The Fragrant Wood Swordsman
pkh 10 part 1

This GRANDFATHER besides being weird, shrewd, was also very funny and happy. Seeing the earnest attitude when the grandfather whose nickname alone was already strange asked if he was crazy, Keng Hong could not help his heart's inclinations and he laughed in a jolt, making the grandfather even more suspicious, the louder it was to think that this young man had truly gone mad!

"No, Locianpwe. I'm not crazy yet and hopefully I won't go crazy" replied Keng Hong. "I mean by water is the phrase Lociapwe gave me as advice against the Tiat-ciang-pang people. Sentences that really interest me and that I would love to ask locianpwe about their meaning."

"What sentence?"

"That is like the sound of sacred ancient words, of water." Keng Hong deliberately talked spinning around to fish.

"Very many holy words that carry water as a dish. Which one do you mean? What advice did I give you? I don't remember anymore. Your questions are strange and make me confused. Uh, really don't you tilt your brain, huh?"

"No, Locianpwe. If locianpwe forgets, let me repeat the sentence that locianpwe said earlier. Here's how it sounds: ‘Highest wisdom like air’."

"Heh-heh-heh! Absolutely right! The highest wisdom is like water! The complete sentence is this: The highest wisdom is like water that benefits everything and flows to a low place that people do not like because it is adjacent to To…"

"Eh isn't that the verse in the eighth chapter of To-tik-keng?" Keng Hong exclaimed in excitement and wonder.

Instead, the hunchback grandfather looked at Keng Hong with beaming eyes, "Hayaaaa! You are truly the (strange) boy I said! Understand and memorize the verses in To-tik-keng?"

"Of course memorize it because I've memorized it a lot, Locianpwe. I forgot and. ahhh, this is not necessary. What is important now is whether Locianpwe knows a sentence that reads like this: Sincere and truly devoted to virtue."

"Do you mean sincere and sincerely devoted to virtue as water comes out of its source? And also naturally like the appearance of the sun and moon or naturally like the four seasons that come in turns? The complete line reads this: Phouw Phek Yan Coan, Ji Si Chut Ci."

"Well, those are the words of chapter thirty-one verse two of the book of Tiong-yong!" back Keng Hong exclaimed in excitement because he knew those words that all the contents of his book had memorized out of his head.

Once again the hunchback grandfather was dumbfounded and amazed. "You are also good at the words of the Prophet Khongcu? Boy, what are you? If it's crazy bright yet! However, you have mastered the false science of Thi-khi I-beng, your ginkang is amazing to match me, your synchang is amazing, and you memorize the books of To-tik-keng and Tiong-yong! Who are you really, really, a strange boy?"

But Keng Hong, who had known two of the three lines engraved on the sword of Siang-bhok-kiam, became so excited that he did not care about the grandfather's question, rather hurry up and hold his breath as he said again,

"One more, Locianpwe. One more please help. Listen to this sentence: The sewer drains the water where he likes."

"A cocky boy! Are you going to challenge me? Do you not believe in my nickname Siauw-bin Kuncu? I am nicknamed Kuncu, of course I am a wise man who has known all the verses on the surface of the earth! Are you intentionally testing me? At once you take out three verses from three kinds of religion, do you think I nicknamed the key just to fool around and fake? If you're going to challenge me to argue about the philosophy of the religions of the world, you just say it frankly, and I'll serve you until you're lost!"

Keng Hong held back his heart, knowing that this grandfather was a very strange figure and was probably an expert in the scriptures. If forced and persuaded, let him worship him certainly will not be willing to fulfill his request, then the only way is to challenge him!

"Ha-ha-ha-ha, I thought your nickname was just empty, who would have thought it was emptier than empty!" said Keng Hong to heat up the grandfather's heart. "I challenge you to argue about philosophy. The last sentence was certainly not you know, so you are looking for an excuse, grandfather hunchback!"

Surprisingly, the grandfather was not angry and laughed. "He-he-heh, you praise me too highly, young man. What was your name? Cia Keng Hong's? I'm starting to like coming back to you. In to-kauw there is an understanding that the empty is more useful than the content, so you call me more empty than the empty. What praise is greater than this?"

Damn it, thought Keng Hong. This grandfather was right in the wind and mixed the contents of philosophy with ordinary words. But he has no shortage of sense. "Locianpwe, I mean by aligning the three verses, because the previous two verses have been able to guess Locianpwe, please do not apply falsehood and like to know the last verse earlier. I repeat again. The sewer runs the water where he likes."

The grandfather laughed then hummed, he said,

"The aqueduct-makers drain the water where they like;

the arrow makers straightened the arrows;

the carpenter curled a piece of wood;

the wise control themselves personally!"

Keng Hong jumped up and pranced around so happy. "Ha-ha-ha! That is the eightyth verse of the Holy Way of Virtue (Dharmapada)!"

The grandfather stepped close and challenged, "No need to mock! If you are indeed an expert in the philosophy of the scriptures of the three religions, let us argue with me. If I lose, I will throw away the nickname Kuncu and will confess you as a teacher!"

Keng Hong who had been dancing with excitement because he felt he could break the meaning of the three lines of sentences engraved on the sword Siang-bhok-kiam, suddenly fell silent and sharpened his brain. If you can get to know, then how do you proceed? What does it mean to be related to the secret storage of relics from his teacher? He got the sense and wanted to use the deep understanding of the grandfather who nicknamed Siauw-bin Kuncu to try to uncover the secret hidden behind the three lines of sentence.