Chapter 57: The Little Matchmaker of Mianyun Peak

“Honestly, that Yun Xueshang! She ran off to teach sword practice early in the morning, then disappeared somewhere in the afternoon.

She hasn’t even returned to Mianyun Peak, leaving me alone to pick Rongrong up from school.

I truly don’t know what she’s up to.”

On the path outside the school, Hua Yan stood with her arms crossed, resplendent in opulent robes. A heavy feeling weighed on her heart.

Throughout the entire day, she had barely caught a glimpse of Yun Xueshang. During her meditation, the space beside her felt utterly empty.

When she added new decorations to the courtyard, eager for someone to praise her good taste, there was no one to be found.

Even when she acquired novel treats from the dining hall, wishing to share them, the familiar white robes were nowhere in sight.

Mianyun Peak, vast as it was, held no trace of Yun Xueshang.

‘Tch, it almost makes it seem like I miss her too much.’

Hua Yan let out a ‘hmph’ and unconsciously turned her face away.

‘I… I just have no one to talk to, and I’m a little bored! I’m not missing that blockhead at all!’

Yet, for some reason, Yun Xueshang’s image stubbornly burrowed into her mind.

During meditation, when Hua Yan’s attention inevitably wandered, the face she stole a glance at was always Yun Xueshang’s almost perfect, serene countenance.

If Yun Xueshang had been by her side, seeing the new decorations in the courtyard, she would have surely nodded earnestly, agreeing with Hua Yan’s preferences.

When sharing new treats, Yun Xueshang would likely offer a faint, gentle smile and softly express her thanks.

But today, all these scenes remained mere fantasies. Only Hua Yan was left alone on the deserted Mianyun Peak, watching the sun rise and set, listening to the wind rustle the leaves, and staring blankly at the autumnal hues of the lake.

Suddenly, a void opened in her heart.

***

“Oh, Fellow Daoist Hua, hello! Are you here to pick up Rongrong?”

A passing long-haired female cultivator, spotting the striking red hair, immediately pulled her companion and gracefully descended from mid-air, stopping before Hua Yan.

“Mm.”

Hua Yan found the other party somewhat familiar but couldn’t recall who they were, so she merely nodded politely.

The other person, however, didn’t mind her demeanor. Instead, they enthusiastically pressed a large package into her hands.

“Fellow Daoist Hua, please thank your Rongrong for me! It’s all thanks to her matchmaking that Little Lotus and I finally understood each other’s feelings—it turns out she likes me too!”

As she spoke, she raised her hands, which were clasped with the short-haired female cultivator beside her, and shook them. The cultivator named Little Lotus blushed, pursing her lips into a smile.

“Little Lotus and I have sect missions to attend to, so we won’t wait for Rongrong to finish school! This is a small token of gratitude; please make sure to thank her for me! When we hold our betrothal ceremony in the future, we’ll definitely invite you for our wedding feast!”

Before her words fully faded, the two had already departed on a single sword—one steering from the front, the other gently embracing their waist from behind, their figures intertwined in sweet intimacy.

“Ah… oh, oh…”

Hua Yan stood there, somewhat dazed, clutching the package.

‘That little girl Rongrong… she actually played matchmaker?’

***

Not long after, the school’s dismissal bell ‘dong—dong—’ rang out. A flurry of little ‘radish heads’ of varying heights, weights, and sizes surged out from the wide-open gates.

Wait, no, that wasn’t quite right. The little rascals first swarmed out, then immediately clustered around two girls in the center of the crowd, shouting in unison:

“Big Sister! See you tomorrow!”

Hua Xiangrong, surrounded by the children, held her small head high and waved her tiny hand with a dignified air. Only then did the children disperse in a rush.

“Rongrong, what was that all about?”

Hua Yan asked, unable to help herself, as her daughter skipped out hand-in-hand with Ning Sixteen.

“Mother, are you asking why they call me Big Sister?”

Hua Xiangrong tilted her small head up, her voice clear and bright.

“I shared my toys with them, and I often bring snacks and drawing books for everyone. Slowly, everyone became willing to listen to me!”

‘Uh… it was that simple?’

Hua Yan paused, then a thought occurred to her. Perhaps, besides these things, the parents also knew that Rongrong’s mother was Yun Xueshang, and had privately instructed their children to get along with her?

Regardless, to be so impressive at such a young age, she truly had a touch of her mother’s flair.

“Well done, you truly are my daughter.”

Hua Yan’s lips curved into a smile as she reached out to ruffle that fluffy pink head.

Hua Xiangrong comfortably narrowed her eyes, rubbing against her hand. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she waved to the side.

“Elder Ji, hello!”

Ji Ling, clad in black robes, glanced at the familiar pink-haired little girl, gave a faint nod, and then beckoned to Ning Sixteen, who was beside her.

“Sixteen, let’s go.”

“Mm.”

Ning Sixteen waved goodbye to Hua Xiangrong and trotted over to Ji Ling’s side.

Ever since the incident at the school, Ji Ling had personally come to pick her up, no longer leaving it to her disciples. Ning Sixteen felt a warmth in her heart, deeply content.

However, watching Hua Xiangrong holding Hua Yan’s hand, chatting and laughing, a flicker of envy still couldn’t help but rise in her heart.

“What are you looking at? Worried I won’t allow that girl to form factions?”

Ji Ling glanced at the rabbit-eared girl beside her, her tone flat.

“I’m not so idle as to manage children’s play. As long as you don’t bully others or demand protection fees, you can acknowledge whomever you like as your leader.”

She paused, then added, “It’s good to spend more time with that Miss Rongrong, lest someone bullies you again next time.”

“Let’s go back.”

She extended her hand to Ning Sixteen.

“Mm!”

Ning Sixteen nodded vigorously, placing her small hand into Ji Ling’s.

***

“By the way, child, I haven’t asked you yet—just now, two female cultivators came and asked me to thank you, saying you helped them connect. What was that all about?”

On the way back to Mianyun Peak, Hua Yan soared on her sword, looking down at Hua Xiangrong nestled in her arms.

“Which Immortal Sister is Mother talking about?”

Hua Xiangrong, nestled in her arms, was busy unwrapping the oil-paper package, her small head resting against Hua Yan’s soft chest—a stark contrast to the firm feeling of Yun Xueshang’s embrace. She replied casually as she unwrapped.

‘?’

‘By her tone, it sounds like she’s played matchmaker for more than one couple!’

“It was the one called ‘Little Lotus’.”

“Oh, Mother means Sister Zhang Li and Sister Li Lian, right!”

Hua Xiangrong tore open the oil paper, her eyes widening as she saw it was full of candies. She gasped “Wow!” before explaining.

“Last week, during the school break, Little Pomegranate and I went fishing by the lake. We happened to hear Sister Zhang Li plucking a flower and muttering to herself about ‘she likes me, she doesn’t like me.’

I ran over and asked her what was wrong, and she told me she liked Sister Li Lian but was afraid the other person didn’t like her back.”

“Sister Li Lian is a disciple from Little Pomegranate’s Danxia Peak, so I asked Sister Zhang Li to watch the fishing rod, and then Little Pomegranate and I went to Danxia Peak to directly ask Sister Li Lian who she liked.

She said she also liked Sister Zhang Li, and we brought that message back to Sister Zhang Li—just like that, back and forth, they got together!”

Hua Yan listened to her daughter’s rambling, utterly stunned. She had never imagined that in just one day of school break, Hua Xiangrong, along with Ning Sixteen, two little tots, could accomplish such a ‘beautiful deed.’

“The master said, ‘Better to demolish a temple than to ruin a marriage.’ I thought, breaking people up is bad, so helping two people who like each other get together must be a great good deed that accumulates merit! So I’m doing a good thing!”

Seeing her mother remain silent, Hua Xiangrong lifted her small face, speaking with a proud expression.

“You little imp, you even understand what ‘mutually liking’ means?”

Hearing her daughter’s innocent words, Hua Yan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“Of course I know!”

Hua Xiangrong lifted her small face, asserting confidently,

“Mutually liking means thinking about each other every day, remembering each other’s good qualities, and wanting to share delicious food and fun things with them first! Just like Mother and Mama!”

‘Eh?’

Hua Yan was slightly taken aback.

‘Yun Xueshang and I… in Rongrong’s eyes, are we mutually fond of each other?’

‘Never mind, it’s just something a child says casually.’

She shook her head, not delving deeper, yet for some reason, that sentence quietly settled in her heart.

“Mother, you try this candy too, it’s super sweet!”

Hua Xiangrong peeled a soft candy and popped it into her mouth. The milky sweetness instantly melted on her tongue.

And at that moment, the familiar small courtyard on Mianyun Peak was already close at hand.