Geography: Huaxu GroveAI

The Twelve Jade Terraces hold many wonders, and Huaxu Grove is the greatest of them.

The grove lies hidden beneath the deep waters, and all its trees are strange willows. Their branches wind long and hold a green hue; their leaves grow lush and give off light. Moving in and out of the blue waves, the swimmers there are not birds but stone mirrors. People of the day love to play among them, singing and dancing, so happy they forget to go home. I found it strange, so I went to see the wonder for myself, and only then learned that a rare fragrance clings to one's sleeves, and whoever smells it forgets their sorrows. I too lingered and could not bear to leave.

I walked on alone for several more miles. The stone mirrors grew more numerous and the strange grasses deeper, stretching on beyond reach; in all my travels I had never seen anything so dense and deep. Suddenly I heard faint singing, its voice dim and veiled, mournful and sorrowful. Struck with fear, I dared not go on, afraid of offending the goddess and stumbling into the ruins of the underworld, so I turned my steps and withdrew.

The ancients said: "Joy must not be taken to its limit." The places of greatest joy in this world are never, in the hidden depths of things, places one may stay long, for they are not places for people. Now that I have walked into Huaxu Grove and come back, is this not what they meant?