"The Great Freedom Heart was not taught by this old monk," the Old Monk responded. "Layman Gu comprehended it himself."
Before his words had fully faded, the Female Benefactor's furious roar echoed once more: "If it weren't for you, you old bald donkey, constantly lecturing him on Buddhism, could he have possibly comprehended your Buddhist Dao's Great Freedom Heart?"
"Alas..." The Old Monk sighed again. "This old monk was well aware that Layman Gu was a man who followed his own desires. I intended to guide him with Buddhist teachings, hoping he would cultivate compassion and care for all living beings. But... but... I never imagined that Layman Gu, far from cultivating a heart of compassion, would... comprehend a Great Freedom Heart."
The Old Monk sighed once more, the sigh unable to fully convey the helplessness in his heart. Every time he recalled this matter, his heart was filled with both regret and utter helplessness.
"I was living just fine out there, a life of peaceful non-contention," the Female Benefactor raged. "Who arranged this Heaven and Earth Chessboard? Who is playing this Heaven and Earth Chess game? I don't know, and I don't want to know! But now? I've really hit the worst luck for three lifetimes! How did I end up on your damnable pirate ship, you old bald donkey? Now I can't even get off!"
"Female Benefactor, as you just said, this old monk is merely a lodger within the Bone Jade of Annihilation. As for why the Bone Jade of Annihilation chose him, this old monk does not know. If this ship is a pirate ship, it is certainly not this old monk's. This old monk is also a victim. I too thought that by hiding within the Bone Jade of Annihilation, I could ignore the affairs of Heaven and Earth and had no desire to participate in them. But... alas!"
Yes.
The Old Monk was also a victim.
The Female Benefactor was not unaware of this, but she was still furious and filled with regret. If she hadn't boarded this pirate ship back then, she wouldn't have ended up in her current predicament.
As a being from the Daoless Age, she clearly understood that she could not avoid the impending Heaven and Earth calamity.
As for what kind of calamity it was,
She did not know.
Nor did she want to know.
However, being unable to avoid it was one thing.
Being unable to avoid it did not necessarily mean one had to participate.
These were two different concepts.
Moreover, while outside, she could do as she pleased. Even if she ultimately couldn't avoid it, there were other methods.
But now?
Having entered this Bone Jade of Annihilation, it was no longer a question of whether she could avoid it or not. She had already been dragged into participation, unable to withdraw, with nowhere to run. Because the current master of the Bone Jade of Annihilation was an Original Sin being—and one who had fused with the Blood of Original Sin at that.
How could she possibly hide now?
There was no hiding.
The Female Benefactor knew very well that from the moment this fellow fused with the Blood of Original Sin, there was no more hiding. He had already become a chess piece on this Heaven and Earth Chessboard.
Furthermore,
As she came to understand Gu Qingfeng more and more, she increasingly felt this fellow was unreliable. She even believed that even if this fellow hadn't fused with the Blood of Original Sin and wasn't an Original Sin being, given his temperament, he would undoubtedly become a calamity during the Heaven and Earth calamity.
And now,
This calamity had fused with the Blood of Original Sin.
The Female Benefactor was from the Daoless Age. She understood better than anyone what the Blood of Original Sin signified. One could say she had an innate shadow cast over her by this thing. Previously, while hiding outside, what she was hiding from was Original Sin.
Now, not only had she failed to hide from it, she had practically delivered herself to its doorstep.
During the Daoless Age, she had already experienced the terror of Original Sin once. Having barely survived that, and endured all these years, she had originally harbored hope of using this Heaven and Earth calamity to extricate herself from the Karmic Black Hole.
But now she was trapped in it again.
What to do?
The Female Benefactor truly did not know what to do.
Crying out to Heaven brought no response; crying out to Earth brought no relief.
One could say she didn't even have a place to cry.
Such was her situation.
And was the Old Monk any different?
He had previously hidden within the Bone Jade of Annihilation to hide from Original Sin. Who would have thought that after all his hiding, he would end up in the hands of an Original Sin being?
The Old Monk had hoped to use Buddhist teachings to guide this Original Sin being.
To help him cultivate a heart of compassion.
Little did he expect this Original Sin being would cultivate a Great Freedom Heart that left even him dumbfounded.
Ever since then, the Old Monk had never spoken another word of Buddhist teachings to Gu Qingfeng—not a single character. Not just Buddhist teachings; when facing Gu Qingfeng, he spoke as little as possible, fearing that saying too much might lead Gu Qingfeng to comprehend something else.
Moreover,
The Old Monk also knew that every question Gu Qingfeng asked upon entering was both a probe and a trap. Answering was problematic; not answering was also problematic.
Compared to the Female Benefactor, the Old Monk understood Gu Qingfeng better.
He clearly understood what kind of person Gu Qingfeng was.
Earlier, the Female Benefactor said that Gu Qingfeng only cared about those he cared about; if Heaven and Earth collapsed, he couldn't be bothered to spare a glance.
In fact, the Old Monk did not agree. Because he knew that while Gu Qingfeng indeed only cared about those he cared about, precisely because he cared about them, he would absolutely not allow Heaven and Earth to collapse. In other words, if you killed those he cared about, then he would definitely make Heaven and Earth collapse.
Exaggerated?
Not in the slightest.
The Old Monk knew very well that Gu Qingfeng was absolutely capable of such a mutually destructive act.
To say nothing else, the Old Monk knew that back in the Celestial Realm, after Gu Qingfeng broke with the Three Thousand Great Daos, he not only nearly burned the Nine Heavens but also nearly cleaved the Heavenly Dao with a single blade strike.
This fellow revered neither gods nor Buddhas, nor Heaven and Earth. He revered only himself. What would such a person not dare to do?
Therefore,
The Old Monk was deeply worried.
Previously, he worried because he didn't know who had arranged this Heaven and Earth Chessboard from the Daoless Age.
Nor did he know what the final outcome of this Heaven and Earth Chess game would be.
Now he was even more worried.
Not worried about who arranged this Heaven and Earth Chessboard, nor worried about the final outcome of the chess game.
But worried about Gu Qingfeng.
Worried that once Gu Qingfeng, this chess piece, entered the board, he would throw the entire chess game into chaos. If that really happened, it would be a mess beyond cleaning up. Heaven and Earth would fall into great disorder.
As for why he had this feeling,
The Old Monk wasn't clear either.
He just felt worried, worried to the point of fear.
What to do?
The Old Monk also did not know what to do.
"By the way, you old bald donkey!"
The Female Benefactor seemed still angry, her tone quite disrespectful toward the Old Monk. "What did that fellow mean by mentioning that phrase earlier? I feel like I've heard it somewhere before."
"You have that feeling too?"
"Yes, it feels familiar. And..." The Female Benefactor pondered for a moment before adding, "And for some reason, when that fellow uttered that phrase, I felt even more afraid in my heart!"
"It seems we are all the same."
The Old Monk also felt that the phrase Gu Qingfeng mentioned earlier was familiar. And like the Female Benefactor, upon hearing Gu Qingfeng mention that phrase, he felt an inexplicable sense of fear deep within.
That fear seemed deeply rooted.
As if innate.
Like dark clouds blotting out the sky, or like a butcher's blade pressed against their necks, it made the two of them feel profoundly afraid.