ENG
"Majestic of height, he looms with might,
In heavy armor, ready to fight.
His eyes-a fearsome, vacant lot,
A sage or fool, we know not."
Being the gatekeeper of the mountain was a thankless task indeed. For more than a century, Bullguard stood watch, never once climbing the ranks. Yet he voiced no grievances, for his devotion to the king as his sole concern, and the king's pills, his only desire. he treasured those pills within a lacquered box of pear wood, lined with silk. Each time he partook of them, he performed a ritual: a process of cleansing, rinsing, and offering incense to the universe, thanking it for its gifts. Many a lesser guai had tasted the king's rewards, but none with such reverence as Bullguard.
One day, a curious guai inquired, "How do you maintain such vigor despite the toils of this job?" With earnest simplicity, Bullguard replied, "It is the king's pill that fuels me. Take more, and you shall be as I am." The guai confessed, "We've partaken in our share, yet felt nothing. Mayhaps the king's gifts to you are finer?" Bullguard was aghast, "From the same hand we are served, how could there be a 'mine' and 'yours'?" The guai still skeptical, insisted on an exchange of pills. Soon after, the guai felt no change, while Bullguard remained as robust as ever.
Some say, "A fool's luck", but perhaps it isn't a lack of wit that's compensated, but the power drawn from blind devotion.
Bullguard is a giant, heavily armored gatekeeper who stands watch at a mountain entrance. He looks imposing but his eyes are described as empty or vacant, so people aren't sure whether he's wise or foolish. He has held this thankless duty for more than a century and never rose in rank. He never complained, because his loyalty to the king is his main concern.
Bullguard’s private obsession is the king’s pills. He keeps them in a lacquered pear-wood box lined with silk and treats them with ceremony. Every time he takes one he goes through a strict ritual: cleansing, rinsing, burning incense, and offering thanks to the universe. That ritual and his reverent attitude are part of how he uses the pills.
Other members of his people, called guai, have also tried the king’s rewards, but none used the same ritual or show the same devotion. A curious younger guai asked Bullguard how he could keep so much strength despite the hard work. Bullguard answered plainly that it was the king’s pill that kept him vigorous and that others should take more if they wanted the same result.
The skeptical guai said they had already taken pills and felt nothing, and suggested maybe Bullguard was given better pills. Bullguard was shocked at the idea that the king would give different doses, and the guai insisted they swap pills to prove it. After they exchanged pills, the skeptic still felt no effect while Bullguard stayed as robust as ever.
People offer two explanations. Some call Bullguard lucky or a fool, implying no special cause. The other explanation is that the effect comes not from the pills alone but from Bullguard’s blind devotion and the ritual he performs. The story leaves it unclear which is true, but it makes the point that Bullguard’s faith and ceremony may matter as much as the physical substance.