novelraw Chapter 400 - 248: No rush, disciple, put on your clothes first......_1
Chapter 400 - 248: No rush, disciple, put on your clothes first......_1
Perhaps it was because she had been living in solitude in the palace for so long, standing strong alone for a hundred years, that Ji Nanjue fell into a deep sleep beside Su Bei.
Of course, it might also have had something to do with their all-night battle the day before.
In her sleep, she lost that comfortable shoulder. Her brows furrowed, and the knocking on the door exacerbated her disorientation, leaving her dazed and drifting. When she noticed the brocade blanket Su Bei had draped over her, her phoenix brows gradually relaxed, and she instinctively sought out the familiar scent.
Su Bei was extremely anxious. What if Key Smoke saw this scene!?
But to just push away the woman in his arms, to let her flee in panic... Searching his heart, Su Bei found he couldn’t do it.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
The knocks on the door sounded again.
Ji Nanjue stretched irritably, her lips half-open. She raised a delicate hand to wipe the corner of her mouth... It seemed there was still a faint trace of...
Looking up, she met Su Bei’s helpless gaze, and a blush unwittingly crept onto her face. Then, she fully woke and turned to look towards the door.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
"Who is it?"
"Dudu, why aren’t you opening the door?"
"..."
Her stunning, makeup-free face showed a hint of confusion that soon eased. It was Key Smoke. But why has Master come?
Looking at Su Bei with slight suspicion, she immediately recalled the embarrassingly intimate events of the previous night. As if remembering something, she glared at him angrily.
Her noble aura of a superior, cultivated over hundreds of years, all ruined by him!
She didn’t know how many times... At first, it was still conventional. But it gradually became outrageous, no longer content with just the confines of the bed. They had agreed only to bathe and wipe her body clean, then sleep.
But then—in that bath, amidst the Linglong Immortal Qi, the process was indescribable and even more outrageous! Due to the blending of the Supreme Yin Qi with Supreme Yang Qi, neither could absorb nature’s spiritual energy, and their physiques and endurance were no different from ordinary people. So much so that Ji Nanjue almost fainted several times.
That alone would have been enough, but then Su Dudu even brought out some Supreme Yang’s Treasure!? Claiming it was the Supreme Yang Lotus Root obtained from below Dongting Stream!? Fortunately, I still had the last shred of reason and didn’t let him succeed... moreover... who even does things like that? Isn’t that just messing around!?
Lost in these chaotic thoughts, she flung off the brocade blanket covering her and stepped out of bed under Su Bei’s astonished gaze.
Sunlight streamed through the bamboo window, casting mottled golden patches on the floor.
Su Bei watched as Nan Ji moved her jade-like feet. Her toenails were crystal clear, shimmering with a natural luster. Her arches curved gently upwards, high and pronounced. Her ankles were slender, the bones barely visible. Like jade, and without a stitch of clothing, she walked to the door.
Su Bei’s gaze shifted from shock to panic. In a chaotic frenzy, he tumbled off the bed. In his panic, he stepped on the edge of the brocade blanket.
WHOOSH—
THUMP—
He crashed heavily onto the floor. But he couldn’t worry about that now. He reached towards the door, pleading anxiously, "Nan Ji... don’t open..."
Before Su Bei could finish his sentence.
CREAK—
The door was already open.
And then—
Key Smoke’s expression flickered as she took in the scene. She glanced at Su Bei, who had fallen beside the bed, and then at Ji Nanjue, who stood there so openly. She subtly appraised them both, her face turning the color of flushed jade as she surveyed the chaotic room.
Silence.
A long moment passed, or perhaps only a breath.
"Master, I forgot to tell you when we returned to the Sacred Land..."
"..."
A touch of embarrassment appeared on Ji Nanjue’s face. She then noticed Key Smoke’s lowered gaze as Key Smoke gently turned her back.
A gentle breeze drifted through the bamboo window and out the door, stirring the air.
Ji Nanjue shivered involuntarily. Feeling a sudden chill from below, she pressed her legs tightly together and lowered her head. Although she couldn’t see her own bare feet, she finally understood why Key Smoke had said nothing.
"Disci... disciple."
Key Smoke bit her lip, suppressing a strange, inexplicable discomfort that welled up in her heart. She said softly, "Mm, no rush. You should get dressed first..."
"I know this is beneficial for your body, but don’t overindulge. It’s not good for you."
"..."
Ji Nanjue’s face flushed red. Wrapping her arms around herself, she hastily retreated a few steps, frantically searching for any of her own clothes.
She picked one up. It was torn down the middle.
She picked up another. Shattered pieces of fabric...
This was undoubtedly a testament to Su Bei’s exploits.
AHEM.
Feeling an unprecedented wave of embarrassment, Ji Nanjue’s cheeks burned like the morning clouds. She lifted her jade-like foot and stomped hard on Su Bei. Still not satisfied, she stomped on him again. Then she hastily snatched Su Bei’s long robe and draped it over herself.
"Master... were you looking for Dudu... for Su Bei? Is there something you need?"
"..."
Face still flushed, Ji Nanjue punched Su Bei, who wore an expression of utter despair. She had never been so humiliated in front of Key Smoke.
Key Smoke calmed the complex emotions in her heart. Although she had imagined this scene countless times and had constantly reassured herself that she was prepared, when this scene truly unfolded before her eyes, she had to admit she was jealous. Jealous of her own disciple.
Ji Nanjue was unaware of the subtle flirtations and the complex, almost consummated relationship between Key Smoke and Su Bei. This was why Ji Nanjue could face Key Smoke so openly.
In this complicated relationship, where do I stand? The other woman?
But Su Bei’s feelings for her hadn’t seemed fake. That night, under the crystalline moonlight, she had held him and listened to his powerful heartbeat. Only the thinnest veil remained between them, yet to be pierced.
She had murmured to herself countless times, How good it would be if I were not Ji Nanjue’s master?
"..."
In this tangled web of emotions, it was destined that one of them would have to yield, and she knew—It could only be me.
Even if he fulfilled the promises he made to her, could she truly find peace? The barrier of worldly ethics and morals was ultimately insurmountable.
She composed herself slightly, slowly straightened up, her gaze fixed ahead, a faint smile playing on her lips... She forced her lips into a pleasant curve, making herself appear relaxed. She turned to face them; they were sitting upright, like two children awaiting a scolding.
Then, she walked over, sat cross-legged before them, looked at Su Bei, and her vermilion lips parted slightly as she said, "You must treat Ji... Nan Ji well..."
Su Bei looked up, an unspeakable guilt welling in his heart. Gazing at the woman before him, he could sense the faint desolation in her eyes.
The room was quiet.
Ji Nanjue, wrapped in Su Bei’s long robe, kept her head down. Key Smoke’s words echoed in her ears, making her feel strangely as if she were meeting his parents. Her delicate hands fidgeted, unsure where to rest. Her heart pounded like a frightened deer, yet there was a hint of secret joy. No matter how formidable a woman she was, regardless of her status in the Dongfeng Ancient Country or how many years she had posed as a man, deep down, she still possessed a woman’s shyness.
Raising her head, she was about to say something, then she saw the look exchanged between Su Beitong and Key Smoke. Their eyes met, and though no words were spoken, their gazes conveyed a thousand emotions.
She, too, was a woman, not an unworldly little girl. That complex emotion was like a still pool, yet beneath the surface, countless undercurrents swirled.
The joy on her face gradually faded, replaced by a calm composure.