Only I am Venerable

"What? The Feng Family secretly sent over valuables? So soon...?" Qin Li stared at the visibly excited Qin Suo in surprise, his brow furrowed slightly. By his calculations, even if the Feng Family were to compromise, it shouldn’t have happened this quickly. If for no other reason, the simple matter of their family’s pride was something they couldn’t ignore.

"What’s wrong? The Feng Family sent someone to deliver it all in secret. They don’t want us to make a big deal out of it. They said they want to use these valuables to ransom back those captured family members."

"Ransom them back?" Qin Li said without a moment’s hesitation. "Tell them not to even think about it! These valuables don’t even qualify as compensation! This is merely the first step of the Feng Family’s apology. Do you understand?"

"Ugh..." The muscles in Qin Suo’s face twitched violently. ’This brother of mine is just too ruthless,’ he thought. ’The valuables the Feng Family sent this time are worth ten times more than what the Qin Family lost because of them! Yet with just a few words, Qin Li dismissed it all. I wonder if that Feng Family Elder, Feng Ping, who came in secret, will be angry enough to spit blood when he hears this.’

"Um... Qin Li, what they sent is ten times the value of our losses!" Qin Suo felt he had to point this out. It wasn’t that he was taking the Feng Family’s side. But as a well-behaved child raised in a gentle family, Qin Suo felt this was somewhat dishonorable.

On Profound Island, disputes between families were common, and this sort of compensation was a very ordinary way to resolve them. In Qin Suo’s eyes, the Feng Family’s action was already a clear sign of them bowing their heads and admitting defeat. To be merciful whenever possible was Qin Suo’s consistent way of handling matters.

But he never expected that this approach would get nowhere with Qin Li...

Qin Li shook his head and looked at Qin Suo seriously. "Qin Suo, do you truly want our family to become so powerful that no one dares to bully us?"

"Of course!" Qin Suo said decisively. "My loyalty and sense of belonging to the family are without question. It’s just that..."

Qin Li waved a hand, cutting Qin Suo off. He smiled and said, "Good. Then let me ask you, do you think I’m going too far?"

Qin Suo nodded, slightly embarrassed. "This sort of thing is actually quite common on Profound Island. I mean, we’ve already killed the Feng Family’s Grand Elder and avenged the attack on our uncle. Now, the great Feng Family has bowed its head and admitted its mistake to our Qin Family. Why not just let them off the hook?"

"Let them off?" A cold sneer touched the corners of Qin Li’s mouth. "Have you forgotten what I said during the family leadership meeting?"

"I haven’t forgotten, of course. But circumstances have changed. Who could have expected the Feng Family to react so quickly? Our Qin Family has already made too many enemies, and this won’t do our growth any good!" Since they were in private, Qin Suo wasn’t afraid to debate the point with Qin Li. He knew his brother’s temperament; he wouldn’t get angry over an argument.

Qin Li wasn’t angry, just a little disappointed. The enemy had used a simple delaying tactic, and it had fooled someone as intelligent as Qin Suo. Furthermore, judging by Qin Suo’s attitude, there were quite a few others in the Qin Family who shared his views. ’In the end, it’s just that same old-fashioned thinking at work!’

Qin Li couldn’t help but sigh to himself. He asked, "Within the Qin Family... there are quite a few others who think like you, aren’t there?"

"How did you know?" Qin Suo was astonished. He never thought his brother’s mind could be so sharp. His intuition was frighteningly powerful.

"Can’t you see the conspiracy here? Can’t you see this is just a delaying tactic from the Feng Family? Qin Suo, you’ve really disappointed me! Think about it. The Feng Family’s Grand Elder died at our hands. I crippled the hands of one of their direct heirs. And now they’re offering a huge sum of wealth, supposedly just to get their people back, all while trying to keep it quiet and do it in secret. Do you really think there’s nothing more to it?"

Qin Suo flushed, chastened by Qin Li’s words. "What more could there be?" he asked.

"Think about it. The Feng Family’s backer is the Wang Family. A while ago, the Feng Family was getting too ostentatious. If you were a member of the Wang Family, would you be happy about that?"

"No," Qin Suo answered honestly.

"Exactly. Second, why is the Feng Family in such a hurry to get these people back? Could there be an important figure from their family among the captives? Have you investigated that?"

"No." A look of shame crept onto Qin Suo’s face. These were all things he should have done, but he had completely forgotten.

"You’ve all gotten hot-headed and arrogant!" Qin Li said, letting out a long sigh. "A family like the Feng Family... if they really wanted to fight us to the death, even if we could eventually destroy them, we would suffer devastating losses. That’s unavoidable. But instead, they’ve chosen another path—one that makes them lose face—to resolve this. Think hard. What could be the reason for that?"

Qin Li’s words sent Qin Suo deep into thought. After a moment, his eyes slowly lit up. "I’ve got it! First, the Feng Family is trying to lull us into a false sense of security, and they’re doing the same to the Wang Family! They don’t want anyone to know the true extent of their power. They’d rather suffer a massive public humiliation across all of Profound Island than expose their trump cards. And second, among the Feng Family members we’ve captured, there must be someone with an incredibly special identity—someone they have to get back, no matter the cost!"

Qin Li smiled and nodded. "Good. Now that you understand, you know what to do, right?"

"Yes, I understand!" Qin Suo walked out, his face alight with excitement. A moment later, Qin Li heard a furious roar coming from the direction of the reception hall.

"You of the Qin Family are going too far! Sincerity... What more must we do to show our sincerity? We’ve offered to compensate you ten times over for your losses! Is that not sincere enough?" The pale and portly Feng Ping, who usually looked like a genial old man, couldn’t contain his fury. The Qin Family was too outrageous! They’d actually called the massive treasure he brought a mere "apology gift" from the Feng Family... And as for the captured Feng Family members, they refused to release a single one, demanding ten times the value of what he’d already brought before they would even consider it!

Feng Ping had also come to Fengsha City this time to retrieve the body of his older brother, Feng Xuan. Seeing his brother’s corpse, split in two by a single sword strike—a truly gruesome death—had ignited a raging fire in Feng Ping’s heart. He never imagined the Qin Family could be such shameless rogues. He even had the urge to slap this grinning, weak little bastard dead with a single blow.

But he didn’t dare!

Feng Ping, a Venerable in his own right, could vaguely sense several powerful presences within the Qin Mansion, existences so strong they sent a chill down his spine. He didn’t dare show the slightest hint of aggression, especially since he had come here in Disguise, specifically to avoid the Wang Family’s spies.

If he lost his temper now, all of the Feng Family’s previous efforts would be for nothing.

"Fine. Fine! Patriarch Qin, I know that the one calling the shots in the Qin Family these days is that young man, Qin Li. I won’t make things difficult for you. Go and tell Qin Li that I can agree to your price. But when I return with the treasures, I *will* be taking the rest of the Feng Family members with me!" Feng Ping instantly saw the path forward and made his decision on the spot.

"Haha, of course, of course!" Qin Suo was completely unfazed by Feng Ping’s thinly veiled attempt to sow discord. ’So what if Qin Li calls the shots in the Qin Family?’ he thought. ’I can’t believe that guy was right. The Feng Family... they really are plotting something! To agree to such outrageous conditions.’

After all, for a great clan like the Feng Family, gathering both of these fortunes would be a crippling blow. It was no wonder Qin Suo was left speechless.

Feng Ping didn’t even dare ask to see the captured Feng Family members. He was terrified of giving something away; that would be a disaster. So, after agreeing to the Qin Family’s demands, he departed in a hurry.

Even with the Feng Family’s resources, gathering such a fortune would take several days at least.

As he quietly departed from the Qin Mansion, Feng Ping gazed at the majestic and towering Fengsha City and swore an oath in his heart: ’Qin Li... Qin Family... just you wait. On the day your family is annihilated, I’ll be there to see the looks on your faces!’

Meanwhile, Qin Li and Qin Suo were together, both wearing cheerful smiles.

"Qin Li, I’m truly impressed. I never thought the Feng Family had such nerve. It looks like their ambitions are anything but small! To be able to swallow an insult like this... I have to admire it!"

Qin Li smiled and shook his head. "Actually, families like that are the most terrifying. They know how to endure, how to adapt, and more importantly... how to use schemes and plots! By the way, is there any news from the men the three Tributors led out?"

The three Tributors were the Golden Eagle, the Spiritual Eagle, and the Ink Eagle. Several days ago, they had led a group of Qin Family disciples out of Fengsha City through a secret tunnel dug years ago, pouncing on the weaker small families and Sects. The goal was to catch them completely by surprise!

Qin Suo chuckled. "We’ve already heard from Tributor Jin. A message came back via Homing Falcon saying they’ve already wiped out one small family and two Small Sects. They were all powers that had been making a lot of noise recently and had killed many of our Qin family members. Our own losses were light—only two seriously injured. It’s all thanks to Tributor Jin’s immense strength that our disciples were so well-protected. It’s a miracle!"

Finally, Qin Suo added with admiration, "The three Tributors are truly incredible. The Homing Falcons they use for messages are many times more efficient than the ones we’ve trained!"

Qin Li just smiled and didn’t reply, thinking, ’The Golden Eagle is the ancestor of those Homing Falcons. They’re just a bunch of witless feathered beasts. Would they dare disobey?’

Just then, someone came to report, "Young Master Li, the young master of the Lin Family is here to see you!"

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