Covering the Sky: The Years I Was the Empress's Strictest Master

Thoughts were swirling.

Tan Lin opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them.

Xiang Li, sitting on the armchair in front of the couch, was slightly shaken upon seeing this.

He wasn't sure if he had misread it.

Upon closer observation, he vaguely noticed that the other person's eyes appeared increasingly profound as they opened and closed, and occasionally even carried a sense of tranquility accumulated over the years.

However, when he asked the other members of their tribe who took turns looking after each other, they all said they did not feel this way.

Putting that aside, after three or four years of observation, he was increasingly shocked.

Perhaps due to his bloodline, this child not only possesses unparalleled innate talent and an astonishing growth rate, but also exhibits a temperament that is extraordinary.

She never cried from a young age and learned things incredibly quickly.

If it weren't for the childlike curiosity he occasionally displayed, Xiang Li might even have a ridiculous illusion.

It was as if he was facing not a three- or four-year-old child, but an outsider cultivator who had lived for over a thousand years.

"Elder Li, when can I accompany you into the abyss to observe the fist intent on that stone tablet?"

After finishing his day's practice, Tan Lin got off the couch, grabbed the hem of the middle-aged man's robe, and spoke in a clear, childlike voice.

Upon hearing this, Xiang Li pursed his lips and remained silent.

In fact, he has been thinking about this issue recently.

The other person's talent is truly terrifying. Others of this age are still mentally confused and can't even recognize all the words.

However, he had already quietly mastered the Wheel Sea Scroll cultivation method used by his clan for enlightenment, and his foundation was extremely solid.

If it weren't for the fact that he personally came to take care of her for a day at least every month.

Right now, probably no one in the clan realizes that the other party is only one step away from breaking through to the Dao Palace Secret Realm...

No, it should be said that this child was actually capable of breaking through long ago, but he just lacked the method of the Dao Palace Scroll.

If this continues, it won't be long before the child's health condition becomes apparent...

He also thought that such a cautious way of nurturing was actually not advisable for the Undying Golden Body, as it would be detrimental to the other party's future path.

Perhaps it's time to gradually lift the blockade between it and the outside world.

Thinking of this, Xiang Li slowly stood up, took Tan Lin's small hand, but didn't mention the abyss, saying with some guilt:

"Lin'er, ever since I brought you back to the clan when you were a child, you have never left Shizhai. You rarely even enter or leave this quiet room throughout the year. Do you resent Elder Li?"

In truth, this is because the Xiang clan has declined and become too incompetent. If they were still powerful, why would they have to wrong their children?

"Why complain? Elder Li and the clansmen have given me the best of everything. There must be a reason why they won't let me go out. I can tell right from wrong in my heart."

Tan Lin raised his head and looked at him.

Hearing this, Xiang Li forced a smile, but felt even more uneasy inside.

The fact that this child is too sensible only intensifies his guilt.

At that moment, he suddenly thought of the child's "aunt".

If that Goddess Gu knew that the child was in their clan, completely isolated from the outside world, and that his life was practically no different from being imprisoned, she would probably come knocking on their door, wouldn't she?

"Let's go for a walk today and get some fresh air..."

As he spoke, Xiang Li took Tan Lin's small hand and walked step by step out of the quiet room that had held most of the latter's life over the past three years.

An old man and a child walked through layers of stone houses and alleyways, heading out of the village.

Without any magical concealment, this was the first time Tan Lin had truly appeared in the sight of the Xiang family members since she was brought back.

…………

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Master and Disciple Reunion

On their way out of the village, Xiang Li led Tan Lin on a journey that involved frequent stops and starts.

This allowed Tan Lin to take a close look at the entire ancient stone village where he had stayed for three years.

Three years ago, he was born in a snow-covered valley where the mountains were blocked by heavy snow and the land was covered in ice.

Three years later, it was winter again, but it was already deep winter.

Fine snowflakes drifted down from the sky, as if draping the crimson mountains in a thin white veil, creating a solemn atmosphere between heaven and earth.

Da...da...

After walking more than ten miles outside the ancestral temple area, the appearance of an old man and a child immediately attracted the attention of the villagers.

Many children peeked out from behind the doors and windows of the house, curiously observing the "divine baby" whom they had only heard of for three years but had never seen.

The adults around them stopped what they were doing and looked at them with complicated expressions.

Then, whispers echoed softly in the wind and snow:

"Look, those are the children Elder Li brought back..."

"I heard his name is Tan Lin? He's always been kept next to the ancestral hall and has never come out."

"Why isn't this child surnamed Xiang?! All the resources for the entire clan's children's education have been poured into him, and in the end, we've raised an outsider?!"

"Shh... keep your voice down!! The elders strictly forbid us from saying behind the child's back that he's an outsider!"

"..."

"But husband, you have to admit, this child is really handsome. Those eyes, that nose... that temperament, wow... and that physique, he doesn't look like a child under four years old at all!"

"Your wishful thinking is quite clever, but our daughter isn't lucky enough to marry him. You have no idea how much the clan's higher-ups value this child..."

"Hey! What are you talking about over there? Keep your voice down, the clan leader ordered that we not disturb Young Master Lin!"

Amidst the chatter of the clansmen, a group of patrolling monks approached from the alley entrance.

However, there were too many alleys and lanes in the village, making it difficult for the patrol team to cover everything. They would arrive on one side, only to find the other side already talking:

"Mother, the scent on him... is so special. Even from a distance, I feel warm all over."

"Silly child, this is your bloodline reacting..."

"Grandpa Li really cares about him; he's holding his hand himself..."

"..."

As time went by, more and more eyes were drawn to the village from all directions.

These people had curiosity, envy, and awe for the pure bloodline in Tan Lin's eyes.

Of course, because he didn't share the surname Xiang, some people's expressions showed a hint of inexplicable distance.

Throughout the journey, Tan Lin could clearly sense the various emotions contained in those gazes.

His expression was calm as he quietly followed Xiang Li out of the village.

Beneath the pure surface of his eyes lay a tranquility unseen by others.

From another perspective, these are branches of cause and effect, connected to the main line of the Xiang clan within the Soul Pearl Barrier.

Thinking of the cause-and-effect relationship, Tan Lin felt inexplicably worried about the thin, barely growing firefly within the only remaining deep crimson light spot over the past three years.

However, having just been reincarnated, most of the lines from his previous life have completely faded and become gray.

He is isolated from the outside world all day long, so new opportunities cannot emerge, and it is normal that he has no "income" for the time being.

However, the lack of sufficient deep crimson light to extricate oneself at any time is undoubtedly not a good start.

At the same time, the incomplete awakening of his memories made him feel uncertain.

This is the biggest uncertainty.

Who is the anchor point at the end of those densely packed causal lines from past lives?

If he didn't want to waste the limited amount of fireflies exploring one by one, he would basically have to rack his brains to guess or silently wait for his memories to fully awaken.

beside.

Xiang Li had no idea what Tan Lin, at such a young age, was worried about.

He also felt the gazes directed at him from all around, and his heart was not at peace.

He knew that once the child's secrets were lifted, from this day forward, the details of the child's physical condition would no longer be completely concealed.

Da...da...

The old man and the young man walked out of the stone village in silence.

The world outside the village is even more open, with the red earth extending below the snow line.

In the distance, the mountains rise and fall, and the air seems to be filled with a desolate and ancient atmosphere.

Xiang Li originally only planned to take Tan Lin for a walk around the area to familiarize him with the surrounding environment, but as they walked, they ended up going a little further away from the clan's territory.

And just as they were passing through a place with towering red rocks.

Tan Lin was slightly dazed, and then he keenly noticed that the bronze plaque hanging inside his front seemed to suddenly be getting hot, with a faint glow floating around it.

Strangely, it seemed that only he noticed this phenomenon, while Xiang Li beside him was completely unaware of it.

Seeing this, Tan Lin felt inexplicably uneasy.

He had a hunch that since this plaque was with him from birth, it was probably some kind of backup plan left behind by his past self.

Is this sudden, inexplicable reaction a blessing or a curse?

Little did he know that this so-called unusual movement originated from his own subconscious.

He was too eager to generate revenue...

hum!

As thoughts drifted by, an invisible crimson mist swirled around them.

Tan Lin silently activated the [Perspective of All Causes], wanting to see what exactly was going on!

Soon, under a special elevated field of vision, he saw the end of a dark, crimson line, seemingly... nearby, and moving toward him.

"Elder Li, I'm feeling a bit tired, how about we..."

For no apparent reason, his eyelids twitched slightly. Before he could think of anything, he looked at Xiang Li, who was speaking.

Unexpectedly, before he could finish speaking...

Suddenly, trouble began to brew here!

"Who?!"

At that moment, Xiang Li let out a loud shout.

Swish!

Almost at the same time.

A beautiful figure in a black dress descended from the sky and appeared in front of the two.

Li Qingjue stood tall and elegant in the distance, not responding to Xiang Li's shout.

Her eyes, hidden beneath the bronze mask, seemed to flash with unbelievable light at that moment, staring intently at the small figure beside Xiang Li.

More accurately, he was staring at the bronze plaque in the other person's arms, which had seemed to have a slight resonance with the bronze ring just now!

Perhaps it was because she had experienced the manifestation of the radiance, seen a wisp of remnant spirit of someone who once clung to the void of the radiance, and spent her days with the two remaining "talismans" in the ring.

Therefore, there is a kind of inexplicable feeling.

In the past, she might have thought it was just her imagination, but since parting ways with her master, she no longer thinks that way.

She wanted to find out the truth...

However, the bronze plaque was concealed by the boy's clothes, and due to certain factors, his divine sense was unable to probe into the past.

Thoughts wander.

Li Qingjue's serene gaze shifted from the approximate location of the bronze plaque to the face of the little boy.

At that moment, a tidal wave surged within her.

It wasn't because the other person's eyebrows resembled her master's, but rather the life force emanating from their body that allowed her to determine their age.