Only I am Venerable

Qin Li never imagined that it would be Han Mei and her group who had arrived.

Han Mei, for her part, likely never expected it either. The young man who had toyed with her on the Great Sea, causing her to lose two of her sect-mates and all of her Cold Jade Flowers, was none other than Qin Li—the very same man rumored to possess the Ancient Map in Yellow Sand City!

A wave of monstrous hatred instantly surged from Han Mei’s heart. A venomous light shot from her beautiful eyes as she glared at Qin Li. Gritting her teeth, she forced a cold smile. "So, you’re Qin Li. It seems enemies truly are bound to meet!"

Just then, She She and the others rushed over from behind. One look was all it took for Han Mei to be absolutely certain. This Qin Li was the same young man she had sworn to tear limb from limb!

They had come seeking trouble with Qin Li, but she never expected to corner him like this. And to top it off, this Qin Li was the very person she hated most in her entire life!

Originally, Han Mei had felt a sliver of guilt. But upon seeing Qin Li, that tiny bit of remorse vanished without a trace, replaced by an endless, burning resentment.

"Miss, I think you have the wrong person," Qin Li said, looking at Han Mei with a blank expression. "I don’t recall ever meeting you. May I ask why you’re stopping my family?"

"Qin Li, stop playing dumb! That day on the Great Sea..." Han Mei stopped abruptly, glancing at the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace Elders on either side of her. Her face turned completely cold. "Regardless, now that I’ve found you today, I will absolutely not let you get away!"

At that moment, Elder Hu of the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace approached. Dressed in a dark red gown that made the woman, who appeared to be in her thirties, all the more captivating, she came to Han Mei’s side and whispered a reminder, "Saintess, don’t forget our true purpose here. As for your personal grievances... it would be best to settle those in private."

Elder Hu’s tone was rather suggestive, making it sound as if Qin Li were a heartbreaker who had wronged Han Mei, and she had come chasing after him to demand justice.

Han Mei’s face turned livid. "The woman in black behind him poisoned and killed two disciples of my Moon Shaking Immortal Palace! Is that... also a personal grudge?"

Before Elder Hu could say a word, She She sneered from the other side. "White-clothed Demoness, I can’t believe you have the audacity to make such baseless accusations to our faces! Why don’t you tell everyone why your two sect-brothers died that day? Do you dare tell them what started the conflict? You don’t! You’re nothing but a shameless bitch!"

"You! Who are you calling a bitch?" Han Mei flew into a rage. In all her years, she had never been subjected to such vicious language. But now, thanks to Qin Li, it seemed anyone and everyone felt they could insult her.

Han Mei drew a silver longsword, its blade glinting in the light.

Qin Li’s eyes narrowed, and he paused for a moment. The sword in Han Mei’s hand was not the same one she had used on the sea, nor the one she wielded against the chubby young man and his sect-sister in Yellow Sand City!

’This sword... it’s a Spiritual Artifact!’

’Who could have transformed an ordinary Treasure Sword into a Spiritual Artifact in such a short amount of time?’

Qin Li couldn’t help but feel a surge of suspicion. His gaze swept over the people beside Han Mei. He recognized the five Elders and three High Level deacons. But this time, there was someone new beside Han Mei: a skinny old man who looked to be in his sixties. The sight of him startled Qin Li. The old man had been standing there all along, yet everyone had subconsciously overlooked him.

It wasn’t that they were arrogant or looked down on the old man; it was as if he had completely blended into his surroundings, causing people to ignore him instinctively.

The skinny old man noticed Qin Li’s gaze and grinned at him, baring a set of gapped teeth in a comical expression.

But Qin Li felt no urge to laugh. On the contrary, he had a feeling this old man was far from simple.

Just as Han Mei drew her sword, the skinny old man finally spoke. His voice was as dry as his appearance. "Now, now, Little Mei’Er, what’s with the temper? We came here to get that map, not to make enemies!"

Strangely, Han Mei, who was so hot-tempered she wouldn’t even give the Elders face, miraculously sheathed her sword upon hearing the old man’s words. She shot Qin Li a resentful glare and snorted coldly. ’You’re lucky this time, kid!’ she thought. ’But now that I know who you are, it’s just a dream if you think you can escape my grasp! I’m going to drag you back, cripple your power completely, and make you the lowest, most wretched servant in the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace!’

The skinny old man grinned at Qin Li again. "Young man, I hear you have an Ancient Map in your possession. You see, we’ve traveled a great distance to find you for this map. And you, well, you’re leading your entire family on a mass migration, for no other reason than to escape public notice. Really... why bother? Just hand over the map, and I guarantee no one will dare to harm your family!"

Just then, She She; the Golden Eagle, the Spiritual Eagle, and the Ink Eagle; the three Bai Zhongshan siblings; as well as Xiaohai, Rainbow, and several of the Qin Family ancestors all gathered behind Qin Li.

The skinny old man looked them over and was secretly alarmed. He couldn’t seem to get a read on Qin Li and the Old Ape, Bai Zhongshan. Furthermore, the powerful auras radiating from She She, Bai Zhonghuo, Bai Zhongxue, the Golden Eagle, and the others also startled him. ’Since when did the Eastern Realm possess such a formidable power?’ he wondered.

’It seems the intelligence I received about this Qin Li was flawed!’

Even so, the skinny old man didn’t seem to care much. As far as he was concerned, there was no one in the entire Eastern Realm worthy of his attention.

This wasn’t arrogance, but a natural conviction born from possessing absolute power. After all, even in the Land of the Far West, he was far from a nobody.

"Old man, you’re pretty straightforward. I like that. You’re much better than this Demoness who dresses in white but has a heart of stone!" Qin Li grinned at the skinny old man, completely ignoring Han Mei’s furious glare.

"That’s right. This old man likes straightforward youngsters! A polite young man is a likable young man! So, hand over that deadly Ancient Map, and I’ll guarantee your safety. As long as you give me the map, I’ll make sure Little Mei’Er doesn’t bother you again!"

The skinny old man spoke with a faint smile, then turned his head to look at Han Mei. "Isn’t that right, Little Mei’Er?"

Han Mei stomped her foot and whined at the skinny old man, "Martial Uncle! I have a life-and-death grudge against this man! His... his people killed two of my sect-brothers and stole all of our Cold Jade Flowers..."

"Enough," the skinny old man said, sounding somewhat impatient. "When Martial Artists roam the Martial World, if their skills are inferior, they must accept defeat. In my eyes, you are far inferior to this young man. Suffering a loss is a good thing for you; it’s how you learn. But it doesn’t look like you’ve learned your lesson at all, does it?"

As the skinny old man spoke, he gave Han Mei a passing glance. The other Moon Shaking Immortal Palace Elders and High Level deacons all had faint smiles on their faces. ’Finally,’ they thought, ’someone who can keep this arrogant girl in check!’

"But his power is clearly far beneath mine! If it wasn’t for his schemes and tricks..." Han Mei trailed off as she watched her Martial Uncle’s expression darken. Her voice grew quieter and quieter until she finally said obediently, "Mei’Er will follow Martial Uncle’s instructions!"

"Mm, that’s more like it. Little Mei’Er is always so well-behaved," the skinny old man said nonchalantly. "Your Martial Uncle already helped you turn your Treasure Sword into a Spiritual Artifact. You must learn to be content and grateful!" He spoke as if Qin Li and his group weren’t even there, but in truth, many of his words were directed at Qin Li.

His intent, of course, was to put Qin Li in his place—to tell the young man that when your skills are inferior, you should just behave and not put up a fight.

Qin Li responded in an equally hearty voice, "Old sir, you speak so wisely! Watching you teach this Demoness a lesson has truly lifted my spirits! But this map you mentioned... what map is that? My family has a large collection of paintings from Ancient Times, including works by many famous artists. If you like them, sir, I’d be happy to gift one to you!"

Qin Li’s face was all smiles. His form of address for the skinny old man had changed from "old man" to "sir," making him seem exceedingly polite. Yet, his words caused the old man’s face to twitch.

Han Mei sneered internally. ’You bastard, you actually dare to provoke my Martial Uncle? You must have a death wish! Looks like you won’t get the chance to become the lowliest servant in the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace after all. The only fate for those who anger my Martial Uncle is death!’

"Heh heh, young man. See? We were having such a nice chat, weren’t we? I’ve even reprimanded my junior, and the grudge between you two can be written off. Of course, that’s all contingent on you handing over the map. Otherwise... you little rascal, do you really think you can kill a disciple of my Moon Shaking Immortal Palace and walk away unscathed?" The skinny old man’s face still held a smile, but his words were now laced with killing intent.

"Old man, are you dense?" Qin Li’s tone shifted. "Huh? Who told you I have a map? Do you believe everything you hear? What if I told you that your Moon Shaking Immortal Palace’s Saintess flew into a rage and tried to kill me because I rejected her advances? Would you believe that, too?"

Qin Li looked at the skinny old man with disdain, curling his lip. "Besides," he added, "I don’t think making an enemy of me would be a wise choice."

"HAHAHAHA!"

The skinny old man suddenly roared with laughter, but the sound was utterly frigid. His old eyes shot out two sharp, blinding beams of light as he stared at Qin Li. His voice dropped low. "Stop playing dumb, and stop courting death! I’ll give you two choices. Hand over the map, or... I kill all of you!"

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