As he left the gates of the Dongshan villa, Chen Caozhi asked the Xie Clan Dianji who was seeing him off so attentively, "Among those attending Lord Anshi's gathering for music and calligraphy this time, were there any young members of the Zhu Clan of Shangyu?"
The Dianji shook his head. "There was no one surnamed Zhu."
Chen Caozhi nodded. His mind was as clear as a mirror, every detail of the past distinct. What had been muddled and hazy became clear in an instant, just as it had that day atop Nine Luminaries Mountain, when he had watched an invisible giant hand lift the gauzy mist from West Lake, revealing the exquisite beauty's lovely form-
Chen Caozhi asked no further questions. He left the Xie Clan villa on foot with Lingyou, the lay attendant from Qiguang Temple, heading west along the Shan River. Lai Zhen followed behind in the ox cart, with the one-armed Jing Nu sitting on its shaft.
The Shan River had anciently been called the Shun River, then renamed the Cao'e River after the filial daughter Cao E tried to save her father. The stretch of the Cao'e River flowing through Shan County and Shangyu was called the Shan River. Renowned for its beautiful scenery, it had a thousand streams racing along its banks and ten thousand ravines vying in beauty, myriad waters pouring together and mountain ranges converging. Its trees were mostly bamboo, pine, and fir, an unbroken expanse of green that never withered throughout the year.
As they walked, the lay attendant Lingyou marveled, "My master truly is a divine monk. He actually foresaw that Patron Chen would come seeking medical help and left for Qiantang yesterday. My master often manifests the divine powers of the Buddhist teachings."
Chen Caozhi smiled without speaking. Although