"It is said that the Book of Destiny records a prophecy: 'When Original Sin finds its true master, the Great Dao will fall, heaven and earth will be reborn, and the Daoless Age will begin...'" Da Xing the Mad Monk's voice drifted over.
Gu Qingfeng murmured to himself, finding the words somewhat familiar, as if he had heard them somewhere before, though he had no clear memory of it. However, this prophecy sounded quite thought-provoking.
"Kid Gu, think carefully about these words: 'When Original Sin finds its true master...' What does that imply? It implies that Original Sin has always been searching for its true master—meaning its genuine owner. I reckon you Original Sin humans were conceived precisely because of Original Sin's blood. The reason so many Original Sin humans were created is probably because Original Sin knew heaven and earth could not tolerate it, so it cast a wide net to catch more fish. If one Original Sin human died, it could simply choose another."
Seeing Gu Qingfeng remain silent, Da Xing the Mad Monk continued, "I suspect Original Sin originally intended to groom you into its true master. But who would have thought you'd actually ignite the Original Sin Karmic Fire, trying to perish together with it? However, Original Sin had long been guarding against this move of yours. The moment you died, it promptly switched to another Original Sin human."
"Listening to you, it does seem quite reasonable."
Gu Qingfeng pondered along Da Xing's line of thought. Indeed, the Mad Monk's words held some merit—at least they sounded flawless and logical.
"Of course, this is just my speculation. Since you were able to ignite the Original Sin Karmic Fire, you must have a deep understanding of Original Sin. Don't you have any sense of it at all?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head. "Being able to ignite the Original Sin Karmic Fire doesn't mean I understand Original Sin deeply. Not only do I not understand it, I know nothing about it at all."
"Don't talk nonsense! If you didn't understand Original Sin, how could you possibly ignite its Karmic Fire?"
Instead of explaining, Gu Qingfeng grabbed Da Xing's wrist and asked, "Whose hand is this?"
"What do you mean, 'whose hand'? That's a stupid question—it's obviously my hand!"
"Can you control your own hand?"
"What are you getting at? What do you mean, 'can I control my own hand'? This is my hand, of course I can control it!"
"Then do you understand your own hand? Do you know why you have hands? What exactly are hands? Do you know?"
This series of questions truly stumped Da Xing the Mad Monk. He stared at his own hand, thinking back and forth, unable to grasp what Gu Qingfeng was asking. What did he mean by 'why do I have hands'? What exactly are hands? He only knew he was born with hands, but he had never pondered why he had them, nor what hands fundamentally were.
"Original Sin is like an arm to me. I can control it, but if you ask me to explain what Original Sin is, I can't articulate it clearly. Igniting the Original Sin Karmic Fire was like using my hand to touch my nose. I don't know why my hand can touch my nose, but it just can. Igniting the Karmic Fire was the same."
"This..." Da Xing scratched his head, seeming to understand somewhat, yet growing even more confused. "Wait! That's not right! You almost achieved Sagehood! Upon achieving Sagehood, one transcends everything. Couldn't you see through Original Sin?"
"You said it yourself—'almost.' I ultimately didn't achieve Sagehood."
"Even if you didn't achieve Sagehood, you comprehended the Great Illusion and saw through all truth and falsehood. In all heaven and earth, surely nothing could escape your eyes."
"And you call yourself a Living Buddha? Do you know why I didn't achieve Sagehood?"
"Right, I was wondering about that too. Why didn't you achieve Sagehood back then?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head slightly, as if mocking himself, then raised his cup and drank. "Nirvana Silence that is not Nirvana Silence, Illusion that is not Illusion, Compassion that is not Compassion, Freedom that is not Freedom."
"What does that mean?" Da Xing didn't understand.
"I comprehended the Great Nirvana Silence. My person may have transcended life and death, but my heart did not. I comprehended the Great Illusion. My person may have transcended truth and falsehood, but my heart did not. I comprehended the Great Compassion. My person may have transcended all living beings, but my heart did not. I comprehended the Great Freedom. My person transcended the Great Dao, but my heart could not."
This left Da Xing even more bewildered. "What 'person transcended, heart did not transcend'? The Great Nirvana Silence, Great Illusion, Great Compassion, and Great Freedom are the Four Great Mental States of Buddhism. Since they are mental states, if you comprehended them, that means your heart had already transcended!"
"That is the profound mystery of Buddhist teachings."
Gu Qingfeng sighed. "To put it plainly, I appear to have achieved the Four Great Emptinesses, but it's only an appearance. In my heart, there are still many people and matters I haven't let go of. That's why I couldn't transcend, couldn't pass the final hurdle. That's probably the fundamental reason I didn't achieve Sagehood. Perhaps when my heart can truly achieve the Four Great Emptinesses, I will achieve Sagehood."
Noticing Da Xing staring at him with a strange expression, Gu Qingfeng said, "What's with that look, old man? What? After ten thousand years apart, have your tastes changed? Started liking men?"
"Go to hell!" Da Xing rolled his eyes irritably. "I just think you've changed."
"Changed how?"
"When I first met you, that solitary pride and domineering aura of yours was incredibly strong. When I encountered you again after the Modern Era began, though somewhat restrained, I could still faintly sense it. Now, ten thousand years later, not a trace of that former solitary pride and domineering aura remains. Not only is the old pride and dominance gone, even that former unrestrained wildness has vanished without a trace. It's as if your personality has been worn smooth. You even speak like an old man now. Listening to you talk about Buddhist teachings earlier, damn it, you sounded more like a Buddha than I do!"
"Hahahaha!" Gu Qingfeng laughed heartily, his voice filled with helplessness, hesitation, and confusion.
"What are you laughing at?" Da Xing said disdainfully. "What, have you been tormented into fear? Bowed your head to karma? Admitted defeat to fate?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head with a wry smile. "To tell the truth, after being tossed around for so long, I really am afraid. What choice do I have but to bow my head? What else can I do but admit defeat?"
"That doesn't sound like something you'd say."
"Sorry." Gu Qingfeng poured Da Xing another cup of wine. "But that's exactly what I'm saying."
"If you've truly admitted defeat, it might not be a bad thing."
"How so?"
"Throughout the ages, countless great powers have tried to change their destinies, countless have tried to sever karma. And the result? Aside from the Daoless Venerable himself, who has ever truly changed their destiny? Who has ever truly severed karma? No one. Never. Not even one. Instead, they all ended up lost in the sea of suffering..."
"Isn't that why your Buddhist teachings say, 'The sea of suffering has no bounds, turn back and you'll find the shore'? Seeing the situation turn sour, I promptly turned back and headed for shore."