Li Yuan left the Valen settlement just as dawn broke. A morning mist still blanketed the plains, making everything seem like a world half-awake from a dream.
Mira walked him to the edge of the settlement.
"Tell Daran," she said in a serious voice, "that we are willing to meet at the landslide. Three from us, three from them. Neutral. Just to see the evidence."
"I will convey it," Li Yuan promised.
As he turned to leave, he saw a figure standing not far away—Karim, leaning against a post in a relaxed pose, a friendly smile on his face.
"Safe travels, Li Yuan," Karim called out in a warm tone. "May Daran be wiser than we think."
Li Yuan nodded politely without answering, but through his Wenjing Realm, he heard the intention behind the words—not a hope for peace, but a different kind of hope. A hope that Daran would refuse, that the tension would escalate, that an opportunity would arise.
He's waiting for something, Li Yuan mused as he walked away from Valen. Waiting for the right moment to make a move. But what is he waiting for? And how far is he willing to go?
The journey back to Kael took until mid-morning. Li Yuan walked at an unhurried pace, observing the dry ground around him, the wilted fields, the trees whose leaves were beginning to turn yellow prematurely.
This drought is real, he mused. This suffering is real. And both tribes are suffering equally—just in different ways.
As he approached the Kael settlement, he saw unusual activity outside the walls. A group of people was gathered near the gate—not in an organized formation, but in small groups that seemed to be discussing with high intensity.
The same guard from yesterday—the older one with the scar on his eyebrow—saw him approaching and immediately ran inside. A few minutes later, Daran came out with a quick step.
"Li Yuan," Daran said, his voice tense. "You are back just in time. There's been a... development."
Through his Wenjing Realm, Li Yuan heard the deep concern in the Council Leader's intention—not just about the drought anymore, but about something closer, more personal.
"A development?" Li Yuan asked.
Daran nodded with a dark face. "Last night, after you left, there was an incident. Some of our young men went to the river to get water—further east than usual. They met with some men from Valen. There was... a quarrel."
"A quarrel?" Li Yuan repeated, his tone remaining calm but his attention heightened.
"Harsh words were exchanged. One of our young men—Rekan, the son of one of the elders—shoved one of the Valen youths. The situation almost turned physical before both groups backed off."
As Daran recounted this, Li Yuan heard through his Wenjing Realm not just concern, but also... something else. Doubt? Suspicion that there might have been more than just a spontaneous quarrel?
"Do you believe it was a coincidence?" Li Yuan asked gently.
Daran looked at him with sharp eyes. "Why do you ask that?"
"Because the timing is... interesting. Right when there was a possibility for dialogue."
Daran was silent for a moment, seemingly weighing his words carefully.
"Come in," he finally said. "We need to talk. And I want you to meet with the council."
The Kael meeting room was full of people when Li Yuan entered. Not just council members, but also several elders and—which made Li Yuan pay attention—several young men who looked angry and agitated.
Daran brought Li Yuan to the front of the room and introduced him to the council.
"This is Li Yuan, the traveler I told you about yesterday. He has gone upriver and found something important."
Li Yuan recounted again about the landslide, about how the water flow was reduced due to a natural blockage, about the old stone structure at the fork that showed the water division had existed for a long time.
Some of the council members looked interested, even relieved. But others—especially the young men—looked skeptical.
"How do we know this isn't a trick?" one of the young men said in a loud voice—Rekan, Li Yuan guessed, the youth involved in the quarrel last night. "How do we know Valen didn't send this traveler to deceive us?"
"I was not sent by Valen," Li Yuan said calmly. "I came to Kael first, spoke with Daran, and only then went to Valen. And I found the landslide before speaking with anyone from Valen."
"Words are easy," another young man said—older than Rekan, perhaps twenty-five years old, with a hard face and eyes full of suspicion. "Evidence is hard to come by. And even if there was a landslide, it doesn't explain why Valen still has enough water while we have almost nothing."
When this young man spoke, Li Yuan felt something familiar. Not in his voice or his face, but in his... tone of intention. Through his Wenjing Realm, he heard the same pattern he had heard from Karim—words that sounded like genuine concern, but a different intention. An intention that sought conflict, not resolution.
"What is your name?" Li Yuan asked in a polite but direct tone.
The young man looked at him with sharp eyes. "Vareth. I am the leader of the youth in this tribe."
"Vareth," Li Yuan repeated, noting the name. "You raise a valid question. And I'm sure Valen has a more efficient irrigation system. But efficiency is not theft."
"It's easy for a traveler to say that," Vareth retorted in a harsh tone. "You don't see our hungry children. You don't see our dead fields. While they—" he spat out the word with disgust, "—still have green vegetables and enough water to drink."
A few other young men murmured in agreement. And Li Yuan heard through his Wenjing Realm how that anger resonated—the genuine anger of some, but also anger that was manipulated, amplified by Vareth's carefully chosen words.
One of the elders—an old man with white hair and wise eyes—spoke in a calm but firm voice.
"Vareth, we must not be hasty in judgment. If there was a natural landslide that caused this problem—"
"If," Vareth interrupted with a sharp tone. "We always say 'if'. We always wait, always hesitate, always try to be peaceful. And while we wait, we starve."
When he said this, Li Yuan heard through his Wenjing Realm how the words were designed—not to find a solution, but to create a sense of urgency, a sense that the current leadership was too weak, too slow.
Just like Karim, Li Yuan mused with a clearer understanding. Two people in two different tribes, but with the same agenda. Creating conflict to seize power.
And more alarmingly—are they working together? Or is it just a coincidence that both tribes have ambitious individuals who see the same opportunity?
Daran stood, his hands raised for silence.
"Enough. We will not make decisions based on emotion. Li Yuan brings an offer from Valen—to meet at the landslide, three people from each tribe, to see the evidence together. I think we should accept this offer."
"And what if it's a trap?" Vareth asked in a voice full of suspicion. "What if they plan to attack us when we're off guard?"
"Three people," Daran repeated firmly. "In a neutral place. In broad daylight. No weapons. Just observation."
Vareth laughed—a cynical, disbelieving sound. "No weapons? Facing Valen? That's suicide."
"Or," one of the council members—a middle-aged woman with a tired face but still sharp eyes—said in a cold tone, "it is a test of courage. If we are afraid to meet them without weapons in the open, what does that say about us?"
Vareth looked at her with an almost undisguised anger, but he didn't answer.
The council debated for some time longer—some supported the meeting, others opposed it. Finally, by a thin margin, the decision was made: Kael would send three people to the landslide. Daran himself would go, along with the wise elder and—to accommodate the dissatisfied youth—Vareth.
When this decision was announced, Li Yuan watched Vareth's reaction carefully. Through his Wenjing Realm, he heard... not relief or satisfaction, but calculation. The young man was planning something.
After the meeting ended, Li Yuan found himself walking alone on the streets of Kael. The sun was high, and the heat made the air shimmer above the dry stones.
He stopped near an empty well, staring into it—a dark depth with no reflection of water.
"You are a good observer."
Li Yuan turned to find the wise elder—the old man who had spoken in defense of dialogue—standing not far away.
"Thank you," Li Yuan said politely.
The elder approached, his steps slow but steady. "My name is Torin. I have lived long enough to see many things. And I saw how you observed Vareth during the meeting."
When Torin spoke, Li Yuan heard through his Wenjing Realm a genuine intention—a deep concern about the direction his tribe was taking, but also helplessness. The helplessness of an old man who sees a mistake about to be made but doesn't know how to prevent it.
"Vareth is an... influential young man," Li Yuan said carefully.
"Vareth is a dangerous young man," Torin corrected frankly. "He is popular among the youth who feel that our traditions make us weak. He talks about 'new blood,' about 'firm leadership.' He makes Daran look like a hesitant leader, too peaceful."
"And is Daran hesitant?" Li Yuan asked.
Torin looked at him with sharp eyes. "Daran is a wise leader. He knows that a war with Valen would benefit no one. But wisdom does not always look like strength, especially to those who are hungry and afraid."
Li Yuan nodded with a deep understanding. "And Vareth uses that fear."
"Yes," Torin admitted in a tired voice. "He didn't create the fear—the fear is real. But he focuses it, directs it, turns it into anger that points at Valen... and at Daran."
"You think he wants Daran's position?"
Torin was silent for a moment, staring into the empty well. "I think he wants more than that. I think he wants to change our tribe into something different. Something harsher, more closed, more... militaristic."
When Torin said this, Li Yuan heard through his Wenjing Realm not just concern, but also sadness—the sadness of seeing something he loved threatened with becoming something he did not recognize.
"The meeting at the landslide," Li Yuan said carefully, "might be dangerous with Vareth there."
"I know," Torin admitted. "But not taking him would be more dangerous. He would say we are hiding something, that Daran is afraid of the truth. At least by taking him, we give him a chance to see the evidence himself."
"Or a chance to sabotage the meeting," Li Yuan added calmly.
Torin looked at him with a tired expression. "Yes. That is also possible."
They stood in silence for a moment, two men who saw the same problem but had no clear solution.
"You will come to the meeting?" Torin finally asked.
"If I am permitted," Li Yuan replied. "I want to ensure that the truth—the simple truth about a natural landslide—has a chance to be heard."
"And if Vareth tries to prevent it?"
Li Yuan looked towards the horizon, in the direction of the landslide, where the meeting would happen.
"Then I will do what I can," he said with a simplicity that carried a deeper weight. "Not with force, but with patience. Not by compelling, but by letting the truth speak for itself."
Torin looked at him with an expression that was a mix of hope and doubt.
"I hope that is enough," he said softly. "Because I feel we are standing on the edge of something very dark. And I don't know if we can pull ourselves back once we fall."
Li Yuan did not answer. Because he knew—with an understanding that came from long experience—that Torin was right.
They were standing on the edge.
And whether they would fall or find a way to retreat, it would depend on what happened at the landslide.
And on whether the truth—the simple, undramatic truth about rock and water—would be strong enough to counter the manipulation of those who wanted conflict.