One month later.
Tang Hui stood in the middle of the Matchmaking Pavilion courtyard and seriously considered running away.
Again.
Some habits never disappeared.
The morning sun hung warmly above Qingyun Sect while disciples bustled through the expanded pavilion grounds carrying decorations, tea sets, and enough food to feed a small army.
The problem?
Today was Wu Liang’s wedding.
The bigger problem?
Half the sect had somehow decided to celebrate at the pavilion afterward.
Tang Hui still wasn’t entirely sure how that happened.
“Because people like this place.”
Tang Hui looked toward Lin Qingyue suspiciously.
“That sounds reasonable.”
“It is.”
“I dislike it.”
Lin Qingyue laughed.
The sound blended naturally into the cheerful atmosphere filling the courtyard.
For a moment, Tang Hui simply stood there and watched.
The pavilion gardens.
The lantern-lined pathways.
The consultation halls.
The disciples moving comfortably through every corner.
The sight felt oddly unreal.
Not because it was beautiful.
Because it existed at all.
A few years ago she couldn’t even advance her cultivation properly.
Now she was Pavilion Master.
Life remained deeply confusing.
The wedding itself was wonderful.
Simple.
Warm.
Filled with laughter.
Exactly the sort of wedding Tang Hui liked.
No dramatic face-slapping.
No last-minute misunderstandings.
No demonic invasions.
Just two people choosing each other.
Imagine that.
Afterward, guests gradually returned toward the pavilion grounds where food, music, and conversation quickly transformed the afternoon into an informal celebration.
Tang Hui spent most of it being pulled into conversations.
Some things never changed.
“Senior Sister Tang!”
A younger disciple rushed toward her excitedly.
“Can I ask a question?”
Tang Hui narrowed her eyes.
“Should I be worried?”
“No.”
“That means yes.”
The disciple looked innocent.
Poorly innocent.
“If two people keep making excuses to spend time together—”
Tang Hui immediately pointed toward a nearby consultation table.
“Sit down.”
The disciple obeyed.
Several others followed.
Like spiritual ducks.
Tang Hui stared.
“…Why are all of you sitting?”
“Consultation.”
“This is a wedding.”
“Consultation.”
Hopeless.
Absolutely hopeless.
Thirty minutes later, she somehow found herself conducting an impromptu group matchmaking session.
Again.
Some things truly never changed.
By late afternoon, the pavilion had settled into a comfortable rhythm.
Conversations drifted between tables.
Music cultivators played softly beneath the garden trees.
Several disciples challenged one another to board games near the eastern pavilion.
The entire place felt alive.
Not busy.
Not crowded.
Alive.
The difference mattered.
Tang Hui wandered through the courtyard quietly.
No destination.
No task.
Just walking.
Enjoying.
Living.
A strange luxury.
Eventually she found herself near the rear garden.
The original garden.
The one where countless important conversations happened.
The flowering spirit tree still stood there.
Unchanged.
Reliable.
Home.
Tang Hui sat beneath it.
The afternoon breeze stirred gently through the branches overhead.
Peaceful.
A dangerous thing to notice.
Footsteps approached.
Predictable footsteps.
Comfortable footsteps.
Tang Hui smiled before even looking up.
“You’re becoming predictable.”
Gu Beichen sat beside her.
“I’ve been told that before.”
“By me.”
“Mostly by you.”
Fair.
For several moments, they simply sat together.
The celebration sounds drifted faintly through the garden.
Far enough away to feel peaceful.
Close enough to feel connected.
The best kind of distance.
Tang Hui leaned back against the tree.
Then looked upward through the branches.
“You know something?”
“What?”
She smiled.
“When I failed that cultivation assessment years ago, I thought my life was over.”
The confession surprised her slightly.
Not because it was painful anymore.
Because it wasn’t.
Funny.
Gu Beichen listened quietly.
As always.
“I remember sitting outside my courtyard,” Tang Hui continued. “Thinking I’d never become anything important.”
A brief laugh escaped her.
“I was very dramatic.”
“You still are.”
Tang Hui gasped.
“Rude.”
“Accurate.”
The immediate answer made her laugh harder.
Traitor.
Absolute traitor.
The laughter faded gradually.
Warmth remained.
Then Tang Hui looked toward the pavilion visible beyond the garden walls.
People moved through the courtyard.
Friends.
Disciples.
Stories.
Lives.
A future.
Everything she’d built.
Everything she’d found.
The sight filled her chest with quiet contentment.
For a while, neither spoke.
They didn’t need to.
The silence felt comfortable.
Complete.
Then Gu Beichen glanced toward her.
“Any regrets?”
The question lingered between them.
Tang Hui considered it seriously.
A younger version of herself might have answered differently.
Might have regretted failing cultivation.
Missing opportunities.
Not becoming stronger.
Now?
She looked toward the Matchmaking Pavilion.
The ridiculous idea that changed her life.
The place that became home.
Then toward the man sitting beside her.
The one who once came seeking matchmaking advice.
The one who became her favorite consultation.
The answer felt obvious.
“No.”
The word came easily.
Truthfully.
Completely.
Gu Beichen smiled.
And somehow that still made her heart skip.
Ridiculous.
After all this time.
Tang Hui shook her head.
Then laughed softly.
“What?”
She looked toward the bustling pavilion one last time.
The sign above the entrance swayed gently in the afternoon breeze.
The same ridiculous sign.
The same ridiculous dream.
And somehow—
the best decision she’d ever made.
Then Tang Hui answered:
“Turns out matchmaking really is more profitable than cultivation.”
The sound of laughter drifted across the garden.
The lanterns would be lit soon.
The pavilion would remain busy tomorrow.
And the day after that.
And the day after that.
New stories would begin.
New people would fall in love.
New disasters would require solving.
Life would continue.
As it always did.
And beneath the flowering spirit tree, surrounded by the life she never expected to build, Tang Hui smiled.
Not because everything was perfect.
Because it was hers.
**The End.** 🌸
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