"I've often thought so," Claudius says, as he leads Lan Zhan along the path. It's a path that winds in ever deeper, past the tall stalks of bamboo, until the forest slips away. "When I was younger, I wanted desperately for someone to tell me how to live. I knew all about what I couldn't be, I shouldn't strive for ... but I knew nothing about what I should. Nature is full of living things that need no instruction. They thrive sometimes despite our best efforts. I learned a great deal from wildflowers and weeds, watching them season to season, seeing them survive drought and frost and predation."