I served as Li Bai's page.

The waiter brought the dishes to the table, and Li Bai and Yuan Yan had already drunk more than half a pot of wine.

I said, "You two, slow down your drinking. We haven't found a place to stay yet. If you get drunk, where will I take you?"

"If we get drunk, we can sleep on the benches in this restaurant for the night and save on room fees," Yuan Yan said.

"You wish! The shop owner will definitely kick you out onto the street. You'll see." Just as Yuan Yan and I were talking to each other, a monk at the next table actually got drunk and slumped onto the floor. The waiter helped him up.

The innkeeper, seeing this, said to the waiter, "Help him sit under the banyan tree for a while; he'll sober up and go back to the temple on his own."

Upon hearing this, Li Bai went over and helped the monk to his side, saying, "We'll take him with us when we leave; no need to trouble the waiter."

The innkeeper said, "This monk is Zen Master Chang from Tayuan Temple on the mountain. He's addicted to alcohol and always comes down the mountain completely drunk. He asks the innkeeper to help him sit under a banyan tree after he gets drunk, and then he'll go back to the temple after he sobers up."

Li Bai said, "So that's how it is. Can he still go up the mountain after dark? We haven't found a place to stay yet. Let's go up to Tayuan Temple with him when he wakes up."

"Alright then." The shopkeeper said and went downstairs.

Because of Zen Master Chang, Li Bai and Yuan Yan were much more restrained when drinking, and neither of them dared to get drunk.

About an hour later, the Zen master woke up and saw himself sitting next to a stranger. He said, "I'm sorry to have disturbed you." Then he stood up and was about to leave.

Li Bai quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Master, I helped you to sit here without your permission. I apologize."

The Zen master glanced at the three of us, then turned and walked out of the tavern. Li Bai quickly grabbed the wine jug and said to me, "Yuehua, go settle the bill, and bring the horse with me."

Li Bai and Yuan Yan, carrying wine jugs, chased after the Zen master. I found the innkeeper, settled the bill, and then led my horse to catch up with them.

We followed the Zen master to a small path at the end of the town. Li Bai called out, "Zen Master Chang, please wait!"

The Zen master stopped and waited until we approached him before asking, "What brings you three benefactors here?"

Li Bai said, "All the inns in the town are full. We would like to follow the Zen master to the temple to stay for the night."

"Then come with me," the Zen master said.

Li Bai stepped forward and followed behind the Zen master, introducing himself: "I am Li Bai from Western Shu. This is my friend, Yuan Yan, the son of the Prefect of Bingzhou. The one leading the horse is my page, Yuehua. Excuse me, Master."

After hearing Li Bai's introduction, the Zen master turned around and looked Li Bai up and down, saying, "You are Li Taibai, who sang and drank freely in Jinling? I have long admired your name, my apologies for not recognizing you sooner." With that, he took Li Bai's hand and walked forward together.

"Benefactor Li, to be honest, I also enjoy drinking, and every time I drink, I must get drunk before I can stop. Otherwise, it feels like a million ants are gnawing at my heart, and I feel like I can't even breathe," the Zen master said.

"People who enjoy drinking all feel this way, it's not just you, Master. My brother and I also often get drunk when we drink."

On the path leading to Tayuan Temple, Li Bai and the Zen master discussed drinking along the way. When Tayuan Temple came into view, I was amazed by its magnificent scale and the majestic grandeur of the Great White Pagoda. Surrounded by the surrounding peaks, Tayuan Temple further highlighted its status as a Buddhist holy site.

I asked Li Bai in a low voice, "Young master, I've heard that this white pagoda contains relics made by King Ashoka of India. Is that true?"

The Zen master heard this and said, "Amitabha! How could it not be true? This is the unchanging faith in the hearts of all Buddhists. Look at how many pilgrims come to this white pagoda to worship."

Following the Zen master's guidance, I looked around and saw countless pilgrims prostrating themselves on the ground along several roads leading to the White Pagoda, kneeling and bowing towards it with each step.

"Everyone has a pure land, a sacred place in their heart, and this is my sacred place. Although I like to drink and often get drunk, my devotion to Buddha cannot be replaced by drinking," the Zen master said.

Listening to the Zen master's words, Li Bai seemed to be deep in thought. He said to the Zen master, "Thank you, Master. Your words are truly enlightening, making me realize the truth. Throughout my life, I have sought to serve my country with utmost loyalty, but whenever I encountered setbacks, I felt a desire to retreat. This shows my lack of resolve. Today, after listening to your words, Master, I have gained much insight."

The Zen master said, "One flower, one world; one tree, one Bodhi. I hope Benefactor Li's wish is fulfilled and all your desires come true. Come, I will lead you into the temple through the back door."

I led the horse, with Li Bai and Yuan Yan walking on either side of the Zen master, listening attentively to his teachings. As we arrived at the back gate of Tayuan Temple, a young monk emerged and, seeing Zen Master Chang, said, "Uncle-Master, I was just about to look for you. Master is waiting for you in the Sutra Repository."

"What brings you here, senior brother? Xiao Zhi, these three are guests who have come to our temple for the night. Please take them to their rooms." After saying this, the Zen master walked deeper into the temple.

The three of us followed Xiaozhi to the guest rooms outside Tayuan Temple. There were more than a dozen rooms lined up in a row. In front of them was a simple stable made of bamboo from the mountains, and there were already several horses inside. Xiaozhi told me to tie the horses in the stable, and then led the three of us to a guest room. The guest room wasn't big; a single bed could sleep four people. Xiaozhi said:

"Please stay in this room, gentlemen. You've come at the right time; any later and there might not have been any rooms left."

"Master Xiaozhi, are your guest rooms always full?" I asked.

"Of course, our temple receives so many guests every day that sometimes people even sleep on the floor in the guest rooms."

The three of us went into the guest room, put our luggage away, and finally we had a place to stay for the night.

"Please make yourselves at home, gentlemen. There will be vegetarian food in the dining hall around six o'clock. Please be there on time," Xiao Zhi said.

"Thank you, little master. You can go about your business now," Li Bai said.

After Xiaozhi left, Yuan Yan said, "It's still early. Let's go out for a stroll and burn some incense."

The three of us arrived at the main hall of Tayuan Temple and saw that there was still a steady stream of pilgrims burning incense. The incense burners in front of the temple were filled with smoke, and devout men and women knelt on prayer cushions, kowtowing and bowing. The monks chanted hymns and struck wooden fish, praying that everyone's wishes would be fulfilled.

In this sacred place, the three of us dared not laugh or make a sound. Each of us took three sticks of incense, knelt down on the prayer mats, and after kowtowing, we looked up and saw Zen Master Chang gently tapping the wooden fish and chanting a hymn for us.

After the Zen master finished chanting, he said to us, "Rise, you three benefactors! The Buddha knows your sincerity, and the Buddha will be with you."

"Thank you, Master," the three of us said in unison.