"This girl's fate is dark… she may face many misfortunes."
A deep, steady voice came from the old Taoist priest.
On a rainy, gloomy day, a young couple carried their newborn daughter into the temple to pray. They had expected only a simple blessing, but the priest's words drained the color from their faces. The mother's ten months of hope and labor turned instantly into tears that would not stop.
"I only have this one daughter… please, save her," the father whispered, his voice trembling like a candle in the wind.
The priest shook his head slowly. "Her fate is dark. She may be called by spirits from the underworld at any moment… even the King of Death himself might take her."
Then he added, his voice gentler, "Unless… she can recognize the Emperor God of Shangqing as her spiritual father. With his protection, her life may be spared, even if her fate cannot change."
The father clutched the priest's robe as if holding onto a lifeline. Pale and shaking, he begged, "Please… perform the ceremony. Let her become the spiritual child of the Emperor God of Shangqing!"
The Taoist pressed his fingers to his eyebrows, muttering softly, "I usually do not interfere in mortal affairs… but to abandon a newborn would break my heart." He shook his head. "Yet… the Emperor God of Shangqing has never taken a spiritual child before."
The mother's tears flowed like rain as she held her baby and bowed repeatedly. "Please… please protect my daughter!"
The baby lay quietly in her arms, blinking at her mother's worried face. The father seemed empty, as if all his strength had left him.
The priest turned to the golden statue of the Emperor God of Shangqing. "Throw the divination blocks. Let the God choose."
The couple's hearts fluttered with hope. Their tears stopped, replaced by tense excitement. They knelt before the statue. The mother carefully placed the blocks in the baby's tiny hands. "Xiao Xi, be good… let the Emperor God see you, okay?"
The baby bit the blocks with curiosity. The mother gasped softly, then smiled. She placed the child gently in front of the statue.
The little girl felt a pang of unease and was about to cry—but then her eyes met the statue. A tall, golden figure stood holding a long sword, a string of beads wrapped around his wrist. His sharp eyes seemed to look down on everything, yet his lips curved in a faint, strange smile.
The baby stared, then smiled. She tossed one block—and when it hit the ground, an unseen force bounced it under the statue.
The father leaned down, astonished. "A holy block… it's a holy block! Our daughter is saved!"
The mother clutched her baby, bowing in gratitude. "Thank you, Divine One, for protecting her!"
The Taoist smiled faintly, as if he had expected this. "I will prepare the spiritual father ceremony."
Then, he took the beads from the statue's hand and gently placed them on the baby's wrist. "Blessings from the Heavenly God. No harm, no danger." Then he instructed his disciples to prepare the ceremony and chose a lucky day for the couple to return.
From that moment, Liu Yuexi's fate quietly intertwined with the high and mighty ancient god.