Cheng Gao followed the Nature faction escort into the venue.
His eyes sharpened with vigilance as he noticed several thousand people gathered in the plaza below, their numbers continuing to swell.
The Nature faction did not care whether its members were martial artists, so quite a few ordinary people were here today just to join the spectacle.
However, these people held no decision-making power and took no part in the core meeting.
Martial artists generally had dedicated passages, so he entered via a passage leading into the tiered circular assembly hall on the upper level, taking a seat in the row reserved for martial artists.
Perhaps because this was the Nature faction's headquarters and a meeting had been convened, a glance around revealed more than a dozen martial artists seated there.
His arrival drew the interest of only a few people, and even they merely glanced over before looking away.
Most were absorbed in their own affairs: some were playing games, others were lying back wearing eye-shield boundary credentials and watching who knew what, while still others were reading books.
These individuals possessed modest strength, none having reached the Longevity View.
This was entirely normal. Longevity View martial artists and those of even higher levels almost all had their own duties—either garrisoning the Ring of the World or holding vital posts. Even if they attended a meeting, they would likely only send a representative or appear via field screen rather than attending in person.
In fact, gathering even this many martial artists together was no simple feat.
At that moment, the book-reading man who looked like a teacher suddenly turned to him, an inquisitive look in his eyes. "Mr. Cheng, may I ask you a question?"
Cheng Gao replied, "You may. If it is something I cannot speak of, I simply will not answer."
"All right, thank you," the man said politely. "I've heard that overseas branches of the Nature faction, particularly the one in Norland, have no restrictions at all—not even agreements. They say it's because the Nature faction over there believes that restraint is equivalent to binding one's nature. Is that true?"
These words caught the attention of quite a few people.
Cheng Gao answered without hesitation, "Yes, that is true." But before anyone present could indulge in novelty or excitement, he added, "However, whoever gave you this information only told you half the story. The half they left out is this: all Nature faction martial artists are required to hand over a quota of resources in advance—even putting up their own blood and mutated tissue as collateral. If your actions cross the line, deductions will be made from it. You must pay this every year. Even if you cause no trouble, you still have to surrender it. It is never refunded, nor is any compensation provided."
Someone could not help speaking up: "Doesn't that mean letting them take all that for nothing, levying a blood tax out of thin air?"
"Yes, precisely." Cheng Gao folded his arms. "Since you are free to unleash your nature at will, you must also allow the school to exercise its own will. Both the school and the individual enjoy freedom, don't they?"
The teacher-like man seemed even more intrigued. "But doesn't that encourage people to do just that? Since one has already handed over those things, wouldn't that mean I can do whatever I please within the permitted scope?"
Hearing this, Cheng Gao smiled faintly. "You're not wrong. On the surface, it seems as though paying 'ransom' in advance buys complete license to indulge oneself. In reality, though, how much is collected and how the degree of harm is defined is decided entirely by the advocate groups and the upper echelons of the Nature faction. The more you indulge yourself, the less willing you are to part with that sensation, and the more they will extract from you. Even if you are cautious and circumspect, they will always find ways to discover flaws in you through various accusations and strip away even more."
Someone could not resist asking, "How dare they?"
Cheng Gao said as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "There is nothing to dare. Just as the government serves as the agent of higher powers, the ones collecting this blood tax and resources are the upper-echelon martial artists of the Nature faction. And those who manage to squeeze into the upper ranks in the future will naturally uphold this mechanism so they can enjoy the benefits it brings."
The crowd exchanged glances. Viewed this way, the Norland Nature faction simply treated those below as blood bags, despite their fine words.
They shook their heads—if that was the case, forget it. It was better to sign an agreement; that way, one wouldn't be stripped of a layer for having done nothing at all.
Most lost interest in Cheng Gao and went back to their own business.
Seeing that everyone was waiting around and growing bored again, someone chimed in, "Everyone, something interesting has surfaced in Zhongjing recently. Might be good to pass the time. Take a look."
With that, he tapped his boundary credential, and a chessboard-like arena instantly appeared on the field screens before them.
"Is this... a game?"
Although each had distinct tastes and circles, none rejected novelties. Moreover, as all present were martial artists, a few glances were enough for them to discern the craft behind it.
Someone immediately tried their hand at it. Before long, another marveled, "This thing is actually pretty neat."
The one who recommended the game said, "Right? I told you guys you'd find it interesting."
"Who came up with this?"
"Heard it came from the Purist Faction."
Someone said with mild surprise, "The Purist Faction? Those combat fanatics can actually cook up something like this? Heh, what a novelty."
"You're using things from the Purist Faction right now? Don't you know they arrested our Nature faction people?" a tall, thin man seated in a corner remarked coldly.
Most, however, couldn't care less. A man wearing a cap, lounging with half his body sprawled across his seat, shot back:
"I don't see anything wrong with what they did. Those kids broke the law—shouldn't they have been arrested?"
The tall, thin man retorted coldly, "It's a slap in our Nature faction's face. Even if there's an issue, our Nature faction should handle it ourselves. Since when was it the Purist Faction's place?"
Several people chuckled at this. The capped man said, "That's strange. Arresting them damages our Nature faction's face? Can they represent you, or can they represent me?"
The tall, thin man's gaze shot over like lightning. He said in a deep voice, "We are members of the same school. Having received benefits from the school, we should naturally view ourselves as a single whole. Every member ought to be valued."
The capped man seemed utterly contemptuous of this. What whole? The Nature faction was entirely hands-off toward its lower tiers; some people joined simply because the status made it convenient to access entertainment and outlets to indulge their desires.
As for those who had reached the level of martial artist, none of them interfered with each other under normal circumstances. Even if you were a fellow faction member, if their opinions clashed, they would target you just the same, no different from an outsider.
The only thing tying them together was the upper-echelon martial artists above them. If their tastes differed, they couldn't even be bothered to acknowledge each other, or might even hold one another in mutual disdain.
Moreover, in his view, failing to follow the rules was what truly ruined the Nature faction's reputation. Was he supposed to bear the consequences of someone else breaking the rules?
Don't be ridiculous—get lost.
Many shared his view. One person said snidely, "Even if it did slap the Nature faction in the face, so what? Hey, if someone slapped one side of my face, I might even offer the other side for him to slap—what are you gonna do about it?"
The tall, thin man's face darkened instantly.
Even higher above them, where the Nature faction's upper leadership was situated, Vice President Liu Zhenyi turned a blind eye to the tit-for-tat below.
He checked the time and said, "It seems the president won't be coming."
He looked behind him at the five seats set up there. Each belonged to a senior leader of the Nature faction. Yet one had merely sent a portrait through a courier, another had simply had someone stick a handwritten slip of paper onto the back of the seat, and worst of all, one had offered no representation whatsoever, leaving only a completely empty chair.
Only a single person appeared there via field screen, but that person wore a hood with two cut-out eyeholes, staring unblinkingly at him.
Liu Zhenyi maintained a deadpan expression and asked, "Where is Liang Qin? Did he not come today either?"
The female assistant beside him said, "Mr. Liang made a move against that person."
Liu Zhenyi understood at once. An unprovoked attack on a high-ranking government official meant that under the terms of the agreement, he wouldn't be able to come out for at least several months, and he was likely still in the recovery phase right now.
At that moment, the active consciousness reported that more than half of those eligible to attend the meeting had arrived.
He had no intention of waiting any longer, knowing full well that given more time, that number would only decrease, not increase.
He took his seat and addressed all the martial artists who had arrived in person or were attending via field:
"Everyone is aware of what transpired recently. I have asked you all here today to deliberate on whether we should continue recommending the candidate from our own faction, or, in accordance with what was previously discussed with the Purist Faction, switch to recommending their choice."
After a moment, a voice called out, "Vice President Liu, I don't see much to discuss. Everyone's time is precious—why not just put it to a vote?"
"Right, let's vote. Anyone who didn't show up will be considered to have abstained."
Liu Zhenyi said, "Then let us vote."
Seated below, Cheng Gao could not help straightening up a little. He paid close attention to this matter, as Ren Xinshan had asked him to watch for the outcome.
The capped man said, "Song Shicheng and those boys undeniably broke state laws. Personally, I cast my vote for Commissioner Chen of the Purist Faction."
Another said, "I think he's fine. He did nothing wrong, so I'm voting for him too."
"On what grounds? Even if those boys were in the wrong, our Nature faction should handle it. It's not an outsider's place to discipline them. I oppose him."
Someone looking at Chen Chuan's file remarked, "I think he's quite good-looking. He gets my vote."
"Heh, then I oppose him."
"I oppose him too!"
Liu Zhenyi tallied everyone's votes and discovered it was an even split, fifty-fifty. However, if he cast his own vote, he could swing the decision either way.
Yet he did not want to make the choice himself, instinctively averse to shouldering the responsibility.
Just then, he seemed to notice something and looked toward the seat marked by the paper slip. The slip drifted down from above, landing right in his hand. He turned it over, took a look, and fell silent for a moment before announcing:
"The results are in. We will no longer recommend the Purist Faction's candidate. Instead, we shall recommend our own member."
Chapter 1384