Li Yuan woke up before dawn as usual, but this time with a different awareness—this was his last morning in Sancheng. He lay for a moment on the straw bed, listening to the familiar sounds of the city slowly awakening: the birds beginning to chirp, the distant voices of early workers, the gentle stirring of the inn below.
Through the small radius of his Wenjing Realm, Li Yuan could feel the intentions of the people beginning to wake up. There was a sense of... calmness that wasn't there before the crisis two days ago. Not euphoria or false harmony, but a genuine peace that comes from a community that has faced its demons and chosen a better path.
Li Yuan got up and walked to the window. The inn's garden was still dark, only illuminated by the fading starlight and the faintest hint of the coming dawn. The old mango tree stood in silhouette, its branches spread wide like arms embracing the entire space below.
How many dawns has this tree witnessed? Li Yuan thought. How many goodbyes, how many new beginnings?
He dressed—or more accurately, he manifested his usual appearance through the Understanding of Existence. A flowing gray hanfu, a red cloth for his hair, simple wooden sandals. All created from an understanding of existence, real to the world but not bound by material constraints.
Li Yuan went downstairs with deliberate and quiet steps. The inn was still sleeping, but he could sense that Liu Ming was already awake—probably from the habit of years managing a hospitality business.
He found Liu Ming in the kitchen, preparing early morning tea with movements that were efficient but unhurried.
"I thought you'd be up early," Liu Ming said without looking up from his preparations. "Tea?"
"Please." Li Yuan sat at a small table in the corner of the kitchen. "Do you always wake up this early?"
Liu Ming poured two cups and joined Li Yuan at the table. "It's a habit from twenty years of running an inn. Plus..." he paused, "today is special. It's not every day that a meaningful friend leaves our lives."
They drank tea in comfortable silence for several minutes, both men lost in their own contemplations. Through his Wenjing Realm, Li Yuan could hear Liu Ming's genuine sadness about the departure, mixed with understanding and acceptance.
"Liu Ming," Li Yuan said eventually, "there's something I want to share with you before I go."
"What is it?"
"You and Kesi—your relationship, this inn, the way you demonstrate that differences can become strengths—it's more powerful than you realize. You aren't just running a business or living your lives. You are providing an example that is a daily reminder to the entire community about what's possible."
Liu Ming looked touched but also slightly embarrassed. "We are just... being ourselves."
"Exactly. And 'being yourselves' in an authentic way, without apology or compromise, but also without aggression or defiance—that is the most effective form of quiet leadership."
Li Yuan finished his tea and stood. "Take care of yourselves. Take care of this community. And remember that your strength doesn't come from avoiding conflict, but from choosing love even when faced with hatred."
Liu Ming also stood and extended a hand for a handshake. "Safe travels, Li Yuan. Wherever the road takes you, know that you will always be welcome in Sancheng."
Li Yuan clasped his hand warmly. "And know that the lessons I learned here will travel with me wherever I go."
Li Yuan left the inn through the back door that led directly to the garden. Dawn was truly beginning to break now, with the first rays of the sun filtering through the leaves of the mango tree. He walked to the tree and placed a hand on its bark.
Thank you for providing shade and a witness, he communicated in silent gratitude. Watch over those who will continue to gather under your branches.
From the tree, Li Yuan could see over the wall to the main part of Sancheng. The town was slowly coming alive, with smoke beginning to rise from chimneys and the first early commuters beginning to appear on the streets.
Li Yuan decided to take one last walk through town before departing. Not for formal goodbyes—those were already done yesterday—but for a final observation, a final sensing of the mood and trajectory of the community that had become a temporary home.
He walked through the now-familiar streets, noting subtle but significant changes. There were mixed groups from different communities talking with an easy casualness that had not existed a week ago. There were children playing together without self-consciousness about racial differences. There were vendors from different backgrounds sharing space and customers without underlying tension.
Change is happening, Li Yuan observed with satisfaction. Slow, organic, sustainable change.
When he reached the edge of town, near the path that would take him toward the southeastern mountains, Li Yuan encountered an unexpected sight: Zhang Wei was waiting there, leaning against a wooden post that marked the town boundary.
"I thought you were going to leave quietly," Zhang Wei said with a small smile.
"That was the plan," Li Yuan replied. "How did you know I would pass this way?"
Zhang Wei shrugged. "Lucky guess. Plus, this is the logical route for someone heading southeast."
They stood in comfortable silence for a moment, both looking back toward Sancheng which was now fully awake and beginning its daily activities.
"Any final words from a departing wise man?" Zhang Wei asked with a teasing tone but also genuine curiosity.
Li Yuan considered the question seriously. "Remember that wisdom doesn't come from avoiding mistakes, but from learning when mistakes happen. Sancheng will face challenges again—different ones, maybe subtler ones. The important thing is not to panic or despair when that happens, but to apply the lessons you've already learned."
Li Yuan turned to face Zhang Wei directly.
"And remember that the strength of a community is not measured by the absence of conflict, but by the ability to resolve conflict with dignity and mutual respect."
Zhang Wei nodded with understanding. "Any personal advice for me specifically?"
"Continue being the bridge-builder that you already are. People trust you because they sense that you genuinely care about fairness and community welfare, not personal advancement. That trust is precious—guard it well."
Li Yuan began to walk toward the path that would take him away from Sancheng.
"Zhang Wei," he called back over his shoulder, "if anyone asks about the mysterious stranger who spent a few weeks in town, tell them what's important: that he was someone who cared enough to stand up when innocent people were threatened, and who trusted the community to find its own way forward."
Zhang Wei raised his hand in a farewell gesture. "Safe travels, friend. May the road bring you to people who need what you offer."
Li Yuan walked up the path that led toward the hills that would eventually become mountains. Sancheng grew smaller behind him, from individual buildings to a general cluster of structures, until eventually he could only see the smoke from morning fires rising in the distance.
When the sun was fully risen and he had walked for several hours, Li Yuan finally allowed himself to feel the full weight of leaving. There was sadness, yes, but it was the clean sadness of a good experience that has reached its natural conclusion, not the bitter sadness of things left unfinished or relationships damaged.
Every journey teaches something new, he reflected while walking steadily toward unknown challenges. Sancheng taught me about community resilience, about the power of quiet leadership, about the fact that the majority of people, when given a clear choice, will choose compassion over cruelty.
Li Yuan paused on a ridge that gave him a final view of the coastal area where Sancheng was located. The ocean stretched toward the horizon, blue and peaceful under the morning sun. Somewhere out there was Narau Island where he had spent five years in solitude. Somewhere was Harmony Inn where he learned about the power of authentic relationships that cross boundaries.
All part of a continuing education, Li Yuan smiled to himself. Every place, every person, every challenge is another chapter in the never-ending book of understanding.
He turned away from the view and continued walking toward the mountains that were calling him toward the next adventure, the next opportunity to learn and serve and grow.
Behind him, Sancheng continued with the daily business of living, healing, and slowly building a better future based on the foundations that had been strengthened through recent trials.
Ahead, unknown territory waited with whatever lessons the universe had prepared for the wandering cultivator who had chosen the path of understanding above all else.
Li Yuan walked forward with a peaceful heart and a mind ready for whatever came next in the endless journey toward deeper wisdom.