Packing Up and Leaving

Chaoge.

Chaoge.

At nightfall, the palace was decked out in red, with music drifting through the air. It was a scene of joyous celebration.

Today was the grand day King Zhou of Shang, Di Xin, had appointed Beauty Su as his consort. Their wedding night was just around the corner.

Yet Di Xin, the man of the hour, wasn't in his chambers.

In a highly unusual move, he'd left Su Daji behind and come alone to Longde Hall, his face clouded with worry.

"Alpaca... alpaca..."

Di Xin was on the verge of tears.

If he knew nothing about the Investiture of the Gods, he'd have been more than happy to seize the opportunity and enjoy the easy pickings.

After all, two of life's four great joys—relief after a long drought and the wedding night—had come his way at once.

Unfortunately, as an orphan who'd transmigrated into this world, he knew just how deep the hole Di Xin was in.

As the last ruler of the Shang Dynasty, he was nothing more than a pawn in a battle between immortals—a surefire casualty in the great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods.

In a little over twenty years, the calamity that would end with his death at Star Picking Tower was likely to arrive.

There was no solution!

Absolutely no solution!

The Chan Sect had seized the chance to suppress the Human Emperor Fortune and reshuffle the Heavenly Court, plotting all the while to take down the Interception Sect.

Yet they'd chosen the campaign to destroy Shang as the point where their conflict would erupt.

So many Saints wanted him dead. As a transmigrator, Di Xin felt utterly powerless.

What's more, he was certain this was the world of the Investiture of the Gods, not the real historical world.

From the memories he'd inherited, he knew all too clearly that the original Di Xin really had shown off his calligraphy at Nuwa Palace.

That had directly enraged Saint Nuwa, who sent the Three Demons of Xuanyuan Tomb into the world to bring ruin to Cheng Tang.

The Beauty Su wearing a red bridal veil in his chambers was no longer the original woman, either. She'd been replaced by the thousand-year-old Fox Spirit, one of the Three Demons.

Come to think of it, they were in the same line of work.

But she had powerful backing, and he had none.

At the thought of what it meant to have no backing, Di Xin felt utterly chilled.

Even if he gave up the throne and hid in some remote mountain wilderness, someone with her abilities could find him in no time.

"Your Majesty, I humbly ask you to return to your chambers and rest!"

Just as Di Xin was racking his brains for a way out, a sweet, coquettish voice suddenly rang out beyond the hall.

Su Daji!

The moment he heard the voice, Di Xin knew who had come.

Since transmigrating, he hadn't met Daji face-to-face, but he remembered her voice from the original owner's memories.

During King Zhou's wedding feast, he'd taken over the body by chance while the king was drunk and resting. Once he'd learned his predicament, he'd come straight to Longde Hall.

He hadn't expected that demon fox to track him down here.

Before Di Xin could figure out how to deal with her, the hall doors swung open. A waft of fragrance accompanied a young woman in a flamboyant dress as she glided inside.

She had full hips and a slender waist, almond eyes and rosy cheeks, and alluring phoenix eyes. Her every movement brimmed with charm. She was, without a doubt, an unparalleled beauty.

Even Di Xin, who'd seen countless women on Douyin in his previous life, felt his whole body go weak and tingly the moment his eyes met Daji's. His ears grew hot, his eyes twitched, and an urge to pounce on her rose inside him.

Something was wrong!

Di Xin's heart jolted. He wasn't a virgin anymore; there was no way he'd normally get this worked up.

That demon fox must be using her seductive magic to bewitch him.

"Your Majesty, come back to our chambers with me!"

Daji seemed very pleased by Di Xin's reaction. Without even avoiding the palace maids accompanying her, she swayed over toward him.

Good grief! Di Xin nearly got a nosebleed. He hurriedly bit the tip of his tongue, regaining some clarity.

At the same time, to his surprise, four options appeared in his mind.

[Option One: Draw your sword and slay Su Daji, the thousand-year-old Fox Spirit, once and for all. Completion reward: High-grade Innate Spirit Treasure Drunken Immortal Bell]

[Option Two: Send Su Daji, the thousand-year-old Fox Spirit, to the Cold Palace and strip her of her Beauty title, preventing her from stirring up trouble and ruining Yin Shang's fortune. Completion reward: one High-grade Immortal Pill Nine Revolutions Universe Pill]

[Option Three: Play along and spend the night with Su Daji. Completion reward: Post-celestial Supreme Spirit Treasure Demon Slaying Sword]

[Option Four: Completely ignore Su Daji and slap your butt as you walk away. Completion reward: Instantly advance your cultivation to Refining Essence into Qi, transcend mortal existence, and become a Qi Cultivator]

System?

Was this the transmigrator's perk?

Seeing the four options, Di Xin was ecstatic. This was exactly the kind of setup a protagonist got!

So there was still hope!

Since the system had given him four options, choosing one of them was clearly the safest course of action.

"Wait here!"

Suppressing his excitement, Di Xin spoke hastily, then turned away to avoid Daji's gaze and studied the four options closely several times.

The first reward was an absolute bombshell.

Innate spiritual treasures had been born when chaos first split apart. They contained primordial energy and possessed boundless power.

There were very few in existence. Even the Saints treasured them, and any one of them could trigger an endless storm of bloodshed.

If he could get his hands on one, it would undoubtedly be his trump card for turning the tables.

But the problem was, with his mortal body, he couldn't use it right now.

Besides, Daji might be posing as a frail young woman, but she was a member of the Monster Race who'd cultivated for a thousand years. He'd have no chance against her. If he attacked rashly, he'd likely suffer the backlash.

And even if he somehow managed to kill her, Goddess Nuwa would certainly notice. At the very least, she'd take even more difficult measures to deal with him.

The danger would turn invisible, making it impossible to guard against.

As a result, the more than twenty years he had left to prepare might shrink considerably.

This option was no good. PASS.

Next, he considered the second option.

Nine Revolutions Universe Pill sounded impressive, and it was a high-grade immortal pill to boot.

An immortal pill of that caliber was something one might never encounter in a lifetime.

But if he sent Daji to the Cold Palace, the result would be almost the same as with the first option.

Besides, Daji's father, Marquis of Jizhou Su Hu, wouldn't take it lying down. That man would rebel at the drop of a hat, and he'd done it before.

Su Hu had no idea that a Fox Spirit had possessed his daughter.

Even if Di Xin got the immortal pill, it would bring him death.

This option was no good either. PASS.

As for the third option, Di Xin ruled it out at once. He wasn't at Xu Xian's level; no matter what the system offered, he couldn't go through with it.

The Fox Spirit would absorb his vital yang energy, for one thing. More importantly, it was disgusting!

The fourth option.

That one would be easy to complete, involved little risk, and though the reward couldn't compare to the other three, it seemed like the best fit for him.

Though Di Xin was a mortal, he'd come into contact with Qi Cultivators. Plenty of experts who served the court were among them.

Becoming a Qi Cultivator meant transcending mortal existence. They were candidates for becoming immortals.

The four realms of Qi Cultivation were Refining Essence into Qi, Refining Qi into Spirit, Refining Spirit into Void, and Refining Void into Dao. Beyond those—

lay the immortal realm, an even more powerful existence.

Wasn't becoming a Qi Cultivator exactly what he needed most urgently?

It was an absolutely perfect reward for him.

Stay calm. Don't get reckless. Better to keep his head down and build up his strength first!

Without much hesitation, Di Xin decisively chose the fourth option.

He turned around, slapped his butt, and walked straight out of the hall without so much as a glance at Su Daji.

"Your Majesty..."

Daji hadn't expected King Zhou to react that way. A startled look crossed her face. She bit her lip, let out a soft whimper, and hurried after him.

Di Xin had already stepped beyond the hall doors, but at the sound of her voice he stopped.

Strange. He'd followed Option Four, so why hadn't the reward arrived?

Was he supposed to slap three times instead of twice?

Di Xin completely ignored Daji's call and slapped his own butt three more times.

The system still didn't respond.

The next moment, he saw Daji standing right in front of him, and his gaze fell on her swaying, shapely backside.

Could he be supposed to slap hers?