The night was deep, yet the courtyard of the Moon Lord's residence was anything but quiet.

Two opposing forces faced each other, tension as thick as the humid air after rain.

On one side stood a small group of barely more than a dozen warriors, their weapons tightly gripped, faces resolute.

On the other side gathered a sea of two to three hundred hunters, the majority of the Moon Lake Tribe's combat strength.

The difference in numbers was overwhelming, and the imbalance was as clear as night and day.

---

"Wei Geng, step aside!"

The Great Elder's face darkened, his eyes sharp with suppressed fury. His voice rang with both threat and authority as he glared at the man blocking the courtyard gate.

"Don't forget—who was the one who supported you, who raised you to the position of captain? Do you intend to betray me now?"

He had not expected this. At the critical moment of his carefully-laid plan, one of the captains he had high hopes for—Wei Geng—had led his men to oppose him openly.

---

Wei Geng, tall and sturdy, stood firmly in front of the gate. He held a massive shield in one hand and a long blade in the other, his stance unyielding.

His voice carried across the courtyard with unwavering conviction.

"Great Elder, it is you who rebels. I remain loyal to only one person—the Moon Lord."

---

The Great Elder's brows twitched. His voice boomed once again, this time carrying the zeal of a preacher:

"I am doing this for everyone's sake. For the tribe! If we merge into the Thousand Tree Tribe, we will never have to worry about water again. A future without thirst, without fear of drought! Tell me, don't you all want to drink your fill of water every day?"

---

A murmur swept through the larger crowd.

"We do!"

"Yes, we want water!"

Voices rose from the two or three hundred hunters, their desperation unmistakable.

Encouraged, the Great Elder pressed forward, his words sweetened with temptation:

"As long as we join the Thousand Tree Tribe, they promise us a future city to live in! No more barren soil, no more cracked lips from thirst. You will live like city folk, with houses of stone and wood, and water flowing freely!"

---

Wei Geng's eyes blazed with righteous anger. He roared back:

"We already have the Moon Lord! She has provided for us all these years. Why must we sell her away in exchange for water? She is only injured, not gone! Are you so eager to abandon her? Where is your conscience?"

---

The Great Elder's expression stiffened. "We are not abandoning the Moon Lord!" he retorted sternly.

"We merely see her exhaustion. As long as we merge with the Thousand Tree Tribe, she will no longer need to suffer, no longer need to exhaust herself condensing water every day. She can finally live freely, without burden."

---

Wei Geng narrowed his eyes. His voice was like a blade cutting through pretense.

"Is that what you call it? Freedom? I hear instead that you intend to offer her as a commodity—to trade her away to the Thousand Tree Tribe's leader. Is that not the truth?"

His accusation landed like thunder.

Even those on the Elder's side stirred uneasily, whispers running through the ranks.

---

The Great Elder's face darkened. For an instant, panic flickered in his eyes, but he quickly masked it with bluster.

"Who told you such nonsense? Lies! Slander!" he shouted.

He straightened his back and declared, "The leader of the Thousand Tree Tribe is young, powerful, and… unmarried. He has always admired the Moon Lord. To unite through marriage is not a betrayal—it is a noble opportunity!"

---

Wei Geng sneered. "Opportunity? You call it that? We all know men's hearts. The Thousand Tree leader doesn't admire her spirit, he covets her abilities! With the Moon Lord and her daughter, his descendants will likely inherit awakening talents. That's all this is about."

---

The Great Elder's patience snapped. His tone turned cold, sharp.

"So, you refuse to yield?"

Originally, he hadn't planned to force the merger so quickly. But the Moon Lord's injury gave him the opening he needed, and Yue Feiyan's fiery resistance had enraged him further.

He had already contacted most of the hunters. With promises of security and water, nearly ninety percent had agreed to side with him. Only this handful of stubborn youths, led by Wei Geng, remained in open opposition.

---

Wei Geng raised his sword high, his voice like rolling thunder.

"For years the Moon Lord has given to us selflessly, until her body was broken from exhaustion. And now, when she needs us most, you would betray her?"

He grinned fiercely, teeth bared like a beast ready to strike.

"I will not allow it! If it takes my life, so be it. I will not let you touch her!"

His words surged with the force of a hundred warriors.

Behind him, his dozen companions raised their blades as one.

"We will not let you pass!"

Their voices merged into a single roar that split the night.

---

The Great Elder's eyes turned vicious. His hand rose high.

"Then so be it. Change requires sacrifice. Let the blood of traitors pave the path forward! Hunters—attack!"

---

Before his hand could fall, however—

"What do you think you're doing?!"

A furious voice cut through the night like a whip. Flames burst into life, illuminating the courtyard in crimson light.

From inside the house, Yue Feiyan strode out, her red eyes blazing.

---

"It's the young miss!"

For a moment, the uproar stilled. Even the hunters fell quiet.

Wei Geng quickly stepped aside, his voice respectful yet fierce.

"Miss, with us here, no one will dare persecute you or the Moon Lord."

Yue Feiyan nodded slightly, her voice softening.

"Thank you, Uncle Wei."

But her gaze soon hardened again, sweeping over the assembled crowd like a blade.

"What do you all want? Has my mother ever failed you? Has she ever denied you water?"

---

No one dared answer. Their silence was louder than words.

---

Yue Feiyan sneered coldly.

"Every day, she pushes herself to exhaustion just to condense water for you. And this is how you repay her? By conspiring with the Elder to sell her away?"

Her voice rose in fury.

"If you want to join the Thousand Tree Tribe, go! Leave the Moon Lake Tribe behind! No one will stop you. But my mother—she will not be used as your bargaining chip!"

Her fiery words pierced the hunters' hearts. Many lowered their heads in shame.

---

The Great Elder trembled with rage. He had not expected this "obedient young girl" to suddenly unleash such sharp words, dismantling his arguments in front of everyone.

"You insolent brat," he spat through gritted teeth.

---

And then—

A weak cough sounded.

"Cough… cough…"

The commotion quieted instantly.

From the doorway appeared a graceful figure, pale and fragile, her aqua-blue eyes dimmed with weariness.

It was the Moon Lord herself.

---

"Mother!" Yue Feiyan hurried forward, her face full of worry.

The Moon Lord smiled faintly, shaking her head. "It's fine. I only heard the noise and came to see."

Her presence, though weakened, still carried the weight of authority.

Many hunters instinctively bowed their heads.

"Moon Lord!" they murmured in guilty reverence.

---

Her gaze swept over them, disappointment heavy in her eyes.

"All these years, I have given everything for the tribe. And yet now… only a dozen stand by me."

The words struck like a knife. Even Wei Geng, proud as he was, bowed his head in shame.

"It is not your fault," she whispered softly.

But when she looked back at the hundreds before her, her eyes grew cold, stripped of their usual warmth.

"I am injured, yes. But I will heal. All of you—return to your homes. Let tonight be forgotten."

Her voice, though soft, carried iron in its tone.

---

The crowd stirred uneasily.

"Do we… just go back?"

"If we don't, will we even have water tomorrow?"

The Great Elder seized the moment, his lips curling in a victorious sneer.

"Moon Lord, there is no need for this charade. Why continue to suffer? Join the Thousand Tree Tribe, and your burdens will be lifted. No more condensing water, no more pain."

---

The Moon Lord's eyes darkened. She had long known of the Thousand Tree Tribe's water-rich lands.

But when she asked coldly, "And what benefit have they promised you, Elder, that you push so eagerly for this merger?"

The man faltered, panic flashing across his face.

"None! I… I only wish for the tribe's future!"

---

The Moon Lord's laugh was bitter.

"You speak of my exhaustion, yet your household wastes water recklessly. Tell me, Elder, was that too for the tribe's future?"

Her voice was sharp as a whip, leaving the Elder momentarily speechless.

---

Her blue eyes hardened further.

"If you force this path, then hear me now—I would rather fight to the death than be sold like livestock."

Around her, water droplets shimmered into existence, condensing into a dangerous aura.

The hunters recoiled instinctively, fear in their eyes.

---

The Great Elder's face turned ashen. "You lunatic!" he hissed, retreating into the crowd.

"Encircle them!" he barked in frustration. "We'll wait for dawn. Once the Thousand Tree Tribe arrives, this will end."

---

The hunters slowly withdrew, leaving the Moon Lord and her daughter standing amidst the silence of the courtyard.

---

"Mother, are you alright?" Yue Feiyan asked anxiously, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I'm fine." The Moon Lord coughed softly, her face pale. "Feiyan, you must prepare to leave. If you stay, there will be no good end."

"No!" Yue Feiyan shook her head fiercely. "If you stay, then I stay!"

The Moon Lord's gaze softened, sorrow hidden behind determination. "Be obedient. If you survive, then at least there will be hope."

---

Just then—

A voice, light and mocking, drifted down from above.

"Oh my… it seems I arrived at just the right time."

From the rooftop, a familiar silhouette appeared, calm and almost amused.

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