To Love & To Loathe (Jingliu X Fem Reader)

Chapter 7: Raging War

A few more weeks after that, and the war with the Abundance began. This took quite a turn for the people of the Xianzhou since they thought that the war was about to take place months prior but their assumptions were wrong when the enemy decided to advance.

Jingliu brought Y/n along during their discussions and planning stages for the continuation of the war with the Abundance, giving her lover a chance to hear what they had to say and what strategies they planned on using against the enemy forces.

Their conversations were quite elaborate and detailed, but Jingliu made sure to keep everything fairly accessible and understandable for her student, as she knew that not everyone is familiar with terms and concepts when it comes to war tactics.

Once the other four members of the High-Cloud Quintet left the room to prepare for the impending battle, the only two people left over were Jingliu and Y/n who were now alone together in the room. It was a relatively quiet moment, where neither one of them really had anything to say. Jingliu simply leaned against the wall as she watched her lover carefully, wondering what was on her mind and what she was thinking about now.

"Mentor, can I-"

"No, you will not join us for the battle."

Jingliu cut her student's request off as soon as she began to speak, her expression still holding some trace of its earlier severity and sternness. She knew that the question her lover was about to ask was one where she would surely have a negative response to it.

"But mentor-"

"Absolutely not. You're staying here and waiting for our safe return. Do not try to argue with me about this."

Jingliu said with more authority this time, clearly not wanting to be persuaded into changing her answer regardless of any counter arguments that her student may have.

"What? But I thought... Then what's the purpose in calling me here if you're not going to let me join you in the war?"

Jingliu raised another eyebrow at her student's retort, as she felt a bit surprised by her willingness to speak in a much more defiant manner against her. The younger woman was usually quite obedient so for her to suddenly be acting so rebellious, Jingliu couldn't help but feel slightly intrigued by it.

"The purpose of bringing you here was to talk about strategies and our plans for the battle, not to let you participate in the actual fight."

"...."

Jingliu also fell silent after her student chose not to speak anymore, the two of them remaining in their positions as they stared at each other in silence. The teacher wondered if her student was feeling annoyed at being denied permission to participate, but her stern expression still remained on her face as she waited for Y/n to say something else.

"...Fine, I understand. I'll respect your decision... mentor. But before you go to the battlefield..."

Y/n slowly approached her lover and kiss her long enough to savor the moment. Jingliu was honestly expecting for her student to throw some sort of fit or tantrum at her after being refused involvement in the battle, but she was pleasantly surprised when Y/n instead accepted her decision without much resistance and instead chose to show more affection and kindness towards her lover instead.

She gladly returned her student's kiss as she took in the sweet and loving moment, her heart beating a little bit faster as their lips locked together before they both parted away.

After that, Jingliu headed out from the room, feeling a mix of emotions as she went to join her fellow High-Cloud Quintet members in the preparation for the upcoming conflict with the Abundance.