"Ah, I haven't fully introduced myself yet. My name is Zhuo Qingshui, a disciple of the Mohist Sect and an associate professor at Kyoto University."
Qingshui smiled faintly and extended his hand to Ma Xianhong.
"Village Chief Ma, you can find my information on Kyoto University's official website for master's advisors. Since I'll likely start recruiting graduate students this year, rest assured, I'm truly just an ordinary Anomalous Human interested in artificing."
"Pro… Professor?! So young?"
Fu Rong looked in surprise at the young man beside her, who appeared to be around her age.
He couldn't be over thirty, could he? How was he already an associate professor? Even if he wasn't an elderly man or woman, he should at least be middle-aged!
"So, you're from the Mohist Sect. In that case, it seems Mr. Zhuo's purpose for coming here is different from Fu Rong and the others, who were forced to come to this village due to certain circumstances?"
"I have a grand-aunt named Zhang Xuan."
Qingshui glanced at Fu Rong and spoke to Ma Xianhong.
Indeed, he had a grand-aunt named Zhang Xuan in the Mohist Sect.
She was his academic grand-uncle, Academician Ou Yuan's martial arts senior.
And this Ms. Zhang Xuan had another identity.
One of the Thirty-Six Thieves!
And a sworn sister to Ma Xianhong's great-grandfather, Ma Ben Zai!
"Zhang Xuan… I understand."
Hearing that name, Ma Xianhong's gaze at Qingshui shifted slightly.
There was surprise, doubt, and scrutiny.
Ma Xianhong stared at Qingshui for a few seconds, then subtly looked away.
"Guo Liang, take Miss Fu for a stroll around the village. I'll entertain Professor Zhuo myself."
"Yes, Cult Master. Miss Fu, please follow me."
Guo Liang led the bewildered Fu Rong out of the small courtyard.
"Tea?"
Ma Xianhong turned and walked towards the stone table in the courtyard, asking.
"Do you have soda?"
"Have a seat for a moment. The soda will be here shortly."
Ma Xianhong sat down on a chair and gestured for Qingshui to sit.
"Did your Mohist Sect deal with Senior Zhang Xuan yourselves?"
"No, she knelt before a statue of Mozi and took her own life in front of the ancestral tablets of past Mohist patriarchs. Seventy years ago, my academic grand-uncle witnessed the entire event."
Qingshui followed suit and sat on a stone stool, replying.
He was a re-disciple of the contemporary Mohist Grand Master, an associate professor at two TOP2 universities, a sure bet for the Fields Medal, and already part of the Mohist Sect's inner circle.
Information about the sect's internal affairs from recent times was open to him.
Ma Xianhong was silent for a moment.
The Thirty-Six Thieves had become sworn brothers and sisters, and apart from Wugensheng and the originators of the Eight Wonders, all the rest, at least officially, had been purged by their respective sects and jointly hunted down to death.
Ma Xianhong was concerned about the Mohist Sect's attitude—whether they would harbor hostility towards him, a successor of the Eight Wonders and a remnant of the Thirty-Six Thieves.
However, he felt no animosity from Qingshui.
"Are you here for Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements?"
"Yes, but that's only one of my objectives."
Qingshui looked at Ma Xianhong and said.
"Oh? One of them?"
"My other objective only emerged after I stepped into this village."
A bottle of soda was brought over by an exquisite human puppet.
Qingshui took the soda and observed the puppet, which was dressed like an ancient maidservant.
It was meticulously crafted, its artistry remarkably natural. Ma Xianhong's skill was impressive.
But the aesthetic…
He couldn't agree with it.
Couldn't it be made to look a bit better? He wasn't asking for it to resemble beautiful female celebrities, but it shouldn't look so unsettling.
It was a bit too bizarre.
"Another objective? Professor Zhuo means…"
"To save you."
With a hiss, Qingshui twisted open the bottle cap and said.
Hiss, ah!
Nothing beats soda.
Ma Xianhong suddenly chuckled.
"I hear that ancient Mohists, those eloquent debaters, were no less skilled than the Logicians or the School of Diplomacy. They could use their words, combined with practical actions, to persuade a ruler to abandon war. Are you planning to emulate your predecessors, starting with rhetoric to capture my mind and steer the conversation onto your terms?"
Zhuo Qingshui also chuckled.
"When I came in just now, I noticed that most of the Anomalous Humans here, Village Chief Ma, don't seem quite right. It's as if... they're all newly awakened Anomalous Humans."
A flicker of surprise crossed Ma Xianhong's face.
"There are so many people in this world, and new Anomalous Humans are born all the time; that's normal. What's abnormal, though, is having so many newly awakened Anomalous Humans here. So I boldly guess, Village Chief Ma, that you possess a method to turn ordinary people into Anomalous Humans."
"And what of it?" Ma Xianhong asked.
"It doesn't concern me personally, but for the Company, such a method is not allowed to exist. At the very least, if it does exist, it must be in the hands of the public sector," Zhuo Qingshui replied, setting down his soda bottle.
"Handing it over to the public sector might not be a good thing. There are so many people in this world; everyone lives in this world, in this country, with their own joys and sorrows. Since birth, each person's wealth is determined, and their intelligence is determined.
But intelligence can be improved through learning, and wealth can be gained through ability, so why not Anomalous Humans? Some are born Anomalous Humans, some can become Anomalous Humans through cultivation, but why do so many others not even have a chance to change?
They want to, and I happen to have the ability to make these changes, to teach without discrimination. Why should I hand it over to the public sector?
Will they give every person who yearns to be an Anomalous Human a chance?" Ma Xianhong questioned Zhuo Qingshui.
By speaking like this, he had essentially admitted to having a way to turn ordinary people into Anomalous Humans.
Tsk...
He's so honest. Shouldn't he be flat-out denying it at a time like this, or at least diverting the topic or dragging it out?
No wonder this young man in the original timeline was so thoroughly duped by Zhang Chulan, a nineteen-year-old university student, that he lost his bearings, recognized him as his adoptive uncle, had his furnace dismantled by his adoptive uncle, and was even beaten up by the Temporary Workers.
Ma Xianhong, this guy truly has no ulterior motives!
Then I can push my persuasion even further!
"So that's why I'm here to help you choose a new path," Zhuo Qingshui said, extending a finger towards Ma Xianhong.
"Village Chief Ma, are you aware of the population redline?"
Without waiting for Ma Xianhong to answer, Zhuo Qingshui continued, "This is a population ratio researched by countries around the world, which is 50,000:1. It means the ratio of Anomalous Human population to the world population that the world can tolerate. Of course, this is an ideal ratio.
If the Anomalous Human population continues to increase, the risk of ordinary people widely discovering Anomalous Humans will also increase. If the existence of Anomalous Humans were widely publicized, it would first cause social panic, not to mention racial consciousness, artificial class divisions, and a series of social problems caused by ambitious individuals.
When the actual ratio exceeds this limit too much, things like the medieval Inquisition suppressing witches and conducting witch hunts will occur."
"Fifty thousand to one?" Ma Xianhong frowned slightly.
"Fourteen billion divided by fifty thousand... that's less than thirty thousand. How do I feel like there are more than thirty thousand people in the Anomalous Human community?"
"That's why I said it's an ideal ratio; in reality, that number has long been exceeded," Zhuo Qingshui said, taking another swig of soda, wiping his mouth, and burping as he felt the gas surge into his mouth.
"Each sect and school has its own rules and regulations to restrain the Anomalous Humans under its wing. There's the All-In-One Company constantly handling and managing related incidents, and institutions like the military absorb some Anomalous Humans. So even if there's an excess, there's still a certain amount of buffer space."
"The 'one' in the fifty thousand to one refers to the number of free Anomalous Humans not bound by these restraints. Currently, the number of Anomalous Humans in the country is actually around seventy or eighty thousand."
"So, you're saying the number of rogue Anomalous Humans in the Anomalous Human world hasn't even reached half?"
"Exactly. It's not that easy to become an Anomalous Human. Don't most of them rely on the inheritances passed down by various sects and schools?"
Zhuo Qingshui took another gulp of cola, as if drinking alcohol, and looked at Ma Xianhong, half coaxing, half serious. "Although this is our first meeting, it's not appropriate to speak too deeply when our acquaintance is shallow. But old Ma, I can feel that you are a stand-up guy!"
Zhuo Qingshui gave Ma Xianhong a thumbs-up.
"We Mohist disciples also uphold the philosophy of our ancestor Mozi: universal love and non-aggression, no rich or poor, all are equal. So there are some things I just have to say.
Everyone becoming like a dragon, that is naturally a good thing. What you're doing, your original intention is good, but the path is wrong. You won't succeed doing it this way."
Ma Xianhong pursed his lips. "If I don't try, how will I succeed?"
"With your current strength and influence, old Ma, don't even talk about the Company. Among the current Ten Elders, who can you beat? If you do this, you'll eventually stick your head out and be discovered. And then, it won't just be the Ten Elders you'll have to face."
"The Ten Elders, I might not be unable to fight them!" Ma Xianhong said confidently.
This foolish child, doesn't he understand plain language?
"I'm not just talking about the Ten Elders," I said.
"And I wasn't just who I am now, back then," Ma Xianhong replied in a rather chuunibyou tone.
"Old Ma, old Ma, you probably haven't fought many others, have you? I guess most of your interactions are with the ordinary Anomalous Humans in your village? I imagine you haven't seen the combat power of someone at the Ten Elders' level yet, let alone the Two Heroes and One Apex."
"Perhaps they're not so ordinary? Daoist Zhao Guizhen of Maoshan, and Harichagai from the grasslands, I think they'd both be considered masters out there."
"That depends on your definition of a master, Village Chief Ma. Regardless, the resistance you'll face in the future will be absolutely immense, because what the country wants is stability. Even if you gather more masters, can you really contend with the country, contend with the military?
I'm not bragging, but the fact is, no matter how formidable an Anomalous Human is, they're no match for the military. Even Xiang Yu, who was the apex of the Anomalous Human world two thousand years ago, was ultimately defeated by Liu Bang, an ordinary person. Not to mention today's modern weapons."
Ma Xianhong lowered his gaze.
"Professor Zhuo, if you've come to Biyou Village as a friend, an Artificer, I wholeheartedly welcome you. But if you're here to persuade me, then please, let's not. I know you mean well, but I won't give up. Everyone has their own path to walk, a path where, even if a thousand people stand against me, I will press on."
Ma Xianhong picked up his teacup.
This was a clear signal to see me out.
"See, Village Chief Ma, I already told you, I'm helping you choose a new path, not asking you to give up."
Zhuo Qingshui pretended not to understand Ma Xianhong's hint and chuckled.
Leave? He hadn't even managed to swindle the Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements yet!
So, Zhuo Qingshui continued to persuade:
"A path that allows everyone to be like a dragon, without disrupting social stability, that the country can accept and actively promote, leading to a new era."
"Tell me."
"You come help me, rise to a high position, trust me, I have the ability, absolutely I do, because I possess many things, more than you can imagine. And they are extremely important to this country, so important that once they appear, they cannot be abandoned, and I'll have to be treated like someone even more incredible than Einstein. By then, I will absolutely have the ability to push these things forward.
Trust me, using scientific techniques and methods, using the power of the second most powerful country on this planet to implement these things, will definitely be much, much better than your crude approach."
"Pfft…"
Ma Xianhong couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Do I look that naive? Better than Einstein? Don't try to fool me, I've been to university too."
"Which university?"
Zhuo Qingshui felt that Ma Xianhong's skill in artifact creation was high, and while he was indeed a bit naive, his intelligence shouldn't be low, and his education was probably quite good.
"Nanhang University, I studied mechanical engineering. I learned some things systematically, and after graduating, I came to this village to live in seclusion."
"That's decent. Interested in applying for my graduate program?"
"Forget it, I've been out of school for five or six years. Let's talk about something else. You said you were an Artificer before, so where are the Magic Tools you've made?"
Ma Xianhong waved his hand dismissively.
It didn't matter. As long as he knew the person in front of him bore him no ill will, and had no intention of disrupting what he wanted to do, that was enough.
"I haven't made any Magic Tools yet, but I have other works."
Zhuo Qingshui smiled slightly, took out the Devouring Pouch, and released Platinum.
Still seated in the chair, in the next instant, Platinum flew towards Zhuo Qingshui under the influence of Chakra Threads, assembling itself within seconds.
"How is it? Isn't it cool?"
"It reminds me a lot of Armor Hero from when I was a kid. I'm starting to believe the boasting you did just now."
Ma Xianhong looked in awe at the sci-fi-esque silver-white robot in front of him, then pulled out a printed book from his pocket.
"Actually, I knew you came here for this. I was going to show it to you before asking you to leave, but now, the book is yours, but I have another idea."
"Hmm?"
Zhuo Qingshui's gaze was quickly drawn to the book.
This was his purpose for coming here.
Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements.
Old Ma was a very honest person. As long as he had a certain level of recognition for you, obtaining the Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements from him was very easy.
Ma Xianhong, adhering to the philosophy of education without discrimination, didn't mind spreading the Divine Mechanism Hundred Refinements.
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