Faint starlight touched Li Zijun's face. Strands of hair on her forehead clung with water droplets, which trickled down to her collarbones. Her wet clothes clung to her, outlining her exquisite figure—as alluring as a ripening fruit—her jade-like arms gently bent, her charming form fully revealed. With her bare hands, she gently gathered her water-soaked hair behind her head. The flowing water saturated her garnt, outlining her perfect figure as she looked sowhat shyly towards Ji Nanjue.
The garnts, not yet fully removed, adhered completely to her tender body, becoming slightly translucent and hinting at the skin beneath. Her usually loose robes had concealed much of her form, but now its true beauty was unveiled.
Ji Nanjue looked at her with obvious surprise before curling the corner of her mouth, speaking with a playful tone, "As expected of teacher and student, even your lies are cast from the sa mold... Forget it, if you want to call sister, then do so. The title 'Master's Wife' sohow feels quite old-fashioned."
Li Zijun remained silent.
Subrged beneath the water, her jade-like legs gently stirred the surface, creating a few ripples. Then, with a light push from her arms, she rose, erging from the water completely bare. The surface barely reached the tops of her thighs, revealing the curve of her slender waist, which was slim and flat without an ounce of superfluous flesh.
"You should take off your clothes. You can't very well bathe with them on, can you?" Ji Nanjue remarked.
This robe had accompanied Li Zijun for who knows how long, and though worn, it bore no stains.
Li Zijun, sowhat bashful, gathered the clothes she had shed, placed them on the shore, and then imdiately sank back into the pool, concealing herself thoroughly.
Ji Nanjue didn't laugh at her; instead, she sat down beside her.
The air felt heavy, particularly restless in the period just before the rain.
Her small hands gently scooped up water, letting it spray and fall, when she suddenly asked, "You've only t him a few tis; how can you be so sure of your feelings? It's normal for soone your age to admire soone, but from your words and actions, you don't seem like an impulsive person. I'm curious, could you share what's on your mind?"
She paused, perhaps feeling her question was a bit probing, then added with a smile, "Of course, you don't have to say if you don't want to..." As she spoke, her gaze remained on Li Zijun.
"My thoughts?" Li Zijun lightly pursed her thin lips, not looking at Ji Nanjue, and murmured softly. Gazing into the sowhat murky water of the pool, she pondered for a mont before saying softly, "Does liking soone necessarily require specific thoughts or reasons? Isn't it often that at a certain mont, sothing touches your heart so deeply that, before you know it, that person has found a place within you? Perhaps it's just one glance, just so gesture."
Ji Nanjue was taken aback. Li Zijun's voice sounded sowhat forlorn; her tone was gentle, yet Ji Nanjue could sohow sense a deep unhappiness within it. Then she pulled Li Zijun tightly into her embrace, their cheeks touching. "Love at first sight?"
Perhaps before, Ji Nanjue would have sneered at such a phrase, dismissing it as utter nonsense. Two people just look at each other and confirm their feelings? That could only an they were captivated by the other's beauty. Yet now, her heart was gradually coming to accept the idea. Her life and Su Bei's had so often, so unexpectedly, intertwined. That ti they had returned from the gates of hell, the emotion born from shared hardship was naturally profound. Perhaps even before that night, his image had been imprinted on her heart, though her long-sealed emotions had never acknowledged it.
"That might be so," Li Zijun replied with a bitter smile. It seed Ji Nanjue had misunderstood her.
Her feelings for Su Bei, how could they be so lightly articulated? It was after nearly a century of shared experiences and growing understanding that she had finally confird her heart's true devotion.
"Sister Nan Ji, Zi Jun is feeling a little cold..." Li Zijun said, gently hugging her own arms and blinking her eyes at Ji Nanjue.
Ji Nanjue smiled warmly at her, her heart sowhat conflicted. "You should go back then," she said. "Sh— Sister will stay here alone for a bit longer."
Ultimately, she was a woman. Even knowing that her relationship with Su Bei could never be public, she still felt a natural aversion to any woman who might try to take a share of his affection away from her. Moreover, this woman was his disciple... By any asure, emotional or rational, it felt deeply inappropriate.
An odd thought surfaced in Ji Nanjue's mind: Su Bei's disciple, and her own Master... with herself caught in the middle? What a tangled web of relationships... like three generations living under one roof!
It's all Su Dudu's fault.
There's no right or wrong in love. But if bla were to be assigned, the root of it all lay with that philandering scoundrel, Su Bei. If he hadn't been such a womanizer, sowing his wild oats everywhere, how could so many emotional debts have piled up? He, on the other hand, had certainly enjoyed himself...
Li Zijun waved her hand in front of Ji Nanjue's face. Snapping back to her senses, Ji Nanjue playfully pinched Li Zijun's delicate nose and smiled. "You've worn that dress for too long. If you don't mind, wear this one of mine for now."
She gestured with her hand towards the white gauze dress on the shore.
Li Zijun blinked her eyes, then gave Ji Nanjue a sweet smile.
With a soft rustle of fabric, she put on the dress and headed towards the Daoist Temple.
Ji Nanjue watched Li Zijun's retreating figure and let out a soft sigh.
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