Dawn arrived with a gentle light, sweeping the darkness from the sky with subtle gradations of color. Li Yuan was already "awake"—an inaccurate term as he never slept—and sat near the window, watching the Kael settlement slowly awaken.
Residents began to emerge from their homes. Smoke rose from chimneys as fires were lit for cooking. The sounds of daily life began to fill the morning stillness—low conversations, footsteps on the stone paths, the occasional laughter of children.
There was a knock on the door. Li Yuan stood and opened it to find Daran standing there, already fully dressed with a wooden staff in his hand.
"I will show you the river," Daran said without preamble. "Before the sun gets too high and the heat becomes unbearable."
Li Yuan nodded and followed the Council Leader out of the meeting house.
They walked through the settlement in an uncomfortable silence. Residents who saw them pass stared with the same suspicion as yesterday, but no one spoke or tried to stop them.
When Daran spoke to the guards at the gate—explaining that they would be out for a while—Li Yuan heard through his Wenjing Realm the guard's tense intention: a worry that allowing a stranger to wander outside the settlement might be unwise, but also not daring to question the Council Leader's decision.
They left the settlement and walked eastward, following a path that was less maintained than the streets within the settlement. The ground under their feet was dry and dusty, the plants growing on the roadside looking wilted and brown.
"This used to be our fields," Daran said, pointing to a large area on the left side of the path. "We grew wheat, barley, vegetables. Now..." He didn't need to finish the sentence. The cracked earth and dead crops spoke clearly enough.
Li Yuan observed with a non-judgmental eye. He could see the signs of effort—irrigation ditches that had been dug but were now empty, wells with buckets hanging but no water to draw.
"How long has this drought been?" he asked.
"Three years," Daran answered in a heavy voice. "The first year, we thought it was just a bad season. The second, we began to worry. And this year..." He shook his head. "This year, we are starting to wonder if we can survive at all."
As Daran spoke, Li Yuan heard through his Wenjing Realm more than just the words. He heard a deep despair—the fear of a leader who didn't know how to protect his people from a threat he couldn't fight with a sword or strategy.
They walked in silence for a while longer, until they reached the edge of a small valley. And down below, flowing weakly at the bottom of the valley, was the Qianhe River.
Li Yuan stopped, looking at the river that must have once been much larger. Its wide banks showed where the water once flowed—slick stones, wet sand. But now, the river was just a small stream, perhaps two meters wide, its depth seemingly no more than half a meter.
"This used to be a powerful river," Daran said in a voice full of sadness. "Wide enough for a raft, deep enough to swim. Now..." He descended to the riverbank, bending down to touch the water with his hand. "Now even a child can cross it easily."
Li Yuan descended to follow him, kneeling at the river's edge. He reached out his hand and touched the water—and through his Water Comprehension in the Wenjing Realm, he could hear the story that the water carried.
A story of a journey from distant mountains, down through valleys and ravines. A story of rare rains, of snow melting faster than usual. A story of thirsty land absorbing every drop before it could reach the main river.
But there was something else, too. Something that was... disconnected. Like a flow that should have been coming from one direction but was somehow reduced.
Interesting, Li Yuan mused in his heart. There is a change in the flow. But is it due to intentional diversion, or natural reasons?
"Daran," Li Yuan said as he stood up, "can you show me which way Valen is? And where they get their water?"
Daran pointed to the northeast. "Their settlement is about half a day's journey that way. And this river... it used to flow through our territory first, then into theirs. But now, somehow, they get more than we do."
"Have you ever gone upriver?" Li Yuan asked. "To see if anything has changed there?"
Daran hesitated. Through his Wenjing Realm, Li Yuan heard the complex intentions: shame that they hadn't, justification that they were too busy trying to survive, and a fear that if they found evidence of intentional diversion, they would have to act—and that would mean confrontation.
"We don't have time for such exploration," Daran finally said in a defensive tone. "We're busy trying to save whatever crops can still be saved."
Li Yuan nodded without judgment. "I understand. But perhaps, if you permit, I can go upriver to see for myself. I am not tied to the land here, so I have time that you do not."
Daran looked at him with an expression that was a mix of hope and doubt.
"You would do that? For us?"
"Not for you," Li Yuan corrected gently. "For the truth. Because before a solution can be found, we need to understand the real problem."
Daran was silent for a moment, processing those words. Then he nodded slowly.
"Alright. But be careful. If you enter Valen territory without permission, they may see you as a spy or a threat."
"I will be careful," Li Yuan promised.
After Daran returned to the settlement, Li Yuan began his journey upriver. He walked along the dry banks, observing how the river changed—sometimes deeper in places where the ground formed small pools, sometimes almost disappearing in parts where the sandy soil absorbed all the water.
He was in no hurry. Instead, he walked with full attention, occasionally kneeling to touch the water, listening to the story it carried through his Water Comprehension.
After a few hours of walking, he began to see a change in the landscape. The river forked—one small stream continued to the northwest, while the main flow curved eastward.
And there, at the fork, Li Yuan found something interesting: there was a man-made structure. Not a large dam or a conspicuous construction, but a series of carefully arranged stones to direct more of the flow into the eastern branch.
So there is a diversion, Li Yuan mused as he examined the structure. But this is not recent work. These stones have been here for a long time—see how moss is growing on their surface, how some of the stones have shifted due to erosion.
He touched one of the stones and through his Water Comprehension, heard the story of the water that had flowed around it. A story that spanned decades—maybe even over a hundred years.
This is not something Valen did recently to respond to the drought, Li Yuan concluded. This is an old structure. Which means... this diversion was likely an agreement made long ago, or maybe even built before there were any settlements here.
But there was something else he noticed. The water flow coming to this fork was much less than it should be based on the size of the river channel. Which meant the real problem was not at this fork, but further upriver.
Li Yuan continued his journey, following the main branch to the northwest, towards the mountains visible in the distance.
That afternoon, as the sun began to lean westward, Li Yuan found the source of the real problem.
There had been a landslide—not a recent one, perhaps a year or two ago—that had significantly changed the river's course. Large rocks and soil had fallen from the hillside, partially blocking the river channel and creating a shallow pool. Most of the water was now seeping into the ground rather than flowing downstream.
And above the landslide, Li Yuan could see evidence of ongoing erosion—unstable soil, exposed tree roots, brittle rocks.
This is a natural problem, Li Yuan mused as he observed the situation with eyes that had seen thousands of landscapes. Not because of Valen, not because of Kael. Just nature changing in its own way.
But because neither community came here to see, they filled their ignorance with suspicion. They created a story of betrayal and theft, when the reality was... just falling rock and shifting earth.
Li Yuan sat on the riverbank, contemplating what he had found and what it meant.
This can be fixed, he thought. With a coordinated effort—clearing the debris, perhaps reinforcing the hillside to prevent further landslides, creating a better channel to flow the water—the flow could be partially restored.
But that would require cooperation. Manpower from both communities. And that cooperation won't happen as long as they are suspicious of each other, as long as they see each other as enemies rather than neighbors who are equally suffering from the same problem.
He stood up, deciding his next step. He had seen the physical evidence. Now he needed to hear the other side of the story—Valen's perspective.
And for that, he needed to go to their settlement.
The journey to Valen took until dusk. Li Yuan followed the eastern branch of the river, observing how the landscape slowly changed from barren hills to slightly more fertile plains.
When the Valen settlement finally appeared in the distance, the difference with Kael was immediately apparent.
There were no walls here. The houses were scattered in a more organic, irregular pattern—some built from stone, some from wood, some even from materials that looked like a mixture of mud and straw. There was no architectural uniformity, as if each family built in a style they had brought from their place of origin.
And the people—even from a distance, Li Yuan could see the diversity. People with different skin colors, different clothes, even a different way they moved.
Kael sees this as chaos, Li Yuan mused. A lack of tradition, a lack of order. But from another perspective, this is flexibility. The ability to adopt what works and leave what doesn't.
Neither is inherently better or worse. Just different.
As Li Yuan approached the settlement, a young man ran over—not with an aggressive posture, but with clear vigilance.
"Stop!" he shouted. "Who are you and where did you come from?"
Li Yuan stopped at a polite distance and bowed slightly.
"My name is Li Yuan. I am a traveler who came from the north. I have just visited Kael and now I want to hear your story about the river and the drought."
The young man looked at him with an expression that was a mix of suspicion and shock.
"You came from Kael?" he asked in a disbelieving tone. "And they let you leave? Or did you escape?"
"They allowed me to leave," Li Yuan replied calmly. "I spoke with their Council Leader, Daran. He told me about the tension between your two communities. And I wanted to hear your perspective as well before making any judgment."
The young man hesitated. Through his Wenjing Realm, Li Yuan heard the conflicting intentions: distrust of anyone coming from Kael, but also curiosity about what this neutral stranger might have to say.
"Wait here," he finally said. "I will call Leader Mira. She decides whether you can enter or not."
Li Yuan nodded and waited, observing the settlement's activity from a distance. Children were playing in the street—a game involving a ball made of rags. Adults were working in small gardens around their homes. And in the distance, Li Yuan could see the irrigation system that Daran had mentioned—small channels that directed water from the river to the fields.
Efficient, he observed. They have learned how to maximize a little water. Not by stealing, but by using it wisely.
After a few minutes, the young man returned accompanied by an older woman—perhaps forty years old, with her black hair neatly tied back and eyes that were sharp and intelligent. She wore practical clothing—trousers and a short-sleeved tunic—that looked more designed for work than for style.
"I am Mira," the woman said in a direct, no-nonsense voice. "Leader of the Valen Council. Amir says you came from Kael and want to speak with us about the river."
Li Yuan bowed with the same respect he had shown Daran.
"Thank you for your time, Leader Mira. Yes, I spoke with Daran from Kael, and he told me about the existing tension. But before I can fully understand the situation, I need to hear both sides."
Mira looked at him with appraising eyes. Through her Wenjing Realm, Li Yuan heard the complex intentions: suspicion, but also pragmatism—the thought that if this stranger was truly neutral, perhaps he could see something they had missed.
"Alright," Mira finally said. "Come in. But I warn you—if this is some kind of trick from Kael, you will regret it."
"This is not a trick," Li Yuan promised with sincere simplicity. "I am only looking for the truth."
Mira nodded and gestured for him to follow her into the settlement.
And Li Yuan, who had walked between conflicting communities many times before, followed with a cautious hope that maybe—just maybe—both sides would be willing to hear the truth he had found.