The rain had been falling for three weeks without stopping, as if the sky was weeping endlessly over the increasingly dark and damp forest. Every falling drop of water no longer felt like a blessing, but rather like a curse that slowly eroded the strength and spirit of the seventy souls trapped in their temporary shelter.
Li Yuan stood at the doorway of the shelter they had reinforced many times, his eyes scanning the increasingly concerning scene. Water pooled on the ground around them, turning the footpaths into slippery rivers of mud. The trees dripped water continuously, creating a constant sound that was once calming but now felt like a never-ending torment.
Three weeks, he mused with a heavy heart. Too long for these conditions. The human body has its limits.
Behind him, a harsh cough broke the damp morning silence. Old Pete—the sixty-three-year-old man who had become one of the pillars of their community's wisdom—coughed with a wet, dreadful sound, his frail body shaking with every difficult breath.
"Pete," Granny Meredith whispered from her own bed, her voice as weak as rustling dry leaves. The sixty-five-year-old woman had also fallen ill three days ago, her fever rising and falling like unpredictable waves.
Li Yuan moved to the corner of the shelter where the two elders were lying. Old Pete's face was as pale as morning mist, his eyes, which once sparkled with humor and wisdom, now looked hollow and tired. Granny Meredith was not much different—her once radiant skin was now wrinkled and dry despite the damp air around them.
Pneumonia, Li Yuan diagnosed with a heavy heart. And probably other infections that are thriving in these humid conditions.
"Yuan," Old Pete called out hoarsely, his trembling hand trying to reach Li Yuan's arm. "I... I think my time is near."
"Don't talk nonsense," Li Yuan replied gently but firmly, but in his heart, he knew that Old Pete might be right. Old bodies had their limitations, and the harsh weather conditions for weeks had drained their last reserves of strength.
Anna approached with a small bowl containing a herbal remedy that was starting to run low. "This is the last dose of willow bark," she said with obvious concern in her voice. "After this..."
"It's gone," Li Yuan finished her sentence with bitterness. They had used all the herbal knowledge he had taught them, but the supply of medicinal ingredients was beginning to dwindle. The continuous rain made it difficult to find new medicinal plants, and what they had stored was almost gone.
Thomas Aldrich, who had just recovered from his own illness a few weeks ago, sat near the two elders with a face full of concern and guilt. "It should be me who is sick," he whispered. "Not them. They have suffered enough."
"Sickness doesn't choose based on justice," Li Yuan replied in a voice that tried to be calming, though his own heart was in turmoil. "Sickness comes to the most vulnerable, not the most deserving."
In his tranquil Zhenjing, Li Yuan felt the vibrations of extensive medical knowledge—thousands of years of experience in treating various diseases, healing techniques that could save these two elders in a matter of hours. An understanding of body energy, how to balance internal elements, methods to strengthen the immune system in ways that transcended this world's understanding.
But if I use them, he struggled with the same dilemma that had haunted him for months, I don't want to always use my understanding; I want to rely on humanity. And they still need to learn how to face a crisis like this without relying on miracles.
But when he saw Old Pete cough again, fresh blood appearing at the corner of his lips, something within Li Yuan began to shift.
How long will I let a principle defeat compassion? How many people have to suffer so I can maintain the mask of an ordinary human?
"Anna," Li Yuan said in a voice that was more resolute than usual, "gather everyone. There are some... special healing techniques I haven't taught before."
Anna looked at him with eyes full of hope and curiosity. "Special techniques?"
"Ancient knowledge," Li Yuan explained carefully, searching for words that wouldn't raise too many questions. "Healing methods learned from... other wanderers I met many years ago. Techniques that require special preparation and ingredients that must be found in a certain way."
A half-truth, he justified in his heart. I did learn them from other wanderers—wanderers from thousands of years ago.
In the next few hours, even though the rain was still falling, Li Yuan led a small expedition to find the ingredients he needed. Marcus, David, and Ben Carter followed him through the wet forest, their eyes full of curiosity about the plants Li Yuan pointed out.
"This root," Li Yuan said as he carefully dug under a large, almost-fallen tree, "is very rare and only grows in certain conditions. It has very strong anti-inflammatory properties."
What he didn't say was that the root was rare because most people didn't know how to identify it, or that he was using a slight spiritual resonance to find the root with the best quality.
"And this leaf," he continued, plucking leaves from a hidden bush, "must be picked in a certain way, at a certain time, to maximize its potency."
Ben Carter observed with an attentive eye. "How do you know all this, Uncle Yuan? I mean, this is much more complex than the herbal medicine you taught before."
Li Yuan was silent for a moment, feeling the curious gazes of the three men following him.
"Experience," he answered finally, which was technically the truth. "And very wise teachers who were willing to share their knowledge with someone patient enough to learn."
When they returned to the shelter, Li Yuan began to prepare the potion in a much more complicated way than he had ever shown before. He ground the roots in a specific pattern, mixed the ingredients in a precise order, and most surprisingly to everyone—he began to meditate over the mixture.
"What are you doing?" Anna asked in a whisper, afraid to disturb Li Yuan's concentration.
"Focus," Li Yuan answered without opening his eyes, his hands moving in subtle patterns over the bowl of the potion. "Healing isn't just about the right ingredients. It's also about... intention, concentration, and the way we channel positive energy into the medicine."
At least that's also true, he soothed his conscience. Even though the energy I'm channeling is much more complex than they imagine.
Very carefully, Li Yuan channeled a small—very small—amount of his spiritual medical knowledge into the potion. Not enough to be suspicious, but enough to give them the healing power they needed.
When the potion was finished, its aroma was different from any other remedy they had ever made before. There was something warm, soothing, almost magical about its scent.
"It's amazing," Sarah Miller whispered. "It smells like... like hope."
Li Yuan gave the potion to Old Pete and Granny Meredith with a trembling hand—not out of nervousness, but because he knew he had violated his own principle, even for a good reason.
The effect was almost instantaneous. Color began to return to Old Pete's face, his breathing became easier. Granny Meredith stopped shivering and, for the first time in days, she smiled.
"Yuan," Old Pete whispered in a voice that was already stronger, "what did you give us?"
"Medicine," Li Yuan answered simply. "Medicine made with the right ingredients, at the right time, with the right intention."
And a little help from knowledge I can't explain without revealing a greater secret.
Thomas Aldrich looked at Li Yuan with eyes full of admiration and a hint of suspicion. "Yuan, healing like this... it's like a miracle."
Li Yuan met Thomas's eyes with forced calmness. "It's not a miracle, Thomas. It's just knowledge that has been almost lost to the world. Knowledge about how nature truly works, and how the human body can be healed if we know how."
Which is also not a lie, he justified. Just... not the whole story.
That night, for the first time in weeks, their shelter was filled with the sound of deep sleep rather than coughing and groans of pain. Old Pete and Granny Meredith slept with regular breaths, their faces peaceful.
Li Yuan sat at the doorway, listening to the rain that was still falling but somehow no longer sounded like a torment. In his Zhenjing, he felt the gentle vibration of the Understanding he had used—not regret, but... acceptance. Acceptance that sometimes, doing the right thing requires a compromise with the principles we hold.
They don't need to know the whole truth, he decided. What they need to know is that nature has more secrets than they imagine, and that genuine love and intention can strengthen any medicine.
And maybe... maybe that's enough for now.
Anna sat beside him, her brown eyes staring at the rain with a thoughtful expression.
"You're hiding something from us," she said—not an accusation, just a quiet observation.
Li Yuan turned to look at her, considering his response carefully.
"Everyone hides something, Anna," he answered finally. "The question isn't whether we're hiding something, but whether what we're hiding protects the people we love or endangers them."
Anna nodded slowly, as if the answer made sense to her.
"And what you're hiding... protects us?"
"Yes," Li Yuan answered without hesitation. "With all my heart, yes."
They sat in comfortable silence, listening to the sound of the rain and the peaceful breaths of the seventy souls who could now sleep soundly thanks to the small compromise Li Yuan had made with his own principles.
Sometimes, he mused, love requires us to be flexible with our rules. And maybe... maybe that's not a weakness, but a deeper form of wisdom.