All The Female Disciples Want To Kill Me-Chapter 560 - Three Hundred and Twenty-Seven_1

Chapter 560: Chapter Three Hundred and Twenty-Seven_1
Faint starlight cast a dim glow on Li Zijun’s face. Strands of her hair, damp from the water, clung to her forehead, droplets trickling down to her collarbone.
Her wet clothes clung to her body, making her exquisite figure seem almost nude. Her slender, jade-like arms bent gently, displaying an enchanting grace.
Her delicate hands gently gathered her soaked hair behind her head. The water, having drenched her clothes, outlined her perfect figure as she looked at Ji Nanjue with some embarrassment.
The clothes she hadn’t fully removed clung entirely to her delicate body, faintly translucent and revealing her skin tone. While her normally loose-fitting dress hid much, now her true figure was as clear to see as Mount Lu revealing its true face.
Ji Nanjue looked at her with clear surprise, then a playful smile touched her lips as she said,
"Indeed, like master, like disciple. Even your lies are cast from the same mold..."
...
"Forget it. If you want to call me Sister, then do so. The term ’Teacher’s Wife,’ on the other hand, does sound strangely old-fashioned."
"..."
Her jade-like legs, submerged beneath the water, gently stirred the surface, sending out a few ripples.
Then, with a light push of her arms, she stood up completely bare. The water barely reached the tops of her thighs, revealing half of her shapely waist, which was slender and flat without a hint of superfluous flesh.
"Take off your clothes," Ji Nanjue said. "You can’t very well bathe with them on, can you?"
This one dress had accompanied Li Zijun for who knows how long on their journey, though it bore no stains.
Li Zijun shyly removed her dress, placed it on the bank, and then immediately sank back into the pool, concealing herself thoroughly in the water.
Ji Nanjue didn’t laugh at her; she simply sat down beside her.
The air was somewhat heavy. The atmosphere just before rain always felt exceptionally oppressive.
Ji Nanjue’s small hands gently splashed the water, letting droplets cascade back into the pool, and then she suddenly spoke,
"You’ve only seen him a few times, yet you’re so certain of your feelings?"
"It’s normal for someone your age to have aspirations or a crush, but from your words and actions, you don’t seem like an impulsive person."
"I’m curious. Can you tell me what’s on your mind?"
She paused, realizing her question was indeed a bit probing. Then, Ji Nanjue added with a smile,
"Of course, it’s alright if you don’t want to say..."
As she spoke, her gaze remained on Li Zijun.
Li Zijun murmured, "My thoughts?" She pressed her lips together lightly, not looking at Ji Nanjue.
Gazing at the somewhat murky water of the pool, she pondered for a moment and then said in a low voice,
"Does liking someone necessarily require a reason?"
"Isn’t it often that at a certain moment, because of something that deeply stirs your heart, that heart unwittingly becomes home to someone?"
"Perhaps it’s just a glance, or a particular action."
Ji Nanjue was startled. Li Zijun’s voice, though very gentle, was tinged with sadness, and for some reason, Ji Nanjue could discern a wealth of frustration within it.
Then, Ji Nanjue pulled Li Zijun tightly into her embrace, pressing her cheek against Li Zijun’s as she asked,
"Love at first sight?"
Perhaps in the past, she would have sneered at this phrase, dismissing it as utter nonsense. Two people confirming their feelings for each other after just one glance? To her, that could only mean one thing: lust for the other’s physical appearance.
But now, her heart had gradually come to accept this notion.
Her life’s path and Su Bei’s had always seemed to converge inadvertently. That return from the brink of death, an ordeal they had shared, had forged an incredibly deep emotional bond between them.
Perhaps even before that fateful night, his image had already been imprinted on her heart. It was just that she, having kept her emotions sealed away for so long, had never acknowledged it.
Li Zijun gave a bitter chuckle.
It seems she’s misunderstood me.
The feelings she had for Su Bei... how could they be described so simply? It had taken nearly a century of gradual understanding and growing closer for her to finally be sure of her own heart.
"Sister Nan Ji, Zi Jun is feeling a bit cold..." Li Zijun said, hugging her arms and blinking her eyes at Ji Nanjue.
"Let’s head back."
Ji Nanjue smiled warmly at her, though her heart was filled with complex emotions. "You go on ahead," she said. "Mas— Sister will stay here alone for a little while."
Ultimately, she was a woman. Despite knowing that she and Su Bei could never publicly announce their relationship, she still felt a natural aversion to any woman who might try to take a share of his affection.
Moreover, this woman was his disciple... Such a thing felt wrong, both emotionally and ethically.
A peculiar thought surfaced in Ji Nanjue’s mind: Su Bei’s disciple... and Su Bei was her own revered master... with herself caught in the middle?
What a tangled web of relationships... Three generations under one roof, was it?
It was all Su Dudu’s fault.
There was no inherent right or wrong in matters of the heart. But if blame had to be assigned, the root cause of all this trouble was that philandering lothario, Su Bei.
If he hadn’t been so promiscuous, sowing his wild oats everywhere, how could so many emotional debts have possibly arisen from thin air?
He was probably off enjoying himself, completely oblivious...
Li Zijun waved her hand in front of Ji Nanjue’s face. Snapping back to her senses, Ji Nanjue lightly flicked Li Zijun’s delicate nose and said with a smile,
"You’ve worn that dress for ages. If you don’t mind, wear this one of mine for now."
"..."
She gestured with her hand toward the white chiffon dress lying on the bank.
Li Zijun blinked, then smiled sweetly at Ji Nanjue.
With a soft RUSTLE of fabric, she put on the dress and headed back toward the Daoist Temple.
Ji Nanjue watched Li Zijun’s retreating figure and sighed softly.