The Goddess and the Azure Lion

This story follows Jing Chun. Upcoming works include the historical romance Maimai Zhi Yao Tiao and the fantasy Bu Du Wan Chong Shan. If you're interested, please visit my author page. Thanks for your support!

Chapter updates are just typo fixes, so there's no need to reread.

[Blurb]

The goddess Tonghua had an unresolved wish. Keeping it secret from everyone, she descended to the mortal world for a time.

The mortal realm of Cangzhou was in turmoil, and amid the chaos she met Duan Yulou.

They spent half their lives together, half their lives side by side, half their lives estranged, and half their lives nursing resentment. They traveled together for more than twenty years, but their story bore no happy fruit.

Tonghua had always been one to repay every slight. Even after returning to the Celestial Realm, she refused to let go of the grievances she had suffered in the mortal world.

After more than three hundred years of obsession, she finally saw the people from her past again.

Some had become wandering ghosts. Some had hidden their names and dared not show their faces. Some had fallen into the mire, their pride shattered. Some had achieved fame and success and refused to speak of the past.

At last, Duan Yulou stood before her.

--

After Duan Yulou died and returned to his rightful place, he learned that the young woman he had once crossed paths with in the mortal world was none other than Tonghua, the renowned goddess of Dingshi Zhou.

The goddess was fond of power, and her romantic history was colorful. Her reputation was far from spotless.

After much deliberation, Duan Yulou decided it would be best not to discuss their past lives with her, lest she cling to him and make a clean break impossible.

Only later did he realize how careless he had been.

Before the days when he became Duan Yulou, behind Tonghua's inexplicable stubbornness lay half a lifetime they had forgotten, a time when they had vowed to love each other forever.

--

The story begins with the goddess standing face to face with a blue lion.

The blue lion swears to protect her forever, and the goddess promises to love him forever.

The story ends with the blue lion baring his fangs and the goddess drawing the long sword in her hand.

They both paid the price for their lies.

==Please Note==

1. This story is slow to warm up, has an open ending, and features flawed protagonists.

2. No content warnings, because there are too many to list. Readers with many sensitivities should proceed with caution.

3. I recommend not enabling automatic subscriptions. Please purchase with care.

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My next story will be Maimai Zhi Yao Tiao: the heroine falls in love after marriage, the hero's secret crush comes true, and the second male lead pursues her too late. Here's the blurb:

Xi Ruo had been in love with a young master of the Feng family for years, but her family had never agreed to the marriage. She had believed they were in love and held on for years, only to see him go out drinking and visiting courtesans with a group of young noblemen.

Enough was enough.

She immediately made an important decision: "Men are all no good. I'm not getting married."

Her eldest brother, Xi Ting, smiled and vetoed her outright.

The emperor feared the power of the Xi family, so he summoned his cousin, the Marquis of Qingdu, Huo Xun, back to the capital, intending to use him against Xi Ting.

The moment Xi Ting heard that his sworn rival was returning to the capital, he pushed Xi Ruo forward without a second thought.

"Fourth Sister, use your charms. You know what I mean, right?"

Xi Ruo was sent straight to a teahouse. The young marquis, rumored to be in declining health and physically frail, sat across from her, gracious and noble, calm and composed as they met for a marriage match. "Fourth Miss, you don't know me yet. There's no need to rush into rejecting me."

Xi Ruo: Hah, you really think we can be the best of friends, do you?

Xi Ruo was determined to make him back down, so she dropped hints like mad: "My brother has just been appointed a third-rank official. If I'm unhappy, you won't have a pleasant time of it."

Huo Xun smiled, clear and bright, but his smile sent a chill down her spine.

He said, "We have no grudge against each other. Why would I make things difficult for you?"

The young marquis gave a subtle signal, and his men dragged away the young Master Feng, who had rushed over in a fury downstairs.

He looked at the spirited girl before him with great satisfaction, thinking: If I hadn't taken that box of pastries you gave your brother all those years ago, Xi Ting wouldn't still hate me so much.

That little girl who was once as round as a dumpling had finally grown up.

Theme: Enjoy the pleasures of today, and cherish a love that lasts ten thousand years.