by <unknown>
Everybody was slightly dazed. They all shook their heads.
Meng Chixin smiled. "Just as I speculated. It seems that none of us want to be puppets that are deprived of feelings and self-awareness. Besides, even if we do want to cooperate with the Covenant Alliance, it is still a distance away from the Ancient Sages Sector, with thousands of stars in between. We don't even know where to look for them!
"Then… it appears that we are left with only one choice, which is to join the Imperium of True Human Beings as Heiye Lan said! What do you think, Fellow Cultivators?"
It was the only topic that mattered in the meeting.
All the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators immediately sat up straight.
Meng Chixin's eyes were both firm and clear. He changed to a mild and peaceful tone as he casually said, "You can say whatever is on your mind without any concern. I'll declare my attitude first, but it doesn't mean that you have to concur with my opinion!
"I believe that, because the Imperium is too powerful and the Ancient Sages Sector is too weak, a head-on clash will be no different from hitting a rock with an egg. The current situation dictates that we hide below the wings of the Imperium and slowly develop ourselves. After we grow strong enough, and when there are new changes at the center of the cosmos, we will come up with other plans!
"Therefore, I agree with joining the Imperium of True Human Beings!
"What's your opinion, Fellow Cultivator Qi?"
Qi Zhongdao was sitting next to Meng Chixin. He did not seem to have entirely recovered from his earlier frustration. After coughing for a while and staring at the metal stripes at the center of the tale, he said softly, "I've been studying the system of the Imperium of True Human Beings over the past couple of days. I discovered that, despite the general aggressiveness and the incessant wars, strict laws have been implemented in the country, and rules are followed from the top to the bottom. According to their rules, even the humblest slave can be knighted, nominated as a general, or even become the master of a Sector as long as their spiritual root is awakened and they practice techniques that are powerful enough!
"It is based on the 'rules' that the Imperium of True Human Beings ensures the order of hundreds of Sectors in its territory.
"Any rules are better than no rules. I—I—I agree with joining the Imperium of True Human Beings!"
Li Yao's heart felt cold.
Before the meeting, he had considered how many of the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators would choose to surrender to the Imperium.
Qi Zhongdao was a critical person whose stance could be ambiguous according to his calculations. He did not expect that the guy would simply lower his head because of 'rules'!
Han Baling was sitting next to him. He rasped, "The Imperium of True Human Beings has acquired a great territory in the universe with iron and blood, which fits my appetite quite well! The Imperium is the best choice we have right now. It is better than the Covenant Alliance anyway, isn't it?"
Han Baling believed in 'classical militarism', and the Imperium of True Human Beings was based on 'modern militarism'. Li Yao was not surprised by his choice at all.
"I don't like how the Imperium of True Human Beings treats the ordinary folks, who are not even considered human beings," 'Mother White Lotus' Wan Mingzhu, who was sitting behind Han Baling, said drily and coldly.
Li Yao suddenly saw a glimpse of hope.
Keep it up, Mother White Lotus, you are one of the legendary leaders of the peasant rebellions. You can't betray your principle so easily, right?
"However…" Wan Mingzhu suddenly changed the tone. "According to the intelligence Heiye Lan provided, many remote Sectors in the Imperium of True Human Beings are fully autonomous. As long as sufficient resources and taxes are provided for the capital, the capital doesn't care how the local area regulates itself!
"Therefore, some of the remote space zones do have a lot of bizarre, messy systems.
"If we can fight for autonomy and are allowed to govern the Ancient Sages Sector on our own, we will be able to establish rules as we see fit and won't have to keep them the same as the rules within the homeland of the Imperium, right?
"It's not entire unnegotiable if the Ancient Sages Sector can be kept safe in such a way.
"I also agree to join the Imperium of True Human Beings, on the condition that we must stress the importance of 'autonomy' during the negotiation. We must not allow anybody else to lay their fingers on the Ancient Sages Sector or even kidnap our folks as slaves. I will never concede when it comes to that clause!"
Wan Mingzhu sat down, or rather, sank down, quickly.
Li Yao's heart seemed to have sunk into a well in December, too. It was colder than ever!
Chapter 1535: Master Bitter Cicada's Tough Choice |
After Qi Zhongdao, the leader of all the Cultivators, and Wan Mingzhu, the leader of rebelling peasants, had chosen to surrender to the Imperium, there was no need to mention the rest of them.
As it turned out, hardly had Wan Mingzhu sat down when 'Heaven Battering King' Qi Changsheng, the other leader of rebelling peasants, who seemed much more blatant and lawless, chuckled and said, "What Mother White Lotus said was quite true. Since there is 'autonomy' in the Imperium of True Human Beings' system, all we need to do is guarantee that we manage the affairs within the Ancient Sages Sector. As for exactly what system other places in the Imperium adopt and how they treat their people, it is absolutely none of our business!
"Nowadays, whoever has enough soldiers and supplies can call themself a king. As long as our fists are big enough, even if we join the Imperium, it will not be easy for them to meddle with our internal affairs! On the other hand, if our strength is insignificant to the Imperium, our struggles will be redundant no matter what we do!
"Therefore, I agree with surrendering to the Imperium first without considering so many things right now. We can always rebel again later. What's the big deal? I'm already familiar with the secrets of the trade! Of course, we must settle on satisfactory terms and not sell so many Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators for some petty benefits! They want to hire us to fight a war? Fine. Bring us real gold!"
The leader of the bandits was indeed as straightforward as he had ever been. After giving the speech in delight while knocking the table, he scratched the stubble on his chin and grimaced at Yan Liren, who was sitting next to him. "Fellow Cultivator Yan, I'm done. What do you have to enlighten us, brother?"
Touching his big, bald head, Yan Liren casually said, "I don't really have anything to say. Since the Imperium of True Human Beings is one of the two superpowers in the universe, I believe that they certainly have the most powerful sword arts and secret blades in the so-called… modern civilization of the Immortal Cultivators. I would very much like to find out how invincible the sword arts of the Immortal Cultivators can be. The Imperium is fine for me!"
Li Yao's heart was colder and colder after hearing everybody's speech. It was almost covered in a pale, icy shell. Then, he looked at Ba Xiaoyu full of expectation.
Ba Xiaoyu the Beggar was always a generous, chivalrous man who hated injustice more than anything else!
He should not agree with Imperium of True Human Beings' practice to regard the ordinary folks as 'humanoids', right?
As he expected, there was hesitation, struggle, and even pain on Ba Xiaoyu the Beggar's face, which seemed to have been mired in an invisible swamp where he could not even breathe.
Struggling hard to catch his breath for a moment, he was silent for a long time under everybody's stare, his dry lips shivering nonstop. It was not until Meng Chixin urged him when he said in a low voice, "Can—can I abstain?"
Meng Chixin raised his eyebrow and asked, "Why would you abstain, Fellow Cultivator Ba?"
Ba Xiaoyu closed his eyes and said frustratedly, "I find it impossible to accept the Imperium of True Human Beings' ideology to treat the ordinary people as swine. This beggar will not live in such a country for so muc
h as one day!
"However, I do understand the formidability of the Imperium of True Human Beings, too. If we really choose to stand against it, the Ancient Sages Sector will be destined to embrace a catastrophe!
"Many people will die, many people will lose their homes, and many will scream miserably in the furious fire of war. Despite such gory prices, and even if we resist at the cost of the lives of everyone from the ordinary people to the Cultivators, I'm afraid that little will be helped. The iron hooves of the Imperium of True Human Beings will still march forward unstoppably!
"I can't selfishly drag so many people in the Ancient Sages Sector to die together with me just because of my personal feelings!
"Your—your analyses are all quite right. Maybe right now, surrendering to the Imperium of True Human Beings is the best way out for the Ancient Sages Sector.
"I don't want to surrender to the Imperium of True Human Beings, but I am unwilling to stop you from finding a way out for the Ancient Sages Sector. So, I choose to 'abstain'!"
"That explains a lot." Meng Chixin nodded, deep in thought. He asked again, "Then, if we do surrender to the Imperium, and the Ancient Sages Sector becomes part of the Imperium of True Human Beings' territory, how are you going to deal with it, Fellow Cultivator Ba?"
Ba Xiaoyu's face was particularly gloomy. After a long silence, he said in a low voice, "I shall go somewhere that I am tolerated. I believe that there must still be unaffiliated Cultivators in the so-called 'modern civilization of Immortal Cultivators', right? I will not stay in the Ancient Sages Sector to cause trouble for you. The universe is a vast place. I believe that I can certainly find a shelter for… an insignificant beggar!"
His frustration and loneliness were obvious. The vigor and hot blood when he was rushing and cursing in Roaring Tiger City had entirely gone!
Ba Xiaoyu's choice cast everybody into silence for a long time.
Qi Changsheng and Wan Mingzhu looked quite ill at ease. Their eyes were flickering, and they did not dare look at Ba Xiaoyu's ugly, frustrated face.
Han Baling, on the other hand, was sneering in derision. He seemed to think little of Ba Xiaoyu, who was a deserter in his eyes.
Qi Zhongdao sighed with mixed feelings. His eyes were unfocused. There was no telling if he was recalling the night when they were chatting with each other over the delicious wine after they unveiled the scheme of the 'Black Devil Cult' together outside of Roaring Tiger City!
Li Yao sighed to himself, too. The beggar, who was the most promising candidate to stand up to the Imperium, had bent!
Eventually, it was Master Bitter Cicada who broke the embarrassing impasse and softly said, "I choose the Imperium of True Human Beings."
What! Li Yao shrieked loudly in his heart and could not help but bulge his eyes.
"Monk, you—" Ba Xiaoyu and the other Cultivators at the meeting were all slightly dazed.
Regardless of their stances, they had thought that Master Bitter Cicada would be the target that they would spend the most time convincing. Why did he choose such an attitude?
"It's true that the Imperium of True Human Beings' ideology goes against my wishes and the principle of the universal benevolence of the Stupa Sect. Logically, I should choose to go away and be an unaffiliated Cultivator somewhere in the universe exactly like Fellow Cultivator Ba."
Emotionlessly, Master Bitter Cicada said, one word after another, "However, just like you said yourself, Fellow Cultivator Ba, for the safety of the billions of living souls in the Ancient Sages Sector, we have to surrender to the Imperium of True Human Beings.
"After we surrender to the Imperium of True Human Beings, it is very possible that the affairs of the Ancient Sages Sector will be decided by the twelve of us.
"You and I are free to go away because we are not fond of the Imperium of True Human Beings' ideology. Out of sight, out of mind. However, as a result, the future of the Ancient Sages Sector, and the safety and happiness of the folks, will fall into the hands of… the other fellow Cultivators sitting here.
"Not that I'm biased against any fellow Cultivators here, but Fellow Cultivator Ba, do you really want to see some of them to seize power?"
Master Bitter Cicada's eyes suddenly turned sharp, not disguising his mistrust of Wan Mingzhu, Qi Changsheng, and some others at all!
Wan Mingzhu sensed the obvious unfriendliness in the monk's eyes. She sneered and said, "Master Bitter Cicada, there is no need to beat about the bush. You obviously don't trust the homeless bandits and the rebelling peasants, do you?"
"It's inappropriate for a monk to lie. Yes. I don't trust Fellow Cultivator Wan, Fellow Cultivator Qi, Fellow Cultivator Han Baling, and Fellow Cultivator Wang Xi at all!
"You are the infamous Four Rapscallions. I really can't choose to go away for the peace of my mind while leaving the future of the Ancient Sages Sector and the lives of billions of people in your hands!"
"Good monk!" Wan Mingzhu burst into fury, with cold air flowing out of her body. "I knew that you are just a puppet monk that the court and the major sects throw out to enchant the general public and corrupt our determination for resistance! What about the Four Rapscallions? Was the world a peaceful, prosperous place where everyone lived happily before the Four Rapscallions existed? Just ask yourself! Disasters and suffering were as frequent as today!
"Open your goddamn eyes and watch carefully. It is the court and the Cultivation sects behind you that have caused the disasters and suffering, and the disasters and suffering created the Four Rapscallions. The Four Rapscallions never created the disasters and suffering!
"Hehe. I don't trust you as much as you don't trust me, monk! The most vicious people in the world are the bald ones, and the worst people are the wretched monks like you who don't work but just recite your sutras every day!"
Wan Mingzhu was originally a homeless peasant. She only grasped the phantomic techniques slowly after absorbing the fury and hatred of many poor folks. In peacetime, she was able to pretend that she was a civilized Cultivator like everybody else. However, after she burst into fury and began cursing, everybody was frowning hard.
"Enough!"
Black flames of spiritual energy surrounded Meng Chixin and condensed thousands of wolf heads that were opening their bloody mouths grimacing at Wan Mingzhu. "Fellow Cultivator Wan, just now, we all agreed that everybody would be free to say whatever is on their mind. Anything can and should be discussed openly! This is a time that calls for solidarity. Why are you cursing somebody else?"
Wan Mingzhu narrowed his eyes and stared at the raging wolves behind Meng Chixin for a long time. Invisible spindrifts seemed to be surging between the two spectral Cultivators!
In the end, it was Wan Mingzhu who retreated first under Meng Chixin's glare. She smiled back at Master Bitter Cicada and said, "Master Bitter Cicada, I am too blunt to keep anything to myself. You are a great monk, and you must forgive what I said.
"Getting back to our topic, judging from what I've heard, you seem to have made up your mind to conspire with the bandits and rebellions such as us and surrender to the Imperium, right, Master Bitter Cicada?"
Emotionlessly, Master Bitter Cicada replied, "I will stand where the folks of the Ancient Sages Sector stand. There's no way that I will abandon them."
"Oh?" Wan Mingzhu rolled her eyes and laughed. "However, after we surrender to the Imperium, chances are that we will have to march to foreign worlds together with the fleet of the Imperium. We will burn, kill, and plunder. Master, will you go with us, or will you stay back in the Ancient Sages Sector pretending that you know nothing about it while watching us feed the poor people with the abundant trophies that we have pillaged?"
Chapter 1536: A Stab in the Back? |
The question pierced into Master Bitter Cicada's heart like a piton.
Master Bitter Cicada's face had no hint of blood at all, and his lips were terribly pale. The handsome, dustless man before now could not have looked more devastated.
In a voice a
s soft as a falling dry leaf, he said, "Who else should go to hell if not me?"
There was no telling whether it was an excuse or just his self-comfort. The monk fell back to his seat after saying that, breathing heavily against the back of the seat.
"Enough."
Observing his face, Meng Chixin knew that Master Bitter Cicada had reached a critical moment where he was wrestling with himself.
Two days earlier, the monk had vomited blood and almost gone mentally deranged. It must have been because he could not overcome the reluctance in his heart.
If other people pushed any further, it was very possible that the monk's head would get caught in a dilemma, and he could die abruptly!
With a solemn expression, Meng Chixin said, "I believe that whatever your choice is, Fellow Cultivators, you certainly have your own reasons and concerns. As long as they are not completely unreasonable or against common sense, there is no need to interpret them in great detail!"
Ba Xiaoyu walked forward to support Master Bitter Cicada in a hurry. His ugly face was cramping and filled with embarrassment. He said in a low voice, "Monk, it—it must've been very difficult for you! Your words have enlightened me. I can't just leave everybody in the Ancient Sages Sector behind and simply go away. I will stay with you and keep the Four Rapscallions in check for the Ancient Sages Sector. We cannot allow them to turn a means to an end into a complete surrender and even implement the Imperium of True Human Beings' systems where humans are not treated as humans."
"Only the high and mighty Cultivators don't treat humans as humans!" Wan Mingzhu glared and shouted, "We are poor folks in the first place and nothing like the wealthy nobles such as yourself!"
Although Ba Xiaoyu the Beggar looked poor and slovenly, he had indeed been a wealthy noble on one of the islands in the East Ocean in the beginning.
For Wan Mingzhu, who had been born a poor folk in the southeast near the ocean, her hostility toward the nobles who owned their private islands and considered serving justice their hobby, such as Ba Xiaoyu, was almost natural.