Where the two rivers meet, the waters stretch wide and still, vast as a lake and deep as an abyss. Once, a for…
Where the two rivers meet, the waters stretch wide and still, vast as a lake and deep as an abyss. Once, a fortress stood here, surrounded by thriving peach trees. When they blossomed, petals fluttered like delicate blush-colored drifts, blanketing the riverbanks and floating atop the water like a living tapestry, a spectacle unrivaled under heaven. This place was known as Peachgrove Pass.
To the west, Peachgrove Pass bordered Qinchuan; to the east, it gazed toward Chang'an, serving as the city's western gateway. All who entered Chang'an from Qinchuan passed through here, their identities and goods carefully examined before they were allowed to continue east.
Yet, in time, a ruthless usurper, driven by hunger for the nation's greatest treasures, sealed the lake and choked the rivers. Countless wanderers found themselves trapped within the pass. Then came the collapse, and with it countless lives lost. That breathtaking scene was destroyed forever, and the heroes who once walked these grounds were laid to rest, their bones scattered and forgotten.
When I arrive, only the gentle breeze greets me, and the eye meets nothing but water blending into sky.
Ah, how fleeting fame is. Bright in life, yet in death no more than a lone petal drifting on the water. The world stretches vast and eternal; life is no more than a speck of dust. Standing alone by the lake, I have no one to speak to.