Only I am Venerable

The disturbance ended like a farce. News spread quickly throughout the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace: Steward Gu, Saintess Han Mei’s attendant, had been severely injured by a mere wood-chopping servant for her blatant arrogance.

When Han Mei heard about it, she nearly fainted from rage.

On one hand, she secretly resented her maid for causing trouble at such a critical time. On the other, she hated Elder Hu for being so merciless. Humiliating her maid in front of so many people and saying those things—wasn’t that a direct slap in her own face?

"You two worthless things!" Han Mei said, sitting on an exquisitely carved, magnificent chair. She stared coldly at the two kneeling maids below. The maid, Gu Yu, had already taken a healing elixir, but she still looked utterly drained. She knelt there with her head bowed, weeping, looking terribly wronged.

"Gu Yu, you’ve gotten quite capable, haven’t you? Very impressive. I heard you were throwing your weight around at the mountain gate, so imposing that you scared everyone witless?"

Han Mei’s sinister tone sent a chill down Gu Yu’s spine. She choked back sobs and said, "My Lady, I was wrong. Please forgive me this one time. I’ll never dare to do it again!"

"Never again?" Han Mei’s voice was flat, betraying no emotion.

"Yes, I’ll never dare again!" Gu Yu knelt there, not even mustering the courage to defend herself. It never occurred to her that the people she had been lording over at the mountain gate just moments before might have felt the same way she did now.

"Useless! You are my person! How dare you let them bully you like this? What do you mean you don’t dare? Why not? I want you to bully them back exactly how they bullied you! What is this ’don’t dare’ nonsense? If you don’t even have the guts to get revenge, what are you but useless? Why would I want a useless thing as my maid?"

This barrage of questions left Gu Yu stunned. She knelt there dumbly, looking up at Han Mei with a tear-streaked face, a picture of pitiful beauty.

The other maid kneeling beside Han Mei whispered, "Are you stupid, sister? Her Ladyship clearly wants to get revenge for you. You belong to her. If you lose face, does that make her look good? How can one of Her Ladyship’s people be bullied like this?"

Only then did Gu Yu understand. "My Lady, I know my mistake..." she said softly.

"Good. Then tell me exactly what happened." Han Mei sat there, her face impassive, as she listened to the two maids recount the entire incident without any concealment or exaggeration. Her two delicate, jade-like hands, which had been resting on the armrests, had unknowingly clenched into tight fists, the veins on her fair skin clearly visible.

"So, you’re saying that at first, you just wanted to teach a lesson to those two who didn’t know the rules?"

"Yes, My Lady. Although that girl is a Low Level disciple, she is still a disciple of our Moon Shaking Immortal Palace. How could she be mixing with a wood-chopping servant? So, according to the sect rules, I was going to teach them a lesson and then drive that servant away..."

"There was nothing wrong with that. Although the mountain gate is under Elder Hu’s jurisdiction, if she can’t manage it properly, there’s nothing wrong with us helping her out." Han Mei seemed to be encouraging Gu Yu, but also muttering to herself. Then she looked up and asked, "So when you were about to punish that Low Level disciple, the wood-chopping servant suddenly attacked and injured you?"

"Yes, My Lady. It was my incompetence. I brought shame upon you. But that man was just so fast. I didn’t even have a chance to react before he sent me flying..." As Gu Yu spoke, she touched her cheek, which still felt like it was burning.

Though she was arrogant and domineering in front of outsiders, she was as meek as a kitten before the Saintess, Han Mei.

"Hmph. A mere wood-chopping servant who possesses an ultimate skill? What is he doing here in our Moon Shaking Immortal Palace? And Elder Hu is truly getting out of line! Instead of capturing him for intense interrogation, she wants to recruit someone like him into the palace? What is she thinking?" Han Mei’s thoughts suddenly turned to Qin Li. She nearly ground her teeth to dust as a resentful light flashed in her eyes. ’There isn’t a single good man in this world!’

While Han Mei criticized Elder Hu, neither Gu Yu nor the other maid dared to chime in. After all, it wasn’t their place to discuss such matters.

At this point, Gu Yu said, "My Lady, Elder Hu said she wants to find the most powerful person in our Immortal Palace to be that Qin Fang’s master!"

"The most powerful person... Hmm, wait. What did you just say? You said the wood-chopper’s name is Qin Fang?" Han Mei asked, knitting her delicate brows as she looked at Gu Yu.

"Yes. I heard that Low Level disciple of ours call him Big Brother Qin Fang," Gu Yu said.

"Qin Fang... Qin Fang... Qin Li... It must be him!" Han Mei’s eyes suddenly lit up, and a chilling smile spread across her lips. ’Qin Li, oh, Qin Li,’ she thought, ’I never imagined you’d be so audacious as to come to my Moon Shaking Immortal Palace and cause trouble. And your naming skills are just a little too terrible, don’t you think?’

’You actually want to become a disciple in my Moon Shaking Immortal Palace? What an absolute joke! I don’t know what your purpose is in hiding here, but now that you’ve come, do you really think you can leave unscathed? Did you think that just because others can’t recognize you, you can act so arrogantly and do as you please?’

’Come to think of it, I really have to thank Gu Yu. If not for her, you wouldn’t have shown your hand. Letting a wolf like you lurk by my side is truly dangerous!’

The more Han Mei thought about it, the more smug she became. She sneered inwardly, ’Elder Hu, oh, Elder Hu. So clever your whole life, yet you couldn’t even see that this man is Qin Li. You want to recommend him as a disciple? Fine! I’ll give you this chance! Just wait until the disciple-acceptance ceremony. I’ll expose him right to his face! Let’s see how you clean up that mess!’

’Trying to fight me? I’ll finish you in one go!’

"My Lady? My Lady?" Gu Yu and the other maid called out softly when they saw Han Mei spacing out.

"Oh, it’s nothing. Gu Yu, go get a few top-grade elixirs and rest well. Don’t worry about this matter anymore. I will handle it," Han Mei ordered coolly.

"Yes, My Lady." Gu Yu and the other maid exchanged a glance. Although they didn’t know what their lady was thinking, they knew her personality. She would absolutely never let herself be wronged.

...

Qin Li followed Elder Hu to her residence. To the great surprise of many, Elder Hu led Qin Li directly into her boudoir—a room no man had ever entered before!

This wasn’t Qin Li’s first time in a woman’s private quarters, but entering Elder Hu’s room still made his face flush slightly. The room was decorated predominantly in shades of pink, giving it a warm, cozy feeling, and it was filled with a distinctly feminine fragrance.

Seeing Qin Li’s somewhat flustered appearance, Elder Hu let out a charming laugh. "Have a seat," she said.

Qin Li sat down, a constrained look on his face. This wasn’t an expression he needed to fake; the setting for their conversation was simply too intimate.

"Who are you, really?"

Qin Li was taken aback. He hadn’t expected this to be her first question. Looking at Elder Hu, who had dropped her smile and was now staring at him seriously, Qin Li thought to himself, ’The women of the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace truly are anything but simple.’

"I... I’m Qin Fang. I grew up in a village deep in the mountains..."

"Alright, alright. It’s just the two of us here. Absolutely no one else can hear our conversation. Young man, stop pretending. Tell me, what is your purpose in coming to the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace?"

As she spoke, Elder Hu walked toward Qin Li, reached out, and touched his cheek.

Qin Li froze for a second. He didn’t sense any hostility from her. By now, Elder Hu’s soft, delicate hand was already caressing his cheek. She let out a soft sound of surprise, then pulled her hand back, her gaze burning as she stared at him. "What a brilliant Disguise Skill. I can’t feel the slightest trace of forgery!"

Qin Li gave Elder Hu a wry smile. "I don’t understand what you’re talking about. What Disguise Skill?"

Elder Hu looked at Qin Li with a half-smile. "Qin Fang, Qin Li... those two names are quite close, aren’t they? You must have disdained to change your name completely, choosing one so similar, relying on your incredibly advanced Disguise Skill to blatantly tell everyone, ’I am Qin Li, but you have no proof!’ Little fellow, don’t forget, we’ve met before! And while my power may not match yours, I have a rather amazing talent. I have a photographic memory for people’s eyes!"

With that, Elder Hu took a few steps back and gracefully sat down on her pink-sheeted bed. She watched Qin Li with a beaming smile, her expression carrying a hint of flirtation. "You see," she said softly, "no man has ever been allowed in here before. You’re the first! Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?"

"I really don’t know what you’re talking about!" Qin Li was resolved to deny it to the death. It wasn’t that he was afraid of anything, but he could sense that Elder Hu’s Spiritual Power was not as firm as her confident words. Clearly, she was only suspicious. Admitting it now would make him a fool.

GIGGLE... "You really know how to keep up an act. The peerless genius of the Eastern Continent, the unparalleled prodigy of the Hai Family—both pale in comparison to you. The Saintess of my Moon Shaking Immortal Palace was toyed with by you in a hundred different ways. The new king of the Purple-eyed Race... Qin Li, oh, Qin Li, you truly are an unfathomable and fascinating man!"

Elder Hu’s voice was somewhat hazy and ethereal, like the sound of celestial music.

Qin Li’s heart trembled slightly. ’This woman knows such a powerful Bewitching Skill,’ he thought. He put on a simple, honest smile and said, "Who’s Qin Li? Sounds like he’s from my family!"

"Sigh... Fine. Since you’re unwilling to admit it, I won’t force you. But listen closely. I don’t care about the feud between you and Han Mei; that’s your business. But if you dare to do anything to harm my Moon Shaking Immortal Palace, I will not let you off! Don’t think you’re safe just because you’re stronger than me. And don’t forget, this... is the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace!"