Could someone so powerful really be an ordinary hunter?
Tang Sanzang pressed his palms together and said:
"This humble monk is Sanzang. I have come from Chang'an under orders from the Tang King to seek the True Scriptures of the Three Baskets from our Buddha Tathagata in the Western Heaven. I never imagined these mountains would teem with fierce tigers and venomous creatures that would kill all my attendants!"
At Tang Sanzang's words, Liu Boqin shook his head and said:
"So you are Master Sanzang. You may not know this, but this is Twin-Fork Ridge. Countless savage beasts roam these mountains, and ordinary mortals cannot survive here. Worse still, the road to the Western Heaven is fraught with calamities. I advise you to return to Great Tang, Master!"
Liu Boqin had lived at Twin-Fork Ridge for years. As he led Tang Sanzang back to his home, he told Sanzang about things he had seen and heard.
Tang Sanzang had loved tales of marvels since childhood. Listening to Liu Boqin's vivid, expressive account, he could not help growing interested.
"Thank you for the warning, brave sir. But on this journey to the Western Heaven, I cannot abandon my quest halfway. To save the people from fire and flood, I would willingly feed my own body to a tiger!"
A sharp gleam flashed in Sanzang's eyes. He suddenly recalled the tale of the Buddha cutting flesh from his own body to feed an eagle, and the thought now drew a scornful laugh from him.
Cutting off flesh to feed an eagle? What a grand publicity stunt!
If the Buddha truly wished to save people, why had he allowed nearly a hundred brave men to die such unnatural deaths?
Seeing that he could not persuade Sanzang, Liu Boqin stopped trying and instead chose