Qi An was the first mortal to ascend to immortality without ever practicing Taoism. After her ascension, beyond drawing the attention of the gods, she also piqued the curiosity of the Heavenly Emperor.
The Heavenly Emperor, who usually couldn’t be bothered to summon immortals, had summoned her to the Heavenly Clarity Palace on the very day of her ascension and asked her a multitude of questions. He inquired about her daily routine, what she ate for her three meals, what she dreamed of when she slept, what time she woke up, went to bed, and ate—he questioned everything in such excruciating detail that she felt completely exhausted. That day, before she could even experience the joy of ascension, Qi An had already grown weary of being an immortal.
For several days, the Heavenly Emperor summoned her daily, repeatedly asking the same set of questions, determined to find inconsistencies in her answers and uncover some hidden clue. This matter only reached a conclusion when the Star Lord Si Ming arrived at the Heavenly Clarity Palace with the ledger of Qi An’s mortal life. The ledger clearly stated that Qi An had no affinity with the Tao and was not destined for ascension; however, at the bottom of the page marking her seventeenth year, the words “ascended to immortality” were scrawled hastily.
Star Lord Si Ming explained that it must have been a clerical error. The ledger governed the lives of mortals, and destiny was fixed—even if she wasn’t supposed to ascend, she had to. Qi An was stunned: her immortal status had been obtained due to a slip of the Star Lord’s pen.
The Heavenly Emperor was furious, sternly rebuking the Star Lord and intending to order his punishment. However, the Star Lord asked the Emperor a question with hidden meaning: “Does the Heavenly Emperor remember what you were holding in your hand when you woke up the day after you came to my residence to drink and blacked out half a month ago?”
The Emperor’s anger instantly subsided. He checked the sprawling, dragon-like handwriting on the ledger it did indeed appear to be his own. Watching the Emperor’s slightly awkward expression, Qi An was even more astonished: her immortal status had actually been obtained because the Heavenly Emperor got drunk. Hearing this, it sounded even more casual than Star Lord Si Ming’s clerical error.
The Heavenly Emperor felt that if this were to get out, it would inevitably damage his prestige. He issued a decree to Qi An and Star Lord Si Ming that only the three of them could know of this, and any violation would result in a penalty of 10,000 Heart-Clearing Pearls paid to the other two. 10,000 Heart-Clearing Pearls was enough to cover 400 years of Qi An’s odd jobs, so naturally, she wouldn’t speak a word. The Star Lord dared not disobey the Emperor’s order, and the Emperor would certainly not reveal it himself. Thus, it became a secret between the three of them.
However, a month later, she encountered the Heavenly Empress at the entrance of the Heavenly Clarity Palace. The Empress eyed her curiously for a long while, then leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “Are you that minor immortal who was brought to an immortal position because the Heavenly Emperor got drunk?”
Qi An was stupefied. Who said money doesn’t fall from the sky? Here it is! She hurriedly bowed to the Empress and immediately requested an audience with the Heavenly Emperor. But as soon as the Emperor heard her intent, he developed a migraine and dismissed her, claiming he needed to recuperate. That recuperation lasted for a hundred years. Qi An had also tried to incite the other beneficiary, but thereafter, whenever the Emperor saw Star Lord Si Ming for anything other than official business, he would also develop a migraine.
Thus, Qi An had given up hope on those 5,000 Heart-Clearing Pearls. She never expected that, in her lifetime, she would wait until this day for the Heavenly Emperor to summon her voluntarily. Could it be because she had successfully managed the marriage for his third son that his migraine had cleared, and he was finally going to give her those 5,000 Heart-Clearing Pearls?
At the thought of this possibility, her steps became much lighter, and she urged the divine messenger to walk faster along the way. Upon arriving at the Heavenly Clarity Palace, however, she realized the atmosphere did not feel like one of reward. On the imperial throne, the Emperor wore a stern expression, and the Matchmaker stood rigidly to the side.
Qi An’s heart began to drum. She said tentatively, “Qi An, the minor immortal, greets the Heavenly Emperor.”
The Emperor looked at her meaningfully, his tone inexplicable. “Qi An, you are no simple soul. You ascended without any cultivation, and now you’ve gotten yourself into this mess.”
Qi An was bewildered. “This minor immortal does not know what the Heavenly Emperor refers to; I hope the Emperor will enlighten me.”
The Emperor asked, “What did you do during your trip to the Demon Realm?”
“Completed the conditions for the marriage proposal in the Demon Realm,” Qi An raised her eyes, uneasy. “Could it be that there is a problem with the marriage between the Third Prince and Princess Yuejiao?”
“No, the marriage of Yangxu and the others is fine. The Demon Lord stated in his letter that he agrees to the union; you handled that part very well.” The Emperor paused, looking at Qi An with profound intent. “But he also brought up another matter.”
With that, he took out the Scripture of Fate that Qi An had brought back and sent it floating through the air to her. “Look at the contents of this scripture.”
When Qi An returned to the Heavenly Realm, because the scripture and the letter to the Emperor were both sealed, she hadn’t seen the contents. Could there be a problem? However, before she handed it to Mo Qing, she had checked the text repeatedly and found nothing amiss. She scanned the scripture again in confusion, and just as before, everything seemed normal.
It wasn’t until she reached the end that her eyes widened in disbelief. The names listed for the engagement were Mo Qing and her own! Furthermore, the signature was in her own handwriting. Qi An could not care about protocol and shouted, “What is the meaning of this?”
The Heavenly Emperor held his forehead. “I’m the one who wants to ask you what is going on. The Demon Lord’s letter says he wants to be engaged to you.”
“There must be a misunderstanding,” Qi An said. “I never signed this scripture; how could my name be on it?”
Just as she finished, she remembered she had signed something. At the Hehe Demon Palace, after she took down the Cloud-Dust Silk, Bu Nianjiao had asked her to sign her name. That was the only time. So, what she signed back then was likely not a ledger, but a transformed Scripture of Fate.
She had been set up? Qi An’s expression shifted rapidly. Before she could process the twists and turns, the Emperor said, “Regardless, since both your names are on the Scripture of Fate, according to the rules of the Heavenly Realm, this is considered an engagement.”
Is it really that reckless? Qi An hurriedly refused, “No! Please, Heavenly Emperor, see the truth—I was deceived; this engagement cannot count.”
“Qi An, you must think clearly. If you break this engagement, you are breaking an engagement with the Demon Lord. It will very likely affect our relationship with the Demon Clan. If they were to attack the Heavenly Realm, while we might not lose, it would surely cause a catastrophe and affect the stability of the six realms.” The Emperor’s expression was solemn, his tone frigid. He made it sound as if her one decision would truly cause a world-destroying catastrophe.
She asked the Emperor sternly, “Is the Heavenly Emperor planning to sacrifice one minor immortal to benefit all six realms?”
“If you can understand that, then good,” the Emperor said with satisfaction. “Actually, you don’t have to be so resistant. The Demon Lord said he knew you would be unable to accept it at first, so as long as you are unwilling, he will not set a wedding date. Your relationship can simply remain as it is for now.”
Qi An was dissatisfied. “If that’s the case, why bother with an engagement?”
“The Demon Lord said that if he asked you directly, you surely would have refused, so he had no choice but to use this method.”
“But why me? What is the benefit of being engaged to me? I am just a minor immortal; what could he possibly get from me?”
“The Demon Lord said: think for yourself, and discover it yourself.”
Qi An was stunned. Mo Qing had even anticipated the questions and answers and written them all in the letter? She had previously felt that Mo Qing seemed to understand her very well. While in the Demon Realm, everything regarding her food and lodging had perfectly matched her preferences. At the time, she thought it was a coincidence, but now that she thought about it, it must have been intentional.
She pondered for a moment and asked, “Since he already has the Scripture of Fate and achieved his purpose, why doesn’t he come talk to me about this himself?”
The Emperor was caught off guard. He retrieved the letter, flipped through it to find the corresponding question and answer, and recited it like a script: “Let me see… He said you must be very angry right now. If he appeared before you, you would not be able to face him calmly, so it is better to let you vent your anger on me. Once your anger is vented, you will be able to face this matter calmly.”
As the Emperor read, his voice grew quieter. By the end, he was so angry that he slammed the letter onto the ground. “This bastard, he actually used me as a venting bag!”
Qi An held back a laugh and seized the opportunity. “Exactly, such a bastard we mustn’t let him have his way!”
Once his anger subsided, the Emperor quickly regained his reason and did not fall for Qi An’s ploy. He took back the Scripture of Fate and smiled again, but his tone left absolutely no room for negotiation. “Look at what you’re saying the Demon Lord is doing this for your own good, isn’t he? It is settled. If you want to break the engagement, have the Demon Lord come personally to reclaim this Scripture of Fate.”
Qi An wanted to argue further, but the Matchmaker shook his head at her, signaling that her efforts would be in vain, so she had to give up for the time being.
She turned to ask, “Then can the Heavenly Emperor settle those 5,000 Heart-Clearing Pearls for this minor immortal?”
The Emperor immediately touched his forehead, feigning a look of unbearable pain. “My health has been very poor lately. The two of you should take your leave.”
The posture, the tone it was exactly the same as a hundred years ago.
After leaving the Heavenly Clarity Palace, Qi An, having lost both the engagement and the money, asked the Matchmaker in low spirits what method the Demon Lord had used to make the Emperor help him so much. Only when they were far from the palace did the Matchmaker reveal that Mo Qing had promised the Heavenly Emperor that if the marriage succeeded, he would provide 1,000 high-grade demonic beasts, 90,000,000 Five-Spirit Stones, and 10,000 chests of demonic armor as a dowry.
Qi An laughed in fury upon hearing this. The Heavenly Emperor had not only embezzled her 5,000 Heart-Clearing Pearls, but he had also sold her off in exchange for a dowry!