"If only I were really a man..."
...
The pile of firewood within the Daoist Temple glimred dimly.
As Su Bei gently wiped the two swords in the Sword Box, he could feel a new energy circulating through his body and murmured to himself, "The sword needs nurturing."
The Qingping Sword had beco second nature to him, but when it ca to the Missing Departure, he still had much to improve in terms of control.
Throughout the ages, what countless cultivators sought was immortality, the great longevity. Cultivators who achieved minor longevity truly lived up to the title of "Immortal," having initially Achieved Dao. For Sword Cultivators, the sword nurtures the person, and the person nurtures the sword. While not as exaggerated as becoming one with the sword, aspiring to the pinnacle of cultivation required, at the very least, nurturing one's own Sword Spirit.
His own Sword Spirit.
Su Bei slowly closed his eyes, opening his Dantian Knowledge Sea entirely. His soul drifted out, rging with the surrounding environnt, and he saw himself sitting cross-legged.
His soul wrapped around the Missing Departure before returning to his body.
Upon touching the sword again, it felt a fraction more familiar than just a mont prior.
Seeing this, Su Bei nodded in satisfaction, then picked up the Longsword, skewered a piece of pork, and began roasting it over the fire. "The sword is well-nurtured."
Missing Departure: "..."
Flower Bright Moon was shrouded in a faint mist.
Footsteps approached gently from behind Su Bei; the flickering firelight revealed a familiar wisp of white gauze.
There was no moon in the sky, and everything around seed dim.
A smile touched the corners of Su Bei's lips. Without turning to look, he wrapped his arms around the woman's waist, pulled her into an embrace, and said with a laugh, "Ji Baoer, why have you co back alone?"
"Speak! Where did you leave Zi Jun?"
"..."
As he spoke... he began to lift her.
Pressing down upon her, his hand traced her earlobe... following the curves of her body.
Li Zijun's eyes were wide with shock, her mind blank, allowing Su Bei to pull her over without resistance.
Feeling his experienced hands roaming over her body, she was unable to think for the mont.
She had just bathed and carried a faint, fragrant scent; an intimate atmosphere enveloped the interior of the Daoist Temple.
Her face gradually turned rosy, though it was unclear whether it was due to her own awkward movents or the wrist held within his firm grip.
Su Bei frowned slightly, starting to sense that sothing was amiss.
Surely, Ji Baoer's figure should be more developed... And she didn't have this sa... rawness. He could feel the woman beneath him trembling.
"Master... Master."
Li Zijun finally snapped out of her shock and started to push Su Bei away with her small, flustered hands, nervously saying, "I'm not Sister Nan Ji... I'm Zi Jun..."
"..."
Her words carried a tinge of grievance as she turned her head away, biting her lip.
Su Bei was instantly taken aback, looking down at the woman before him in disbelief.
What beastly thing had he just done?
The atmosphere grew awkward. Su Bei wanted to comfort her by patting her head but, fearing another misunderstanding, his hand froze mid-air. He swallowed hard and said, "My disciple, I didn't know it was you..."
"You're wearing your master's wife's clothes, and the firelight is dim..."
Li Zijun lowered her head and murmured a response, her expression unclear.
"Master... Could you please get off first?"
"..."
Su Bei gave her an awkward smile, then gently stood up, touched his nose, and said after a mont's thought, "I truly didn't know..."
As he spoke, he grabbed her delicate wrist, intending to help her up.
The firelight waxed and waned, casting its sporadic glow on the faces of the two preoccupied individuals.
For so reason, as Su Bei gazed upon Li Zijun's jade-like, flawless face, a surge of impulse rose within him, and his heart began to race.
Compared to how he was with Nan Ji, his actions just now had been far from restrained. The way Li Zijun felt to his touch was also vastly different.
Yet, the gentle yet subtly distant deanor she maintained stirred an unusual feeling within Su Bei.
As if having forgotten the previous awkwardness, Su Bei lifted his hand and, hesitating, extended two fingers, delicately sliding them towards Li Zijun's face.
He paused but finally made contact with her smooth, jade-like cheek.
Li Zijun's delicate fra trembled slightly. Her eyes, bright as stars, showed a flicker of inner conflict, a subtle attempt to create so distance. This ti, however, she did not react violently, closing her eyes and allowing Su Bei to gently caress her beautiful face with his two fingers.
As soft as jade.
Suddenly, Su Bei saw pearlescent teardrops slide from the corners of Li Zijun's eyes, tracing paths down her snow-white cheeks.
The flickering fla reflected two streaks of tears.
Su Bei's hand paused, then gently slid to Li Zijun's rosy chin, tilting her face up to gaze at her stunning features.
He gently wiped away her tears with two fingers, saying softly, "I'm sorry."
"Master..."
Li Zijun's eyes, filled with tears, looked at Su Bei.
She didn't know why her tears were falling.
Was it because of his transgression?
Or because they were fated to have no future together?
Seeing the montary daze in his eyes, Li Zijun didn't know what expression to wear.
Helplessness?
"Flowers in the mirror, the moon in the water."
Li Zijun lifted her head slightly, a smile forming on her lips as she hid the last tear in the depths of her eyes. "I'm not blaming Master."
"The dress was given to by Sister Nan Ji; that's why Master mistook for soone else."
"..."
Su Bei smiled sheepishly at her, suppressing the frightening thought that had just arisen.
Why were all the disciples he took so strange?
Each one felt as if they had shared a long history with him, and there always seed to be so inexplicable emotion intertwined.
At that mont, the door opened.
Ji Nanjue, wearing a different set of clothes, walked in, her expression turning curious as she surveyed the scene.
Barefoot, she sat down beside Su Bei and began wiping still-damp droplets of water from herself.
A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes. Normally, he would have pounced on her by now. Why was he so calm today?
What had happened between these two while she was gone?
The atmosphere was so odd.
"Husband, what's wrong? You seem distracted."
Su Bei smiled at her and then held Ji Nanjue in his arms.
Within Su Bei's embrace, Ji Nanjue seed to feel a swirl of complicated emotions. She looked up and kissed him softly on the lips.
She had been thinking about many things. She knew the road ahead was long and arduous, and the ruthless world would always make their journey exceptionally difficult. However, being able to enjoy this mont of tranquility brought her deep satisfaction.
Her ntality gradually began to shift.
She didn't ask for forever, only to have cherished the monts they'd shared.
"It's nothing."
"It's late; we should sleep..." Su Bei touched her hair.
Ji Nanjue stood up and took Li Zijun's small, distracted hand. She examined her own dress on Li Zijun and nodded. "Zi Jun looks quite good in this dress..."
Li Zijun's face flushed red.
Then Ji Nanjue glanced at Su Bei and said with mock severity, "As punishnt, you will sleep outside tonight. I will sleep with Zi Jun."
"How about it, Zi Jun?" She winked at Li Zijun.
Li Zijun was taken aback for a mont. She looked up at Su Bei, then at Ji Nanjue beside her, and said hesitantly, "That doesn't seem right... and it looks like it's going to rain outside."
Su Bei understood that Nan Ji was giving him an out; she must have noticed the earlier awkwardness.
His heart ward. He looked at Ji Nanjue and said, "I'll go outside then..."
Just then, faint footsteps ca from not too far away.
The unexpected sound made everyone frown instantly, and Su Bei asked in confusion, "Who could it be, out and about so late at night?"
"..."
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