The night arrived with a silence that hung like an unspoken threat. Li Yuan sat in his room, looking out the window at the terraced city that seemed peaceful under the moonlight. But through the small radius of his Wenjing Realm, he could hear abnormal activity—organized movements, urgent planning, and increasingly hostile intentions from the city's upper levels.
The retaliation has begun, Li Yuan thought with a cold calm. His face remained expressionless, but there was an alert tension in his posture.
Around midnight, the sound of multiple footsteps in the inn's corridor made Li Yuan focus his attention. Through his Wenjing Realm, he heard the intentions of a group of people approaching: duty mixed with nervousness, determination overlaid with doubt. Not ordinary guards—these were more senior officials.
The knock on his door came with a formal and authoritative rhythm.
"Li Yuan," a voice from outside. "Royal Inspector Chen requests an audience with you."
Li Yuan opened the door and faced a group of five people in uniforms that were more elaborate than ordinary guards. Their leader was a middle-aged man with an aristocratic bearing and calculating eyes—clearly someone who was accustomed to commanding and expecting obedience.
"Royal Inspector Chen," Li Yuan acknowledged with a polite but not deferential nod.
"You will accompany us for an official inquiry," Inspector Chen said in a tone that brooked no argument. "There are questions about your activities in this jurisdiction."
"What kind of questions?"
"Questions that are better discussed in an official setting."
Li Yuan studied the group carefully. Through his Wenjing Realm, he heard that this was not an arrest in the normal sense—this was a summons from someone with significant authority who wanted to understand exactly what they were dealing with.
Curious rather than immediately hostile, Li Yuan assessed. At least initially.
"Very well," Li Yuan agreed, manifesting a cloak through his Understanding of Existence to ward off the mountain chill.
They escorted Li Yuan not to a checkpoint or a detention facility, but to a building that was clearly administrative in nature—multiple stories, well-maintained, with guards who were more ceremonial than purely functional. This was the seat of local governance, the place where real decisions were made for the kingdom.
The interior was impressive in an understated way—wood paneling, tapestries that depicted mountain landscapes, furniture that showed quality craftsmanship. But there were also maps, documents, and evidence of a complex bureaucratic machinery.
Li Yuan was led to a room that was clearly designed for interrogations, but interrogations of high-status individuals. There were comfortable chairs, a polished table, and even refreshments prepared. It sent a message: we respect you enough to treat you well, but this is still an interrogation.
Inspector Chen dismissed the guards and settled himself across from Li Yuan with studied casualness.
"Li Yuan," he began, "you present an interesting puzzle for the administrative apparatus of this kingdom."
"What do you mean?"
"Outpost reports describe an encounter with someone who is... unusual. Verification procedures that failed to produce standard results. And then there was today's incident with Sergeant Zhao and his men."
Inspector Chen leaned forward slightly. "The Sergeant reported that you displayed... anomalous behavior. A presence that seemed to exceed normal human parameters."
Li Yuan maintained a perfectly neutral expression. "The Sergeant was probably stressed from confronting peaceful community cooperation. People helping each other sometimes appear threatening to those tasked with maintaining separation."
"Perhaps." Inspector Chen's tone suggested skepticism. "But combined with other anomalies in your case, there are concerns that need to be addressed."
Inspector Chen opened a folder and reviewed the documents. "No verified lineage, no permanent address, no documented occupation. And yet you speak with authority, carry yourself with a confidence that suggests a significant background, and seem to understand political dynamics with a sophistication that is rare in casual travelers."
A fishing expedition, Li Yuan realized. They know something is unusual about me, but they're not sure exactly what. They're probably trying to determine the threat level.
"Inspector Chen," Li Yuan said in a tone that was respectful but firm, "what exactly do you suspect me of doing?"
"I suspect you of being far more than you appear to be. And in this kingdom, unknowns are treated with serious concern."
Inspector Chen stood and walked to a window that overlooked the city below. "The system in Tianshan is built on a foundation of predictability, order, control. Everyone has a place, everyone knows their role, and everyone understands the consequences of stepping outside the boundaries."
He turned back to Li Yuan. "But then you arrive. A mysterious background, no clear allegiances, and within days there is an organized activity on the common folk level that is unprecedented in recent years."
"Community cooperation is threatening to the kingdom's stability?"
"Community cooperation that is unauthorized, unregulated, and potentially undermining the established social order? Yes, it is threatening."
Inspector Chen returned to his seat across from Li Yuan. "So the question becomes: what exactly are your intentions? Are you an outside agitator sent to destabilize the kingdom? A revolutionary with a hidden agenda? Or..." he paused, studying Li Yuan carefully, "something else entirely?"
Li Yuan considered his options. He could continue to deflect with vague answers, but Inspector Chen was clearly intelligent and patient—prolonged evasion would only increase suspicion. He could reveal more about his true nature, but that carried significant risks. Or he could reframe the conversation to focus on the real issues.
Time for a direct approach, Li Yuan decided.
"Inspector Chen," Li Yuan said in a voice that remained calm but took on a quality that made the Inspector lean forward unconsciously, "I think you are asking the wrong questions."
"Meaning?"
"The question isn't who I am or what my background is. The question is why community cooperation seems so threatening to the kingdom's leadership."
Li Yuan's expression remained controlled, but there was an edge in his voice now.
"I observed people sharing food with hungry children, teaching basic literacy, and helping each other with essential needs. The response of the kingdom's apparatus was to send armed guards to suppress these activities."
"Activities that violated established protocols—"
"Protocols," Li Yuan interrupted with a cutting coldness, "that are designed to keep people isolated, ignorant, and dependent. Protocols that serve no purpose except to maintain an artificial hierarchy that benefits a few at the expense of many."
Inspector Chen's demeanor shifted slightly. Through his Wenjing Realm, Li Yuan could hear a change in his intention: a growing awareness that this was not a standard interrogation, a recognition that he was dealing with someone who understood systems deeply.
"You speak with confidence about kingdom policies," Inspector Chen said carefully. "Almost like someone who is familiar with administrative structures."
"I am familiar with patterns," Li Yuan replied. "Patterns that repeat across time and geography when power is concentrated in the hands of those who prioritize privilege over the welfare of the people they are supposed to serve."
Li Yuan leaned forward, and his presence expanded slightly—not dramatically, but enough to create a sense in the room of an authority that went far beyond normal human experience.
"Inspector Chen, may I ask you a personal question?"
"What?"
"When you took your position in this administrative apparatus, was the goal to serve the people of the kingdom? To create prosperity, opportunity, and justice for all citizens?"
Inspector Chen was quiet for a moment. Through his Wenjing Realm, Li Yuan heard a complex internal struggle: original idealism conflicting with years of institutional pressure, a desire to do good warring with the practical necessities of career advancement.
"Initially, yes," Inspector Chen answered honestly.
"And now? Looking at the system you help to maintain—does it serve the people? Does it create an opportunity for growth, prosperity, and fulfillment for all citizens of the kingdom?"
"The system maintains order. Order enables prosperity."
"Whose prosperity?" Li Yuan's voice remained level, but the question cut with precision. "Whose order?"
Inspector Chen was silent, clearly struggling with the implications of the question.
Li Yuan continued with a relentless gentleness: "I saw children in the common folk area who were malnourished while the upper levels feasted. I saw skilled craftsmen denied credit for their work while nobles claimed artistic vision. I saw knowledge hoarded in libraries that restricted access based on birth rather than interest or ability."
"That's... that's how the system works. A social hierarchy provides structure—"
"A social hierarchy," Li Yuan said with a finality that filled the room, "that is based purely on the accidents of birth rather than character, contribution, or capability is not structure. It is organized injustice."
Li Yuan stood, and his presence now filled the room completely. Inspector Chen found himself unable to look away from the gray eyes that seemed to contain depths of experience that were vast beyond comprehension.
"Inspector Chen, the system you serve is built on a foundation of deliberate cruelty. Children are kept hungry to maintain scarcity. Knowledge is kept from those who most need it to ensure dependence. People are kept isolated to prevent cooperation that might challenge an artificial hierarchy."
Li Yuan's voice dropped to a whisper that somehow reached the Inspector with perfect clarity.
"A system like this does not create order. A system like this creates the conditions for an inevitable upheaval, because humans cannot be kept in degradation indefinitely. Eventually, there is a breaking point."
"What... what are you saying?"
"I'm saying that change will come to this kingdom. The question is whether that change happens through evolution or revolution. Whether it happens with minimal disruption or with violence that destroys everything that is worth preserving."
Li Yuan walked to the window and looked out at the city below, its lights twinkling at different levels.
"The people in power here can choose to modify the system, to create opportunities for advancement based on merit, to share resources more equitably. Or they can choose to double down on oppression, to increase force to maintain privilege."
Li Yuan turned back to Inspector Chen, who was now staring with a mixture of awe and fear.
"But if they choose the second option, they will discover that power based purely on force is ultimately fragile. Because eventually, people decide that they have nothing left to lose."
"And what... what role do you play in... in whatever is coming?"
Li Yuan's smile was cold but not unkind.
"I play the role of someone who has lived long enough to recognize patterns, Inspector Chen. Someone who has seen what happens when injustice becomes so pervasive that correction requires... dramatic methods."
Li Yuan returned to his seat, his movements calm but carrying the weight of a finality.
"So now, Inspector, a question for you: given what you have learned tonight about the true nature of the system you serve, what will you choose to do?"
Inspector Chen sat in stunned silence, his mind clearly racing through the implications of the conversation he had just had.
Finally, in a voice that was barely audible, he asked: "What would you recommend?"
Li Yuan's answer was simple and direct:
"Begin with small reforms. Allow community cooperation. Permit education for all levels. Create mechanisms for advancement based on ability rather than birth. Show the people that change is possible through peaceful means."
"And if... if the leadership refuses?"
Li Yuan's expression remained perfectly calm, but there was something in his eyes that made Inspector Chen shiver unconsciously.
"Then the leadership will discover that there are forces in the world that are far older and more powerful than political authority based on arbitrary privilege. And some of those forces are not tolerant of systems that deliberately cause suffering to innocent people."
Li Yuan stood to leave.
"Good evening, Inspector Chen. I suggest you spend tonight thinking carefully about this conversation. Because the decisions made in the next few days will determine whether this kingdom transitions peacefully to something better, or whether change happens through methods that are far less... gentle."
As Li Yuan walked out of the administrative building, leaving Inspector Chen in profound contemplation, he carried with him the knowledge that the seeds of doubt had been planted in the mind of someone with real influence.
Now, he thought with a cold but deep satisfaction, we will see whether wisdom or pride determines the response of the kingdom's leadership.
Either way, change is coming to Tianshan. The only question is whether it is a change that preserves what is worth keeping, or a change that sweeps everything away in a flood of long-suppressed justice. Bm