Wellspring Town is located to the south of Qingzhou and the east of Mount Tai. The land is abundant with springs, crowning all the lands between Mount Tai and the sea. In ancient times, the River Luo flowed from these rocks. The source boiled and surged, sometimes reaching several feet in height, roaring like thunder. The locals called it the Bursting Torrent Spring. For over a millennium, the water veins have never dried. Aside from the four great springs, there are sixty-eight lesser ones, making seventy-two springs in total scattered throughout the town. Some resemble pearls, others resting oxen, galloping steeds, or chanting dragons. Their forms are so diverse they cannot be fully described.
Elder Feng Dao of the Inkbound Order once traveled here with the Ten Sages. Captivated by the flowing waters, he praised them as a supreme marvel. Noting that the four main springs were the most majestic, he named them one by one. The first was Resting Ox Spring: a massive boulder by the water resembled an ox lying in the shallows, the current lapping at its belly with a crystalline chime. The second was Pawing Steed Spring: legend tells that a warhorse struck the earth to find water, and hoofprints still remain. The third was Pearl Spring: bubbles rise from the bottom in an endless string, sparkling like a sky of stars beneath the sunlight. The fourth was Five Dragons Spring: five water veins converge into a single pool, surging with immense power. Elder Changle then grouped these four with the lesser springs, crowning them collectively as the Springs of Universal Peace, symbolizing a harmonious world and a flourishing era of literature. From then on, the names of the springs spread far and wide, known to the four corners of the earth.
Wellspring Town prospered because of its waters. Merchant caravans travel thousands of miles, driving their carts to draw the spring water into urns, selling it in distant lands. The water is sweet and crisp, never spoiling even after long storage. Whether used for brewing tea, fermenting wine, or preparing medicine, it is hailed as top-tier. Refined scholars also arrive in groups, chanting poetry by the waters, raising cups to the moon, and leaving their calligraphy on the cliffsides, which over the years has formed grand anthologies. Many taverns and teahouses in town hang plaques reading "The First Spring Under Heaven," further manifesting its towering fame.
The town's naming, however, holds another tale. During the Rebellion of the Eight Princes in the Wei and Jin dynasties, a civil official fled the chaos of war and arrived here. Hearing the sound of water at night, he dug into the earth and discovered a living spring. He sighed, saying, "While the realm bleeds a fountain of blood, this land shall well up a fountain of letters." He then led the refugees to build cottages and clear the wasteland, initiating basic schooling and literacy, and named the place Wellspring. Later, during the turmoil at the end of the Tang Dynasty, the Inkbound Order led the locals to establish a Primary Academy within the town. They set a rule: "The young must be enlightened; poverty shall halt no one's studies." Boys and girls shared the same seats, and the sound of reading resonated with the bubbling springs, a tradition unbroken to this day.
Today, those who visit Wellspring Town and scoop the water to drink will feel a crisp coolness slide down their throats, seemingly imbued with a thousand years of literary spirit. The springs flow silently, day and night; the bright sound of reading rings out, generation after generation. A spring, a book: these are the very soul of this town.
Alas! There are many famous springs in the world. Some are praised for their clarity, others famed for their peculiar sights. Yet the waters of Wellspring not only nourish the earth but carry forth the lineage of culture. The ancients said, "Culture wells up like a spring," and this place truly embodies both. Future generations arriving here should know that the true marvel of these springs lies not upon the rocks, but within the hearts of men.
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