"Taihe Mountain Record (Excerpt)

... I was born at the foot of the Ginseng Mountain and in the margin of the Canglang River. Looking through the old books and Chronicles, there are many deficiencies. For instance, they merely talk about rules and human affairs, while the landscape is somewhat lacking. Mountains are the backbone of the earth and water is the liquid of the earth. There are profound truths within them. How great are mountains! Taihe Mountain is over a hundred li away from Canglang. It stretches thin and wide, with a circumference of eight hundred li and seventy-two peaks as its intersections. The most prominent peak among them is called Tianzhu, followed by Zixiao and Nanyan. The beauty of all peaks cannot be fully recorded. Only the most extraordinary ones can be described, while the scenic spots of other peaks can be similar. Where there are peaks, there are gullies, cliffs, ridges, caves, Bridges and plains. The scenic spots are beyond description. Only the most extraordinary ones are mentioned, and the beauty and uniqueness of the scenery can be described. The height of one's ascent does not lie in the moment of looking up at the scene, but in the moment of being filled with indignation at the beginning. Fifty li from Caodian, the surrounding road is paved with arrows, the mountain terrain is flat, and various nunneries and factories can be seen here one after another. After several miles, you will reach the Immortal Temple. People call it "entering the mountain gate". The exit is rather narrow, like Wuling, where the first step is filled with lush greenery. After six or seven li, there are two Bridges, the east and the west. With a slight turn, the steep slopes and lofty peaks rise abruptly above the human face, terrifying and shocking, making one dare not look at them in the eyes of the human world. Here, for reference, there are two routes. One enters from the Jade Void Palace, and the other from the Hero's Slope. Entering from the Jade Void Palace, the mountain path is vast and expansive, undulating and perilous. The pine and cypress trees stretch for miles, layer upon layer, encircled by the green reflection. There are many people who have passed the ten-fold encirclement of a large tree. Suddenly, there are no smooth steps on the road; the path is forced by a ravine. The stone wall cuts into the void, and the dark cliff thicket is cold. The traveler 虩虩 feels as if he can smell the air of a tiger or leopard. Only at the high and prosperous imperial palace can one settle down. Beyond this, one will reach Yuxianping. The mountains stretch out like a turtle's back in the sea, blocking the sky. Clouds surround the layers of peaks, like the mist from the dragon's nest of the Yi Canal. Last night I stayed here. Under the moon, I saw the mountain range surging rapidly, like a thirsty horse in anger 猊. Only then do we know that the gathering spirit of the mountain, even if it is still, can still leap. If there are five Dragons and one palace, the play of ponds and Wells is probably won by human effort, but the intention of mountains does not. Entering from the Hero's Slope is the ridge for hiking. The scenery in the past was even more different than jade. The most famous palaces and nunneries are renowned for their environment, but the light and shadow of the mountains have their own unique charm. After walking for about thirty or forty li, you will reach Tianjin Bridge and Jiudu Gorge. The road turns and twists, and the mountain springs and rock waterfalls converge here. Here, when you visit again, there is a wrong path. However, many people travel from the Nine Crossings Peak. If the Nine Crossings Stream is thirty li long and every time they look back, they cross this bridge, then there will be more peaks and more people to see, and they will be overwhelmed. Spiraling up and down, meandering and interwoven. Sometimes it stands tall at the end of a tree, sometimes it rises up with a sharp 岏, 嶻嶪, brandishing a 笻 staff to Pierce through the clouds, across the sky, and tiptoe across the jade rainbow. The green terrace and the beautiful stones are like the colorful flowers of the forest, the delicate grass and the exquisite flowers, like the history of pearls and jewels. As for ascending to the yellow and white realm, one stores the artifact realm in the red furnace, grinds it in the netherworld, and cultivates divine skills in the iron pestle. All can be set up in the air to teach and transform people. If one steps on the martial platform, clear the 鼷 path. The purple dome, with a sudden rise of smoke and mist, catches the eye and is captivating. The rock patterns and crescents form a green screen in the blue sky, revealing 岽 the brilliance and unfolding the crimson of the blue sky 旆. The bridge bears the traces of Yu, and the palace is called Zixiao. Connected to the clouds and backed by the beauty of a red cliff; The hall is located by the Star Cave, and the platform leads to the spring of the jade well. In the middle of the mountain range, the shape is completely separated from the mountain gorge. Beyond this, the stone energy will generate Yin, clothes will be soaked in emerald luster, the sharp wind will stand against the trees, and the skin will be moistened by the high cold. The wonder of Nan Yan lies in the side of its peak ridge, where the palace seems to be riding a dragon. The Celestial pillar stands in front, embracing half of the face horizontally. Observe the incense burner inserted into the ravine, cutting the earth's axis to make it rootless. Startled by the soaring pavilions and terraces, I gaze upon the golden city as if it were ethereal. It is narrowed to 嶞, unpredictably chiseled by the gods; The winding and gentle steps are indeed the ladder to the sky and the path to the clouds. As for Lian Xingzhe, he is like a wild goose; as for Qiao Xingzhe, he is like a sparrow. Those who travel far are like ants, while those who descend are like worms. The climber is like an ape. A traveler on the side is like a crab, and its shape is in the ascendant and enters the valley, which is an incomparable form. There are peaks after peaks, with no fixed height. Hidden paths lie within paths, revealing and concealing impermanence. The distance from the slanting Bridge to the Golden Summit is about twenty li. There are thirty-six rocks, twenty-four gullies, but not all of them are caves, ravines or Bridges. From Huanglong Peak to Xianding Peak, looking back at the surrounding mountains, they seem to descend again. When three paths are stacked up, they are called the Heavenly Gate. At the beginning, the path is steep and long, with a stream flowing gently beside it. A little further down, the stone steps stand a thousand feet tall against the wall, looking as if the wheels of a car were standing upright in the air. A thousand iron chains are tied up, not daring to take a single step to sharpen. Those who pass through the Tongdian Pass will take a detour and cross this perilous path. As for energy, once it is high, it cannot be exhausted. Looking up at the sword, the lion peaks are like green rainbows leaning against the sky, and the peak smoke rises particularly high. Climbing up again, I finally saw the place to pay homage to Zhenwu, but it was still far from the Golden Summit. After climbing several hundred feet further, they entered Zijin City and reached the summit. Standing alone and isolated, with no one to lean on on any of the four walls, one could feel the mighty qi condensing in the air, reaching five feet of the sky. Looking afar at Qin, Jin, Chu and Yu, one can clearly mark their boundaries, and the distant peaks on the horizon are like the sloping hills. The peaks beneath my feet are like a circle of my children and grandchildren. In the vast and dilapidated place, it is the Han River that ties a thread in vain. Those that are faintly interwoven and seem to float and swell are prefectures and counties. Observing the rise and fall of the sun and the moon, the light and shadow are no different from those in the human world. The rumbling of thunder and rain can only be heard in the ravine. The clouds spread out, making it as vast as a tidal sea. The snow was so thick that it stretched far beyond the sky of Mount Emei. It is just like the alternations of clear and cloudy weather, the rise and fall of cold and warm, the climate of the four seasons is different, and the sound can change in an instant.