Faint starlight shone upon Li Zijun's face. Water droplets clung to the strands of hair on her forehead, trickling down to her collarbones.
Her soaked robe clung to her body, making her exquisitely delicate form as visible as if she were semi-nude. Her jade-like arm was lightly bent, her charming grace fully revealed.
With her fair hand, she gently gathered her waterlogged hair behind her head. The water saturated her robe, outlining her perfect figure, and she looked sowhat embarrassedly at Ji Nanjue.
The clothes she had not fully removed now clung to her tender body, faintly revealing her skin beneath. Normally, her rather loose robe concealed much, but now the true face of Mount Lu was revealed.
Ji Nanjue watched her with a clearly surprised gaze, then curled her lips and spoke teasingly, "As expected of master and disciple, even your lies are cast from the sa mold..."
"Forget it, call sister if you want. 'Madam' does sound a bit old."
"..."
Her jade-like legs, hidden beneath the water, gently stirred the surface, sending up a few splashes. Then, with a light push of her jade-like arms, she stood up, completely bare. The water barely reached the top of her thighs, exposing half of her slender, flat waist, devoid of any excess flesh.
"Take off your clothes. You can't bathe while dressed, can you?"
This robe had been with Li Zijun for who knows how long, though it bore no stains.
Li Zijun, sowhat shyly, removed her robe and placed it on the shore before promptly sinking into the pool, concealing herself securely.
Ji Nanjue didn't laugh at her; she simply sat down beside her.
The air grew oppressive; the ti before rain always felt particularly restless.
Her small hands gently scooped up water, letting it cascade down, as she suddenly asked, "You've only t him a few tis, yet you're so sure of your feelings?"
"It's normal for soone your age to admire soone, but your words and actions don't suggest you're an impulsive person."
"I'm very curious. Can you tell what you're thinking?"
She paused, feeling her question was indeed a bit probing. Ji Nanjue then added with a smile, "Of course, it's fine if you don't want to talk about it..."
As she spoke, her eyes remained fixed on Li Zijun.
"My thoughts?"
Li Zijun gently pursed her thin lips. Without looking at Ji Nanjue, she murmured softly.
Gazing at the sowhat murky water of the pool, she pondered for a mont, then said softly, "Does liking soone always need a reason?"
"Isn't it that, at a certain mont, because of sothing that creates a flutter deep within your heart, that person unknowingly cos to reside there?"
"Perhaps it's just a glance, or a single gesture."
Ji Nanjue paused, taken aback. Li Zijun's voice, though gentle, was tinged with a subtle sorrow, and Ji Nanjue sohow detected a deep sense of frustration within it.
Then, she pulled Li Zijun into a tight embrace, pressing her cheek against hers. "Love at first sight?"
Perhaps Ji Nanjue would have previously scoffed at the phrase, dismissing it as re nonsense. Two people deciding their feelings for each other after just one look? There could only be one explanation: they were simply captivated by each other's beauty.
But now, she was gradually coming to accept the idea.
Her life path and Su Bei's always seed to intertwine unexpectedly. That ti they had returned from the brink of death, the bond forged between them through shared hardship was naturally profound.
Perhaps even before that night, his image had already been imprinted on her heart; it was just that her long-sealed heart had never acknowledged it.
"That's true, I suppose."
Li Zijun gave a wry smile. It seed Ji Nanjue had misunderstood her.
How could her feelings for Su Bei be as casually described as she had just made them sound? It had taken nearly a century of shared experiences and growing understanding to truly solidify her heart's decision.
"Sister Nan Ji, Zi Jun feels a bit cold..." Li Zijun hugged her arms, blinking as she looked at Ji Nanjue. "Let's go back."
"You go on ahead then," Ji Nanjue replied gently. "Your... Sister will stay here alone for a little longer."
Ji Nanjue gave her a gentle smile, though her heart felt complicated.
Ultimately, she was a woman. Even though she knew that her relationship with Su Bei could never be publicly acknowledged, she still felt a natural aversion to any woman who might try to take a share of his affection.
Moreover, this woman was his disciple... From any perspective, emotional or rational, it felt like a serious transgression.
A peculiar thought surfaced in Ji Nanjue's mind: Su Bei's disciple, her own Master... and herself stuck in the middle?
What a complicated dynamic... three generations under one roof, indeed!
"It's all Su Dudu's fault."
There's no right or wrong in matters of love, but if bla must be assigned, the root cause of it all is that fickle-hearted turnip. If he hadn't sowed his wild oats everywhere, how could he have possibly accumulated so many emotional debts?
He certainly had it easy...
Li Zijun waved her hand in front of Ji Nanjue's face. Ji Nanjue snapped back to her senses, playfully tapped Li Zijun's delicate nose, and said with a laugh, "You've worn that robe of yours for too long. If you don't mind, wear this one of your Sister's for now."
"..."
She gestured towards the white gauze robe on the shore.
Li Zijun blinked her eyes, then gave Ji Nanjue a sweet smile.
With a soft RUSTLE, she put on the robe and headed towards the Daoist Temple.
Ji Nanjue watched Li Zijun's departing figure and sighed softly.
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