“What… what are you doing?”
The other timid, rabbit-eared Matchmaker looked a bit lost, her slightly upturned short eyebrows making her seem rather pitiful, which immediately calmed the dog-eared Matchmaker’s anger.
“Forget it, forget it, anyway, nothing good ever happens wherever there are angels and demons! Next time, let’s just walk around them!”
But… but… they… they took them away…” The rabbit-eared girl still hesitated, wanting to say something, but the cat-eared Matchmaker beside her frowned, unable to stand it any longer, and said coolly, “Stupid dog, that father and son have been taken away.”
“Huh? Ah! How could this happen~~!”
The dog-eared Matchmaker noticed that the young man and woman who had just left together were gone, and she immediately shouted in disappointment and frustration.
She slumped down to the ground, while a fox-eared youth—or was it a girl?—came back, rubbing their own wrist.
Seeing her companions, the fox-eared one sighed helplessly and announced, “The plan failed this time. Let’s just go for now…”
“How can we! I’m not satisfied! I want to call her back! I must break up Leng Yinning and that stinky Taoist!”
The dog-eared Matchmaker cried out indignantly.
The fox-eared Matchmaker helplessly reached out to rub her head and chin.
“There, there… Didn’t you notice that stinky Taoist already spotted us? He’s been pretending to be clueless this whole time. Didn’t you see how he kept glancing this way just now?”
The cat-eared girl, still looking at her phone without raising her head, said coldly, “He’s had talismans on him from the start. Not only that, he even put Shennong Grass in Leng Yinning’s teacup to keep out demons. We had no chance to make a move. Give up.”
“You noticed all that?” The fox-eared Matchmaker was a bit surprised, giving the cat-eared girl a rather odd look.
The cat-eared girl sighed, put away her phone, and took off her pair of cat ears.
Staring coldly at the girls before her, she sighed, “I’ve said it before, I’m just a cultivator detective, not a Matchmaker. These cat ears are just a disguise I used to investigate a Taoist’s affair. So, can you please stop treating me like one of your group? I just want to be human. I really don’t want to get involved in your business.”
“Lu Li, don’t say that. You don’t look like a human at all. Just stick with us, okay? Whatever we get, we’ll always share with you, so please don’t say you’re leaving.”
When the dog-eared Matchmaker heard that the cat-eared girl was about to leave, she hurriedly grabbed her hand, her two ears drooping pitifully.
“Ugh…” The cat-eared girl, Lu Li, looked at the drooping ears and couldn’t help herself—she wanted to reach out and pat them, but finally held back. She quickly turned away, coughed lightly to compose herself, and said, “Stop it. No matter what you say, the reality is I’m human. I can’t live in your world forever; that would turn me into a demon.”
“Then turn into a demon! I don’t care! You have to stay with us! If you don’t agree, I’ll cry right here!”
The dog-eared girl wouldn’t give an inch, clinging tightly to Lu Li’s hand as if letting go would mean Lu Li would run away.
But her hand was brushed away—not by Lu Li, but by the fox-eared girl.
The girl looked at Lu Li, sighed, and said to the dog-eared Matchmaker, “Xiao Bao, stop it. Turning into a demon isn’t just becoming one of us. It would amplify the darkness inside a human, creating terrifying powers we can’t control. I know you want Lu Li to stay, but your kindness could kill her!”
“But…” The dog-eared girl, Xiao Bao, pouted unhappily and turned her head away in frustration.
“That’s enough, Xian Ye. She probably doesn’t understand what you’re saying, anyway. It’s better if Xiao Bao just thinks I’m an ungrateful person. That way, I won’t mind as much.”
Lu Li said calmly, glancing at Xiao Bao, who stubbornly turned away and refused to look at her.
Shaking her head, Lu Li turned and left.
As she was about to leave the café, the fox-eared girl called out, “Lu Li!”
“Hmm?” Lu Li turned back and looked at Xian Ye, her eyes clear and showing no hint of emotion.
But even so, Xian Ye found herself at a loss for words.
After a moment, Xian Ye finally spoke her mind.
“Where are you… planning to go?”
“I’ll go… to school, I guess? After all, I’m about sixteen now, right? By human age, I should be a second-year high school student.”
Lu Li thought for a moment and answered seriously.
Xian Ye nodded, opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Yet her voice still reached Lu Li’s ears:
“Even if you only have half the blood of the Qingqiu Fox Immortals, we still recognize you as one of our descendants. So… if you can’t take it anymore, come back to us!”
Lu Li was stunned for a moment, but her expression didn’t change.
Calmly, as if what Xian Ye said had nothing to do with her, she replied, “No need. Ever since I became aware, I’ve belonged neither to the fox clan nor to humanity. There’s no home for me in this world. Even if I can’t fit in, I’ll just become a detective in this world. You don’t need to worry about me.”
With that, she pushed open the door and walked out, only to bump straight into someone rushing by.
Her nose stung from the impact, and tears welled up from the pain.
Looking down, she realized it was that somewhat familiar, lightbulb-like kid?
“You…” Rubbing her nose, Lu Li felt her cool farewell was a bit embarrassing now—she didn’t even want to look back at the girls she’d only known for a few months.
Chang Fei’s head hurt. Just now, he’d been caught by the angel butler, and after struggling desperately, he’d fallen down like this.
Getting up and dashing forward, he ran straight into someone.
Feeling something wet trickle down his face, Chang Fei couldn’t help but reach up to wipe it.
Oh no, was that blood?
He looked up in a panic, only to see a breathtakingly beautiful face before him.
That straight, waist-length black hair and that elegant, otherworldly face made Chang Fei’s heart leap as if countless little deer were about to burst out of his chest.
He clutched his chest, nearly fainting on the spot.
‘Ahhh… This big sister is way too beautiful! Even the River Goddess or Chang’e couldn’t compare!’
Chang Fei thought, and as he leaned back, his nosebleed gushed uncontrollably…
Crap, at this rate he’d probably activate some weird trait… Wouldn’t he die of blood loss at this rate… And why did he have to be born a male Yue Lao, unable to chase after beautiful girls like this!
***
Shang Zhi’s Author’s Note:
This really is a never-ending love-hate struggle between Yue Lao and the Matchmakers… By the way, Shang Zhi loves long, straight black hair the most. So, as expected, long, straight black hair really is the best…