As Yuelu returns to the mountains, I send this letter with her. My heart is heavy with guilt, and I hardly know where to begin.
To ensure that the maps she drew were exact and complete, my master, Feng Xu, never shrank from danger, but crossed the steep ridges and perilous ravines of the Taihang Mountains in person. That day, the wind blew hard. Around midnight, a storm appeared out of nowhere. Still, my master had not returned from the mountain. I went out into the storm to search for her. Only at daybreak, following the tracks left in the mud, did I reach the edge of a cliff. There I found the marks of a slip, and at last, understood that my master had lost her footing and fallen down the mountainside. The cliff was sheer and treacherous, with no way down. I could search no farther.
Afterward, on my master's desk, I found a half-written manuscript. It broke off midway, as though some doubt had arisen in her mind. I believe she meant to verify a point or two before setting out, and in her haste climbed the mountain that very night, only to meet this calamity.
My master's sudden death is a grief I cannot lay down. The affairs of this world are ever uncertain. By what justice does Heaven ordain such things? Only this much is certain: the work my master left unfinished, I shall carry on even at the cost of my life.
After my master's death, Yuelu fell gravely ill. This too was my failure in caring for her.
After many difficulties, and with Master Raven's help, I have at last sent Yuelu back to the mountain. She will surely grow up safe and well among its tranquility. I also hope she may keep the two of you company, and bring you some comfort in your later years.
Forgive me. I failed to keep my master safe. The kindness shown to me by Mohist Hill and the academy alike is something I shall never forget. When the book is finished, I will offer it, along with all I have learned, to Mohist Hill as a token of my gratitude.
With deepest respects...
Letter