Shen Li looked at Xuan Yuan Jue in bewilderment. "Why do I need to kneel?"
"What else? Of course, it's to kneel before the Matchmaker God and ask him to bestow a good marriage upon you! Come on, hurry up! There are still many people waiting behind!" Xuan Yuan Jue lifted his chin, pointing at a cushion in front of Shen Li as he spoke.
"I have no intention of seeking a marriage. If you want to, do it yourself!" Shen Li sidestepped, making way for the cushion and gesturing for Xuan Yuan Jue to take her place.
Seeing that Xuan Yuan Jue didn't move, Shen Li deliberately provoked him. "What? Is the young master Xuan Yuan too scared?"
Hearing this, Xuan Yuan Jue immediately retorted. "How could that be! I'll definitely do it myself. But you should go first to test if it really works here!"
Then he deliberately tempted her. "Let me tell you, there's a really fun place behind this Matchmaker Temple. But you need the red string from this temple to get in. So, hurry up!"
Xuan Yuan Jue gently pushed Shen Li. Helpless, Shen Li knelt on the cushion, kowtowed to the statue of the Matchmaker God, and lit an incense stick. Then a young disciple in the temple walked towards her with a box in his arms and said, "Miss, you can draw a red string from here. The person who draws the same red string as you is your fated one. If the two of you tie the red strings on that tree together, you can bind your marriage and stay together for a lifetime!"
As the young disciple was speaking, he glanced at Xuan Yuan Jue a couple of times, as if he had misunderstood something.
Shen Li was looking down at the box and didn't notice. But Xuan Yuan Jue saw it and raised his lips at the young disciple.
Shen Li had already drawn a red string from the box. Holding it in her hand, she looked around and asked puzzledly, "How can we tell if this red string is a match with others?"
The young disciple pointed at a bead in the middle of the red string. "As long as the two beads are exactly the same, they are a pair!"
Hearing this, Xuan Yuan Jue nodded and then quickly asked, "Young disciple, does the Matchmaker God in your temple need silver for his cultivation? I can donate some!"
The young disciple's smile widened upon hearing this. "You can donate. May I ask how much the young master wants to donate?"
"Five hundred taels. Is that enough?"
The young disciple's eyes narrowed with a big smile and he nodded repeatedly. "That's more than enough! The young master is really a kind person!"
Seeing Xuan Yuan Jue taking out a silver note from his purse, the young disciple immediately said, "Young master, could you please hand this silver to our abbot? The abbot will surely express his gratitude!"
"But I have other things to attend to and may not be able to go. How about this? I'll just..." As Xuan Yuan Jue was speaking, he reached his hand into the box. "I'll put the money in here first. You can hand it to your abbot later!"
Xuan Yuan Jue stuffed the five - hundred - tael silver note into the box without giving the young disciple a chance to refuse. When he withdrew his hand, he "accidentally" brought out a red string.
"Hey? Why did a red string fall out? What should we do?"
Shen Li watched coldly as Xuan Yuan Jue picked up the red string from the ground with a look of "curiosity" on his face. She then turned her head slightly, not wanting to watch Xuan Yuan Jue's clumsy acting.
"Young disciple, can I put this back?"
Although the young disciple was startled at first, he quickly recovered. With a beaming smile on his face, he looked at the red strings in Xuan Yuan Jue's and Shen Li's hands and said, "This is your destined fate, young master. There's no need to put it back!"
"Thank you for your donation, young master!" After thanking them, the young disciple carried the box towards the next person.
Xuan Yuan Jue looked at the red string in his hand and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Look! Look! Little one, our red strings are exactly the same!"
Hearing this, Shen Li immediately looked up at the red string in Xuan Yuan Jue's hand. Sure enough, she saw that the two blood - red beads on it were the same as the ones on the string in her own hand.
"I heard that the two people who draw red strings with blood - red jade beads are the fated ones, a perfect match made by heaven and earth. No one can separate them! Little one, it seems that we're really destined for each other!"
Shen Li looked at the red string in her hand without saying a word. Then she suddenly stuffed it into her sleeve, turned around and said, "I have some things to take care of. I'll take my leave first!"
"Hey! Little one! Are you angry?" Xuan Yuan Jue closely followed behind Shen Li and continued, "The really fun part of this Matchmaker Temple is behind. If you leave now, you'll probably regret it later!"
Shen Li was completely unmoved and didn't slow down her steps. She was only a dozen steps away from the Matchmaker Temple.
"Little one, aren't you really going to the Marriage Maze behind the Matchmaker Temple?"
Shen Li ignored Xuan Yuan Jue and continued walking towards the gate. Seeing this, Xuan Yuan Jue suddenly showed a devilish smile on his face. "Since that's the case, little one, don't blame me!"
As he was speaking, Xuan Yuan Jue suddenly blocked Shen Li's way, bent down and picked her up.
Suddenly off the ground, Shen Li was held in Xuan Yuan Jue's arms. She felt extremely uncomfortable and said, "Put me down!"
Shen Li was too excited to control her volume. Her loud voice attracted the curious looks of people around.
Although Shen Li knew that they meant no harm, she still felt embarrassed. The blush spread from her neck to the back of her ears. She was glad that half of her face was covered by a mask. Otherwise, she would have wanted to find a hole to hide in.
Even so, she still lowered her head shyly and nestled into Xuan Yuan Jue's arms a little.
"Okay! It's fine!" Looking at Shen Li's shy appearance, Xuan Yuan Jue's mouth almost reached his ears. But considering Shen Li's shyness, he quickened his steps towards their destination.
The Marriage Maze behind the Matchmaker Temple has been said to have existed for a hundred years. It is said that there are many traps and formations in it, and they often change.
However, this Marriage Maze is only activated once a year, and it attracts a large number of people. It is said that as long as two people, a man and a woman who meet each other first in the maze, can get out of the maze together, they will be destined to be life - long partners.
However, although many people enter the maze every year, the number of pairs who can actually get out together is no more than five. And those who get out together do get married, have children, and live a happy life.
So, the Marriage Maze is even more popular.
Princess Luo Yao had been wandering in the maze for about half an hour but hadn't met a single person. She couldn't help but regret her impulsiveness for entering this strange maze alone.
It was still very dark. Although there was a torch for lighting every few steps in this open - air maze, when Princess Luo Yao turned a corner, she felt something hit her shoulder.
"Sorry, miss! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" A man's voice sounded. Princess Luo Yao pressed the shoulder that had been hit and slowly looked up.
She saw a fair - faced man looking like a scholar standing opposite her, looking at her with concern on his face.
Shen Zhang had originally gone out with Shen Zhen. Shen Zhen was playful and insisted on visiting this maze. But as soon as they entered, she ran away without a trace. Afraid that something might happen to Shen Zhen, he was in a hurry to find her and accidentally bumped into someone.
"I'm fine!" Princess Luo Yao put down the hand covering her shoulder and shook her head.
"Miss, are you really okay? Do you want me to go out and find a doctor for you?"
Hearing this, Princess Luo Yao immediately refused. "No, I'm not hurt. And the path here is not easy to walk. It might be very difficult for you to get out, young master!"
Hearing this, Shen Zhang showed an apologetic smile. "If the miss doesn't mind, we can walk together!"