The Weaver of the Heavens
A Goddess Among the Stars
High in the heavens, beyond the mortal world, dwelled Zhinü (织女)—the Weaving Maiden.
She was no ordinary goddess. Her hands wove the clouds, the mist, and the shimmering fabric of the sky itself. Each day, she sat at her celestial loom, crafting silken robes for the immortals and stars that adorned the heavens.
But as the years passed, her heart grew restless. She wove, but she did not live. Among the clouds and starlight, there was no laughter, no warmth, no love.
One evening, gazing down upon the mortal world, she saw something different—A man, standing beneath the vast sky.
The Mortal Who Caught the Goddess’s Eye
The Kind Cowherd & The Forbidden Meeting
Niulang (牛郎), the Cowherd, lived a simple but lonely life. Orphaned as a child, he had only his faithful ox for company, spending his days tending his fields and gazing up at the stars.
One night, as he sat beside a quiet river, he saw something extraordinary.
The sky shimmered, and from the heavens descended seven celestial maidens. Laughing like bells in the wind, they removed their flowing robes and stepped into the water—bathing beneath the silver moonlight.
But Niulang saw only one. Zhinü.
Her beauty was beyond words, but it was her gentle smile, her graceful presence, that stirred something deep in his heart.
He did not know she had seen him too. And in that moment, fate was woven.
Love That Defied the Heavens
A Forbidden Love Blossoms
Zhinü, against the laws of the heavens, stayed behind. She chose mortal life over the celestial halls.
For the first time, she felt the earth beneath her feet, the warmth of the sun on her skin.
For the first time, she knew love.
Niulang and Zhinü married, living in peace—plowing the fields, weaving silks, raising two children.
For a time, happiness was theirs.
But the heavens do not forget.
And soon, their love would bring the wrath of the immortals upon them.
—To be continued in Chapter 2: The Separation – The Wrath of Heaven.