Faint starlight cast upon Li Zijun’s visage, water droplets clinging to the strands of hair at her forehead, dripping down to her collarbones.
The wetness clung to her body, showcasing her exquisite figure like a partially revealed fruit, as her jade-like arms gracefully bent, her alluring posture fully displayed.
Her delicate hands gently gathered her drenched hair behind her head. The wet fabric of her dress outlined her perfect figure as she glanced at Ji Nanjue, sowhat embarrassed.
The clothes that had not yet been fully removed clung tightly to her body, revealing a slight translucency over her skin. The usually loose dress concealed much, but now, the true splendor of Mount Lu was finally unveiled.
Ji Nanjue looked at her with a hint of surprise, then a playful smile touched her lips as she spoke, "No wonder you’re master and disciple; even your lies are carved from the sa mold... Forget it. If you want to call Sister, then do so. ’Mistress’ does sound rather old-fashioned."
Li Zijun remained silent.
Her jade-like legs, concealed beneath the water’s surface, gently stirred the water, causing a few splashes.
She then lightly propped herself up with her arms and stood without a stitch on, the waterline barely passing her upper thighs, revealing half of her slender waist—flat and without an ounce of extra flesh.
"Take off your clothes. You surely can’t bathe in them, can you?" Ji Nanjue said.
Throughout this journey, the dress Li Zijun wore had been with her for who knows how long, though it had not accrued a single stain.
Li Zijun, a tad shy, took off the dress and placed it on the shore, then promptly sat down in the water, covering herself securely.
Ji Nanjue didn’t laugh at her, instead taking a seat beside her.
The air was a bit stagnant, always particularly restless before rain.
Ji Nanjue’s small hand gently lifted the water, letting it sprinkle back down, and she suddenly spoke, "You’ve only seen him a few tis. Are you so certain about your feelings?"
"At this age, it’s normal to have soone you admire in your heart, but looking at your behavior, you don’t seem to be soone who acts on impulse."
"I’m very curious. Can you share your thoughts?"
She paused, perhaps feeling her question was rather tricky. Ji Nanjue then added with a smile, her gaze fixed on Li Zijun, "Of course, it’s okay if you don’t want to say..."
"Thoughts, huh?" Li Zijun gently pursed her lips, not looking at Ji Nanjue, just murmuring softly.
Gazing at the sowhat murky water, she pondered for a mont and then spoke somberly, "Does liking soone necessitate rationale?"
"Isn’t it possible that at a certain mont, due to sothing that deeply touches one’s heart, you unwittingly welco soone in?"
"Perhaps it’s just a glance, just a gesture."
Ji Nanjue was taken aback. Listening to Li Zijun’s voice, tinged with sadness despite its gentle tone, she sohow sensed a great deal of distress.
Then, she pulled Li Zijun tightly into her embrace, her cheek against hers. "Love at first sight?"
Perhaps previously, Ji Nanjue would have scoffed at this phrase, dismissing it as nothing but a fanciful notion. The idea that just one look was enough to be sure of one’s feelings suggested only one thing: a desire for the other’s beauty. Yet now, her heart was gradually accepting this notion. Her life’s path and Su Bei’s always seed to intertwine inadvertently. After they had returned from the brink of death that one ti, the emotions forged in shared adversity were intensely profound. Maybe even before that night, her heart had already been imprinted with his image; it was just that her long-sealed heart had never acknowledged it.
"That’s true enough," Ji Nanjue murmured, affirming her own thoughts.
Li Zijun smiled bitterly. It seed Ji Nanjue had misunderstood her. Her feelings for Su Bei were not as casually ford as her words might have suggested; they were the result of nearly a century of growing certainty.
"Sister Nan Ji, Zi Jun is getting a bit cold..." Li Zijun said, gently hugging her own arms and blinking her eyes at Ji Nanjue.
"Let’s go back then."
"Sister... you can stay alone for a while," Li Zijun offered, correcting herself from almost saying ’Master.’
Ji Nanjue smiled warmly at her, her heart feeling complicated.
At heart, she was a woman. Even though she knew that she and Su Bei would never be able to go public with their relationship, she still felt a sense of repulsion towards any woman who wished to take a share of the affection she received from him. Moreover, this woman was his disciple... It felt like a grave breach of both sentint and reason. An odd thought surfaced in Ji Nanjue’s mind: his disciple, Li Zijun’s master, and herself caught in between? What a complicated relationship... a generational convergence, indeed. It’s all Su Dudu’s fault. There’s no right or wrong in love. If bla had to be assigned, it all stemd from that fickle man. If he hadn’t been such a flirt, how could all this emotional debt have arisen from nothing? He was the one having a good ti...
Li Zijun waved her hand in front of Ji Nanjue’s face. Ji Nanjue ca back to her senses, playfully flicked Li Zijun’s delicate nose, and said with a smile, "You’ve been wearing that dress for too long. If you don’t mind, wear my dress for now."
Li Zijun paused.
Her hand then pointed to the white gauze dress on the shore.
Li Zijun blinked, then smiled sweetly at Ji Nanjue.
With a gentle rustle, she donned the dress and began walking back to the Daoist Temple.
Ji Nanjue watched Li Zijun’s departing figure and sighed softly.
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