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

The East China Sea is vast and boundless, with its blue waves stretching for thousands of miles.

Su Yunbai rode on the clouds, a rare moment of peace in his heart. Since his transmigration, battles, schemes, and life-or-death struggles had been almost non-stop. Only now, on his way to a rendezvous with a beautiful woman, did he realize that the path to immortality was not just about blood and fire.

Where the sea meets the sky, three fairy islands float amidst the clouds.

The islands are shaped like the Chinese character "品" (pin), and are named Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and Bixiao—representing the three sisters each residing on an island. The central main island is the largest and is the residence of Yunxiao; Qiongxiao Island on the left is serene and tranquil, while Bixiao Island on the right is lush with flowers and trees.

Su Yunbai descended from the clouds and landed on the shore of Qiongxiao Island.

White sand like snow, gentle waves lapping the shore. Verdant mountains rise on the island, springs gurgle, and cranes soar gracefully. In stark contrast to the filth of the Blood Sea and the clamor of Chaoge, this place is almost otherworldlyly serene.

"You've arrived."

A clear, cold voice came from the forest.

Qiongxiao, dressed in white, emerged slowly from the depths of the bamboo grove. She wore no makeup, and her long hair was simply tied up with a wooden hairpin, which only accentuated her jade-like face and icy temperament.

"How could I refuse the invitation from the fairy?" Su Yunbai cupped his hands in greeting.

Qiongxiao nodded slightly: "Come with me."

The two climbed the mountain along the stone path. They remained silent the entire way, with only the rustling of the wind through the bamboo forest and the tinkling of spring water falling onto the rocks.

Halfway up the mountain, a bamboo pavilion was seen perched on the cliff. Inside the pavilion, there was a stone table and benches, and a pot of warm tea.

"sit."

Qiongxiao poured the tea with elegant movements. The tea soup was emerald green, and its aroma was delicate and subtle.

Su Yunbai took a small sip and felt spiritual energy enter his body, making his mind clear and serene.

"Good tea."

"It's 'Qingxin Zhuyeqing' tea, grown on the island." Qiongxiao also took a sip, looked up at him, and said, "Thank you for your help with the South China Sea matter."

"The fairy has already thanked you."

"I was in a hurry that day and didn't get to express my gratitude properly." Qiongxiao paused, "My elder sister said you treated her very well."

"It's my duty."

"Bixiao also said that you treat her very well."

"..."

Qiongxiao looked at him, her icy blue eyes seeming to ripple.

"They all say you're good," she said softly. "I didn't believe it at first. Most men in the world are fickle and heartless. Even those who cultivate the Tao cannot escape this trap."

Su Yunbai put down his teacup: "Has the fairy seen many fickle people?"

"Not much, but enough." Qiongxiao looked at the sea of ​​clouds. "Under Master's tutelage, there are senior brothers who abandon their partners in pursuit of the Great Dao; in the primordial world, there are cultivators who harm their fellow disciples to seize magical treasures. The word 'love' always seems to be cheap in the face of immortality."

"That's because their resolve in the Dao is weak," Su Yunbai shook his head. "If one's love is genuine, what is there to fear in immortality? If one cannot spend the long journey of immortality with the one they love, what is the point of immortality?"

Qiongxiao was taken aback.

These words are completely contrary to the Master's teaching of "the highest form of detachment from emotions".

But she found that...there was some truth to it.

"Is this your path to love?" she asked.

"Yes," Su Yunbai said frankly. "My path of love is not to forget love, but to seek true love. If I love, I love deeply; if I protect, I protect with all my might, without regret or resentment."

What if the one you love betrays you?

"Then I misjudged you," Su Yunbai said with a smile. "But since it's my choice, I'm willing to bear all the consequences."

Qiongxiao remained silent for a long time.

"How did you and your older sister... begin?"

Su Yunbai paused for a moment, then recounted their first encounter in the sea of ​​blood, their mutual understanding through music, and their vow of love across three lifetimes. He spoke calmly, but the deep affection he conveyed—the trust in each other through life and death, the harmonious bond of music—captured Qiongxiao's attention.

"So that's how it is..." she murmured, "No wonder my eldest sister was moved."

"Where is the fairy?" Su Yunbai suddenly asked.

Qiongxiao looked up: "What about me?"

"You've cultivated the path of forgetting emotions for a thousand years, fairy, have you ever... felt a stirring of the heart?"

The pavilion suddenly fell silent.

The wind seemed to have stopped.

Qiongxiao gripped the teacup tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white.

After a long while, she shook her head.

"no."

Not even once?

"……No."

But a barely perceptible hint of panic flashed in her eyes.

Su Yunbai saw this but didn't ask any further questions.

Some things can't be rushed.

In the afternoon, Qiongxiao took him to visit the fairy island.

They walked through the purple bamboo forest, saw the thousand-year-old lingzhi mushroom, and witnessed the cascading waterfalls and flowing springs. Qiongxiao didn't speak much, but she would give a brief introduction to each place they visited. She was familiar with every plant and tree on the island, clearly having cultivated there for a long time.

"Does the fairy usually stay here alone?" Su Yunbai asked.

"Hmm." Qiongxiao nodded. "My eldest sister often goes to Bixiao Island, and Bixiao often comes to bother me. But most of the time, I'm all alone."

"Don't you feel lonely?"

"I'm used to it," Qiongxiao said calmly. "Those who cultivate the Dao should be able to endure loneliness."

"But isn't the purpose of cultivating the Tao... to live a better life?" Su Yunbai said. "If one is lonely all day long, what's the point of achieving immortality?"

Qiongxiao stopped and looked at him.

"You always say these...unorthodox things."

"Because this is the truth."

The two looked at each other.

Qiongxiao looked away first.

"Ahead is 'Listening to the Waves Cliff,' where I usually practice my swordsmanship."

The cliff overlooks the East China Sea, where surging waves crash against the shore, churning up thousands of piles of snow.

Qiongxiao drew her sword—a pure ice-blue celestial sword named "Frost Blossom".

She began to wield her sword.

The sword light was as white as snow, and the figure was as graceful as an immortal. Every move was cold and sharp, carrying an aloofness that kept people at a distance. But Su Yunbai sensed a hidden...gentleness within the sword's intent.

That was the warm current beneath the ice, the glimmer of light in the snowfield.

After finishing a set of sword techniques, Qiongxiao sheathed her sword.

"I've made a fool of myself."

"It's beautiful," Su Yunbai said sincerely. "The fairy's sword intent is cool yet gentle, solitary yet compassionate. Seemingly detached, it is actually... deeply affectionate."

Qiongxiao's hand trembled.

"You... you noticed?"

"The Great Way of Emotion is most adept at perceiving feelings," Su Yunbai said softly. "The fairy is not without feelings, but she hides them too deeply, so deeply that she has even deceived herself."

Qiongxiao looked down at the Frostflower Sword.

The sword reflected her slightly disheveled face.

"Perhaps..." she sighed softly, "but I have cultivated the path of forgetting emotions for a thousand years, and there is no turning back."

"The path can be changed." Su Yunbai walked to her side. "If the fairy is willing, I can help you."

"How can I help?"

Su Yunbai stretched out his hand, and a strand of silver affection appeared in his palm.

"Use this thread of affection as a guide to awaken the emotions hidden deep within your heart. Don't worry about losing control; I will protect you."

Qiongxiao looked at that strand of affection and hesitated.

She has cultivated the path of detachment from emotions for a thousand years, and her foundation is already solid. If she were to forcibly change her path, there might be a backlash.

but……

She recalled her eldest sister's gentle smile as she played the zither, and her third sister's excited expression when she mentioned Su Yunbai.

That was a vibrancy she had never experienced before.

"Okay." She finally nodded. "I believe you."

Su Yunbai gently touched the center of her brow with a thread of affection.

The silver light disappeared.

Qiongxiao closed her eyes.

At first it was icy cold, like falling into a freezing pool.

But soon, warmth arrived.

Countless forgotten fragments of memory surface—

A thousand years ago, when she first took human form, the warmth of her eldest sister's hand holding hers.

Eight hundred years ago, the smiling face of the third sister when she first called her "second sister".

Five hundred years ago, when the master bestowed the sword upon him, he said, "This sword is named Frost Blossom. May your heart be as pure as frost, and your sword as radiant as frost."

And... three days ago, at the banquet in the South China Sea Dragon Palace, the glance she secretly gave him.

So it turns out, it wasn't unintentional.

It's love at first sight.

Tears streamed down her face.

Qiongxiao opened her eyes, and the ice and snow melted away in her icy blue pupils.

"I..." her voice choked with emotion, "I've forgotten so much..."

"It's not too late to remember now," Su Yunbai said, wiping away her tears.

As Qiongxiao watched his gentle movements, the last line of defense in her heart completely collapsed.

She threw herself into his arms.

A thousand years of solitude have turned into tears in this moment.

Su Yunbai gently embraced her.

"Cry, just cry it out."

The sound of the waves below the cliff remained the same, but something had quietly changed between the two people on the cliff.

As dusk fell, the two returned to the bamboo pavilion.

Qiongxiao's eyes were still a little red, but her expression was much more relaxed.

"Thank you," she said softly. "A knot in my heart that has been tied for a thousand years has finally been untied today."

"You're too kind, fairy."

"Call me Qiongxiao." She looked up at him. "Now that you've overcome your mental barriers, there's no need for formalities anymore."

Su Yunbai smiled: "Qiongxiao."

Qiongxiao's cheeks flushed slightly, but she readily agreed, "Mm."

She paused for a moment: "You're going back tomorrow?"

"Something has happened in Chaoge, so I cannot stay long."

"I...I'll go with you," Qiongxiao said. "My eldest sister is in Chaoge, and my third sister is too. I also want to...see more of this world."

Su Yunbai was overjoyed.

"it is good."

That night, Qiongxiao hosted a banquet on the island.

Although it consisted of only a few light dishes and a pot of Zhuyeqing tea, the atmosphere was warm and inviting.

"I have lived on this island for a thousand years, and I am somewhat reluctant to leave tomorrow," Qiongxiao sighed softly.

"You can come back anytime."

"Um."

After several rounds of drinks, Qiongxiao was slightly tipsy.

She rarely became so talkative, and she recounted many stories about the three sisters—how Yunxiao protected them, how mischievous Bixiao was, and how strict yet loving their master was.

Su Yunbai listened quietly.

Until the moon hangs high in the sky.

"I should go back now." Qiongxiao stood up, her steps slightly unsteady.

Su Yunbai helped her up.

"careful."

Qiongxiao leaned on his shoulder and suddenly whispered, "Yunbai."

"Um?"

"If I... if I were like my eldest sister and third sister, would you... treat me the same way you treated them?"

Su Yunbai was startled.

He looked down at her flushed cheeks and dreamy eyes.

"Yes," he said solemnly. "If you are willing, I will not fail you."

Qiongxiao smiled.

Her smile was like the first melting of ice and snow, or the first bloom of spring flowers.

"Then... it's a deal."

She tiptoed and gave him a light kiss on the lips.

Instantly separate.

"Good night."

After saying that, he quickly left, his back view showing a hint of panic.

Su Yunbai stood there, the warmth still lingering on his lips.

He shook his head and chuckled.

This ice fairy also has such an adorable side.

The next morning.

After Qiongxiao finished packing, she left the Three Immortal Islands with Su Yunbai.

Before leaving, she looked back at the island one last time.

"Let's go."

"Um."

Two streaks of light pierced the sky and headed west.

During the journey, Qiongxiao suddenly asked, "Yunbai, are you aware of the matter of humanity's awakening?"

"Know."

"This matter may provoke a backlash from Heaven." Qiongxiao's expression was solemn. "Last night, I divined the secrets of Heaven and saw that calamity was gathering in Chaoge. I'm afraid... it's coming soon."

Su Yunbai's heart sank.

"when?"

"It could take as little as three months, or as long as half a year," Qiongxiao said. "At that time, Heaven will punish us, and the sages will vie for power. It may be... a catastrophe."

Su Yunbai clenched his fist.

"No matter what, I will protect Chaoge."

"I'll help you." Qiongxiao looked at him. "The Three Immortals Island has the ancient 'Three Talents Formation.' I can set it up in Chaoge, which might be able to withstand some of the damage."

Thank you.

"No need to thank me," Qiongxiao said softly. "Since we have made our choice, we should stand together through thick and thin."

Su Yunbai felt a warmth in his heart.