"Boom!"
A thunderbolt from the blue sky!
Thunder, with immense force, descended from the heavens like the roar of a dragon or a tiger, tearing through the pink sky, shattering the covered bridge overhead, and landing on the exquisitely carved sandalwood table before me—striking the face of the "Butterfly."
After the thunder's resounding roar, the enchanting music of string instruments in the backyard of Acacia Palace ceased. The whispers of orioles fell silent. All the laughter in my ears stopped.
Everything went quiet.
Except for the pavilion that had been struck to the ground—a raging fire burned from it, incinerating the delicate pink flowers of Acacia Palace into black ash.
The "Butterfly" had become a "Black Butterfly," and he too was silent.
A quietness that was charred on the outside, tender on the inside.
His jade-white skin was coated in black ash, his vermilion lips had turned purple. Only his phoenix eyes remained as clear as before, though their former frivolity and smile had been lost.
I still held my hand up, the golden bell tucked around my wrist, as obedient as a small bracelet.
I hadn't expected this thunder to be so much louder than the one I'd witnessed from the Hidden God Tree.
I pursed my lips slightly, maintaining my composure, and assumed an air of unfathomable authority.
"The first rule I've established..." I said to Butterfly. "In the Immortal Realm, immortals are forbidden to fall in love."
As soon as I finished speaking, the noise around me finally returned, and behind me, the immortals gasped in disbelief.
Some male immortals fainted from rage, unable to accept this. Some female immortals burst into tears. Mustering courage to protest, they cried out, "Why?"
I stopped looking at Shen Yuan in front of me and turned back to the immortals behind me.
"I have received divine orders to capture the celestial thunder and enforce the laws of Heaven. The people of the lower realms have suffered for so long. They can't control you, so I will. From this moment on, the eight hundred immortals of the Nine Heavens will bring rain when it's time to do so, and blow the wind when it's time to do so! Anyone who slacks off will be chopped and eaten."
As I withdrew my hand, I accidentally rang the golden bell a little too loudly. My heart tightened as thunder struck again, smashing down on the pink tree in the courtyard.
The petals on the tree turned black in an instant, falling to the ground one by one like charcoal. The immortals' expressions mirrored the fallen flowers.
They trembled in fear, and no one dared to speak again.
I dared not speak either, merely straightening my back and forcing composure, my face stern.
I turned to look at the charred-on-the-outside-and-tender-on-the-inside Black Butterfly. For some reason, his expression seemed to grow even uglier.
He was staring back at me. His celestial servants arrived, supporting him on either side, as if he were too weak to care for himself. Tears welled in his servants' eyes, their hearts aching.
But I spoke coldly, in a sardonic voice: "Rule number two. Acacia Palace, close. You, Yue Lao, God of Love—cease operations."
With these harsh words, I flicked my skirt and turned to leave.
Later, thinking back on that day, I still feel I was a little premature.
It wasn't because I accidentally slipped my hand when the thunderbolt struck the tree, nor was it because my legs weakened after leaving Acacia Palace.
It was because I was too careless.
My hasty departure prevented me from noticing that the "charred-on-the-outside-and-tender-on-the-inside" Black Butterfly was now staring back at me, his eyes devoid of emotion, filled only with sinister intent and calculation.
This god of love, who had plunged the entire celestial realm into romantic chaos, had set his sights on me.
To avoid accidentally striking something wrong by touching the golden bell again, I removed it and hung it around my waist, just for backup.
I wasn't worried about any immortals plotting against me, because my two thunderbolts had struck decisively, not only establishing my authority but also rectifying the celestial world's morale.
The immortals of the Nine Heavens spread the story that "Heaven," "Heavenly Way," and "the Lord God" had sent messengers down to unleash divine punishment and slay lazy immortals with thunderbolts.
The burning of the thousand-year-old acacia tree in Acacia Palace and the severe injury to the god of love, Shen Yuan, served as a cautionary tale.
Those immortals who had been idle in broad daylight were frightened. During the day, they returned to their proper duties, but at night, they began to secretly fall in love.
I remembered the ancient god's instructions to me—to enact a change.
They didn't talk about love during the day, only at night, so it wasn't enough to cause a stir.
So, for the next two or three months, I began searching for these secret "mandarin ducks" under the moonlight, amidst the distant clouds, and amidst the shimmering stars.
Whether in the misty celestial ponds or in the shadowy peach groves, I'd find a couple and capture them, wiping out every single one of the romantically involved immortals in the Nine Heavens.
I even kept a small notebook and wrote down their names and ranks.
Those caught once received a verbal warning. Those caught twice were imprisoned. Those caught three times and refused to change were banished to the lower realms, letting them experience the bitterness of the human world without the comforts of home. I could also use the "separation between heaven and man" tactic to put an end to these "deeply sentimental" immortals' casual romances.
Of course, there were those who protested, but I quickly yanked out the golden bell and struck them, and they became obedient.
Of course, there were those who refused to behave even after being struck. The most resistant were simply banished to the lower realms, while those who resisted less fiercely were kept in the Heavenly Prison.
This swift and resolute overhaul soon brought all the immortals still active in the Nine Heavens to heel.
Finally, I assigned tasks to the immortals, each on a five-day cycle.
Every five days, I asked them to write a reflection, encompassing a summary of the past five days, an outlook for the next five, and a reflection on the present. This required thorough self-reflection from both emotional and professional perspectives.
Then, without resting, they would persevere and continue to dedicate themselves to the next task.
Thus, by my third month in the Nine Heavens, not a single immortal within my sight dared to discuss romance.
Everyone worked diligently, self-disciplined, and adhered to proper principles, resolving old cases and rediscovering their mission as immortals.
They no longer had the time or energy for romance.
They now bore a weary shadow, but because there is light, there are shadows! This is proof of their growth!
All fruits must weather storms! All mature immortals must understand the importance of bearing responsibility!
I thought the atmosphere in the entire Nine Heavens was good—very good, in fact. Fantastic.
Seeing everyone regain a sense of peace and tranquility amidst the busyness of life, I was very satisfied.
And that playful butterfly, Shen Yuan, deserved special praise.
Ever since I struck him, his Acacia Palace had remained sealed for the past three months, mindful of the "rules" and strictly adhering to them.
Occasionally, when I was catching "mandarin ducks" and passed by his Acacia Palace, I'd see immortals emerging from it, always individually. I imagined they were paying respects to Shen Yuan, struck by lightning, out of consideration for their fellow immortal.
Naturally, I wouldn't completely forbid these unimportant interactions.
Shen Yuan's overall attitude had been quite cooperative.
I understood him.
As Yue Lao, the God of Love, the ruler of all love and longing, it was his duty to bring joy to all.
It was a shame he'd overreached before, throwing the Nine Heavens out of balance.
However, he didn't deserve that strike. I was reckless in using him to establish my authority. When I completed my meritorious service and returned to the Divine Realm, I would definitely apologize to him.
I pondered this until the hundredth day of my stay in the Nine Heavens.
That day, the weather in the Ninth Heaven was perfect, with a gentle breeze. I was staying in the Immortal Fruit Garden. Just like the previous hundred days, I sat by my favorite Immortal Fruit tree, checking the names in my small notebook.
Seeing the number of names added to the list dwindling, I wondered if it was time to report my progress to the Ancient God and ask if I'd accumulated enough merit to become a ripe fruit. Was my task complete?
But before I could even light incense or pray to the gods, a group of immortals burst through the door, another group descended from the sky, and yet another group rose from the ground.
They surrounded me from above, center, and below.
I watched them, then quietly reached for the golden bell at my waist.
But the moment I touched it, I felt my entire fruit-self leap.
My golden bell was gone!
Startled, I frantically scanned the ground. It wasn't there!
I hurriedly scanned the other immortals. Nothing!
Finally, my gaze paused as I looked past the sullen-faced crowd pressing forward. I spotted someone in the gap between the mass of immortals.
He was wearing a pink robe, a white jade hairpin, and red thread bound around his hair and wrapped around his body.
He stood behind the immortals with a smile on his face, seemingly uninvolved in the confrontation. But in his slightly raised hand, I saw a bright red thread wrapped around it, and hanging from that red thread was my golden bell!
He'd stolen the bell from my waist!
"Thief!"
I jumped up and cursed him.
But the next moment, I was bound by the immortals who rushed over.
Their magic transformed into colorful light—red, blue, green, and purple—and they bound me like a spindle, leaving only my head exposed to breathe.
Then, the immortals lifted me up above their heads and carried me out of the fairy fruit forest.
It felt as if I hadn't arrived in some celestial realm, but a barbaric mortal tribe.
"How dare you! How presumptuous!" I roared. "I am the God of Law! I am under the divine will—Ugh!"
A red thread shot across my face, tightly wrapping around my mouth.
Furious, I tilted my head to see the pink-clad butterfly, still acting as if nothing had happened. Standing outside the group of immortals, he gazed at me with a half-smile, then quietly raised his hand and placed his index finger on his lips.
"Shhh."
I heard, amid the clamor, a dismissive and frivolous warning: "Shut up, Little Fruit Fairy."
I grew even more enraged.
But I couldn't break free.
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