The carriage traveled on for four or five days. That day, the dirt road turned into a mountain path, and the carriage began to sway slightly. Jiang Hao lifted the curtain and looked outside. "Lu Xin, where are we?"
"Young Master, this is Mangdang Mountain."
Mangdang Mountain. Jiang Hao immediately knew where they were.
Looking out through the carriage window, he saw dense, lush forests in the distance. Mangdang Mountain was neither particularly high nor especially steep and rugged, yet it was famous. It truly fit the saying: a mountain need not be high if immortals dwell there. This was the mountain where the Han Emperor Gaozu had slain the white snake and launched his uprising, making it renowned throughout the land.
At noon, Lu Xin found a place to stop and called into the carriage, "Young Master, Miss, it's noon. There's a mountain pool here, with shade nearby. Let's rest awhile."
Jiang Hao lifted the curtain and looked. A small river ran by the roadside and gathered here into a pool. The water was clear and flowed neither too fast nor too slowly. There was also a grove of trees beside the road. It was indeed a fine place to rest.
"Alright, let's take a break," Jiang Hao said.
Lu Xin parked the carriage beneath the shade. Jiang Hao and Lu Zhi got down and stretched their limbs. Lu Xin went to fetch water and give the horses a drink. Lu Zhi said, "Brother Jiang, let's have some dry rations too. I'll prepare them."
Jiang Hao stopped Lu Zhi and pointed toward the forest nearby. "I'm sick of dry rations after eating them for so long. The vegetation here is thick, so there must be plenty of wild animals. I'll hunt down a couple of animals. How about I