Only I am Venerable

"By the way, what did you just call him? Benefactor?" Li Longchuan looked at his daughter, puzzled. He couldn’t figure out how his daughter could possibly be connected to Qin Li.

"Of course! He saved me and a group of my fellow sect sisters, so of course he’s my benefactor. It’s a shame he left without leaving his name. I’ve been wanting to find him to express my gratitude!" Li Wan said with a hint of regret. Then, she looked at Li Longchuan in confusion. "Dad, why do you have a portrait of him here? Is he very famous?"

Li Longchuan didn’t answer his daughter’s question. Instead, he asked in a low voice, "You said he saved you. What exactly happened? You silly girl, why didn’t you call for help when you were in danger?"

"It wasn’t that I didn’t ask for help, there was no time!" Li Wan gave her father a playful smile and said, "This is what happened..."

After Li Wan finished her story, Li Longchuan flew into a rage. "A mere Small Sect dared to humiliate my daughter," he said coldly. "They deserve to die!"

"My benefactor already killed all of them, so don’t be angry, Dad. It was very dangerous at the time, but thankfully, my benefactor appeared just in time..."

Hearing his daughter call him "benefactor" again and again, and seeing her animated expression, Li Longchuan’s brow furrowed. His voice grew heavy as he slowly said, "Wan’Er, do you know who this young man who saved you is?"

"Who is he? How would I know if you don’t tell me, Dad!"

"He is Qin Li!" Li Longchuan sighed inwardly. ’It would be so much better if this man wasn’t Qin Li. He was able to save my daughter, which proves he’s powerful. He’s handsome, and his character is clearly impeccable. If he weren’t Qin Li, I would even marry my daughter to him!’

’Unfortunately, he *is* Qin Li. He’s a tragic figure destined to be sacrificed. The Li Family certainly has the power to contend with the Hai Family, but to do so for an outsider... never mind the people of Tongtian City, even I can’t convince myself to do it. Especially now. It’s not just the Hai Family looking for Qin Li; all the Sects of the Land of the Far West, big and small, are searching for this young man.’

’And then there are the experts with the Purple Eyes bloodline; they’re all hunting for Qin Li. There’s no way this person can survive being besieged by so many powerful figures. If I protect him, it would be tantamount to placing Tongtian City in opposition to every Sect in the entire Land of the Far West!’

’Protecting the Purple-eyed New King? Only a madman would do such a thing. Whether Qin Li is actually the Purple-eyed New King isn’t important. What’s important is that right now, everyone *believes* he is!’

"Qin Li... He... he’s Qin Li? Oh my god! No wonder he’s so powerful. That group of scumbags couldn’t even take him down with the Soul-Capturing Flower. So he’s Qin Li! But Dad, I don’t believe he’s some Purple-eyed New King. I heard Qin Li fought Hai Jinzun from the Hai Family and beat him so badly he was coughing up blood. This is clearly just a rumor started by the Hai Family!" Li Wan said, filled with righteous indignation. "Dad, you have to help me. Help me find my benefactor. He saved your daughter’s life. You wouldn’t want your daughter to be an ungrateful person, would you?"

Li Wan was pestering her father playfully, but she was an extremely intelligent woman. In a split second, she understood her father’s predicament. So, she gave Li Longchuan no room to object, cutting off any rebuttal. It was a move that had never failed her.

Today, however, she was destined for disappointment. After listening, Li Longchuan didn’t immediately refuse, but he didn’t agree either. Instead, he sat there with his brow slightly furrowed, lost in thought for a long time.

"Dad, please promise me, okay?" Li Wan walked behind Li Longchuan and began to knead his shoulders, her movements absentminded and uneven.

"Wan’Er, it’s not that I don’t want to help you. It’s just that this matter is far too complicated. It’s no small thing!" Li Longchuan sighed. "This Qin Li is a walking disaster. Whoever gets involved with him is doomed..."

With his daughter involved, Li Longchuan’s tune changed completely. Just moments before, he had been telling his brother how interested he was in this Qin Li. But now, realizing his daughter might have fallen for him, Li Longchuan’s interest vanished without a trace.

For someone of his status and cultivation realm, things like fame and fortune were as fleeting as smoke and clouds, hardly worth mentioning. If he could recruit such a young man, Tongtian City’s strength would increase. But he would never agree to it if it meant sacrificing his daughter.

"Hmph! All you people do all day is scheme and calculate! I don’t care! I’m going to put the word out right now that Qin Li is Li Wan’s benefactor. Anyone who moves against him is an enemy of Li Wan!" Li Wan stomped her foot and turned to leave.

"You... You can’t put Tongtian City..."

"Didn’t you hear me? I said... I’m doing this in my name, Li Wan’s name! In my... own... personal... capacity!" Li Wan enunciated every word, then turned and stormed out of the room in a huff.

She left a dumbfounded Li Longchuan sitting in his chair, stunned for a long moment. After a while, he let out a sigh. ’My daughter’s all grown up!’

Then, Li Longchuan’s expression returned to normal. He gave a light cough, and Li Yichuan, who had just disappeared, emerged from a hidden door at the side. He wore a strange expression, as if he was struggling to hold back a laugh.

"Hmph. If you want to laugh, just laugh. Don’t hurt yourself holding it in!" Li Longchuan couldn’t help but tease his brother when he saw his expression.

"HAHAHAHA! That’s hilarious! City Lord, my dear brother, you were just praising that Qin Li, but the moment Wan’Er showed up, you changed your tune completely. And in the end, she even got the better of you! So, what do you say? Should I go clean up this mess? Suppress Wan’Er’s words and keep them within Tongtian City?"

Ultimately, Li Yichuan still sided with his older brother. It couldn’t be helped. Children could make mistakes and act willfully, but adults couldn’t just go along with their antics, right?

What Li Yichuan didn’t expect was for Li Longchuan to smile faintly and say, "The little girl wants to repay a debt of gratitude. Just let her."

"But what about the Hai Family and the Moon Shaking Immortal Palace..." Li Yichuan looked at his unfathomably powerful brother, confused.

"Them? What about them? Just because Tongtian City has been silent doesn’t mean we’re afraid of anyone. It’s good to let some people know that the Land of the Far West doesn’t belong to any single family! Are they allowed to seek revenge, but my Li Family isn’t allowed to repay a debt of gratitude?"

Li Yichuan was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I understand!"

Although they were blood brothers, Li Yichuan had always performed his duties flawlessly over the years. Li Longchuan’s ability to become a powerful lord who dominated a region was inseparable from his younger brother’s efforts.

"Yichuan, you’ve been running all over the place for all these years. The truth is, your innate talent was better than mine since we were children. You should have entered the Thunder Tribulation Realm long before me, but you were held back because of me. A while ago, they managed to obtain a living Spirit Beast Inner Core from a beast at the Pill Nascent Soul Transformation realm in the Deep Sea. Take it, refine it, and use it for yourself," Li Longchuan said with emotion. "For so many years, it’s just been the two of us brothers struggling to hold up Tongtian City while the old ancestors remain in seclusion. It’s been hard on you."

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Brother, that wouldn’t be right. Everyone worked so hard to obtain that Inner Core. It would be inappropriate for me to take it. Besides, I see Wan’Er’s power seems to have reached the peak of the Shattering Void realm..."

Before Li Yichuan could finish, Li Longchuan waved his hand dismissively. "Without practical combat experience, reaching the Thunder Tribulation realm is useless! Giving it to her would be a waste. We can talk about her opportunities later. I said this is for you, so it’s for you. The others won’t have any objections!"

"Then, thank you, brother!" A look of joy appeared on Li Yichuan’s face. A living Spirit Beast Inner Core from a creature at the Pill Nascent Soul Transformation realm was exceedingly rare. Even for a major power like Tongtian City, it was not an easy thing to obtain.

Afterward, a piece of news began to spread through Tongtian City. It traveled fast, and the first reaction of most who heard it was shock.

The Purple-eyed New King, Qin Li, was the City Lord’s youngest daughter’s life-saving benefactor? What... what in the world was going on?

Countless people began frantically trying to find out more. Finally, the story emerged from one of Li Wan’s senior sect sisters.

It turned out that Li Wan had gone on an adventure with a group of her sect sisters, where they ran into danger and were on the verge of being assaulted. Qin Li just happened to be passing by and saved them, leaving gracefully without even giving his name.

If Qin Li hadn’t become so famous because of the Purple-eyed New King affair, it would have been quite difficult for Li Wan to ever find out who her benefactor was.

As this story spread, the hostility many people felt toward Qin Li immediately and greatly diminished.

This was especially true in Tongtian City, where the City Lord’s prestige was considerable. Previously, with the City Lord’s Mansion remaining silent, people had simply joined in on the commotion. But now that this news came from the City Lord’s Mansion, many immediately calmed down. Thinking it over, they realized this matter might not be what the rumors claimed. Especially as other stories about Qin Li began to circulate, many people cooled their heads. Qin Li already had a feud with Lengqiu Palace, so how could he possibly be of the Purple Eyes bloodline?

And without the Purple Eyes bloodline, how could he become their king? It was clearly slander!

Once the news was out, some were delighted and others were worried. The most anxious of all was probably Sect Leader Qiushuizi of the Iron Palm Sect. When Qin Li had come to their territory, he hadn’t used a Disguise, so Qiushuizi also had a copy of his portrait. He had originally been quite excited, thinking that Qin Li was definitely done for and that his previous worries were unfounded. Qiushuizi had even been preparing to find an opportunity to propose a marriage alliance with the City Lord.

But he never expected the situation to turn so dramatically. This Qin Li had turned out to be the benefactor of the City Lord’s youngest daughter, Li Wan!

Wen Bin didn’t know this news yet. If he found out that the person he had offended was Li Wan’s benefactor, he would probably faint from fright.

Because if the City Lord’s House decided to pursue the matter, Wen Bin would be in for more trouble than he could handle.

’I must cover this up well. It can’t be allowed to leak out,’ Qiushuizi thought. But then he felt that wasn’t safe enough. He once again ordered his men to keep a close watch on Wen Bin. He was not to be allowed out of his seclusion before the time was up!