On a barren Gobi plain bristling with jagged rocks, a solitary mountain peak stood tall. At its base, gullies and ravines sprawled across the land like patches of dead skin.
A faint breeze swept by, stirring up clouds of yellow sand.
In the hazy distance, a shaft of golden light descended from the sky, landing on the mountain’s peak and transforming into a monk.
This monk wore a beige coarse robe over a white inner cassock, held a golden staff, and was tall and dignified. His entire body gave off a faint golden glow, marking him as one who had attained the Buddha’s golden body.
Soon, over a hundred ragged little demons emerged from the rocks to watch from afar. The monk paid them no mind, simply standing quietly on the peak with his hands clasped behind his back, facing away from the demons, as if waiting for something.
Soon, a short yellow-furred mink demon clad in golden armor parted the crowd and stepped forward. Seeing the monk atop the peak, he took a deep breath, hunched his shoulders, and hurried past the jagged rocks to kneel on one knee a yard behind the monk, saying: "Disciple greets Venerable Leonard!"
Buddha Leonard smiled faintly, turned his face and glanced at the yellow-furred mink demon, saying, "After all this time, you still call yourself 'disciple'?"
The yellow-furred mink demon gave an awkward smile. "Well, I’ve always been a disciple of the Buddhist order, it just depends on whether you recognize me, Venerable."
Buddha Leonard tilted his head back with a smile. "That’s easy enough—just return the Sacred Clear Oil you stole, and I’ll recognize you as my disciple."
"Well..." The yellow-furred mink demon hesitated, grinning obsequiously. "Venerable Leonard, you know as well as I do—the Sacred Clear Oil has all been eaten, so how could I return it? But, it was eating that oil that gave me my current cultivation. If you don’t mind, take me in as a gatekeeper for the Great Thunderclap Temple. Wouldn’t that make up for the lost oil? That way, I can continue practicing the Dharma. Isn’t that the best of both worlds?"
"Noisy."
At Buddha Leonard’s faint rebuke, the yellow-furred mink demon hurriedly bowed lower, not daring to speak further.
Beads of sweat rolled down his uneven brow.
Facing the wind, Buddha Leonard gazed at the drifting clouds on the horizon and said calmly, "The Great Thunderclap Temple has no need for a petty demon like you to keep watch at its gates. Back then, I spared your life only because I didn’t wish to stain my cultivation with blood."
"Yes, Venerable Leonard, you are right." The yellow-furred mink demon kowtowed quickly. "Thank you, Venerable, for sparing my life."
Slowly turning around, Buddha Leonard looked down at the kneeling yellow-furred mink demon and took a deep breath. "I hear you’ve picked up a new title—calling yourself Lord Yellowwind?"
"Well..." The yellow-furred mink demon wiped his brow, trembling as he replied, "Venerable Leonard, forgive me. 'Lord Yellowwind' is just what I say to my little lackeys. When I meet other demons of equal rank, I go by Yellowwind Brute. Such a vulgar name isn’t worthy of your ears."
"Very well. From now on, I’ll call you Yellowwind."
"Thank you, Venerable, for bestowing a name! Thank you!" The Yellowwind Brute hurriedly bowed and called out loudly, "From today onward, my name is Yellowwind!"
Looking at Yellowwind, Buddha Leonard took a deep breath and stepped forward to stand before him.