The sun had set completely when General Ravencrest finally gave his troops the order to retreat. The three hundred Drakemoor soldiers moved slowly away from the Millbrook square, their steps heavy not from physical exhaustion, but from the emotional burden they had just experienced.
Li Yuan stood in the middle of the former battlefield, watching their departure with eyes full of understanding. The effect of the Understanding of Emotion in the Ganjing Realm was still active within a one-hundred-meter radius, and he could feel the inner conflict tearing at the heart of every soldier who passed by.
General Ravencrest stopped for a moment before completely leaving the village. He turned toward Li Yuan, his eyes still moist with the remnants of tears from the emotional experience he had just been through.
"What will I report about today?" he asked in a hoarse voice.
Li Yuan looked at him with a profound calmness. "What does your heart tell you to report?"
The General was silent for a long time, feeling the vibration of emotional honesty emitted by Li Yuan's Understanding of Emotion. In that silence, he faced a reality he had avoided for years.
"That we..." he began, then stopped. "That this mission... failed due to unexpected resistance. That... the losses were too great for an unworthy outcome."
"And about what you witnessed here?" Li Yuan asked gently.
General Ravencrest looked at the ground, a struggle visible on his face. "I didn't witness anything that... that needs to be specifically reported. Just... fierce resistance from the villagers who were defending their home."
Li Yuan nodded slowly. "A wise truth."
After the Drakemoor army had completely disappeared into the darkness of the night, Li Yuan finally faced the reality he had been putting off. The Understanding of Emotion in the Ganjing Realm couldn't be turned off. Its effect would continue to spread, and within a one-hundred-meter radius, everyone would be forced to face their emotional truth.
This is not sustainable, he realized with deep unease. Not everyone is ready for this level of emotional honesty.
With deep concentration, Li Yuan began to activate his Understanding of Wrapping. But this time, he wasn't just wrapping the Understanding of Emotion—he began to wrap all seventeen of the Understandings he now possessed.
The process was more complicated than he had ever done before. Each Understanding needed to be carefully wrapped, like putting a valuable gem into a secure vessel. Not to erase them—they would still be there, still alive—but to calm their resonance so they wouldn't constantly affect the world around him.
One by one, he felt the Understandings begin to "fall asleep" in their wrappings. The flowing Water became as calm as a placid lake. The active Silence became a waiting silence. The resonating Spirit became a patient spirit.
And last—the newborn Understanding of Emotion in the Ganjing Realm. Wrapping this understanding was like putting a blazing fire into a lantern—the fire still burned, but its light was controlled, not blinding every person who saw it.
Li Yuan felt the change physically. There was a strange sensation in his stomach, as if seventeen small vessels were now stored there, each containing extraordinary power but in a calm state.
This is balance, he understood with new clarity. Between the depth I have reached and the empty space for future understanding. Between power and wisdom.
Thomas Aldrich, who had been brought into his house to be treated, called out to Li Yuan in a weak voice.
"Yuan," he said when Li Yuan entered the dim house. "There's something we need to talk about."
Li Yuan sat beside Thomas's bed, looking at the man who had become like a father to him with eyes full of concern.
"We can't stay here anymore," Thomas continued in a voice full of sadness. "Can we?"
Li Yuan was silent for a long time before nodding slowly. "No. Millbrook is no longer safe."
"Because what happened today will attract unwanted attention."
"Yes. Even if General Ravencrest promised not to report the true details, there will be questions. There will be an investigation. And sooner or later..." Li Yuan didn't need to finish his sentence.
Thomas nodded with bitter understanding. "Then what do we do? Where will we go?"
"We're moving," Li Yuan replied firmly. "All of us. I will not leave you to face the consequences of my actions."
"But this is our home, Yuan. This is the place where we were born, where our parents are buried, where our best memories were made."
Li Yuan felt the sadness in Thomas's voice, and even with the Understanding of Emotion wrapped, he could still feel the deep pain in the old man's heart.
"Home isn't just a place, Thomas," Li Yuan said gently. "Home is the people we love. And as long as we're together, we'll always have a home."
The next day, Li Yuan gathered all the surviving villagers in the same square where the battle had taken place the night before. The bodies of the Drakemoor soldiers had been collected and buried with respect—even enemies deserved a proper burial.
The wounded men sat or lay on blankets, tended to by their wives and children. David Miller was still weak but fully conscious. Marcus had finally woken from his coma, though still dizzy from the blow to his head.
"My friends," Li Yuan began in a voice that everyone could hear. "We face a difficult choice."
He explained their situation honestly—how yesterday's events would attract unwanted attention, how Millbrook would no longer be a peaceful, hidden village.
"You have two options," he continued. "First, you can stay here. I will leave alone, and maybe—just maybe—the attention will follow me. But I can't guarantee your safety."
Sarah Miller raised her hand. "The second option?"
"We leave together. We find a new, safer place where we can build a peaceful life without fear of outside interference."
Silence fell over the crowd. Li Yuan could see the conflict on everyone's face—between the love for their home and the desire to stay together as the larger family they had become.
Anna was the first to speak. "If you go, Yuan, a part of our heart will go with you. You have become our family."
Margaret Aldrich nodded in agreement. "And if you're in danger, we want to be by your side to help, just as you did for us."
One by one, the people of Millbrook voiced their opinions. And slowly, a consensus began to form.
Old Pete, though still weak from his wounds, stood with the help of a stick. "Millbrook isn't about the place," he said in a trembling but firm voice. "Millbrook is about these people. Wherever we go together, that's where the real Millbrook will be."
Li Yuan felt a warmth spread in his chest. Not from the wrapped Understandings, but from something simpler and purer—deep gratitude.
"Then," he said with a sincere smile, "let's begin preparing. We will find a new home, together."
Marcus, who was finally able to sit upright despite his bandaged head, looked at Li Yuan with gleaming eyes.
"Where will we go?"
Li Yuan looked at the horizon, where the morning sun was rising with a light full of hope.
"To a place where the sea meets the mountains, where the forests whisper with the wind, where we can live in peace without fear of the past or the future," he replied. "I know a place like that exists. We just have to find it."
And in his Zhenjing, the seventeen wrapped Understandings vibrated gently, like a lullaby that promised a new journey and discoveries yet to be imagined.
The new journey begins, Li Yuan thought as he looked at the faces of the people he loved. And this time, we do it together.