Married to the Grim Reaper Against My Will

To be loyal to the God for eternity

Darkness, an all-encompassing, impenetrable darkness. Ji Mian's heart pounded like a drum as she raced through the blackness, only to unexpectedly lose her footing and plummet straight down into an abyss.

The intense feeling of weightlessness pounded in her heart; her chest tightened, and she jerked her eyes open, sitting bolt upright. The lingering effects of the nightmare remained; her back was covered in a cold, sticky sweat, her mind a blur. Hugging the blanket, she slowly looked around.

It was a hotel.

Ji Mian's mind was a complete mess, utterly confused. She fell back onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. In her mind, the scenes from last night flashed through her like a movie; it was as if she had been resurrected.

Resurrected?

Ji Mian sat bolt upright again, as if struck by lightning. Raised with a strong scientific background, she couldn't accept the existence of such an unnatural phenomenon. Her heart pounded wildly, but her thoughts and memories gradually became clearer.

She vaguely remembered that last night, a green light appeared in the sky above the mountains, and a pine branch radiating light fell into her palm.

Ji Mian's heart skipped a beat at this thought, and she turned to open her schoolbag.

A faint green light burst forth, flickering intermittently. Sure enough, there was a pine branch inside! At the same time, Ji Mian remembered the aged voice that had floated in the void last night—

“The pine branch represents the power of rebirth and immortality. If you have made up your mind, go to Xiushan Pavilion and light it to gain new life. But this also means that you are willingly becoming the bride of a god. You can also choose to give it up. If you choose to give it up, simply plant it in the ground. At the same time, your soul will depart again and enter a state of normal death.”

“We will completely respect your wishes and will give you time to consider. If you do not make a decision by tomorrow morning, it means you have chosen normal death. During this time, we will eliminate external interference so that you can concentrate on making your choice.”

Ji Mian held her breath and carefully took out the pine branch.

She examined it closely. Apart from the soft glow, it was no different from an ordinary pine branch. She squeezed it; the feel was the same as an ordinary pine branch.

Ji Mian, as if afraid of being discovered by the so-called gods, hid under the covers, her little face serious as she intently watched the pine branches. Then, she pinched a branch with both hands and carefully tried to break it down.

Then, she opened her eyes in surprise—it wouldn't break!

The god's pine branch: ...Never been so speechless.

*

Last night, it rained heavily, a torrential downpour that almost devastated the entire city. But the next day, the sun rose as usual; everything from yesterday was in the past, and everything had a new beginning.

Ji Mian, bathed in the warm sunshine, visited her parents' graves, then took a bus to Xiushan.

Xiushan is a relatively famous scenic spot near Jiang City, located in the eastern suburbs. It takes two hours to get there by tourist bus.

On the weekend, traffic was heavy. The bus moved slowly, swaying gently, which gradually relaxed Ji Mian, and her reason, which had been shattered by the ensuing fear, slowly returned. After the fear subsided, what remained was astonishment and absurdity.

Leaning against the car window, watching the passing traffic and the bustling city, she felt detached from reality, the more she thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed.

Do gods really exist? Can the dead really be resurrected? If gods really exist, why would they marry her?

She looked up at the azure sky, large wisps of white clouds floating in the clear expanse. Perhaps gods lived above the clouds? She raised her hand, reaching out to touch the soft white clouds in the air, her imagination running wild—

If gods really exist, then humans must be very weak in their eyes? They must look down on humans. Why would this god marry a weak human? Was she not competitive among her kind? Was she at the bottom of the divine hierarchy? Perhaps a pitiful little god.

She began to feel curious about this being who had only appeared by name.

*

The Xiushan Pavilion was located almost at the top of Xiushan Mountain, rarely visited by tourists.

When Ji Mian reached Xiushan Pavilion, she was exhausted, feeling dizzy from exhaustion and lack of oxygen.

Pale-faced, she climbed onto the pavilion's concrete railing and sat down, leaning against a stone pillar. She drank several large gulps of warm water. After resting for about half an hour, she gradually recovered and slowly took in her surroundings.

The mountain was sparsely covered with vegetation, dotted with jagged rocks. In the distance, she could see half of Jiangcheng, its sky hazy with mist—a vast and expansive scene.

Having made her decision, Ji Mian felt much more at ease. Leaning against the pavilion, she began to mentally prepare herself, imagining what would happen next and how to deal with it.

The sun was setting, and the fiery clouds on the horizon stretched into a majestic line, beautiful, but not red enough.

It lacked the fiery red of yesterday afternoon; yesterday's sunset glow, like dancing flames, burned with boundless vitality. As the last rays of the setting sun faded, she lit a pine branch.

A wisp of smoke rose, and the gradually darkening sky suddenly became completely black, as if midnight had fallen.

She stood nervously and astonished in the pavilion, cautiously surveying her surroundings. Apart from the darkness, nothing else seemed to have changed. In the distance, the city of Jiangcheng was ablaze with lights, like a vast galaxy beneath her feet in the night.

Just as Ji Mian was still in shock, that aged yet familiar voice rang out, this time very close, right beside her—

“Now that you have made your choice, you must henceforth abide by the rules of the Divine Lord, and refrain from reckless speech and action.”

Ji Mian was startled by the sudden voice, a jolt of fear washing over her, but she immediately covered her mouth, suppressing a scream. "You, you, you..." Her voice trembled with fright, but she still greeted her politely, "...Hello, I'm Ji Mian."

In the moonlight stood a short woman, dressed in ancient attire, her long, black and white hair tied in a simple bun. She looked to be around sixty, with deep furrows between her brows, giving her an extremely serious appearance, and indeed, she was unsmiling. Her eyes, fixed on Ji Mian, were cold and emotionless.

The woman nodded to her, "You can call me Granny Xian."

Although she appeared and disappeared unpredictably, she was still in human form, so she didn't cause Ji Mian too much of a visual shock.

Ji Mian recovered from her fright and smiled obediently, "Hello, Granny Xian."

Clearly, Granny Xian was a business-oriented person who didn't like small talk, and she went straight to the point: "Have you decided?"

Ji Mian didn't hesitate and nodded seriously.

Granny Xian didn't speak again, but slowly waved her withered, branch-like hand in front of her eyes.

Ji Mian felt as if the scenery before her eyes melted away, turning into smoke and clouds that swirled around her, blurring her entire vision. When her vision cleared again, a massive, square, pillar-shaped blue stone tablet appeared before her.

She was slowly adjusting to this fantastical existence, silently swallowing her surprise, and looked up to examine it.

The blue stone tablet emitted a cold, bluish light. It looked quite old, its surface slightly mottled, but there were no words on it.

Carved at the top of the tablet was a grotesque statue of a monster with a blue face and fangs.

The statue was incredibly lifelike. Ji Mian inadvertently met the monster's glaring eyes, and instantly felt as if she were being crushed by an invisible force. Her legs involuntarily went weak, and cold sweat broke out on her back.

She turned pale with fright, retreating in terror, lowering her eyes, unable to look any longer.

As if sensing her abnormality, the old woman explained, "This is the true form of the Divine Lord Xuanyang."

The Divine Lord? Ji Mian had a vague premonition and cautiously looked at the old woman.

"That is, your future husband."

Ji Mian's temple throbbed, and her mind went blank for a moment, but she quickly accepted it. She was a person of principle, and wouldn't cheat or make excuses; it was her nature. Having made her choice, she would follow the instructions.

"Understood, thank you, Old Woman."

She thanked her sincerely, then tightly pursed her lips to avoid revealing any impolite or frightened expression.

The old woman had been secretly observing her reaction. There was no crying or tantrum as expected, and she was somewhat satisfied with her obedient and gentle nature. Her voice softened, "Now place your palm on the stone tablet."

Ji Mian bit her lip, mustered her courage, and pressed her palm against the blank surface of the tablet as instructed. But this time, she dared not look up at the true form of the deity.

The cold-glowing blue stone tablet was surprisingly warm to the touch. Ji Mian froze for a moment. Suddenly, the surface of the bluestone tablet emitted a soft white light. White specks of light danced in her palm, quickly forming two lines of large, vertically arranged clerical script characters.

Ji Mian nervously looked at the old woman. The old woman nodded to her in the darkness, pressing her hand to her chest as a gesture. Ji Mian took a step back, carefully studying the characters on the tablet. Then, imitating the old woman, she placed her right hand on her left chest, bowed slightly, and earnestly read the words on the tablet:

"I will forever be loyal to my lord, the Divine Lord Xuanyang, without any disloyalty, without betrayal, never abandoning him, until death do us part."

As soon as she finished speaking, the bluestone tablet suddenly burst into a dazzling light. A swirling current of energy enveloped her, her hair and clothes billowing in the air as if pulled by a thousand hands. The howling wind filled her ears; she could hear nothing at all.

A red light leaped from the radiance, instantly disappearing between her brows. Her forehead suddenly burned, and a red dot appeared between her eyebrows.

Ji Mian panicked, but forced herself to stand obediently in the gust of wind, waiting for the storm to subside and the noise to cease.

Silence returned, and the mountaintop fell silent once more.

The light from the blue stone tablet vanished, its surface like a mirror, reflecting her image: a phoenix crown and a wedding robe.

Ji Mian looked down at her attire. With each movement, the tassels of her phoenix crown swayed, shimmering with light. Turning her head, she could see the flowing light of her wedding robe on her shoulders, not sewn with silk threads, but truly resembling drifting clouds in the sky.

A burning sensation filled her brow, as if a flame were flickering within it.

She looked up, using the surface of the tablet to see the red dot between her brows.

The old woman's voice rang out: "Don't worry, the pain will soon disappear. This is Xuanyang Jun's mark; from now on, you belong to the Divine Lord."

The aftereffects of the howling wind still lingered in Ji Mian's ears, a buzzing sound. She paused, subconsciously touching her brow, feeling as if she were in a dream, unable to come to her senses for a long time.

From now on, she belonged to the Divine Lord Xuanyang.