Only I am Venerable-Chapter 51: I Only Belong to You

As if she had expected Qin Li’s response, a flicker of mockery flashed through the ice-cold woman’s indifferent eyes. The corners of her lips curled up slightly, but it was a smile devoid of any warmth.

"Whether you agree or not is irrelevant, because your opinion doesn’t matter. I only wanted to meet you to see if you were worthy of being my disciple’s fiancé. Now it seems you fall far short!"

"Your disciple?"

Qin Li furrowed his brow. He couldn’t understand. Shangguan Shiyu had disliked practicing Martial Arts since she was a child, so when had she acquired a master?

"Uh... Qin Li, it’s like this..." Shangguan Tie walked over, a look of shame on his face. He first nodded respectfully toward the ice-cold woman before saying, "Last night, Shiyu formally became Master Ye’s disciple. What’s more, she will be leaving with Master Ye tomorrow to cultivate at her sect."

Qin Li noticed Shangguan Tie’s attitude toward this ice-cold woman, and his heart skipped a beat. ’What kind of status does Shangguan Tie hold? He’s a genuine imperial relative, the emperor’s father-in-law! With the power of the Shangguan Family, what sort of person could make such a formidable old man bow his head in deference? And while he seems somewhat resigned, there’s more joy in his expression than anything!’

"Master... c-can I speak with him alone for a few moments?" Shangguan Shiyu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up.

The ice-cold woman hesitated for a moment, shot a warning glance at Qin Li, and then said, "Go, but don’t take too long!"

Shangguan Shiyu led Qin Li to her room. This was the first time Qin Li had ever stepped into her chambers, but he was in no mood to appreciate it.

In his previous life, Qin Li had experienced countless hardships. Orphaned at a young age, he was adopted by an old Taoist priest who taught him literature, Martial Arts, and all sorts of other knowledge. The priest taught Qin Li about all walks of life and every trick of the trade, imparting anything he deemed necessary. In the old Taoist’s eyes, if a person’s heart was not righteous, even the most honorable teachings could be twisted into tools for evil. But if a person’s heart held good intentions, then even the most wicked arts could be used to save lives!

Qin Li’s past life had seen moments of glory and moments of desolation. He had loved, he had hated, and he had been betrayed. The one thing he had never known was a peaceful life!

’So in this life, after earning enough silver in one go to live carefree for the rest of his days, the thing he wanted most was to stay by Shangguan Shiyu’s side—this exquisite, Top-Grade girl. He wanted to watch her grow up, watch her mature bit by bit, watch her grow up happy... until she became his wife. He would cherish her and give her a lifetime of happiness! Only someone whose soul has weathered the vast changes of time and sea could ever understand such a feeling.’

’Since heaven had granted him a second chance at life, he had to cherish it. He wanted to ensure that the people he cared for could live better lives. His constant pursuit of strength was, more than anything, for the ability to protect himself. That was all!’

But what Qin Li couldn’t fathom was the origin of this detestable woman who had appeared out of nowhere. How on earth had Shangguan Shiyu become her disciple overnight?

Qin Li raised his head and reached out, removing Shangguan Shiyu’s veil. When the two were alone together, she had long since stopped wearing it. He gazed at her exquisite, pitifully beautiful face, tinged with sorrow. The blue hue on her skin had faded to a faint layer. Qin Li was confident that before long, Shangguan Shiyu would be a completely normal person again!

’And she would still be a peerless beauty, a woman whose looks could topple cities. Most importantly, this woman belonged to him!’

Shangguan Shiyu gazed into Qin Li’s eyes. She didn’t offer any explanation. Instead, she slowly walked up to Qin Li, wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head on his chest. she said softly, "I’m sorry..."

Qin Li’s body jolted, and a bitter smile touched his lips. In that instant, his heart turned to ice! He shook his head and said nothing, just gently removed Shangguan Shiyu’s arms. "It’s nothing," he said. "I’ll try to forget..."

"No!"

Shangguan Shiyu suddenly shrieked, throwing her arms around Qin Li from behind and hugging him tightly. Her body trembled violently as she sobbed, "Qin Li, that’s not what I meant! You have to believe me, you have to believe me... You have to believe me!" She repeated herself several times, her words becoming a jumble.

Qin Li stood still and let out a long breath. ’Love... it truly messes with a person’s heart. Even the calmest man would probably lose his composure in a situation like this.’ He didn’t speak, waiting for Shangguan Shiyu’s explanation.

"I just meant that I don’t want to go! I really don’t want to go!" Shangguan Shiyu cried.

Qin Li spun around and pulled the young woman tightly into his embrace. He felt a sudden sting in his nose, and he sniffled hard. "If you don’t want to go, then you don’t have to go," he said in a low, muffled voice. "No one is taking you away!"

"You don’t understand. I really don’t want to leave you!"

Shangguan Shiyu looked up from Qin Li’s embrace, tears streaming down her beautiful face. "But that woman... her strength is unfathomable. She insists I’m something called an Innate Spirit Body. Who knows where she came from or where she intends to take me? She... she gave my grandfather a bottle of Elixirs and promised that within twenty years, the Shangguan Family would have ten Celestial Level masters! My grandfather... he truly loves me, but he also has to think about the family’s future. It was an offer he couldn’t refuse! Qin Li, tell me, what am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?"

Qin Li couldn’t help but gasp. "Twenty years for ten Celestial Level masters?" he asked in astonishment. "That’s... that’s impossible, right?"

One had to understand, for a genius like Qin Feng—a youth of outstanding talent—to reach the Earth Level by age twenty was already an incredible achievement, and that was with their family spending a fortune on Elixirs and cultivating them with all available resources. If such a person managed to break through to the Celestial Level before the age of forty, they would be hailed as a peerless genius!

This process would cost a family an unknowable amount of wealth and effort! There was even a certain degree of danger when breaking through from the Earth Level to the Celestial Level. So, while reaching the Earth Level might be relatively simple for a genius, ascending to the Celestial Level was extremely difficult, even for a genius Martial Artist!

’Take Qin Shisan, for example. He reached the Earth Level in his forties, but even if he hadn’t died at my hands, he would have had no hope of breaking through to the Celestial Level in his lifetime! This ice-cold woman is making an outrageous claim. What gives her such confidence?’

Shangguan Shiyu had calmed down somewhat, still nestled in Qin Li’s arms. ’His embrace is the warmest, safest place in the world,’ she thought. Her grandfather’s actions yesterday had, for the first time in her life, made her doubt his love for her. But after witnessing that woman’s power, she understood. It wasn’t that her grandfather didn’t love her; it was that he was utterly powerless to stop the woman.

’Forget the Shangguan Family; even the Cyan Dragon Royal Family wouldn’t dare to offend her!’

"My grandfather tried one of her Elixirs. He’s been stuck at the ninth rank of the Profound Level for many years, with almost no chance of a breakthrough. He’d given up all hope long ago. But after taking that single Elixir, he actually broke through! He shot all the way to the third rank of the Earth Level! Master Ye said my grandfather is too old; if he were just ten years younger, he could advance even further in the next decade!"

Hearing this, Qin Li fell silent. ’Combat techniques... that was already the biggest shock when I came to this world. The idea that Martial Arts could wield such terrifying power, that the Martial Artists here were so strong! That’s why I decisively abandoned the peerless skills from my past life and focused solely on cultivation. It wasn’t until I began practicing the Only I am Venerable technique and found that my old skills were transforming into combat techniques that I finally started to regain my confidence.’

’After that, I reached the Profound Level in a remarkably short time. By staying close to Shangguan Shiyu and absorbing her Innate Spiritual Qi, I managed to reach the ninth rank of the Profound Level in less than half a year!’

’I’m just one step away from the Earth Level!’

’Such a rapid cultivation speed had made me arrogant for a time. I started to think the Martial Artists of this world weren’t so special, and that most so-called "geniuses" were all just hype.’

But unexpectedly, this ice-cold woman’s appearance was like a harsh slap to his face. The stinging pain instantly sobered him up, making him understand the saying: there is always someone better than you, and a heaven beyond the heavens.

As Qin Li stood there in silence, he heard a murmur.

"Qin Li, don’t worry. I, my heart, my body... will forever belong to you and you alone!"

Then, a pair of warm, soft lips trembled as they pressed against... Qin Li’s.