The Man Who Lived Three Thousand Years

Many years ago, there lived a man named Tong Pang-Sak. He was an extremely cunning man who never missed an opportunity to trick anyone. One day, he didn’t feel like digging water channels to irrigate his rice field. So, in the middle of the night, he sneaked out and secretly dug a hole in his neighbour’s field, which was full of water. The water slowly started to flow out of the field through the hole, irrigating Mr Tong’s rice.

The neighbour was surprised at first that his rice was drying up. However, when he discovered where the water that was mysteriously disappearing from his field was going, he immediately went to reprimand Mr Tong.

“Aren’t you ashamed of doing such a wicked thing?” the neighbour sneered. “But anyway, your fate will soon catch up with you!”

Until then, Mr Tong had not paid much attention to what his neighbour was saying, but the remark about fate stopped him. “What fate are you talking about, neighbour?” he asked.

“I can read a man’s fate in his eyes,” the neighbour told him gravely, “and truly, I can see that you have been given a very short life.”

“A short life?” Mr Tong groaned, wringing his hands. “What a disaster! Advise me, wise neighbour, what should I do to live longer? Cross my heart, I swear I will not touch your field again!”

So the neighbour advised him: “When the messenger comes to take you to the underworld, you must bribe him with something. The best thing to do is to offer him good food, money, or shoes. That way, you may be able to convince him to give you a few more years.”

Not wanting to leave anything to chance, Mr Tong stocked his home with a…