It was a clear morning, the sun was shining brightly, but the cold wind was biting. I temporarily left the monks of Baique Temple and set off for Lixian with some of my luggage. On the way, I met some local friends who had made an appointment in advance. They warmly invited me to eat a fragrant meat bun, which warmed me up a bit. After eating, I came to the bus station in the county town alone and bought a ticket to Xiangshan.

Xiangshan is a famous Taoist holy place. Because of writing a book, I had to make a special trip to worship. The journey was not long, but the scenery along the way was breathtaking. The mountains were undulating and the forests were lush. Occasionally, I could see a few wild animals. When the car was about to reach its destination, the driver suddenly stopped and said: ‘Passengers to Xiangshan, I’m sorry, there was a heavy snowfall on the mountain last night and the road is icy. We can’t drive up any further.’

I had no choice but to get off the bus helplessly and hike up the mountain alone with my luggage on my back. Snowflakes fell on my hair and clothes. In the deepest part of the snow in the mountains, it also buried my knees. Finally, after walking for more than two hours with difficulty, I arrived at Xiangshan Temple. In the temple, there were only one or two middle-aged Taoist priests with thick eyebrows. The dangerous cliffs on the other side of the mountain did not allow tourists to approach at will; I could only take some rough photos and wander around for a while before finding a pavilion to rest and tidy up. It was getting late and I was ready to go down the mountain.

When I hurriedly rushed down the mountain, it was already evening. I wanted to find a place to stay but found that the only nearby hotel had already closed its doors. For a while, I walked back and forth on the street without knowing what to do. At this moment, a rural woman came over and asked me: ‘Are you from out of town? Can’t find a place to stay? Do you want to come home with me?’ Seeing that I hesitated a bit. She smiled again and said: ‘Don’t worry, I don’t have any bad intentions. My house is in that building in front of us. There is an empty room on the second floor where you can stay. 50 yuan will do.’ After hearing her words, I felt that she was quite sincere and followed her.

The next day morning, return.