Faint starlight landed upon Li Zijun's face, her forehead beaded with droplets of water that slid down to rest between her collarbones.
The wetness made her clothes cling to her body, sculpting her delicate and curvaceous figure like that of a partially revealed fruit. Her fair arms bent gently, exuding gracefulness.
Her bare hands softly gathered her long, water-soaked hair at the back of her head. The flowing water drenched her light robe, outlining her perfect figure. She looked at Ji Nanjue, sowhat embarrassed.
The clothes that had not been fully removed now clung to her body, translucent enough to hint at her flesh beneath. The normally loose-fitting robe hid much, but now it revealed Mount Lu's true essence.
Ji Nanjue looked at her with evident surprise, then a corner of her mouth quirked with amusent as she began, "It's no wonder you're ntor and disciple; even in lying, you're carved from the sa mold..."
"Let it be, call sister if you wish. 'Mistress' does sound rather old-fashioned."
...
Her legs, hidden beneath the water, gently stirred the surface, kicking up a few splashes.
Then, with her arms for support, she stood up nude, the water barely reaching the tops of her thighs, revealing half her waist—slender and smooth, without an ounce of excess flesh.
"Take off your clothes. You can't very well bathe with them on, can you?"
Throughout the journey, Li Zijun had worn that one robe for who knows how long. Although it bore no stains, she now shyly took it off, placed it on the shore, and then imdiately sank into the pool, hiding herself completely.
Ji Nanjue didn't laugh at her but sat down beside her.
The air was heavy, and the ti just before rain always felt exceptionally tense.
Her delicate hand gently scooped up so water, letting it spill from her fingers, when she suddenly asked,
"You've only seen him a few tis. Are you so sure of your own heart?"
"For soone your age, it is normal to admire soone, but looking at your behavior, you don't seem impulsive."
"I'm very curious. Would you share your thoughts with ?"
After a pause, feeling her question was quite probing, Ji Nanjue added with a smile, "Of course, it's okay if you don't want to say..."
As she spoke, Ji Nanjue's eyes remained fixed on Li Zijun.
"My thoughts?"
Li Zijun gently pursed her lips and didn't look at Ji Nanjue, murmuring softly to herself.
Gazing at the sowhat murky water and pondering for a mont, she said softly, "Does liking soone always need a reason?"
"Is it not instead at a certain mont, because of sothing that deeply touches the heart, that soone unknowingly takes up residence there?"
"Perhaps it's just a glance, just a gesture."
Ji Nanjue was startled, listening to her voice tinged with lancholy. It was a gentle tone, but sohow, it resonated with much disquietude.
Then Ji Nanjue pulled Li Zijun into her embrace, pressing her own cheek against Li Zijun's.
"Love at first sight?"
Perhaps before, Ji Nanjue would have scoffed at such a notion, dismissing it as re fantasy. The idea that two people could settle their feelings after one look spoke only of superficial attraction. But now, her heart was gradually acknowledging the phrase. The paths of her life and Su Bei's had unwittingly rged at various points. After returning from death's door, the emotional bond they shared from enduring hardship together had naturally deepened profoundly. Perhaps even before that night, the image of that person was already imprinted in her heart; it was just that she had never admitted it, having sealed her feelings away long ago.
"That's also true," Ji Nanjue mused aloud.
Li Zijun gave a bitter smile. It seems she misunderstood .
My feelings for Su Bei, how could they be so casually described? They were the product of nearly a century of companionship before I was certain of my heart.
"Sister Nan Ji, Zi Jun is feeling a bit cold..."
She wrapped her arms around herself and blinked at Ji Nanjue.
"You should go back then."
"Mistress... ah, Sister, you can stay here alone for a while."
Ji Nanjue smiled gently at her, feeling sowhat conflicted.
Ultimately, she was a woman. Although she knew she and Su Bei could never have a relationship acknowledged openly, she still felt a sense of repulsion towards any woman who might take from her even a sliver of Su Bei's tenderness. Moreover, this woman was his disciple... From any perspective, emotional or rational, it felt utterly inappropriate.
A rather strange thought crossed Ji Nanjue's mind: Su Bei's disciple, her own revered teacher... with herself caught in the middle? What a complicated relationship... Three generations under one roof, was it?
It's all Su Dudu's fault.
There's no right or wrong in matters of the heart. But if one had to assign bla, the root of it all lay with that philandering heartbreaker. If he hadn't been so promiscuous, how could he have possibly accrued so many emotional debts?
—He, on the other hand, had it easy...
Li Zijun waved her hand in front of Ji Nanjue's face a few tis. Ji Nanjue snapped back to her senses, playfully pinched Li Zijun's delicate nose, and laughed, "You've worn that robe for too long. If you don't mind, wear this one of mine for now."
...
Her hand pointed to the white gauze robe on the shore.
Li Zijun blinked, then smiled sweetly at Ji Nanjue.
With a soft rustle, she donned the robe and walked towards the Daoist Temple.
Ji Nanjue watched Li Zijun's retreating figure, sighing softly.
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