Faint starlight graced Li Zijun's face, and the droplets from her wet hair fell drip by drip to her collarbones.
After getting wet, the clothes clung to her body, making her exquisitely proportioned figure seem semi-nude. Her jade arms bent gently, her captivating allure fully revealed.
Her delicate hands lightly gathered her drenched hair behind her head as the water soaked through her garnt, contouring her perfect figure. She looked at Ji Nanjue, feeling a bit embarrassed.
The clothing, not yet fully removed, clung to the outlines of her body, slightly exposing the flesh beneath. The normally loose garnt concealed much, but now, it revealed the true sight of Mount Lu.
Ji Nanjue watched her, clearly surprised, before smirking mischievously and saying, "It's true what they say about a ntor and student lying with the sa face carved from the sa mold... Forget it, if you want to call Sister, go ahead. Mistress sounds oddly old-fashioned."
"..." Li Zijun's jade legs, hidden beneath the water, gently stirred the surface, sending up a few splashes.
Then, with a gentle push of her arms, she stood up, naked, the water just reaching the very tops of her thighs, revealing her slender waist with not an ounce of extra flesh.
"Take off your clothes. You can't take a bath while wearing them, can you?"
This dress had been with Li Zijun for who knows how long, although it bore no stains.
Feeling shy, Li Zijun removed her garnt and placed it on the bank, then quickly subrged herself in the pool, hiding her body completely.
Ji Nanjue didn't laugh at her and sat down beside her instead.
The air felt heavy with the anticipation of the coming rain, which always seed to bring a special kind of restlessness.
Her small hands gently splashed the water, letting it cascade down before suddenly speaking, "You've only seen him a few tis; how can you be so certain of your feelings? It's normal for soone your age to have a crush, but based on what I've seen of you, you don't seem like soone who'd act on impulse. I'm very curious, could you share what's on your mind?"
After a pause, sensing that her question was indeed a tricky one, Ji Nanjue added with a smile, "Of course, it's alright if you don't want to say..."
During this, her eyes watched Li Zijun intently.
"My thoughts?"
Li Zijun pursed her lips slightly, not looking at Ji Nanjue but murmuring softly to herself.
Staring into the dark pool water, she pondered for a mont and then softly said, "Does liking soone always require a reason? Isn't it just that at so point in ti, because of sothing that moves the heart, you unknowingly start to care for soone... Maybe it's just one glance, just a single gesture."
Ji Nanjue paused, listening to her voice, which sounded sowhat forlorn. Although her tone was gentle, it was hard not to detect an air of gloominess in it.
Then, she pulled Li Zijun tightly into her embrace, cheek to cheek. "Love at first sight?"
Ji Nanjue might have once scoffed at this notion, dismissing it as a baseless fantasy. After all, the idea that a single glance can determine feelings implied nothing but a superficial attraction to soone's beauty. However, now her heart had gradually accepted the term. The trajectories of her life and Su Bei's always seed to intertwine when they least expected it. The bond ford after surviving adversity together, as they had during that return from death's door, was bound to be profound. Perhaps before that night, his image was already etched in her heart, only she had never acknowledged it in her long-sealed emotions.
"There might be so truth to that," Li Zijun responded with a wry smile, feeling misunderstood.
Her feelings for Su Bei were not as lightly and casually described as that. They had evolved over nearly a hundred years of companionship before she beca certain of her emotions.
"Sister Nan Ji, Zi Jun feels a bit cold..." She hugged her arms around herself and blinked up at Ji Nanjue.
"Go on back then," Ji Nanjue said.
"Mistress... Sister, you stay here alone for a little while," Li Zijun replied.
Ji Nanjue smiled gently at her, her heart feeling sowhat complicated.
After all, she was a woman, and even though she knew she and Su Bei could never openly share their lives, she still felt averse to the thought of another woman wanting to steal even a bit of his tenderness from her. Moreover, this woman was his disciple... which was a serious breach of propriety by any standard. An odd thought crossed Ji Nanjue's mind: his disciple, my own ntor... and then myself in between? What a complicated relationship... Three generations under one roof, so it seed. It's all Su Dudu's fault. In matters of the heart, there is no right or wrong. But if bla were to be assigned, the root cause would be that fickle-hearted rogue. If he hadn't played the field, how could so many emotional debts have arisen out of thin air? —He certainly had his fun...
Li Zijun waved her hand in front of Ji Nanjue, snapping her out of her thoughts. Ji Nanjue chuckled and playfully tickled her delicate nose, saying, "You've been wearing that dress for too long. If you don't mind, wear this one of mine for now."
Her hand pointed toward the white gossar dress lying on the shore.
Li Zijun blinked and then flashed Ji Nanjue a sweet smile.
Rustling softly, she put on the dress and headed toward the Daoist Temple.
As Ji Nanjue watched Li Zijun's retreating figure, she sighed softly:
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