Mad Tiger#

Yellow wind invades the land, brothers turn to strife, Father's vengeance left unclaimed, in the well of life. Roaring through the mountain pass, a heart that feigns to care, Actions always half-complete, dreams and life laid bare.

One day, the brother of Tiger Vanguard was practicing his roaring technique at the bottom of a well when he saw someone climbing down the vines. Seeing that the intruder had some courage, he refrained from attacking and instead inquired about his purpose.

The man explained that he was seeking a Bodhisattva to cure his son's wind illness, but he failed, and now his son was on the brink of death. Hearing this, Tiger Brother devised a plan. He attributed his elder brother's deeds to himself and convinced the man to bring his son, claiming he could treat the boy.

When they first met, the boy's face was pale. Too weak to climb down the well by himself, the boy was carried by his father by tying him with a hemp rope to lower him safely into the well. Tiger Brother examined the boy and confirmed that his spirit had been disturbed by the Samadhi Wind. Without stopping the wind and sand, no one could cure him.

Tiger Brother remembered that his brother had given him a magical gourd. Drinking from it could strengthen one's vitality, and he thought it might keep the boy alive.

After the boy drank the water Tiger Brother gave him, he indeed regained some energy and could speak. Despite his long illness, the boy was very polite. He thanked Tiger Brother for his help, praising him endlessly. In the boy's admiring gaze, Tiger Brother found a long-lost sense of satisfaction. He instructed the father and son to come daily to take a sip from the gourd, or the boy would relapse.

After several visits, the boy's condition improved significantly. He could walk around and even play in the village, making many friends. Each time he came to drink from the gourd, he would call Tiger Brother "Tiger God" and share his new food, toys, and experiences.

Despite his initial wariness of the father and son, Tiger Brother gave the boy his gourd when he observed that the man was sincere and honest. He instructed the boy to keep the gourd close. Heeding his words, the boy's health improved even more.

Yet, abruptly, the father and son stopped visiting. Tiger Brother waited for several days, thinking they might have run off with the gourd. Determined to find out what happened, he went to the village.

Upon entering the village, he saw blood everywhere; the villagers had been slaughtered. At the village entrance, there was a thin coffin, and inside lay the boy's body. He still wore the gourd Tiger Brother had given him around his neck. Judging by the wounds, it seemed he had been beaten to death with sticks.

Tiger Brother carried the coffin back to the bottom of the well. He decided to wait until he was strong enough. One day, he would stop that cursed wind and sand..