As Boqin reached the entrance of his house, he tossed down the lifeless tiger and called out, "Where are the servants?"

Several odd-looking household servants emerged, coming forward. With a bit of dragging and pulling, they hauled the tiger inside.

Boqin instructed them to skin it and prepare it for their guest quickly.

Then he turned to welcome Tripitaka into the house. Upon seeing each other, Tripitaka once again expressed his gratitude for Boqin's kindness and life-saving compassion. Boqin replied, "No need for thanks among fellow villagers."

After settling down and sipping some tea, an elderly woman accompanied by a young bride came forward to greet Tripitaka. Boqin introduced them, "This is my mother and my young wife."

Tripitaka responded, "Please, have them take their seats first. I offer my respects."

The old woman spoke, "Revered elder, as distant travelers, please don't go through the trouble of bowing. You're welcome here."

Boqin said, "Mother, he's under the command of the Tang Emperor, on a mission to the West to seek scriptures from the Buddha. Just a while ago, I encountered him at the foot of the mountain. He seemed like a fellow countryman, so I invited him to stay the night and will escort him on his journey tomorrow."

Hearing this, the old woman was delighted and exclaimed, "Great, great, great! We couldn't have invited him at a more perfect time. Tomorrow is the anniversary of your father’s passing, and we can have the monk here perform some good deeds, recite scriptures, and then send him off the day after."

Despite being a skilled tiger hunter, Liu Boqin, the Mountain Warden, had a heart of filial piety. Upon hearing his mother's words, he immediately made arrangements for incense and intended to keep Tripitaka a little longer.

As they spoke, the sky gradually grew darker without them realizing it.

The servants set up tables and brought several plates of cooked tiger meat, still steaming hot. Boqin invited Tripitaka to have some while he prepared the rice.

Tripitaka clasped his hands in gratitude. "Indeed! I won't hide it from you, Brother Boqin. I've been a monk since birth and don't eat meat."

Upon hearing this, Boqin fell into deep thought for a moment. "Elder, throughout generations in my family, we've never known anything other than meat. Even when we gather bamboo shoots, mushrooms, dried vegetables, or make tofu, they're all cooked in oil from deer, elk, tigers, and leopards. There's not much vegetarian food available. And our cooking stoves have been greased with meat for ages. What can we do now? It seems I've made a poor offer to you."

"Brother Boqin, there's no need to worry so much. Please enjoy your meal as you wish. I can go without eating for a few days, even though it might make me hungry. But breaking my vow of abstinence is something I can't do."

"What if you starve to death?" Boqin asked.

"Thanks to your kindness, I was rescued from the tiger and wolf territory. Even if I starve, it's better than being fed to a tiger."

Boqin's mother heard and called out, "Son, don't waste time talking. I have some vegetarian ingredients we can use to treat him."

Boqin asked, "Where did you get vegetarian ingredients?"

His mother replied, "You don't worry about that. I have some on hand." She instructed her daughter-in-law to take a small pot and remove the greasy residue, then scrubbed and cleaned it thoroughly before placing it back on the stove. She first boiled a pot of water and set it aside.

Next, she took some wild elm leaves from the mountains and steeped them to make herbal tea. Then, she cooked a pot of yellow millet rice and prepared some cooked dried vegetables. She served two bowls of food and laid them on the table. Facing Tripitaka, the old mother said, "Revered Monk, please enjoy this vegetarian meal. My son and daughter-in-law personally prepared it with the utmost cleanliness and care."

Tripitaka expressed his gratitude and took his seat.

Boqin arranged another set of dishes, placing some unsalted and unseasoned tiger meat, venison, python meat, fox meat, rabbit meat, and dried chopped deer jerky on the table. The plates and bowls were filled, accompanying Tripitaka's vegetarian meal. Just as he was about to pick up his chopsticks, he saw Tripitaka clasping his hands and reciting scriptures. This startled Boqin, causing him to hesitate with his chopsticks, quickly standing beside Tripitaka.

Tripitaka recited a few verses and then requested to start eating.

Boqin asked, "Are you a monk who recites short scriptures?"

Tripitaka explained, "This isn't a scripture; it's a brief blessing for the meal."

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Boqin commented, "You monks seem to have many practices, even reciting while eating."

After the vegetarian meal, they cleared the dishes, and gradually, evening approached.

Boqin led Tripitaka out of the main house, and they strolled around the back. Passing through a side path, they came upon a grassy pavilion. Pushing open the door, they entered inside.

The walls were adorned with several sturdy bows and crossbows, with quivers of arrows hanging nearby. Overhead, two bloody tiger skins were draped, while the base of the walls held an array of spears, blades, tridents, and cudgels. In the center, two seats were set up.

Boqin invited Tripitaka to sit down, but upon seeing the ominous scene, Tripitaka didn't dare to stay long and quickly exited the pavilion.

They continued on, reaching a sizeable hidden garden. Everywhere, clusters of chrysanthemums bloomed in shades of yellow, and maple and poplar trees bore vibrant red foliage. Suddenly, a soft call echoed, and around ten plump deer and a group of yellow antelopes pranced out. They gazed at the humans, unafraid and curious.

Tripitaka asked, "Are these deer and antelopes raised by you, too, Great Warden?"

Boqin replied, "Similar to wealthy households in your Chang'an city that accumulate treasures or farms that amass grains, we hunters also gather and care for wild animals to be prepared for times of need."

As they chatted and walked, dusk settled in, prompting them to return to the front of the estate for a rest.

The next morning, everyone in the household woke up and prepared a vegetarian meal, hosting the Tripitaka and inviting him to lead the chanting of sutras.

Tripitaka cleaned his hands, then joined the warden in lighting incense and paying respects to the ancestral hall. Afterward, Tripitaka struck the wooden fish, began with a purification mantra for speech and a sacred chant for mental purity, and then opened the "Sutra for Delivering the Departed."

Upon finishing the recitation, the Warden requested the recitation of a memorial service text, followed by the chanting of the "Diamond Sutra" and the "Avalokiteshvara Sutra."

Each sutra was chanted clearly and melodiously.

After the chanting, they had their midday meal and then continued with the "Lotus Sutra" and the "Amitabha Sutra," reciting several volumes of each. They also chanted the "Peacock Sutra" and discussed the stories of other noble monks.

By now, the day had turned into evening. They offered various sacrifices, lit incense, and burned memorial papers for the spirits. With the completion of the Buddhist rituals, everyone retired to rest for the night.

Meanwhile, in the story, Boqin’s father's spirit was rescued from torment and sent to their own home after the Tripitaka's sutra recitations.

In a dream, the spirit communicated with the household, saying, "I was suffering in the Underworld, trapped in hardship for a long time without release. Thankfully, the holy monk chanted scriptures for me, alleviating my karmic burden. Yama, the King of the Underworld, dispatched messengers to bring me to a prosperous land in China, where I'd been reborn into a wealthy family. Please express our gratitude to the monk and don't neglect it, don't neglect it. I must go now."

It was as if the universe itself was orchestrating this benevolent act, liberating him from suffering and darkness.

When the family awoke, the sun had already risen in the east.

The Warden's wife shared her dream with him, saying, "Darling, I dreamt that your father returned home last night. He said he had been enduring torment in the Underworld for a long time, unable to find liberation. But his karmic debts were cleared thanks to the monk's sutra recitations. Yama's messengers escorted him to a prosperous land in China, where he was reborn into a well-off family. We must sincerely thank that monk and not underestimate his kindness. Saying this, he walked out the door and disappeared into the morning mist. Despite my calls, I couldn't hold him back. When I woke up, it turned out to be just a dream."

Boqin said, "I had the same dream, just like you. Let's go tell Mother about it."

As they were about to go, they heard the Warden's mother call out, "Boqin, my child, come here. I want to talk to you."

They went to her, and she sat on the bed, saying, "My child, I had a joyful dream last night. I dreamt that your father came home and told me that his sins were cleansed thanks to the monk's blessings. He has been sent to a prosperous land in China, reborn into a wealthy family."

The couple chuckled and said, "We both had the same dream and were just coming to share it with you. It seems this dream also visited you."

They then gathered everyone in the household, expressing their gratitude, preparing the horses, and all of them came forward to express their thanks, saying, "Thank you so much, venerable monk, for guiding our departed father to a better place. We can never repay your kindness."

Tripitaka replied, "I have done nothing special, no need for such thanks."

Boqin recounted the dreams of his family to Tripitaka, and the monk was pleased to hear them. They provided him with a simple vegetarian meal and even offered a small amount of silver as thanks.

However, Tripitaka declined any money.

The family insisted and pleaded, but Tripitaka remained resolute in his refusal, saying, "Your willingness to show kindness by accompanying me on part of my journey is more than enough."

Boqin and his family were left with no choice, so they hastily prepared some basic bread, biscuits, and provisions for the road. They escorted Tripitaka a distance before bidding farewell.

Tripitaka accepted the offerings gratefully.

With Boqin leading the way as per his mother's wishes, accompanied by a few household servants carrying hunting gear, they set out on the main road.

The beauty of the wild landscapes in the mountains and the picturesque scenes along the ridges seemed endless.

After traveling for half a day, they spotted a massive mountain ahead. It stood tall, seemingly reaching the sky, with rugged and steep slopes. Before long, they arrived at the foot of the mountain.

Boqin climbed the mountain effortlessly, moving as if on level ground. When they reached the halfway point, Boqin turned around, stopping on the path below, and said, "Elder, please proceed on your own from here. I must turn back."

Hearing this, Tripitaka dismounted his horse and said, "Please, Great Warden, allow me to trouble you a bit further."

Boqin responded, "Elder, you may not be aware. This mountain is called the Two Realms Mountain. The eastern half belongs to our Great Tang, while the western half is the territory of the Tatars. The wolves and tigers on that side do not heed my authority, and I cannot cross over either. You should continue on your own."

Tripitaka felt a sense of alarm, his heart pounding. He clenched his fists and held his robes, tears welling up.

Amid their solemn farewell, they suddenly heard a thunderous shout from the foot of the mountain: "Master is coming! Master is coming!"

Startled, Tripitaka was left bewildered, and Boqin was taken by surprise.

For now, they couldn't ascertain who was shouting, so let's listen to the next chapter to find out.