I served as Li Bai's page.

It was quite late when we got home after drinking at Ruhua's painting studio. Yuan Yan's father was still waiting for us in the living room. When he saw us enter the house, he came out to greet us and said:

"The fact that you could walk in means you're not drunk. Come, have a couple of drinks with your father."

Lord Yuan led Li Bai and Yuan Yan toward the dining hall, and I said from behind, "Like father, like son."

Lord Yuan turned to me and said, "You're wrong. It should be 'Like father, like son.'"

I don't know how long the three of them drank in the dining hall; I went to sleep as soon as I returned from Jinci. The next day, I saw Li Bai practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard, while Yuan Yan was still fast asleep, having already gone to the yamen.

I went back inside, grabbed my sword, and went to the courtyard to practice swordsmanship with Li Bai. Just as we were getting into the swing of things, Yuan Yan came into the courtyard and said, "You two, stop making such a racket; it's disturbing my sleep."

Li Bai said, "Lazybones, still half asleep? Take this!" He placed the sword on Yuan Yan's shoulder. Yuan Yan used two fingers to remove the sword, then leaped to my side, snatched the sword, and began fighting with Li Bai.

The two exchanged blows for dozens of rounds. Yuan Yan jumped out of the circle, placed his sword on the flower stand, and said, "It's been so long since I've practiced like this. I'm exhausted."

Li Bai, however, said, "Today's practice was very enjoyable."

I walked to the flower bed, picked up my sword, and said to Li Bai, "Young Master, I'm sorry. It was my carelessness that allowed the enemy to seize my weapon. It's a disgrace to me."

"I've already avenged you, so don't worry about it. Didn't the enemy run away?" Li Bai teased.

After Yuan Yan got up, he urged Li Bai to go out for drinks again. Li Bai thought for a moment and said:

"After Lord Yuan returns, we'll go for a drink together. Tomorrow we'll go to Mount Wutai."

All morning and afternoon, Yuan Yan paced back and forth inside and outside the house, finally waiting for Lord Yuan to return from the yamen. Lord Yuan was quite surprised to see Yuan Yan and Li Bai at home and asked:

"You guys didn't go out for drinks today? That's strange."

Yuan said, "We'll wait for you to come back so we can go together. Go change your clothes, let's go."

Without saying a word, Lord Yuan immediately went inside to change into civilian clothes and came out.

The four of us went to a restaurant near our home, and Lord Yuan, Li Bai, and Yuan Yan started drinking heavily again. While drinking, Li Bai told Lord Yuan that he was going to Mount Wutai the next day. Lord Yuan, thinking about parting from his son again, was troubled and kept drinking in silence. In the end, Li Bai and Yuan Yan didn't get drunk, but Lord Yuan did.

Yuan said, "Help my father onto my back, I'll carry him home. When I was little, I always loved having my father carry me on his back while riding horses; now let me carry my father on my back."

After carrying Lord Yuan home, Yuan Yan brought water for him to wash his face and feet, acting as a truly filial son. Li Bai helped Yuan Yan throughout, until Lord Yuan lay down. Back in his room, Li Bai sighed:

"I wonder when I'll be able to wash my parents' feet again?"

"Young Master, when shall we go back to Qinglian? To see our relatives and the beautiful scenery of our hometown?" I said.

"I came out full of ambition, but I have accomplished nothing so far. I have no face to see my family and relatives back home," Li Bai said.

"Although you're not an official, your fame surpasses that of officials. What's there to be ashamed of?"

"Yuehua, it's not as easy as you say. Western Shu is my homeland that I can never return to," Li Bai sighed.

Nothing happened overnight. The next morning, the servants prepared a table full of delicious dishes, and Lord Yuan was already waiting in the dining room.

We arrived at the dining hall, and Yuan Yan saw Lord Yuan and asked, "Father, aren't you going to the yamen today?"

"No rush, I'll have breakfast with you first. How long are you going? Are you going back to Bingzhou?" Lord Yuan asked.

Yuan Yan looked at Li Bai, who said, "We plan to go to Mount Wutai, then to Yanmen Pass, and then come back to spend a few more days with you."

"Thank you for your understanding, Young Master Li. The Taihang region has not been peaceful lately, so please be careful. Travel by day and rest by night, and stay alert," Lord Yuan instructed.

"Father, don't worry, apart from Yuehua being a little thin, Brother Taibai and I know some martial arts, so there's no problem with us three," Yuan Yan said.

"Young Master Yuan, don't look down on me. I can run much faster than you. If you don't believe me, ask my young master," I argued.

Li Bai said, "You two stop joking, Lord Yuan. Don't worry, we'll be careful."

After breakfast, I led out the horses. The three of us packed our luggage, led the horses, and followed Lord Yuan toward the yamen. After seeing Lord Yuan off at the yamen gate, the three of us leaped onto our horses and galloped toward the outskirts of Bingzhou City.

When we arrived at the foot of Mount Wutai after three days of travel, both the people and the horses were exhausted.

We rode our horses to a small town at the foot of Mount Wutai. The town was bustling with people, and what was even more surprising was that there were many monks among the crowd.

"Young master, are there many monks on Mount Wutai? So many monks have come to this small town," I asked.

"Of course there are many. Mount Wutai is the foremost of the four famous Buddhist mountains in our dynasty. There are numerous temples and monks on the mountain, and many people from all over the country come to worship there," Li Bai said.

Yuan Yan said, "We've been running around for days, and it must be tiring. Let's find an inn in this small town to stay today, and have some drinks while we're at it. Once we get to Mount Wutai, it'll be hard to find a place to drink."

"Alright, let's stay in this town tonight and go up the mountain tomorrow," Li Bai said.

The three of us dismounted and led our horses along the streets of the town, searching for an inn. We asked at several inns, but they were all full. We reached the end of the town, where a thick, tall banyan tree stood in the middle of the street. Next to it was an old-fashioned restaurant, which was bustling with people at lunchtime.

We arrived at the restaurant entrance, and the innkeeper came out to greet us. He said:

"Please come in, gentlemen." After saying that, he instructed the waiter to lead our horses to the backyard.

The innkeeper led us to the second floor and found us a table right next to the window. He asked:

"What would you three like to eat?" Then he rattled off a list of dishes and prices, leaving me completely bewildered.

Yuan Yan said, "First, bring us two jugs of wine. Three or four of your restaurant's signature dishes will do, plus a soup."

I added, "The menu should include two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, not necessarily their signature dishes, but reasonably priced."

Yuan Yan said, "Brother Taibai and I don't eat vegetarian food; we need three meat dishes and one vegetable dish. You're making a fuss."

I glared at Yuan Yan and said, "The vegetarian food here might be better than the meat dishes. Didn't you see many monks eating here? If it wasn't good, they wouldn't come here."

Yuan Yan and Li Bai stood up, looked around, and said, "Let's do as this guest suggests."

The shopkeeper smiled and went downstairs. A moment later, the waiter came back carrying two jugs of wine.

Li Bai and Yuan Yan each reached out and took a pot, and started drinking before the dishes were even served.