I served as Li Bai's page.

Just as I was deep in thought, Li Bai and Fan Lun came out.

"Yuehua, it's getting dark. Why haven't you brought the horse back yet? What are you thinking about?" Li Bai asked.

"Young master, Peach Blossom Spring is so beautiful. Not only is the writing beautiful, but the environment is even more beautiful. If you were to write about it, could you capture its essence?" I said.

"I can't write it, and I wouldn't dare to show off my limited skills before an expert. My poetic style is different from Tao Yuanming's," Li Bai said frankly.

Just then, Uncle Song came out and called out, "Come back for dinner."

I led the horse back to the farmhouse and took it to the stable.

After dinner, we took our stools to the Gulian Spring to cool off. Exhausted from the journey, we only sat for a short while before going back inside to sleep.

When I woke up the next day, I went outside and saw Li Bai practicing his sword under the Gulian Spring. The cascading waterfall accentuated Li Bai's elegant and unrestrained figure—what a beautiful scene! I took out my sword and joined in.

Fan Lun, standing to the side, said, "I never imagined that you two, master and servant, possessed such exquisite swordsmanship. You could easily roam the world with your swords."

"Brother Fan, you flatter us. We practice swordsmanship simply to improve our health," Li Bai replied.

"People only know that Young Master Li is skilled in poetry and prose, but who knew that your martial arts are so good?" At some point, Uncle Song arrived by the spring, also holding a sword in his hand.

Fan Lun said, "Uncle Song, you are also skilled in martial arts. Why don't you have a match with Brother Taibai?"

Uncle Song stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to Li Bai, and said, "Young Master Li, I am honored to have your guidance." He then assumed a fighting stance and began to spar with Li Bai.

To be honest, having followed Li Bai for so long, aside from seeing him draw his sword and dance for entertainment, I've never seen him confront anyone. I couldn't help but feel a little worried for him.

Uncle Song and Li Bai had already exchanged dozens of blows, and Li Bai hadn't lost, which surprised me. But I knew Li Bai was no ordinary martial artist, so I walked over to Fan Lun and said, "Young Master Fan, tell them to stop fighting. Let's save face for my young master."

Fan Lun looked at me and smiled, saying, "You really know how to think of your young master." Then he beckoned to Uncle Song, saying, "Uncle Song, stop competing. He's just a scholar; it's already quite remarkable that he could last a few dozen rounds against you."

Song Shu and Li Bai each took a step back and sheathed their swords.

Uncle Song exclaimed, "Young Master Li's martial arts are truly remarkable."

Li Bai humbly replied, "I am grateful for Uncle Song's leniency; I will have the opportunity to learn from you again another day."

I tugged at Li Bai's sleeve and whispered, "Uncle Song is a true martial arts master, his skills are extremely high. Didn't you see how confident he is when he speaks and how powerfully he walks?"

Li Bai, Fan Lun, and Uncle Song burst into laughter when they saw my appearance.

After bidding farewell to the family, we traveled by carriage to the tomb of Tao Yuanming. With reverence, we paid our respects to this great poet of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Li Bai paced before the tomb and recited Tao Yuanming's poem "Drinking Wine."

Settled in the human world, without chaos.

Ask Jun Henenger? My heart is far away.

Plucking chrysanthemum under the east fence, you can see Nanshan leisurely.

The mountains are getting better day by day, and the birds are returning.

There is a real meaning in this, and I have forgotten to discern it.

After reciting the poem, Li Bai faced the tomb and asked, "Old Tao, why can't I do the same?"

Fan Lun continued, "Everyone has Tao Yuanming's ideals, but no one has his will."

The four of us bid farewell to Peach Blossom Garden and continued northward. The grandeur, wonder, danger, and beauty of Mount Lu flashed before our eyes; sometimes we walked through the mist, sometimes we strolled among the clouds.

The fog on Mount Lushan comes and goes in an instant, changing rapidly. As you walk uphill from the foot of the mountain, the summit appears shrouded in fog, but when you reach the halfway point, you realize that the fog you saw below was actually just clouds at the mountainside. Continuing upward, the clouds seem to be beneath your feet, and the distant and near mountain peaks appear and disappear in the mist.

When we arrived at Xianglu Mountain in the northwest, it was noon. Xianglu Mountain stood before us like an incense burner, and on the peaks in front of Xianglu Mountain, several waterfalls cascaded down, like white chains of the Milky Way falling.

Amazed by the wonders of nature, Li Bai spontaneously composed the following lines: "Sunlight shines on Incense Burner Peak, creating purple smoke; From afar, the waterfall hangs like a curtain before the river. It plunges straight down three thousand feet, as if the Milky Way were falling from the ninth heaven."

Fan Lun and Uncle Song both clapped and cheered. I took out paper and pen and wrote it down.

I said to Li Bai, "Young master, please give this poem a title."

Li Bai looked around at the peaks of Mount Lu and said, "Let's call it 'Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu'."

I wrote "Looking at the Lushan Waterfall" before this poem. The Lushan Waterfall became famous throughout the world because of this poem.

We stayed at Xianglu Peak until dark, and then spent the night at a farmer's house in the mountains.

After staying in Lushan for a few days, it was already early July. At Song Shu's urging, Fan Lun had to rush home to prepare for the autumn imperial examinations. We had no choice but to leave Lushan and come to Xunyang City.

We found an inn in Xunyang City and rested for a day. Fan Lun and Uncle Song were going back to Nanyang, while Li Bai and I decided to take a boat to Jinling.

After watching Fan Lun and Uncle Song get into their carriage and drive away on the streets of Xunyang, Li Bai and I headed towards Xunyang Wharf.

Upon arriving at Xunyang Wharf, Li Bai asked me to rent a boat to Jinling. However, I saw a large cargo ship about to depart from the wharf, so I boarded the ship and asked, "Master, may I ask where this ship is going?"

The helmsman, who was hoisting the sails, heard my question and replied, "We're going to Jinling. Young man, would you like a ride?"

"Yes, Master, can you give us a ride?" I said.

"No problem, come on up, there's plenty of room on the boat," the driver said.

I disembarked, picked up my luggage, called Li Bai, and walked towards the cargo ship.

"Master, how long will it take us to get to Jinling?" Li Bai asked.

"It will take at least a week. Do you have something urgent?"

"No, we were just asking," I said.

Li Bai and I went into the cabin and found a place to sit down. Li Bai took out a book and started reading.

Around noon, the workers took out the prepared dry rations and shared some with us. We ate them heartily with the settled river water.

"Master, don't you cook on the boat?" I asked.

"We don't cook during the day; we only cook at night after the boat docks. What's wrong? Can't get used to dry rations?"

When Li Bai heard his master ask this, he casually picked up some dry rations and started eating, saying as he ate, "If you're used to it, we'll eat whatever you eat."

I looked at the dry rations from all sides, broke them into pieces, and stuffed them into my mouth.

Li Bai looked at me, smiled, shook his head, and said, "A life of simple meals and coarse tea is the most fulfilling life."

"Young master, but I really can't swallow it. There's not even a cup of hot water on the ship." I was a little angry. I should have known better than to take the cargo ship.

"This is the real life of the working people. You'll have your share of hardship if you follow me. I'll let you experience it for yourself first," Li Bai said half-jokingly.

I turned around, swallowed my dry rations, and looked at the rolling river flowing eastward, thinking to myself: Could Li Bai really have been able to foresee the hardships of his future life journey?