Happy match Chapter 3.2

 

Unaware of the two times I had already met him, fought for survival, and died, he lay there, oblivious. But as I looked at his gravely wounded body, cold sweat prickled across my skin.

Dying twice had been far too intense for someone like me—a celestial fruit that had spent her entire lifetime growing on a tree.

I steadied my nerves, then lifted my hand, reaching out with my fingers to grasp the ambient spiritual energy.

Like fireflies, particles of energy drifted from all directions, gathering under my guidance and coalescing near the warrior.

He sensed it—his eyes fluttered open slightly. He still held his dagger, but this time, he did not raise it against me. Through the soft glow of the fireflies, he saw me.

The light clung to his figure, reflecting in his eyes. But when his gaze met mine, it was as if it had touched something cursed.

I quickly moved my shaking hands, directing the energy toward his wounds.

It wouldn’t heal him completely—but it would at least ensure he didn’t die.

Once finished, I withdrew my hands instantly and bolted in the opposite direction like I was running for my life.

I didn’t stop, nor did I acknowledge the weak voice calling after me—”Miss…”—from the boulder.

I sprinted all the way back to the place where I had first fallen into the mortal realm. The ground still bore the imprint of my impact.

Gripping Shen Yuan’s red thread, I hesitated for a moment before furiously slamming it onto the dirt once more.

“What kind of useless matchmaker?! Worthless god of love! This red thread doesn’t work at all! Tying it doesn’t make someone your true love!”

I cursed aloud, yet in my mind, thoughts stirred—at least now, I had discovered a method to test true love.

If I expressed my love to someone—or if someone confessed their love to me—

And I didn’t die—

Then it was surely true love!

Sure, this kind of verification was a bit… life-threatening. But at least I had a concrete standard now.

The sooner I found true love, the sooner I could resume my cultivation, ascend back to the divine realm, and crush those ridiculous immortals who cared about nothing but romance.

I’d crush them all.

I cursed bitterly. “One day, I’ll burn the Nine Heavens to the ground!”

“Heh…” A light chuckle drifted through the air, as if in response.

My heart skipped a beat. My first thought was—I didn’t say anything resembling a confession, did I? I’m not about to die again, am I?

I shrank back instinctively, waiting. But when nothing happened, I cautiously stretched my neck, scanning my surroundings for the source of the laughter.

Just as I was looking around, a tree branch suddenly smacked me squarely on the forehead with a thud.

I clutched my forehead and looked up—only to see the very culprit behind my repeated deaths in the mortal realm.

A celestial in pale pink robes.

The fluttering butterfly.

A man whose beauty belied the filth in his heart.

Shen Yuan.

“Little Fruit Immortal,” he greeted, still smiling that infuriatingly pleasant smile, “It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“You call yourself Shen Yuan—’Yuan’ as in bad fate, huh?” I crossed my arms, not bothering to mask my irritation. “I’ve already fallen to the mortal world, so why do you haunt me still? What do you want? Planning to silence me for good?”

“Heh… Would I dare, O God of Law?”

The pink-robed “butterfly” leaped from the tree, his sleeves fluttering like wings as he landed.

Only then did I notice—the disheveled hair, the faint scorch marks on his neck.

A look identical to the time I struck him down with heavenly lightning in the Hall of Longing.

He raised his hand, not bothering to conceal anything, and pulled back his wide sleeve—revealing a deep, blackened wound.

“Your golden bell is quite powerful,” he mused. “More than I anticipated.”

Indeed.

It had surprised even me.

I blinked, staring at the so-called butterfly’s face. “My golden bell is in your possession—what did you do to it to make it strike you?”

“Oh?” Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow. “So it wasn’t your doing?”

I narrowed my eyes, but didn’t reply.

Yet somehow, he seemed to see right through me.

“Ah. So the bell acted on its own.” He laughed softly. “Little Fruit Immortal, you may stand tall, but even a tiny bell outshines you in usefulness.”

“You may stand tall, but even a tiny bell knocked you down,” I shot back. “Enough of your taunts—thanks to you, I’ve fallen to this miserable place. But I will find my way back to the Nine Heavens, and when I do—stay out of my sight! Go back to your Hall of Longing!”

“Hmm… I’d love to,” he sighed, rolling his sleeve back down. “But I can’t.”

“That golden bell summoned eighty-one bolts of heavenly lightning—just to strike me down…” He exhaled. “Now, I’m unable to return to the Nine Heavens.”

“Ha…”

Before he could finish speaking, I had already burst into laughter. Seeing the scorch marks on his arm only made me even more delighted.

“So the thunder rumbling above when I fell—it was actually striking you?” My previous gloom vanished instantly. I stood with hands on my hips, shaking my head triumphantly. “Butterfly! Are you still feeling smug? You really stole that golden bell well! 81 heavenly bolts! If the bell had still been with me, I might have spared your pretty face. But you waved it around yourself and got the retribution you deserved, Butterfly!”

My ridicule did nothing to crack his ever-present smile. He leaned against the tree, arms crossed, watching me, listening to my laughter, letting me gloat. There was even a hint of indulgence in his expression.

Only when my laughter faded slightly did he reply in a gentle tone. “Though I endured quite a few heavenly bolts, lost all my cultivation, and fell to the mortal realm, if this misfortune has brought you such joy—then it is worth it.”

Hearing his words, I recalled the tricks he had played on me back in the Nine Heavens.

This immortal was cunning—a smiling tiger. The sweeter his words, the more likely he was scheming something against me.

I sobered, giving him a sidelong glance.

“You got struck down by heavenly thunder—it was your own doing. Don’t blame me for it,” I said plainly. “As for my grudge against you, I’ll consider it settled with the heavenly punishment. I won’t dwell on it anymore. And you—just pretend you never saw me here today. From this day forward, we go our separate ways. You walk your path, I walk mine. If we ascend in the future, then let fate decide.”

Shen Yuan seemed slightly surprised. With a smile, he asked, “I orchestrated your descent to the mortal realm. And you’re just letting it go?”

“81 heavenly bolts. I couldn’t think of a harsher punishment—so yes, I’m letting it go.”

“You don’t hate me?”

“I came here to complete ancient god’s mission. You were an obstacle, but I don’t feel love or hatred toward the people of your world.”

At this, he raised an eyebrow. “How heartless. With that attitude, you’ll never find true love.”

“That’s none of your concern.” I extended my hand toward him. “Give me back my golden bell. It was given to me —it’s of no use for you. You might just end up summoning another eighty-one bolts of heavenly punishment.”

Shen Yuan scoffed, spreading his hands. “The golden bell is lost. When I fell, my mind was barely intact. I couldn’t hold onto it—it drifted away into the air.”

Hearing his words, I sighed. “Fine, then we go our separate ways—”

“I never planned on going our separate ways,” he cut me off, smiling. “Little Fruit Immortal, from now on, I’m sticking with you.”

I frowned. “Begging for scraps? I won’t take care of you.”

Shen Yuan chuckled, amused by my words. “Little Fruit Immortal, I’ll be honest with you. I was once a tree in the Nine Heavens, nurtured by the essence of the sun and moon, and my sole duty was managing fate. But now, having fallen to the mortal realm, I can’t ascend on my own.”

The more he spoke, the deeper my frown became. “So you really do plan to leech off me?”

“Not leeching—it will be mutually beneficial.”

The phrase sounded strangely familiar. Then, I realized—it was the very same excuse I had tried to use earlier to trick the man earlier, only to fail.

I hadn’t succeeded, so I certainly wouldn’t let him succeed either. I rejected him again. “You’re a tree, not a vine. Don’t cling to me. Cultivate on your own and ascend using your own abilities. Like I plan to.”

“I was a tree that spent tens of thousands of years shaping a human form. And now, after eighty-one bolts of heavenly punishment, my cultivation is destroyed, my true form—the Longing Tree—has fallen into dormancy in the Nine Heavens, and here in the mortal realm, I’m barely holding on. If I were to ascend on my own, it might take another few thousand years…”

“Then take those few thousand years.” I cut him off mercilessly. “I told you—I was sent here on a mission. I have no love or hatred toward you, nor any sympathy. Your suffering is none of my concern.”

Shen Yuan raised a brow again, scrutinizing me. His gaze—naturally laced with charm—now held a trace of distance.

But after a moment, he smiled again, his lips curving in a way that erased the coldness from his expression. He masked himself in mist and spoke warmly.

“But you need to find true love. Without it, you can’t ascend.” Failing the sympathy card, he now resorted to bargaining. “For years, my expertise has been guiding others to their true love.”

I looked at Shen Yuan, then down at the red thread I had thrown away.

I considered his words—they weren’t entirely without merit. I did need to find true love to ascend. Shen Yuan had been the God of Love for centuries—surely no one understood true love better.

Logically, I should accept his offer of ‘mutual benefit.’

But…

“No.” I refused again.

Shen Yuan looked surprised.

I spoke plainly. “You’re manipulative.”

Shen Yuan: “…”

I continued, blunt as ever. “Let’s not pretend—my current predicament is entirely your doing. Back in the Nine Heavens, even while holding the golden bell, I couldn’t defeat you. My strategy, my tactics—everything failed! Now that I’ve fallen to the mortal realm, lost my golden bell, and must navigate romance…”

I thought back to my disastrous attempt on the mountain path earlier. Already exhausted, I let out a weary sigh.

“Falling in love is exhausting! And I don’t even understand it!” Frustrated, I simmered with irritation for a moment before continuing, “You talk about mutual benefit, but for all I know, I’ll be dying over and over just to help you ascend, with nothing to gain for myself. So no, your offer is rejected. Goodbye.”

I waved him off and took a step forward.

“You refuse mutual benefit” Shen Yuan’s voice drifted lazily behind me. “Then let’s say I like you and want to be with you.”

My eyes widened in shock as I turned to glare at him.

Shen Yuan was still smiling at me, but his expression held no trace of affection.

His eyes were filled only with calculation.

Had he figured out my curse? Did he already know the rule that governed my death?

Before I could curse him, suddenly—the mountain rumbled again, and another massive boulder rolled down!

Shen Yuan stood by, arms crossed, watching with amusement. He even let out a gleeful “Oh my, such a grand display for killing a mere fruit.”

If I had suspected him before, now his expression confirmed it—he knew my curse.

He had done this on purpose.

The boulder rushed toward me, and I—infuriated beyond reason—lunged at Shen Yuan, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist.

His waist was slim, his chest solid—it hurt when I collided with him, but what was a little pain?

I clung to him with all my strength, so tightly that I felt his body stiffen in shock. Shen Yuan, who had been smugly watching from the sidelines, suddenly tensed—he hadn’t seen this coming.

I didn’t care what he was thinking. In this moment, I only had one thought.

“Then let’s die together!”

If you have no mercy, I have no righteousness.

Let’s both perish.

The boulder crushed us both, turning us into nothing but pulp.

 

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TLs note: Do you guys have any preference for the posting day? I will try to do 1 or 2 chapters a week, but I am not sure which day to post them on