I'jing

If ever there were a Serin path that didn’t believe in the path, the I’jing is it. The I’jing fervently believe that the only path to enlightenment is ironically to ignore it as if it doesn’t exist, and carry on about your day not thinking about such things. They’ll rarely get caught saying that the 5 Fold Path is nonsense, but they certainly dismiss it as mindless tradition. Maybe they don’t actively dislike the other paths, but they treat them as an anachronistic waste of time.

The I’jing make up a sizeable 45% of all Serin, especially on Core Worlds. I’jing directly translates as, “The People” showing their rather mundane view of themselves.

They tend to wear whatever clothing is available to them, mostly olive drab and brown utility omni-suits, and while respecting the aesthetics of the other paths their own appearance tends to be far more banal and down to earth. Some would call them boring, as they seem to care nothing for the extravagant or pious, even going so far as to decry decadence and self-stylization as “arrogance.”

If you ask them, they’ll say they are simply trying to get through their day without being harangued by the Tzishen or guilt tripped by the Pesh Gai'lin – or worse, drafted by the Mustani.

I’jing are the most willing to negotiate with the other races of the cosmos, especially the Confederates, who they see as being cut from the same cloth philosophically. The I’jing are more than willing to trade with the ConFeds and even create families with them – a mark of dishonour among the Mustani and discouraged by the others. The I’jing aren’t let off world much due to this.

The I’jing are considered extreme moderates and “non-traditional,” though their path started with the first wave of Serin to be born on Terra at the beginning. They consider themselves to be the “true” Serin, and simply reject the notion that the fancy costumes and religious extremism is at the core of their faction’s meaning. The I’jing rarely if ever have tattoos, unless they are part of a rebellious subculture or the many criminal elements found on the less technologically advantaged worlds under Serin control. An I’jing among the stars is a much happier soul away from their radical relatives.