Investiture of the Gods: Childhood Sweetheart Daji, Starting with Quasi-Saint Cultivation

The next morning, in the dining hall.

Su Yunbai appeared on time as usual, looking calm and composed, as if nothing had happened last night.

"Father, Mother, good morning." He bowed calmly and then sat down in his seat.

Su Hu and Madam Yang nodded in response. Madam Yang then asked with concern, "Yunbai, did you sleep well last night? I saw that the light in your courtyard was on very late."

"Thank you for your concern, Mother. I was reading some miscellaneous books and didn't realize it was getting late," Su Yunbai said with a smile, his expression perfectly composed.

Then, Daji arrived.

She kept her head down and walked faster than usual, almost shuffling in.

After quickly greeting his parents, he immediately sat down in his seat, staring intently at the bowls and plates in front of him, as if trying to see something extraordinary in them.

"Daji, why do you look so tired? Didn't you sleep well?" Madam Yang noticed her daughter's unusual expression.

"Huh? No, no... I slept quite well." Daji hurriedly looked up, but her gaze accidentally swept across Su Yunbai opposite her.

Eyes facing each other.

Su Yunbai smiled gently at her.

Daji's face flushed red instantly, and she quickly looked away as if she had been burned, her heart pounding like a drum.

My head started buzzing again, and the words I said last night started replaying in my mind.

"I...I'll have porridge!" She frantically reached for a spoon, almost knocking over the chopsticks next to her.

[Ding! The bound character 'Su Daji' has gained 80 points in intimacy due to the host's intense embarrassment.]

Su Yunbai remained expressionless, naturally picked up a pastry, put it in his mouth, and chewed it slowly.

Breakfast was spent in Daji's restless silence and Su Yunbai's calm eating.

Su Hu seemed preoccupied and didn't pay much attention to the subtle atmosphere between his children.

……

The next few days became the most difficult days of Daji's life.

She began to "coincidentally" avoid Su Yunbai.

Morning exercise? She "suddenly" wanted to sleep a little longer.

A stroll in the garden? She "just happened" to be going to her mother's room to ask her about needlework.

Dining in the dining hall? She either "wasn't hungry," or she would quickly finish eating and then "have something to do" and leave.

But the Marquis of Jizhou's residence is only so big; you'll see each other all the time.

They bumped into each other occasionally at the corner of the corridor. Su Yunbai had just opened his mouth when he said, "Sister..."

Like a startled rabbit, Daji left with the words "I have something to do!" and ran away, leaving behind a flustered figure.

[Ding! The bound character 'Su Daji' is experiencing conflicted emotions due to avoiding the host; intimacy level +50.]

Sometimes it's unavoidable, such as when Su Hu summons his children to inquire about their studies or affairs.

Su Yunbai spoke clearly and answered fluently.

When it was Daji's turn, her mind was a mess. She stammered, her words were incoherent, and her eyes darted around. She just didn't dare to look in Su Yunbai's direction.

"Daji, you seem restless lately. What's wrong?" Su Hu frowned.

"No, it's nothing! Father, I just... I just didn't sleep well last night!" Daji blushed again.

Su Yunbai, standing to the side, promptly offered a cup of warm tea: "Sister, have some tea and tell me slowly."

His fingers brushed against her fingertips.

Daji's hand trembled, almost knocking over the teacup. Her face flushed even more, and her voice was barely audible: "...Th-thank you."

[Ding! Minor physical contact, intimacy level +30.]

[Ding! The target person's emotions have fluctuated due to the host's concern, intimacy level +60.]

Su Yunbai realized that this "unintentional" contact and care was genuine!

The returns seem more stable than the dramatic fluctuations that follow a direct confession. It seems a steady, long-term approach isn't so bad after all.

Daji felt like she was going crazy.

She clearly wanted to forget and return to the simple sibling relationship they had before.

But the more I try to forget, the clearer I remember those words.

Su Yunbai's face and those eyes always intrude into my mind at inopportune moments.

What bothered her even more was that she began to notice things she had previously overlooked.

Su Yunbai's smooth and powerful movements while practicing martial arts, his slightly furrowed brows when he was thinking, his calm tone when he spoke... even just the way he stood there quietly made her unable to help but take a second look, and then she would be startled by herself and quickly look away.

"Su Daji, wake up!" At night, she buried herself in the covers and whispered a warning to herself, "He's your brother! Even if there's no blood relation... it's still not okay!"

But a smaller voice inside me was asking: Why can't we?

If there's no blood relation, and he's willing... would his parents agree? What outsiders say... does it really matter that much?

The moment the thought popped into her head, she was so embarrassed that she covered her head with the blanket.

[Ding! 'Su Daji' has conducted a deep self-analysis of her emotions, generating conflicting and desireful feelings. Intimacy level +120.]

Su Yunbai was in his study, watching the steadily increasing intimacy points on the system interface, and he was in a good mood.

The debts have long been paid off, and there is now a surplus of several hundred points.

He exchanged for a bottle of "Soul Nourishing Pill," which could gently nourish the soul and improve the aptitude of mortals, intending to give it to Daji when the opportunity arose. Of course, he couldn't give it to her directly; he had to come up with a suitable reason.

……

Just as Daji was in a state of utter confusion and Su Yunbai was making steady progress, high above, in the Nuwa Palace...

The peaceful and ethereal fairyland was now shrouded in a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.

"What a fine Yin Shou! What a king!"

A cold and authoritative female voice echoed through the palace, carrying undisguised anger.

The goddess Nuwa sat high on her cloud bed, her holy face filled with malice. The golden boys and jade maidens standing below all held their breath and lowered their heads, not daring to move an inch.

King Zhou's poem was blasphemous, and the sacred image was covered in dust; this is a great disgrace.

The sage of Heaven, with a single thought, can influence the entire world.

She calculated that the Shang Dynasty still had twenty-eight years left. Directly killing the King of Man would be against the will of Heaven and would instead harm her own fortune.

But this humiliation must be avenged!

"Where are the three demons of Xuanyuan Tomb?" Nuwa asked coldly.

As soon as he finished speaking, three demonic winds came from the lower realm, landed outside the palace, transformed into human form, and entered tremblingly to bow down.

They are the nine-tailed fox spirit, the nine-headed pheasant spirit, and the jade pipa spirit.

"These lowly demons pay their respects to Your Majesty!" The three demons prostrated themselves on the ground, not daring to raise their heads. The majesty of the sage made their very souls tremble.

Nuwa's gaze swept over the three demons with lightning speed, lingering especially on the nine-tailed fox for a moment.

"King Zhou of Shang is a tyrannical and foolish ruler who blasphemes against the gods; he deserves to perish. The phoenix cries on Mount Qi, and a sage ruler has been born in the Western Zhou Dynasty." Nuwa's voice was icy as she issued her decree!

"You three demons, conceal your demonic forms, sneak into the palace of Chaoge, bewitch the emperor's heart, and bring ruin to the Shang dynasty."

"After the matter is accomplished, you too will attain the right result."

Upon hearing this, the three demons were filled with both fear and ecstasy.

What is frightening is that intervening in the rise and fall of human dynasties carries immense consequences and is extremely dangerous.

To my utter delight, it was the sage himself who issued the decree and promised me enlightenment! This was an incredible opportunity!

"This humble demon obeys the decree! I will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust!" The nine-tailed fox, being the most astute, immediately kowtowed in agreement. The pheasant spirit and the pipa spirit also hurriedly followed suit.

"Go then," Nuwa said, waving her sleeve.

The three demons bowed again, then transformed into a whirlwind and departed.

Nuwa gazed coldly toward Chaoge in the lower realm.

The sin of blasphemy must be paid for with the destruction of the nation and the ruin of the family. Su Daji... she had already glimpsed this name in the long river of fate.

The daughter of the Marquis of Jizhou possessed unparalleled beauty, making her the perfect "shell" for the nine-tailed fox.

Let this beauty become a source of trouble, the first brick in the collapse of the Shang Dynasty.

As for that man, Wang Yinshou...

A deeper chill flashed in Nuwa's eyes.

When she was composing the poem, what she felt, besides lewd and blasphemous thoughts, was also a very subtle, almost provocative... lucidity?

Is it an illusion, or does King Zhou really have some kind of backing that makes him dare to do such a heaven-defying thing?

In any case, the pieces have been placed, and the game has been set.

The wrath of a sage is like the workings of the heavens, unstoppable.

……

Inside Xuanyuan Tomb.

The demonic wind dissipated, revealing the true forms of the three demons.

The nine-tailed fox conjured a water mirror, reflecting her alluring face that captivated all beings, yet her eyes gleamed with ambition and greed.

"Sister, are we really going to do it? The Chaoge Royal Palace is a gathering place for human destiny, and there are also many talented and extraordinary people there..." The pheasant spirit hesitated.

"What's there to be afraid of?" The nine-tailed fox chuckled, her voice alluring and seductive. "This is a decree from the sage! It is our supreme opportunity to shed our demonic forms and achieve enlightenment!"

She looked at the water mirror, her gaze seemingly piercing through the void and landing on the distant Jizhou.

"I've heard that Marquis Su Hu of Ji Province has a daughter named Daji, who is incredibly beautiful and possesses a spiritual essence, making her an excellent vessel for a body..." She licked her lips. "Sisters, our 'opportunity' will begin in Ji Province."

"First, go to Jizhou, take over Su Daji's body and identity, then enter Chaoge!"

"This 600-year-old empire of the Shang Dynasty should serve as a stepping stone for us sisters to attain enlightenment!"

An eerie laugh echoed deep within the Xuanyuan Tomb.

Under the cover of night, three dark, demonic auras silently left their lair and sped off towards Jizhou in the north.