Three hundred Drakemoor soldiers stood in perfect formation, their weapons gleaming in the fading light of dusk. Ballistas were set up, archers nocked their bows, and mounted knights prepared for the final, massive assault that would end everything.
In the center of the encirclement, Li Yuan stood with an uncanny calmness.
Seventeen gravely wounded men of Millbrook gathered around him, ready for a final, futile battle. They knew they would die—there was no doubt about that. But they would die as honorable men, standing together with their family.
General Ravencrest raised his sword, preparing to give the command to attack.
But then Li Yuan did something unexpected.
He closed his eyes.
Daojing, he spoke inwardly in a voice as calm as a lake's surface in the morning. For thousands of years, I have misunderstood your essence.
Around him, the soldiers waited tensely, unsure of what their enemy was doing.
I chased power. I collected understandings as a collector gathers gems. I thought that by having more, I would become stronger.
The evening breeze blew gently, stirring the strands of his hair that were sticky with blood.
But Daojing is not power. Daojing is resonance.
In his Zhenjing, the sixteen Understandings he had gathered over thousands of years began to vibrate with a different harmony. Not a harmony of power, but a harmony of... comprehension.
Water does not conquer a stone by forcing its will. Water understands the stone, feels every crack, every weakness, every hidden path. And with that understanding, the water flows and eventually, the stone yields.
General Ravencrest frowned. Something had changed in the atmosphere, something that couldn't be explained but could be felt.
Silence does not create peace by forcing the world to be quiet. Silence understands that in every sound there is a need to be heard, and when that need is met, silence comes on its own.
Li Yuan opened his eyes, but the gray eyes were no longer like a deep and terrifying abyss. Now they were calm, as clear as the water of a mountain spring that is never murky.
The spirit does not touch another spirit through domination. The spirit understands the soul, feels what it needs, what it wants, what it fears. And in that understanding, resonance is created.
Thomas Aldrich, who was sitting with both arms shattered, felt something different from Li Yuan. No longer the terrifying aura of anger, but something... soothing.
"Yuan?" he whispered in surprise.
And rage, Li Yuan continued his deep contemplation, true rage is not a destructive emotional outburst. True rage is a profound understanding of injustice, and with that understanding, the world itself will move to restore balance.
Something began to change.
The wind that had been blowing slowly began to swirl in a strange pattern, forming small eddies around Li Yuan. Not because of a supernatural force he was emitting, but as if nature itself was responding to the resonance of his understanding.
The world does not need to be subdued, Li Yuan realized with a stunning clarity. The world wants to be understood. And when you truly understand something—when you feel it, resonate with it, and respond to it—then that thing will submit to you on its own.
In his Zhenjing, the Understanding of Emotion began to vibrate with an extraordinary intensity. But it was not a vibration of anger or pain. It was a vibration of... comprehension. A deep understanding of every emotion flowing on this battlefield.
The fear of the young soldiers who were far from home. The pride of the veterans who had seen too much death. The loyalty of the soldiers to their commander. Their longing for the families they left behind.
The exhaustion of General Ravencrest, who had led too many battles. His desire to retire and live in peace. The burden of responsibility he carried for the lives of his men.
And in the surrounding houses... Anna's love for her daughter, Margaret's fear for her dying husband, Sarah Miller's sorrow for her grievously wounded son.
I feel it all, Li Yuan realized. Every heart, every soul, every emotion. Not to control them, but to understand them.
And with that understanding, something extraordinary happened.
The Understanding of Emotion in his Zhenjing no longer vibrated—it flowed. It flowed out of his being, spreading throughout the village square, touching every soul there.
Not with force. Not with domination. But with... resonance.
A young soldier in the front line suddenly remembered his mother crying when he went off to war. Tears flowed down his cheeks, and his hand holding the sword began to tremble.
A veteran beside him felt a deep exhaustion, a desire to go home and never again see blood spilt. His shoulders slumped, and his grip on the spear loosened.
General Ravencrest felt something strange in his chest. Not fear—he had moved past fear years ago. But... comprehension. A deep understanding of why the man in front of him was fighting so hard.
He is protecting his family, the General realized. Just as I do for my men. Just as they do for their families.
Li Yuan fully opened his eyes and looked at the General. The gray eyes no longer showed anger or threat. Only... understanding.
"General," he said in a calm voice, but somehow the voice was heard clearly across the entire battlefield. "How many men have you lost throughout your career?"
The question hit General Ravencrest like a physical blow. His face paled, and for a moment, he no longer looked like an unbeatable commander, but like an old man who had carried a burden too heavy for too long.
"Too many," he answered in a voice that was almost a whisper.
"And how many more will you lose today?" Li Yuan asked gently. "For what? To subdue a small village that only wants to live in peace?"
Around the square, the soldiers began to feel the same resonance. Not a coercion to lay down their weapons, but... a question. A question about why they were fighting. About what they were defending. About whether the deaths they were about to inflict today were truly necessary.
This is the true power of Daojing, Li Yuan understood with perfect clarity. Not to force the world to submit, but to help the world understand itself. And in that understanding, change comes on its own.
In his Zhenjing, the Understanding of Rage also began to resonate. But not a destructive rage. This was a rage born from love—a rage against injustice, against unnecessary suffering, against a system that forced good men to kill each other.
And that rage... was communicated. Spread through resonance. So that every soldier, every commander, felt the same rage—a rage against this futile war.
Thomas Aldrich looked at Li Yuan with tearful eyes, but this time they were not tears of pain. They were tears of pride.
This is the Yuan I knew, he thought. Not a monster who kills without mercy. But a man who understands the world so deeply that the world itself changes to listen to him.
General Ravencrest slowly lowered his sword. Not out of fear. Not out of surrender. But because... he had understood something.
"My soldiers," he said in a trembling voice, "what are we doing here?"
The question echoed in the afternoon air, and in the silence that followed, Li Yuan felt the Understanding of Emotion and the Understanding of Rage within him finally touch something profound.
Their true meaning.
Understanding is not about knowing, Li Yuan realized. Understanding is about feeling, resonating, and letting the world change itself through that resonance.
And when you truly understand something... the world will submit to you on its own.