Qiongbao jumped from the Immortal Execution Platform. When the immortals heard, they were aghast and overcome with sorrow. They clasped hands and wept, speaking of Qiongbao's many endearing qualities, their voices full of longing. Only Fairy Zhiyue clicked her tongue with a wry smile:
"No one's jumped from the Immortal Execution Platform in thousands of years. For Qiongbao to find that overgrown, ramshackle platform is quite a feat. Impressive, impressive."
The immortals were aghast once again. Lady Dimu blamed herself for failing to raise her daughter well, while her friends and sisters were astonished by her cold-heartedness.
After all, everyone knew Qiongbao was deeply in love with Zhiyue, and that he had thrown himself from the platform because he was heartbroken and utterly despondent.
Zhiyue: "I didn't know! What does this have to do with me??"
Before she could plead her case, divine punishment descended. Zhiyue was sent to the mortal world and ordered to be reborn as a mortal, undergo four lifetimes of reincarnation, and bring Qiongbao's immortal soul back.
One day in Heaven is a year on Earth. As Zhiyue endured the condemnation of thousands, she told herself it was just a work-funded business trip. Before leaving, she muttered unhappily:
"I didn't even do anything to Qiongbao. Why does everyone say I let him down? This is ridiculous!"
"The immortals see all with clear eyes."
"...Then how am I supposed to bring him back? They've confiscated all my magical artifacts."
"It must come entirely from the heart."
The young immortal who had come to see her off smiled enigmatically. "Fairy, you will undergo four lifetimes of tribulation. Your body may change, but your nature will not. Your faithlessness is the one thing that will never change."
The Immortal Execution Platform lay just ahead. Zhiyue saw lush flowers and grass covering the lonely stone platform, while below it, black winds howled and dark clouds churned.
"But there's no need for you to worry, Fairy. Once Heaven's will enlightens you and you turn back from your mistaken path, you will rekindle your bond. When all four tribulations are complete, you may return to the ranks of the immortals."
As he spoke, Zhiyue had already reached the edge of the platform. Beneath her feet stretched an abyss ten thousand fathoms deep. Her formidable magic power dispersed like smoke, and for a moment she didn't dare look down.
She couldn't understand how Qiongbao, with the courage of a rabbit, had dared to leap alone into this abyss.
As she stood dazed, the young immortal smiled and shoved her from behind. A terrified scream rang through Heaven and Earth, and Zhiyue's long road to winning back her husband began.
Notes:
1. The heroine and hero already have mutual feelings in Heaven, but she hurts him without realizing it. She only wakes up to the truth during her quest to win him back.
2. In all four lifetimes, the heroine is strong while the hero is weak. She grows over the course of the story, may be attracted to other people and cheat, and takes the dominant role. The hero is a beautiful ornament.
3. Winning him back is not difficult, because the hero loves her too much.
Theme: A prodigal who returns is worth more than gold
