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

Di Xin's pupils contracted slightly: "You know? How could you know?"

His voice trembled slightly, and that absurd guess resurfaced in his mind.

Su Yunbai did not answer directly, but instead reached out and dipped his hand into the wine glass in front of him!

Then, on the smooth table, he wrote two distorted symbols that did not belong to this world.

Those are two simplified Chinese characters—

Blue Star.

Di Xin's breathing stopped instantly.

He stared intently at the two characters, his eyes wide, and the color drained from his face!

Then it surged up again, and my body trembled slightly.

The wine glass slipped from his hand and crashed to the ground with a "crack," shattering and splashing wine everywhere.

He suddenly looked up at Su Yunbai, his lips trembling, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.

Su Yunbai looked at him calmly, with a hint of understanding and a touch of... shared sorrow.

"It seems I wasn't wrong." Su Yunbai slowly wiped the water stains off the table. "Your Majesty, or rather... a fellow townsman?"

"You...you really are..." Di Xin's voice was extremely dry and filled with disbelief.

"Like you, I don't belong here." Su Yunbai admitted, "I woke up as the adopted son of the Marquis of Jizhou's mansion, Su Yunbai."

Di Xin staggered back a step, grabbing the edge of the sand table to steady himself.

He gasped for breath, like a fish out of water, as he looked at Su Yunbai!

His gaze shifted from shock and ecstasy to a deeper, indescribable emotion.

"How many years has it been..."

"I'm all alone... keeping this secret, watching the so-called 'plot' slowly unfold... I thought I had to either go with the flow, or..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Su Yunbai understood.

You either become a true tyrant like King Zhou, or you rebel in despair and are then crushed.

"Now, there are two people," Su Yunbai said.

Di Xin took a few deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.

After the huge shock, more practical problems arise.

"Your power..." he asked.

"By chance, I inherited some of their knowledge."

"They have a modicum of ability to protect themselves and cause trouble."

"What do you want?" Di Xin went straight to the point. "Help me? Why?"

"First, Su Daji, I want her to be safe and happy, and not to get involved in the game."

"Secondly, I want Ji Province to be stable. Thirdly..."

"I don't want to watch this world be destroyed according to a predetermined 'script,' or watch some people treat everything as straw dogs."

He looked at Di Xin: "And Your Majesty, you are now the most crucial piece and the biggest variable."

Helping you is helping myself, and it's also an attempt to... change the game.

After a long silence, when Di Xin spoke again, his voice had regained its imperial composure.

But deep in his eyes, a long-lost flame rekindled.

"You just said you could help me secure my throne." He walked up to Su Yunbai, and the two looked at each other across the table.

"How exactly should I do it? You know, my 'reputation' is already ruined. Writing poems at the Nuwa Palace, forcibly conscripting beauties... everyone in the world thinks I'm a tyrant. The Mandate of Heaven for Xiqi has already begun to be promoted, and countless people inside and outside the court are waiting for me to make a mistake."

"A reputation can be salvaged, or it can be exploited," Su Yunbai said.

"A tyrannical ruler can sometimes have an easier time getting things done than a wise one. As for the destiny of Xiqi..."

He sneered, "The phoenix cries out in Qishan? What if there's something wrong with the 'phoenix' itself, or what if an even more dazzling auspicious omen appears in Chaoge?"

Di Xin's eyes flashed: "You have a way?"

"It takes time, and it also needs the right opportunity." Su Yunbai didn't give a definitive answer.

"Right now, we can do two things. First, use me to clean up some truly deserving but not seriously involved 'stupid insects,' both to establish authority and to eliminate potential threats. Second, the rebellion of Yuan Futong in Beihai must be quelled as soon as possible. Grand Tutor Wen Zhong cannot stay away from Chaoge for long."

"There's probably no clean business behind Yuan Futong either," Di Xin said in a deep voice.

"So, I'll go." Su Yunbai said calmly.

"Your Majesty may issue a secret decree granting me the authority to act as I see fit. I will go to the North Sea and swiftly resolve the crisis. This will not only demonstrate our strength and deter the villains, but also allow the Grand Tutor to return to court as soon as possible and stabilize the central government."

Di Xin stared at him, seemingly weighing his options.

"The risk is very high."

"The North Sea is now a quagmire, a melting pot of demons and heretical cultivators. Although you have the cultivation of a quasi-saint, it is easy to dodge a spear in the open, but difficult to guard against a hidden arrow."

"It's better than being watched by countless eyes in Chaoge, feeling restricted and constrained," Su Yunbai said. "Besides, I need battle merits, I need real power demonstrations that can shut some people up."

Di Xin fell silent again, his fingers unconsciously tapping the edge of the table.

"Very well." Finally, he uttered this word decisively, "I give you a secret decree and token. The Northern Navy and government grant you the authority to make decisions on the spot, to act first and report later!"

"But," he changed the subject, his gaze fixed intently on Su Yunbai!

"We need to make things clear. Cooperation is fine. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement. If you can truly help me stabilize my power, or even... defy fate, I will not be stingy with what you want. Su Daji, Ji Province, and even higher positions are all negotiable."

His tone became extremely serious, even tinged with coldness: "But, if things become hopeless... if it reaches a point where even you feel you can't fight back, and death is inevitable..."

Di Xin's voice lowered, carrying a cold, clear-headed quality unique to a transmigrator:

"If you want to jump ship, fine. But don't drag me down with you, and don't turn around and stab me in the back. Similarly, if I feel that all is lost, I will also find a way out for myself. At that time, we'll each rely on our own abilities, and there will be no blame for life or death."

This is the most realistic dialogue between time travelers.

There are no empty promises, only limited cooperation based on harsh realities and the possibility of potential betrayal.

Su Yunbai looked at Di Xin and suddenly smiled. It wasn't sarcasm, but rather a smile tinged with admiration.

"That's fair." He nodded. "A gentleman's agreement. During the cooperation, neither of us will betray the other, and we'll do our best. If things really come to a standstill, we'll each go our own way and leave each other alone."

He stretched out his hand.

Di Xin looked at him and slowly extended his hand.

Two hands from another world clasped tightly together deep within the royal palace of this primordial world.

There were no passionate vows, only cold and solid bonds of self-interest, and a faint sense of shared fate.

"It's a pleasure to work with you, fellow villager."

"It's a pleasure working with you... Commander Su."

Under the light, both hands loosened.

A new alliance was quietly formed on the eve of the turbulent Investiture of the Gods.

Objective: To carve out a path to survival in this great calamity where even saints are chess players.

Outside the window, the night in Chaoge remained deep and dark.

But in the eyes of the two people inside the palace, there seemed to be a light that was different from the past.

It was the glimmer of hope seen in a companion amidst despair, and the resolute glint of a gambler after betting all their chips.