Since Gu Qingfeng began his cultivation journey, he had roughly experienced four stages.
In his youth, when he first started cultivating, mountains were mountains, and waters were waters.
When he ascended to the pinnacle of Immortals and Demons and stepped onto the Great Dao, mountains were no longer mountains, and waters were no longer waters.
When he achieved Silent Extinction Rebirth and transcended the Great Dao, mountains were once again mountains, and waters were once again waters.
When he comprehended the Four Great Mental States of Buddhism, mountains were mountains yet also waters, waters were waters yet also mountains. Mountains were mountains yet also waters, waters were waters yet also mountains. In his eyes, mountains and waters had no essential distinction. Mountains and waters were, the Great Dao was, Heaven and Earth were, all sentient beings were—everything was.
At that time, Gu Qingfeng was indeed as the legends said: he had seen through the true essence of all sentient beings and understood the mysteries of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
But for some unknown reason.
Ever since he ignited the Original Sin Karmic Fire, slept for ten thousand years, and awakened once more.
The present Gu Qingfeng had entered an ethereal and indistinct realm. Mountains were neither mountains nor waters, waters were neither waters nor mountains. Whether they were mountains or waters, he did not know. He only knew that everything he saw was hazy and indistinct. All sentient beings were, the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth was, everything was in an ethereal and indistinct state.
Why exactly it had become like this, Gu Qingfeng did not know either.
"If you don't want to say, then forget it. I won't force you."
Man Tu Fan did not seem to believe Gu Qingfeng's words, thinking he was feigning ignorance. She knelt once more before the half-buried Buddha Statue, closed her eyes, and pressed her palms together, saying, "I want to be alone for a while."
"Little sister..." Gu Qingfeng had just opened his mouth when Man Tu Fan added, "You should leave. I'm very upset right now and don't want to see you."
"This...
Alright."
Since Man Tu Fan had already spoken to this extent, Gu Qingfeng felt it inappropriate to stay any longer. He said, "Fine, you stay here by yourself then. As for your Karmic Flower...
I can't compensate you with another one, but after all, this matter is something I owe you. If you ever need help in the future, I will certainly do my utmost."
Having said that.
Just as Gu Qingfeng was about to leave, he suddenly looked back at the half-buried Buddha Statue. He gazed at it for a long while, then bid farewell before finally departing.
Only Man Tu Fan remained, kneeling alone before the half-buried Buddha Statue in prayer. She opened her eyes, gazing devoutly at the half-buried Buddha Statue, and pleaded, "This disciple's Karmic Flower has been refined by him. I truly do not know what to do. I beseech the Greatly Compassionate, Greatly Merciful Guanyin Bodhisattva to show me the way."
"Guanyin has not yet awakened. How could she hear your prayers?"
Suddenly.
A radiant light flashed, and a Spiritual Incarnation materialized out of thin air.
This Spiritual Incarnation was ethereal, twisted, and indistinct, resembling a burning flame yet also like a blooming flower. Upon appearing, it looked at the half-buried Buddha Statue and said, "Even if Guanyin had awakened and could hear your prayers, I'm afraid she still couldn't show you the way."
Man Tu Fan showed no surprise at the appearance of this Spiritual Incarnation, as if she had long known of its existence. She merely asked, "Why?"
Gazing in the direction where Gu Qingfeng had disappeared, this flame-like, flower-like Spiritual Incarnation murmured, "I've said before, he is a variable, and moreover the greatest variable between Heaven and Earth. Since he is a variable, his Karma and fate are unknown. How could Guanyin show you the way?"
"Why does it have to be him? Why exactly..." Man Tu Fan murmured, "Is this due to Karma, arranged by fate, or is it merely coincidence, mere chance..."
"You have undergone countless cycles of reincarnation to gestate the Karmic Flower. Do you still believe in so-called coincidence and chance even now?"
The flame-flower Spiritual Incarnation said, "You should understand that between Heaven and Earth, since ancient times, there has never been so-called coincidence or chance. Never...
There is only Karma, only fate."
This person's voice was flat and even, indistinguishable as male or female, ethereal like the Spiritual Incarnation itself. It continued, "Whoever you meet, they are the person who should appear in your life. It is no accident. They will certainly teach you something...
So I also believe that wherever you go, that is where you should go, experiencing what you should experience, meeting whom you should meet."
The flame-flower Spiritual Incarnation looked again at Man Tu Fan kneeling in prayer before the half-buried Buddha Statue and said, "If there were no debt, how would you meet..."
"If there were no debt, how would you meet..." Man Tu Fan murmured, bewildered and hesitant, but more than anything, helpless. She asked, "Has my Karma truly been grafted onto him?"
"Whether it has been grafted onto him, is that important?
No, it's no longer important. What's important is that he refined your Karmic Flower. What's important is the words he said before leaving—that he owes you. Regardless of what your past Karma was, your future Karma has already begun from here."
Man Tu Fan said expressionlessly, "In other words, my Karma has already been grafted onto him, and the newly opened Karma has already begun from this encounter..."
"Perhaps."
After a silence.
Man Tu Fan spoke again, asking, "Earlier, I asked him what existence he is now. He said he didn't know."
"Perhaps he truly doesn't know."
"But he has comprehended the Four Great Mental States of Buddhism. He has transcended all sentient beings, transcended the Great Dao, transcended life and death, and transcended the mundane world. He has transcended almost everything. He can see through the true essence of all sentient beings and understand the mysteries of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Why wouldn't he know?"
The flame-flower Spiritual Incarnation responded, "When he comprehended the Great Illusion, he had already seen through the true essence of all sentient beings and understood the mysteries of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth."
"Why is it that now, he can no longer see through? Is it because he ignited the Original Sin Karmic Fire?"
"No, it's not because of Original Sin."
"Then why?"
"His current realm is probably already beyond what we can imagine. What you call the true essence of all sentient beings, what you call the mysteries of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth—in his eyes, these may not be the true essence, may not be the mysteries. These sentient beings may not be sentient beings, this Great Dao may not be the Great Dao, this Heaven and Earth may not be Heaven and Earth. He has transcended, only he doesn't know he has transcended. Or perhaps, from the very beginning, he never wanted to transcend..."
"Never wanted to transcend? Why again?"
"He cannot let go. If he could have let go, he would have already achieved sainthood back then."
"What can't he let go of?"
"I don't know either."
After a pause, the flame-flower Spiritual Incarnation murmured, "Perhaps even he himself doesn't know. If he knew, then he would be able to let go. Precisely because he doesn't know, he has fallen into the confusion spoken of in Buddhism."
Man Tu Fan asked, "Then do you know what existence he is now? Is he an Original Sin Incarnation?"
"I hope he is an Original Sin Incarnation."
"Why do you hope he is an Original Sin Incarnation?"
"Because if he is not an Original Sin Incarnation...
Then it would be too terrifying."
"If he is not an Original Sin Incarnation, what then?"
"Do not forget that only after he ignited the Original Sin Karmic Fire did the slumbering Original Sin awaken. In other words, he leads Original Sin. And among the Three Bodies of Buddha, the Dharma Body is the leader, the very essence of all dharmas. The Reward Body and Incarnation Body are manifestations presented by the Dharma Body. Therefore, if he is not an Original Sin Incarnation, then he is the Original Sin Dharma Body!"