Faint starlight cast its dim glow upon Li Zijun's face, beads of moisture on the strands of hair at her forehead dripping down to her collarbone.
Wet with water, her clothing clung to her, her shapely, delicate body revealed as though half-bare; her jade arms gently bent, showcasing her graceful poise.
Her fair hands gently gathered her sodden hair behind her head, the water soaking her dress, outlining her perfect figure. She glanced over at Ji Nanjue, a touch of embarrassnt in her eyes.
The clothes, not yet fully removed, clung to her body, the fabric sowhat translucent, revealing the flesh beneath. The usually loose-fitting dress had concealed much, but now it revealed the true contours of her figure, like Mount Lu's unveiled secrets.
Ji Nanjue was visibly surprised as she looked at her, then she smirked, saying playfully, "You truly are master and disciple; even the way you lie is carved from the sa mold..."
"Forget it. If you want to call 'Sister,' then do so. 'Mistress' sounds oddly old-fashioned."
"..."
Her legs, hidden beneath the water's surface, gently stirred, sending up a few splashes.
Then, with a light push of her jade arms, she stood up without a stitch on her, the water level barely covering her upper thighs, revealing half of her waist—slender and flat, without an ounce of excess.
"Take those clothes off. You can't very well bathe with them on, can you?" Ji Nanjue said.
The dress she wore had been with Li Zijun for who knows how long throughout their journey, although it bore no stains.
Li Zijun shyly removed her dress and placed it on the shore before imdiately sitting back down in the pool, hiding herself thoroughly.
Ji Nanjue didn't laugh at her but sat down beside her instead.
The air felt heavy; the ti before rain always seed particularly agitating.
Ji Nanjue's small hands gently scooped up water, letting it splash down, then she suddenly spoke, "You've only seen him a few tis, and yet you're so sure of your feelings?"
"It's normal for soone your age to have soone they admire in their heart, but from what I've seen of your behavior, you don't seem like an impulsive person."
"I'm curious, could you share what's on your mind?"
After a pause, feeling that her question was indeed a bit tricky, Ji Nanjue quickly added with a smile, "Of course, it's okay if you don't want to talk about it..."
As she spoke, her gaze rested on Li Zijun.
"My thoughts?" Li Zijun gently pursed her lips, not looking at Ji Nanjue, and murmured softly.
Staring into the sowhat murky waters of the pool, she pondered for a mont, then spoke pensively, "Does liking soone necessarily require a reason?"
"Isn't it that at a certain mont, because of sothing that deeply touches the heart's core, a person unknowingly takes up residence there?"
"Perhaps it's just a glance, or a simple act."
Ji Nanjue paused, taken aback. Li Zijun's voice sounded sowhat sorrowful; though her tone was very gentle, Ji Nanjue could sohow hear a great deal of frustration within it.
Then she pulled Li Zijun tightly into her embrace, pressing her cheek against Li Zijun's. "Love at first sight?"
Perhaps in the past, Ji Nanjue would have scoffed at that phrase, dismissing it as baseless. She would have believed that if two people could decide their feelings for each other after just a glance, it was likely just lust for the other's beauty. But now, her heart had gradually co to accept the phrase. Her own life path and Su Bei's had inadvertently aligned so many tis. That ti they returned from death's door, the bond forged between them through shared hardship had naturally beco incredibly deep. Perhaps even before that night, Su Bei's image had already been imprinted on her heart, though her long-sealed emotions had never acknowledged it.
"That's true, I suppose," Ji Nanjue said.
Li Zijun gave a bitter smile. It seems she misunderstood . How could my feelings for Su Bei be as understated as I just described? They were tempered over nearly a century before I was certain of my own heart.
"Sister Nan Ji, Zi Jun is feeling a bit cold..." Li Zijun wrapped her arms around herself and blinked at Ji Nanjue.
"You should head back then," Ji Nanjue said. "Sh— Sister will stay alone for a while."
Ji Nanjue gave her a gentle smile. Her heart was a swirl of complex emotions. After all, she was a woman. Even though she knew her relationship with Su Bei could never be publicly acknowledged, she still felt a sense of repulsion towards any woman who might try to take away a share of his tenderness from her. Moreover, this woman was *his* disciple... By any asure of emotion or reason, it felt utterly perverse. A peculiar thought arose in Ji Nanjue's mind: Su Bei's disciple (Li Zijun), Li Zijun's master (Su Bei)... and she herself was caught in the middle? What a complicated relationship... A three-generation affair, wasn't it? It's all Su Dudu's fault. There's no right or wrong in matters of the heart. But if soone had to be blad, the root cause was that philanderer, Su Bei. If he hadn't flirted around everywhere, sowing emotional debts, how could so many entanglents have arisen out of thin air? —He certainly had his fun...
Li Zijun waved her hand in front of Ji Nanjue's face. Coming back to her senses, Ji Nanjue affectionately pinched Li Zijun's tender, lotus-root-like nose and said with a laugh, "You've been wearing that dress for too long. If you don't mind, wear my dress for now."
"..."
She pointed to the white gauze dress on the shore.
Li Zijun blinked and then gave Ji Nanjue a sweet smile.
Rustling softly, she put on the dress and headed toward the Daoist Temple.
Watching Li Zijun's retreating figure, Ji Nanjue let out a soft sigh.
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