About a hundred meters away from the courtyard, Mo Xian looked up.
The wide, dark red gates gave the entire courtyard a solemn and majestic air. The lifelike little beasts on the bronze door rings looked gentle at a first glance, deep and sharp at a second, and at a third, they stirred an impulse to reach out and play with them. With carved beams, painted rafters, and exquisitely delicate colored relief decorations, the master of this place lived such an exquisite life, Mo Xian sighed inwardly with involuntary admiration.
Ning Yue opened the gate, and Mo Xian followed him inside. Facing them was a screen wall painted with a large, intricately detailed landscape in skillful and lively brushstrokes, so vivid it seemed to breathe. Mo Xian gave it only a single glance, yet could not help marveling at the superb craftsmanship. Turning left past a moon gate, Ning Yue and Mo Xian entered the inner courtyard. A row of rooms stood on each of the four sides, north, south, east, and west, enclosed by a covered corridor running all the way around. In front of the western rooms grew two clumps of chrysanthemums; though not yet in season, they were lush and thriving. In front of the eastern rooms stood two clumps of bamboo, straight and tall, casting sparse shadows in the breeze with an extraordinary bearing. Ning Yue walked straight toward the western rooms.
Chapter 26