“Sigh, serving in the Heavenly Court is truly difficult.”
Inside the Hall of the Matchmaker, an elderly, thin man dressed in a bright red wedding robe sat in his chair, sipping tea brought by a young attendant. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
He had just managed to deal with a celestial general who had insisted that he arrange a match between him and a fairy from the Jade Pool.
But could he simply tie the red string of fate as he pleased?
Even though he was the Matchmaker, he couldn’t just go around altering people’s destinies.
Sure, there were ways to manipulate things behind the scenes, but it depended entirely on who was involved!
It had taken him a great deal of effort to brush off that celestial general, leaving him utterly exhausted.
Refusing outright would risk offending one party while displeasing the other.
Being the Matchmaker was truly a challenging job.
Most fated relationships formed naturally, while a few were divinely ordained.
As the Matchmaker, he did have some authority to adjust them. However, the golden scissors and red strings he wielded were treasures of karmic virtue, not to be used lightly!
Even meddling with a single mortal’s fate—if done improperly—could cost him years of accumulated merit and invite punishment from the ever-diligent Jade Emperor himself.
What constituted a naturally formed bond?
In the rear hall, there existed a vast, mystical realm filled with countless clay figurines. Any being in the mortal, earthly, or celestial realms that required a marriage match had a corresponding figurine here.
Marriage was a fundamental order of propriety, the foundation of harmony.
These figurines primarily represented humans, with a few belonging to well-disciplined demons and sorcerers.
Whenever two beings interacted in the mortal realm, their respective figurines would drift closer together. If destined, red strings of fate would emerge and intertwine, signifying the birth of a romantic bond.
- A love that grew over time was reflected by red strings slowly swaying and tangling.
- Love at first sight? A brief touch, and the strings would instantly entwine.
- Sometimes, a figurine drifted the wrong way, entangling its red string with someone else’s—causing an affair.
What about divinely ordained bonds?
The moment a being was born, their corresponding figurine would appear in this realm, already connected to their destined partner by a red string. That was a match decreed by fate.
And then, there were the “free-spirited” figurines—those who deliberately shook off their red strings and roamed around aimlessly.
Every so often, two such wandering figurines would meet—
- If their strings connected, a passionate love affair would ignite.
- If the string snapped, it was nothing more than a fleeting romance.
The celestial general’s request had been quite simple for the Matchmaker.
All he had to do was tie the general’s red string to the fairy’s figurine, and a destined relationship would be formed. Normally, there wouldn’t be any karmic backlash.
But the Matchmaker had to consider the background of the Jade Pool fairy.
A few centuries ago, the Queen Mother had already reprimanded him once. He absolutely could not afford to tamper with the fates of the Jade Pool fairies again…
The Matchmaker hadn’t always been a high-ranking deity. He was originally just a celestial cultivator but had been among the first to pledge loyalty to the newly established Heavenly Court. His record was spotless, and he had always been diligent in his duties.
Ten thousand years ago, the Jade Emperor had personally bestowed upon him the role of Matchmaker.
Having served in this position for millennia, he was well aware of the many benefits it provided. Thus, he remained ever-vigilant, never daring to slack off.
But now, the problem was—more and more celestial beings were discovering the secret of the red strings. They knew he had the power to alter them.
His once-quiet Hall of the Matchmaker was now frequently visited by sneaky, would-be suitors…
Some were fellow officials he couldn’t easily refuse.
Others tried to bribe him in exchange for love, but he rejected them outright—what material gift could outweigh the merit and divine rewards he earned through his service in the Heavenly Court?
And then there was a third category—individuals so powerful or well-connected that he neither could nor dared to turn them down. These were the ones who made his position truly precarious.
For example…
“Master!”
Outside the hall, two young attendants—each with twin buns on their heads and dressed in festive robes—rushed in, calling out in alarm:
“The Grand Celestial Master is here! He’s approaching the hall!”
The Matchmaker immediately straightened up and hurried forward to greet him.
This was no ordinary figure—he was the sole direct disciple of the Grand Supreme Elder Lord (Laozi himself), a man of unfathomable cultivation, backed by one of the three supreme Daoist sages!
Because Laozi was the eldest of the Three Purities, this Grand Celestial Master was addressed as “senior brother” even by the leading disciples of the major Daoist sects—Guangchengzi of the Celestial Sect and Duobao of the Cut-Off Sect.
He was, in every sense, the Senior Brother of the Daoist World.
He had no formal Daoist title, as Laozi had deliberately refrained from bestowing one to avoid entangling him in major karmic forces.
Instead, he was simply known by the title given to him in the Mystic Capital—
The Grand Celestial Master of Mystic Capital.
And from that moment, “Mystic Capital” could either refer to this powerful cultivator or serve as a geographical reference.
The Matchmaker understood the significance of this visit.
This direct disciple of Laozi was leagues above the mere honorary disciples of the Celestial Sect.
Since the Heavenly Court was still in its early stages and relatively weak, the Grand Celestial Master had been temporarily residing in the Palace of the Supreme Purity…
After all, if rogue immortals or malevolent deities caused trouble, it wouldn’t be appropriate for a Sage to intervene personally. Instead, it fell to the Grand Celestial Master to deal with such threats.
He had already visited the Hall of the Matchmaker a few times. The Matchmaker knew exactly what he had come for.
Hurrying to the entrance, the Matchmaker looked up and saw a Daoist approaching on a drifting cloud.
The man wore a dark Daoist robe, his features neither striking nor ordinary—perfectly balanced in appearance.
He stood tall and composed, his robe flowing gently around him. He wore no jade ornaments or accessories, yet his entire being radiated an air of pure and unrefined authenticity—the unmistakable aura of a truly enlightened cultivator.
It was said that the Grand Celestial Master was among the first humans ever created—formed directly from clay by the goddess Nüwa herself.
As a result, he carried a trace of creation merit and the fortune of the Daoist lineage.
Even before stepping inside, the Grand Celestial Master clasped his hands and greeted him with a warm smile:
“Matchmaker, I trust you have been well?”
“Very well, very well!”
The Matchmaker nodded repeatedly—if an outsider had been watching, they might have mistaken him for a hunched old man.
“Please, Grand Celestial Master, come inside… Is this visit the same as last time?”
“I’ll trouble you once again,” the Grand Celestial Master replied with a kind smile as he stepped into the hall.
The two of them proceeded to the rear chamber.
There, a vast expanse of mystical starlight unfolded before them.
The Matchmaker picked up a small bonsai tree and gave it a gentle shake. A shower of starlight drifted down, forming into five distinct piles of clay figurines, each labeled with glowing characters.
One pile, positioned furthest to the left, bore three large characters: “Duxian Sect.”
The other piles were labeled “Xiaoyao Sect,” “Zizai Sect”—various lineages of the Human Daoist tradition.
The Grand Celestial Master sighed lightly and asked with a smile:
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152