Faint starlight dimly illuminated Li Zijun's face, with water droplets clinging to the hair on her forehead before they trickled down to her collarbones. The wet cloth clung to her body, making her delicate, shapely figure seem half-exposed, her jade-like arm curving softly, displaying her graceful posture. Her bare hands gently gathered her soaked hair behind her head. The water further drenched her robe, outlining a perfect silhouette, as she looked sowhat embarrassedly at Ji Nanjue. Her clothes, which she had not fully taken off, clung to her body, partially revealing the flesh below. Usually, her loose-fitting robes obscured much, but now they revealed the true contours of Mount Lu.
Ji Nanjue gazed at her with evident surprise and then curled her lips with a playful tone, saying, "True to master and disciple, even the art of lying is carved from the sa mold... Oh well, if you want to call 'sister,' then do so. 'Master's wife' indeed sounds quite old-fashioned."
Li Zijun remained silent. Her jade legs, subrged beneath the water, gently stirred the surface, splashing a few droplets. Nearby, Ji Nanjue, with a light push from her jade arms, stood up in the water, completely nude. The waterline barely reached her upper thighs, revealing a slender, flat waist without a hint of excess fat.
"Take off your clothes," Ji Nanjue said. "You can't bathe with them on, can you?"
Throughout this journey, that one robe had accompanied Li Zijun for who knows how long, even though it bore no stains. Li Zijun shyly slipped the garnt from her body and left it on the bank before promptly sinking into the pool, hiding herself securely.
Ji Nanjue didn't laugh at her but sat down beside her instead.
The air was sowhat oppressive; the restlessness always more pronounced before rain.
Ji Nanjue's delicate hands gently stirred the water, allowing the droplets to fall, before she suddenly said, "You've only seen him a few tis, and you're so sure of your feelings? It's normal for soone your age to have a crush, but your behavior doesn't strike as that of an impulsive person. I'm very curious. Could you share your thoughts with ?"
Pausing for a mont, feeling that her question was indeed a bit probing, 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 eyes were fixed on Li Zijun.
"My thoughts?" Li Zijun pursed her thin lips lightly without looking at Ji Nanjue, whispering softly. Gazing into the slightly dark pool, she hesitated, then uttered in a low voice, "Does liking soone need to have reasons? Isn't it that at a certain mont, because of sothing that deeply touches your heart, you unknowingly find soone occupying it? Perhaps it's just a glance, just a single gesture."
Ji Nanjue was taken aback. Li Zijun's voice was tinged with sadness; although it was a gentle tone, Ji Nanjue could sohow hear a lot of frustration in it. She then hugged Li Zijun tightly, pressing her cheek against hers.
"Love at first sight?"
Ji Nanjue might have scorned such a notion before, dismissing it as nonsense. Two people falling for each other after a re glance? That was likely just lust for the other's beauty. But now, her heart was gradually coming to terms with the phrase. She and Su Bei's paths in life always seed to align unwittingly. After their return from the brink of death, the emotions they shared from co-experiencing hardship were naturally profound. Maybe even before that night, his image had been imprinted in her heart, only she had never admitted it, her long-sealed feelings remaining unacknowledged.
"That's also true," Li Zijun chuckled bitterly. It seed Ji Nanjue had misunderstood her. Her feelings for Su Bei were far more profound than the simple description she had given; it took nearly a century of shared experiences and understanding before she was sure of her heart.
"Sister Nan Ji, Zi Jun is a little cold..." She hugged her arms around herself and blinked at Ji Nanjue. "Let's go back."
"You head back first," Ji Nanjue said, offering a warm smile, though her heart swirled with complexity. "Shiniang... no, Sister, will stay alone for a bit longer."
After all, she was a woman. Despite knowing that she and Su Bei could never have a day of public acknowledgnt, she still felt a sense of rejection towards any woman who sought to take even a sliver of his tenderness for herself. Moreover, this woman was his disciple... both emotionally and morally, it felt utterly improper. A sowhat strange thought surfaced in Ji Nanjue's mind: Su Bei's disciple, her own Master... with herself caught in the middle? What a complicated relationship... three generations under one roof, so to speak. It's all Su Dudu's fault. There's no right or wrong in matters of the heart; if anything was to bla, it was that fickle womanizer. If he hadn't been sowing seeds of affection everywhere, how could he have incurred so many emotional debts? He certainly had it easy...
Li Zijun waved her hand in front of Ji Nanjue. As Ji Nanjue snapped back to her senses, she playfully tapped Li Zijun's delicate nose and laughed, "You've worn that robe for too long. If you don't mind, you can wear this one of mine for now."
Li Zijun was montarily speechless, then Ji Nanjue pointed towards the white gauze dress on the shore.
Li Zijun blinked, then smiled sweetly at Ji Nanjue.
With a soft RUSTLE, she put on the dress and started walking towards the Daoist Temple.
Watching Li Zijun's retreating figure, Ji Nanjue sighed softly.
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