Li Jian's eyes moved slowly across the table, resting on Ming, then Xuan, then the others. "We are not divided over this. The cores are clan property. They are not tools. They are not prizes. They are unknowns. Until we understand them, no one touches them. No one goes near them. They will be moved to the isolation pit tonight. Two guards, rotating every four hours. Talismans refreshed daily. Any breach of this order will be treated as treason."
Shuying and Gaozhong bowed. "As you command, Clan Head."
The others followed, slower. Ming's jaw worked, but he bowed too. Xuan did the same, eyes still burning.
When the tent cleared, Li Jian called Tianhao back. "Your squad. The youngest. How are they holding?"
Tianhao clasped his hands. "Better than I expected, Clan Head. We've focused on survival, not combat. Finding water by sound. Starting fire with damp wood. Reading the mist. Marking trails so we don't circle back on ourselves. Which plants the bears avoid, which ones they eat. Which mushrooms will kill you, which will keep you alive three days."
Li Jian studied him. "Combat can be taught later."
"Yes. But learning to _live_ in Shadow Wood Valley? This chance won't come again. They'll come out of this valley hunters, not boys."
Li Jian nodded once. "Good. You're a good squad leader, Tianhao."
After Tianhao left, Li Jian beckoned his youngest son. "Feng."
Feng stepped in, barely sixteen, eyes wide. "Father?"
"Go find your brother Xuan. Tell him Ming didn't mean what he said. Tell him his elder brother is stretched thin, worried about the clan, and spoke out of stress, not scorn. And tell him… tell him I'm proud of him for speaking his mind, even when it's hard."
Feng bowed and slipped out.
Li Jian then walked out into the night. The moon had cleared the ridges, turning the blackwood trees to silver. He found Li Ming standing at the edge of camp, staring into the dark.
"Ming."
Li Ming turned. His face was tight, eyes red-rimmed. "Father."
"Why did you quarrel with your brother?"
Ming exhaled, fists clenched. "Because he doesn't trust me. Because every time I say we should push, he treats me like I'm reckless. Like I'm a child playing with a spear. I'm the eldest, Father. I'm supposed to set the example. But if I always hold back, if I always say 'wait, be careful,' what am I leading?"
Li Jian stepped closer. "You're the oldest. The hunting party watches you. The younger ones look to you to see how a Li acts when the ground shakes. Cold head, Ming. Even when you're right. Especially when you're right. Your temper will cost us more than any bear."
The words hit. Ming's shoulders sagged. He dropped to one knee, forehead nearly touching the dirt. "Father, I'm sorry. I lost my temper. I shamed you. I shamed Xuan. I… I'm afraid, Father. Afraid that if I'm not strong enough, not fast enough, the clan will pay for it. And I took that fear out on my brother."
Li Jian was quiet. A night bird called from the ridge. The cores pulsed faintly from the tent behind them.
He put a hand on Ming's shoulder. "Fear isn't weakness. It's what keeps you alive. What makes you careful. What makes you a leader. But fear without control is just noise. You have strength, Ming. You have your mother's fire and my stubbornness. Use them. Don't let them use you."
Ming looked up, eyes bright in the moonlight. "I'll do better, Father."
"I know you will." Li Jian squeezed his shoulder. "Now go find Xuan. Apologize. Then sleep. Tomorrow, we move the cores."
Father and son stood together under the moon a while longer, the valley silent around them, the weight of the sealed cores and the quarrel between brothers settling into something heavier, and something that would need to be faced again.