I served as Li Bai's page.

The next morning, after breakfast, we continued our journey towards Yanmen Pass on horseback. When we arrived at Yanmen Pass, it was already afternoon. Looking at Yanmen Pass from afar, the mountains on the east and west sides were steep and rugged, with protruding rocks. A winding and rugged road led directly to the pass, and there were only a few pedestrians and caravans on the road, struggling to walk uphill.

The three of us dismounted, led our horses, and followed the caravan uphill. When we arrived at the gate of Yanmen Pass, we touched the thick city wall and couldn't help but marvel at how much hardship the soldiers guarding the border had to endure to build such a high wall, and how much effort they had to put in to defend it.

The three of us crossed the city wall and arrived at the Yanmen Pass post station. After renting rooms, putting down our luggage, and tying our horses, Li Bai led Yuan Yan and me to the Iron Gate, the highest point of Yanmen Pass. This place has always been a strategic location fought over by military strategists, and a vital passage for nomadic tribes from beyond the Great Wall to enter the interior. Throughout history, soldiers of countless dynasties have fought bloody battles here to resist foreign invasions. It was also an important distribution center on the Silk Road, through which goods and even culture from within the Great Wall flowed to the border regions.

Li Bai led us eastward along the Great Wall at Yanmen Pass.

I asked, "Young Master, where will we arrive if we continue walking like this?"

Yuan Yan said, "Going past here leads to Pingxingguan and Daomaguan, directly reaching Youyan and connecting to the vast sea."

"Each pass was guarded by soldiers stationed on the frontier, and beacon towers were built there. Once the enemy attacked, the beacon towers would be lit, and the soldiers on the frontier would see them and rush to their aid to defend against the enemy," Li Bai added.

The three of us hadn't even reached Pingxingguan when it started to get dark. Even though we were just walking on the city wall, a sense of fear still lingered in my heart.

"Let's go back; there's no one left to see on the city walls," I said.

Yuan Yan said, "Who knows how many souls wander here, how many bones of those who died in battle are buried here? Let's go back, it's getting dark, it'll be even more eerie and terrifying."

Yuan Yan's words sent chills down my spine. I gripped Li Bai's hand tightly and said, "Young Master, you can only walk behind me."

Yuan Yan deliberately let out a loud shout and ran forward, startling me so much that I shook off Li Bai's hand and ran after him, quickly leaving him behind. I sprinted back to the Iron Gate of Yanmen Pass. It was completely dark, and the soldiers guarding the gate had lit lanterns. I stood in the lantern's light, gazing at the dark Great Wall. Yuan Yan and Li Bai, however, had not returned.

The soldier guarding the pass said to me, "Hurry down the mountain; it's not safe to go down now, wolves often roam this area."

"But two other people who came out with me haven't returned," I said.

"Please be careful when you visit here. It's dark now, and you can't see your hand in front of your face on the Great Wall. Which direction are they heading? Let's go and meet them," said the soldier guarding the pass.

"They were heading east and are on their way back; I just ran fast."

The soldier carried a lantern and followed me eastward. We walked for quite a while before finally seeing Li Bai and Yuan Yan strolling leisurely.

The guards sternly said, "Gentlemen, please hurry up. It's not safe on the Great Wall after dark."

Li Bai quickly cupped his hands in a fist and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, sir. Let's hurry on our way." Then he pulled me along and walked forward hastily.

Back at the iron gate, a soldier brought out a lantern from inside, lit it, and handed it to me, saying, "Young man, take this lantern and bring it up to me tomorrow during the day."

I took the lantern, feeling immense gratitude towards the guard, and said, "Thank you, sir. You are the person we respect most."

After parting ways with the soldiers, I carried the lantern and walked with Li Bai and Yuan Yan towards the Yanmen Pass inn. In the darkness of the desert, the howls of wolves echoed intermittently. I held Li Bai's hand tightly until we reached the inn at the foot of the mountain.

In front of the inn, merchants heading out of the pass and entering the country were singing and dancing around a bonfire, creating a lively atmosphere. A merchant who specialized in selling wine, seeing the merriment, went to his room and brought out a case of wine, saying, "We've all come together here with great difficulty; how can we truly enjoy ourselves with just singing and dancing without wine? Come and try some rice wine from my hometown. It's brewed from rice grown along the banks of the Fen River; it's fragrant, sweet, and delicious. I'll sell it to you at cost price, saving me the trouble of making a trip to the border." As he spoke, he took out a small bottle and unscrewed the cap. Just as he had said, the aroma of the wine wafted out. Almost all the dancing men stopped and stared at the merchant.

Li Bai smelled the aroma of wine, walked straight over, took out a flask of wine from the box, and drank with Yuan Yan. The others asked Li Bai:

"Is it good? How does it taste?"

"It tastes good, just as he said, sweet and delicious," Li Bai replied.

Upon hearing that the wine was excellent and reasonably priced, the others rushed to buy it, and in no time, the wine merchant had sold out. Yuan Yan scolded Li Bai for only getting one jug.

After we returned to our room, Yuan Yan was drinking and muttering to himself when there was a knock at the door. I went to open it, and the merchant who had sold us the liquor was standing there.

"I'm here to thank you. If it weren't for your help in promoting my wine, it wouldn't have sold so quickly. I have another case here, you can have it."

Li Bai took the box and said, "How can this be? We'll buy it for you, whatever the price is. Yuehua, bring the money."

I lingered at the door and said to the merchant, "Thank you for leaving a case of wine. My family and I were regretting not buying some. Now that the wine is sold out, you don't need to go to the border, saving you a lot of money. You'll get a good deal by giving us this case."

"Of course, this case of wine was originally a gift for you. I can tell that your two young masters are also wine lovers," the merchant said.

"You have a good eye, thank you, you can go back now," I said.

After the merchant left, Li Bai asked me, "Are you out of money?"

"We have to be careful with our money, or we won't have enough to get back to Anlu," I said.

Yuan Yan walked over, took out several silver notes from his sleeve, placed them in my hand, and said, "Keep these silver notes with you. I'll cover all your expenses for the rest of the journey. You don't need to take out any more money."

"Thank you, Young Master Yuan."

We stayed at Yanmen Pass for several days, traveling all over the area inside and outside the pass. It was time to head home. That day, just as I got up, Li Bai told me to pack my luggage. I asked:

"Young Master, are you leaving? Back to Anlu, or back to Bingzhou?"

"Let's go to Bingzhou first. We'll say goodbye to Lord Tongyuan and then return to Anlu," Li Bai said.

The three of us led our horses down from Yanmen Pass. Looking back at the pass, it seemed as if we could see Wang Zhaojun leaving for the border and General Li Guang guarding the frontier. I suddenly recalled two lines of poetry by Wang Wei: "I urge you to drink another cup of wine, for beyond Yangguan there will be no old friends." Although not written about this place, they expressed the helplessness of parting.