Isn’t falling in love just that—simple?
How difficult could it possibly be?
I had been cast down into a mountain forest in the human realm. The moment earthly dust stained my face and body, all the divine spells and bindings that once restrained me dissipated—except for Shen Yuan’s red thread, still firmly wrapped around my neck.
Furious, I tore it off, stomped on it twice, and turned to leave. But after a few steps, I found myself circling back, picking it up again.
After all, wasn’t it the God of Love who used this very red thread to weave destinies across thousands of miles?
Shen Yuan was infuriating, and his red thread had been nothing but useless trash to me before. But now? I could repurpose this waste.
I had made up my mind. I would follow this mountain path, tie the thread to the first man I encountered, bind him to me, declare him for my true love, and then—cast him aside.
After all, no one ever said that true love had to last.
As long as I found it once, didn’t that count?
Once I had settled this “trivial affair”, I would return to my pursuit of immortality, ascend to the heavens again, reclaim my pinnacle of power, seize the golden bell, and ultimately—
Strike that damned God of Love down with heavenly thunder!
As if in agreement with my thoughts, the sky suddenly rumbled with a few heavy thunderclaps—deep, abrupt, rolling across the heavens.
I glanced up at the sky from where I had fallen. No wind, no rain, no clouds. Only the lingering growl of thunder.
I didn’t bother questioning its origin. Dusting off my clothes, I declared with a smirk, “Just you wait!”
The curses of the immortals did not break me; instead, they only made me stronger.
I regrouped and charged forward, just as I had when I first ascended to the and entered the Hall of Longing. Now, I strode boldly through the forest path, determined to find my destined one and only!
May the heavens align with my will!
I hadn’t walked far when I turned a corner—and there he was, my fated encounter!
Except… he didn’t seem to be in great shape.
He was tall and well-built, dressed in black, with his hair bound neatly. A short blade was gripped tightly in his hand, and half his body was slumped over a large boulder by the roadside. His wounds—slashes and gouges as if from battle—left his torn clothing soaked in blood, the raw flesh beneath was barely concealed.
Sticky crimson dripped from his body, trailing along the smooth surface of the rock, pooling briefly before continuing its descent to the earth.
His heavy, labored breathing filled the air. From the sound of it, he might not last much longer.
“Warrior!” I clutched my red thread and rushed toward him. “Just hold on!”
Kneeling beside him, I was about to use the fruit’s ability to gather ambient energy and heal his wounds—when that short blade swung straight for my neck!
I fell back, landing hard on my rear, barely avoiding the strike.
But he didn’t follow up with another attack. Instead, he shifted his position, leaning against the boulder, breathing heavily while keeping the tip of his dagger trained on me—as if warning that even a single step forward would earn me a blade through the heart.
He had a strong, rugged face, but his guarded demeanor was even stronger.
“You don’t need to worry. I’m not here to harm you,” I raised my hand in an attempt to reassure him. “I simply want to form a mutually beneficial arrangement: I help you heal, and then you fall in love with me. Sound fair?”
The forest path fell into complete silence, save for his rough breathing.
He looked at me as if I had lost my mind.
I reconsidered. Maybe my phrasing had been too abrupt, so I adjusted: “Or… I could fall in love with you instead. You have sharp features and a great physique—if I tie the red thread, I should be able to love you rather quickly…”
Before I could finish speaking, I saw the warrior suddenly turn his head toward the mountain, his eyes widening in shock.
A deep rumbling reached my ears.
Following his gaze, I turned just in time to see a massive boulder! It had already crushed trees and shrubs in its path and was now hurtling straight for me, leaving me no time to react.
In that terrifying instant, I was completely unable to dodge.
The house-sized rock crashed into me.
My bones shattered and the pain surged through me—I felt like a mere mosquito…
I was rushed with a sickening crack.
Dead.
Truly dead.
I distinctly felt the spray of blood, the rupture of my heart, the stillness of my mind—
Death arrived without warning.
My world plunged into darkness. But in the next instant, it was as if I had fallen like a stone into a river, drifting down, swaying within the murky currents of silt and sand.
Thud!
I hit the bottom—except, it wasn’t the bottom of a river.
It was… inside my own body.
In front of me was the same human road I had just walked, leading toward the bend in the mountain path.
Dizzy and disoriented, I steadied myself.
I pressed a hand against my chest, squeezed the bones in my arm, and finally knocked on my skull—solid, intact.
The moment of being crushed by that massive boulder… felt like a dream.
A ridiculous yet unmistakably real dream.
I slapped my face, grounded myself, and, as if searching for proof, I strode forward. Step by step, I moved toward the bend in the mountain path.
Then, suddenly—I saw a familiar scene unfold before me.
A strong-built man, dressed in black, clutching a dagger, severely wounded, slumped against a large rock.
The blood trickling from his body pooled at the raised section of the stone before dripping thickly onto the ground.
I watched the crimson droplets—not as they fell upon the earth, but as they seemed to stain my very soul, smearing my entire world into chaos.
“She disregards love—then let her experience love!”
“Yes! Make her taste love!”
“Send her to the human realm to find true love.”
“And if she fails to find it… let her perish.”
The immortals were nowhere in sight, but their presence was overwhelming. Even from the heavens, their curses pierced my ears, drilling into my mind.
I—
I remembered the first part. They had sent me to seek true love.
But I had forgotten the latter. That if I failed… I would die.
I was born as a celestial fruit within the divine realm. I was a law-bound deity sent to this world by the ancient god. I existed beyond this realm—of course they could never truly kill me.
Which is why I had never taken their curse seriously.
And now…
I suddenly understood something.
I refused to believe it. There was no way such an absurd thing was truly happening!
Clutching the red thread, I charged toward the wounded warrior.
This time, I confirmed—the mountain had trees, but no stones. As I approached him, I anticipated the swing of his dagger and stepped back just in time, dodging the attack.
The warrior faltered in surprise. Taking advantage of his weakness as he struggled to turn over, I swiftly tied the red thread around his wrist.
Seeing me recklessly throw myself at him, only to tie a thin cord around his wrist, he stared at me with an even more bewildered expression than last time. I ignored him. I tied the other end of the thread to my own wrist, then met his gaze earnestly and said:
“I love you.”
He froze.
Then, as expected, the rumbling of a boulder tumbling down filled the air.
Stunned, I turned toward the mountain that had been bare just moments ago—only to see a massive rock emerging from underground! It shattered, then came rolling straight toward me.
I was ready this time!
Like a startled rabbit, I leapt from the ground, sprinting sideways to evade it!
I could dodge it!
I thought that with certainty—but just as my feet touched the ground, I lost my balance.
My throat slammed directly onto the warrior’s dagger.
“Shhk!” Blood sprayed through the air.
I collapsed against the warrior, my blood spilling across the ground.
Agonizing pain consumed me as blood clogged my airway, my lungs and throat rasped like broken bellows.
I barely even felt the crushing weight of the boulder against my ankle anymore—only that the warrior flipped me over in his arms. And before my vision blurred completely, I caught a glimpse of his utterly baffled and astonished expression.
Last time, I hadn’t taken a proper look—but now, up close… he was actually quite handsome.
Darkness engulfed me once more.
I felt like a stone sinking into a chaotic river, drifting deeper until—
I crashed back into my body.
Still the same road. Still just before the bend.
It seemed that…
If I confessed to someone who wasn’t my true love, I would die.
And then time would rewind to the moment right before I first met him.
After realizing this strange pattern, I stared at the mountain path with newfound dread.
First, I was crushed into pulp. Then, my throat slit by a blade. The pain hadn’t lingered on my body—
But it remained etched in my heart.
I remained silent as I approached the bend in the path, pressing myself against the rocky surface and peeking around the corner.
He was still there—the same warrior, lying on that same boulder.
