Faint starlight cast upon Li Zijun's face. Strands of hair on her forehead were dotted with droplets, which trickled down to her collarbone.
Her wet clothes clung to her body, making her exquisite and delicate figure seem almost nude. Her fair arms were gently curved, her graceful posture fully revealed.
With her pale hands, she gathered her water-soaked hair behind her head. The water perated her robe, outlining her perfect curves as she looked at Ji Nanjue, sowhat embarrassed.
The robe, not entirely removed, clung completely to her soft body, faintly revealing a hint of her skin. Her usually loose-fitting robe concealed much, but now her true figure was revealed.
Ji Nanjue was clearly surprised as she watched her. Then, she curled the corner of her mouth and said with a teasing tone, "It's true what they say about teacher and disciple—cut from the sa cloth when it cos to lying..."
"Forget it. If you wish to call sister, then do so. Calling 'madam' really does sound terribly old-fashioned."
"..."
Beneath the water's surface, her fair legs lightly stirred the water, creating a few ripples. Then, with a gentle push of her fair arms, she stood up, completely bare. The water barely reached above her thighs, revealing her slender and flat waist, without a hint of excess fat.
"Take off your clothes. You can't very well bathe with them on, can you?"
This one robe had accompanied Li Zijun for who knows how long on her journey, even though it bore no stains.
Embarrassed, Li Zijun peeled off her robe and placed it on the bank. Then, she quickly sat down in the pool, concealing herself completely.
Ji Nanjue did not laugh at her but sat down beside her.
The air was sowhat stifling. The ti before rain always felt exceptionally tense.
Her delicate hands softly skimd the water, letting the pool water splash onto her skin as she suddenly asked, "You've only seen him a few tis, yet you're so certain of your feelings?"
"It's normal for soone your age to have a crush, but from your actions and behavior, you don't seem like an impulsive person."
"I'm curious, can you share your thoughts with ?"
She paused, feeling her own question was quite tricky. Ji Nanjue then added with a smile, "Of course, it's alright if you don't want to talk about it..."
As she spoke, her eyes were fixed on Li Zijun.
"Thoughts?"
Li Zijun gently pursed her thin lips and murmured softly, not looking at Ji Nanjue.
Staring at the sowhat murky water, she pondered for a mont and said in a hushed tone, "Does liking soone necessarily require thoughts?"
"Isn't it that at a certain mont, because of sothing that deeply touches the heart, one unknowingly cos to carry soone within it? Perhaps it's just a glance, just a certain action."
Ji Nanjue was taken aback. Li Zijun's voice, though gentle, was tinged with a hint of sadness, and for so reason, Ji Nanjue sensed a deep vexation within it.
Then she pulled Li Zijun tightly into her embrace, pressing against her cheek, "Love at first sight?"
Perhaps before, Ji Nanjue would have sneered at this notion, dismissing it as nonsense. The idea that two people could confirm their feelings for each other after just one glance seed absurd—unless it was rely lust for physical appearance.
However, her heart had now gradually co to accept the term. The paths of her and Su Bei's lives always seed to intersect inadvertently. That ti they had returned from the brink of death, the bond forged through shared hardship was naturally profound.
Perhaps even before that night, her heart had already been imprinted with his image; only her long-sealed heart had never admitted it.
"That might also be true."
Li Zijun gave a wry smile, realizing Ji Nanjue had misunderstood her.
Her feelings for Su Bei were hardly as superficial as she described; those feelings had been honed over nearly a century before she confird her own heart's intent.
"Sister Nan Ji, Zi Jun feels a bit cold..."
She wrapped her arms around herself and blinked, looking at Ji Nanjue.
"Let's go back."
"Master... Sister, I'll stay alone for a while."
Ji Nanjue smiled warmly at her, her heart in turmoil. Ultimately, she was a woman. Despite knowing that she and Su Bei would never have a publicly acknowledged future, she still felt averse to any woman who wanted to take a share of his tenderness from her. Moreover, this woman was his disciple... both sentintally and rationally, it was rather forbidden.
A peculiar thought surfaced in Ji Nanjue's mind: Su Bei's disciple, her own master... and herself caught in between? What a complicated web of relationships... like three generations under one roof, she mused.
"It's all Su Dudu's fault," Ji Nanjue muttered.
There's no right or wrong in matters of the heart. If there were to be bla, the root cause of it all lay with that philandering scoundrel. If he hadn't been so fickle and flirtatious, how could he have accrued such a tangle of emotional debts? He must be having the ti of his life...
Li Zijun waved her hand in front of Ji Nanjue's face. Ji Nanjue snapped back to reality, lightly pinched Li Zijun's delicate nose, and smiled. "You've worn that dress for too long. If you don't mind, wear my dress for now..."
Her hand then pointed to the white gauze dress on the shore.
Li Zijun blinked and then smiled sweetly at Ji Nanjue.
With a soft RUSTLE, she put on the dress and headed towards the Daoist Temple.
Ji Nanjue watched Li Zijun's departing figure and sighed softly.
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