Only I am Venerable

Of course, Qiushuizi wasn’t going to just stand by and let this happen, but he couldn’t suppress the disappointment and anger in his heart.

Wen Bin knelt there obediently. "Master, please don’t be angry. It’s all my fault. I was muddle-headed for a moment, blinded by greed. At first, I had no idea that person was from the Hai Family! Master, you have to believe me, I really didn’t know!"

"So, because you didn’t know, you can deceive your own friend? Because you didn’t know, you can conspire with others?" Qiushuizi looked at Wen Bin, his face a mask of disappointment, and let out a long sigh.

Wen Bin hung his head, looking utterly dejected, but his eyes glinted with a dark, vicious light. A fierce hatred for the young man who had exposed the scam surged within him. He hated the bald youth who had deceived him, but he hated Qin Li even more for exposing him!

That’s just how people are. When they make a mistake, their first instinct is usually not to reflect on their own actions, but to blame others and find all sorts of excuses for themselves.

Qiushuizi asked in a low voice, "Who else knows about this?"

"That young man, and... Peng Shuai from the Qianye Sect and his junior martial sister. And... and the woman I know, and the shop clerk... that’s everyone..."

"As for the Qianye Sect... you don’t need to worry. I’ll repay them for however much you cheated them out of," Qiushuizi said slowly. "As for that clerk... and the woman you know, find an opportunity to silence them."

"What?" Wen Bin looked up, staring at his master’s savage expression in disbelief. His voice trembled as he spoke. "Master, please don’t kill Lingling, okay? She... she’s disappointed in me, but she won’t tell anyone! Master, I’m begging you!"

Qiushuizi let out a long sigh. "Wen Bin, those who would achieve great things cannot be burdened by sentimentality! She might not say anything now, but who can guarantee she won’t in the future? In this world, only one kind of person can truly keep a secret... a dead one!"

"But... what about Peng Shuai...?" Wen Bin looked up, trying to reason with his master.

But Qiushuizi cut him off again. "I will cover his losses and provide additional compensation. Although the Qianye Sect is about as strong as we are, they’ve always kept a low profile. It does them no good for this kind of matter to spread. But the clerk and that woman you know are different. They could very well let it slip inadvertently. That person from the Hai Family who conspired with you is right to vow to kill the young man who exposed you. Hatred is only part of it; the most important thing is to silence all witnesses!"

"But..."

"No buts. Starting today, you will go into secluded cultivation. I’ll announce that you’re secluding yourself for three years. Three years... should be enough time for this to blow over. As for women, with your talent, what kind of woman won’t you be able to get in the future? If this incident doesn’t come to light, it might even be possible for you to marry the City Lord’s youngest daughter!"

Wen Bin had been feeling some resentment toward his master’s arrangements, but when he heard he might be able to marry the City Lord’s youngest daughter, his face lit up with excitement. "Really?" he asked, overjoyed.

Qiushuizi said faintly, "Of course. The City Lord’s daughter has to get married sooner or later. What difference does it make who she marries?"

"Then... then I’ll follow Master’s orders and go into seclusion right away!"

Watching his disciple leave cheerfully, Qiushuizi sighed as a bitter taste rose in his heart. ’If this hadn’t happened, you really might have had a chance to marry the City Lord’s youngest daughter. But now... even if the City Lord never finds out, how could I possibly have the face to propose a marriage on your behalf?’

Qiushuizi’s plan was simple: suppress the matter for now. After two or three years, who knew what the situation would be. Besides, after a few years of secluded cultivation, his disciple’s character would surely mature. ’He should be able to understand the difficult choices I’ve had to make for him by then.’

’For now, the most important thing is to eliminate that clerk and the woman. Then, I’ll go apologize to the Qianye Sect.’ Qiushuizi also thought it would be best if he could secretly get rid of that bald youth at the same time.

’That would take care of the last lingering worry. No one would dare to kill a member of the Hai Family openly, but what about in secret? If it’s done without a trace, no one will ever know!’

As Qiushuizi mulled this over, a chilling smile touched his lips. For the sake of his disciple, there was nothing he wouldn’t do.

"Someone!" Qiushuizi called out calmly.

...

Lengqiu Palace was nestled amidst a picturesque mountain range. The sky was a brilliant, clear blue, the air was fresh, and the Spiritual Qi was incredibly rich. Tucked within the mountains were beautiful valleys where countless flowers bloomed and verdant grass rippled in the wind.

Arriving at this place once more, Cao Hong’s breathing grew slightly ragged, his eyes revealing a deep-seated hatred.

The main peak of Lengqiu Palace was two hundred li ahead of them. It was where the Palace Master of Lengqiu Palace resided. The entire thousand-li radius was Lengqiu Palace’s territory, with its various high-ranking members living on the different mountain peaks.

Elders, Supreme Elders, reclusive masters who had lived for untold years... most of them were not famous, but their strength was immense. For millennia, it was the presence of these experts that ensured almost no one dared to trespass into Lengqiu Palace.

One wrong move, and you could stumble upon an unassuming mountain peak that housed an old monster who had lived for hundreds, or even thousands, of years, their power utterly unfathomable.

"Which peak are your enemies on?" Qin Li asked, looking at Cao Hong.

"It’s over three hundred li from here. On that peak, there’s only one Elder at the Pill Nascent Soul Transformation realm, but there are at least several dozen at the Shattered Void realm! And on top of that, every single peak has those damned Spirit Beasts with their absurdly sensitive noses!" Cao Hong said with hatred. He then glanced at Qin Li. "Don’t tell me you’re planning to help me get my revenge first?"

Qin Li smiled. "I’ll take you there and help you get your revenge. Lengqiu Palace will be thrown into chaos, and I’ll use that opportunity to take care of something. The question is, can you get away afterward?"

Cao Hong hesitated for a moment. He knew an opportunity like this was once in a lifetime. If he missed it, he might never get another chance for revenge.

Thinking of the woman he had once loved so deeply, Cao Hong gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "So what if I can’t escape? As long as I can kill those bastards, I can die without regrets!"

Qin Li nodded. "Alright, then. I’ll help you get your revenge, and you’ll help me by drawing their attention. Then we’ll be even."

With that, Qin Li extended his hand. Without hesitation, Cao Hong reached out and clasped palms with him, sealing their pact.

Once the decision was made, the two of them sped toward the designated mountain peak. This area of Lengqiu Palace was very quiet. The occasional patrolling disciples they saw weren’t on high alert. It wasn’t that the disciples were lax, but rather that one of the intruders was far too powerful for them to detect, while the other was a master of stealth.

As a result, they reached the base of the mountain Cao Hong had pointed out without being discovered.

"We can’t go any further!" Cao Hong said in a low voice. "That Spirit Beast’s Divine Sense is extremely sharp. Any closer and it will discover us and immediately raise the alarm. Once the people here are alerted, killing our targets will be impossible!"

Qin Li nodded. He stood still and released his vast Divine Sense, letting it flow over the mountain peak like quicksilver. He sensed several powerful auras, and then, suddenly, he detected a very peculiar spiritual fluctuation. With a flicker of his Divine Thought, an image of the creature appeared in his mind.

"Is it a Spirit Beast that looks something like a dog? With two very pointed ears, a short snout, and black fur?" Qin Li transmitted his voice to Cao Hong.

Cao Hong stared at Qin Li in horror. They were at least two li from the mountain, and while the peak wasn’t massive, it was still over ten li in circumference and four or five thousand meters tall. ’How did he manage to locate the Spirit Beast in an instant?’

Still reeling from the shock, Cao Hong nodded vigorously. "That’s the one!"

’No wonder Cao Hong is so afraid of this Spirit Beast,’ Qin Li thought. ’If I hadn’t scouted ahead with my Divine Sense, it would have discovered me too. Now that I’ve found it, I just need to figure out how to shut it up.’

With this in mind, Qin Li used a sliver of his Spiritual Power to gently prod the dog-like Spirit Beast. As expected, the creature immediately lifted its head, looking around warily.

It must have sensed that the fluctuation was different from a human’s, as a suspicious glint appeared in its eyes. It didn’t sound an alarm, but instead got to its feet and began searching for the source of the spiritual fluctuation.

Because of their importance, these Spirit Beasts held a special status in Lengqiu Palace and were allowed to roam freely. So, when it stood up and started wandering about, it didn’t arouse the suspicion of any nearby disciples.

Just like that, Qin Li used his Spiritual Power to gradually lure the Spirit Beast down the mountain slope. By the time it was less than five hundred meters away, Cao Hong could see it clearly.

He was dumbfounded to see that the Spirit Beast, which should have detected them long ago, was just pacing back and forth restlessly, as if searching for something.

Cao Hong shot a look at Qin Li, who just grinned and whispered, "Here it comes."

As he spoke, Cao Hong felt a faint ripple of power emanate from Qin Li. Before he could even process what Qin Li had done, he saw the Spirit Beast five hundred meters away suddenly open its mouth, its pink tongue lolling out. It looked as if it was about to cry out, but no sound came forth. With a soft THUD, it collapsed to the ground... and lay still.

"Is... is that a Spiritual Attack?" A chill ran down Cao Hong’s spine as he muttered to himself. The way he looked at Qin Li had now completely changed.