Chapter 70 - 11) The celestial assembly
Jia Mei was not the kind of beauty to halt the turning of heads in a bustling market square, but for those with discerning eyes, and hearts unclouded by vanity, she was the sort who, once noticed, could not be easily forgotten.
Her hair flowed like a gentle river of dark brown silk, kissed faintly by the hue of chestnut when sunlight filtered through the canopy.
It fell straight and smooth, cascading to the middle of her back, neither radiant like moon-polished jade nor dull as soot, merely brushed with quiet care, untouched by vanity or Jade ornaments.
Often, loose strands would drift across her cheeks, caught like willows in the spring breeze, framing her face, shaped soft and slender, like the leaf of that same tree swaying by the lakeside.
Her features bore the grace of still water.
A gentle slope to her nose, neither sharp nor forgettable. Lips thin but well-drawn, tinted with the red of a cherry kissed by morning dew. And always, always, a faint blush lingered on her cheeks, as though the wind of dawn had just brushed past her skin.
Her eyes were not brilliant emerald, but rather a mossy green—subtle, like rain-soaked earth beneath shaded pines, holding within them a watery shimmer, the calm reflection of a quiet pool disturbed only by the thoughts of her heart.
Her figure did not boast the exaggerated blessings of legends, yet it bore the grace of feminine harmony. A modest, shapely bust mirrored by hips curved gently as rolling hills. A waist not drawn by ribbons or vanity, but balance; Fitting the rhythm of nature, honest and whole.
Seeing her walk beside Zhao Fan, trading words of the Dao in low tones, was like watching a plum blossom fall gently on flowing water.
For Lu Tian, it was unbearable.
Outrageous.... Simply outrageous.
It shook the strands of his Dao heart, woven once of pride and longing, now frayed by silent envy and desire.