They circled the lake once more, passed through Xianning again, but didn’t linger. They only spent one night lodging at the Three Pagodas Monastery, then set off westward.0

For the first three hundred li, the scenery remained familiar. Many locals still understood the official tongue, and although the temperature was slightly lower than in Xianning, it wasn’t drastically different. There were still quite a few travelers along the road. 0

But after those three hundred li, the scenery gradually began to shift into that of high plateaus and mountains. Winter grasses yellowed, forests grew sparse, lake waters turned an almost unreal shade of blue, and snowcapped peaks were reflected within them. Meanwhile, fewer and fewer people could understand official speech. Most of the locals were herders; only a few nobles or officials could converse fluently in the central tongue. The temperature dropped sharply, and the number of travelers along the way dwindled as well.0

They continued until they reached the border between Yunzhou and Great Yan. This area was near the Snowy Plains and Yizhou. 0

Of everything seen along the journey, the most unforgettable were the lakes. Various plateau lakes and streams shone like gems...0