Flame Rhino Master#

Towering horn, a crown so rare, In simple garb, a presence fair. To the kind man, it shows its thanks, Wishing him joy in life's ranks.

In the ancient Kingdom of Dvaravati, rhinoceroses were widely raised and adored. Once, during a rhino hunt, the king shot a pregnant female. As she lay dying, she birthed a calf. Amused, the king took the young rhino back to the royal gardens.

Haunted by its mother's death, the rhino feared the palace folk. At the mere sight of them, it would flee in terror, prompting the courtiers to chase it for sport, whip in hand.

It wasn't until its horn grew sharp enough that the rhino found its chance to avenge its mother: it gored a courtier during his chase. The king, enraged, called for a butcher to slay the beast. But the butcher, moved by pity, smeared dog blood on the rhino to feign its death and smuggled it out of the palace. Kept it hidden amongst his own rhinos, he nurtured it with prized wheat and lived with it for years.

One night, the butcher dreamt of the rhino speaking, "I was destined to transcend my form and become a yaoguai in this life. But your kindness calls for a reward, and I am willing to sacrifice this future to repay you. Tomorrow is when your life will end, and all my years left, I will give you. My horn will be left on your table. When you pass, have your wife burn it. If it burns completely, you shall live again."

The next day, the butcher found the horn but no sign of the rhino. He told his wife what to do and soon breathed his last. Following his instructions, his wife burned the horn for forty-nine days and nights. Astonishingly, the butcher was resurrected, yet he was different: he had grown a long rhino horn, and his skin had turned blue. Years later, still youthful after his wife passed, he became a disciple of Princess Rakshasi and was revered as the Rhino Master.