Faint starlight fell upon Li Zijun's face. Strands of hair at her forehead, beaded with water, trickled down to her collarbone.
Her wet clothes clung to her body, revealing her exquisite and delicate fra as if she were half-bare. Her jade-like arms were gently bent, her charming figure fully displayed.
Her fair hands gently gathered her drenched hair behind her head. The water-soaked fabric of her dress clung to her, outlining her perfect figure. She looked at Ji Nanjue, sowhat embarrassed.
The garnts, not yet fully removed, clung tightly to her delicate body, becoming slightly translucent and revealing the color of her skin. Normally, her loose-fitting dress concealed her figure, but now, its true contours were visible.
Ji Nanjue watched her with obvious surprise, then a playful smile touched the corners of her lips as she said,
"Truly master and disciple; even your lies are cut from the sa cloth..."
"Forget it. If you want to call Sister, then do so. 'Mistress' sounds rather old-fashioned."
"..."
Her jade-like legs, hidden beneath the water, gently stirred the surface, sending up a few droplets.
Then, with a light push of her jade-like arms, she stood up, completely bare. The water barely reached the tops of her thighs, revealing the lower half of her slender, flat waist, which was devoid of any excess flesh.
"Take off your clothes. You can't bathe while wearing them, can you?" Ji Nanjue said.
This dress had been with Li Zijun on her journey for who knows how long, though it bore no stains.
Li Zijun shyly removed her dress, placed it on the bank, and then imdiately sat down in the pool, concealing herself thoroughly in the water.
Ji Nanjue didn't tease her and simply sat down beside her.
The air felt a bit stifling; the period before rain was always particularly tense.
Ji Nanjue's small hands lightly splashed the water, letting the droplets fall. She suddenly asked,
"You've only t him a few tis, yet you're so certain 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 curious. Can you tell what you're thinking?"
After a pause, feeling that her question was indeed a bit too probing, Ji Nanjue added with a smile,
"Of course, it's alright if you don't want to talk about it..."
As she spoke, her eyes remained fixed on Li Zijun.
"Thoughts?"
Li Zijun pursed her thin lips lightly, not looking at Ji Nanjue, and murmured softly.
Gazing into the sowhat dark waters of the pool, she pondered for a mont and then said softly,
"Does liking soone necessarily require reasons?"
"Isn't it that at a certain mont, because of sothing that causes a flutter deep within your heart, you find yourself unknowingly carrying that person there?"
"Perhaps it's just a glance, or a single gesture."
Ji Nanjue was stunned for a mont. Listening to Li Zijun's voice, she detected a hint of sadness. Though the tone was very gentle, Ji Nanjue sohow perceived much vexation within it.
Then she embraced Li Zijun tightly, pressing her cheek against hers.
"Love at first sight?"
Perhaps Ji Nanjue would have previously scoffed at the term, dismissing it as nonsensical. Two people deciding their feelings for each other with just a glance? That could only be possible if it was out of lust for the other's beauty.
But now, her heart had gradually co to accept the term.
Her life path and Su Bei's always seed to intersect inadvertently. That ti they returned from death's door, the bond forged between them from sharing hardship was naturally profound.
Perhaps even before that night, his image had already been imprinted on her heart; it was just that her own long-sealed heart had never acknowledged it.
"That's true, I suppose," Li Zijun said with a wry smile. It seems she misunderstood .
Her feelings for Su Bei were far from the casual way she had just described them. It had taken nearly a century of experiences and understanding to be sure of her heart.
"Sister Nan Ji, Zi Jun is getting a little cold..." Li Zijun said, hugging her arms to herself lightly and blinking as she looked at Ji Nanjue. "Let's go back."
Ji Nanjue smiled warmly at her, her heart feeling sowhat complex. "You go on ahead. Sh— Sister will stay for a bit longer."
Ultimately, she was a woman. Even though she knew that she and Su Bei could never have a day where their relationship was public, she still felt repulsed by any woman who threatened to take a share of his affection.
Moreover, this woman was his Disciple... By any standard, emotional or rational, it felt like a grave transgression.
A peculiar thought surfaced in Ji Nanjue's mind: His Disciple, and her own Master... with herself caught in the middle?
What a complicated web of relationships... Three generations under one roof, was it?
"It's all Su Dudu's fault," Ji Nanjue muttered.
There's no right or wrong in matters of the heart. But if one had to assign bla, the root cause of it all was that philandering Casanova. If he hadn't been such a womanizer, sowing his wild oats everywhere, how could he have possibly racked up so many emotional debts?
—He certainly had his fun...
Li Zijun waved her hand a few tis 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 dress of yours for too long. If you don't mind, wear this one of Sister's for now."
"..."
Her hand pointed to the white gauze dress on the bank.
Li Zijun blinked her eyes, then gave Ji Nanjue a sweet smile.
With the soft rustle of fabric, Li Zijun put on the dress and headed towards the Daoist Temple.
Ji Nanjue watched Li Zijun's retreating figure and let out a soft sigh.
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