The Wuxia Gorge in Shu was a place of breathtaking beauty and deep seclusion, renowned throughout the land for its elegant scenery. The gorge stretched long and deep, with jagged peaks and layered ridges shrouded in drifting clouds and mist. The river wound through it in countless bends, and traveling by boat felt like passing through a splendid painted landscape, full of poetry and beauty. "A mighty range of peaks, crossed by one river; a strategic gateway to Jing and Xiang, grand in its power" was an accurate description of it.
One day, a small boat was making its way up the river from Wuxia Gorge. Apart from the boatman, only a father and daughter were aboard, with just a single bundle of luggage between them. They looked quite destitute. There was also a particularly heavy bag, as though it were filled with iron.
The old man was barely fifty, yet his beard and hair were completely white. When he raised his head to look at someone, his eyes flashed brightly. His face was full of wrinkles, and one glance showed he was a man who had endured a lifetime of hardship.
The girl was only twelve or thirteen, but already very beautiful. She leaned against the old man, softly pointing out the misty scenery and asking one question after another, her innocent affection and admiration for him plain to see.
By then, dusk had settled, and the sky was dim. A bright moon rose above the mountain ridge, its clear light shining over everything and illuminating people's brows and hair.
The boatman came over and said, "Sir, it's getting late. The famous Crow's Mouth is just ahead, and there's a village nearby. We can moor there for the night and go ashore to buy some food and wine."
"All