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

A very subtle ripple flashed in King Zhou's eyes, then disappeared.

"I know." He walked behind the table and sat down, gesturing to the seat opposite him. "Sit. Jizhou is a thousand miles away; it is not easy for you to visit me under the cover of night."

Su Yunbai calmly took his seat.

"Is it about the beauty pageant?" King Zhou cut straight to the point, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Yes." Su Yunbai didn't beat around the bush, "For my sister, Su Daji."

"Su Hu's memorial of defiance will be delivered to my desk tomorrow." King Zhou picked up the wine pot, poured two cups of wine, and pushed one towards Su Yunbai. "What do you think I should do?"

"Your Majesty has already made up your mind, why ask me?" Su Yunbai did not touch his wine cup.

King Zhou stared at him for a moment, then suddenly tugged at the corners of his mouth. The smile was devoid of warmth, containing only deep weariness and a hint of mockery.

"Everyone says I'm a tyrannical ruler, lustful and cruel, a blasphemer." He picked up his wine cup and drank it all in one gulp. "And you? Do I look like one?"

"Whether it resembles her or not is unimportant," Su Yunbai said calmly. "What matters is what Your Majesty desires. Does he truly want my sister to enter the palace, or... is he using this as a pretext for something else?"

A brief silence fell over the palace.

There was only the occasional soft crackling sound of the lamp flame bursting open.

King Zhou put down his wine cup, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table, his gaze returning to the huge sand table, especially towards Xiqi.

"The phoenix cries in the west, war smoke rises in the north, there are fools in the court, and the harem... is not peaceful either." His voice was low, as if he were talking to himself, or as if he were speaking to Su Yunbai, "I am not sitting securely on this throne."

"So, is it necessary to adorn oneself with beautiful women to demonstrate royal power? Or is it necessary to use the daughters of feudal lords as hostages to provide checks and balances?" Su Yunbai asked.

"A system of checks and balances?" King Zhou scoffed, a sharp glint in his eyes. "If it were merely for checks and balances, why go to such lengths and incur such infamy?"

He looked at Su Yunbai again, his gaze sharp: "Su Yunbai, you came here so late at night, managing to bypass all the guards and restrictions, and enter my palace directly. This ability is far beyond that of an ordinary cultivator. Marquis of Jizhou, you have indeed raised a fine son."

"Then," he leaned forward slightly, exuding a sense of oppression, "tell me, by what right do you expect me to retract my order? By what right do you expect me to risk losing all my prestige by letting go of Ji Province, who defied the imperial decree, and to let go of Su Daji?"

Finally, the key question has been asked.

Su Yunbai slowly raised his eyes.

He did not release the pressure of a quasi-saint, nor did he display any astonishing supernatural powers.

He simply looked calmly at King Zhou, his deep eyes seemingly swirling with countless emotions, ultimately settling into a profound abyss capable of swallowing everything.

"Because," he spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but each word clear and resonant, striking King Zhou's heart, "I can help you secure this throne. Even... for longer."

"I can help you get rid of those 'stupid bugs' that you want to deal with but can't do anything about for the time being."

"I have a way to make that 'phoenix' in Xiqi temporarily unable to 'sing'."

"Because," Su Yunbai concluded, his tone brimming with absolute confidence, "I know that Your Majesty's poem about the Nuwa Palace may not be entirely foolish, but rather... it carries a deeper meaning. I may see the risks and opportunities involved even more clearly than Your Majesty does."

King Zhou's pupils suddenly contracted.

The fingers that had been tapping on the table stopped.

The air inside the palace seemed to freeze at that moment.

a long time.

King Zhou suddenly burst into laughter. The laughter was deep and resonant, echoing in the empty palace, but it contained little joy; instead, it carried a sense of desolate catharsis and... a hint of excitement at meeting a worthy opponent.

"Good! Well done, Su Yunbai!" He stopped laughing and stared intently at Su Yunbai. "It's been a long time since I've met anyone who dared to speak to me like this."

"What are your terms?" he asked directly.

"Withdraw the imperial decree to select beauties in Ji Province. Guarantee my sister Su Daji's lifelong peace and safety, and prevent her from entering the deep palace." Su Yunbai stated his core demand. "In exchange, I will stay in Chaoge for a while. If Your Majesty has any troubles that are 'inconvenient for you to handle personally,' I can take care of them on your behalf."

"for example?"

"For example," Su Yunbai's gaze swept across several key locations on the sand table, "the rebellion of Yuan Futong in Beihai dragged on for a long time, depleting the country's strength. For example, some 'loyal ministers' in the court who had overly close ties with Xiqi. And for example... some 'uninvited guests' from Xuanyuan Tomb."

Upon hearing the words "Xuanyuan Tomb," King Zhou's eyes suddenly sharpened, but he quickly regained his composure.

"How much do you actually know?" he asked in a deep voice.

"It's more than Your Majesty imagined." Su Yunbai stood up. "Your Majesty can consider it. Give me your answer before tomorrow."

He paused, then added, "If Your Majesty insists on holding a beauty contest and sends troops to Ji Province, then I guarantee that the walls of Ji Province will become the burial ground for the Chaoge army. And I will become the 'trouble' that Your Majesty least wants to face for the rest of your life."

He spoke in a calm tone, uttering the most domineering and resolute words.

After speaking, Su Yunbai did not linger. His figure rippled like water and slowly disappeared into the palace, as if he had never existed.

King Zhou sat alone behind his desk, his gaze fixed on the spot where Su Yunbai had disappeared. His fingers began to tap unconsciously again, but the rhythm was much faster than before.

"Su Yunbai..." he murmured the name, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

Is it a threat? Or an opportunity?

Is he another ambitious figure attempting to manipulate the throne? Or... the key to breaking the deadlock?

He looked at the sand table, at Xiqi, at the vast map of the territory.

Finally, their gaze fell upon the scroll of silk containing the instructions for the beauty pageant, which had not yet been sent out.

After a long while, he picked up his pen and began to write on another blank piece of silk.

Length of night.

A thousand miles away in the Marquis of Jizhou's mansion, Daji leaned against the window.

Looking at the dark, starless night sky, my heart was filled with fear of the future.

And a tinge of complicated concern for his younger brother, who had suddenly confessed his feelings but was now unusually silent.

Unbeknownst to her, on this very night, the scales of her fate had already been tipped in two by a late-night visit.

[Ding! The host has intervened in a major historical event (King Zhou's beauty pageant) and attempted to reverse the fate of key figures, resulting in a slight increase in global influence.]

[Ding! Initial contact has been established with the important plot character 'Di Xin'.]

[Due to the host's actions, Su Daji's fate has begun to shift, gaining the protection of good fortune and weakening the hidden calamities.]

[Current intimacy level: 725 points.]