Only I am Venerable

"Hey, you! This isn't a place for you. Leave at once!" a crisp female voice suddenly called out from the foot of the mountain gate.

Qin Li glanced over and saw a young woman in a long yellow dress. She couldn't have been more than seventeen or eighteen, with bright eyes, pearly teeth, and fair, delicate skin. With her oval face, she was clearly a beauty in the making.

"Miss, I've come to seek a master and learn Martial Arts!" A simple and honest smile spread across Qin Li's tanned face, making him look utterly sincere.

"Seek a master?" The young woman blinked her lively eyes, sizing Qin Li up from head to toe before shaking her head. "I'm afraid not. You're too old. You must be at least thirty, right? You've already missed the best age to begin your training. You should just go home."

Qin Li was speechless. *I look like I'm in my twenties, tops,* he thought. *And she just added a decade to my age. What's wrong with her eyes?*

Seeing Qin Li just stand there, unmoving, with a look of disappointment on his face, the yellow-skirted girl felt a pang of pity. The Land of the Far West might be teeming with powerful experts, but it was also home to ordinary folk. For them, joining a major sect—even as a simple cook or servant—meant a considerable income that could be vital for supporting a family. After all, no matter how large a sect was, it was still composed of people, and people had to eat, drink, and live. Someone had to take care of those menial tasks.

And so, glancing at Qin Li and thinking he looked like an honest fellow, she let her compassion guide her. "At your age, becoming a disciple to learn Martial Arts really is impossible," she said softly. "Training has to start when you're young. Your Tendons and Bones are already fully developed. Even with a renowned master to guide you, you'd never achieve much."

*Of course,* the girl thought to herself, *if someone gave you a few special Elixirs, it would be possible to perform Marrow Cleansing and reshape your entire body. But the problem is, I can't even get my hands on Elixirs like that, so how could you?*

With that thought, she continued, "But, if you're not opposed to it, we are short a few servants for chopping wood. If you're strong and can chop a lot, the pay is quite good. At least it would be enough for your family to live a comfortable life!"

Listening to the girl's well-meaning advice, Qin Li didn't know whether to laugh or cry. His mind suddenly flashed back to his past life, to the days after the old Daoist had taken him in. He had lived on a mountain, where the old man taught him countless schools of Martial Arts. Meanwhile, all the chores—chopping wood, starting fires, cooking—tasks the old Daoist should have done himself, fell to Qin Li.

That memory, buried so deep in his mind it was nearly lost to time, now made his heart stir. That period could almost be called the happiest time of his entire life.

Lost in thought, a warm smile touched Qin Li's lips.

Qin Li's smile seemed to be infectious. *What a simple soul,* the girl thought. *He smiles so happily just at the prospect of earning money. If only I could be satisfied so easily, instead of hoping every single day that Master will finally grant me a Marrow Cleansing Elixir...*

"Xiaoying, what are you doing?" a stern yet young woman's voice called from within the gate.

"Ah, M-Master! I wasn't doing anything," the yellow-skirted girl stammered, clearly startled.

Just then, a woman who looked to be in her late twenties emerged from the gate. She was also quite beautiful. Spotting the tanned, reasonably handsome, and honest-looking young man standing at the entrance, she paused. After a glance at the flustered Xiaoying, she asked slowly, "Who is he?"

"Master, he... he came to seek a master, and I... I told him he was too old, that his Tendons and Bones had already set, so he couldn't train. Then... then I suggested he could be a woodcutting servant. I mean, for a commoner, the pay is very good." The yellow-skirted girl finished her stumbling explanation, her hands fidgeting with her dress and her face flushing in nervousness.

Master? Qin Li sized up the woman in the snug white martial attire. Judging by the waves of Primordial Power she emitted, her strength was likely somewhere between the Celestial Shattering Realm and the Celestial Integration Realm. A wave of unexpected sentiment washed over him. All his life, he had only dealt with the upper echelons of various sects. Even within the Qin Family, he'd rarely ever spoken with those at the very bottom. Now that he thought about it, every great family and every major sect had this foundational layer of people. They were the bedrock of the sect, yet the spotlight would never, ever fall on them.

In truth, they were an indispensable part of any sect. It was just a shame that so few people ever bothered to look their way.

The woman in white frowned slightly. "You should have just sent him away," she said quietly. "Is the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace a place just anyone can enter? Besides, things have been unsettled lately. Be careful you don't let a spy slip in. If that happens, you'll be in for a world of hurt!"

"But Master, he doesn't look like that kind of person! Can't we... can't we just help him?" The yellow-skirted girl grew anxious, looking pleadingly at her master.

"Sigh. You're just too soft-hearted. And when are you going to get over that stuttering habit? I'm your master, not your enemy. What are you so afraid of me for? You seemed to be speaking to this man just fine!"

The woman in white grumbled to herself for a moment before giving Qin Li a long, hard look. "My disciple has pleaded for you, so I'll make an exception this once. But remember this: once you enter the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace, you must obey the rules. You are forbidden from setting foot in any area prohibited to men—not even a single step! If you're caught by one of the more hot-tempered disciples, getting crippled would be getting off light; you could very well lose your life. Do not speak out of turn. The Moon Shaking Immortal Palace is a sect composed mainly of women, with very few male disciples. While male and female disciples are permitted to form relationships, the women of this sect are far beyond the reach of someone of your station. Do you understand?"

By the end, her voice and expression had turned severe. Though she had little experience with matters of the heart, she could see that her one and only disciple seemed to have taken a liking to this young man. She had to extinguish that spark before it could grow into a flame.

Inwardly, Qin Li was unimpressed, but he put on a look of terrified reverence, nodding vigorously. "I understand. I completely understand."

"Also, you must remember to follow the rules. Stay where you're supposed to be and do not wander around. Do not forget this. And finally, work hard. If you do your job well, there will be opportunities for promotion!"

The woman in white clearly had some skill in managing people. She started with a threat, then offered a sliver of hope. She was quite adept at the carrot-and-stick approach.

"Really? A promotion is possible?" Qin Li asked, looking at the woman with a face full of surprise. The hopeful gleam in his eyes was so intense that it actually made her feel a twinge of guilt. *What kind of promotion can a woodcutter even get?* she thought. *From woodcutter to head woodcutter? Does that even count?*

Nevertheless, she nodded, her expression serious. "Of course. How else do you think all those Outer Sect Stewards got promoted?" At this, she smiled slightly and asked, "Do you have any foundation in Martial Arts?" She couldn't feel the slightest fluctuation of Primordial Power from him, so she subconsciously assumed he was an ordinary person.

Qin Li grinned sheepishly. "I'm a Yellow Level Martial Artist!"

Yellow... Yellow Level! The woman was stunned. This man looked to be in his twenties. In the Land of the Far West, where Spiritual Qi was abundant, even the slowest person would reach Yellow Level by age twelve or thirteen if they started training at eight or nine. For someone his age who had trained, anyone below Earth Level could be considered an idiot! And yet this young man looked proud, as if being Yellow Level was the same as reaching the Thunder Tribulation Realm...

The corner of the woman's mouth twitched. Keeping her expression blank, she nodded and said flatly, "Very good. That will be useful for chopping wood. Xiaoying, take him to the woodshed to report for duty."

The girl in yellow, however, was quite happy. Though she was an official disciple of the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace, she had always been at the bottom of the hierarchy, possessing little status. While no one bullied her, no one ever paid her any mind, either. The chance to help someone made her feel like she wasn't completely useless after all.

She nodded cheerfully, smiled at Qin Li, and said, "Let's go!"

Qin Li followed the young woman. As they walked into the sect, they passed quite a few Low Level disciples. Each time, Xiaoying would respectfully step to the side to let them pass. The path was wide and smooth, but her subservient attitude made Qin Li's heart ache slightly. She was yielding to other Low Level disciples, yet they treated her with disdain and completely ignored Qin Li as if he didn't exist.

After a long walk with many twists and turns, they arrived at a cluster of rather shabby-looking buildings. The girl smiled at Qin Li. "This is where the servants live! The courtyard at the very back is the woodshed. The work there is clearly divided. Some are responsible for chopping wood, others for loading the carts, and some for making deliveries to the various locations. I'll take you there and see if I can find you the easiest job. I think making deliveries is the most relaxed. You can also see many powerful experts that way. If you're lucky, you might even stumble upon a great opportunity!"

Qin Li nodded. He was tempted to ask for news of Bu Yunyan and the others, but he knew it would be too easy to arouse suspicion. In their eyes, he was just an ordinary man; asking such a question would immediately put them on guard. He could only hope that Bu Yunyan and her companions weren't in the same boat as this young woman, utterly without status.