Only I am Venerable-Chapter 29: Ordeal

"Kill you!" A cold smile touched the lips of the cruel-looking man in his thirties. He spat out the two words.

"Easy there, easy there. Don’t go scaring the precious son-in-law of the Shangguan Family. If the Shangguan Family gets angry, we brothers won’t be able to handle the fallout." The scar-faced young man, who was in his early twenties, said with a grin. He looked playfully at the unfazed Qin Li and nodded. "Anyone who can make Young Master Feng suffer a major loss is clearly no simple character. We’re not here for any other reason today. Someone just asked us to pass a few words along to you."

"Speak."

Though Qin Li said the word, his guard didn’t drop in the slightest. ’The Qin Family higher-ups probably don’t have the guts to make a move on me right now. But after all these years, the family has made countless enemies. Killing me now would be the perfect way to pin the blame on them.’

"So, we’re..." the scar-faced young man began, drawing out his words. Suddenly, a brilliant flash, like a bolt of silk, erupted from the roof of a nearby house, stabbing straight for Qin Li’s back!

Qin Li had been maintaining utmost vigilance of his surroundings. After he opened his Ren and Du Meridians, his raw power hadn’t necessarily increased much, but his senses of hearing and sight were now so sharp that even a peak Profound Level expert might not be able to match him.

Qin Li detected the hidden person on the roof the very instant they made a move. His own body shot into action at almost the same time as the attacker’s. He threw a straight punch, blasting it toward the scar-faced young man’s face!

The scar-faced youth never imagined this illegitimate son of the Qin Family could be so formidable. Before he could even react, Qin Li’s fist smashed viciously into his nose. He let out a pained howl as the bridge of his nose collapsed, sending blood streaming down his face.

Using the momentum, Qin Li’s body shot past the scar-faced youth. Without even a glance back, he broke into a sprint. The combination of his Lightweight Skill foundation from his past life and this body’s excellent constitution allowed him to move at a speed not far off from his former peak.

As Qin Li ran, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Murder!"

By the time the scar-faced youth staggered to his feet, his eyes red with fury and intent on giving chase, Qin Li was already hundreds of meters away.

"Damn it, I’ll kill that bastard!" the scar-faced youth roared, his face a mask of blood.

He was stopped by the one who had missed with the sword strike. To his surprise, it was a beautiful girl with delicate features. Her voice was as cold as ice. "Forget it. We can’t catch him. I can’t believe he’s so cunning! Weren’t we told he only has First-Level Primordial Power, not even reaching the first stage of the Yellow Level?"

The cold man in his thirties was also in utter disbelief, his mouth twitching slightly. He said nothing.

The beautiful girl’s brows knitted together. "His strength is clearly far greater than the rumors suggested. In that case, it seems Feng’s loss wasn’t for nothing. Hmph. That little bastard got off easy! Next time I see him, I will kill him!"

By now, quite a few people were looking in their direction. It was supposed to be a secluded alley, but thanks to Qin Li’s shouting, a few curious onlookers were bound to emerge.

"Miss, we should go. People are coming," the scar-faced youth said, his voice muffled as he clutched his aching nose.

"You two idiots!"

The girl stomped her foot in anger. With a light tap of her toes, she launched herself into the air like a graceful swallow, vanishing in an instant. Only those who had reached the Profound Level could achieve such a feat.

The scar-faced youth, still bleeding from the nose, and the cold man in his thirties exchanged a look of utter frustration before quickly departing.

Qin Li’s own frustration at that moment was no less than that of the unfortunate pair. ’Ever since I came to this godforsaken world, I’ve been looked down upon and mocked for my damned status as an illegitimate son. Then I was used as a pawn, forced to fight for the interests of a family I couldn’t care less about. After that, I was hated for no reason and ended up making enemies of the Qin Family’s two most promising young geniuses. I moved out to make my own way, only to run into a damn assassination attempt.’

’My luck is just... unbelievably bad, isn’t it? When will things finally turn around for me?’ he wondered. By now, he had reached the northern part of the city. The houses were low, the alleys narrow, and he could occasionally see beggars in ragged clothes. He let out a small sigh. ’Compared to them, I’m actually pretty fortunate!’

At that thought, the gloom in Qin Li’s heart vanished. A smile appeared on his face, and he walked toward his home with a lighter step.

Just as he was nearing his home, Qin Li suddenly stopped. He stood there, eyes narrowed. Ahead, in the narrow alley, stood an unremarkable-looking middle-aged man. His face was so plain he was the type you’d lose instantly in a crowd. There were no discernible fluctuations of power coming from him at all.

Yet, Qin Li’s instincts picked up a scent of danger from this man. It was a feeling he had experienced several times in his past life, and every single time... it had been a matter of life and death.

"Who are you?" Qin Li asked calmly, his senses on high alert.

To Qin Li’s surprise, the middle-aged man spoke. "I’m one of the Master’s men!" As he spoke, his body shot toward Qin Li like a bolt of lightning.

’Qin Yongzhi!’ The name flashed through Qin Li’s mind just as the shadow of death enveloped him. It was the first time he’d felt anything like it since his rebirth.

’This man is a true master!’

In that split second, Qin Li only had time to shield his vital points. A loud THUD echoed as a fist connected with his face. The immense force sent him flying three or four meters, crashing to the ground.

The searing pain cleared Qin Li’s head instantly. But he understood one thing with chilling certainty: the man had held back. If he had wanted to kill him, it would have been as easy as flipping a palm.

THUMP! 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

A kick sent Qin Li’s body flying, and the *Nine Heavens and Ten Lands, Only I am Venerable* combat skill manual fell out with a thud.

The middle-aged man picked it up, a flicker of surprise on his face. After a glance, he tossed it aside with a sneer and continued toward Qin Li. The world was spinning for Qin Li. ’If not for this body’s incredible constitution, and if not for the fact that my Ren and Du Meridians are already open,’ he thought, ’that one punch and kick would have been enough to keep me bedridden for months!’

Even so, the pain was agonizing, boring into his very bones. But Qin Li gritted his teeth and remained silent, his eyes locked on the middle-aged man with deadly intensity.

"Heh heh, you’ve got some backbone! But don’t think I’m going to let you off that easy!" A demonic sneer spread across the middle-aged man’s face.

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

Qin Li was kicked around like a toy. Each blow deliberately avoided his vital organs, but every kick landed on a spot that caused excruciating pain.

And from beginning to end, Qin Li stubbornly refused to make a sound.

Finally, the middle-aged man seemed to grow bored. He stopped and looked down at Qin Li, blood trickling continuously from the corner of his mouth. He gave a cold smile, utterly confident in his own methods. Although he had avoided Qin Li’s vital spots, it would be a dream for him to think he could recover in less than a year or so.

He would never imagine, however, that such a prodigy existed in this world—one who had already opened all the meridians in his body, a feat that only a peak Celestial Level master would dare attempt.

The middle-aged man squatted down beside Qin Li. Seeing Qin Li’s ice-cold eyes staring back at him, he spoke softly, "My name is Qin Shisan. I’m an Earth Level expert, and one of the two super-guards at the Master’s side. Tell me, shouldn’t you feel honored? Heh, kid, I know you hate me. I don’t care! I enjoy tormenting people like you. Ha ha! I find the look of hatred, helplessness, and despair in the eyes of weaklings like you very amusing! But you’re a tough one. Most people would have been begging for mercy by now. You’re the first one I’ve beaten to the point of coughing up blood without making a peep. You’ve got guts!"

Qin Shisan reached out and patted Qin Li’s cheek, then sneered, "The Master sent me with a message for you: this isn’t over! He will never kill you, but don’t think you’ll ever escape his grasp in this lifetime! You dared to harm Young Master Feng, so you’d better be prepared to face the Master’s thunderous wrath!"

With that, Qin Shisan stood up, looking down imperiously at Qin Li. "When you’re all healed up, your Thirteenth Master will come ’take care’ of you again. But, that’ll probably be a year from now, ha ha!"

Qin Li remained silent. He watched as Qin Shisan’s foot stepped on the Divine-level Combat Skill manual before the man swaggered away. For some reason, a truly bone-chilling smile crept onto Qin Li’s lips.