Covering the Sky: I Prove the Great Dao Through the Gate of Immortality

"Uncle Li, Grandpa Clan Chief."

The little one tilted his head back, his voice soft and gentle, yet it made the hearts of everyone present tighten at the same time.

That usually cheerful little face now carried a sadness that shouldn't belong to someone her age. A thin layer of mist veiled her large, dark eyes, like the morning fog on a lake, hazy and indistinct.

"I thought of my father and mother..."

He lowered his head, his small hands unconsciously clutching the hem of his clothes, his voice growing softer and softer.

"But I...have absolutely no recollection of them."

These words were like a fine needle, gently piercing Li Chenzhou's heart.

He looked at the tiny child before him—no more than knee-high, with chubby cheeks, whose favorite things were drinking animal milk and having his face pinched. But now, this toddler, who should have been nestled in his parents' arms, stood by an unfamiliar lake, gazing at the unfamiliar scenery, trying hard to recall what his parents looked like, something he could hardly remember.

Li Chenzhou frowned slightly.

By now, the little one will be four years old soon. If you include the few months he was abandoned outside Stone Village, he's actually over four years old.

This child is exceptionally intelligent, far surpassing his peers. It's understandable that the lake awakened fragments of his deepest memories.

only……

He looked down at the little one, whose tiny figure stood by the lake, the lake breeze blowing the wisps of hair on his forehead, revealing his tightly furrowed brows.

Children this age should be playing happily in their parents' arms, pampered and spoiled, getting whatever they want. But what about this little one? He was an infant abandoned at the village entrance, forced to drink animal milk to stave off hunger and rely on the villagers' clothes for warmth when he was cold. He was so well-behaved and sensible, never asking why other children had parents while he didn't.

But just because he doesn't ask doesn't mean he doesn't want to.

A complex mix of emotions welled up in Li Chenzhou's heart.

Not pity—this child doesn't need pity; he is a true dragon destined to soar through the heavens.

It is pity.

I feel sorry for him, having to bear all this at such a young age; I feel sorry for him, who can't remember what his parents look like but still misses them; I feel sorry for him, standing by the lake, with a sadness in his eyes that is so incongruous with his age.

He squatted down, placed his large hand on the little one's head, and gently rubbed it.

In that instant, he suddenly felt that he wasn't being a good enough stay-at-home dad.

Shi Yunfeng also came over, his aged hand trembling as he placed it on the little boy's shoulder. He looked at the child he had raised from infancy, something flickering in his cloudy old eyes.

"child……"

He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

They kept those past events, those secrets about the little one's origins, a secret for four years. They thought they could keep it from him longer, until he was older and stronger, before telling him.

But at this moment, looking at the little one's misty eyes, Shi Yunfeng suddenly felt uncertain.

Was it right or wrong for them to keep it from him?

The little boy looked up at Li Chenzhou, then at Shi Yunfeng, and suddenly forced a smile.

That smile was as innocent and naive as ever, which softened Li Chenzhou's heart even more.

This child, even though he was sad, was still smiling for them.

"Uncle Li, I'm fine," the little one said in a childish voice. "I just can't remember, and I'm a little sad, just a little bit."

He gestured with his little finger, and that tiny bit was really only the size of a fingernail.

Li Chenzhou looked at him, then suddenly reached out and picked him up.

"Little one," he said softly, "there are some things you might want to know. Uncle will tell you when you're ready."

The little one nestled on his shoulder, her tiny, soft body pressed against his chest, and after a while, she let out a soft "Mmm".

In the distance, the lake breeze remained gentle, and the water still shimmered.

But as Li Chenzhou held the tiny child in his arms, he felt a heavy weight on his shoulders.

This child will eventually have to face those past experiences.

All he wanted was to let him be happy for a few more days, laugh a few more times, and drink a few more cans of animal milk before he faced it.

After all, the shelf life of this little one is really not long.

……

the next day.

The little one looked up at Shi Yunfeng, his big, dark eyes now misty.

"Grandpa Chief, are my parents... still alive?"

The voice was very soft, as soft as a breeze on a lake, yet it silenced everyone present.

Shi Yunfeng's lips moved slightly, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The little one lowered his head, clutching the hem of his clothes with his tiny hands, and didn't ask any more questions.

But his small figure, when seen by others, evoked a pang of sadness in them.

Yes, this child has been without parents since he was little.

All the children in the village have their parents with them; if they fall, someone helps them up; if they're hungry, someone feeds them; if they cry, someone comforts them. Only the little one is always alone. He's so well-behaved, so sensible; he never cries or makes a fuss, and he never asks why everyone else has parents but he doesn't.

But just because he doesn't ask doesn't mean he doesn't want to.

He secretly hid all those longings, keeping them hidden in the deepest corner of his heart, never letting anyone see them.

Only now, in this unfamiliar lake and amidst these hazy fragments of memory, did he inadvertently reveal a trace of the emotions he had kept hidden for so long.

Later, Uncle Li arrived.

The little one quietly raised his eyes and looked at Li Chenzhou beside him.

Uncle Li was so good to him, so very good. He would hug him, pinch his cheeks, teach him many things, and protect him from bad people.

Sometimes, the little one would secretly think to himself—

Could Uncle Li be my father?

Could it be that he had no choice but to leave back then, and now that he has finally returned, he is afraid to acknowledge me?

After all, Uncle Li was so good to me, so very good.

Only a father would treat a child this well.

This thought had been lingering in his mind for a very, very long time, so long that even the little guy himself couldn't remember when he first started thinking about it. He had never told anyone, because he knew that saying it would make people laugh.

But now, standing by this unfamiliar lake, gazing at those hazy memories, he couldn't help but think of this idea again.

But soon, the little one shook his head inwardly.

He knew that this was just his imagination.

Uncle Li is Uncle Li, not Father.

He sniffed lightly, suppressing the slight mist, then tilted his head back and revealed his usual smile.

"Uncle Li, Grandpa Clan Chief, I..."

He spoke in a childish voice, trying his best to make his voice sound the same as usual.

"I miss them just a little bit, really just a little bit."

He gestured with his little finger to indicate the name; it was really only the size of a fingernail.

But that slightly trembling voice, the tears she tried so hard to hold back, and the way she was clearly sad but still had to smile for others, made Li Chenzhou's heart clench.

He reached out and hugged the little one.

Her small body pressed against his chest, soft and warm, yet so heartbreaking.

"I have no idea."

Shi Yunfeng's voice was low and hoarse, the four words sounding as if squeezed out from the depths of his chest, so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

After saying that, he turned his head away, not daring to look into the little one's misty eyes.

Those eyes were so clear, so clear, that they filled this old man, nearing the end of his life, with endless sorrow welling up in his heart.

He looked at Li Chenzhou, his cloudy old eyes filled with complex emotions—questioning, hesitant, and a trace of inexplicable heartache.

Should we really tell him?

Those past events, those secrets about the child's origins, they carefully hid for four years. Every time Shi Yunfeng saw the little boy's innocent and carefree smile, he would think, let's wait a little longer, until he's a bit older, until he's a bit stronger.

But this wait lasted four years.

Li Chenzhou nodded gently, his gaze falling on the little one, both gentle and firm.

"The little one has the right to know all of this." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable force. "Not only his parents, but everything about his past should be known today."

Upon hearing this, Shi Yunfeng took a deep breath.

He lowered his eyes, his wrinkled hands trembling slightly.

When that infant was brought to him, he was heartbreakingly thin and injured. His tiny body was curled up in a tattered bundle, and his cries were so weak they were almost inaudible. He knew then that this child must have gone through a lot, things that no infant should have to endure.

Over the years, he watched the little one grow up little by little, from that dying infant to the toddler who can run, jump, laugh, and play. He watched him drink animal milk until his mouth was covered in it, watched the villagers pinch his cheeks until they were deformed, and watched him chase after the village children, laughing so happily.

But every time he saw other children snuggling into their parents' arms, Shi Yunfeng noticed the fleeting sadness in the little one's eyes.

That child was just too sensible, so sensible that it broke my heart.

He never asked questions, never made a fuss, and kept all his thoughts to himself.

Shi Yunfeng glanced at Li Chenzhou again.

He knew Mr. Li's decision was right. The child would eventually have to face those past events, and it was better to tell him now than to keep him in the dark forever.

But should I really have to say it myself?

Those words—about his parents, his background, and why he was abandoned at the village entrance—were like knives. Even a dying old man like him felt heartache listening to them; how much more so would this four-year-old child?

His hands were still shaking.

But when he looked at the little one again, the child was looking up at him with a serious expression on his face, and his dark eyes showed no urging, only waiting.

Just like all these years, he is always waiting.

He was waiting for parents who might not come, and for an answer he might never receive.

Shi Yunfeng's heart clenched painfully.

He took a deep breath and gently placed his trembling hand on the little one's shoulder, that small shoulder, soft and warm.

"child."

His voice was slightly choked, but he tried his best to make it sound steady.

"Today, I will tell you everything I know."

The little one nodded vigorously, his earnest expression heartbreaking.

A gentle lake breeze blew by, ruffling the little boy's bangs and brushing against Shi Yunfeng's wrinkled face.

The old man looked at the little child in front of him and felt an overwhelming pity.

From this day forward, this child will have to face burdens that shouldn't belong to someone his age.

The children swarmed around him like a group of startled yet curious little animals, crowding together to sit beside the little boy. No one spoke, they just watched him quietly, keeping him company in that clumsy yet sincere way unique to children.

Shi Yunfeng's gaze swept over the young faces one by one, finally settling on the little one. The old man took a deep breath, his aged voice slowly rising in the lake breeze.

"The origins of our Shicun village are probably very, very significant... It is related to an ancient kingdom with endless glory in the outside world."

He spoke slowly, as if recalling or sorting out long-forgotten events.

"Back then, there was a young couple..."

The little one listened quietly, his little hands unconsciously clenching the hem of his clothes.

Shi Yunfeng didn't say much—he didn't know much to begin with. Years ago, Shi Ziling and his wife accidentally found the road to the ancestral land of the Shi clan. They came here with their last hope, hoping that the legendary ancestral land could save their child. But what they saw was just a dilapidated village, long since devoid of its former glory and mystique.

In the end, they left the swaddled baby there and departed with tears in their eyes.

"They...don't want me anymore..."

The little one's voice was very soft, as soft as a breeze on a lake. But her big, dark eyes were already brimming with tears, threatening to spill over.

Shi Yunfeng's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly shook his head.

"No, child, no." The old man's voice was hurried, and his calloused hand gently covered the little boy's head. "They're trying to save you. They're going to gather the sacred medicine—the most precious medicine in the eight lower realms, capable of reviving the dead and healing broken bones. They want to use the sacred medicine to save you."

What he didn't say was—

Given the cultivation levels of Little Dot's parents at the time, attempting to harvest the sacred medicine would almost certainly result in certain death.

The Primordial Divine Mountain—what kind of place is that? It's a forbidden zone that even true powerhouses have to think twice about. The chances of these two young people venturing in and returning alive are as slim as a candle flickering in the wind.

Shi Yunfeng swallowed this speculation.

He couldn't bear to say it.

It's heartbreaking to see this child, who has just learned that his parents didn't abandon him, have to bear another heavy burden.

He knew nothing about what happened after Shi Ziling and his wife left. The couple didn't tell him anything more, so he had no way of knowing.

The little one lowered his head, tears finally streaming down his face, pattering onto his clothes. His tiny shoulders trembled slightly, yet he stubbornly bit his lip, refusing to let out a sound.

I feel so confused inside.

It turns out they didn't abandon themselves after all.

It turns out they left to save me.

But... but why am I still so sad?

The kids next to me looked at each other, and then—

A small hand gently rested on the little one's shoulder.

Another small hand grasped his hand.

Then a small hand clumsily patted his back.

"Little one, don't be sad..."

"You still have us!"

"Yes, yes, we are all your family!"

The children's voices, chattering and filled with the purest warmth, surrounded the little one.

A chubby-faced boy even shoved his own can of animal milk into the little one's hands: "Here, drink this! You won't be sad anymore after you drink it!"

The little one looked up, his eyes blurry with tears, at his friends, seeing the genuine worry and heartache on their faces.

He sniffed and nodded vigorously.

Tears were still flowing, but the corners of her mouth tried to curve upwards.

In the distance, Li Chenzhou watched this scene quietly without saying a word.

From today onwards, this child will have even more to carry in their heart.

But thankfully, he had so many people with him.