Guarding the Pure Land

After entering that door, the intense light made Tianhua unable to open his eyes. He walked forward with closed eyes. After an unknown period, he felt that the light in front of him was not so strong. He opened his eyes, but the scene in front of him did not surprise Tianhua. It was no different from the village: the same mountains, the same trees, the same flowers and grass... The only difference was that there was no snow here, and no sign of people!

Staring at the scene in front of him, Tianhua felt a bit lost. He didn't know what he was supposed to do or where to go. He looked back and saw emptiness. Curious, he walked towards it, just an ordinary path, and he didn't notice anything unusual, not even in the air. He didn't know how his village was hidden. He stopped, hesitated, and pondered...

He found that he seemed to have no path to follow because the mountain in front of him blocked the way. Tianhua stared at the mountain: it seemed he had to climb over it.

Tianhua walked towards the mountain. The trees on the mountain were dense, and sometimes he could hear the sounds of animals. Tianhua suddenly found it very interesting. He used to go up the mountain often in the village and could hear animal sounds, but in a familiar environment, these things seemed mundane and tasteless!

As Tianhua walked, he reached a flat area. This should be the mountaintop, Tianhua thought. Standing on the mountaintop and looking into the distance, it seemed that many people lived there, but the houses didn't look like those in his family. They were too far away to see clearly! Tianhua's gaze slowly moved down the mountain: on the vast land, apart from a few dilapidated houses in the distance, the rest was barren. The more Tianhua looked, the stranger he felt.

After watching for a while, Tianhua walked down the mountain. As he walked, he saw a house at the foot of the mountain. Approaching, he found that the house was built in a forest, with dense trees in front of the house. Tianhua found it a bit strange.

He walked up, circled around from behind, and came to the front. The house was built with wood, and there was a courtyard in front surrounded by tall trees. Tianhua walked to the courtyard gate and knocked on the door. There was no movement inside for a long time, so Tianhua had to say loudly, "Excuse me, is anyone inside?"

After a while, the door opened, and an old man opened it. The old man looked at Tianhua in surprise! Obviously, he was astonished that someone came to this house at this time and in this place. He settled down a bit when he saw that Tianhua was alone.

"Young man, how did you come here?" the old man asked Tianhua.

"Grandpa, I just passed by here. I just came down from the mountain and saw your house, so I came to take a look," Tianhua said with a smile.

"So you are a stranger who came from afar?" the old man asked.

"Yes!" Tianhua nodded.

"Came here to escape something?" the old man continued to ask.

Tianhua was stunned for a moment, not sure how to answer, so he nodded vaguely to get through.

Then the old man sighed, didn't ask Tianhua anything more, and invited him into the house.

Following the old man through the courtyard, Tianhua saw many furs of animals, some of which he recognized, and many iron tools whose uses he didn't know.

Entering the house, the old man asked Tianhua to sit down. After Tianhua sat down, he glanced around the room: it was spacious, and everything was neatly arranged!

The old man poured a glass of water for Tianhua, who thanked him.

"Young man, what's your name?" the old man asked.

"Tianhua," Tianhua said.

"Oh, how many people are there in your family?" the old man asked.

"Dad, mom, and me!" Tianhua said.

"What happened to your family? Only you are left?" the old man asked with concern.

Tianhua thought about how to answer the old man's question, but he really didn't know how to say it, so he felt troubled.

"Let's not talk about sad things," the old man said, seeing the worried expression on Tianhua's face.

Tianhua breathed a sigh of relief. He asked the old man, "Grandpa, why do you live alone at the foot of this mountain?"

"There is a mountain town in this place. My family and I lived not far from the mountain town. There were about a hundred households there, and we lived there peacefully for most of our lives. But the lord of the mountain town only knew how to eat, drink, and have fun, oppressing the common people. One day, he wanted to build a palace and ordered all the young men from the mountain town to be conscripted. My son was also within the conscription range, but who knew he would be worked to death! The body was brought back, and my daughter-in-law, seeing the body, cried to death a few days later! At that time, my grandson was only thirteen years old. Hearing that they wanted to conscript him too, I took him away from there and came here to live. After the palace was built, the young men from the resident households basically did not come back. The remaining orphans and widows lived a hard life. Not only that, they had to hand over most of their harvest every year. Life was unbearable. In the end, people left one after another. Now you can only see a dozen or so dilapidated houses outside the mountain town!" The old man said sadly. After speaking, tears slowly flowed from his eyes.

Tianhua listened, and his heart was shaken. He didn't know how to interpret the specific things the old man said, but he could understand the old man's pain: what is more painful than parting with loved ones!

"How can you shed tears while talking? People tend to be sentimental when they get old!" The old man smiled and wiped away his tears with his hand.

Tianhua smiled bitterly and was about to say something when he heard someone outside shouting loudly, "Grandpa, come and see what delicious things I brought back for you today!"

"My grandson, Ali, is back!" The old man smiled.

Tianhua saw a tall, bare-chested, dark-skinned young man coming in, carrying a big wild boar on his shoulder. He threw the wild boar into the courtyard and walked towards the house.

"Grandpa, who is this..." Ali saw Tianhua and asked in surprise.

The old man explained Tianhua's situation to Ali. Hearing that Tianhua had come here to escape, Tianhua wanted to refute, but he didn't know what to say after refuting. So, he just vaguely agreed.

After the old man finished speaking, Ali also looked at Tianhua sympathetically. Seeing that gaze, Tianhua felt a bit complicated: Well... let's continue with this "misunderstanding"! Suddenly, Ali gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "One day, I will kill all these harmful bugs!"

"The world is so big. What can you, alone, do? Kill them all!" the old man said.

Ali didn't say anything, just cursed a few words, and then walked towards the courtyard to clean up the big wild boar.

Dinner was the big wild boar, and Tianhua sat at the table, smelling the fragrance emanating from the boar, saying, "I haven't eaten such delicious wild boar meat for a long time!"

"If you're willing, stay here for a few more days. I'll go hunting for wild boars in the mountains every day and bring them back for you to eat," Ali said with a smile.

"Do you go out every day?" Tianhua asked.

"Yes!" Ali replied.

"Then I'll go with you tomorrow!" Tianhua said.

"I think you'd better stay at home and wait for meat. The mountains are too dangerous! I'm afraid if anything happens, I won't be able to take care of you!" Ali looked Tianhua up and down and said.

"Is the mountain very dangerous?" Tianhua asked in confusion.

"Yes, there are many wild beasts that eat people on the mountain. If you're not careful, your life will be in danger!" Ali said.

"But I didn't see any of those man-eating beasts you mentioned when I came down from the mountain today," Tianhua asked in confusion. At the same time, he was also thinking: What kind of beast can eat people?

"What did you say? You said you came over the mountain?" Ali asked in surprise.

"Yes! Is there a problem?" Tianhua said.

"No, I just think you're very lucky!" Ali said.

"Can I go with you tomorrow?" Tianhua asked.

Ali looked at him, his face showing a hesitant expression: What if there is danger!

"Ali, I think you should take Tianhua with you tomorrow! I think Tianhua's luck should be good!" the old man said.

Ali looked at his grandfather, then at Tianhua, and nodded, "Okay!"

Tianhua smiled happily, finished his meal, and after the meal, Ali and Tianhua cleaned up the table. The two of them came to the courtyard. At this time, it was gradually getting dark, and a bright moon hung in the sky. Tianhua sat there looking at the moon, and unconsciously, he thought of Iran.

"Tianhua, where is your home?" Ali asked.

"My hometown, my hometown is in a very distant place! It's a beautiful and quiet place," Tianhua said quietly.

"What happened there? That made you leave your hometown?" Ali asked.

"Nothing happened there. I lived well there!" Tianhua said.

"Then why did grandpa say you escaped?" Ali asked in confusion.

"In fact, I came here because I wanted to see places outside my hometown. I came to this place alone, not knowing anything. When I saw this house, I walked over to take a look. Grandpa saw me and thought I was escaping, and if I told him I was just a person from a distant place exploring around, I think grandpa wouldn't believe it! So, I just went along with grandpa's words," Tianhua said.

"Explore outside! What's there to see outside? Everywhere you look, you see things that make you angry, and those annoying bugs that oppress and exploit us everywhere. My grandpa and I came here just to escape from the outside world. And you actually want to leave your hometown alone to see such an outside world!" Ali said in amazement.

"Some things you might not understand even if I tell you!" Tianhua smiled.

"Maybe, but I know how wonderful it is to live with your family. But..." Ali said, grinding his teeth at the end, making a "creak creak" sound.

"There are too many sad things in life. When something happens, thinking about it is useless. Sometimes you have to forget what you should forget. That's the only way to live well today and tomorrow," Tianhua comforted Ali.

"But they killed my parents. How can I forget that?!" Ali said loudly.

Tianhua looked at Ali and felt that what he had just said might be inappropriate, but he really didn't know how to comfort Ali.

"I'm sorry, what I just said may not be right, and I made you angry. I'm really sorry!" Tianhua said apologetically.

"It's okay. Actually, what you said is right. Even if I remember all the time, what's the use? It just makes me hate those people more. I want to kill those harmful bugs, but that's something I can never accomplish alone!" Ali said sadly.

Tianhua looked at Ali, and these things in his heart, he really didn't know how to understand: why would one person want to harm another? He also didn't know what "hate" feels like...

"Ali, let's not talk about these sad things! Look at the beautiful moon in the sky!" Tianhua pointed to the moon in the sky.

"Yes! It's really beautiful!" Ali looked up at the moon and said. After a while, Ali said, "Tianhua, tell me about your hometown!"

Hearing this, Tianhua thought for a moment and said, "My hometown is..."

Under the moonlight, the two talked for a very long time, and as the deep night approached, the two went into the house to sleep.

The chirping of birds woke Tianhua up, and he found the bird calls very pleasant. There were birds in the mountains at home, but none of them were as clear and abundant as here.

Tianhua looked at the bed, and Ali had already gotten up. Tianhua got up, walked outside.

He saw Ali preparing breakfast, so Tianhua went up to help!

"Wake up, Tianhua!" Ali saw Tianhua and said.

Tianhua responded, and the two prepared breakfast. Ali then called his grandfather to come and eat.

After finishing breakfast, they cleaned the table, and Tianhua asked, "Ali, when are we going hunting?"

"Wait a moment; I'll go prepare, and then we'll go!" Ali said.

"What do we need to prepare for hunting?" Tianhua asked.

"We need to prepare tools for trapping animals!" Ali said.

"What tools do we need for trapping animals?" Tianhua asked in confusion.

Ali looked at Tianhua in amazement; this question left him unsure of how to answer.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Tianhua asked.

"Haven't you seen others hunting?" Ali asked.

"I have, back in my hometown!" Tianhua said.

"Have you ever hunted?" Ali asked.

"Yes, every year, the adults in our village would take the children up the mountain several times to catch things like wild boars, rabbits, and mountain cats to eat!" Tianhua said.

"What do you prepare for hunting?" Ali asked.

"We don't prepare anything; we just go empty-handed!" Tianhua said.

After Tianhua finished speaking, Ali and his grandfather burst into laughter. Tianhua looked at them and said, "What are you laughing at?"

"In your village, there are only wild boars, rabbits, and such. Those things don't require tools. But here in the mountains, there are many wild beasts that eat people, so we have to bring some tools!" Ali said with a smile.

Tianhua looked at him skeptically, and his grandfather said on the side, "Tianhua, you must bring tools for trapping animals!"

"Come on, Tianhua, let me find something for you to defend yourself!" Ali said.

After saying that, Ali went to the yard, and Tianhua followed. In the yard, Ali handed Tianhua a short knife, saying, "Take this!"

Tianhua looked at the short knife in confusion: why do I need this to catch an animal? But, if I don't bring it, Ali might not take me. Well, let's take it! Tianhua took the knife in his hand.

Ali carried a bow and arrows on his back, strapped a short knife to his waist, and held a steel fork in his hand. Then he called out to Tianhua to get ready to depart. Excited, Tianhua called out that he was ready, and the two set off.

Arriving on the mountain, Ali asked Tianhua to follow him and not wander around. Tianhua agreed and followed behind Ali. Ali held the steel fork high and walked cautiously forward.

"There are many wild beasts here. If we encounter them later, I may not be able to watch over you, so you must be careful!" Ali said to Tianhua behind him.

Tianhua agreed, watching Ali walking cautiously ahead, couldn't help but say, "Are there really so many beasts here? How come I haven't seen a single one until now?"

"If you see them after just a few steps, then how can my grandfather and I live here!" Ali shouted loudly.

"Do those beasts disturb your and your grandfather's residence?" Tianhua asked.

"Yes, they do, but not often, just occasionally!" Ali said.

Tianhua nodded, about to ask Ali something, when he saw Ali stretch out his hand, signaling him to stop. Tianhua hurriedly looked to the side: a very large wild boar was standing there with its back turned to them.

"Wow! Ali, what a big wild boar!" Tianhua exclaimed excitedly.

The wild boar seemed to hear their voices, turned its body, and looked toward Tianhua and Ali. Suddenly, the wild boar ran swiftly into the forest.

Ali quickly chased after it, and Tianhua followed suit. While running, Ali handed the steel fork to Tianhua, took down the bow and arrow from his back, and aimed at the wild boar.

Swish...

An arrow hit the wild boar's back. The wild boar cried out, continued to run forward, and at this point, Ali took out another arrow, shot it at the wild boar again. This time, the wild boar cried out, but it didn't stop; instead, it turned its head towards Tianhua and Ali.

"That wild boar has seen that it has no way to retreat. It wants to surrender!" Tianhua exclaimed excitedly.

“Tianhua, give me the steel fork. Be careful by yourself from now on!” Ali said, taking the steel fork from Tianhua.

Tianhua looked at Ali with confusion, then glanced at the "agonized" wild boar nearby. At this moment, the wild boar wailed and charged towards Tianhua and Ali.

"Tianhua, be careful!" Ali shouted as the wild boar approached.

When the boar reached them, Ali quickly jumped to the side, but surprisingly, Tianhua stood there motionless. Seeing the boar about to charge at Tianhua, Ali shouted and pierced the wild boar's body with the steel fork, then pushed it aside. Watching the wild boar lying on the ground, gasping for breath, Ali breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tianhua, you said you've hunted before?" Ali shouted angrily.

"Yes, I told you!" Tianhua said.

"You've hunted! Then why did you shout so loudly when you saw the wild boar? When the boar charged, why were you standing there like an idiot?" Ali was a bit angry, as if he hadn't acted quickly, he might have been knocked over by the wild boar.

"What's the problem with that?" Tianhua asked in confusion.

Upon hearing this answer, Ali was stunned for a moment, staring at Tianhua: where did this kid come from? He doesn't look like someone who knows nothing! But how does he not know such a simple thing? Did they catch the beasts in their hometown by letting the animals catch themselves?

Ali really didn't know what to say to Tianhua. He looked at Tianhua, and then said, "Nothing, no problem! Let's go back."

"Just catch one wild boar and go back? Why not catch a few more?" Tianhua asked in confusion.

"This one wild boar is enough for us to eat for several days. We haven't finished the one from yesterday! Besides, this wild boar is heavy. If we catch another one, how do we bring it back? Do you want to carry it back?" Ali looked at Tianhua and laughed.

"I can help you carry it." Tianhua said and wanted to lift the wild boar onto his back.

"I know you can help me carry it, but I'll do it myself!" Ali said, lifted the wild boar onto his shoulder, and quickly walked downhill. Tianhua followed.

As the two walked, suddenly the grass not far away moved, and then a gust of wind blew towards them. After the wind passed, Ali frowned, suddenly saying, "Not good, Tianhua, let's go quickly!"

"What's wrong?" Tianhua asked in confusion.

"Quick, this wind is not normal natural wind; it should be left behind by a running tiger!" Ali said.

"Tiger? What's a tiger?" Tianhua asked in confusion.

Normally, if Ali heard Tianhua ask like this, he would surely be surprised, but this time he didn't have the mood to care about these things because they might be in big trouble soon! He just wanted to go back quickly. So, he said loudly, "Don't say more, come on, let's go quickly!"

As soon as Ali finished speaking, there was a sudden whistling sound. Suddenly, a tiger pounced towards the two of them. Ali shouted loudly, "Be careful!" Then he dropped the wild boar from his back, hugged Tianhua, and rolled to the side.

The two got up from the ground, and Tianhua asked in confusion, "What happened?"

When he saw a tiger standing on a wild boar in front of him, staring at them fiercely, he suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Ali, is it a big cat?"

"Big cat? Yeah, it really looks like one!" Ali thought in his heart.

Ali took out a short knife from his waist, stared at the tiger in front of him, and suddenly, the tiger let out a long roar. After the roar, the trees around the two shook. Ali glanced around, sweat slowly dripping from his forehead, thinking: this is bad!

Several roars sounded simultaneously. Suddenly, from the other three directions around the two, three more tigers jumped out. Ali looked at the four tigers, took a deep breath, thinking: today they are in great danger! He looked at Tianhua beside him, who was excitedly looking at the four tigers. He marveled in his heart: this kid is really calm!

"Ali, look, it's four big cats! It seems we're really lucky today!" Tianhua exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah! You're really lucky! When I used to be alone, I encountered at most two. But today, with you, we encountered four at once!" Ali heard Tianhua say that, then smiled bitterly!

"Then let's catch all four of them and bring them back. This way, we'll have enough to eat for many days!" Tianhua said excitedly.

"Okay, since you're so excited about seeing big cats, I'll leave these four to you!" Ali laughed, but he was only joking. In fact, he was thinking: whether they can safely go back today is still a question!

"Really? You won't do anything, and I'll catch these four big cats?" Tianhua said excitedly.

"Yes, go ahead!" Ali laughed and said.

"Then you're not allowed to go back on your word!" Tianhua said seriously.

"I won't go back on my word!" Ali also said "seriously."

"Okay, then help me hold this!" After saying that, Tianhua took off the short knife hanging on his waist and handed it to Ali.

Ali took the short knife and looked at Tianhua. Tianhua looked at Ali and said, "I'll go then!" After saying that, he rushed towards the tigers. Ali saw it and quickly grabbed Tianhua, saying, "Are you really going! I was just joking with you!"

"Do you want to go back on your word?" Tianhua asked.

"I'm not going back on my word. I just want to say..." Ali hadn't finished speaking when Tianhua pulled away his hand and said, "Don't go back on your word!"

After saying that, Tianhua rushed towards the tigers. Ali nervously watched Tianhua running towards the tigers. At this moment, he didn't know what to do: he could only deal with two tigers at most by himself! What about the other two? Did this kid mistake the tigers for the mountain cats in his hometown?

The four tigers roared, staring at Tianhua running towards them...