Was Kau Mor Tze sincere about wanting the 6 Mak Divine Swords for Mo Yung Bok?

[Ken Cheng]

I was never sure about one thing concerning Kau Mor Tze's pursuit of the Celestial Dragon Temple's 6 Mak Divine Swords: did Kau Mor Tze sincerely want it, as he claimed, only to keep a promise to his (supposedly deceased) friend Mo Yung Bok, or did he actually want to learn it himself to improve his own martial arts? I've never been sure about how sincere Kau Mor Tze was about his stated intentions for the 6 Mak Divine Swords.

[PJ]

This was answered in chapter 10. Here's the relevant passage. I don't have time to translate it, but basically Duan Yu saw through JMZ's lie and called him out on it and JMZ basically acknowledged it throgh body language.

And I love that JY this early in the novel already injected the notion that dishonorable ppl like JMZ (and later MRF) are more despicable than outright villains like the Four Evils.

鸠摩智摇头道：“段公子会错意了。小僧当年与慕容先生有约，要借贵门六脉
神剑经去给他一观。此约未践，一直耿耿于怀。幸得段公子心中记得此经，无可奈
何，只有将你带到慕容先生墓前焚化，好让小僧不致失信于故人。然而公子人中龙
凤，小僧与你无冤无仇，岂敢伤残？这中间尚有一个两全其美的法子。公子只须将
经文图谱一无遗漏的写出来，小僧自己绝不看上一眼，立即固封，拿去在慕容先生
墓前火化，了此宿愿，便即恭送公子回归大理。”
这番话鸠摩智于初入天龙寺时便曾说过，当时本因等均有允意，段誉也觉此法
可行。但此后鸠摩智偷袭保定帝于先，擒拿自身于后，出手殊不光明，躲避追踪时
诡计百出，对九名部属的生死安危全无丝毫顾念，这其间险刻戾狠之意已然表露无
遗，段誉如何再信得过他？心中早就觉得，南海鳄神等“四大恶人”摆明了是恶人
，反而远较这伪装“圣僧”的吐番和尚品格高得多了。他虽无处世经历，但这二十
余日来，对此事早已深思熟虑，想明白了其中关窍，说道：“鸠摩智大师，你这番
话是骗不倒我的”。
鸠摩智合什道：“阿弥陀佛，小僧对慕容先生当年一诺，尚且如此信守，岂肯
为了守此一诺，另毁一诺？”
段誉摇头道：“你说当年对慕容先生有此诺言，是真是假，谁也不知。你拿到
了六脉神剑剑谱，自己必定细读一番，是否要去慕容先生墓前焚化，谁也不知。就
算真要焚化，以大师的聪明才智，读得几遍之后，岂有记不住之的？说不定还怕记
错了，要笔录副本，然后再去焚化。”
鸠摩智双目精光大盛，恶狠狠的盯住段誉，但片刻之间，脸色便转慈和...