Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Honglu pushed open the window, craned her neck to peer outside, then rubbed her hands together excitedly. “Auntie, there’s such a grand commotion outside! Aren’t we going to take a look?”

I thought about it. Li Lan’s wedding was such a joyous occasion that I really ought to go offer my congratulations-especially since I was the divine lord in charge of mortal and immortal marriages.

So I set down the red threads in my hands, packed them neatly into the basket, then took a jade ruyi from my Qiankun Bag and said to Honglu, “Let’s go.”

Yuze Palace was hung with lanterns and festooned in wedding colors, brimming with celebration. A red carpet stretched for thirty li beyond the palace gates. I heard Li Lan had specifically ordered the Weaver Girl to weave it from sunset clouds and the tail feathers of five-colored birds. It shimmered with flowing light and brilliant hues, and everyone said the Emperor Lord truly had style. Such beautiful silk would have been considered a waste if an ordinary immortal used it to make clothes, yet he had laid it directly on the ground. Clearly, the Emperor Lord loved the Heavenly Consort dearly.

I stepped across that red carpet, one pace at a time, and felt nothing in particular-until I saw the wedding couplet pasted by the entrance.

The strokes were sharp as silver hooks and iron lines, graceful as a startled dragon. When the brush lifted into a hook, it habitually flicked slightly inward. I knew that handwriting all too well.

He had written: “Having passed through all the flowers, I am too weary to look back; half for my cultivation of the Dao, and half because of you.”

My steps faltered despite myself.

Everyone was right-the Emperor Lord did love the Heavenly Consort dearly.

Beside me, the Long-browed Old Daoist had a booming voice. The moment he saw me, he shouted, “Oh! It’s Immortal Lord Yuehong. Quickly, quickly, everyone make room for Yue Lao. On a day of great joy like this, we can do without anyone but Yue Lao’s wedding gift!”

“Yue Lao, where’s your red cord? Hurry and take it out. Tie the Emperor Lord and Fairy Zirou firmly together.”

“Hahaha, well said! Yue Lao, we’re counting on you.”

I had only meant to watch from afar, quietly set down the jade ruyi, and leave. Unfortunately, with the immortals calling out one after another, I was pushed all the way to the very front of the hall.

Li Lan stood at the highest place, his face as exquisite as ever. Since it was his wedding day, he looked especially festive to me. On ordinary days, he always wore white or black, looking cool and indifferent. Today, dressed in wedding robes, his features seemed painted into perfection. Even that banished immortal, untouched by mortal dust, had gained a trace of earthly warmth.

He held Zirou in his arms. When he saw me, something flashed through his eyes, and his brows drew together almost imperceptibly.

He was displeased.

But displeased about what?

Naturally, I would not embarrass him in front of all the gods of the Eight Desolations.

I took a step forward. He held Zirou a little tighter, and the look he gave me carried a faint warning.

In my memories, he had once held me tightly like that too, lowering his head to kiss the reddened tips of my ears as he teased, “Our Little Ah Yue gets shy so easily. How will you ever become Yue Lao in the future and preside over other people’s marriages?”

Time had turned and turned again. The man I loved now held someone else in front of me.

I was the one who did not belong.

And I was not welcome.

I did not retreat or avoid him. I met his gaze directly and looked at him for a long moment. Then I smiled gently, took out the jade ruyi I had prepared long ago, and offered it forward.

“The Emperor Lord and the Heavenly Consort are a match ordained by heaven. This humble immortal congratulates you both and wishes you a lifetime of harmony, unity of heart, and enduring love as husband and wife.”

Those words had once been his to me.

He had said, “Ah Yue, I want to find someone to honor and cherish, to be united with in heart, and to love as husband and wife for a long, long time.”

I simply never imagined that the person he was searching for had not been me.