Li Yuan looked at Captain Wang who was retreating with a pale face, then shifted his gaze to the other officials in the room. Lieutenant Chen looked uneasy but curious, while the others showed a mixture of fear and confusion. The presence he emanated was not something threatening, but something... ancient. Like standing in front of someone who had witnessed more history than a normal human could ever imagine.
"Who am I?" Li Yuan repeated Captain Wang's question in a calm tone. "I am Li Yuan, as I have told you. But perhaps the more appropriate question is: why has the system you rely on to judge someone based on lineage become so irrelevant when faced with true reality?"
Captain Wang tried to regain his composure, but through his Wenjing Realm, Li Yuan could hear a chaotic intention: confusion, fear, a desperate attempt to maintain authority.
"Don't try to change the subject," Captain Wang said in a voice that trembled slightly. "Your identity has still not been verified, and you are displaying... abnormal behavior."
Li Yuan walked slowly toward one of the genealogy charts on the wall. He studied the intricate diagram with its branching lines of descent, a classification system based on "blood purity" and social status.
"An impressive chart," Li Yuan said, observing it. "How long did it take to create this system?"
"Five years," Lieutenant Chen answered reflexively, then closed his mouth when Captain Wang glared at him.
"Five years," Li Yuan nodded. "And before these five years, how were people judged in this kingdom?"
Lieutenant Chen looked nervously at his superior before answering, "Based on... their contributions, their skills, their character."
"Ah." Li Yuan turned from the chart and looked directly into Captain Wang's eyes. "So this system based on lineage is a relatively new innovation?"
Captain Wang's jaw tightened. "The new system was designed to bring order and stability. Too much chaos occurred when people of a questionable background were allowed to rise in society."
"Chaos," Li Yuan repeated in a thoughtful tone. "And who determines which background is questionable?"
"That's obvious—"
"No," Li Yuan interrupted with gentle firmness. "It's not obvious at all. It's an arbitrary decision made by people in power to maintain their power."
The atmosphere in the room became increasingly tense. The officials could feel that they were facing someone who was not afraid of their authority, but also not aggressive in a way they were used to handling.
Li Yuan continued in a voice that was calm but authoritative: "Captain Wang, I have lived long enough to see how systems like this evolve. They start with good intentions—a desire for order, for stability. But invariably, they become tools for oppression."
"How long is 'long enough'?" Lieutenant Chen asked with genuine curiosity.
Li Yuan looked at the young officer with a kind expression. "Longer than you can imagine, Lieutenant Chen. Long enough to see kingdoms rise and fall, to witness the consequences of systems that judge people based on the accidents of birth rather than the content of their character."
Captain Wang took an aggressive step forward. "Enough with the abstract philosophy. You can talk as wisely as you want, but the fact is you are a vagabond with no proper documentation trying to enter a protected territory!"
Li Yuan looked at Captain Wang with eyes that suddenly seemed to contain impossible depths. "And the fact is that you are a man who is so committed to arbitrary rules that you are willing to use torture to enforce them."
Silence fell in the room. Captain Wang's face flushed red.
"How dare you—"
"How do I know about your interrogation techniques?" Li Yuan finished his question. "Because I can hear it in your voice when you describe 'methods to detect deception.' Because I recognize the tone of someone who has caused pain to others and rationalized it as a necessity."
Li Yuan's presence intensified slightly, and suddenly everyone in the room could feel the weight of a judgment—not angry or vengeful, but the profound sadness of someone who had seen too much unnecessary suffering.
"Lieutenant Chen," Li Yuan said, turning to the young officer, "how many people have undergone these 'thorough interrogations' in the last year?"
Lieutenant Chen looked conflicted, glancing between Li Yuan and Captain Wang.
"Answer him!" Captain Wang snapped. "Or better yet, don't. This conversation has gone too far."
But Lieutenant Chen, influenced either by Li Yuan's presence or by his own conscience, answered: "Seventeen. Mostly people like you—travelers without proper documentation."
"And how many passed the verification after the interrogation?"
Lieutenant Chen's voice was barely a whisper: "None."
Li Yuan nodded with an expression of deep sorrow. "So this system isn't really about verification. It's about exclusion. About keeping out anyone who cannot prove they 'belong' based on arbitrary standards."
Captain Wang's hand moved to the weapon on his belt. "That's enough. You are officially under arrest for—"
"For what?" Li Yuan's voice suddenly carried something that made Captain Wang freeze mid-sentence. "For asking questions? For pointing out the flaws in a system that causes suffering to innocent people?"
Li Yuan stepped closer to Captain Wang, and with every step, the sense of his presence grew stronger. Not threatening in a physical way, but overwhelming in its sheer depth of experience and authority.
"Captain Wang," Li Yuan said in a voice that somehow reached everyone in the room with perfect clarity, "I will tell you exactly who I am, because maybe the truth will help you understand why the system you defend is so... limited."
Li Yuan paused, looking at the face of every person in the room.
"I am someone who has been walking this earth for a time that would seem impossible to you. I have seen empires that seemed eternal crumble in decades. I have witnessed societies that thought they were perfect destroy themselves through cruelty and closed-mindedness."
The room was completely silent now, everyone hanging on every word.
"I have learned that the true strength of a civilization does not come from excluding people who are different, but from including them and learning from them. It does not come from rigid hierarchies based on birth, but from dynamic systems that recognize merit and character."
Li Yuan's eyes met Captain Wang's, and in that gaze there was the weight of experiences that were vast beyond human comprehension.
"And I have learned that when a system becomes more important than the people it is supposed to serve, that is the time for the system to change."
Captain Wang, now visibly shaking, managed to whisper: "Impossible. Nobody can live for... for a time like that."
Li Yuan smiled with a profound sadness. "Many things are impossible, Captain Wang, until they happen. The question now is: what will you do with this information?"
Li Yuan gestured toward the charts on the wall. "Will you continue to enforce a system that causes suffering because those are the orders you receive? Or will you consider that maybe there is a better way to serve the people of this kingdom?"
Lieutenant Chen stepped forward, his voice shaking but determined: "If... if you have really lived for so long, what would you recommend? How should people be judged?"
Li Yuan turned to the young officer with an expression that was warm with approval.
"An excellent question, Lieutenant Chen. Judged based on their actions, their contributions to the common good, their kindness to others—especially to those who are most vulnerable. Judged based on the character they build through their choices, not the circumstances of birth that are beyond their control."
Li Yuan looked around the room once more.
"And most importantly, create systems that lift people up rather than tear them down. Systems that assume the best about people rather than the worst. Systems that give chances for growth rather than punishment for the accidents of birth."
Silence stretched for long minutes. Finally, Captain Wang, looking broken and confused, asked: "What... what do you want from us?"
Li Yuan's answer was simple and direct: "I want you to think. Think about whether the system you enforce actually serves the people of this kingdom, or serves only those who are already in power. And if you conclude that changes are needed, I want you to have the courage to make those changes."
Li Yuan moved toward the door of the outpost.
"Now, I will continue my journey to the kingdom. Not because I have proven my worthiness through bloodline, but because I am a person with good intentions who might be able to help. And I hope that someday, that will be reason enough to welcome anyone."
As Li Yuan reached the door, Lieutenant Chen called out: "Wait! How do we... how do we know you are not dangerous?"
Li Yuan turned back with a gentle smile.
"You don't know, Lieutenant Chen. Just as I don't know whether you will use what I shared for good or for harm. Trust is a risk that both sides must take if we want to build something better."
And with that, Li Yuan walked out of the outpost, leaving behind a group of officials who now had to confront fundamental questions about the system they served and the society they thought they understood.