Li Yuan walked between the five royal officials on the ascending path toward the mountains. The journey proceeded in an uncomfortable silence—the officials looked wary and slightly hostile, while Li Yuan remained calm with a posture of observing and learning.
Through his Wenjing Realm, Li Yuan could hear their intentions. The group leader—who introduced himself as Captain Wang—had a complex intention: duty mixed with ambition, loyalty to the kingdom but also personal advancement. His subordinates were mostly following orders without much independent thought, except for one who seemed younger and had a subtle doubt about the methods they were using.
After walking for two hours, they arrived at an outpost—a solid stone building with a design that was more functional than beautiful. Above the entrance, the royal emblem was displayed: a stylized mountain with a crown on its peak, and below it was written in a formal script: "Purity Through Hierarchy, Strength Through Order."
A very revealing slogan, Li Yuan thought. They explicitly state their philosophy—order through hierarchy, and hierarchy is apparently determined by birth.
The outpost's interior was a mixture of an administrative office and a detention facility. There were tables with documents arranged tidily, but there were also small cells in the back area. Most striking was a wall covered with charts and diagrams—family trees, lineage records, and what looked like a classification system based on bloodline.
"Sit," Captain Wang said, pointing to a chair in front of a large table. On the table, thick forms were already laid out and an inkwell with a pen.
Li Yuan sat with a posture that was relaxed but alert. "What exactly will be verified?"
Captain Wang opened a thick folder. "Standard procedure for all visitors. We need to establish your identity, family background, social status based on lineage, and determine the appropriate level of access for you to enter the kingdom."
He looked at Li Yuan with a bureaucratic expression. "Full name?"
"Li Yuan."
"Family name origins?"
Li Yuan paused for a moment. Technically, the name Li was from the family that adopted him thousands of years ago in Ziran Village, but explaining that would be impossible without revealing his true age.
"The Li family from a rural area, a small farming community," Li Yuan answered truthfully enough.
Captain Wang wrote something down and frowned slightly. "Specific location?"
"A village that no longer exists. It was lost to... natural disasters, many years ago."
That's technically true, Li Yuan thought. Ziran Village no longer exists, though not from natural disasters.
"Convenient," Captain Wang said in a sarcastic tone. "Father's name and occupation?"
"Li Houming. A farmer."
"Grandfather?"
Li Yuan was silent. He had never met the grandfather of his adoptive family, and he didn't know the details of his extended lineage.
"I don't know," Li Yuan answered honestly.
Captain Wang's frown deepened. "You don't know the name of your own grandfather?"
"Family records were lost when the village was destroyed," Li Yuan said. "And I have been traveling for a long time, separated from my extended family."
Through his Wenjing Realm, Li Yuan could hear Captain Wang's increasing suspicion: convenient story, probably lying, might be a spy or a criminal trying to hide his identity.
"Your current occupation?"
"A wanderer. An informal scholar."
"Source of income?"
"Sometimes I help with various works during my travels—teaching, consultation, odd jobs."
Captain Wang exchanged glances with his subordinates. "No permanent employment, no verifiable family records, no fixed address. That is very... irregular."
He leaned back in his chair with an increasingly hostile expression. "Li Yuan, or whatever your real name is, do you understand that entering the Tianshan Kingdom without proper lineage documentation is a serious offense?"
"I was not aware of that requirement," Li Yuan replied calmly. "I am a simple traveler who is curious about different ways of life."
"'Simple traveler,'" Captain Wang repeated mockingly. "With no family, no home, no verifiable background. In my experience, people like that are usually hiding something important."
The younger officer—whose name tag read "Lieutenant Chen"—cleared his throat nervously. "Sir, maybe we could—"
"Be quiet," Captain Wang snapped. Then he returned to Li Yuan: "Here's your situation. Without proper lineage verification, you are not qualified to enter the kingdom. And the suspicious circumstances of your story suggest that you might be a threat to our security."
Li Yuan remained calm, but he could sense that the situation was escalating toward a potential conflict.
"What are my options?" Li Yuan asked.
"Option one: you provide verifiable proof of your family background and social status. Names of relatives who can be contacted, authentic documents, credible witnesses."
"And if I can't provide that?"
Captain Wang smiled with an unpleasant expression. "Option two: you are classified as 'undesirable' and turned away from the kingdom's territory with a permanent ban."
"And option three?"
"Detention pending further investigation, if we suspect you are a spy or a criminal."
Li Yuan considered his alternatives. He could accept the second option and turn away, but that would mean abandoning the chance to understand and potentially help the situation in the kingdom. He could try to fabricate a lineage story, but that would be dishonest and probably easily detected. Or he could reveal enough of the truth to pass the verification, with unpredictable risks.
An interesting dilemma, Li Yuan reflected. This system is designed to exclude anyone who cannot prove a 'worthy' ancestry. But what constitutes 'worthy'? And who determines the standards?
"Captain Wang," Li Yuan said thoughtfully, "may I ask a question?"
"What?"
"What exactly constitutes 'acceptable' lineage in this system? I mean, what criteria determine whether someone is qualified or not?"
Captain Wang looked surprised by the question. "That's obvious. Noble blood, an established merchant family, or at a minimum, clean and documented peasant stock. What we don't want are criminals, spies, beggars, or... mixed blood of questionable origins."
Mixed blood, Li Yuan noted with internal alarm. So there's a racial component too, not just social class.
"And how exactly do you verify the claims that people make?" Li Yuan asked. "I mean, documents can be forged, witnesses can be lying."
Lieutenant Chen looked uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, but Captain Wang seemed pleased to explain his system.
"We have extensive records," he said with pride. "Generations of lineage information, cross-referenced with multiple sources. Plus, we have... methods to detect deception."
"What kind of methods?"
Captain Wang's smile became more unpleasant. "Interrogation techniques that are... thorough. People under pressure tend to reveal the truth about their background, regardless of what stories they have prepared."
Li Yuan felt a chill of understanding. Torture, he realized. They use torture to 'verify' lineage claims. And they probably classify torture victims as criminals if they cannot satisfy arbitrary standards.
"I see," Li Yuan said in a neutral tone but with a growing internal anger.
"So," Captain Wang said, "what is your decision? Provide real information about your background, or accept the consequences of refusing to cooperate?"
Li Yuan looked around the room—at the elaborate genealogy charts, at the subordinate officers who ranged from uncomfortable to eager, at the forms and documents that represented a system designed to categorize humans based on the accidents of birth.
Time for a decision, he thought. Comply with an unjust system, resist and potentially become a victim, or... demonstrate that their categories and standards are meaningless when applied to someone like me.
Li Yuan stood up from the chair, his movements slow and deliberate.
"Captain Wang," he said with a voice that carried a subtle authority, "I appreciate the thoroughness of your system. But I think there is a misunderstanding about the nature of this situation."
"A misunderstanding?" Captain Wang also stood, his hand instinctively moving toward the weapon on his belt.
"Yes. You assume that I need to prove my worthiness to enter your kingdom. But perhaps a more relevant question is: is your kingdom worthy of accepting someone like me?"
Silence fell in the room. Captain Wang stared at Li Yuan with an expression that was a mixture of outrage and disbelief.
"You dare to question the authority of the Tianshan Kingdom?" he said with a rising voice.
Li Yuan smiled with an expression that was peaceful but somehow contained a depth that made everyone in the room feel suddenly... uncertain.
"I am not questioning your authority, Captain Wang. I am questioning the wisdom of a system that judges people based on the accidents of birth rather than their character, their actions, or their contributions to the common good."
What happened next was something that none of the officers expected.
Li Yuan's presence—which he had kept carefully contained all this time—began to expand slightly. It wasn't a dramatic display, but a subtle shift in the atmosphere of the room. Suddenly, everyone present felt a sense of... vastness. Like being in the presence of someone or something that was far older and more experienced than his appearance suggested.
Captain Wang involuntarily stepped back, confusion evident in his expression.
"What... who are you?" he whispered.