Moyu: Watching the tide, presented to Chancellor Ye
Song dynasty · Xin Qiji
See gulls and herons flying through the air; in an instant, war drums shook the earth. White silk ranks cut across the river, driving mountains onward; the fierce beasts fought on, their battle not yet ended. Morning, then evening. So accustomed had they grown, the Wu people feared no dragon's fury. They strode across the wind and waves. See red banners startle into flight, leaping fish shoot upward, trampling the spray in their dance.
Who could ask of the Ten-Thousand-Li Giant Whale's swallowing and spouting? A thousand crossbows were child's play in this world. What knew that sky-swamping strength of exhaustion? A white horse and plain cart went east. What deserved hatred, people said, was Shulu's resentment enduring through the ages. Fame and achievement brought their own ruin. In vain they let Tao Zhu and Xi Shi of the Five Lakes sport through mist and rain in a single boat.
The mist gradually dispersed.
The setting sun lit the mountains.
Sword-Washing Creek flowed slowly, becoming a golden whip, as it had for countless years.
This was a lean year for Green Mountain. The disciples who had cultivated beside the creek for so long, preparing to inherit swords, had no particularly outstanding gifts.
By contrast, the guests from the various sects who had come to watch drew more attention.
As in previous years, the Fruitful Accomplishment Temple, the Hanging Bell Sect, and Great Marsh had all sent representatives. The Wind Saber Sect had also sent an envoy for the third consecutive time. Surprisingly, even the Zhongzhou Sect had sent someone, a first in several hundred years. After all, Yunmeng Mountain had remained silent even when True Person Jingyang ascended.
The Zhongzhou Sect's guest was a second-generation