Dusk began to slowly creep across the sky, painting the clouds with muted shades of orange and purple. Li Yuan still sat beside Marcus, feeling the increasingly complex vibrations of emotion from the entire village. The Understanding of Emotion in his Zhenjing vibrated with an intensity he had never experienced before.
Eight hours, he thought, feeling the weight of every passing second.
David Miller had returned to his home after their conversation, the kitchen knife put back in its place. But the anger within him had not completely subsided—it was merely contained, waiting for the right moment to erupt again. Li Yuan could still feel that emotion surging from the direction of the Miller family home.
Contained anger, Li Yuan mused. Like water behind a dam—the longer it's held back, the greater the pressure.
Anna still knelt beside Marcus, her hand holding her husband's cold one. The tears had stopped, but the sorrow in her heart felt like a bottomless pit. Li Yuan felt the depth of that emotion—not just the fear of losing Marcus, but also the fear of losing the entire life they had built together.
"Yuan," Anna whispered without lifting her head. "I can feel something different about you. As if... you understand what I'm feeling more deeply than anyone else could."
Li Yuan was silent. The Understanding of Emotion was growing stronger, and its effects were becoming more apparent to the people around him.
"Since Marcus was hurt," Anna continued softly, "I feel like I'm drowning in a sea of sadness. But your presence... somehow allows me to keep breathing underwater."
A balancing aura, Li Yuan realized. Not just soothing, but providing emotional stability.
Lila, who was sitting in the corner of the room, suddenly stood up and walked closer. Her small eyes, which had been red from crying, now looked at Li Yuan with a strange expression—as if she saw something that couldn't be described with words.
"Uncle Yuan," Lila said in her small voice, "why do I feel safer when you're near? Even though the bad soldiers are still out there."
Li Yuan looked at the little girl with a mix of emotions. Even a child as young as Lila can feel the effects of the Understanding of Emotion. How strong is this resonance, really?
"Because we look out for each other, Lila," Li Yuan replied gently. "When people who love each other gather, fear becomes easier to face."
Lila nodded seriously, as if the answer made perfect sense to her innocent mind.
Suddenly, the door to the house opened roughly. Thomas Aldrich entered, his face pale and his eyes full of anxiety.
"Yuan," he said in a trembling voice, "Colonel Blackthorne wants to talk to you. Now."
Li Yuan felt a strong wave of emotion from Thomas—deep fear, but also something else. Guilt? Regret?
"What happened, Thomas?" Li Yuan asked, standing up slowly.
"They... they threatened to burn down the houses if you don't come now," Thomas answered, his eyes not daring to look directly at Li Yuan. "They said the time for a decision is up."
Li Yuan felt a wave of fear coming from every corner of the village. People were starting to gather outside, and panicked whispers could be heard from the streets.
"I'll go," Li Yuan said calmly, but Anna quickly grabbed his arm.
"Don't," she whispered desperately. "Something's wrong. I can feel it."
Li Yuan looked at Anna with understanding eyes. She's also starting to feel the deeper emotional resonance. The Understanding of Emotion doesn't just affect me, but the people around me as well.
"I'll be back," Li Yuan promised, his hand gently touching Anna's cheek. "Take care of Marcus and Lila."
When Li Yuan walked out of the house, he felt that the village's atmosphere had drastically changed. Fear, anger, and despair mixed into a single, suffocating wave in the air. The Understanding of Emotion in his Zhenjing vibrated more intensely, almost uncontrollably.
Too many emotions at once, Li Yuan realized with worry. If this continues, I might lose control of this resonance.
In the village square, Colonel Blackthorne stood in front of a large bonfire that his men had lit. The firelight danced on his face, making the scar on his cheek look more menacing.
"Ah, you've finally come," the Colonel said in a cold yet satisfied tone. "Time is almost up, Yuan."
Li Yuan sensed a different aura from the Colonel—not just ordinary military cruelty, but something deeper. An obsessive curiosity.
"I have made my decision," Li Yuan replied calmly. "I will go with you."
"Good," the Colonel said, stepping closer. "But before that, I want to see something first."
Something isn't right, Li Yuan realized. The Understanding of Emotion in his Zhenjing picked up on a hidden nuance in the Colonel's intention.
"We have been watching you since we arrived here," the Colonel continued, his eyes gleaming with something akin to sadistic delight. "There's something... unusual about the way people react to you. Conflicts that subside just with your presence. Angry people who suddenly become calm."
Li Yuan felt a complex wave of emotions from the Colonel—not just curiosity, but also ambition. And behind it all, there was something even darker. Greed.
He doesn't just want to recruit me, Li Yuan realized with horror. He wants to study my abilities. Perhaps even... take them.
"So," the Colonel said with a cold smile, "will you show me your... unique abilities? Or should we start by burning these houses one by one until you cooperate?"
Around the square, the villagers had gathered with faces full of fear. Li Yuan felt all their emotions—fear, despair, anger, confusion—all mixed into one wave that almost overwhelmed him.
But in the midst of that emotional chaos, something else began to emerge. Anger. Not just his own anger, but the collective anger of the entire village. Anger against injustice, against oppression, against the threats directed at innocent people.
And in his Zhenjing, the newborn Understanding of Rage began to vibrate with surprising power.
Shared anger, Li Yuan realized. This is no longer just his own emotion. This is the anger of an entire community that has become his family.
"I will not show you anything," Li Yuan answered in a voice that remained calm, even though a storm of emotions raged within him. "And I will not let you harm these people."
The Colonel laughed, a cold and unpleasant sound.
"Oh, you will show it," he said, gesturing to his men. "Whether you want to or not."
Two soldiers stepped forward and dragged Sarah Miller from the crowd. The middle-aged woman screamed in fear as they forced her to her knees near the bonfire.
"One minute," the Colonel said, drawing his sword, "to show your abilities. Or this woman will become an example for the rest."
Li Yuan felt something break inside him. Not ordinary anger, but an anger rooted in love—love for the community that had accepted him, for the family that had given his existence meaning.
And for the first time since the Drakemoor forces arrived, Li Yuan felt the Understanding of Emotion and the Understanding of Rage begin to resonate together, creating a powerful and dangerous harmony.
No, he thought with hardened resolve. I will not use my full power. But I will also not let them harm my family.
It's time to find a middle path.
The night wind began to blow harder, and the leaves on the surrounding trees rustled unnaturally, as if nature itself felt the burning anger in Li Yuan's heart.
The emotional reflection on the world grew stronger. And in his Zhenjing, two new Understandings began to dance in a dangerous harmony, approaching the moment when they would touch their true meaning.
Almost there, Li Yuan felt with a mixture of anticipation and wariness. The Ganjing Realm is close.