I served as Li Bai's page.

We returned to the inn from Wu Zhinan's tomb at noon. Steward Song instructed Xiao Lin to bring lunch to the room. We thought Li Bai and Fan Lun would have a drink, but Li Bai was still immersed in grief and had no interest in it, so everyone quickly finished their meal and went to rest.

Li Bai and I returned to our room. I urged Li Bai to go to bed and rest for a while, but Li Bai stood by the window, holding the jade rabbit pendant, unwilling to put it down for a long time.

I was worried that Li Bai would fall into endless sorrow again, so I went to his side and said, "Young master, think about the embroidered pavilion you promised Yueyuan. You must pull yourself together no matter what."

"Yuehua, do you know the pain I felt when I lost Xiaofeng? This time I lost my sister too. Yueyuan and Zhinan were childhood sweethearts, inseparable since they were little. Yueyuan loved Zhinan so much. Now that Zhinan is gone, Yueyuan will be heartbroken when she finds out," Li Bai said expressionlessly.

"It's come to this now, Yueyuan won't blame you. You didn't inflict Young Master Wu's illness on him. Don't overthink it," I said.

As we were talking, Van Lun walked over.

"Brother Taibai, please accept our condolences. Our words are merely superficial words of comfort; the most important thing is that you truly pull yourself together from the bottom of your heart."

"Thank you, Brother Fan. Life is unpredictable, but I will adjust myself," Li Bai replied.

The three of us chatted for a while longer, then Butler Song came over and said, "Young masters, shall we set off for Mount Lu tomorrow?"

Li Bai said, "Alright, we'll set off first thing tomorrow morning. Yuehua, you and Uncle Song go and get ready!"

"Young Master Fan, please stay with our young master for a while. Uncle Song and I will go prepare supplies for the journey." I was still worried about Li Bai and hoped that Fan Lun could reassure him.

"Go ahead, I'll take care of things," Van Lun said.

Uncle Song and I arrived at the inn's lobby. I said, "Uncle Song, go check the carriages and horses. I'll go to town to buy some supplies and food."

"Alright then, hurry back," Uncle Song said.

I walked alone on the streets of Yueyang, my heart filled with complex emotions. When I left Longxi Academy, I promised Yueyuan to take good care of Wu Zhinan, but now I had left him here on Dongting Lake. Tomorrow we will also be leaving, and when we return, perhaps his remains will be gone. The more I thought about it, the more I felt I couldn't explain it to Yueyuan, and tears streamed down my face. But thinking that I couldn't let Li Bai sink into despair, that I had to pull him out of the shadows, I forced myself to cheer up. I bought some food for the journey and carried my bags towards the inn.

Xiaolin saw me from afar and ran over to take the things from my hands.

"Brother Lin, we're leaving tomorrow for Lushan. Thank you and your family for taking care of us and helping us all these past few days," I said.

"It's not easy being away from home, so don't be shy," Xiao Lin said.

I took a poem written by Li Bai out of my backpack and handed it to Xiao Lin: "This is a poem written by our young master. Keep it safe; it will be very valuable later."

"Thank you! I was just looking for a poem by Li Bai." Xiaolin excitedly took it and put it in her underwear.

The next morning, after breakfast, Uncle Lin and I loaded our luggage and some food onto the carriage. Just as we were about to go to the counter to pay, we saw Fan Lun and Li Bai standing there. I quickly ran over.

"Gentlemen, please go to the carriage. I'll settle the bill," I said.

"Young Master Fan has already paid, I have no money on me," Li Bai said.

I took out the silver note to give to Fan Lun, but Fan Lun refused to accept it no matter what.

I handed a few bills to Li Bai and said, "Take these and keep them with you. If you get separated from them, you'll be penniless."

"You're not allowed to think like that. I don't want to. You have to think about me all the time." Li Bai angrily shook off Fan Lun and pulled him toward the carriage.

The three of us sat in the carriage, which Steward Song drove towards Mount Lu. Although it was June and the sun was blazing, the wind was quite strong as the carriage moved, but the three of us didn't feel hot at all.

Li Bai and Fan Lun each held a book, occasionally exchanging their thoughts, reading and enjoying the scenery along the way, chatting quite happily. I, however, couldn't stay awake and fell asleep leaning against the carriage.

"Yuehua, wake up, you've been sleeping for two hours. Go and relieve Uncle Song," Li Bai said, shaking me awake.

I stuck my head out and called to Uncle Song, who stopped the car. I got out of the car and said, "Uncle Song, you sit inside, I'll drive. We can take turns."

"Do you know how to drive? I'll drive," Uncle Song said.

"Uncle Song, don't underestimate me! I can ride horses, drive carriages, and row boats. If you don't believe me, get off and I'll show you."

Uncle Song shifted his position and sat down in the seat next to me, while I sat in the driver's seat. With a "Giddy up," I started the horse running.

The carriage sped along, and at noon we arrived at a village. We rested briefly, had lunch, and continued our journey. As the sun was about to set, we reached Kangwang Valley on the southwestern slope of Mount Lu.

In June, Kangwang Valley is covered with wildflowers, with verdant mountains and lush greenery. The temperature differs between the inside and outside of the valley. As we drove our horse-drawn carriage into this long and narrow canyon, a mountain breeze blew by, making it cool and refreshing like spring.

The four of us got off the carriage, and Uncle Song led the horse behind us.

"Young master, is this Tao Yuanming's Peach Blossom Spring? It's so beautiful," I asked Li Bai.

"Tao Yuanming spent his life relying on Mount Lu, writing countless essays and poems praising rural life, pioneering the landscape and pastoral school of poetry, something our generation cannot match," Li Bai said.

Fan Lun said, "Tao Qian broke free from the constraints of worldly pursuits of official rank and returned to the embrace of nature. Using the beautiful natural scenery and comfortable living environment of Kangwang Valley as a model, he created an ideal society—one that we all yearn for."

As we walked and talked, we were full of praise for the beauty of our surroundings. At that time, Kangwang Valley had very few traces of human intervention; everything came from nature.

When our group arrived at Gulian Spring, the sun was setting, and the afterglow of the sunlight shone on the curtain of water flowing down from Hanyang Peak, making it shimmer with a golden light.

As time passed, the sky over the canyon grew darker and darker. Uncle Song led us to a farmhouse courtyard next to the Valley Curtain Spring. Uncle Song went up and knocked on the door. A young man stood in front of the door.

"Fellow villager, could we stay the night? We missed the time and didn't make it to the inn," Uncle Song said.

The young man came out of the room and said, "My humble abode is simple, I'm sorry to trouble you." As he spoke, he made way for us and invited us inside to rest.

Uncle Song led Li Bai and Fan Lun into the house, where they could be heard exchanging polite greetings with a woman.

I went to the carriage and unloaded the horse. I asked the young man, "Brother, I'd like the horse to drink some water; is this spring water alright?"

"Sure, this is a mountain spring flowing down from Hanyang Peak. This is the water we drink. Just lead your horse to the stream to drink."

I led my horse to a small stream flowing from Gulian Spring, tied it to a nearby tree, and let it drink from the stream. I sat on a large rock nearby, gazing at the peach blossom garden shrouded in twilight, and marveled at why Tao Yuanming could write such beautiful poems—it was because of such a beautiful environment.