In the days since Sin-hek-houw came to ask Sin Liong for medicine, more and more people came to whisper to the boy about the uproar in the kang-ouw world about him. Sin Liong heard all kinds of strange news about threats and other things about him, but he did not care at all and continued to be calm and work as usual, never disturbed, not even thinking about the news he heard.
A few weeks later, in the morning from the eastern foothills of the Jeng-hoa-san Mountains, an old man was seen walking alone, turning his head to the right and left as if enjoying the natural scenery around the place. This old man must have been in his sixties, his body was thin and small, his clothes were full of patches, and his face showed patience and a toothless mouth, even though he always wore a friendly smile.
He strode slowly into the first forest at the foot of the Jeng-hoa-san Mountains, his steps aided by the swing of a black stick, probably made of some kind of wood so old it looked like iron. Presumably, he was an old beggar who lived in poverty but who could adjust himself so that he did not feel deprived, and even seemed to be happy, accepting life as it was and his heart was always happy.
When he heard the birds chirping, he opened his mouth and sang too! But the words in his song would make anyone who heard it frown, because not only were they strange, but they also deviated from the general mystical teachings!
"What is life if the heart is not happy? What does it mean to be alive if your desires are not fulfilled? Decades of study Armed with the knowledge to fulfill all desires Swimming in the sea of pleasure Dying is not curious!
The beggar sang the same words over and over again, his voice was smooth and quite melodious and as he sang he set the rhythm of the song by tapping his stick on the soft ground or by chance hitting a hard stone, the tip of the stick would certainly make a hole.
The two shoes of his own feet left no trace as if he had not stepped on the ground but the stick made a clear mark as it punched a hole in the ground or rock each time. As for the feet themselves, even if they stepped on the wet ground, they left no mark at all.
A few minutes after this strange grandfather passed by, there was a flashing shadow of people, also coming from the east through the foothills. They consisted of twelve men from thirty to forty years old, and a twenty-five-year-old woman, sweet-faced and well-built with a slender waist.
The twelve men all looked dashing and their clothes clearly showed that they were martial arts experts, while their light, dexterous movements proved that they were not just any kang-ouw people but a group of knowledgeable dashing people. There was no mistaking this, for they were the famous Cap-sa-sinhiap (Thirteen Sakti Swordsmen) the chief disciples of the Bu-tong-pai Grand Party!
"Hold on, suheng!" Suddenly the beautiful woman raised her hand and warned her suhengs, then she pointed down and said, "Look at this!"
The thirteen people noticed that the beggar's stick puncture marks were regularly spaced and even though they arrived at the stone, the stone still appeared to be hollow.
"Who else could it be?" said the girl with furrowed brows.
"Great stick-pulling power," said another.
"And his footprints are nowhere to be seen, there's no doubt that Pat-jiu Kai-ong (Eight-armed Beggar King) must have passed by here recently. Let's hurry up and catch up with him! Don't let him precede us into the Forest of a Thousand Flowers!" said the oldest among them, a forty-year-old man with the face of a tiger.
Now convinced that the trail of holes must have been made by Pat-jiu kai-ong's staff, the thirteen Bu-tong-pai luminaries drew their weapons and saw the sharp weapons glinting as they deployed their ginkang and sprinted forward in pursuit of the trail of holes.
Soon they heard the sound of the beggar's grandfather singing. The thirteen slowed their pace and the only woman among them grumbled softly, "Hemm, what a demon. All his life he's been chasing pleasure and for the sake of pleasure he doesn't hesitate to do the most damnable things that are crueler than the devil himself!"
"Sssssttt, Sumoi, we must be careful with people like him. Since the beginning, Bu-tong-pai has never been hostile to any kang-ouw figures, nor has it interfered in their affairs. So let us ask him nicely and if we don't have to, we'd better avoid fighting." said their twa-suheng.
All his cousins nodded, but his sumoi grumbled, "Who is afraid of him?" She drew her sword.
Indeed, this lady, The Kwat Lin, was known to be hard-hearted and brave and indeed her swordsmanship was great so it was not surprising that she was counted among the famous Cap-sha Sin-hiap in the kang-ouw world.
"Sumoi, we must obey the orders of Suhu, so as not to bring Bu-tong-pai to plant seeds of enmity with other groups, both the clean and the heretical. Therefore, in this meeting, leave it to me to represent you all!"
Knowing that he could not disobey his teacher's order and that this twa-suheng was not only the most skillful but also the one who represented their temperature, Kwat Lin nodded even though his red lips remained in a dissatisfied frown. He was dissatisfied to see the hard-working attitude of his seniors.
Cap-sha Sin-hiap has a great name in the kang-ouw world, respected by friends and feared by foes, how can he be afraid of a heretic?
The chanting grew louder, a sign that the distance between them and the grandfather was getting closer. With their near-perfect body lightening skills, the thirteen Bu-tong-pai warriors caught up and flashed their bodies from right to left and above, and before they knew it, they were standing in front of the beggar grandfather in a cool and dashing manner.
The old beggar continued to sing as he stood looking, and when his eyes met Kwat Lin's face, he did not hide his admiration. After his singing stopped, he smiled and said, "Eh-eh, are you a group of acrobats who want to sell skills? I am a beggar with no money to pay your wages!"
"Please Locianpwe don't pretend anymore. We know that Locianpwe is the esteemed Pat-jiu-kai-pangcu (Chief of the Eight-Armed Beggar Society). Locianpwe is a famous figure nicknamed Pat-jiu Kai-ong, right?"
The grandfather whose face looked patient and kind smiled, his smile was also sympathetic and friendly. The thirteen Bu-tong-pai warriors, who had only just learned the name of this heretic grandfather, secretly wondered and even doubted whether they were dealing with Pat-jiu Kai-ong, who was rumored to be as cruel as a demon because this grandfather seemed so soft-spoken and friendly!
"Ha..ha..ha, it's really hard these days to hide and conceal yourself. Young people nowadays are very sharp in their senses and eyesight, and even if they have never met, they already know people. Dashing and beautiful young people," he looked at Kwat Lin again admiringly, "You're not mistaken in thinking I'm Pat-jiu Kai-ong, an old beggar who only has this old stick. Don't know who you are and what need do you have to obstruct my journey?"
"We are Cap-sha Sin-hiap of Bu-tong-pai!" said Kwat Lin and since he was already there, it was useless for his elder to stop him with a glance.
"That's right, we are the disciples of Bu-tong-pai, Locianpwe," said the Twa-suheng with a bad heart because his presumptuous sumoi had opened the card and claimed that they were from Bu-tong-pai, meaning carrying the name of their association.
"Ha..ha..ha, good. Bu-tong-pai does have many clever, gallant, and beautiful disciples as far as I've heard. But if I'm not mistaken, I've never had any dealings with Bu-tong-pai."
Seeing that the old man's demeanor was still friendly and his words were also gentle and not hostile, the twa-suheng became even more uneasy. However, since he knew what kind of person the grandfather in front of him was, and how the Sin-tong they had heard about was an extraordinary child prodigy who had helped people with his precise knowledge of the medicinal properties of plants, he was still worried about Sin-tong's safety if the heretical grandfather met the boy.
"What Locianpwe said is true. Between Locianpwe and Bu-tong-pai, there has never been any business. And for once, we young people from Bu-tong-pai also have no intention of disturbing the honorable Locianpwe. It's just that we've heard rumors that among many kang-ouw figures, Locianpwe is also interested in the virtuous little boy who is known as Sin-tong and who dwells in the Forest of a Thousand Flowers. Is this true, and is Locianpwe now heading to the forest?"
The old man's face changed at this remark, his smile was still there but his eyes, which had been beaming with joy, lost their joyful glow and turned into a flash of lightning that shocked them all.