It was a tranquil afternoon in Millbrook, two weeks after Anna had recovered from her illness. Li Yuan sat on a wooden bench in front of the Miller Inn, watching the village's afternoon activities that had become a routine he loved. Children played in the streets with joyful laughter, women chatted while finishing their household chores, and men returned from the fields with tired but satisfied faces.
Sarah Miller came out of the inn with two cups of warm tea, giving one to Li Yuan before sitting down next to him.
"A penny for your thoughts?" she asked with a warm smile.
Li Yuan accepted the cup with gratitude. "I was thinking about how... normal all of this is. And how precious that normalcy is."
"You sound like someone who hasn't felt normal in a long time," Sarah observed with understanding eyes.
"Perhaps that's the case." Li Yuan sipped his tea slowly. "Sarah, may I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"How did you know that this was the right place to settle? I mean, Millbrook?"
Sarah was silent for a moment, looking at the village that was beginning to be colored by the twilight. "Tom and I came here twenty years ago. We were looking for a place to start our life together after we got married. We visited many places—some were bigger, some were more prosperous." She smiled with nostalgia. "But when we arrived in Millbrook, something just... fit. Like finding a shoe that's the perfect size after walking for a long time in uncomfortable ones."
Li Yuan nodded with understanding. "And you never regretted it?"
"Never. Not even on the hardest days." Sarah looked at Li Yuan with sharp but warm eyes. "Why? Are you considering settling down permanently?"
Li Yuan looked at his teacup, watching the steam that curled into changing patterns before disappearing. "I think so. For the first time in a very long life, I feel... complete. As if all my searching has led me to this place, to these people."
"And what were you searching for all this time?"
Li Yuan pondered the question. How could he explain an eleven-thousand-year quest to understand the essence of existence, the Dao, the highest meaning of life—when the answer turned out to be as simple as sitting on a wooden bench with a friend on a quiet afternoon?
"Home," he answered finally. "I was looking for a home. I just didn't realize that's what I was looking for until I found it."
Sarah smiled with slightly misty eyes. "And you've found it here?"
"Yes. In this place, with these people. With the family that has accepted me as part of them."
The sound of footsteps made them turn. Thomas Aldrich was walking toward them with a slightly hurried step and a serious expression.
"Yuan, Sarah," he greeted them. "Yuan, I was looking for you. There's something I want to discuss."
Li Yuan and Sarah exchanged glances. "What's wrong, Thomas?" Sarah asked.
Thomas sat on the third available bench. "I just received a letter from Baron Harwick. He'll be visiting Millbrook next week for his annual inspection and... there's a rumor that he's looking for people with special skills for positions at his court."
Li Yuan felt something cold flow in his chest. "What kind of special skills?"
"Advisors, mediators, people who can solve problems." Thomas looked at Li Yuan with worried eyes. "After what you did for Edwin and Henrik, and the way you handled the situation with the bandits, your reputation has spread. I'm afraid the Baron will be interested in recruiting you."
Li Yuan felt a bitter irony. Throughout his life, he had avoided the attention of rulers and high officials, always choosing to stay in the shadows. Now, when he had finally found a place he wanted to call home, his abilities had attracted unwanted attention.
"And if I refuse?" Li Yuan asked.
Thomas shook his head with a grim expression. "Baron Harwick is not a man accustomed to being refused. And he has the power to... make life difficult for those who are uncooperative."
Sarah placed her hand on Li Yuan's arm in a protective gesture. "But Yuan is a Millbrook resident now. He has the right to choose."
"Technically, yes," Thomas said carefully. "But in practice... the Baron has many ways of getting what he wants."
Li Yuan fell silent, his mind working quickly. In his eleven thousand years, he had faced threats far greater than a baron in a small kingdom. But this time was different—he couldn't use supernatural abilities to solve this problem. He had to face it as an ordinary human, with all the limitations and vulnerabilities that came with it.
"Thomas," he said finally, "what will happen to Millbrook if I leave? I mean, will the Baron... take revenge on the village?"
Thomas looked uncomfortable with the question. "I hope not. But Baron Harwick can be... vindictive when he feels he has been slighted."
Li Yuan rose from the bench, walking a few steps to stare at the village that had become his home. Every house held a story, every family had become a part of his life. The Brennan family, who had accepted him as a brother. Sarah Miller and David, who had given him a place to stay and warmth. Edwin, Henrik, Margaret, everyone who had become part of his community.
"I won't leave," he said in a calm but determined voice. "No matter what happens, I will not leave Millbrook."
"Yuan," Thomas said in a worried tone, "you may not understand the consequences of defying the Baron..."
"I understand the consequences better than you think," Li Yuan cut him off in a voice that held the echo of thousands of years of facing arrogant rulers. "But I also understand something else—there are things more valuable than personal safety."
Sarah stood up and walked to Li Yuan's side. "We will support you, Yuan. The whole village will."
"No," Li Yuan said firmly. "I will not let Millbrook suffer because of my decision. If the Baron wants to play political games, he'll deal with me alone, not with this village."
Thomas let out a long sigh. "Alright. But at least let me try to negotiate with him first. Maybe we can find a middle ground."
Li Yuan nodded. "I appreciate that, Thomas. But I want you to know—no matter what pressure he puts on me, my answer will remain the same. My place is here, with my family, with my community."
When Thomas left with a still-worried expression, Sarah and Li Yuan returned to sitting on their bench. The sun was beginning to set, coloring the sky with gradients of gold and pink.
"Yuan," Sarah said in a soft voice, "I am proud of your decision. But I'm also worried. Baron Harwick has a... disagreeable reputation."
Li Yuan looked at the darkening sky, the first stars beginning to appear. "Sarah, in my long life, I have learned that there are moments when you have to stand up and decide who you really are. This is that moment for me."
"And who are you?"
Li Yuan smiled—a calm smile that held an unshakeable determination. "I am Yuan, a resident of Millbrook. A village guard, a friend, a brother, and a family member. I am someone who has finally found his place in the world, and I won't let anyone take that away from me."
That night, Li Yuan could not sleep soundly. He stood at his window, looking out at the peaceful village under the starlight. Every house contained people he had come to love, every street held memories that had made him feel alive for the first time in eleven thousand years.
Tomorrow, he would visit the Brennan family and tell them about the situation with Baron Harwick. He would make sure they knew that no matter what happened, his love for them would not change.
Because for the first time in his long existence, Li Yuan had found something truly worth defending—not cosmic understanding or spiritual achievement, but the most simple and precious things of all: family, community, and a place he could call home.
And he would defend it with every means he had, even if it meant facing the threat as a vulnerable, ordinary human.