"Whoever lives, it's all damn difficult."
Huode sighed with such a sentiment.
This was also his genuine feeling after listening to Gu Qingfeng and Ren Tianxing's casual chat.
Thus, he finally realized that behind any great reputation, there might be burdens of troubles, sorrows, and dangers unimaginable to ordinary people.
The greater the fame, the more suffering one might bear.
This was true for the renowned Weiyang Demon Emperor Ren Tianxing.
And it was equally true for the earth-shattering Nine Nethers Emperor Gu Qingfeng.
The prestige of these two men was immense, one greater than the other; the deeds they performed back then were increasingly insane. At the same time, the suffering they bore was also greater and greater.
Just as he was sighing with emotion, Gu Qingfeng remarked indifferently, "Merely living purely isn't that difficult. What's truly difficult is living as the person you want to be."
"Think you're the only one who knows that, huh? Who doesn't want to live as they wish? But the key is, in this vast world, among all living beings since ancient times, how many have actually managed to live as they desire?"
Gu Qingfeng chuckled. "If you can't live as you want, you might as well muddle through like me. Take things easy each day, be happy for a day at a time. What's the point of all this pointless struggle? What a pity! A real pity."
"Pity what?"
"Pity that Old Ren doesn't understand this principle."
"Ren Tianxing isn't ignorant; he just doesn't want to muddle through or settle. You think everyone is like you, kid!"
"Exactly."
"Exactly what?"
"Exactly why he is Ren Tianxing, and I am Gu Qingfeng."
"You? Qingfeng?" Huode looked Gu Qingfeng up and down with great disdain. "Look at you, kid. Where exactly do you resemble a 'clear breeze'? This old man thinks you're more like a foul wind."
As he spoke, Huode seemed to remember something and asked, "By the way, I've always wanted to ask you a question. Back then, why did you suddenly change your name for no good reason?"
Huode had once thought Gu Qingfeng might have stirred up some major trouble in the Great Desolate, hence changing his name. But upon arriving in the Great Desolate, he realized that for a hegemon of Gu Qingfeng's level, changing or not changing a name was utterly pointless—like taking off pants to fart. Whether he changed his name, his head, even if he seized a body for rebirth or reincarnated, he couldn't hide from the Great Dao of heaven and earth.
Moreover, based on Huode's understanding of Gu Qingfeng, such petty acts as changing names to evade pursuit were beneath him; Gu Qingfeng would never stoop to that.
"The name Qingfeng was changed for me by a woman."
"A woman changed it for you?" Huode was extremely curious. "Why did she change your name?"
"She said she didn't like me being called Gu Tianlang, so she changed it to Gu Qingfeng."
"She didn't like it, so you changed it? Kid, since when did you listen to women so obediently?"
"No choice. Lost a bet to her. A real man keeps his word. Since I lost the bet, I had to admit defeat and change my name."
Recalling the incident years ago when he was forced to change his name after losing a bet, Gu Qingfeng still remembered it vividly. He sighed wistfully, "In my life, I've made many bets with people. I've only ever lost once. But that one loss cost me my original name... Small bets for amusement, big bets harm the body, grand bets lead to eternal damnation, forced bets end in utter annihilation. The old saying isn't without reason."
"Kid, aren't you playing a bit too fancy? This old man has never heard of betting with a name as the stake before. You guys really know how to have fun. Truly, the longer you live, the more rare things you encounter."
Huode asked curiously, "But who was the woman who won against you? Sounds impressive."
Gu Qingfeng glanced lazily at Huode. "Want to know?"
Huode nodded emphatically. Indeed, he really wanted to know which woman had changed Gu Qingfeng's name.
"Actually, calling her a woman is a bit of a stretch. Strictly speaking, she isn't a real woman."
Hearing this, Huode was puzzled. "What do you mean, not a real woman? A man? Or... a demon? A eunuch?"
"Nothing that sinister. When one cultivates to a certain realm, there's no real distinction between male and female anymore. You can become a man if you want, or a woman if you wish. The reason I say the one who beat me is a woman is because she usually manifests as one. At least, she looks like a woman. Whether she truly is, I haven't verified. Not clear."
"Kid, after all that talk, who exactly is it?"
"Have you ever heard this saying: 'Knows past and future, holds fate and Karma, deduces the cosmos of the Primordial Era, perceives the mysteries of heaven and earth'?"
Huode's heart skipped a beat. He exclaimed in shock, "You mean... that one hailed as the Envoy of Karma, the Incarnation of Fate—the Nameless Master of Eternity, Genggu Wuming?"
"That's right. It's her!"
"Are you stupid, kid? Betting with Genggu Wuming? Isn't that like playing with lightning before the Thunder God and Lightning Mother? Or playing with yin and yang before the Mother of Nature? What is that if not showing off one's meager skills in front of an expert? She's known as the Envoy of Karma, the Incarnation of Fate! Knows past and future, deduces the cosmos of the Primordial Era. You betting with her? No wonder you lost!"
"If I had known back then that she was Genggu Wuming, I wouldn't have bet with her either. The key is, back then, I had no idea of her identity. It was only many years later that I guessed that little lady might be Genggu Wuming."
"Why would Genggu Wuming want to change your name?"
"That's a question I'd like to know too."
"Didn't you ask?"
"Ask who? That little lady Genggu Wuming? I've only seen her once in my life, and that was last time when Mount Wu Dao descended. My mind was completely preoccupied with Original Sin back then; I actually forgot about this matter."
"Kid, your heart is truly vast. If it were anyone else who changed your name, it might be fine. But it's Genggu Wuming. You can't take this lightly. This old man suspects that her changing your name definitely isn't as simple as just disliking your name. There must be some trickery involved."
"Oh ho, Huode, you old fellow, not simple, eh? Learned to use your brain."
"Are you mocking this old man? I'm serious! Can't you be serious for once?"
"What's there to be serious about? If that little lady I bet with back then really was Genggu Wuming, it's probably related to the Original Sin, illusion, and Anomaly on me. Changing the name likely has little to do with Original Sin or illusion. I reckon it's probably related to the Anomaly. Maybe Genggu Wuming already knew back then that I was an Anomaly of the Present-Ancient Era. So, she deliberately changed my name to make this Anomaly of mine a bit smaller, more within her control. It's like driving a nail into me. No matter how my Karma changes, even if Genggu Wuming can't control it, she can still be the first to know."