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

The little one suddenly quieted down.

He nestled on Li Chenzhou's shoulder, his little hands clutching Li Chenzhou's collar, and remained silent for a long while. Li Chenzhou sensed that the little guy's breathing had changed slightly, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how.

Uncle Li.

The little one finally spoke, his voice soft, unlike the clear and loud one before.

"Um?"

"I..." The little one pursed her lips, raised her head, and looked at Li Chenzhou with her big, dark eyes. "I want to go to the Second Ancestral Land."

Li Chenzhou paused in his steps.

He looked at the small child in his arms. The flame in his eyes was gone, replaced by something deeper.

"There's a child there."

The little one spoke softly, his voice carrying a hint of indescribable emotion.

"He is suffering for me."

Li Chenzhou remained silent for a moment.

He certainly knew what the Second Ancestral Land meant, and he knew what was there. That child, used as a substitute for the little one, was trapped in that desolate land, enduring suffering that was not his to bear.

"You found out?"

Li Chenzhou asked.

The little one nodded, but there was no smile on his face.

"When Uncle Li went to the Wu King's Mansion just now, Goddess Liu told me about it."

His voice was very soft, as if he were afraid of disturbing something.

"There was a child, about my age, who was locked up there. They couldn't find me, so they took him. Because he looked like me, and because they needed a 'Born Supreme' to appease those people."

As the little one spoke, he gripped Li Chenzhou's collar tightly with his tiny hand.

"He shouldn't have suffered for me."

"That's not his fault."

"I want to go see him."

Looking at that earnest little face, Li Chenzhou felt a mix of emotions welling up inside him.

This child has just learned the truth about his origins, just witnessed the bloody past, and just discovered that someone stole his Supreme Bone. Anyone in his shoes would be consumed by anger and hatred at this moment.

But then he thought of another child.

A child he had never met, yet who was suffering in his place.

"You want to save him?"

Li Chenzhou asked.

The little one thought for a moment and then shook his head.

"I don't know if I can save him," he said honestly, "but I want to see him, to tell him that someone knows him, someone remembers him."

"He didn't suffer in vain."

These words were spoken softly, yet they sent a shiver down Li Chenzhou's spine.

He looked at the tiny child in his arms, whose innocent face held a maturity and gentleness beyond his years.

This child is kinder than he imagined.

"it is good."

Li Chenzhou nodded.

"I'll take you there."

The little one's eyes lit up, the gloom from before dissipated somewhat, and a small smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you, Uncle Li."

Li Chenzhou rubbed his head without saying a word.

In the distance, the setting sun gradually sank into the mountains, and the evening glow faded away, leaving behind its last rays.

In the second ancestral land, the trapped child is still waiting for something in the darkness.

He had no idea what awaited him.

But soon, a small figure will emerge from that desolate place and stand before him.

Tell him that someone remembers him.

Tell him that he did not suffer in vain.

……

Li Chenzhou and Xiaobudian's figures quietly appeared in a desolate place.

Before me lay a dilapidated village, its walls mostly collapsed, its paint peeling off the gate, and weeds growing wildly from the cracks in the stones. There was none of the vitality of Stone Village, no shimmering lake, no laughter. Only deathly silence and the pervasive stench of decay.

This is the second ancestral home of the Shi clan.

It was called the clan's territory, but it was actually nothing more than a place of exile.

Within the Stone Clan, those of high status who have "committed a grave mistake" are exiled here. Whether this "grave mistake" is a truly heinous crime unacceptable to the Stone Kingdom, or simply a "grave mistake" committed by certain individuals—judging from the fate of Shi Ziling and his wife, the answer is self-evident.

Li Chenzhou's gaze swept calmly across this desolate land.

But the little one was already stunned.

His gaze fell on a small figure in front of the manor.

It was a child.

A child about his age.

But the child was heartbreakingly thin. His small frame was stretched taut by a faded old garment, looking as if a gust of wind could blow him away. His complexion was far from the rosy, healthy glow of the little boy; his face was pale with a sallow tinge, and his lips were somewhat chapped.

He sat alone on the stone steps in front of the manor, head down, playing with himself. (The following is unrelated to the previous sentence: "The best novel in the multiverse, *Covering the Sky: I Prove the Great Dao Through the Gate of Eternity*, voted by readers, is at the top of the list!")

I have no playmates.

No one was with him.

He was alone.

As the little boy watched, he suddenly noticed that the child's movements were a bit strange—when he stood up, one of his legs was clearly weak, and he limped a couple of steps before sitting back down.

Lame.

His leg was lame.

The little one's heart clenched suddenly.

At this moment, a middle-aged man who looked like a servant came out of the village, carrying something in his hand, and passed by the child.

The child looked up, as if he wanted to say something.

But the servant didn't even glance at him, muttering, "What's that cripple doing blocking the way? He's getting in the way."

After speaking, he walked away.

The child stared blankly at the servant's retreating figure, lowered his head, and remained silent. But his small shoulders trembled slightly.

He's used to it.

That way, he can hear it every day.

He experiences this kind of disregard every day.

He was the young master of this place, but in the eyes of these people, he was not even as good as a servant.

The little one's eyes instantly welled up with tears upon seeing this scene.

A mist gradually settled over his big, dark eyes. He clenched his little fists, and his small body trembled slightly.

"Is this another version of me?"

His voice was very soft, as if he were afraid of disturbing something.

But there was an indescribable sadness in that voice.

If he hadn't been sent to Shicun, if he had ended up here instead, if no one had protected him—

Will he become like that too?

Thin, lonely, bullied, ignored, sitting alone in a dilapidated manor, playing by himself.

Will he also become lame, but no one cares?

Will he also gradually get used to and become numb to those unpleasant words every day?

The little one doesn't know.

But when he looked at the child, his heart felt like it was being squeezed by something, and he felt a sharp pain.

That's not him.

That was another one of him.

He who took all of this for him.

Li Chenzhou looked down at the little guy beside him, at his red eyes and clenched fists, and said nothing. He simply reached out and gently placed his hand on the top of the little guy's head.

"Uncle Meng, I want to take him back to Shicun."

The little boy murmured to himself, his voice soft, yet carrying an unwavering determination. His eyes remained fixed on the thin figure, watching him limp back up the stone steps, watching the servants passing by not even giving him a second glance.

Li Chenzhou looked down at the little guy, at his red eyes and clenched fists, without saying a word. He simply reached out and gently placed his hand on the top of the little guy's head, stroking his soft fur.

"Do whatever you want."

The voice was soft, yet it stood firmly behind the little one like a mountain.

The little boy looked up at Li Chenzhou. His large, dark eyes held gratitude, warmth, and an indescribable sense of security. He knew that no matter what he did, Uncle Li would always be there for him.

Just then, the child stood up, leaning against the wall.

He limped deeper into the village, his small figure gradually disappearing under the dilapidated porch. His back was thin and lonely, each step difficult, yet no one stopped for him, no one offered him a helping hand.

The little one watched the figure disappear behind the door, a hint of urgency appearing on his face.

"Uncle Li, I'm going inside to find him."

Li Chenzhou nodded and gently put the little one down.

"Go."

The little boy took off running towards the dilapidated door. His steps were light and energetic, a stark contrast to the other child's unsteady gait. When he reached the door, he glanced back at Li Chenzhou, then plunged inside.

Li Chenzhou stood still and did not follow them inside.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze calmly sweeping over the dilapidated manor. In his sense, there were two faint presences deep within the manor—two old men. One's life force was so weak it was almost extinguished, and he could vanish at any moment. The other was also frail and nearing the end of his life, his vitality waning, and he could only hold on for a few more years at most.

This is the second ancestral home of the Shi clan.

The so-called land of exile is, frankly, a place to wait for death. Those exiled here, no matter how illustrious they once were, will eventually rot and perish slowly in this desolate place. No one will remember them, no one will care about them.

That child grew up in this place where people waited to die.

Li Chenzhou's gaze pierced through the walls and landed on the small, thin figure. The child was standing in front of a dilapidated house, facing the tiny figure, his expression changing from surprise to bewilderment, and then to disbelief.

He heard the little one's voice.

The voice was slightly choked up, yet still clear and resonant.