I have guarded the mountains of Ailao for five years.
Mountain mists hide shadows, strange creatures lurk in the deep forest, drones skim over the treetops at night, and black bears shatter the silence between dawn and dusk. Others see only a quiet, desolate mountain forest. They don't know that every inch of earth beneath my feet conceals an unspoken secret.
A red panda named Tuantuan clings to me. Usually clingy and always begging for food, it's quite the glutton. But when danger appears, it runs without looking back. Self-preservation is in its bones.
No attachments, no love, no hatred.
No worldly entanglements, no romantic ties.
I guard only these green mountains and protect this stretch of wild forest.
Let the world beyond the mountains rage with storms. I shall stand unmoved.
