"Brother Gu's kind intentions, Ren appreciates them."
Ren Tianxing refused. "However, Ren has long since had someone in his heart."
"Oh my!"
Gu Qingfeng let out an exaggerated exclamation, squinting his eyes as he looked Ren Tianxing up and down, teasing, "Old Ren, I never would have guessed! You, a cold-hearted and ruthless great demon, have actually learned to fall in love. It's been many years since we last met, and your skills have improved, I see."
"Ren has said before, demons may be born without the seven emotions and six desires, but that doesn't mean they can't develop them later."
"This old master is curious, is the little lady you've taken a fancy to a human or a demon? An immortal or a monster?"
"If there is an opportunity in the future, Ren will definitely introduce the two of you. Moreover, she has long admired Brother Gu and has wanted to meet you for ages."
"That sounds wonderful."
Gu Qingfeng laughed. "I also very much want to see what kind of extraordinary woman could catch the eye of you, Ren Tianxing. Wait..."
As he spoke, Gu Qingfeng seemed to realize something, looking at Ren Tianxing suspiciously. "You're so eager to shed your Original Sin and change your Fate... it couldn't be for that little lady, could it?"
"Changing Fate for the one you love," Ren Tianxing said, draining his cup of wine in one gulp. "Is that not allowed?"
"I didn't say it wasn't allowed. It's just... for this to happen to you has truly given me a great shock. So that's why you're in such a hurry to get rid of your Original Sin. Well, well, the longer you live, the more rare and strange things you encounter."
"Brother Gu once said that whether immortal, Buddha, demon, or monster, one's state of mind changes with the passage of time. Brother Gu is like this, and Ren is no exception. The you and me of today are no longer the you and me of the Ancient Times..."
"Who says we aren't?"
"Brother Gu has wandered Heaven and Earth for so long. Could it be you have no one you love?"
"What a joke! Even a cold-hearted, ruthless great demon like you has someone you love. How could this old master not? Let me tell you, this old master has loved ones, and more than one at that!"
"The 'loved one' Ren speaks of is a lifelong love, someone you wish to protect. It is not the ambiguous, flirtatious relationships of Brother Gu's past."
"Old Ren! What do you mean by that? Your love is a heartfelt devotion, but this old master's love is just flirtatious ambiguity?" Gu Qingfeng looked at Ren Tianxing with extreme disdain. "Besides, you're a damn great demon. What do you know about affection, about love? A pig sticking scallions up its nose—what elephant are you trying to pretend to be? You've just hooked up with some little lady, and look how full of yourself you are, talking about love and affection in front of me! If people didn't know you were a great demon, they'd damn well think you were some love saint!"
"You!"
Even though Ren Tianxing's heart was as still as water and he was cold and ruthless, at this moment, Gu Qingfeng's words caused his stern face to flush red and pale by turns, looking quite awkward.
To the side.
Huode had been drinking by himself the whole time.
He was a man who knew his place and was tactful. Knowing that Gu Qingfeng and Ren Tianxing were old friends, he did not interrupt. Moreover, the topic the two were discussing was not one he could contribute to.
Earlier, watching Gu Qingfeng in front of Ren Tianxing—calling himself 'this old master' and 'damn' every other sentence, addressing Ren Tianxing as 'you kid'—he was as casual as could be.
In Huode's mind, no matter what, Ren Tianxing was the renowned Demon Emperor Weiyang, a representative figure of the demonic path. His fame was in no way inferior to Gu Qingfeng's. Even if they were friends, shouldn't they be a bit more formal?
What Huode never expected was that Gu Qingfeng wasn't just casual in front of Ren Tianxing—he gave him absolutely no face at all. This guy berated Ren Tianxing like he was berating a grandson, directly making Ren Tianxing flush red with anger, unable to utter a single word, and could only drink his wine in sullen silence.
This made Huode sigh with emotion.
He sighed that in all of Heaven and Earth, the only person who dared to berate Demon Emperor Weiyang Ren Tianxing so nakedly was probably Gu Qingfeng.
After all.
In the rumors.
Demon Emperor Weiyang was also a proud, domineering, cold-hearted, ruthless, and murderous figure.
"What's the matter? Old Ren, you look like you're not convinced? Let me tell you, don't be unconvinced. In this lifetime, this old master has played with more women than you've ever seen. You've just hooked up with one little lady and don't know your place anymore..." Gu Qingfeng continued berating Ren Tianxing without any courtesy, but Ren Tianxing raised a hand to stop him, lifting his cup and saying, "Brother Gu, Ren offers you a toast. Please, for the sake of our past friendship, and for the sake of Ren bringing you so much Hell's Unpredictable Wine, do not mention this matter again."
"That's more like it."
Gu Qingfeng drank a cup, then asked again, "But, having said that, Old Ren, that little lady of yours..." Before Gu Qingfeng could finish, Ren Tianxing said, "Didn't Brother Gu promise Ren not to mention this matter again? How could you go back on your word so quickly?"
"Speaking of women, I suddenly remembered something just now. I'm serious, not joking."
"What is it?"
"That little lady you hooked up with—how much do you really know about her?"
"Brother Gu, speak plainly if you have something to say."
"I don't mean anything else. I just want to give you a heads-up. Some Karma is not truly destined; it might be Karma grafted by Fate, or perhaps Karma that was pulled or even created... I've had a few instances of Karma myself. Whether they were deliberately arranged by Fate, I'm not entirely clear. But one thing is certain: those instances of Karma were definitely not pure. Someone must have tampered with them. As for the purpose, I don't need to spell it out for you."
Gu Qingfeng continued, "I figure, since you're like me—both a person of Original Sin and an Illusory Self, and also a Variable of the Present Era—since someone has used this method to set a trap for me, they probably would use the same method to set one for you."
After a pause, Gu Qingfeng added, "Of course, it's also possible that the Karma between you two is a pure, clean destiny."
Regarding the Karma between himself and Jun Xuanji, Yun Nishang, Feng Zhuyue, Ye Tianlan, Tang Hengheng, including Can Yang Wuyou and those other women, even to this day, Gu Qingfeng did not know what secrets lay behind it all. Perhaps it was deliberately arranged by Fate to deal with him, or perhaps the Three Thousand Great Daos had tampered with it, or perhaps it was all just chaotic Karma.
Gu Qingfeng did not know.
The only thing he knew was that the Karma between him and these women was not pure. Behind it all, there was definitely some connection to the Original Sin, Illusory Self, and even the Variable nature he carried.
"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Gu."
Ren Tianxing pondered for a moment before speaking. "Ren has also deeply considered this matter. And... Ren is almost certain that the Karma between me and the woman I love is also not pure. If Ren's guess is not wrong, this Karma was likely deliberately arranged. Whether it was Fate, Heaven and Earth, or the Great Dao, that is unknown."
"Oh? You're sure?"
"Ren can be sure. However... Ren does not care."
Ren Tianxing also drained his cup of wine. "For Ren, whether this Karma is pure or not is not important. What is important is that Ren has already fallen in love with her. That, and that alone, is enough..."