Shen Yuan[mfn]The second character 緣 (yuan) is also the second character in the title and it means ‘fate'[/mfn], the presiding celestial of the Hall of Longing, commonly known as Matchmaker or the God of Love, was the first troublemaker I encountered after falling from the divine realm into this human-and-immortal world.
The reason was simple: his daily duties were contrary to my newly assigned mission.
On the day I arrived, I happened to land right in front of the main gate of the Hall of Longing[mfn]you can imagine the ‘hall’ as a whole palace[/mfn].
The Hall of Longing was adorned with hanging red threads [mfn]The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of place, time, or circumstances[/mfn] everywhere. The celestial attendants and messengers bustled about, clutching stacks of documents, and groups of red threads fluttered past me. It seemed as though no one paid any attention to my dramatic arrival from the divine realm.
As I stood up from the ground, I bumped into a young celestial maiden who snapped at me. “Hey! Fairy, if your love life isn’t going well, stop wandering aimlessly here. Go to the backyard to meet our Celestial Lord. Get a number, wait in line—there are eighteen other fairies ahead of you today waiting for his guidance!”
I understood now why the ancient god had remarked that in this world of Nine Heavens and eight hundred immortals, none of them were doing their proper duties. Wasn’t it because the God of Love had moved all the business to his place?
Just him alone supported the entire workload of the realm.
I developed a bias against him right then, but on second thought, I felt relieved. Discovering the “problem area” as soon as I arrived was clearly heaven’s way of helping me.
Excitedly, I ran to the backyard of the Hall of Longing, bringing with me the “metal object” the ancient god had bestowed upon me.
It was a golden bell. Back when I was just a fruit on a tree, I had seen the ancient god use it. He’d wear it on his wrist, give it a shake, and the bell’s ringing would summon heavenly lightning. This, in turn, would bring rain to the divine realm, and nourish the roots of the mother tree and wash away the dust on us fruits.
It seemed the ancient god feared that a mere fruit like me wouldn’t be able to handle these immortals, so he gifted me this artifact to help me swiftly bring order to the celestial realm and accumulate merit.
Armed with this artifact, I bolstered my spirits, charging valiantly toward the backyard. But before I even stepped inside, the fragrant breeze from within softened my resolve.
The backyard’s crimson doors were wide open, pink petals were scattered about, and the enchanting melodies of string instruments beckoned me, luring me into indulgence.
Amidst the chirping of fairies and chatter of men and women, pairs gathered beneath the red-thread-laden Longing Tree, lost in romantic exchanges. The entire scene was idyllic and overflowing with love.
As a fruit raised in the divine realm, I had never witnessed such revelry of sights and sounds. Clutching the doorframe, I entered hesitantly, but had barely taken a step when I heard a voice as warm and gentle as jade, lightly laughing and saying:
“Fairy Qing Yin, the sincerity of Celestial Lord Chang He is as true as heaven and earth! While the celestial fruit he gifted isn’t yet a thousand years old and falls short of full ripeness, it still represents his heartfelt devotion. Why must you be upset that it’s nine hundred years old and not one thousand?”
I followed the voice and saw a man lounging beneath draping silk curtains on a finely carved sandalwood couch.
Even though the curtains obscured his face, I caught sight of his flamboyant, butterfly-like attire: he wore a pink robe embroidered with mandarin ducks and phoenixes, which were surrounded by birds that seemed to pay homage to him.
His long fingers lazily held a white jade cup, tilting it idly as a few drops of wine swayed tantalizingly within, enough to make onlookers crave a taste.
I walked from the door onto the bridge, ignoring the long line of celestial lords and fairies waiting there.
As I got closer, I tilted my head and finally made out his face.
His skin was like white jade, his lips like vermilion. In his inebriated state, he appeared delicate yet majestic, as if a jade mountain were teetering on the verge of collapse…
Handsome. I summed up his features in one word. But no matter how handsome, it couldn’t interfere with my mission to earn merit.
“The years of the fruit, of course, don’t matter. What matters is whether it’s ripe or not.”
With arms crossed, I stood before the God of Love’s couch.
He lazily lifted his long lashes, propping his head with one hand as he gazed at me.
Turning my head, I glanced at the mismatched couple. The celestial lord was holding a misshapen fruit, and I said, “Plucking unripe fruit is thoughtless. Gifting it is careless. Giving gifts is supposed to convey sincerity. If even the giver doesn’t value it, what they give is false sentiment, and such love isn’t worth having. Fairy, he doesn’t truly love you.”
The faces of Fairy Qing Yin and Celestial Lord Chang He darkened in their own ways at my words.
The immortals waiting in line behind them craned their necks to watch, stunned into silence.
After a long pause, the “butterfly” burst into laughter, his voice ringing like jade. “Among the Nine Heavens and eight hundred immortals, I’ve never seen this fairy before. May I ask…”
“I am a “good” fruit.”
“A little fruit immortal?”
“Show some respect.” Detecting the contempt in his tone, I reintroduced myself. “The ancient god sent me to oversee you immortals of the Nine Heavens. Why are you neglecting celestial duties for mundane ones, and indulging in romance?”
“Ancient god?” He sat up slowly, smiling at me with an air of ease. “Never heard of him.”
“That’s fine. You can understand it this way: as of today, I am Heaven’s appointed inspector sent here for you all.” I spoke with firm seriousness. “Or, if you prefer, you may call me the God of Law.”
“God of Law…” Shen Yuan chuckled again, his laughter resonating like the striking of jade bells. Behind me, the immortals waiting in line joined in, their laughter filling the hall.
“Little Fruit Immortal,” he said, casually placing the cup by his side. With an amused tone, he asked, “What laws do you intend to establish?”
I looked at his perfect, jade-like face and raised my hand—upon it was the golden bell bestowed by the ancient god.
He gazed at me, still with a playful glint in his eye.
Then I extended a finger, pointing at his face, and shook the golden bell.
Boom!
A thunderbolt fell from the sky!
Lightning, with the weight of a thousand mountains, descended from the heavens. It roared like dragons and tigers, tearing through the pink-hued sky, shattering the ornate bridge overhead, and struck the intricately carved sandalwood couch directly beneath him—landing squarely on the face of this so-called “butterfly.”
After the deafening sound of the lightning strike, all activity in the Hall of Longing ceased—the enchanting melodies stopped, the whispers of the fairies were silenced, and even the laughter that had filled my ears vanished.
Everything was still.
Except for the burning pavilion—the flames consumed everything, charring it black.
The “butterfly” was now a “blackened butterfly,” and he too fell silent.
Burnt to a crisp, yet eerily quiet.
The jade-like complexion of his skin was now smeared with ash. His ruby-red lips had turned a deep purple. Only his phoenix-like eyes remained clear, although they had lost their earlier flirtation and mirth.
I still held my hand high, the golden bell resting quietly on my wrist like a delicate bracelet.
I…
Honestly hadn’t expected that lightning strike to be so much more dramatic than the ones I’d witnessed from the Divine Hidden Tree.
I lightly pressed my lips together, keeping my composure, and assumed an air of inscrutable, unwavering authority.
“My first law…” I announced to the “butterfly,” “In the celestial realm, immortals are forbidden from engaging in romantic relationships.”
The moment I finished, the atmosphere around me grew lively once more. Behind me, the immortals erupted with audible gasps and murmurs.
Some male immortals, unable to handle the decree, fainted on the spot, while some female immortals burst into tears, mustering enough courage to voice their protest:
“Why?”
I ignored Shen Yuan before me, instead turning back to face the crowd of celestial beings:
“Because I have been entrusted with divine authority, wielding heaven’s lightning to enforce celestial laws. The mortal world has suffered under your neglect for too long. They couldn’t control you, so I will. From this moment, among the Nine Heavens and eight hundred immortals, those meant to bring rain shall bring rain, and those meant to summon wind shall summon wind! Should any shirk their duties, I’ll strike them down.”
With that, I lowered my hand—though unintentionally shook the golden bell again in the process. My heart tightened as another bolt of lightning split the sky, crashing down onto the pink tree in the courtyard.
The blossoms on the tree instantly blackened, and one by one fell to the ground as charred remains. The faces of the immortals mirrored these burnt petals exactly.
The immortals quivered in fear, none daring to speak further.
Even I dared not say more, straightening my back and forcing an air of calm authority, my face remained cold and impassive.
Turning back to the scorched blackened butterfly, I couldn’t help but notice his face seemed to darken even further.
He stared at me, his celestial attendants arriving one by one to support him, as if his injuries had left him so weak he couldn’t manage on his own.
Their eyes brimmed with tears, their grief was unmistakable.
But I remained unyielding, my tone frosty and detached as I declared:
“The second law: The Hall of Longing shall shut its doors. You, Matchmaker—the so-called God of Love—are suspended.”
After throwing out those harsh words, I swept my robes with a flourish and turned to leave.
Looking back on that day, I still feel that my actions were a bit too youthful.
It wasn’t because the lightning bolt that struck the tree was an accidental slip of my hand, nor was it because my legs started wobbling as soon as I stepped out of the Hall of Longing…
It was because I acted too hastily.
My hasty departure meant I didn’t notice that the charred blackened butterfly was staring at me, his phoenix-like eyes devoid of emotion, filled only with cold calculation and scheming.
This God of Love, who had ensnared the entire celestial realm in romance, had set his sights on me.
