Bullguard#

Majestic of height, he looms with might, In heavy armor, ready to fight. His eyes-a fearsome, vacant lot, A sage or fool, we know not.

Being the gatekeeper of the mountain was a thankless task indeed. For more than a century, Bullguard stood watch, never once climbing the ranks. Yet he voiced no grievances, for his devotion to the king was his sole concern, and the king's pills, his only desire. He treasured those pills within a lacquered box of pear wood, lined with silk. Each time he partook of them, he performed a ritual: a process of cleansing, rinsing, and offering incense to the universe, thanking it for its gifts. Many a lesser guai had tasted the king's rewards, but none with such reverence as Bullguard.

One day, a curious guai inquired,"How do you maintain such vigor despite the toils of this job?" With earnest simplicity, Bullguard replied, "It is the king's pill that fuels me. Take more, and you shall be as I am." The guai confessed, "We've partaken in our share, yet felt nothing. Mayhaps the king's gifts to you are finer?" Bullguard was aghast, "From the same hand we are served, how could there be a 'mine' and 'yours'?" The guai still skeptical, insisted on an exchange of pills. Soon after, the guai felt no change, while Bullguard remained as robust as ever.

Some say, "A fool's luck", but perhaps it isn't a lack of wit that's compensated, but the power drawn from blind devotion.