Covering the Heavens: Starting from the First Great Emperor

Chapter 110 Life is the Greatest Miracle

"who are you?"

A little girl looked at Xu Yuanming lying on the bed and asked.

“Fate…” Xu Yuanming immediately uttered, but he regretted it as soon as the first word left his mouth.

He hesitated for a moment, then tried to stand up but found he couldn't move an inch.

The little girl pouted, clearly dissatisfied: "If you don't want to say, just say it... why are you being so mysterious?"

"Xu Yuanming".

"Oh!" The little girl hummed softly, "That name is really not good. By the way, my name is Qiyu, isn't it a million times better than yours?"

Xu Yuanming smiled slightly and said nothing.

The little girl wanted to say something more, but just then, shouts came from outside.

"Qiyu, where have you been? Come and lend a hand!"

"Coming right now!" Qi Yu shouted, and hurriedly left after responding. After opening the door, she took a deep look at Xu Yuanming on the bed and muttered, "What a strange person."

Xu Yuanming remained silent, looking at the unfamiliar scene before him with a sense of disorientation. His home used to be just like this.

It must have been before he began his cultivation.

He breathed a sigh of relief. The oppressive feeling from that strange immortal king was too great. This battle for thousands of years had led Xu Yuanming to find his own path.

Multiple destructions and multiple rebirths, endlessly repeating the cycle—anyone in that situation would have collapsed long ago.

When Xu Yuanming dreamt of returning to the Purple Bamboo Forest in the South China Sea, he didn't think much of the Immortal King. Even though there were disagreements, they were just words. But not long ago, that strange Immortal King truly showed him what an Immortal King was.

The king must not be insulted!

Every move by the king of the immortal realm represents the death of Xu Yuanming.

The chessboard of destiny across the nine heavens and ten earths exploded, the Immortal King's shroud shattered, and the indestructible body of destiny was utterly torn apart.

The five secret realms closed as if glued together, and no matter how Xu Yuanming tried to use them, there was no sound.

The spiritual world, both past and present, is decaying and in ruins.

Xu Yuanming's health was very poor; he was completely unable to move.

……

……

Ten years have passed, and Xu Yuanming has been adopted by this family like a vegetable.

The little girl named Qiyu was also graceful and beautiful, a girl from a modest family, and I felt sorry for her.

During these times, Xu Yuanming would always talk about what he had seen and heard.

In his more than 200,000 years of life, he has witnessed many things and has no shortage of stories to tell. If this life ends like this and there is a next life, in the same situation as in his previous life, he could even make a fortune by writing these events into novels.

For the first five years, the little girl would come to Xu Yuanming's bedside after finishing her chores and listen to his rambling.

For some reason, Xu Yuanming, who is usually very quiet, seemed to have no end to his talk this time, and once he started talking, he would talk for most of the day.

This family was not doing well either. The mother died early, the father ran away, and only the grandfather was left to raise Qiyu.

Qi Yu's grandfather was in relatively good health in his younger years, but as he got older, all the illnesses he had accumulated over the years suddenly came back to haunt him.

Qi Yu had no choice but to take on the responsibility, as there was now another mouth to feed in this already struggling family.

Although Xu Yuanming repeatedly said that he didn't need to eat and that he was fine, Qi Yu always said the same thing.

It will rain, and people need to eat. If they don't eat, they will get hungry, and if they are hungry for too long, they will die.

Xu Yuanming once joked, "Then I might as well just die like this."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yu immediately ran out, and it took her half a day to get there.

Outside the house, Qi Yu's grandfather smiled bitterly. He knew all too well how heavy the burden was for a family like theirs to raise such a person.

As dawn broke, Qi Yu, who hadn't slept all night, found a newly blooming flower and held it in front of Xu Yuanming, speaking very solemnly.

"Look at this flower. Just like you, it can't move anything, but it's still alive. You're the same. At worst, I'll take care of you for the rest of your life, just like heaven and earth. They're always nurturing flowers, and one day you'll bloom and bear a brilliant fruit."

Five years later, everything changed. The person lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) was no longer just Xu Yuanming; this time, Qi Yu's grandfather was also included.

Now, Qi Yu is the only one left to support the family.

She must grow up.

The world is impermanent.

Every time he returned from praying for rain, he would tell Xu Yuanming about what had happened during his absence.

“I saw the county magistrate today. His son was chosen by the immortal master, so the county magistrate held a banquet where anyone could eat and drink to their heart's content, but no one could take anything away. He said, ‘If you take the food away, you take away the fortune, and the county magistrate’s son’s fortune in cultivating immortality will also be gone.’”

"Is it delicious?" Xu Yuanming asked with a smile.

Qi Yu said, "I don't know."

"Didn't you eat?"

"I can't eat it."

"why."

Qi Yu said solemnly, "I've seen so many people like me go there to eat, but what about after this meal? What about the next one? The county magistrate can't supervise you every time. How can I let myself eat and drink to my heart's content?"

She muttered to herself, "How can this be?"

As they were talking, Qi Yu walked out of the house.

Xu Yuanming looked at the little girl who was gradually growing up and sighed, "Time flies!"

It was just a few words; she didn't have time to waste here, just as Xu Yuanming in the past didn't have time to care about the development of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

Because they all have more important things to do.

It was only a decade, and he had the illusion that it was a short time, but this was under the circumstances of Xu Yuanming as the Celestial Venerable of Destiny.

But for an ordinary mortal, ten years represents a lot and can change a lot of things.

Xu Yuanming knew that Qi Yu wanted to eat, but he ultimately restrained himself.

A few days later, Qi Yu returned and said, "I have something happy to share with you today."

"what?"

"I wasn't chosen by the immortal master," Qi Yu said casually, as if she were stating something insignificant. "Most of us children who grew up in the village don't have much talent..."

"That chubby kid became a Celestial Master. He's talented and will be able to roam freely throughout the world in the future. He told me he'd give me three days to consider it, and if..."

"Forget it, let's not worry about him. It's just a nuisance. Ugh... I almost forgot to give you some time to breathe. If you don't reply to all these questions, you'll be bursting with pent-up emotions!"

Qi Yu shook her head, as if she had returned to a long time ago.

Xu Yuanming was puzzled. He had never been in a relationship and had never thought about such a thing.

"do you like him?"

“Should… should!”

I don't know how to express my wish for rain.

"I either like it or I don't," Xu Yuanming said calmly.

“I like his talent,” Qi Yu said, “but I don’t like the person.”

“His family background is better than mine. He is one of the few relatively wealthy people in the village and has received some education. Unlike me, he now has a talent for cultivation and will soon go to cultivate with the county magistrate’s son.”

She wanted to cultivate herself. This had been Qi Yu's way of speaking for many years, always ambiguous. But Xu Yuanming knew exactly what Qi Yu wanted to do.

Qi Yu wanted to be like those people Xu Yuanming described, traversing the starry sky and becoming invincible under heaven.

She disappeared again, and this time she was gone for a long time. Qi Yu's grandfather looked at Xu Yuanming, who was lying motionless on the kang (heated brick bed), and asked.

"You...you are also a Celestial Master, aren't you?"

Over the course of those ten years, Xu Yuanming remained unchanged.

"I suppose so!"

After Xu Yuanming finished speaking, Qi Yu's grandfather suddenly burst into laughter. He said nothing, took a few steps, and then died on the spot.

Qi Yu's grandfather didn't have a name. People called him by many names, most of which were unpleasant. He was the kind of person who was looked down upon in the village.

Pray.

This is his name, his real name.

The real thing is not death, but oblivion.

After Qi Yi himself forgot the name, he was already dead, with only one last thought remaining. Now that he had given up his last thought, his body could no longer support him.

He died because Qi Yi's hopes and dreams were gone, not because he knew he was going to die and asked that question.

I've lived this long solely on this tiny thought in my heart.

“Life…” Xu Yuanming murmured to himself for a long time. Finally, he stood up. These ten years had passed very slowly, so slowly that he himself could not believe it.

But then, very quickly, it seemed like I opened my eyes and closed them, and it was over as if I had just taken a nap.

Life is the greatest miracle in the world!

He disappeared.

As darkness fell, before the dawn broke, the rain returned.

However, only scraps remained, and the mess in the room was laid out before her eyes.

There was no familiar figure lying on the kang (heated brick bed), but there was a familiar figure on the ground.

That was her grandfather.

"Grandpa, the ground is cold. When you get up, I'll cook for you."

"Where did Xu Yuanming, who's like a vegetable, go? Did he run away? Hahaha... What can someone like him do even with your passable face? Who would even notice him?"

"..."

Qi Yu sat down in the familiar spot and started talking to herself.

As they talked, dawn broke.

The sunrise filled the sky with fiery light, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky; today should have been a good day.

In accordance with tradition, she dressed in a brand-new white robe and wandered through the mountains like a ghost.

"Pray for rain, where are you going?"

An old man looked at the pretty young woman and asked.

"My grandfather is dead, my brother is dead."

"Your grandfather? That old bastard? Brother... I remember your father didn't exist before he ran away. Oh! I know, he was that good-for-nothing who could only lie on the kang and couldn't move at all!"

At this moment, the boy sitting next to the old man grinned.

The prayers for rain have not stopped.

"Hey!" The boy stood up when Qi Yu ignored him and said fiercely, "I'm talking to you. Believe me or not, I'll tear your face off."

Qi Yu coldly replied with a single word: "Get lost."

The old man lay on a rocking chair, fanning himself with a fan and pointing it at the person praying for rain, while chatting freely with those around him.

“You bastard! Not only are you bastard, but your dead mother and your runaway father are also bastards. You should listen to me obediently. What use is someone like you in the future? You're even worse off than…”

The boy grinned, wanting to reach out and touch Qi Yu's face.

"Snapped!"

Qi Yu used force to pry open the hand of the stronger boy who was half a head taller than him.

Several people of similar age to the boy laughed upon seeing this, their words filled with disdain for him.

He was already angry because of Qi Yu's cold face, and when he heard his friends laughing, his face turned red and he grabbed at Qi Yu's body without holding back.

No one expected that Qi Yu would suddenly pull out a dagger from the coarse white robe embroidered with lotus flowers and plunge it into the boy's chest without any hesitation.

Her eyes revealed indifference, showing no fear despite it being her first murder.

brush!
The blade was suddenly drawn, startling everyone present.

Qi Yu thrust in again, creating many more holes in no time.

"Kill...kill someone!"

The boys who had been egging them on were now too scared to utter a sound.

The boy's grandfather fainted upon seeing this.

Qi Yu's pure white robes were stained with blood, but the blood belonged to the boy, not her.

At this moment, she was like a rose, extremely beautiful, but with thorns.

She killed someone.

The boy was going to die. Qi Yu didn't know where the fatal wound was; she only knew that she had to stab him, thrusting the knife into his body again and again, causing his life to slip away.

Qi Yu walked out, in a daze. In just one day, all her beautiful thoughts had vanished, leaving her all alone.

"Pray for rain?"

Suddenly, the chubby boy appeared behind her.

His eyes were clear: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

It was impossible to tell whether the tears on Qi Yu's face were blood or tears.
"What are you doing here? What does all this have to do with you?"

"The Immortal Master said I can take one spot to the Immortal Mountain for cultivation, and I want to take you with me..." the chubby boy continued, "Are you willing?"

As he spoke, the chubby boy kept getting closer to Qi Yu.

"Put down the knife, and we'll go back together!"

Qi Yu shook her head: "I don't like you."

The chubby boy was silent for a moment: "I don't want you to like me, I just want to have you."

Qi Yu said, "Go back now."

The chubby boy said, "I want you to come back with me. I'll give you a proper status in the future, I swear!"

“I’m not interested in any of this,” Qi Yu’s voice was icy.

The chubby boy couldn't hold back any longer. Holding a small bead in his hand, he laughed and said, "I'm not here to negotiate with you."

This small bead creates an illusion, attempting to fundamentally distort the will to pray for rain.

Praying for rain means standing still.

"That's it, be good... don't move."

Just as he was about to reach the spot, the chubby boy suddenly felt a sharp pain in his body. It turned out that a knife had pierced his heart.

Qi Yu's eyes revealed murderous intent, making him appear like a demon under the moonlight, and his cold voice echoed in the canyon.

"Then go to hell!"

(End of this chapter)