Li Wuyan followed him two steps forward, but the boy stopped her with his long pole. He did not turn back; only white breath drifted past his cheek. "Wait here a little. I won't go far."
"Oh," the little girl said obediently.
But after a while, watching him walk farther and farther away, she could not help calling, "Brother Pei, what are you looking for?"
There was no answer. Inexplicably flustered, she started after him, but within a few steps she stumbled and fell into the snow.
As she struggled to get up, footsteps crunched back through the snow. A hand caught her by the back and lifted her bodily up, while the other took her little fishing rod.
Pei Ye bent his arm for her to sit on and resumed walking, studying the booklet.
"Brother Pei, where are you going?"
"We've been all over the seven pools these past two days. Do you know which ones are connected now?" They really had not gone far before Pei Ye set the little girl down and surveyed this stretch where no trees grew.
"All of them!" Li Wuyan said.
Yes, all of them were connected. From Mirror Pool by the front halls to Taiye Pool in the rear palace, then Vermilion, Purple, South, North, and Rosy Cloud, the seven pools formed a water system at varying elevations. With Taiye Pool at its center, it kept all seven from drying up in drought or flooding in rain, forming an exquisitely balanced system.
"They're a family of pools," Li Wuyan said, bringing her spirit of playing house to bear. "Only Scenic Pool isn't!"
The exception was Scenic Pool, standing alone behind Bright Moon Palace. Its elevation was markedly higher than the rest of the palace, earning it the alternate name "Heavenly Pool."
After