The Matchmaker Immortal Wants to Return to the Celestial Court - Chapter 29

What divine luck! She stood at the Celestial Gate, sneering coldly at the bottomless abyss.

Originally, she had only intended to get the Moon Matchmaker drunk and humiliated as a lesson for getting too close to her beloved Lord Siming. But unexpectedly, things had worked out even better. It led to the Moon Matchmaker’s expulsion from the Celestial Court.

Although a hundred years in the mortal world was but a day in the heavens, she had heard from elder immortals that unless one’s cultivation was high enough, once tainted by the mortal world’s desires for fame, love, and fortune, it would be nearly impossible to return. To this day, no one had ever successfully come back. With the Moon Matchmaker’s meager cultivation, she certainly wouldn’t be an exception.

She had hidden and watched with uncontainable joy as the celestial soldiers pushed the Matchmaker into the abyss. She had wanted to shower the sky with petals in celebration. But to maintain her image, she decided to wait until she returned to her private “Xinya Pavilion” that night and celebrate with her sisters.

Just as she was leaving the Celestial Gate, she heard a commotion behind her. Turning around, she saw a raggedly dressed immortal standing between two celestial soldiers. Squinting, she realized in horror—it was Lord Siming.

“Please convey my gratitude to the Jade Emperor. I take my leave,” Fate Star Lord said before preparing to jump.

She nearly fainted on the spot. “No! Lord Siming!”

No matter how she pleaded, she could not stop him. The sight of him leaping into the abyss became an eternal nightmare in her mind.

She collapsed to the ground. One of the celestial soldiers passing by sighed. “Hundred Flowers Fairy, this is not a place for you to linger. Please return.”

She clenched her fists in fury and quickly stood up. There was no time to waste—she had to find a way to save Lord Siming.

She hurried to the residence of Elder Daozhen, but he was not there. After asking his attendant, she learned he had gone to the Palace of Fate. She turned to leave, only to be blocked.

“You must not go, Hundred Flowers Fairy. The Jade Emperor has decreed that no one except the Elder may approach the Palace of Fate.”

Though anxious, she dared not show it and instead spoke politely. 

“Then I shall wait here for the Elder’s return.”

She was fortunate—the Elder returned not long after the attendant had brought out tea for her. She personally served him tea, using the opportunity to probe for information.

“How do you know about Lord of Fates’ reincarnation?” Elder Daozhen asked after sipping his tea. 

“The Jade Emperor suppressed this news. Hundred Flowers Fairy, you should not be aware of it. The Moon Matchmaker has only just been cast to the mortal world, and now another high immortal follows suit. The Jade Emperor fears unrest among the immortals, disrupting the order of the Celestial Court.”

“I happened to pass by and saw Lord of Fates jump from the Celestial Gate,” she replied, struggling to keep her voice steady. “I know you are close to him, Elder. I was hoping you could help him.”

“Do you think I don’t want to?” Elder Daozhen downed his tea in one gulp. “Lord of Fates has helped me countless times in the past. I pleaded for him to at least retain his celestial memories, so he wouldn’t lose himself in the mortal world, but the Jade Emperor refused.”

“Why was he suddenly sent down to the mortal realm?” she asked anxiously.

Elder Daozhen sighed deeply and fell into silence before finally answering, “Because he fell in love with the Moon Matchmaker and chose to follow her.”

She was utterly shaken. The teapot in her hand slipped and spilled tea all over the table.

With a wave of his hand, Elder Daozhen cleared the mess and advised, “Don’t be too upset. You have always been kind to me, sending flowers daily. My advice to you is to focus on cultivation instead of wasting effort on mortal affections. Though immortals in Purple Cloud City live for hundreds of thousands of years, if their virtue and cultivation are insufficient, they will still fall into the three lower realms upon their demise.”

She did not heed his words. Overcome with grief for Lord of Fates’ departure, she collapsed onto the table and wept bitterly.

“Fude, come here,” she heard Elder Daozhen call his attendant as she sobbed. 

“Put the Fate Records away.”

“Master! Master!” Another attendant rushed in.

“The Jade Emperor has summoned you to the main palace at once!”

“Understood. I will go immediately,” Elder Daozhen replied as he rose to leave.

“Hundred Flowers Fairy, rest here for a while. I’ll return soon. Don’t be too upset,” he said before departing.

She then noticed that the attendant named Fude was carrying a thick book—the Fate Records—into Elder Daozhen’s chambers. A sudden idea struck her.

She swiftly stood up and followed.

“Fairy, please stop. This is the Elder’s private chamber; you cannot enter,” Fude said, blocking the doorway with the book in his arms.

Thinking fast, she conjured two glass bottles filled with liquid.

“This is a calming essential oil made from flowers I cultivated myself. It has a delightful fragrance and helps with sleep. One bottle is for the Elder, and the other is for you. It even aids in cultivation!”

“Really?” Fude’s eyes lit up.

“Of course,” she nodded vigorously.

“You don’t know how much I’ve envied the Elder every time you brought him flowers or fragrances! Your essential oils are famous in the Celestial Court!”

She smiled sweetly.

“Oh dear, you’re holding that heavy book. Let me hold it for you while you put the essential oils away for the Elder. This calming essence is exclusive—only you and the Elder will have it. No other immortals possess it.”

Fude excitedly expressed his gratitude repeatedly and handed the fate register to her. Then, he took out Elder Daozhen’s identity token from his sleeve, raised it toward the chamber, and a transparent barrier was lifted. Fude entered the room and carefully placed the bottle of essential oil on the elder’s desk.

“Since Lord Siminh has reincarnated, who will be responsible for recording the fate register in the future?” she asked casually.

“Naturally, Elder Daozhen will take care of it! Besides Lord Siming, only the Jade Emperor and the elders have the authority to alter the fate register,” Fude replied as he adjusted the bottle’s placement.

Without hesitation, she cast a spell, using a specially prepared fragrant powder to knock Fude unconscious. As he collapsed with a thud, she picked up the identity token from his hand.

Elders usually possessed three identity tokens—one primary token kept on their person and two others that could be lent to their attendants. She wasn’t sure if Fude’s token could modify the fate register, but she had no time to ponder it. The moment she acted, the Jade Emperor might have already sensed her intentions.

She flipped to the last page of the register and carefully read the life record of Yun Jinyao. He must be Siming’s mortal identity. Her plan was to create an identity for herself as Yun Jinyao’s wife.

However, the fate register had already assigned him a wife—hardly surprising, as he had descended to the mortal realm for Yue Lao’s sake and would have certainly ensured that they were destined to be together. She bit her lip, contemplating her next move, then attempted to use the token to alter Yun Jinyao’s fate.

Yet, the three bold black characters “Qian Hongxian” remained unaltered. Frustrated, she slammed the register onto the desk.

She forced herself to stay calm. Perhaps since Siming Xingjun had already reincarnated, even an elder couldn’t change his life’s path. Or maybe only Elder Daozhen himself could make modifications, which was clearly not an option.

Wife… Marriage…

A sudden thought struck her. Grabbing the register and the identity token, she teleported to Moon Matchmaker’s Pavilion.

The pavilion was shrouded in darkness—not only was there no moon, but not a single star was visible. However, that didn’t matter. She tightly gripped the identity token and used it to lift the protective barrier. After stepping inside, she closed the barrier again to avoid alerting other immortals before making her way into the building.

She reached Moon Matchmaker’s usual desk, picked up the special brush and ink for recording marriages, and pondered for a long moment before making her move.

She altered “Qian” to “Yu,” “Hong” to “Xiu,” but struggled with the final character, “Xian.” She considered leaving it unchanged but ultimately decided it was safer to alter it, even if only slightly.

Biting her lower lip, she forced herself to change “Xian” into the clumsy, unsightly character “Yan.”

“Hundred Flowers Fairy, we have orders to arrest you. Come out at once, or we won’t be polite!”

The celestial soldiers had arrived—she had no time left.

She hastily used the identity token to cast a spell on the blank section of the register. Fortunately, the secondary token had enough authority to modify the fate register; otherwise, she would have had no choice but to be captured.

“General, the barrier won’t open,” a celestial soldier urgently reported.

“She’s using Elder Daozhen’s identity token! Quickly, summon Elder Daozhen to unlock it!”

In her final desperate attempt, she successfully altered her own fate, making herself “Yu Xiuyan.” Although she couldn’t arrange to be born in the same hometown as Yun Jinyao, she retained her celestial memories and divine powers—more than enough. She would find a way to become Yun Jinyao’s wife.

A beautifully crafted box in the corner of the desk caught her eye. Curious, she opened it and found Moon Matchmaker’s red strings of fate used for blessings. Without hesitation, she cast a spell to store them away.

Elder Daozhen had arrived. Before the barrier could be broken, she teleported to the Celestial Gate.

There was no time to check if everything had gone smoothly. The celestial soldiers had already caught up. Before they could seize her, she clutched the fate register tightly, closed her eyes, and leaped into the abyss.

—-

Qian Hongxian snapped back to reality, realizing she was still in the Jade Pool Hall. She gasped for breath as if she had just run a thousand miles.

Yun Jinyao was truly Siming! And Yu Xiuyan was actually Hundred Flowers Fairy!

“Yu Xiuyan… Why did Hundred Flowers Fairy do this?” she asked Queen Mother of the West in disbelief.

“You saw it yourself, didn’t you? Siming loved you, but she had feelings for him, and so she created this mess. After reincarnating, she only recalled her celestial identity at the age of twenty. Using her memories, she wielded her divine powers to track you down, orchestrated your ruin, and used the red thread of fate she smuggled from Heaven to bind herself to Siming. However, she made a fatal mistake. She only altered the fate register using Moon Matchmaker’s tools, unaware that the marriage record was the key to truly changing destiny. Thus, her actions were futile, and she became nothing more than a fleeting figure in your and Siming’s lives.

“Ah, these strict teachings on cultivation and emotional restraint may seem rigid, but they guide you toward the right path. Do you know why you couldn’t find your predecessor, the former Moon Matchmaker, in Purple Cloud City? He has already attained the status of an Arhat and no longer resides in this realm. When he was here, he focused wholeheartedly on his cultivation.”

“Oh dear, Queen Mother, let’s not lecture her now. The Moon Matchmaker is already heartbroken!” The Seven-Star Goddess interjected, trying to ease the tension. She turned to Qian Hongxian and said, “The celestial soldiers have retrieved the fate register from the abyss and delivered it to Elder Daozhen. Once it is restored, Yu Xiuyan’s celestial fate will be erased—she will become an ordinary mortal, forget everything about Celestial Court, and be barred from ever returning. You can rest assured!”

“But… what about Siming and me? Can we still return to Heaven? He is innocent—it was all my fault, yet he was dragged down with me…” Qian Hongxian sobbed uncontrollably.

Queen Mother of the West let out a long sigh. She then rose from her seat and gently took Qian Hongxian’s hands in hers.

“You still retain your celestial memories, don’t you? In the mortal world, be filial to your mother, cultivate compassion, and perform good deeds. Just as if you were cultivating in Heaven, when your mortal life ends, you will naturally return. Do not worry too much. This is the Jade Emperor’s decree, conveyed to me personally.”

Qian Hongxian threw herself into Queen Mother of the West’s embrace.

“Thank you, Queen Mother… Thank you, Jade Emperor…”

Queen Mother of the West patted her back soothingly for a while before speaking in a gentle voice, “It’s getting late, you should return now.”