ENG
Tiger's Acolyte was formerly a warrior that settled down in Sandgate Village with his new wife and child. When his wife succumbed to illness from the harsh desert wind, and his son became close to following, the man became desperate to search for a cure. His only hope seemed to be dashed when the bodhisattva had gone missing.
While passing through a dry well, the man heard a roar and entered the well and found Mad Tiger, weakened from his battle against Yellow Wind Sage and still in recovery. Mad Tiger posed as his elder brother and claimed to be the mountain's deity, who could cure his son's illness. In exchange for the man luring in other villagers to be consumed by Mad Tiger, his son could consume medicine from the Tiger's special gourd, which helped rejuvenate his condition.
The villagers eventually found out that the man had led their neighbors to their deaths and beat his son to death. When the man returned to the scene, he took his sword and slaughtered the village before leaving into the desert.
Tiger's Acolyte started out as an ordinary retired warrior who settled in Sandgate Village with his new wife and young son. The desert around the village was harsh; his wife fell ill and died from sickness caused by the desert wind, and his son soon grew dangerously weak. Desperate to find a cure, the man searched everywhere he could, but his last hope was gone when the bodhisattva he might have turned to had disappeared.
While passing a dry well one day, the man heard a roar and went down to investigate. There he found Mad Tiger, who was weakened and still recovering after a fight with the Yellow Wind Sage. Mad Tiger pretended to be the man’s elder brother and claimed to be the mountain’s deity, offering a way to heal the boy.
Mad Tiger’s offer came with a cruel condition. The Tiger said the boy could take medicine from a special gourd that would restore him, but only if the man lured other villagers into Mad Tiger’s lair so the Tiger could devour them. Driven by the wish to save his son, the man agreed and led his neighbors to their deaths.
When the rest of the villagers discovered what he had done, they were furious. They captured the son and beat him to death in response to his betrayal. When the man returned to the scene and found what had happened, he took up his sword, slaughtered the villagers in revenge, and then left the ruined village behind.
The story ends with the man leaving into the desert after the massacre. His desperate choice to trade other people’s lives for his son’s temporary salvation led to the deaths of his neighbors, the death of his son, and his own exile, which is why he is remembered as Tiger’s Acolyte.