The Matchmaker Immortal Wants to Return to the Celestial Court - Chapter 3

Qian Hongxian’s divine consciousness passed through multiple layers of the heavens and arrived at Purple Cloud City.

As soon as she saw where she was, she became overwhelmed with excitement—this was the first time she had successfully and completely brought her divine sense back.

She turned around and saw a beautifully dressed celestial maiden floating toward her. When she recognized who it was, her eyes were immediately filled with tears.

“Seven-Star Goddess!” Qian Hongxian cried loudly. She attempted to use her celestial powers to fly toward her, but to her surprise, nothing happened.

“Moon Matchmaker Fairy!” Seven-Star Goddess exclaimed in astonishment as she flew over. The two celestial maidens—technically, one still in service and the other on unpaid leave—embraced each other joyfully.

“I was just thinking how familiar you looked, and it turns out to really be you! But isn’t your lifespan in the mortal realm not over yet? How did you come back? Although to the celestial realm, it’s like you only just descended to the mortal world.”

Qian Hongxian wiped her tears away and gave Seven-Star Goddess a radiant smile. “My lifespan isn’t over yet, but it will be soon—only two more years to go!” She spoke with a mix of mystery and excitement. “Most importantly, my mission is complete!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Seven-Star Goddess’ expression shifted from a warm smile to one of shock.

“Completed?” Seven-Star Goddess wanted to confirm she hadn’t misheard.

“Yes!” Qian Hongxian nodded vigorously.

Seven-Star Goddess’ expression turned solemn, making Qian Hongxian nervous.

“What’s wrong? Is something not right?” Qian Hongxian grasped Seven-Star Goddess’ hand.

“Moon Elder Fairy, you know that after you descended, the Heavenly Emperor assigned me to temporarily oversee your Book of Fate to monitor your mission progress. Just an hour ago, I checked it, and you still have one pair left incomplete.”

Qian Hongxian was utterly stunned.

“Impossible! I memorized that list down to my very bones before reincarnating—I’m absolutely sure I completed all of them. Liang Wanrong and Xie Yuqin…” She started counting on her fingers. “…And lastly, Chen Zhongguo and Wu Xiumei. The ink-stained page recorded twenty pairs in total, meaning forty individuals altogether. I didn’t miscount, did I?”

She expected Seven-Star Goddess to apologize for making a mistake, but instead, the celestial maiden remained serious and shook her head vigorously.

“No, it’s forty-two individuals. You missed Yun Jinyao and… hmm, who was Yun Jinyao’s other half? I remember the surname was Yu? No, maybe Ding?”

As Seven-Star Goddess tried to recall, Qian Hongxian began to panic. She was absolutely certain that when she handed in the Book of Fate, there was no mention of Yun Jinyao.

“How about this… Seven-Star Goddess, can you let me take a look at the Book of Fate?”

Seven-Stars Goddess hesitated.

“The Jade Emperor instructed us not to assist you after you have descended in the mortal realm. If I show you the book, wouldn’t that be going against his orders?”

Qian Hongxian pressed her palms together and pleaded.

“I won’t look at it! Just tell me the names of those extra two people. You don’t need to show me the book.”

Seven-Star Goddess sighed as if she resigned herself to Qian Hongxian’s persistence. She reached into her sleeve, rummaging through it. Though her celestial robes were as light as gauze, with seemingly no room to hold anything, Qian Hongxian, being a celestial on leave, knew she must have used some kind of spell to store the large Book of Fate within her sleeve.

Seven-Star Goddess pulled out the book and flipped directly to the ink-stained page, carefully ensuring Qian Hongxian couldn’t see it. With a delicate, slender finger, she traced the text.

“Here it is! Yun Jinyao, currently twenty-eight years old, living in Guanxi Town, Hsinchu County, and runs a Hakka restaurant. His other half is—”

Suddenly, all sound disappeared.

Seven-Star Goddess’ lips were moving, but no words came out. Her face showed an expression of horror. When she lifted her head to look at Qian Hongxian, Qian Hongxian felt her vision becoming increasingly blurry until it completely faded away.

“…Miss, miss, wake up!”

Qian Hongxian’s eyes snapped open to find a stranger’s face very close to hers. Startled, she jumped up and accidentally bumped foreheads with the stranger.

“Ouch!”

They both groaned in pain. She took a good look at the stranger—he was dressed as a security guard. Looking around, she realized she was still sitting on the bench outside the hospital, but now the sky had darkened.

She remembered completing Chen Zhongguo’s match at around 5 or 6 PM. Frantically, she dug into her bag for her phone—only to see that it was already 1 AM!

She had only spoken with Seven-Star Goddess for a few minutes, yet so much time had passed in the mortal world!

“Miss, are you feeling unwell? When I patrolled at 8 PM, I saw you sitting here, and now you’re still here… Should I help you to the emergency room for a check-up?” The middle-aged security guard looked concerned.

“I’m fine, I just fell asleep. Thank you for your concern.” Qian Hongxian rubbed her forehead with one hand and gestured reassuringly with the other. As the pain subsided, she noticed a red ribbon tied around the guard’s wrist, its other end stretching straight toward the emergency room.

“Sir, good deeds will be rewarded. Your happiness is near—start planning your proposal surprise for your girlfriend.” Qian Hongxian smiled and pointed toward the emergency room. Just then, a female nurse appeared at the automatic doors and glanced in their direction.

“Wow! How did you know…?”

After bidding farewell to the security guard, Qian Hongxian hopped into the only taxi parked by the roadside. As she gave the driver her address and leaned back in her seat, she gazed at the quiet streets of Taipei at night, deep in thought.

Who exactly was this “Yun Jinyao”? How did he suddenly appear on the list? Could the Jade Emperor have added him as a test? But that wasn’t like the Jade Emperor at all.

Seven-Star Goddess wouldn’t make a mistake, nor would she deliberately deceive her. If she wanted to get to the bottom of this, she would have to return to the Celestial Court once more.

But ever since she was reborn and grew up, she had no powers other than the ability to see the red strings connecting people. She had tried meditation, visited churches, temples, and shrines, all in hopes of regaining her spiritual strength to return to the Celestial Court—but nothing worked.

Today was the first time she had successfully gone back. She thought it was because she had completed her mission, but it turned out not to be the case.

She gazed at the full moon through the taxi window, recalling how Siming had once visited her in the Moon Matchmaker Pavilion to teach her celestial techniques on a full moon night.

She missed Siming so much! It was rare for her to return to the celestial court, yet she didn’t get a chance to see him. She wondered how he was doing.

Back at her apartment, she opened the door to find her mother, Huang Shuzhen, sitting in the living room, laughing at the TV.

“Mom, why are you still up? Didn’t I tell you not to wait for me?” Qian Hongxian asked as she removed her shoes, then sat beside her mother on the couch. She wrapped her arms around her mother’s plump figure, acting like a spoiled child.

“I can’t sleep until you’re home. So, my dear celestial daughter, did you complete your mission today?”

“Mom, listen to me…” Qian Hongxian recounted everything about her return to the Celestial Court. Her mother listened intently, occasionally asking questions.

“Could it be that you actually forgot Yun Jinyao before reincarnating?” Huang Shuzhen asked.

Qian Hongxian shook her head furiously. “No, I’m absolutely sure his name wasn’t there!”

“Or maybe someone added it as a prank?”

“If it was a prank, the Jade Emperor would know. Besides, only Seven-Star Goddess, Siming, and I can touch the Book of Fate.”

Her mother smiled knowingly. “You used to work closely with Seven-Star Goddess and Siming, my immortal son-in-law, right?”

To Qian Hongxian, Huang Shuzhen was an open-minded mother. Ever since Qian Hongxian remembered she was the Moon Matchmaker at the age of five, her mother had been the only person she could confide in.

Qian Hongxian was deeply grateful to her mother. Even though her mother might secretly believe that she had some mental issues, she always listened attentively, offering timely advice and comfort. She even understood Qian Hongxian’s feelings for Siming, affectionately referring to him as her “immortal son-in-law.”

“Immortal son-in-law… really, mom?” Despite having heard this term hundreds or even thousands of times, Qian Hongxian couldn’t help but chuckle every time.

“My daughter, I’m curious—has Siming never confessed his feelings to you?” Huang Shuzhen adjusted her posture and asked her daughter seriously.

Qian Hongxian’s expression instantly deflated. She leaned forward, grabbed a cookie from the table, and tore open the package to eat it.

“Immortals must sever their emotions and desires to advance in their cultivation, so the Celestial Court does not encourage romantic relationships. Siming is highly cultivated; he treats every celestial, male or female, with kindness and care. He wouldn’t see me as anything special.”

“But from the way you’ve described him, I feel like he might have liked you for a long time and just hasn’t said it out loud.”

Qian Hongxian recalled the smile Siming gave to the Hundred Flowers Fairy.

“I know you’re about to bring up that Hundred Flowers Fairy again. Silly girl, you’re not Siming himself—how could you possibly know what he’s really thinking? You should hurry up and find that Yun Jinyao, complete your mission, and then go ask him directly whether he likes you or not.”

“Aww, Mom, don’t say that,” Qian Hongxian whined, burying her face in her mother’s embrace in embarrassment.

“Look at you, already thirty yet you’re still acting like a little girl,” Huang Shuzhen said with a playful tone. “Go take a shower, I’ll heat up some supper for you. By the way, your birthday is in a few days. Have you thought about how you want to celebrate?”

Qian Hongxian’s expression suddenly turned serious.

“Mom, there’s no need for any special celebration.” She turned her face away from her mother, instead focusing on the broken red string around her mother’s wrist. “I can only live until I am thirty-two, so I don’t have much time left to be with you. You should think about what you want to do—I’ll accompany you instead.”

As usual, upon hearing her say once again that she could only live until thirty-two, Huang Shuzhen gave her a heavy knock on the head and then stood up.

“Silly girl, I’ve told you many times—stop saying things like that. I know you’re an immortal, but I hope you can live a fulfilling life in the human world, and then die peacefully of old age. That way, when you return to the Celestial Court, you can make them see you in a new light! Let the other immortals witness how you lived in this impure and troubled world yet still maintained a broad heart and unshakable composure.”

Qian Hongxian rubbed her head, which had been bumped for the second time, and watched her mother walk into the kitchen with a thoughtful expression.

She felt that her mother’s wisdom far surpassed that of an immortal like herself, who was currently on an extended leave of absence.