One lifetime of sin, endless lifetimes of sin.
Gu Qingfeng was not unaware of this principle, and he clearly understood that once branded with the mark of sin by the Heavenly Dao, it meant you would suffer its Judgment life after life, until you were utterly cleansed.
He knew.
But knowing was one thing, and what could he do about it?
When heaven wants rain and a mother wants to remarry, when the Heavenly Dao wants to judge, he had no way to stop it.
So let it judge.
If he could fight, he'd fight. If he couldn't fight, he'd endure. If he couldn't endure, he'd hide. If hiding wasn't fast enough, he'd run...
As for what to do if he couldn't run away...
Gu Qingfeng never dwelled on such unpleasant questions that only troubled himself. If forced to say what he'd do if he couldn't run, he had only two words: tough luck.
"After the Great Calamity of the Heavens, the essence of heaven and earth renewed, all things revived. At that time, order was reorganized, Heavenly Destiny was redetermined, laws were re-derived, and the Great Dao was also re-transformed. Now, barely a hundred years after the calamity, the Three Thousand Great Daos are all still in the process of change, and even the Heavenly Dao is no exception."
The Old Monk spoke unhurriedly.
"Since ancient times, after each great calamity, many sinners would take advantage of the Heavenly Dao still being in flux, while the Old Man of Heaven was still slumbering, to seize heavenly opportunities, plunder creation, and fix their destinies...
Once destiny is fixed, the Heavenly Dao won't judge you for a while..."
"Only for a while," Gu Qingfeng laughed. "Moreover, fixing destiny means fixing Heavenly Destiny. Then the Old Man of Heaven can manipulate you however he pleases. If he's happy, he might keep you like a dog; if he's unhappy, he might just crush you. Rather than that, being judged is more straightforward...
In my eyes, Heavenly Destiny is worth less than a dog."
"Heavenly Destiny is worth less than a dog..." The Old Monk repeated Gu Qingfeng's words, sounding rather helpless. "If the Old Man of Heaven heard these words... I wonder what he would think..."
"I don't care what he thinks..." Gu Qingfeng gazed at the ethereal, indistinct mountain, and at the even more ethereal and indistinct temple upon it. "To be honest, I have no interest in Heavenly Destiny, none at all. But I am quite interested in karma..."
"Oh?" The Old Monk seemed surprised by this. "Karma? Why would Layman Gu say that? This old monk remembers you once spoke of three things you do not revere: you do not revere heaven and earth, you do not revere gods and demons, and you do not revere immortals and Buddhas..."
"You remember quite clearly, old monk..." Gu Qingfeng had indeed said such things, and more than once. He revered nothing, only himself.
"The concept of karma originates from Buddhism. Since Layman Gu does not revere it, why are you interested in karma?"
"Not revering is one thing; not revering doesn't mean I don't believe." Gu Qingfeng chuckled playfully. "Besides, after listening to you recite Buddhist scriptures for so many years, even if I don't revere the Buddha, I wouldn't dare not believe in karma."
"Then it is this old monk's fault..."
"Just joking, Master. Don't be angry." Gu Qingfeng fell silent for a moment, then asked seriously, "I once heard you mention something."
"Oh? What matter does Layman Gu refer to?"
"Karma Probing."
When Gu Qingfeng uttered these three words, the Old Monk fell silent for some reason. After a long while, he finally asked, "Why does Layman Gu suddenly bring up Karma Probing?"
"I want to investigate my own karma."
"Probe karma, know destiny." The Old Monk spoke slowly. "Since Layman Gu does not wish to know destiny, why probe karma?"
Perhaps recalling something, the Old Monk added, "Could it be Layman Gu wishes to sever karma?"
Gu Qingfeng laughed. "Karma is ultimately karma. How can such a thing be severed? When you start severing karma, you inevitably initiate the next segment of karma. Repeating endlessly, how could it ever be truly severed?"
"Then why does Layman Gu wish to probe karma?"
Gu Qingfeng thought for a moment, then said, "I have lived for a full five hundred years now. That time isn't particularly long, nor is it particularly short. Of these five hundred years, I spent half cultivating—cultivating the Human Dao, the Immortal Dao, the Monster Dao, and even the Heavenly Dao. The other half I spent in conflict—conflicting with men, with immortals, with demons, and with heaven..."
He sighed. "For the sake of cultivation, I missed many people. For the sake of conflict, I missed many events...
Some were heartbroken because of me. Some had their lives changed because of me. Many things changed because of me..."
"Surviving the Old Man of Heaven's Judgment this time... I hadn't expected it...
When I first awoke, I was lost, unsure what to do. Only upon returning to where it all began did I realize how many people had changed because of my existence..."
"Karma cannot be severed, nor can it be changed. I don't wish to sever it, nor do I wish to change anything. I only wish to know my own karma. If possible, I'd like to make up for life's mistakes, to repay what I owe in this lifetime..."
After speaking, Gu Qingfeng sighed again and asked, "After the calamity, the essence of heaven and earth renewed, laws re-derived, and karma is no exception. I wish to take advantage of the karma laws being re-derived to probe my own karma. So, may I ask you, Master, how does one probe karma? How is it done?"
"Layman Gu, this old monk asks you one thing: do you know the consequences of probing karma?"
Gu Qingfeng responded without hesitation. "Of course I know. Karma is a taboo. Probing karma is almost equivalent to offending the Heavenly Dao."
"Since Layman Gu knows probing karma offends the Heavenly Dao, why still probe? You are already a sinner in heaven's eyes. If you probe karma again, I fear..."
"As you said, I'm already a sinner in the Heavenly Dao's eyes. Why should I fear the Old Man of Heaven pinning a few more charges on me? With many lice, one doesn't itch; with many debts, one doesn't worry. Since the Old Man of Heaven considers me a heavenly sinner, I won't pretend to be a saint or erect a monument. Might as well go all the way, sin to the very end..."
"This... Layman Gu, you..." Perhaps Gu Qingfeng's words were too 'crude,' leaving the Old Monk momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
After a moment, the Old Monk's voice came again. "Layman Gu, probing karma... is not so simple... The existence of karma..."
The Old Monk seemed to want to warn of something, but Gu Qingfeng didn't wish to hear it. "Master, I know what you want to say. As for what probing karma might trigger, I don't know, and I don't want to know. Don't try to dissuade me; even if you do, I won't listen. Just tell me directly how to probe this karma..."
"Layman Gu, regarding the matter of probing karma, I hope you will think thrice before acting..."
"We've known each other for quite some time, haven't we? Do you think thinking thrice would change anything?"
Perhaps understanding Gu Qingfeng's nature, the Old Monk couldn't help but sigh. When Gu Qingfeng defied the Immortal Dao, he had also advised thinking thrice. When he defied the Monster Dao, he had said the same. When he defied the Heavenly Dao, he had said it again...
Had it been of any use?
In the end, hadn't Gu Qingfeng still defied the Immortal Dao, the Monster Dao, and even the Heavenly Dao?
The Old Monk knew that once Gu Qingfeng set his mind on something, he never changed, never...
He revered neither heaven nor earth, neither gods nor demons, neither immortals nor Buddhas. He feared nothing. Even if he did think thrice, what difference would it make?
The Old Monk was even certain that even if Gu Qingfeng knew what probing karma might trigger, he absolutely would not care.
"Layman Gu, it is not that this old monk does not wish to tell you. It is just that the great calamity has only just passed. The essence of heaven and earth is renewing, and the laws of karma are also re-coagulating and deriving. In other words, karma is currently unstable. If you probe now, you might not only probe the karma of this life, but also that of previous lives, and even the karma of future lives..."
"Otherwise, why do you think I want to probe?"
"Layman Gu, you..." Perhaps not expecting such a response, the Old Monk laughed bitterly in resignation. "This old monk knew your desire to probe karma was not simply about making up for life's mistakes and regrets..."
"Making up for mistakes is true. Not wanting to leave regrets is also true." Gu Qingfeng chuckled. "I figure, since I'm idle anyway, and now the essence is renewing, all the Great Dao laws are re-deriving. This is a good opportunity, one that comes only once in millions of years. Others are seizing this chance to grab heavenly opportunities, plunder creation, fix destinies... I have no interest in those. I only wish to probe my own karma."
"This..." The Old Monk seemed hesitant, weighing his words carefully before responding. "The Dao of karma is complex. In a single lifetime, a word, an action, even a thought can give rise to different karma. Each person may generate billions of karma strands in their life. To clearly probe one's own karma is extremely difficult, very difficult...
However..." He changed tack. "However, it is not without a starting point. Everyone's life has several major turning points. So does karma. If one can find the root of life's turning points..."
"The root of life's turning points..." Gu Qingfeng murmured these words. After a long while, he nodded, as if understanding.
"Layman Gu, this old monk still hopes you will think thrice before acting. After all, the karma laws are currently re-coagulating and deriving. If you insist on probing karma and once probe the karma of previous lives or future lives...
I fear then..."
"What would happen?"
"This old monk does not know..."
"There you have it. One lives but a single lifetime. Why trouble oneself over unknown things..."
"Sigh...
Great Freedom... Great Freedom is indeed Great Freedom. Layman Gu's state of mind is truly unfathomable."
"Hahahaha...
Alright, you've just awakened and are still weak. Rest for now..."