I served as Li Bai's page.

As soon as Magistrate Li entered the courtyard, he shouted loudly into the house, "Father, Mother, look who's here!"

As Magistrate Li called out, his father and mother, along with a middle-aged woman and two boys, came out.

Li Bai quickly stepped forward, knelt before the two elderly people, and said, "Your twelfth son greets your fourth uncle and fourth aunt."

Fourth Uncle bent down and helped Li Bai up, and together with Fourth Aunt, they looked Li Bai up and down, left and right, thoroughly.

"It really is my Twelve. It's been over twenty years since I last saw you. You've matured a lot," Uncle Si said.

Li Bai pulled Xu Ziyan and the two children over, and greeted his fourth uncle and aunt, as well as the wife and son of Magistrate Li. The four children felt no awkwardness and immediately started playing together.

We followed our fourth uncle and aunt into the living room and sat down. Our fourth uncle asked, "Twelve, you've been traveling all these years, so you probably haven't seen your father much. Last Spring Festival, when your father returned to Western Sichuan, he came to visit me briefly, saying he wanted to resign from his position as county magistrate and wouldn't be coming back. I even tried to persuade him against it then. He really didn't come to Rencheng this year, but you did."

"I didn't know my father had resigned from his official post. I thought that coming to Rencheng would allow me to fulfill my filial duties, but I never expected that he would be gone. I am truly unfilial," Li Bai said.

"How can you blame yourself? You can go home to visit them again when you have the chance," Aunt Si said.

Fourth Uncle said, "Tell us if you encounter any difficulties after you arrive in Rencheng, and we will help you. Sixth Brother is with you; if you have any worries, talk to him and let him give you advice. Although you are already a famous poet, you still need to find a better job to support your family."

"Fourth Uncle, I know all this. I also hope to be valued by the imperial court, and I will work hard."

Fourth Aunt said, "Twelve, you are very intelligent. Don't take Fourth Uncle's words to heart. Live your life however you like and don't make yourself suffer."

While everyone was chatting, the servants of the Li family had already prepared the meal.

Magistrate Li said, "Let's talk after we finish eating. The Twelve Families aren't in a hurry to leave. Since you're in Wenshang, you should stay a few more days."

Li Bai drank with his fourth uncle and Magistrate Li until very late. Xu Ziyan, along with Pingyang, Boqin, and Sister Lin, went to bed early at the arrangement of Magistrate Li's wife. I stayed in the restaurant to watch over the three of them. Perhaps because his fourth uncle had mentioned seeking officialdom, Li Bai got himself drunk. His fourth aunt walked into the restaurant and, seeing this, said to me:

"Yuehua, help your young master come with me."

"It seems that Fourth Master and Eighth Young Master are also drunk," I said.

"Someone will take care of them soon, let's go."

I helped Li Bai and followed my fourth aunt to the guest room.

"You two, master and servant, can rest here. I've prepared a kettle and teacups for you. If you need anything else, just let me know. Master and I will stay in the room opposite yours," said Fourth Aunt.

"Thank you, Madam. You don't need anything else. Please go and rest," I said.

After I helped Li Bai into bed, I sat down in the chair next to him and fell asleep.

"Yuehua, why don't you go to bed?" I was shaken awake by Li Bai and saw him standing in front of me wearing a robe.

"Young Master, are you awake? What time is it?" I asked.

"It's almost dawn, I'm going to practice my sword, you go to bed."

"I'm not going to sleep, I'll keep you company while you practice your sword."

Li Bai and I left the guest room and went to the back garden of the Li residence. The magistrate of Wenshang County was already practicing swordsmanship there. Seeing Li Bai, he greeted him:

"Twelfth Brother, do you also like morning exercise?"

"Myna, this is the only good habit I've developed over the years. If I don't get up early one day, I feel uncomfortable all day."

"I have the same habit, rain or shine. Come on, let's practice together."

The two men wielded their swords, exchanging blows earnestly. Seeing that there was nothing for me to do, I started practicing Tai Chi on the side. Just as I finished a set of Tai Chi and was about to rest, a sword suddenly slashed across my face. Instinctively, I twisted my waist and stepped back, using the agility of Tai Chi to strike the sword-wielding hand with force. The sword clattered to the ground.

"Yuehua, I didn't expect you to know martial arts as well," said Magistrate Li.

As soon as I realized I had knocked Magistrate Li's sword away, I quickly apologized: "Eighth Young Master, I'm so sorry, I knocked your sword down."

"I was just testing you. Twelve's swordsmanship wasn't considered good in our Li family before, but he's improved a lot in recent years and can now rival me. As his follower, you should be quite skilled yourself."

"Eighth Young Master, what I practice can hardly be called martial arts; it's just for improving my health."

"Brother Ba, Yuehua has accompanied me on my travels over the years, so he's quite capable of protecting himself. I'm bringing him along this time when I come to Donglu to learn swordsmanship," Li Bai said.

"Young master, that won't do. If you take me with you, General Pei Min might not accept you," I said.

"General Pei is the foremost swordsman in our dynasty. It won't be easy for him to accept you as his disciple. I've heard he has a junior sister, Abbess Baiyun of Baiyun Temple on Shimen Mountain, who is also an exceptionally skilled swordsman. Twelfth Brother, you can first go to Baiyun Temple to learn swordsmanship from Abbess Baiyun, and then ask her to introduce you to her senior brother, General Pei."

"Mynah's idea is good. I'll go to Shimen Mountain when I get back."

The words of the magistrate of Wenshang County stirred Li Bai's blood again. He drew his sword and practiced it with great skill. At this moment, the magistrate's wife came to the back garden to call us to have breakfast. We followed her to the dining room, and after washing up, we sat down to eat breakfast.

After breakfast, the magistrate of Wenshang County went to the government office.

Fourth Uncle said, "Twelve, let's go to Baoxiang Temple to burn incense together today."

"Alright, it's been many years since I've been there. This premier Taoist temple in the East has probably changed quite a bit," Li Bai said.

My fourth uncle and aunt, along with the county magistrate's wife and two grandsons, rode with us in a carriage towards Baoxiang Temple.

We arrived at the gate of Baoxiang Temple, got off the carriage, and my fourth uncle led us into the temple. At first, the four children chatted and laughed, but as soon as they saw the solemn and mysterious atmosphere of Baoxiang Temple, they all fell silent.

Perhaps because my fourth uncle and aunt often came, as soon as we entered, a monk came over and led us to the incense altar. Each of us held three sticks of incense, knelt down, and then inserted them into the incense burner.

"Uncle, can any wish I make come true?" Pingyang asked me in a low voice.

I didn't dare answer her directly, and whispered a warning to her: "You can't talk when you make a wish."

Pingyang immediately shut up and followed everyone to the next place to kneel and make a wish.

After we finished our visit to Baoxiang Temple, everyone felt a great sense of relief as we walked out of the temple, especially the four children.

Pingyang ran up to me, grabbed my arm, and said, "Uncle, you still haven't answered me! Will all my wishes come true?"

I pointed at Li Bai and said, "Your father is very learned; he can answer you."

Pingyang turned to look at Li Bai, but Li Bai turned his head away. Xu Ziyan pulled Pingyang aside and said, "Come, daughter, let me answer you. The wishes we made before the Bodhisattva are our beautiful wishes. Whether they come true or not, as long as we strive in that direction, that's enough."

Fourth Uncle clapped his hands and said, "My niece-in-law is right. No matter how wonderful our wishes are, without effort, even the Bodhisattva can't help us."

Pingyang gave a vague "Oh" in response.