The groups parted at the point where the paths to both tribes diverged—not with handshakes or formal promises, but with awkward nods and a distance that still felt too wide.
Li Yuan walked with the Kael party in a heavy silence. Daran walked in front, his back straight, but Li Yuan could hear through his Wenjing Realm the burden the man was carrying—not just about the landslide and the drought, but about Kai. About the son he loved but couldn't acknowledge in front of his tribe without losing his already fragile authority.
Torin walked with his staff, his breath a little ragged from the journey, but his intention was calm—he still had hope that dialogue could win.
And Vareth... Vareth walked behind, silent, but his intentions were shouting in that stillness.
Karim backed down like a coward. But it doesn't matter. The plan is still on. Tomorrow night, with or without his help. Rekan and the others are ready. We will attack the Valen border, make it look like they started a revenge attack. And when blood is spilled, Daran will have no choice but to lead us to war.
And when he hesitates—as he is sure to do—that's when we will show that the tribe needs a firmer leader.
Li Yuan heard all of this without turning around, without showing any reaction. Every detail of the plan was laid bare in Vareth's intention like an open book—the time (midnight tomorrow), the location (the border post on the western edge), the number of people (six Kael youths), even the weapons they would use (axes and spears, to make it look like a serious attack).
And most alarmingly—the target. Not a Valen guard post, but civilian houses. Families. Children.
If we kill guards, it's just a battle. But if we kill families... that will force Valen to retaliate in kind. And then there will be no turning back.
In Vareth's intention there was no regret. No moral doubt. Just a cold calculation of how to create a tragedy that would serve his ambition.
Li Yuan felt something he rarely felt—something cold and hard settling in his chest. Not hot anger. But something more like... an absolute awareness that certain lines must not be crossed.
Allowing corrupt leaders to expose themselves is one thing. Allowing children to die for a philosophical lesson is a very different thing.
I cannot let this happen, he decided with a calm clarity. But how to prevent it without exposing everything prematurely?
When they arrived at the Kael settlement, the sun had already begun to set. Daran gathered the council for an emergency meeting—to report what they had seen at the landslide.
Li Yuan attended the meeting, sitting in a corner of the room, observing and listening.
Daran spoke about the landslide in a tired but honest voice. "This is not Valen's fault. It's a natural disaster. And if we want to fix the water flow, we need to work with them."
Some council members nodded—Li Yuan heard their intentions, relief mixed with worry about how to make that cooperation happen practically.
But others—especially the younger or harsher ones—showed resistance. And Vareth, of course, spoke with words that sounded reasonable but were designed to plant seeds of doubt.
"Even if the landslide is real," he said in a thoughtful tone, "it doesn't explain why Valen has such an efficient irrigation system. Maybe they didn't intentionally divert the river, but they certainly knew about the landslide and didn't tell us. They let us suffer while they used the water wisely for themselves."
When Vareth spoke, Li Yuan heard the intention behind the words—not a search for truth, but a careful manipulation. Taking a fact (Valen does have better irrigation) and twisting it into a moral accusation (they let Kael suffer on purpose).
"That is not a crime," Torin retorted in a tired voice. "That's just... a difference in approach. They are more pragmatic, we are more traditional. But that is no reason for conflict."
"Traditional," Vareth repeated in a tone that made the word sound like a weakness. "Yes, we are traditional. We hold our values even when it means we suffer. While they mix everything up—races, languages, cultures—without any respect for purity."
Some of the young men in the room murmured in agreement. And Li Yuan heard how Vareth's words resonated with an existing fear—the fear that their way of life was obsolete, that the world was changing and leaving them behind, that their identity was threatened.
Vareth didn't create that fear. But he shaped it, directed it, made it into a weapon.
Daran tried to regain control of the meeting. "We will discuss the proposal for cooperation with Valen. But for tonight, I want everyone to go home. Rest. We are all tired and emotional."
The meeting dispersed slowly, people leaving with tense, whispered conversations.
And Li Yuan heard—through his Wenjing Realm as Vareth walked past him—the final confirmation:
Tomorrow night. Midnight. Everything is set. Rekan knows what to do. And after blood is spilled, this tribe will be mine.
Li Yuan left the meeting house and walked through the quiet streets of Kael. Night had fallen completely, with only moonlight and a few torches illuminating his path.
He needed to make a decision. And he needed to make it now.
I could go to Daran and tell him about Vareth's plan, he mused. But without physical evidence—without a witness or a document or anything that could be seen other than my words—would he believe me? And even if he believed me, what action could he take without creating a deeper division in his tribe?
I could go to Valen and warn them. But that would make Kael look like the aggressor even before the attack happens. It would destroy any possibility of cooperation.
Or... I could go to the location of the attack tomorrow night. Prevent it directly. But how? With force? By releasing a comprehension to force peace? That is not the way of Daojing.
He stopped at the edge of the settlement, staring into the darkness where the forest began. And in that silence, a thought came to him—not a perfect solution, but maybe the only one that could work.
I don't need to stop the attack alone. I need to ensure that when the attack happens, the truth about who is really responsible becomes impossible to hide.
I need witnesses. Credible witnesses from both tribes. People who will see with their own eyes that this is not a spontaneous attack from Kael as a whole, but a conspiracy of a few people who want power.
And he knew who those witnesses had to be: Daran and Mira. Torin and the Valen elder. And perhaps most importantly—Kai, the bridge between the two tribes who could provide testimony that could not be ignored.
But how to bring them all to the right location at the right time without exposing his plan too early?
Li Yuan closed his eyes, not for meditation but to think with absolute clarity.
When he opened them again, he already knew what he had to do.
He found Torin at his house—a small building on the edge of the settlement, with a herb garden that even in the drought still showed signs of meticulous care.
The old man was sitting outside, staring at the stars.
"Li Yuan," Torin said without turning—he seemed to have heard the approaching footsteps. "You can't sleep either?"
"I don't need to sleep like others do," Li Yuan replied with careful honesty. "And there is something I need to talk to you about. Something important."
Torin turned to look at him, and even in the dim moonlight, his old eyes were sharp and vigilant. "About Vareth?"
Li Yuan was a little surprised. "You know?"
"I don't know the details," Torin admitted. "But I have lived long enough to recognize the kind of ambition he has. The kind that won't stop until he gets what he wants—or until he is destroyed in the process."
When Torin spoke, Li Yuan heard through his Wenjing Realm a genuine intention—deep concern, but also a wisdom that came from experience. This man was not naive. He had seen this pattern before.
"Tomorrow night," Li Yuan said in a low voice, "Vareth plans to do something that will make war inevitable. I cannot tell you all the details now—not because I don't trust you, but because if you know too much, you may be forced to act in a way that will make the situation worse."
"But I need you to trust me. And I need you to do something that might seem strange—even dangerous—but I assure you it is necessary."
Torin looked at him in a long silence. Through his Wenjing Realm, Li Yuan heard how the old man weighed his words, assessed his credibility, and considered the risk of trusting this foreign traveler versus the risk of doing nothing.
"What do you need from me?" Torin finally asked.
"Tomorrow night, about an hour before midnight, I need you to bring Daran to the western border post. Tell him that you heard something suspicious—a sound of movement, perhaps. Don't mention me. Just say that your instincts as an elder tell you to check it out quietly first."
"And if he asks why I didn't bring the guards?"
"Tell him that you didn't want to create a false alarm. That you just wanted to check it out quietly first."
Torin nodded slowly. "And what will we find there?"
"The truth," Li Yuan replied with a simplicity that carried a deeper weight. "The truth about who is really threatening the peace between the two tribes."
Torin looked at him with eyes that seemed to see more than just Li Yuan's outer appearance. "You are no ordinary traveler, are you?"
"I am a traveler," Li Yuan answered with honesty. "But I have also walked long enough to know when I must intervene—and how to do it without creating more problems than I solve."
Torin was silent for a moment longer, then he nodded. "Alright. I will do what you ask. But Li Yuan—if this is a trick, if this endangers Daran or our tribe—"
"If I deceive you," Li Yuan cut in calmly, "then you have the right to never trust a traveler again. But I swear to you—by whatever you hold sacred—that my intention is to prevent unnecessary bloodshed."
When Li Yuan swore this, Torin heard—even without his Wenjing Realm—the absolute sincerity in his voice. And that was enough.
"One hour before midnight," Torin repeated. "The western border post. I will bring Daran."
"Thank you," Li Yuan said with sincere simplicity.
After leaving Torin, Li Yuan slipped out of the Kael settlement—not difficult for someone with a consciousness body that could move without leaving a clear trace.
He had to do the same thing in Valen. Find someone trustworthy to bring Mira and another witness to the right location at the right time.
And he knew who that person was.
The journey to the Valen settlement took a few hours—Li Yuan moved quickly through the darkness, navigating with the experience that came from thousands of nights of walking through unknown landscapes.
When he arrived, the settlement was already asleep—or at least most of it. A few fires were still burning, a few sounds of low conversation still came from the houses.
Li Yuan found Kai's house without difficulty—on the edge of the settlement, slightly separate from the others, just as Mira had said. A simple building built in a mixed style—the basic Kael structure but with Valen decorative details.
He knocked gently on the door.
After a few minutes, the door opened a crack. Kai stood there, his eyes vigilant but not afraid.
"Li Yuan?" he whispered in surprise. "What—how did you—"
"I need to talk to you," Li Yuan said in a low voice. "About something that will happen tomorrow night. Something that will affect both tribes—and especially your father."
Referring to Daran as "your father" instead of "Kael Council Leader" was a deliberate choice—Li Yuan wanted to appeal to the personal bond, not the political one.
Kai looked at him with eyes that searched for signs of deception or threat. But through his Wenjing Realm, Li Yuan heard the young man's intention—not a harsh suspicion, but a genuine worry about the father he still loved despite their broken relationship.
"Come in," Kai finally said, opening the door wider.
Inside, the house was warm and simple. A woman—Mara, Kai's wife—sat near the fireplace, her hands busy with a weaving project even at night.
Li Yuan spent the next half an hour explaining—not everything, but enough. About Vareth's plan for a false attack. About how it would make war inevitable. And about how they needed witnesses from both tribes to reveal the truth.
Kai and Mara listened with faces that grew paler.
"My father," Kai whispered in a broken voice. "If that attack happens, if Valen people die... even if he didn't order it, he will be blamed. His tribe will demand war. And he..."
Kai didn't need to finish. Li Yuan heard through his Wenjing Realm what Kai couldn't say: My father will be ruined. Not by losing power, but by failing to prevent the tragedy he has tried to avoid for years.
"I need you to bring Mira to the western border post tomorrow night," Li Yuan said. "One hour before midnight. Tell her that you heard about a possible attack—don't say where you got the information. Just say that you are worried and think she should be there to see for herself."
"And Karim?" Kai asked sharply. "He's involved, isn't he? I've seen how he talks—always sweet words but something feels... wrong."
Li Yuan nodded. "Karim is Vareth's partner in this. But he won't be at the attack location—he's too smart for that. He will let Vareth take the risk while he stays clean. And then, when blood is spilled, he will come forward as the wise voice calling for a 'necessary' war."
Mara spoke for the first time, her voice soft but firm. "We will do it. We will bring Mira. But Li Yuan—after this, after the truth is revealed... will it be enough? Will exposing Vareth and Karim be enough to heal the tension between the two tribes?"
Li Yuan looked at the woman with eyes that had seen too much to give easy reassurances.
"No," he answered with brutal honesty. "Exposing the conspiracy will only remove the tumor. But the underlying disease—the fear, the distrust, the cultural differences—that will remain. Healing that will take time, patience, and hard work from people like you—people who have chosen to bridge the differences even when it makes them hated by both sides."
Kai and Mara exchanged glances—a silent conversation that only a couple who had been together for long enough could have.
"Then we will do our part," Kai finally said. "Not just tomorrow night, but afterward too. For as long as it takes."
Li Yuan nodded with deep respect. "Thank you."
Li Yuan left Kai's house after midnight. He still had a few preparations to make before tomorrow's decisive night.
But as he walked through the darkness towards the place where he would spend the remaining hours before dawn, he felt something he rarely felt—something akin to... not confidence, but a quiet conviction that he had done what he could.
The rest would depend on the choices others made.
And on whether the truth—when finally revealed in a way that could not be denied—would be strong enough to fight the ambition and hatred that had been growing in the darkness for too long.