I served as Li Bai's page.

When Li Bai walked out the gate with his sword, I followed him.

By the pool, Li Bai's sword danced up and down, swift and powerful, practicing one set of sword techniques before moving on to another.

I sat in the pavilion for a while, but found it rather dull. Suddenly, I remembered the Tai Chi I had learned before, so I stood up, assumed a horse stance, and began practicing, releasing and retracting my wrists. Exhaling and inhaling, in the clean, quiet air of Qingcheng Mountain at dawn, I felt incredibly refreshed, and the more I practiced, the more energetic I became.

"I didn't realize you knew Tai Chi." I hadn't even noticed when Li Bai appeared beside me.

"You flatter me, young master. I only know a little bit."

"Alright, you'll come practice with me every morning. Let's stop here for today. Let's go home."

Zi Yi hadn't gotten up yet.

Li Bai went into his study, picked up the Book of Songs, and began to read it aloud earnestly. I went into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

As I laid out a sumptuous breakfast on the table, Ziyi got up as well.

I pulled the woman in purple aside and whispered, "Why does Master call Young Master Twelve?"

"Young Master is the twelfth among his brothers in his family, so many people call him Twelfth, especially the elders," said the man in purple.

"Oh, I see." I said thoughtfully.

After the meal, Li Bai said, "Today I'll take you to visit my master." He then handed me a brocade bag embroidered with exquisite landscape patterns. Inside were paper, a brush, ink, and an inkstone. I admired it carefully, thinking, "Is he going to write wherever he goes? No wonder he has thousands of poems in his collection."

The three of us walked around the pool to the west and headed east toward the cave. Unidentified wildflowers bloomed on both sides of the path, and clumps of arrow bamboo swayed in the wind.

As they approached Dongyan Cave, Zhao Feng's excited voice echoed from the pavilion.

"Senior Brother"

"Moonlight"

"Purple Robe"

Then Zhao Feng spun around like a gust of wind and appeared in front of Li Bai, took his hand and led him into the cave.

Purple Robe and I followed closely behind.

This cave is roughly similar in layout to Qinglian Cave, with the words "Dongyan Cave" carved on the ceiling in the very center. However, it is much larger than Qinglian Cave, almost twice its size. In front of the cave are many temple-style buildings, exquisitely crafted with carved beams and painted rafters, and upturned eaves. Behind the cave is a large open space, filled with swords, spears, and halberds, used for martial arts practice. Next to this open space is a house, from which the sounds of scholars arguing can be heard. Li Bai joined them.

"In today's society, the only way for us to contribute to the country is through studying, taking the imperial examinations, and passing them. There is no other way," one person said.

Another person immediately retorted: "Does not passing the imperial examinations preclude one from achieving great things and contributing to the country? Liu Bang did not have the talent of his younger brother, yet he still established the Han Dynasty..."

The students' arguments were giving me a headache. I grabbed Ziyi and walked out. Just then, we ran into Zhao Rui, the Dongyanzi, coming in from the main hall.

"Master!" Ziyi and I called out in unison.

"Since you're here, don't leave. Come in and listen to the lesson."

Ziyi and I had no choice but to go inside.

This was a spacious and bright church. The lectern in the center was piled high with books, and a ruler lay beside it. Several scholars, their heads wrapped in turbans, sat below. Li Bai sat at the very front, next to the lectern, with Zhao Feng sitting close beside him. Zi Yi and I found seats in the last row.

"Today we will study Zhuangzi's 'Free and Easy Wandering' and appreciate the concise writing and broad thinking of our predecessors." After saying this, Zhao Rui began to read aloud, swaying his head. As he read, he explained, combining it with the strategies of diplomacy that he admired, making his arguments logical, well-founded, and very thorough.

Zi Yi found it all rather boring and, not daring to go out, could only lie down on the table and fall asleep.

When Zhao Rui finished reciting "Free and Easy Wandering," I truly understood why he became an outstanding strategist in the Tang Dynasty.

Li Bai and Zhao Rui were discussing the issue at length, while Zhao Feng muttered angrily beside them. I shook Zi Yi awake and went over to them.

"Master, shall we go for a walk?"

"Okay, I'll show you around."

Zhao Feng reluctantly led me and Ziyi to the cave entrance. In front of us was an open space, surrounded by various types of bamboo, including spotted bamboo, asparagus fern, and arrow bamboo, some tall and straight, others winding and rugged, each with its own unique shape.

Hidden in this sea of ​​bamboo, Dongyan Cave is full of ethereal beauty, truly a rare and blessed place.

We strolled through the bamboo forest, breathing in the fresh air of nature, and enjoying the sight of Zhao Feng's fellow disciples practicing martial arts in the woods.

"Xiao Feng, your master wants you to return to the Jade Maiden Cave tomorrow," a Taoist nun called out to Zhao Feng as she walked from the west.

"Okay, I'll go back tomorrow. Senior sister, won't you come and walk around with us?"

"No, I'm going back. Master told me to come and call you specifically, remember?"

After saying that, the Taoist nun quickly walked back.

Just then, Li Bai and Zhao Rui came out from inside.

Zhao Rui asked, "Who is it?"

"My senior sister, Yuqing, told me to return to the Jade Maiden Cave tomorrow."

"You should have gone back to your master a long time ago. All you do all day is play."

"Father, I miss you. I will work hard to practice martial arts," Zhao Feng said coquettishly.

Li Bai gazed at Zhao Feng, his eyes filled with tenderness and reluctance. He admonished her, "You must do your best in your training, but don't overexert yourself. Nothing is achieved overnight; you must proceed step by step to reach greater heights."

"Understood, Senior Brother," Zhao Feng replied as she ran to Li Bai's side, grabbed his hand, and headed deeper into the bamboo forest. "Ziyi, Yuehua, hurry up. We're going on horseback."

Zhao Rui called out worriedly from behind, "Be careful, don't fall!"

We spent the day studying with Li Bai at Dongyan Cave, and returned to Qinglian Cave in the evening. Li Bai drank a couple of extra cups at dinner and was already a little tipsy. Ziyi was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as she got back. After helping Li Bai wash up and get into bed, I also went to my room to rest.