Ability transcends mere military might.
Upon learning of the East Bamboo Immortal’s formidable strength, Director Ji knew deep down that the probability of this operation failing had become overwhelmingly high.
Yet, he maintained an air of perfect composure.
As the one in charge, he understood that if he himself were to lose his nerve, what would the motley crew of martial artists he had brought along surmise?
Would they deem his personal capabilities insufficient for leadership, or would they conclude that the Polaris Academy, having never recovered from the World War, was now merely a dying husk, outwardly strong but hollow within?
‘Sometimes, one must deceive not only their enemies but also their own people…’
“This junior, Director Ji of the Mountain Sea Pavilion, greets the East Bamboo Immortal.”
He cupped his hands and bowed to the East Bamboo Immortal, who promptly rose and returned the gesture, clearly not an uncouth individual ignorant of proper etiquette.
However, her tone was markedly cool, suggesting she was already well aware of Director Ji’s purpose in coming.
“East Bamboo Leng Qingyuan.”
‘So, her name is Leng Qingyuan…’ Director Ji silently noted.
Since everyone referred to her as the East Bamboo Immortal and she rarely interacted with others, her true name had not been recorded in the intelligence brief before their departure.
He turned his gaze to Ren Du, standing nearby, surmising that Ren Du, too, likely did not know her real name.
A smile involuntarily touched his lips as he considered this, and he began to pace back and forth, lost in his own thoughts.
Ren Du, meanwhile, watched Director Ji with considerable disdain.
Director Ji neither looked people in the eye when speaking nor maintained any proper decorum in his actions; indeed, even in front of Leng Qingyuan, he casually paced about, utterly disgracing the Polaris Academy he represented and his master, Gong Ce.
“We have long heard of the deeds of the East Bamboo Immortal in East Bamboo.
Your heart, dedicated to protecting this land for over two centuries, is witnessed by heaven and earth alike.
You seek neither fame nor profit, but solely use your own strength within these mountains to protect innocent people, earning our profound respect.
Furthermore, your immense power, capable of defeating the Mortal Heavenly Kingdom and countless formidable foes, inspires even greater admiration.”
“The East Bamboo Immortal must surely be aware of our purpose in coming here, so I shall speak plainly.
Since the World War, the livelihoods of people everywhere have withered, and chaos has been rampant.
To change this grim situation, the Polaris Academy has invested immense human and material resources: we disseminate knowledge to dispel the backward customs of ignorance and delusion; we expand roads to eliminate the plight of isolation; we develop industries to revitalize impoverished and underdeveloped economies; and we establish order to deter wicked wrongdoers.
Our ultimate aim is to guide the people of all regions towards a path of stability, unity, prosperity, and strength.
Today, we have come to East Bamboo for precisely this reason, hoping that the East Bamboo Immortal will withdraw from this place, allowing the Polaris Academy to take over.
I guarantee that within ten years, this land will undoubtedly become a prosperous and flourishing domain, devoid of bandits and wicked individuals.
Its people will live in peace and contentment, travel unimpeded, and enjoy abundant food and clothing without worry.
Such an outcome would, assuredly, honor the East Bamboo Immortal’s dedicated efforts in guarding this place for over two hundred years.”
“Should the East Bamboo Immortal have any needs after leaving East Bamboo, the Polaris Academy is willing to bear all responsibilities, even offering to appoint her as a martial arts consultant to Polaris.
If the East Bamboo Immortal’s heart remains with the common people and she is unwilling to trouble herself with such matters, the Polaris Academy will not compel her.
As long as there is anything for which the East Bamboo Immortal can use Polaris, the Polaris Academy will exert its utmost effort.”
Director Ji knew in his heart that the East Bamboo Immortal obtained all her necessities from the local East Bamboo region.
Leaving East Bamboo would be akin to losing her means of livelihood, which was why he had offered for Polaris to cover all her living expenses.
Hearing Director Ji’s impassioned speech, the expressions of the assembled martial artists immediately varied, for the conditions he offered were indeed very enticing.
When they had served Polaris, the Academy had never offered terms like ‘consultant’.
The middle-aged strong man’s face showed considerable envy, clearly finding the terms much to his liking.
As for Chi Yiheng, the scholarly man, he offered a knowing smile, deeming it Director Ji’s ploy to lure the East Bamboo Immortal into a trap.
The stout dwarf and Mr. Yu exchanged glances, both believing Director Ji’s words were sincere and that he genuinely proposed such terms, though they suspected the consultant position might be honorary rather than a substantive role.
The arrogant youth, however, inwardly felt that Director Ji was simply spouting nonsense, resorting to every possible flattery and ingratiation to win over the East Bamboo Immortal.
Regardless of their individual thoughts, one point remained consistent: it would certainly be for the best if the problem could be resolved without resorting to force.
These individuals were all fierce figures with blood on their hands; for them, violence was commonplace.
Yet, at this moment, they unanimously hoped Director Ji could persuade the East Bamboo Immortal through ‘courtesy’ in this ‘first courtesy, then force’ approach.
This revealed their own uncertainty about whether they could truly defeat the East Bamboo Immortal in a martial contest.
‘Losing would be a minor matter…’
‘But if she were to strike with lethal intent…’
‘Losing one’s life would be no minor matter at all…’
“I believe what you say, but I do not believe Polaris will act accordingly.”
As the East Bamboo Immortal spoke, she gazed at the village nestled on the mountainside, as if seeing all of the past unfold before her eyes.
Each time a power arrived here, they would raise all manner of banners to declare themselves harmless.
However, words often fell short of actions.
While intentions might be good, and spoken words might be benevolent, the actions themselves did not always reflect the same.
“More than ten years ago, a war swept across the Eastern Continent.
South of Mount Daqing, beyond its peaks, lay the former border of the Can Shang Star Academy.
To my knowledge, before the war began, that region was a fertile and prosperous land of the Eastern Continent.
Its people lived in abundance, stable and united, with a society that progressed and flourished, free from rampant bandits.”
Leng Qingyuan shifted her gaze to Director Ji, who met her eyes with a sidelong glance.
The moment he heard the East Bamboo Immortal mention the Can Shang Star Academy, especially when she repeated his earlier phrases of ‘stability and unity’ and ‘prosperity and strength,’ he already surmised what she was about to say next.
“But with Polaris’s southward advance, the eastern part of the Can Shang Star Academy was razed to the ground.
Countless people were displaced, and some survivors fled to East Bamboo, now living in the village below.
Why don’t you repeat your earlier words to them and see how they react?”
“East Bamboo Immortal, before Polaris launched its attack on the Can Shang Star ‘Eastern Separatists,’ we were not idle.
Rather, we endeavored to avoid war with the innocent people of Can Shang Star as much as possible.
However, the Can Shang Star ‘Eastern Separatists’ were ungrateful, refusing to accept Polaris’s efforts to prevent conflict and persistently standing in opposition to Polaris.
For this, I express my deepest regret.”
“If they do not accept, then you kill?”
The East Bamboo Immortal’s gaze sharpened slightly.
Director Ji did not flinch, meeting her challenge head-on.
He could discern in her eyes a compassionate perspective, rooted in the welfare of the people, coupled with an indifference to political stances.
“You just said that after the war, livelihoods everywhere withered and chaos was rampant, and Polaris seeks to change all this.
But from where did these tragedies originate?
What exactly did Polaris do on the Eastern Continent battlefield?
Today, you wish to develop and build in East Bamboo.
Is this truly for the people of East Bamboo to live in peace and contentment, or is it so that, when you launch your next war, you can bind the people here to your war machine?”
“East Bamboo Immortal, you have only seen the suffering brought upon people by the wars of recent decades.
You have not seen how, over the past century, with the expansion of Polaris’s territory, the people brought under its jurisdiction have cast aside ignorance and backwardness, improving their living standards.
Even if you, East Bamboo Immortal, can content yourself with the current backward state, do you truly wish for the people of East Bamboo to endure such isolation and stagnation alongside you?”
“Then what is the cost?”
Leng Qingyuan looked directly into Director Ji’s eyes.
“You claim to protect the people, yet the World War has proven that you protected nothing at all.”
“East Bamboo Immortal, to unify the Eastern Continent, sacrifices are inevitable.
Perhaps you perceive my words as an detached stance, so allow me to phrase it differently: if I were required to make a sacrifice for the unification of the continent, I would offer my life without hesitation.”
Director Ji’s words resonated with conviction, his gaze betraying not the slightest hint of fear or retreat.
Even Ren Du, standing nearby, heard his declaration and felt its sincerity, for the Polaris ‘thugs’ were famously fearless in the face of death.
“Did those deceased citizens think the same way you do?”
The East Bamboo Immortal believed Director Ji’s words were sincere, but she did not believe this sentiment was shared by everyone.
“Must so many people die for the sake of unification?
In ancient times, the Eastern Continent also stood as a tripartite power, with three nations constantly warring amongst themselves.
People died in vain, was it not also under the banner of ‘unification’?
Do the people truly care whether the Eastern Continent is unified or not?
They only wish for a stable life; they do not care whose domain the world is, nor do they care if the Eastern Continent is split into several factions.
Your unification is merely a political objective, entirely unrelated to the well-being of the populace.”
The questions raised by the East Bamboo Immortal were not ones Director Ji had never considered.
‘If compatible, they remain; if not, they depart.’
When a nation, due to various incompatibilities, splits into two countries, if they coexist peacefully and develop independently, is there truly a necessity for reunification?
Evidently, this is impossible.
Incompatibility arises from ‘differences,’ which inherently constitute an unstable factor.
To maintain their respective stabilities, both sides are bound to constantly reinforce these differences to oppose the other.
Over time, conflicts and friction between them will only grow more pronounced, ultimately concluding only with the defeat of one party.
The essence of sovereign territory is merely a dashed line on a map that can be arbitrarily redrawn, whereas the essence of divergent opinions lies in the thoughts generated in people’s minds due by differing experiences and perspectives.
Unification has never been about unifying territory; it is about unifying thought.
‘Since persuasion is futile… it must be resolved through a martial contest.’
“Since we cannot persuade the East Bamboo Immortal, why don’t we settle this with a martial contest, according to the time-honored rules of the jianghu?
If the East Bamboo Immortal wins, we will withdraw from East Bamboo immediately.
That way, I will have an explanation to give back home, as the reason ‘we couldn’t defeat the East Bamboo Immortal’ is still acceptable to those above.
However, should we be fortunate enough to win even a single exchange, we sincerely hope the East Bamboo Immortal will then withdraw from East Bamboo.”
Director Ji bowed once more, presenting the conditions he had rehearsed countless times in his mind.
“East Bamboo Immortal, this Director Ji is full of schemes; his invitation to a martial contest is surely ill-intentioned.
You absolutely must not agree to it!”
No sooner had Director Ji finished speaking than Ren Du began to offer his warning.
“The matter rests entirely with the East Bamboo Immortal’s decision.
If we lose, we will withdraw from East Bamboo and trouble you no further.”
Director Ji watched the Bamboo Immortal from the corner of his eye.
He was not entirely certain if she would agree to the martial challenge; moreover, even if she did, his side did not necessarily have much chance of victory.
At best, it would simply provide an excuse to report back.
He had originally intended to use the ‘old three tactics’ he had prepared to sway the East Bamboo Immortal’s stance on the Southern Dipper Star and Polaris.
However, the East Bamboo Immortal spoke with such unsparing directness that the conversation could not continue.
Although the East Bamboo Immortal disliked Polaris, she also knew that Polaris was not easily dealt with; otherwise, she would have flatly refused long ago.
Her current silence precisely indicated that she was weighing the pros and cons.
“How would this contest proceed?”
Upon hearing these words, Director Ji slowly began to smile.