"Using cowhide to encircle the Great Snow Mountain, will the Ancient Buddha descend?"
Zhou Xuan pointed at the mural and asked Ning Yu Chan Master.
Ning Yu replied, "That is no ordinary cow. The disciples of Revolving Wheel Temple respectfully call it the 'Five-Colored Divine Bull,' also known as 'Earth Mother.'"
"Earth Mother? The name is a bit of a tongue-twister," Zhou Xuan said.
"Oh, it means—it is the mother who nurtured the Ancient Buddha, hence named Earth Mother."
Ning Yu further explained, "In Snow Plain Prefecture, we have extreme reverence for bulls. At the beginning of each year, nine Cow Kings are selected and sent to the temple for worship,
by the year's end, they are sent into the Great Snow Mountain."
"Aren't the cows afraid of the cold?" Zhou Xuan asked.
Ning Yu: "..."
