Bull Governor#

The old bull's halberd-tip gleams, Karmic flames scorch his shoulders' seams. Guiding souls through life's end, Toils endlessly in the mortal land.

In bygone days, a young boy hid in a neighbor's storeroom to play with fire. Accidentally, he ignited the items inside. Fearing punishment, he attempted to extinguish the flames himself, but they quickly grew out of control. The entire storeroom was consumed, and tragically, the boy perished in the blaze.

His death left behind a great calamity. The neighbors demanded compensation for the lost items from his parents, while his parents demanded compensation for their son's life. The arguments raged on, and even on the seventh day after the boy's death, the day that his soul should be fetched, no resolution was reached. With the ritual at the funeral disrupted, and the Bull- Head and Horse-Face, the soul fetchers, refused to escort his soul. Seeing his subordinates' reluctance, the Bull Governor decided to escort the boy himself.

As they approached the boy's home, they heard the sounds of his parents quarreling with the neighbors. Entering the courtyard, they saw the boy's parents accusing, "Our son died in your storeroom. Who knows if he stumbled upon some illicit activity and was silenced?" The neighbors retorted, "Our storeroom held valuable items. Your son must have had thieving intentions, causing the fire. You must compensate us."

Their heated dispute eventually became ended up violence. The Bull Governor asked the boy, "Did you ever foresee this outcome?" The boy, filled with regret, wept bitterly. The Bull Governor, in his compassion, said, "Enough. Such chaos on a soul-fetching day is disrespectful." With that, flames erupted from his shoulder, and he struck an old tree in the courtyard with his halberd, setting it ablaze. The tree was charred black, and only then did the quarreling crowd remember it was the soul- fetching day. In a panic, they all fled the courtyard..