Only I am Venerable

Han Mei’s maid stared down at them with an overbearing and disdainful expression. She was taking out all the frustration from the scolding she had just received from the Saintess, and it felt incredibly satisfying.

Seeing them endure her vicious tirade without a single word of protest, a sense of lofty superiority washed over her. ’That’s right, I’m bullying you,’ she sneered inwardly. ’I’m picking a fight. What can you possibly do about it? When the Young Mistress scolds me, I don’t dare to talk back. Now I’m taking my anger out on you. Do you dare to defy me?’

"You blind fool, who do you think you are? I wasn’t asking you. Do you have the right to speak? Whether she made a mistake or not, is that for you to decide? Who’s in charge of you? Go get them! Every single one of you has no sense of propriety. I really have no idea how you all managed to sneak into the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace!"

The more the maid spoke, the more carried away she became. Normally, people were polite to her, but only because she was always with her mistress. She knew that courtesy was directed at the Saintess, not her. She had never before felt so high and mighty, had never felt this kind of power over others. The genuine fear in their eyes gave her a taste of what her mistress must feel all the time.

’This must be how most people in the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace feel when they face my mistress, right?’

A cold, arrogant look flashed in the maid’s eyes. She glared at the young steward she had just slapped and barked, "I told you to go get your superior! Are you deaf?"

The young steward trembled, and with tears welling in their eyes, said, "Yes!"

Qin Li stood by, watching coldly. Since he hadn’t acted immediately, he decided he might as well see what other tricks this shrew of a maid had up her sleeve.

It was true what they said: like master, like servant. The kind of mistress one was determined the kind of maid one would have. Han Mei was probably just as vile in her daily conduct. No wonder most people in the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace looked terrified whenever the Saintess was mentioned.

A moment later, Xiaoying’s master hurried over. She froze for a second upon seeing the maid, then quickly approached with a placating smile. "So it’s Steward Gu," she said cautiously. "What brings you to the sect gate today?"

Although they were Han Mei’s maids, they all held official positions, which made it convenient for them to handle various matters on Han Mei’s behalf.

Xiaoying’s master recognized her at a glance as Steward Gu, the Saintess’s personal attendant. She couldn’t help but curse her luck. ’Xiaoying isn’t the type to stir up trouble,’ she thought. ’So how did she end up offending this termagant?’

After all, the Saintess’s personal attendants all had extremely bright futures ahead of them. Even some Elders and Guardians wouldn’t dare to offend them lightly.

As the saying goes, a new king brings new ministers. Every new Sect Leader would install their own confidants, which was the main reason every Sect had Supreme Elders.

Most Supreme Elders sounded impressive, but in reality, they held no true power. The real authority was in the hands of the acting stewards, Guardians, and Elders!

Therefore, although Xiaoying’s master held a respectable position as a steward in the Sect, she had to be cautious and deferential when facing the Saintess’s favorite.

"And you are?" The maid actually recognized Xiaoying’s master, but she was looking for a fight, so why would she give the woman any face?

"I am the steward in charge of the sect gate. My name is Yu Xiaoyi. I’m not sure how my foolish disciple has offended Steward Gu to make her so angry." As Yu Xiaoyi spoke, she glared at the aggrieved-looking Xiaoying. "Get over here and apologize to Steward Gu right now!"

"But... I..." Xiaoying felt incredibly wronged. She couldn’t believe her own master had arrived and wasn’t even speaking up for her.

Standing to the side, Qin Li let out a soft sigh. He then saw another woman in the distance walking over, dressed in the exact same uniform as Steward Gu.

"No buts! Apologize to Steward Gu immediately!" Yu Xiaoyi was frantic. She knew that while her disciple seemed simple, kind, and cheerful, she was also incredibly stubborn. If Xiaoying believed she was in the right, not even nine bulls could change her mind.

’But the problem is, how often can things really be divided so clearly into right and wrong? This world isn’t just black and white!’

The woman dressed identically to Steward Gu gracefully approached. She, too, had been scolded by Han Mei and had come out to clear her head, not expecting to run into such a scene.

"Sister, what’s wrong? Why are you so angry?"

Originally, Steward Gu felt that things were about settled. She had vented her anger, and as long as they apologized, the matter would be perfectly resolved, leaving her feeling completely satisfied.

But unexpectedly, someone of the same status had suddenly appeared. Moreover, the other woman was clearly her senior, meaning she had to address her as ’elder sister’. Steward Gu suddenly felt a little awkward and said coolly, "I just caught two people breaking the rules."

"We weren’t breaking any rules!" Xiaoying bravely lifted her head and looked at Steward Gu, her tear-filled eyes brimming with defiance.

"Xiaoying, be quiet!" her master, Yu Xiaoyi, shouted. Then, forcing a smile, she apologized to Steward Gu. "Steward Gu, please be the bigger person. She’s just a child. Please don’t lower yourself to her level, alright?"

This newly arrived maid of Han Mei’s had a gentler disposition. Seeing the situation, she understood what had likely happened: Steward Gu must have been taken down a notch by the Saintess and had come here to blow off steam.

"Sister, if it’s nothing serious, just let it go." After a moment’s thought, she tried to persuade her. After all, it would be embarrassing if word got out that a prestigious attendant of the Saintess was quarreling with a group of Low Level disciples. It would make them a laughingstock.

But her attempt to mediate had the opposite effect. Her words only angered the maid surnamed Gu, who shouted, "Let it go? Why should I let it go? I’m handling this according to Sect rules! If these blind fools aren’t taught a lesson, they’ll think they can walk all over us! Look! Just look! She still dares to talk back to me! Absolutely no discipline! Steward Yu, according to Sect rules, tell me, how should your disciple be punished?"

As she spoke, the maid surnamed Gu stared coldly at Yu Xiaoyi, her face a mask of arrogance and disdain. ’If you dare to side with your disciple,’ she thought, ’I’ll deal with you, too! Don’t think for a second that just because we have the same rank, you’re qualified to speak to me as an equal! You’re not worthy!’

Yu Xiaoyi gave her disciple a pained look and sighed inwardly.

"What? Steward Yu, can’t bring yourself to say it? Then I’ll say it for you! For disrespecting a superior, the punishment is twenty slaps to the face. In severe cases, expulsion from the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace! I’m in a good mood today, so I won’t stoop to your level. Twenty slaps will suffice. If she were really expelled from the Immortal Palace, her life would be ruined. I am a merciful person, but..."

As Steward Gu spoke, she swept a cold gaze over Qin Li, who was standing to the side. She pointed at him and said, "This lowly servant has no idea what rules are. Who let someone like this into the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace? We don’t want his kind here. Banish him!"

Qin Li froze for a moment. ’So the fire’s finally spread to me?’ he thought.

The other maid was also taken aback. ’Although our status is high,’ she thought, ’isn’t it going too far to directly handle matters within another steward’s jurisdiction? Especially since the Young Mistress just had that blow-up because of the Elders’ opposition. This is the worst time to be causing more trouble for her.’

So she leaned in close to Steward Gu’s ear and whispered, "Sister, that’s enough. A lot of people have their eyes on the Young Mistress right now!"

"Elder sister, stay out of this!" The steward surnamed Gu was a schemer. ’The sect gate is under Elder Hu’s jurisdiction,’ she thought, ’and Elder Hu and Elder Mo are thick as thieves. Though they haven’t overtly targeted the Young Mistress, we all know those two Elders are at odds with her. If I blow this incident up, won’t it be a good way to vent some of the Young Mistress’s anger for her?’

With this in mind, Steward Gu looked at Yu Xiaoyi and said grimly, "What is it, Steward Yu? Do we need to get the Law Enforcement Hall involved?"

Xiaoying might be stubborn, but she wasn’t stupid. She could already see that this matter was going to implicate her master. Gritting her teeth, she said, "Master, do it!" As she spoke, tears finally began to stream down her face.

"Hmph. So you do know how to cry. I guess you still have some sense of shame. Weren’t you just having a delightful chat with this lowly thing?" Steward Gu sneered.

A surge of anger rose in Qin Li’s heart. Anyone would be furious after being called a "lowly thing" and a "lowly servant" over and over. Qin Li’s Qi Cultivation Skill—his self-control—was already quite strong, but at that moment, he could no longer stand by and watch Xiaoying suffer another insult.

He looked up at Steward Gu and said coolly, "Steward Gu, you’re an important figure by the Saintess’s side. There’s no need to lower yourself to the level of us servants, is there? You wanted to vent your anger, and you’ve done so. Even in an execution, there are limits. Must you grind others into the dirt just to feel good?"

If Han Mei had said those words, the maid surnamed Gu wouldn’t have dared to react and would have even apologized humbly. But coming from the mouth of a firewood-delivery servant, the words made Steward Gu explode with uncontrollable rage.

She pointed a finger at Qin Li and cursed, "You shut your mouth! You worthless dog! Who gave you permission to speak? Venting anger? You were violating Sect rules, flirting here in public! I am acting according to the rules! You have been expelled from the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace! Now get the hell out, or I’ll have the Law Enforcement Hall come and take out the trash!"

SLAP!

SLAP!

Two loud, crisp sounds rang out. Qin Li’s figure flashed as he viciously slapped Steward Gu twice across the face. "You shameless bitch," he snarled. "Feel better now? If not, I can give you a couple more to help you feel *real* good!"

Everyone froze, standing like wooden statues. Xiaoying forgot to cry, her mouth hanging slightly open as she stared dumbfounded at Qin Li, who now seemed like a ferocious beast. Like everyone else, she was completely stunned.

Steward Gu didn’t even snap out of it until a searing pain spread across her face. She stared at Qin Li in disbelief, her lips trembling. Her cheeks began to swell instantly, two bright red handprints blooming on her fair skin.

The maid beside Steward Gu also stared at Qin Li in disbelief, muttering, "Even a firewood boy can be this terrifying when he snaps?" (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com for more Chapters. Support the author, and support genuine reading!)