Two weeks had passed since they left Millbrook, and the harsh reality of a nomadic life began to bite. Li Yuan sat beside a small campfire, built carefully to conserve firewood, his eyes sweeping over faces that now looked thinner and more tired than when they first started the journey.
"Our grain supplies are only enough for three more days," Thomas Aldrich reported with a shaky voice, his still-recovering hands trying to hold the scroll of their supply notes.
Sarah Miller let out a long sigh, hugging David, who was still weak from his injuries. "The salted meat ran out yesterday. All that's left are a few dried vegetables."
Li Yuan listened to the report with a tranquility born from thousands of years of experience, but his heart felt heavy seeing the worry etched on everyone's face. They were farmers and merchants, not professional wanderers. They were never prepared for weeks on the road.
"Alright," Li Yuan said in a calm but firm voice, "starting tomorrow morning, we will learn to live off the land."
Anna looked at him with eyes full of doubt. "What do you mean?"
"Foraging for food around us," Li Yuan explained, standing up. "Nature provides everything we need; we just have to know where to find it."
Old Pete, who looked increasingly thin and weak, raised his head. "Yuan, young man, we're not hunters or gatherers. We only know how to farm."
"And that's why you need to learn," Li Yuan answered gently but firmly. "This world is vast, and we may still have to walk for months before we find a suitable place to settle. We can't rely on limited supplies."
The next day, before dawn broke, Li Yuan woke the entire community. "Today is the first day you learn to become true wanderers," he said.
He divided them into several groups. The adult men—Marcus, Robert, James, and a few others—would learn to hunt and set traps. The women and teenage girls would learn to identify edible plants. The older children would learn to find water and gather firewood.
"Marcus," Li Yuan called his friend, "even though your head is still healing, I believe your hunting instincts are sharp. You will lead the hunting party."
Marcus nodded, though Li Yuan could see the doubt in his eyes. They only had a few simple bows and knives, far from proper hunting gear.
"Remember," Li Yuan continued, "we don't hunt for sport or pleasure. We hunt out of necessity. Honor every life we take, and never kill more than we need."
He then turned to the women's group. "Anna, Sarah, Margaret—you will learn to be our eyes and hands in the wild. Not everything green is safe to eat, but don't be afraid to try new things either."
Li Yuan led them to a small forest near the campsite. "See this grass," he said, pointing to a patch of low-growing plants. "These are dandelion leaves. They're bitter, but very nutritious and safe to eat."
Lila, who was walking beside her mother, asked in a small voice, "How does Uncle Yuan know all this?"
Li Yuan paused for a moment. Because I have lived for thousands of years and have been through all sorts of difficult situations, he thought. But what he said was: "I lived as a wanderer before I came to Millbrook. Nature is a cruel but fair teacher—it teaches us what we need to survive."
Margaret Aldrich picked up a handful of leaves. "And these?"
"Be careful," Li Yuan warned. "That looks similar to a safe plant, but look at the slightly different leaf shape. This one is poisonous. One small mistake could be fatal."
The women nodded seriously, beginning to understand that this lesson wasn't just theoretical—it was the difference between life and death.
Meanwhile, the hunting group tried to set the simple traps Li Yuan had taught them. David Miller, though still weak, insisted on helping.
"David, you need to rest," Marcus admonished him worriedly.
"No," David shook his head stubbornly. "I don't want to be a burden. If I can't hunt, at least I can help make the traps."
Li Yuan watched this interaction with mixed feelings. He saw how hardship had forced these people to grow, forcing them to find a strength they didn't know they had.
In the afternoon, their first day's harvest was very disappointing. The hunting party only managed to catch two small rabbits. The gatherers brought a handful of leaves and a few roots that Li Yuan confirmed were safe to eat. The children succeeded in finding a small spring, but its flow was very slow.
"This isn't enough for seventy people," Thomas said with a tone of clear despair.
Li Yuan saw the disappointed and hungry faces around him. Some children began to cry from thirst and hunger. The mothers tried to comfort them on equally empty stomachs.
I could fix this in a heartbeat, Li Yuan thought. With my abilities, I could hunt large animals, find abundant food sources, and even use my Understanding of Water to find a larger spring.
But he held back. They needed to learn to survive on their own. If he always saved them, they would never become self-sufficient.
"This is only the first day," Li Yuan said in a calming voice. "No one masters a new skill in a single day. Tomorrow we will be better."
Granny Meredith, who looked very weak, said in a trembling voice, "Yuan, I am old. My stomach doesn't need much food. Give my share to the children."
"No," Li Yuan cut in firmly. "We share what we have fairly. No one is more important than anyone else."
That night, they sat around the campfire with half-empty stomachs. Li Yuan saw how the adults secretly gave some of their food to the children. He saw how the teenagers tried to look strong even though their eyes were listless from hunger.
This is only the beginning, he realized with a heavy heart. The road is still long, and the challenges will only get tougher.
Ben Carter, who was sitting next to the fire with his hand still bandaged, asked in a small voice, "Uncle Yuan, are we going to be okay?"
Li Yuan looked into the boy's eyes—eyes that were once full of childhood cheerfulness, now showed a maturity forced upon him by circumstance.
"Yes, Ben," he answered with a confidence he forced out from his worried heart. "We are going to be okay. It might not be easy; we might have to go through difficult days. But we will learn, we will grow strong, and we will survive."
Because you are the toughest people I've ever known, he continued in his mind. You just don't realize it yet.
Anna crept closer to Li Yuan, her voice almost a whisper. "I'm scared, Yuan. Scared I won't be able to protect Lila. Scared we'll all..."
"No," Li Yuan gently interrupted. "Don't let fear take over. Fear makes us weak. What we need now is trust—in ourselves, in each other, and in our ability to learn and adapt."
In his Zhenjing, seventeen wrapped Understandings vibrated softly. He felt the temptation to release just a bit of their wrapping, to use his abilities to help them. But he held back.
They must learn to be strong in their own way, he decided. I will help them learn, guide them, but I will not solve their problems for them. Because in the end, the strength they build on their own will be far more valuable than any strength I give them.
The night fell with a piercing cold, and seventy souls slept with half-empty stomachs but hearts still full of the determination to survive.
The journey as wanderers had just begun.