The Master of Beasts

"Elder Chen, Brother Chen, we're old acquaintances! Please, let me cut in line—this is about my happiness!" Lin Jiu wailed, clinging to Chen Jiuge's thigh.

Chen Jiuge said, a headache forming, "Senior Brother Lin Jiu, could you please stop for a moment? You're a Mahayana cultivator; can't you maintain some dignity?"

Lin Jiu held onto Chen Jiuge's thigh tightly, shaking his head repeatedly. "Junior Brother, I'm calling you Junior Brother this once—we've known each other for over a thousand years! Even if we haven't met often, we can still be considered friends, right?"

Chen Jiuge nodded. "I suppose so."

"Just help me this one time! Lili wants those little red tigers! If she doesn't get them, she'll leave me!" Lin Jiu said with dramatic exaggeration.

Chen Jiuge was speechless. Doesn't his Lili just want two red little tigers to appear at their Daoist couple ceremony? She already told me.

Eventually, Chen Jiuge couldn't resist Lin Jiu's pleading and decided to let him cut in line. After all, Lin Jiu was a friend, not just some Immortal Rank socialite, and Chen Jiuge had very few true friends.

「 」

"Red little tigers?" Chen Jiuge selected two pure white little tigers from an area suffused with Fire Attribute Spiritual Energy.

"Let's add some Sun Essence. Consider it a wedding gift for you, Senior Brother," Chen Jiuge said, taking out two Sun Fragments that emanated boundless light and heat.

After the Jade Tigers consumed the Sun Essence, Chen Jiuge infused them with the Fire Attribute Jade Beast Bloodline he had stored previously. Two adorable, red little tigers materialized.

"Senior Brother, these red little tigers of yours cost me a pretty penny. I won't charge you Spirit Stones this time; consider it my wedding gift to you and your Daoist couple. Alright?"

Lin Jiu, however, was too enraptured to hear Chen Jiuge's words. Gazing at the two little tigers with an infatuated expression, he hugged them, kissed them, and then departed in high spirits.

Indeed, the discovery of Jade Beasts has only brought me more trouble.

Lin Jiu wasn't the first. Many who were on good terms with Chen Jiuge, or those who weren't short of Spirit Stones, had made cutting in line quite common. Sometimes, even the queue-jumpers had to form a line, which was utterly absurd.

「 」

"Junior Brother, do you have a moment?" Eldest Senior Brother Wudao Tian, accompanied by his Daoist couple, Die Luowu, slowly descended into the small courtyard.

Chen Jiuge looked at his Eldest Senior Brother with a puzzled expression. Isn't your entrance a bit off today? Didn't you always burst in like a firecracker before?

"What's wrong? Don't you like my new image, Junior Brother?" Wudao Tian touched his own broad face, finding nothing amiss.

"Not at all, not at all. It's just... a little unfamiliar," Chen Jiuge said, forcefully suppressing his urge to retort.

"Good, as long as nothing's wrong. I came looking for you, Junior Brother, because of some good news," Wudao Tian said, raising an eyebrow.

"Good news?"

"That's right. The Heavenly Realm's famous matchmaker, the Red Thread of Fate, is coming to our Myriad Beasts Sect."

This news about a famous matchmaker completely stumped Chen Jiuge. A matchmaker? A famous one at that? How is this good news?

Seeing Chen Jiuge's bewildered expression, Die Luowu gently explained, "She's like a matchmaker from the Mortal World, only the Red Thread of Fate is incredibly accurate. She's almost never wrong."

"Is she really that miraculous?" Chen Jiuge was surprised. Everyone here is a cultivator; can such a thing truly predict destined relationships?

"You'll see when the time comes, Junior Brother. Remember to prepare a suitable gift—not too shabby, but no need for extravagance either. A token of your sincerity is what matters; the Red Thread of Fate can sense it," Wudao Tian advised before departing.

「 」

A month later, the famous matchmaker from the Heavenly Realm arrived.

The Myriad Beasts Sect was festively adorned with lights and decorations. Elders usually engrossed in crossbreeding Spiritual Beasts, Spiritual Plant Masters typically devoted to farming, Alchemists normally covered in medicinal dregs, and Artifact Refiners ordinarily layered in dust—all appeared in their finest attire at the Myriad Beasts Sect's Main Hall square.

"I didn't expect the Sect to allow Outer Sect Disciples to attend this time. Is this matchmaker really that incredible?" Chen Jiuge remarked with surprise, glancing towards the Outer Sect Disciples gathered in a corner of the square.

Wen Ruo smiled. "I'm not sure either. This Red Thread of Fate seems very mysterious."

"We'll find out soon enough," Chen Jiuge said, his curiosity about this Red Thread of Fate growing.

Before the Red Thread of Fate's arrival, Chen Jiuge had always imagined it to be a cultivator—at least a Golden Immortal or perhaps an even higher-ranking powerful entity. However, reality proved him wrong; he had clearly underestimated things. The wonders of the Heavenly Realm were far beyond the imagination of a homebody like him.

"So, it's literally a red thread?" Chen Jiuge asked, looking incredulous.

"I'm not sure either. Perhaps it is," Wen Ruo replied, equally amazed.

Above the Main Hall, a slender red thread drifted with the wind. The end that resembled a head seemed to shrink back timidly, peeking at the Myriad Beasts Sect disciples below, as if shy.

Is this thing really reliable? Chen Jiuge couldn't shake the feeling that this might just be a prank by some Great Power.

"Silence! Let the Matchmaker choose individuals and determine fates. Do not make any other movements!" Jun Linseng shouted from the viewing platform on the square.

Watching the disciples and elders quiet down, Jun Linseng then respectfully bowed to the red thread. "We implore the Matchmaker to guide us."

The red thread seemed to sense Jun Linseng's sincerity. Its tail end began to split and extend, and countless red threads started to coil around the wrists of the Myriad Beasts Sect disciples below.

Then, the red thread spoke. Its voice was soft and sweet. "I am the Red Thread of Fate. I will randomly tug on the red threads on your wrists. If you sense it, please come before me."

Listening to this soft, sweet voice, Chen Jiuge felt as if his lifespan had just been drastically shortened. He stammered to his Senior Sister, "Why can a red thread talk? And with a girl's voice?"

"Perhaps it's a unique type of sentient being," Wen Ruo mused, equally baffled. There's no aura of a living creature on that red thread, though.

Before the two could discuss it further, a red thread trembled slightly, and a familiar figure soared into the air.

"Senior Brother Zhu?" Chen Jiuge's eyes widened as he looked at Zhu Yinghuang in the sky.

Zhu Yinghuang was ecstatic. A homebody like him was actually the first to be chosen by the Red Thread! Soon, he would find out who his fated Daoist couple was. How exciting!

"Let me see if your fated connection lies within these threads," the Red Thread of Fate said slowly.

Suddenly, all the red threads connected to the disciples and elders began to glow. Then, a figure with a dark expression flew out from among the group of elders—no, she was pushed forward.

"That... that's Elder Ming Xue from Xuanwu Peak, isn't it?" Chen Jiuge stuttered slightly.

"It seems so," Wen Ruo replied, also finding it hard to believe.

Clearly, Chen Jiuge and Wen Ruo weren't the only ones surprised; others were just as astonished. Even Zhu Sheng, Peak Master of Vermilion Bird Peak and Zhu Yinghuang's father, was so shocked his jaw dropped. That... that brat! When did he get involved with Elder Ming Xue? Isn't their age difference nearly ten thousand years?

"What a scandal!"

An even greater scandal was to follow. Another red thread was tugged, and a second female elder from Xuanwu Peak appeared—it was Elder Ming Xue's best friend, Elder Tan Pei.

"Hiss! Senior Brother Zhu is that bold? Hooking up with two elders at once, and both from Xuanwu Peak! Both these elders must be over ten thousand years older than him, right?" Chen Jiuge felt that Zhu Yinghuang must be socially ruined by now.

Zhu Yinghuang indeed felt socially ruined. He had simply found staying in Vermilion Bird Peak boring and decided to wander around.

Since Chen Jiuge had been busy recently, and he, being idle, didn't want to disturb him, Zhu Yinghuang had decided to visit the other three peaks. The people of Green Dragon Peak were too arrogant for his liking. White Tiger Peak was full of brawlers, and he couldn't match their fighting prowess. That left only Xuanwu Peak.

The leisurely lifestyle of Xuanwu Peak had deeply attracted Zhu Yinghuang. During his frequent casual visits, he had gotten to know these two elders and developed a certain emotional bond with both. When he heard about a famous matchmaker coming, he had hoped to confirm which of them he had stronger feelings for. But now, both were selected.

"Um, Sister Xue, Sister Pei, if I said this matchmaker isn't accurate, would you believe me?" Zhu Yinghuang asked cautiously.

Ming Xue's expression was grim, but she restrained her anger and asked the Matchmaker, "What is the meaning of this?"

Seemingly accustomed to such situations, the Matchmaker quickly replied, "This indicates that, barring any major unforeseen circumstances, both of you will become his Daoist partners."

Even Tan Pei, who was usually more composed, found her expression darkening. After repeatedly questioning the Matchmaker and receiving the same answer, Tan Pei's face turned completely black.

"Sister Xue, I think we should find a private place to have a good talk," Tan Pei suggested.

"I agree," Ming Xue nodded.

Zhu Yinghuang whispered, "In that case, can I go back first? My family is waiting for me."

"What do you think?" the two women said in unison, turning their heads towards him.

Seeing Zhu Yinghuang unwillingly sandwiched between the two female elders, Zhu Sheng couldn't help but reveal a trace of envy. Damn it! That good-for-nothing brat actually gets two Daoist couples!

"Are you envious? Want some too?"

"Who wouldn't— Ah... ah, Wife, I mean, no one would think that way! This brat is too much! He must be taught a proper lesson when he returns!" Zhu Sheng, a mighty Golden Immortal, nearly had his soul scared out of his body by his wife.

"I actually think it's quite nice," Ba Qiushui said ambiguously.

Zhu Sheng's heart leaped. Ah, Wife, could it be?

"Of course, not for you. It's good for our son to have multiple Daoist couples; more chances for grandchildren. As for you, you can discuss it with my father first," Ba Qiushui said with a gentle smile.

Zhu Sheng's mouth twitched. Discuss it with her father? Wouldn't I be beaten half to death?

Zhu Sheng wasn't the only one with a dark face; Gui Taixuan, the Peak Master of Xuanwu Peak, was also grim.

"Can someone tell me what is going on?" Gui Taixuan was about to go mad. His own reclusive peak had actually lost two elders to a single man! Both were young female elders with the potential to reach Heavenly Immortal status. Is everyone from my peak useless?

At this moment, the second protagonist officially made their appearance.

"Is that an Outer Sect Disciple?" Chen Jiuge asked, somewhat surprised as he looked at the Outer Sect robes of the figure in mid-air.

"It seems so."

"Interesting. I heard that matchmakers rarely guide cultivators below the Immortal realm with their red threads. It seems this disciple has something special about him," Wudao Tian remarked, having finally found Chen Jiuge and Wen Ruo.

"Eldest Senior Brother, are you saying that the Red Thread of Fate primarily guides Immortals in matchmaking?" Chen Jiuge's wariness towards the Red Thread of Fate rose another notch.