Night enveloped Millbrook in a heavy silence. Li Yuan sat on the porch of the Brennan family home, gazing at the star-filled sky. Inside, Anna was still tending to Marcus, who had yet to fully recover, while Lila slept restlessly in her small bed.
The tight guard of the Drakemoor soldiers could be felt in every corner of the village. Their bonfires flickered like red eyes in the darkness, a reminder of the threat hanging over every resident's head.
Dawn is still hours away, Li Yuan mused. But it feels like an eternity.
In his Zhenjing, the Understanding of Emotion vibrated with a constant intensity. He could feel the fear seeping from every home—parents worrying about their children's fate, young people angry about feeling helpless, and elders who had seen too much suffering in their lives.
But Li Yuan didn't try to rush or force the development of his understanding. He had learned over thousands of years that true understanding couldn't be hunted or forced—it could only be experienced, felt, and allowed to grow in its own time.
The sound of slow footsteps approached. Anna came out of the house carrying two cups of warm tea, her face pale but still displaying a small, comforting smile.
"Marcus is asleep," she said, handing one of the cups to Li Yuan. "His wound is healing, though he still moans in his sleep."
Li Yuan accepted the cup gratefully. "How are you feeling?"
Anna was silent for a moment, looking at the Drakemoor soldiers' bonfires in the distance. "Afraid," she answered honestly. "But also... proud."
"Proud?"
"Proud to have someone like you in our family," Anna smiled faintly. "The way you protected Sarah earlier... I've never seen anything like it. It was like watching a legend from the past come to life."
Li Yuan felt a warmth in his chest—not from the Understanding of Emotion, but something simpler and more human. A sense of being accepted, a sense of belonging.
"I only did what had to be done," he replied softly.
"No," Anna shook her head. "You did more than that. You gave us hope when everything seemed hopeless."
They sat in comfortable silence, listening to the sounds of the night—crickets chirping, the wind rustling softly through the leaves, and the occasional sound of a soldier patrolling the village streets.
"Yuan," Anna said slowly, "I want you to know—whatever decision you make tomorrow, we will understand. You have given this village more than we could ever ask for."
Li Yuan looked at the woman who had become like a sister to him. "I will not leave you."
"But if you have to—"
"No," Li Yuan cut her off gently but firmly. "Home is not just a place where you sleep. Home is where your heart is rooted. And my heart has taken root here, with you all."
Anna nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. "I just wish there was another way..."
There is another way, Li Yuan thought. I could use my full power, erase this threat in the blink of an eye. But the consequences...
He thought about a world that was not ready for the truth about cultivation, about how revealing his identity could change everything—not just for Millbrook, but for the entire world. And more than that, he thought about the meaning of the choice to remain "human."
Perhaps this is what I need to understand, Li Yuan mused. Not how to use power to solve a problem, but how to find strength in human limitations.
The sound of a door opening slowly made them turn. Thomas Aldrich emerged from the shadows, his face showing deep worry.
"Yuan," he whispered, "there's something you need to know."
Li Yuan and Anna immediately moved closer. "What's wrong?"
"I overheard a conversation between the Colonel and his men earlier," Thomas said in a trembling voice. "They... they don't intend to keep their promise."
"What do you mean?"
"Even if you agree to go with them, they'll still make Millbrook an 'example' for other villages. To show what happens to a place that resists the Drakemoor Kingdom."
Anna gasped anxiously. "That means..."
"That means they will burn this village no matter what," Thomas continued in despair. "The only difference is whether you'll be forced to watch it or not."
Li Yuan felt something cold spread in his chest. Not fiery anger, but something deeper—a painful understanding of the cruelty that humans could inflict on each other.
They never intended to keep their promise, he realized. This was all just a sadistic game.
In his Zhenjing, the Understanding of Emotion began to vibrate in a different way. He felt not only the emotions of the people he loved, but also the darker emotions of the soldiers—cold cruelty, pleasure in the suffering of others, and an indifference to human life.
The contrast, Li Yuan reflected. The understanding of emotion is not just about love and kindness. It's also about understanding the darkness that can exist in a human heart.
"There's more," Thomas continued in a voice that was barely audible. "They plan to take some people as... slaves. Especially the young women and children."
Anna bit her lip to hold back a sob. "Lila..."
Li Yuan looked toward the window of the house where the little girl was sleeping, unaware of the horror that awaited her. In his chest, something began to burn—not an uncontrollable rage, but something more focused. More directed.
The Understanding of Rage, he realized. Not anger out of frustration or helplessness. But anger born from a deep understanding of injustice.
But he didn't try to force that understanding to develop faster. He let it move at its own pace, like fire growing from an ember—stable, controlled, yet with the potential to become incredibly powerful.
"Thomas," Li Yuan said in a calm voice that contained a new strength, "gather the men you can trust. Quietly. We need to prepare."
"Prepare for what?"
Li Yuan looked at the star-filled night sky. "To fight."
"But how? We're just farmers and traders. They're professional soldiers with full weaponry."
"Everyone has a strength," Li Yuan replied. "We just need to find a way to use it."
Anna looked at Li Yuan with eyes that glistened—not just from tears, but from something else. Hope.
"You have a plan?"
Li Yuan nodded slowly. "A plan that doesn't involve supernatural power or legendary martial arts. A plan that relies on something more fundamental—the strength of a united community."
In his Zhenjing, the two new Understandings continued to vibrate at a steady rhythm, not hurried but not stagnant either. Like a plant growing—it can't be forced, but with the right conditions, it will blossom in its own time.
Tomorrow, Li Yuan thought, looking at the dawn that was still a few hours away, we will see if love and courage can defeat cruelty and power.
And perhaps, in the process, I will find the true meaning of the two understandings growing within me.
The night went on, and in its silence, the seeds of resistance began to be sown.