing near her earlobe, moving with the curves of her body.
Li Zijun's eyes were wide open, her mind blank as Su Bei pulled her over without resistance.
Feeling his hands skillfully roam over her body, she found herself unable to think for a mont.
She had just taken a bath and the scent lingered on her, wrapping the Daoist Temple in an enchanting atmosphere.
Her complexion slowly took on a rosy hue, though she was unsure if it was due to the awkwardness of her own body or because of the wrist held firmly by his hand.
Su Bei frowned slightly, starting to sense that sothing was amiss. Ji Baoer's body right here should be more... substantial, and she wouldn't feel this innocent. He could even feel the woman beneath him trembling.
"Master... Master."
Li Zijun finally ca back to her senses amidst her shock, her small hands pushing against Su Bei as she said nervously, "I'm not Sister Nan Ji... I'm Zi Jun..."
"..."
Her voice carried a tinge of grievance. She turned her body slightly, looked away, and bit her lip.
Su Bei was instantly stunned, staring blankly at the woman before him. What had he done, behaving worse than an animal?
The atmosphere was awkward. Su Bei wanted to comfort her by patting her head, but he feared any such gesture might be misunderstood. His hand stayed suspended in mid-air. He swallowed and said, "Disciple, your master didn't know it was you..."
"You're wearing your master's wife's clothes, and the firelight is dim..."
Li Zijun mumbled a low response, her facial expression obscured.
"Master... can you get off first?"
"..."
Su Bei smiled awkwardly at her and then gently got up. He rubbed his nose and, after a mont, said, "Your master truly didn't know..."
As he spoke, he grabbed her snow-white wrist, intending to pull her to her feet.
The firelight waxed and waned, casting its glow on the two of them, each lost in their own thoughts.
For so reason, as Su Bei looked at Li Zijun's translucent, jade-like face, a surge of impulse rose within him, and his heart even began to pound faster.
Compared to Nan Ji, his actions just now had not been minor. The physical feedback from Li Zijun... was clearly very different. But that gentle, yet faintly discernible, distance from her evoked a strange sensation in him.
Seemingly forgetting the previous awkwardness, Su Bei still lifted his hand, extending two fingers tentatively towards Li Zijun's face.
He hesitated for a mont but eventually made contact with that cheek, as smooth as jade.
Li Zijun's delicate body trembled slightly, her bright eyes like stars. She created a small space between them but didn't react violently this ti. Closing her eyes, she allowed Su Bei to gently caress her beautiful face with his two fingers.
Gentle as jade.
Suddenly, Su Bei saw a tear, round like a pearl, slide from the corner of Li Zijun's eye down her snow-white cheek.
The flickering firelight reflected two streaks of tears.
Su Bei's hand froze, then gently slid to Li Zijun's supple chin, lifting it to gaze at her stunning face.
With two fingers, he softly wiped away her tears and said in a gentle voice, "I'm sorry."
"Master..."
Li Zijun's eyes t Su Bei's, brimming with tears.
She didn't know why she was crying. Was it because of his transgression? Or was it because there was destined to be no outco between them? Seeing the montary daze in his eyes, she didn't know what expression to wear. Was it helplessness?
"Flowers in the mirror, the moon on the water."
Li Zijun gently lifted her head. Then a small smile curled at the corner of her mouth as she hid the last tear in her eye. "Your disciple doesn't bla you, Master," she said.
"It was Sister Nan Ji who gave the dress, which caused Master to mistake for soone else."
"..."
Su Bei chuckled awkwardly, pushing down the terrible thoughts that had just sprung up. Why were all the disciples he took on so odd? Each one seed to have spent long years with him, always with a hint of an indescribable, mysterious emotion involved.
Just then, the door opened.
Ji Nanjue, dressed in another garnt, walked in, then looked around with a quizzical expression on her face.
She sat down barefoot next to Su Bei, wiping the not-yet-dry water drops beside him.
A glint of confusion flashed in her eyes. Usually, he would have pounced on her by now. Why was he so calm today? What had happened between those two while she was away? The atmosphere was so strange.
"Husband, what's wrong? You seem distracted."
Su Bei smiled at her, then held Ji Nanjue in his arms.
In Su Bei's embrace, Ji Nanjue seed to sense a torrent of complex emotions. She tilted her head up and kissed the corner of his mouth.
She had just been considering many things. She knew the road ahead was long and arduous. The world was heartless, making their journey together particularly difficult. But at this mont, being able to enjoy a brief mont of peace satisfied her imnsely.
Her mindset was also gradually changing. Not to ask for everlasting company, but to cherish having once had it.
"It's nothing."
"It's late, ti to sleep..." Su Bei stroked her hair.
Ji Nanjue stood up, took the distracted Li Zijun's small hand, and closely observed her own dress on the other girl. She nodded. "Zi Jun looks pretty good in this dress..."
Li Zijun's face turned red.
Then Ji Nanjue glanced at Su Bei and said with feigned coldness, "As a punishnt, you'll sleep outside tonight, and I'll cuddle with Zi Jun."
"How about that, Zi Jun?" she asked, winking at Li Zijun.
Li Zijun was montarily taken aback. She looked up at Su Bei, then at Ji Nanjue beside her, and with reluctant compassion, said, "That doesn't seem right... It's about to rain outside."
Su Bei knew that Nan Ji was giving him an out; she must have sensed the awkwardness earlier.
He felt a warmth in his heart and looked at Ji Nanjue, saying, "I'll just sleep outside..."
At that mont, distant footsteps suddenly beca audible.
The unexpected sound made everyone furrow their brows instantly. Su Bei asked with so confusion, "Who would be traveling so late at night?"
"..."
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