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

They are not people who give up easily; they will not give up until they achieve their goal.

"We just need to wait and see..."

Upon hearing this, Song Qiwu nodded silently.

My brother is too cunning and scheming. How can there be such a big difference between us at the same age?

For a fleeting moment, a sense of lingering fear welled up inside him.

Fortunately, he and I are siblings from the same mother. If he were a stranger and I had gone against him, I might not even know how I was killed in the future.

……

As the sun set behind the western mountains, the sky grew completely dark.

At the main peak of Tianchi, a feast has been prepared inside a sacred palace.

The banquet was not extravagant, but it was extremely exquisite, featuring mostly local delicacies and rare wines from the Northern Regions, clearly showing that great care had been put into it.

There were only five people at the table: Chi Tianfeng and his wife, Chi Yao, Chi Xuan, and Tan Lin.

This was Qin Suyao's first time meeting Tan Lin. She held him up and looked him over again, her eyes full of affection. During the meal, she kept serving him food and asking after his well-being.

He seemed to treat Xiang Li like a close nephew, his words filled with greetings to Xiang Li and amazement at Tan Lin's solo journey north.

Tan Lin could sense the genuine goodwill in this gesture.

He answered all of their questions sincerely and treated Mr. and Mrs. Chi Tianfeng with the respect due to a junior, without acting out of line.

"Lin'er, about your brother Xiang Jun..."

After five courses of food, Chi Tianfeng put down his cup, his expression becoming inexplicably solemn.

"He is currently being cared for by specialists at the 'Yangxinyuan' (Nurturing the Mind Garden). We previously communicated that he doesn't have much time left, just one or two months."

Although you've never met, he's been saying he wants to see you lately...

Tan Lin put down his jade chopsticks and said seriously:

"The main purpose of my trip is to visit Brother Xiang Jun. It is a bit late today, and I am afraid that I might disturb Brother Xiang Jun's health. Please ask Uncle to send someone to take me there first thing tomorrow morning."

"Good boy."

A hint of relief flashed in Chi Tianfeng's eyes:

"Brother Xiang Li has taught you very well. Let Xuan'er take you there tomorrow; she's familiar with Yangxin Garden..."

As he spoke, he looked down at the girl in the pale yellow dress who was whispering to the still-composed Chi Yao:

"Xuan'er, tomorrow morning, you should accompany your brother Tan Lin to visit the clan and show him around the area."

…………

Chapter 111 The Empress is still the best!

During the meal.

Her father's voice rang out, interrupting her whispered conversation. Chi Xuan's cherry-like lips twitched slightly, but she still immediately agreed:

“Alright, I’ll go. My sister is so cold and doesn’t know how to bring anyone along. You two old folks are counting on me…”

Upon hearing this, Chi Tianfeng and his wife were both amused and exasperated, yet unable to refute it.

Chi Xuan hadn't finished speaking.

As if thinking of something, her bright eyes sparkled, and she said again:

"Yangxin Garden is located on Xuanwei Peak, not too far from the Nine Apertures Spirit Lake. Brother Tan Lin, aren't you also going to the Spirit Lake to cultivate?"

"How about... after we visit Brother Xiang Jun, I take you straight to Ling Lake to have a look? That way we won't have to make another trip later."

Upon hearing this...

Tan Lin looked at Chi Xuan, the girl smiled brightly, her eyes clear, as if she were simply offering a kind suggestion.

But how could he not see the probing intent beneath the girl's smile?

However, given his current state of mind, which has fully awakened the wisdom of both his past and present lives, he doesn't care about this at all.

Coming to the Chi family was part of the training.

If we can use this little girl to connect more causal threads and generate some revenue, that would be quite good.

As for the other party's deeper thoughts, he saw through them perfectly but did not expose them.

He believed that even if the turmoil at this level escalated further, it would still be within his control.

That being said, whether it's red or black thread, it's all bait for him to catch fireflies; the only question is whether it's pure or not.

And right now he does need some resources.

For example, the divine liquid in the Nine Apertures Spirit Lake can shorten the time required to temper the body and the spiritual foundation of the mind, thus allowing one to advance into the Dragon Transformation stage in a relatively perfect manner.

After calculating, he realized that he had spent the entire journey honing his invincible fist intent and comprehending his own abilities, and had indeed devoted less time to improving his cultivation.

Now that he has been reincarnated as an indestructible golden body, he doesn't plan to refine any Dao artifacts.

When he reaches the Great Perfection, these two fists will become the vessels that carry his Great Dao. At that time, what extreme imperial weapons or ancient imperial weapons will not cry out after taking a few punches?

However, I've stayed in these Four Extremes Secret Realm long enough; it's time to make a breakthrough.

"In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Sister Xuan'er."

Tan Lin responded to Chi Xuan with a smile.

On the other side, Chi Yao ate her meal quietly. Apart from the initial necessary greetings, she did not say a word to the young man.

However, when she looked up, she could naturally see the "interaction" between her sister and the boy.

She took in the subtle, unspoken exchanges of probing between the two as they joked and laughed.

She quickly came to a conclusion.

Xuan'er, I'm afraid you're no match for your opponent!

At this moment, her understanding of Tan Lin inevitably rose a notch.

Having already discerned that Xuan'er's enthusiasm was not innocent, he was still able to respond so calmly and naturally. This composure truly surpasses that of his peers.

Even compared to her, she is no less impressive.

Perhaps he really can shield them from some trouble?

For no apparent reason, after seeing how handsome and outstanding Tan Lin was, this thought resurfaced in my mind.

But then she shook her head inwardly.

She didn't care what Xuan'er thought or did, because even if she did, the other party wouldn't listen to her obediently. However, she herself didn't do it.

……

The welcome banquet has ended.

Chi Tianfeng still had clan affairs to attend to, so Qin Suyao personally led Tan Lin to the long-term accommodation that had been arranged in advance.

It was an elegant place called "Tingzhuxuan" where many direct descendants of the Chi family lived.

Even the boudoirs of the two Chi sisters were not far from here.

This courtyard is located on the east side of the main peak of Tianchi Lake. It is quiet and elegant, and you can see the sea of ​​clouds and the sound of pine trees when you open the window.

The richness of the surrounding天地精气 (heaven and earth essence) was no less than that of the "Qixia Pavilion" where Chi Yao and Chi Xuan, the twin lotuses, lived, which shows how much the Chi family valued Tan Lin.

That night, the moonlight, like water, bathed the Tianchi mountain range, which stretches for tens of thousands of miles.

Inside Tingzhu Pavilion.

Tan Lin did not fall asleep, but sat cross-legged on the couch, quietly regulating his breathing, sorting out what he had seen that day in his mind.

The sincere care and concern of Mr. and Mrs. Chi Tianfeng.

Chi Yao's cold scrutiny, Chi Xuan's passionate calculation.

There are also many things that have not yet surfaced, but have undoubtedly existed since he moved into the Chi family. These all represent the causal lines that have been quietly growing on the Soul Pearl.

The only difference lies in the thickness and color of the line, and whether it is a main line or a branch line.

Beneath the walls of the Chi family's residence, the undercurrents are far more numerous than those within the Xiang family.

But for some reason, after settling down in the heart of the Chi family territory, the subtle sense of familiarity he felt when he saw Chi Yao and Chi Xuan in Beifeng Valley during the day grew even stronger.

'Could it be that I've been here before?'

Tan Lin frowned slightly.

This first reaction of vaguely perceiving traces of his past life gave him the feeling that every step he took was as if he were stepping on the shadow of his own carefully laid plans in his past life.

Especially since he was in a stage where his past wisdom had not been fully awakened, and he was shrouded in mystery, still exploring his way forward.

It is also worth mentioning the time we spent traveling from the Southern Region.

The main storyline of the Flood Dragon Demon has been expanded with many more black side stories.

Furthermore, because many forces saw through the coincidences and realized some of the truth, some dark threads directly connected to his Soul Pearl Barrier, becoming the main thread.

And these black lines, the causal black spots that breed, after a period of sedimentation, can soon be purified into a considerable amount of fireflies.

Not only that.

Just a few days ago, Li Qingjue's thread supplied a large wave of fireflies, completely filling the only deep crimson light spot inside the Soul Pearl.

This is a spark of light that has been refined and purified from the dense, black branches that have sprung up along the ancient road over the years, which are the main thread of the other party.

Nearly twelve years have passed since my reincarnation, and I haven't even realized it.

Tan Lin already possesses the equivalent amount of Soul Beads "fuel" that he spent thousands of years and traveled far and wide to collect during his first life of cultivation.

However, he is still one whole deep crimson light spot short of the minimum threshold for the Soul Pearl to be able to activate reincarnation at any time, and he also uses other divine abilities of the Soul Pearl in his daily life, which will cause damage to the firefly.

Moreover, this loss is constantly increasing as his innate wisdom recovers, his cultivation level improves, and the frequency of his use of the Soul Bead increases.

However, he has now left the Xiang family's territory and is in direct contact with various outside parties.

Even without considering some "unexpected surprises," fireflies have already achieved a balance between income and expenditure, entering a virtuous cycle.

But in this life, he has great ambitions. He wants to see what changes will occur to this treasure after the deep crimson light illuminates ten marks on the Soul Pearl barrier.

My thoughts were in turmoil.

For Tan Lin, this night was likely to be a sleepless one.

Meanwhile, Chi Xuan was not asleep in Qixia Pavilion either.

She was thinking about tomorrow.

far away.

In the “Lanyue Residence” where the Song brothers lived, the lights remained on all night.

Further away, in the guest courtyard, the Beidou Divine Sect, the Tianwu Holy Land, and others were also making their own plans.

Tan Lin's arrival was like a boulder thrown into an already turbulent lake, and the ripples have quietly spread.

…………

Chapter 112 The Girl Knocks on the Door at Dawn

The night in the Tianchi Mountains appears as tranquil as ever.

The fierce winds of the Gobi Desert surrounding the northern region are blocked outside the North Wind Valley and cannot blow in.

But the atmosphere of impending doom had already permeated the Chi family's territory with the arrival of the young man in the blue robe.

The night passed quickly for some, but felt long for others.

The next morning, the sky was just beginning to lighten.

Chi Xuan was still dressed in a pale yellow outfit, but instead of a dress, she had changed into a fitted outfit.

Her ponytail was tied high, making her look neat and lively. She arrived at Tingzhuxuan early in the morning.

She waited outside the gate for a while, then took a deep breath and knocked on the gate.

"Brother Tanlin, are you awake? We should get going!"