Faint starlight cast upon Li Zijun's visage, beads of water clinging to the strands of hair on her forehead, trickling down to her collarbone.
After getting wet, her clothes clung to her body, making her delicate figure appear semi-nude. Her jade arms gently bent, revealing her enchanting grace.
Her fair hands gently gathered her long hair, soaked by the water, behind her head. The water drenched her dress, outlining her perfect figure, and she looked sowhat embarrassed at Ji Nanjue.
The clothes that had not been completely taken off adhered to her soft body, faintly translucent, showing a hint of skin. Normally, her sowhat loose dress concealed much, but only now was Mount Lu's true face revealed.
Ji Nanjue evidently watched her with surprise, then curled her lips in a playful manner and spoke:
"It seems the teacher and disciple are cut from the sa cloth when it cos to lying..."
"Fine, if you wish to call sister, then do so. 'Madam' does sound rather old-fashioned."
"..."
Her jade legs hidden under the water's surface gently stirred the water, creating a few ripples.
Then, with a gentle push of her jade arms, she stood up, devoid of clothing. The water just barely covered her thighs, revealing half of her slender waist, smooth and without an ounce of excess flesh.
"Take off your clothes. You can't very well bathe fully clothed, can you?"
Along the way, Li Zijun had worn this dress for who knows how long, although it bore no stains.
Li Zijun, sowhat shyly, removed her dress and laid it on the shore, then promptly sat down in the pool, hiding herself completely.
Ji Nanjue did not laugh at her and sat down beside her.
The air was sowhat oppressive; the mood before rain was always particularly irritable.
Her small hand gently played with the water, letting the pool's water cascade down as she suddenly asked:
"You have only t him a few tis. How can you be so sure of your own heart?"
"It's normal for soone your age to have soone they admire, but looking at your actions, you do not seem like an impulsive person."
"I'm quite curious. Would you share what's in your heart?"
After pausing for a mont, realizing her question was indeed quite tricky, Ji Nanjue added with a smile:
"Of course, it's alright if you don't want to talk about it..."
In the anti, her eyes were looking at her.
"Thoughts?"
Li Zijun gently pursed her lips, avoiding Ji Nanjue's gaze, and murmured softly.
Gazing into the sowhat dark water, she pondered for a mont and then spoke faintly:
"Does liking soone necessarily require thought?"
"Isn't it that at so point, due to sothing that touches the depths of your heart, you unknowingly harbor soone within it?"
"Perhaps it's just a glance, just a certain action."
Ji Nanjue was taken aback for a mont. Listening to her voice, tinged with sadness despite its tender tone, Ji Nanjue, for so reason, heard a great deal of restlessness.
Then she hugged her tightly, cheek to cheek:
"Love at first sight?"
Perhaps before, Ji Nanjue would have scoffed at the term as an absurd notion; the idea that just one look could confirm one's feelings was, to her, rely lust for another's beauty. However, now her heart had gradually co to accept the term. Her own life's trajectory had inadvertently rged with Su Bei's. That ti when she returned from death's door, the emotions between them, forged after overcoming tribulations together, were naturally profound. Perhaps even before that night, her own heart had already been imprinted with his silhouette, but her long-sealed heart had never acknowledged it.
"That could be true."
Li Zijun gave a bitter smile, realizing she had been misunderstood.
Her feelings for Su Bei, how could they be as lightly brushed over as she had just described? It was after nearly a century of growing accustod to each other that she had finally confird her heart's intent.
"Sister Nan Ji, Zi Jun is feeling a bit cold..."
She hugged her arms gently to herself, blinking her eyes as she looked at Ji Nanjue.
"Go back then," Ji Nanjue said.
"Mistress— No, Sister, you can stay alone for a while," Li Zijun replied.
Ji Nanjue smiled warmly at her, her heart filled with complex emotions.
Ultimately, she was a woman. Even though she knew she and Su Bei could never publicly acknowledge their relationship, she still felt an aversion towards the woman who wanted to take away a part of that tenderness. Moreover, this woman was his disciple... It felt like a grave transgression against both sentint and reason. A peculiar thought surfaced in Ji Nanjue's mind: his disciple, *my own* Master... with myself caught in the middle? What a complicated relationship... A three-generation household, wasn't it?
"It's all Su Dudu's fault."
There was no right or wrong in matters of love. But if bla had to be assigned, the root cause was that philanderer. If he hadn't sown seeds of affection everywhere and dallied with every flower, how could so many emotional debts have arisen out of thin air?
He certainly had it easy...
Li Zijun waved her hand in front of Ji Nanjue's face a few tis. When Ji Nanjue snapped out of her daze, she playfully tapped Li Zijun's delicate nose and said with a laugh:
"You've worn that dress for too long. If you don't mind, wear this one of mine for now."
"..."
Her hand pointed towards the white gauze dress on the shore.
Li Zijun blinked her eyes and then gave Ji Nanjue a sweet smile.
With a soft RUSTLE, she put on the dress and walked towards the Daoist Temple.
Ji Nanjue watched Li Zijun's retreating back and sighed softly.
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