The Mysterious Beggar and the Sunken Ferry

 

In the past, two long floating bridges spanned the Hor River, but they had since been dismantled and replaced with ferries. There were three main ferry crossings—upper, middle, and lower—serving as vital thoroughfares for the Hor people. Among the ferry captains at these crossings, the one at the upstream crossing at Tangsong Renmao was Sangye Gyatso, nephew of the headman of the Jiangba tribe, the blacksmith Chuguben. A heavenly oracle had once indicated that this was a friend who must not be harmed. Therefore, Gesar transformed into a beggar with filthy, tattered clothes. He changed his divine chestnut steed into a bow, which he placed in a pouch on his chest, and transformed his "All Wishes Fulfilled" rattan whip into a conch-shaped pagoda, one cubit high. He then went to knock on the door of the ferryman Sangye Gyatso. When Sangye came to open the door, Gesar pretended to be a little beggar from the eastern land of Jhana, asking for a night's lodging.

 

Though Sangye Gyatso saw his outwardly dirty appearance, he sensed an extraordinary aura about him and noticed he was holding a conch pagoda. He said, "Although this is absolutely not a place where you should be, since you've already come, what can be done? Come on in."

 

Sangye Gyatso invited the stranger inside, reverently placed the pagoda in the family shrine, and then engaged him in friendly conversation. Through their talk, Sangye learned they were not only brothers from a past life but also shared a devout faith in virtuous white deeds. Although Sangye Gyatso lived among the Hor, like Tangze Yuzhou, his heart yearned for the Great King Gesar. Now that the Great King had personally visited, he naturally felt he should lend a helping hand.

 

The next morning, Gesar again transformed into the appearance of a Jhana child and was led by Sangye Gyatso to the ferry crossing. Sangye told the other ferry guards he needed to take this Jhana child across the river, but the other boatmen were still suspicious and unwilling to ferry him. Sangye had no choice but to say, "It's fine if the child doesn't cross, but this conch pagoda is a gift for White Tent King. This object is extremely precious and must definitely be delivered."

 

None of the boatmen had ever seen such a rare treasure and dared not neglect it. They hurriedly loaded the pagoda onto a boat. However, once the pagoda was aboard, it began to grow incessantly. One boat couldn't hold it; even lashing two boats together couldn't contain it. They had to pull all the remaining boats over and link them into a line before the treasure stopped expanding. Just as several boats were advancing side-by-side towards the opposite bank, the conch pagoda suddenly became immensely heavy. It crushed the hulls, sinking the ferrymen into the river where they drowned.

 

The Giant Fish and the Failed Expedition

 

While everyone was astonished by the conch pagoda standing tall in the middle of the great river, an enormous fish with a huge forehead appeared in the water. Its head seemed forged from gold, shining brilliantly; its eyes were like red agate, beautiful and radiant; its dorsal fin was transparent like glass; its belly was as smooth and lustrous as a white conch; its whiskers naturally curled upwards; its tail flicked energetically; its patterns were intricate and mottled, its scales dazzlingly bright. The fish suddenly thrust its giant head onto this side of the mountain, its tail reaching the opposite shore. It devoured living creatures as if eating roasted barley, swept vegetation from every valley into the water like a raging wind, and with its massive body, blocked the Hor River, turning it into a sea. It scoured the Tangsong Renmao ferry crossing, where people used leather rafts, into a dry riverbed, dammed the yellowish-brown waters of the six Hor rivers, causing them to flow backwards, swallowed and spat out the smaller streams, and completely flooded the twelve villages of the ferrymen. Only the ferry chief Sangye Gyatso, holding the divine arrow bestowed by King Gesar the previous day, managed to swim to this shore, saved by the arrow's power.

 

The sudden appearance of the giant fish threw all of Hor into panic. People gathered in Yaze City to discuss the matter and requested White Tent King to find out the reason for the fish's turmoil. Since there were three soul-binding divine fish of the White, Black, and Yellow Kings in the Hor River, White Tent King sent Tangze and three other great generals to investigate. After repeated and careful observation, they could only reluctantly conclude it was not one of those divine fish.

 

White Tent King issued a call: "Sinbas, Baturus, who will volunteer to kill that huge-headed fish?"

 

Jihou Cha and Jiechou Aji volunteered, expressing their willingness to go. The next day, the two volunteers donned armor and helmets, hung three weapons at their waists, took long fishing hooks, and went to kill the fish. They saw that the fish was a monster beyond ordinary comprehension, its length beyond sight. It could swallow anything it encountered in one gulp; even an ox was chewed as casually as a handful of barley flour tossed into its mouth. Far from killing it, the mere sight of it terrified them, making their hearts pound. After a brief discussion, they fled back and told everyone: "Although we don't know the origin of this giant fish, it's probably the soul-binding fish of the Great White Tent King, an incarnation of the black land's demon deity. Not only should we not think of killing it, but we should also make offerings and sacrifices to it. It has come to show a significant omen to the Hor Tiger-Hat King!" Thus, they exaggerated and told a colossal lie to cover up their own cowardice and incompetence.

 

Offerings, Discord, and the Icy Hailstorm

 

The next day, White Tent King said, "I remember that the documents stored in my secret chamber clearly state: 'In the period of the degenerate age, the three brother soul-binding fish of Hor will emerge from the water. If at that time the three items—the small black iron pellet, the turquoise-adorned precious vase, and the demon deity's medicine bag—are offered to the soul-binding fish, those divine fish will attain an iron-like lifespan, and the Hor King will become an invincible demon lord.' Now is the time to make offerings to the soul-binding fish."

 

Having said this, he sent people with the aforementioned items to make offerings and sing praises to the divine fish. As a result, the giant fish took all the offerings, dove into the water, and noisily surged downstream.

 

The Hor people were filled with doubt, worry, and panic, fluttering like prayer flags on a mountain pass. Amidst this widespread unease, Sinba Meruze pondered deeply and said, "Tiger-Hat King! What exactly is the origin of that extraordinary fish? Giving it the sacred stones of the three demon brothers was not the right thing to do. Although the mysterious documents mention 'a great fish will come,' they don't specify it would be this fish! Now we've hastily given Hor's national treasure to that fish. What will we do tomorrow if the three true divine fish surface? What will we use for offerings then?"

 

White Tent King said, "As the proverb goes, 'To serve a high official, one needs a clever servant.' Meruze, I believe that broad-foreheaded, huge-skulled giant fish is none other than my divine fish; I cannot imagine it being any other monster. Here in our land, from the mountain passes downwards in the high places and from the valley mouths upwards in the low places, we have many sentinels and patrols. If an outsider had come inside, how could there be no fresh, clear footprints? I, White Tent King, never make mistakes in anything I do. Before I understand the truth of the matter, you sit there quietly!"

 

He then proceeded to recount Sinba Meruze's cowardly performance during the campaign in front of all the ministers, infuriating Sinba until he trembled with rage. Fortunately, Tangze Yuzhou mediated, easing the tension. However, the rift between White Tent King and Sinba Meruze was likely becoming increasingly difficult to mend.

 

At the turn from the Year of the Dog to the Year of the Pig, during the transition from winter to spring, the Hor region was hit by an exceptionally violent hailstorm, with hail deep enough to submerge knees, killing countless people and livestock. At the Hor River ferry crossings, hail and ice piled up, freezing into ice pagodas. For seven days, the river froze from the bottom up, making it impossible for people to even fetch drinking water.

 

The Old Monk and the Alliance with Prophetic Girl, Gijum Yixi 

 

At this time, Gesar transformed into an old monk. He changed his divine chestnut steed into a walking stick and his war helmet and armor into a monk's hat and robe. He came to the midst of the hail and ice, lay down on his back, and faced the sky. Beside him, sunlight shone brilliantly, melting the accumulated ice into clear, rippling water. Yet everywhere else remained covered in hail. People began spreading rumors about this strange event. Tangze surmised that the Great King had come to Hor, but he kept it to himself and told no one.

 

Hearing that there was water, White Tent King's daughter, Langtsuo, led many maidens, each carrying a golden bucket, to fetch water. When they reached the Kanba River where six streams converged, they saw an exceptionally ragged old monk lying at the crossroads. His monk's hat was greasy and grimy; his robe and meditation skirt fluttered in the wind in tatters; his sleeves were torn as wide as the mouth of an earthen jar; his boots, stuffed with wool, were as big as backpacks; his face and the backs of his hands were black as a pot bottom; his wrinkles were as numerous as hairs; his upper eyelids drooped over the lower ones; and his kneecaps were so sharp they could almost plough the ground.

 

As Langtsuo walked, she tossed sweets to her companions, but all the sweets flew into the old monk's mouth. The old monk also blocked the path, with rocks and thorns on both sides, making it difficult to pass. Langtsuo cried out in surprise, "Oh my, what's going on? How did all these sweets end up in your mouth? And why are you blocking the road? What exactly is happening?"

 

The maidens wanted their sweets back, but the monk had already eaten them; even cutting out his tongue wouldn't retrieve them. So they stepped over the old monk and went to fetch water. When they raised their heads to offer the first scoop of water to heaven and earth, that first ladleful flew in a straight line into the old monk's mouth. The maidens were disgusted. They shouldered their water buckets, stepped over the old monk again, and returned to the palace.

 

Afterwards, Yellow Tent King's daughter, Otsuo, and Black Tent King's daughter, Dongtsuo, also went to fetch water, carrying silver and turquoise buckets respectively, each leading a group of maidens. Just like before, they stepped over the monk on their way there and back. Finally, Gijum Yixi, daughter of Prince Garbena of the Garwa tribe, carrying a conch-shell bucket and leading a large group of maidens, went to fetch water. As she walked, she tossed sweets to her companions, but all the thrown sweets again flew into the old monk's mouth. Gijum Yixi said, "In this yellow Hor land that believes in black magic, only my father and I devoutly follow the virtuous white path. Seeing a wise teacher like you brings me joy like seeing sunlight. Consider those sweets an offering to you. Please make a way so we may pass."

 

The old monk replied, "This hail disaster, unseen since ancient times, has injured my head, neck, and legs. I want to get up, but my head and neck lack strength; I want to move aside, but my back hurts and I cannot stand; I want to walk over, but my legs ache and I cannot go. The maidens fetched water before all stepped over me. If you have urgent business, you may step over me too. If you are at leisure and unhurried, please detour around me."

 

Gijum Yixi said, "To step over such an elder would be a great sin."

 

So she detoured through the rocks and thorn bushes beside the old monk. When she raised her head to offer the first ladle of water to the heavens, it too, like with the previous maidens, flew into the old monk's mouth. Gijum Yixi was again filled with surprise. She thought: Could this old monk be King Gesar in disguise? Looking more carefully, the old monk had vanished. In his place stood a snow-white male lion, crouching there, its furious eyes wide open, flashing like lightning as it stared at Yaze City, raising a giant paw as if to strike the city gates. Around it swarmed a hundred thousand bears, and in the sky circled tens of millions of stars. In another instant, these visions disappeared, and the original old monk was back. Gijum Yixi hurried to him and whispered, "Great King, when I interpreted dreams before, I once said that an angry lion striking with its paw would turn Yaze City to dust. This matches the scene you just revealed. If you can transform into an eight- or nine-year-old child and come home with me, I will do my utmost to help you. As the heavenly oracle foretold, everything will be accomplished perfectly."

 

Gesar, understanding her meaning, said, "You go back first. I will come naturally in time."

 

Notes

 

Period of the degenerate age:  Also known as the Dharma-Ending Age. Buddhism holds that after the Buddha's passing, the Dharma will gradually decline, divided into three periods: the True Dharma, the Semblance Dharma, and the Degenerate Age. The period with teaching, practice, and realization is called the True Dharma; the period with teaching and practice is the Semblance Dharma; the period with only teaching but no other aspects is the Degenerate Age. Also called the Evil Time or Evil World.

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