Only I am Venerable

Arriving at the small courtyard of the woodshed, the young girl led Qin Li straight inside. A burly man in his forties came out to greet them. Seeing Xiaoying, a smile spread across his face. "Miss Xiaoying, what brings you here?"

"Mr. Li, I’ve brought someone for you." Xiaoying pointed at Qin Li and said, "Please find a good task for him, Mr. Li. He’s had a rough time and wants to earn some money to support his family!"

As she spoke, Xiaoying gave Qin Li another smile. "Mr. Li is a very good person. Work hard under him, and I’ll come see you again when I have time!"

With that, she turned and ran off, her steps light. Her fluttering yellow skirt made her look just like a butterfly flitting among the flowers.

In that instant, something tugged gently at Qin Li’s heartstrings.

The feeling had nothing to do with romantic love. It was a sense of ease and joy that came from deep within his heart. Qin Li had been far removed from the life of an ordinary person for too long. If he hadn’t needed to hide from the pursuit of Purple Eyes and various sects and clans, and if he wasn’t worried about Bu Yunyan and the others, he would never have disguised himself to come to Moon Shaking Immortal Palace. He certainly wouldn’t have had the chance to see the world from an ordinary person’s perspective.

"Hey, little brother, stop daydreaming." The middle-aged man called Mr. Li walked over, patted Qin Li on the shoulder, and chuckled. "Xiaoying is a good girl, but she’s not someone lowly folk like us can even dream about. Work hard here, be sharp, and after a few years, you might even become a minor steward or something. Then you’ll have it made! Come on, young man!"

Qin Li smiled faintly and followed Mr. Li.

"This is your room. The Moon Shaking Immortal Palace is very benevolent; the rooms they give us servants are quite nice. Everyone gets their own room. There were thirty-three of us here at the woodshed, so counting you, that makes thirty-four. The daily work isn’t too heavy. For now, why don’t you follow me and deliver firewood to the various Elders’ courtyards?" Mr. Li had taken Xiaoying’s words to heart. Although Xiaoying’s standing in the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace Sect wasn’t high, she was still very influential compared to these servants. Besides, Mr. Li and the others were all very fond of the adorable girl.

Qin Li nodded, thanked Mr. Li, and went into his room. Though simple, it was quite decent—in fact, much better than an average commoner’s home. There were spotless, whitewashed walls, a wooden bed with clean bedding, a table, a chair, and a water kettle. Surprisingly, an iron sword even hung on the wall.

Qin Li nodded. ’The Moon Shaking Immortal Palace really does have the bearing of a major Sect.’

After a while, Mr. Li came over to explain some of the rules of Moon Shaking Immortal Palace to Qin Li. It all boiled down to servants needing to know their place: don’t speak out of turn, don’t eavesdrop, and don’t overstep your bounds.

Qin Li said he understood. Mr. Li looked at him with a warm smile, thinking the young man was quite decent. "By the way," he said, "I still don’t know your name."

"My name is Qin Fang," Qin Li said casually.

"Alright, Qin Fang. Come with me now to deliver firewood to a few of the Elders’ courtyards." As Mr. Li spoke, he had someone hitch a horse to a cart, which was then loaded with bundled firewood.

Once everything was ready, Mr. Li called for Qin Li to get on the cart. They sat atop the firewood and proceeded along a wide, smooth stone road, heading toward a mountain peak.

Many people from the woodshed watched Qin Li with envy. They thought the young man was incredibly lucky to receive Mr. Li’s special care right after arriving. Plus, it seemed Miss Xiaoying herself thought highly of him, having brought him here personally. ’If only I could have such good luck someday,’ many of them thought.

They were all simple commoners; though envious, they were not jealous.

In truth, it hadn’t always been this way. But the women of Moon Shaking Immortal Palace were simply too domineering, and men had no status whatsoever. Even the male disciples within the Palace had a low standing, let alone the servants.

Over time, the servants in Moon Shaking Immortal Palace had all learned to keep their heads down. Few dared to actively stir up trouble, because if a steward found out, the lightest punishment was a beating and a scolding, while the most severe was expulsion.

It wasn’t easy to find a paying job here, and few would be foolish enough to jeopardize their livelihood.

Sitting on the cart, Mr. Li told Qin Li some interesting tidbits about Moon Shaking Immortal Palace while skillfully driving the horse.

"Here in Moon Shaking Immortal Palace, there are six woodsheds just like ours! We’re responsible for six Inner Sect Elders, three Outer Sect Stewards, and five Guardians. The other five woodsheds take care of other Elders, or in one case, the Palace Master’s residence. That’s the best assignment, because if you catch the Palace Master in a good mood, you might occasionally be rewarded with a few Elixirs."

A look of envy crossed Old Li’s face as he spoke. "Those Elixirs are treasures! A single one is worth a fortune!"

"A fortune?" Qin Li asked, curious. "When you’re rewarded with Elixirs like that, don’t you use them yourself?"

"Use them myself? Heavens... you wasteful young fool! How could anyone possibly use such precious Elixirs on themselves? That would be a colossal waste! Some of them are sacred healing remedies. Are you going to use a whole Healing Pill for a small cut you got while chopping wood?"

Old Li shook his head at Qin Li. ’Young people just don’t know how to live sensibly!’ he thought. He then advised him earnestly, "I can see that Miss Xiaoying treats you well, and that you have some feelings for her. But if you really want to marry a girl like that, how can you do it without saving up money? Even if Miss Xiaoying were willing to go with you, you’d still have to see if the Immortal Palace would even let her go. The chances are slim, though. I’ve been here for more than thirty years, and I’ve never seen a single servant marry a girl from the Immortal Palace. Don’t believe those legends and stories—they’re all lies!"

Qin Li nodded with a wry smile. Just then, the cart arrived at a mountain with a magnificent and serene peak. Towering Ancient Trees blotted out the sun, and a stream gurgled through the forest. A rich, fresh scent drifted through the air, and the Spiritual Qi was so dense one couldn’t help but want to bask in it.

"This peak is where Elder Hu lives!" Old Li said. "But Elder Hu is often away, so he’s rarely seen." He skillfully guided the cart to a remote spot and said to Qin Li, "We can just unload the firewood over there!"

Qin Li and Old Li unloaded the firewood from the cart, bundle by bundle, and stacked it neatly. Old Li was quite impressed with how efficiently Qin Li worked.

"Qin Fang, you’ve got a real knack for this. Did you do this kind of work often back home?"

"Uh... yes." The corner of Qin Li’s mouth twitched slightly.

One cartload of firewood was enough to last for over ten days. After they finished unloading and the local steward signed off on the delivery, Old Li breathed a sigh of relief. "See? Our work isn’t too tiring," he said to Qin Li. "You just need to remember to bring a new load whenever a place is running low."

Qin Li nodded silently. Just then, his Divine Sense stirred. He’d detected several figures flashing through the distant woods. One of them looked very much like Zhao Qianqian, and Qin Li fixed his gaze in that direction.

Just then, a sharp, female voice, dripping with cold disdain, rang out nearby. "Country bumpkin, what are you gawking at? Don’t you know the rules of Moon Shaking Immortal Palace?"

Qin Li turned, looking at the speaker in surprise. She was one of the stewards in charge of firewood for this area, and judging by her attire, she was also a disciple of the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace.

"Yes, you! You ignorant oaf! Didn’t your supervisor teach you not to gawk all over the place in Moon Shaking Immortal Palace?" The woman was actually quite attractive, with willow-leaf brows and small, cherry-like lips. The few freckles on her face didn’t detract from her beauty. It was just that her words were incredibly grating.

Qin Li’s brow furrowed, and he was just about to speak when Old Li rushed over to smooth things over. "Steward Gao, my apologies! Qin Fang is new here and doesn’t know the rules. Please don’t stoop to his level. I’ll be sure to teach him a lesson when we get back!"

As he spoke, Old Li repeatedly shot glances at Qin Li, signaling for him to hurry up and apologize. Qin Li, however, acted as if he hadn’t noticed, simply standing there with a simple, honest smile on his face. To Steward Gao, however, that smile felt like pure mockery.

Just then, the group from the distance started walking toward them. Qin Li focused his eyes, and his heart gave a slight jolt. Among the women approaching, one was, indeed, Zhao Qianqian!

She had Star Eyes and willow brows, a rosy face with cherry lips, and skin as smooth as cream. Her long hair was unbound, draping over her shoulders. She wore a long white gauze dress, and deep within her eyes, a hint of sorrow lingered.

When Steward Gao saw the women, the anger on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a subservient smile. "Greetings, Martial Aunts!" she said respectfully.

The women nodded, and one of them asked, "What happened?"

"Oh, it’s nothing," Steward Gao said with a fawning smile. "Just a servant who doesn’t know the rules. I was just teaching him a lesson. I’m so sorry to have disturbed you, Martial Aunts."

The women glanced at Qin Li before quickly looking away—he was just some ignorant country boy. They had only asked out of boredom. Zhao Qianqian was in a foul mood, and her martial sisters were just trying to cheer her up with a walk.

Only Zhao Qianqian furrowed her delicate brows, her gaze fixed on Qin Li’s eyes. It was as if something had occurred to her, but she couldn’t be sure.

Seeing Zhao Qianqian staring at Qin Li with a frown, Steward Gao assumed that Elder Mo’s favorite disciple was displeased. ’If that’s true,’ she thought, ’then this unlucky country bumpkin can be sent packing today.’

Just as Steward Gao was about to speak, Zhao Qianqian caught her expression and said coolly, "Oh, it’s nothing. Anyone new has trouble adjusting at first. He’ll be fine in a few days." With that, she led the other women away.

Steward Gao called out in a saccharine voice, "Farewell, Martial Aunts!"

Once the women were out of sight, she shot Qin Li a vicious glare and snapped, "You got lucky today, country bumpkin! Now scram! Stop being an eyesore!"

Little did the steward know that at that very moment, a storm was raging in Zhao Qianqian’s heart. A familiar voice, one she had longed to hear day and night, had just echoed in her ears.

"Qianqian, I hope you’ve been well. Long time no see. You’ve become even more beautiful."