It turned out to be Acuo's father, Jiayang. He had run all the way and so his hair tie had fallen out and his hair hung wildly and chaotically in front of his face, as if he were some unkempt madman. Headman Wangzhu stopped his whipping. He spat a mouthful of phlegm onto Jiayang's head and then thrashed him a few times with the whip. Finally he became bored and said in a bitter voice, "Bah, have I met with some evil spirit? If it's not the leopards dragging away my sheep, then it's the eagles taking them in their beaks. If I don't give you wretches a little lesson, then one day you'll bring the devils themselves over to me."
The headman huffed as he turned around and went inside. Jiayang and his son climbed up from the ground and knelt uprightly facing the headman's great door. The headman had not told them to leave and both father and son did not dare to get up. In the evening, delicate snowflakes floated in the air and soon the shoulders of both father and son were covered in a layer of white. The child's snot constantly trickled down and gradually turned into ice which stuck to his lips and looked like a strange, thick, white beard.
They knelt under the star-filled sky as the moon rose in the east. They knelt until the drunken headman came out from the compound to urinate and asked the housekeeper why there were two dogs kneeling there. The housekeeper told them that they weren't dogs, that they were the guilty Jiayang and Acuo. The headman finally remembered the events of the afternoon and let the half-frozen pair leave.
The next day, although his whole body was ridden with welts, Acuo still needed to go and tend the flock. This time he did not dare to sleep and did not even dare to blink anymore. His sorrowful, aggrieved tears froze into icicles on his face but he did not have the time to break them off as he was scared of those ever-present eagles suddenly flying over his head like lightning and grabbing a lamb. If the same thing as yesterday happened today, he would be beaten to death by the chieftain. However, at least, he could relax a little, as Yangzong was in the distant hills and was ready to help him keep watch for eagles. They had agreed that if an eagle came flying, she would give him a whistle.
Then, a figure wearing a robe emerged from the ground and stood abruptly in front of Acuo. Acuo's eyes widened in surprise. He rubbed at his eyes. Heavens! This was the Great Tulku[6] Dapu from the Qiari Temple! Was this a dream? On such a cold day, what was he doing on the pastures?
The Tulku had a benevolent and kindly countenance and he held prayer beads in his hand as he walked towards Acuo. He discovered an air of compassion about the boy's broad forehead, thick eyebrows and large eyes. That such a small child could have this kind of temperament, made the Ninth Tulku Dapu, who had read countless people and was also well-versed in the scriptures, feel gladness in his heart. He broke a piece of ice off the child's face and said to him, "Child, here I have some butter rice. You sit down to eat and I'll help watch over the sheep."
Even though Acuo was young, he knew that a bowl of butter rice was not to be eaten over the New Year celebrations. He also knew that this amiable elder was a Great Tulku and that everybody within 100 li radius had to kowtow to him when they met him. Even Headman Wangzhu had to hasten to dismount his horse and kneel down in a kowtow whenever they crossed paths. The child knelt down and said, "Tulku, how could I dare to let you tend my sheep?"
Tulku Dapu laughed, "Who says that I cannot tend the sheep? Before I was known as the Tulku, I was just a poor child like you. Eat up quick, child."
He took Acuo's shepherd whip and began driving the sheep.
It turned out that earlier that day, Acuo's father had paid a visit to the temple to light butter lamps, offer incense and pray to the Buddha to forgive their sins. This was because both of his sons had attracted leopards and eagles to the headman's sheep. Poor Jiayang did not know what kind of retribution he was suffering, or which deity his family had angered so that he should encounter such grave misfortune. In front of the incomparable wrath of the figure of the Vajrapani Bodhisattva, he prayed and cried out. Apart from the Bodhisattva's compassion, what else could help helpless and lowly shepherds like them?
Of course, compassion was shown. Tulku Dapu of the Qiari Temple heard Jiayang's prayers and then told his attendants to prepare some butter rice and pack it into a wooden box. He then strode out of the temple. The Abbot, Khenpo Pinsong[7] asked, "Where are you going, Tulku?"
He smiled and replied, "I'm going to herd some sheep."
As the common saying goes, the stick a beggar uses to beat a dog has better uses. The Tulku going to tend sheep was an unthinkable thing at the time, like using precious sandalwood as kindling, or using silk as a rag. The information was like the whirlwinds that blow across the grasslands, stirring up reverence in people's hearts. The Buddhist community in the village talked about it continuously and smouldered with indignation at Wangzhu's behaviour. So many people spat at the arrogant Headman Wangzhu that he felt he was drowning in their saliva. Even if he didn't actually drown, despite his power and influence in this life, he would still always have to worry about his next life. He could not afford to receive such a great blessing as having a tulku herd his sheep. The headman quickly packed a hada[8] and called for his servants. He then galloped towards the pastureland. When he saw the Tulku kneeling down in the distance amongst the sheep, he lifted the hada high above his head and said, full of shame, "Revered Tulku, please return."
Tulku Dapu said to Headman Wangzhu, "The sheep on the ground are driven by a whip. As for the heavenly eagles in the sky, do you have some heavenly whip to drive them off?"
Wangzhu's whole face was covered with sweat, "No, revered Tulku."