Illustration of three men in traditional robes playing a zither, pipa, and flute in a misty, rainy forest.

Mist clung to the mountain forest after the rain, drifting in thin veils between the dark pines. Three young men from the Tang Dynasty sat together on a flat stone still beaded with droplets. The one in brown robes plucked at his zither, fingers brushing the strings with a warmth that matched the soft earth-scented air. Beside him, the youth in blue tilted his pipa against his knee, coaxing bright, playful notes that danced like water over stone. The third—dressed in black—lifted a bamboo flute to his lips. Its clear tone threaded through the others, rising lightly into the damp morning air, stirring the leaves overhead. They laughed between phrases, leaning toward one another, shoulders brushing as they tried to match melodies, tease harmonies, and outdo each other with sudden flourishes. Rainwater glimmered on their sleeves, pooling in the quiet folds of their robes, but none of them cared. In that moment, with the mountains breathing mist around them and music weaving through the trees, they looked less like wandering scholars and more like brothers who had found a pocket of joy the world had forgotten to take away. See more