Two days of secluded, transcendent living in the clouds of Jiuzhaigou!

I spent two days embracing a hermit's transcendence amidst the clouds of Jiuzhaigou. When the mist rose, I grasped the mountain deity's hada scarf. The car wound through Jiuzhaigou's deep mountains, the bumpy mountain road filtering out all worldly noise. Only when the Tibetan village at 2,800 meters above sea level gradually came into view did I realize we had reached our destination—Yongguichuan. Courtyard-style rammed-earth wooden houses dotted the slopes like dwellings grown naturally from the land. My cottage, converted from an old Tibetan home, stood alone, hidden deep among pine and cypress trees. Pushing open the door at dawn, I was met with the majestic mountains, while a sea of clouds churned above the treetops. The butler handed me butter tea, its steam blurring my vision—I almost heard the century-old jingle of caravan bells carried by the wind. During my four-day, three-night stay, I felt like a carefree scholar from a Song Dynasty painting, dwelling among the clouds. My favorite moments were curling up in the tea pavilion, brewing a pot of tea, and watching the ever-shifting sea of clouds roll over the ridges. Lying on the bed with gently swaying curtains, I saw mountain mist silently surge outside the window before gradually dissipating. At night, soaking in the courtyard's hot spring, steam rose and mingled with the cool mountain mist. For a fleeting moment, I felt like an ink dot in *Travelers Among Mountains and Streams*. As my body settled into this 2,800-meter-high retreat in the clouds, my heart became as light and free as a mountain stream. When the mist rose again, it was as if I had "grasped the hada scarf offered by the mountain deity."