Yes.
Just as Genggu Wuming had said, ever since Gu Qingfeng learned that the person who had made the bet with him back then was none other than Genggu Wuming, he knew things weren't that simple. As he later sank deeper and deeper into the path of Original Sin and learned that many Original Sin Patriarchs had been banished to Gui Xu, he could more or less guess that when Genggu Wuming met him back then, nine times out of ten, she hadn't had good intentions.
"I'd like to ask, why do you banish those with Original Sin to Gui Xu?"
"You are mistaken."
"How am I mistaken?"
"I do not banish all those with Original Sin to Gui Xu. Only those with Original Sin who are variables, like you, do I banish to Gui Xu."
"And why is that?"
Gu Qingfeng asked with a smile, "Afraid the prophecy recorded in the Book of Fate will come true? Worried that Original Sin will truly find its master? That the Great Dao will be slaughtered, the Wu Dao Age will be opened?"
"You still haven't understood what I said earlier. It is not those with Original Sin that I banish to Gui Xu, but those who are variables."
"Is that so..." At this point, Gu Qingfeng suddenly remembered what Genggu Wuming had said when she made her proclamation to the Myriad Heavens a few days prior. He asked, "Earlier, when you proclaimed to heaven and earth that there was no such thing as the Book of Fate, were you just fooling everyone?"
"I did not deceive everyone."
"Really?"
Gu Qingfeng was somewhat skeptical. "I find that a bit hard to believe."
"I have no need to lie to you."
"If there is no Book of Fate, then how did this saying get passed down: 'When Original Sin finds its master, the Great Dao will fall, the current age will end, heaven and earth will be reborn, and the Wu Dao Age will open...'?"
"That saying has been passed down from the Wu Dao Age itself."
After Genggu Wuming finished speaking, Cang Yan, who was beside her, interjected, "Gu Qingfeng, may I ask you a question?"
"Of course."
"You've always disliked Fate, right?"
"That is indeed the case."
"I won't ask why you dislike Fate. I only ask, do you know what Fate is?"
Gu Qingfeng thought for a moment, then directly shook his head. "Don't mention it, I really don't know what that thing is."
"Heh."
Cang Yan chuckled, picked up a cup of wine, and took a small sip.
"What's this? You know? If you know, why not enlighten me? Help me understand just what Fate is?"
Cang Yan continued, "To tell you the truth, not only do you not know what Fate is, I don't know either. I can even tell you that even Nameless, the Emissary of Fate, doesn't know what Fate is. Throughout all ages, across the Myriad Heavens, among all living beings under the Great Dao, no one knows what Fate is."
She paused, then stared at Gu Qingfeng, her expression turning solemn. "Do you know why?"
"Why?"
"Because Fate simply does not exist."
"Is that so?"
Gu Qingfeng leisurely sipped his wine and smiled. "Are you two thinking I'm easy to fool because I haven't read many books? I may not know what Fate is, but I do know that Fate is one of the Great Daos. Since it is a Great Dao, it exists."
"What you say is correct. Fate is also one of the Three Thousand Great Daos. But the Great Dao of Fate has long since perished. It perished with the end of the Wu Dao Age..."
"Are you sure it perished? Not withered, not slumbering?"
"I am certain the Great Dao of Fate perished during the Wu Dao Age. Its Great Dao essence did not wither; it scattered..." Cang Yan said solemnly, "What is Wu Dao? Wu Dao means the absence of any Great Dao. The reason it is called the Wu Dao Age is because in that era, all Three Thousand Great Daos perished..."
"The difference lies in that some Great Daos revived and recovered after the Wu Dao Age ended... such as the Dao of Immortals, the Dao of Demons, the Dao of Devils, and so on... Some Great Daos fell into a long slumber to reform and regenerate, such as the Dao of Humanity, the Dao of Nature, the Heavenly Dao, Cause and Effect... such as the Original Sin flowing within your body. But there are also Great Daos that neither revived nor slumbered to reform. Instead, they completely scattered with the end of the Wu Dao Age... Fate is one of them."
"I say, Big Sister."
Gu Qingfeng looked at Cang Yan's utterly solemn face and suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable, especially under her stare, which gave him a creepy feeling. "Don't look at me like that, it's unnerving."
"I am not joking with you."
Genggu Wuming nodded and explained, "Cang Yan is indeed not joking. Everything she said is true. Fate scattered long ago during the Wu Dao Age. Whether you believe it or not, I merely wish to tell you this. I have no other meaning."
"Judging by the looks on your faces, this matter seems to be true."
Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin, pondered for a moment, then asked again, "Tell me, did the Book of Fate ever exist?"
"It existed."
Genggu Wuming replied, "The so-called essence of Fate is the Book of Fate."
"Have you ever seen that thing?"
"No."
"If you've never even seen the Book of Fate, how do you know Fate perished during the Wu Dao Age?"
"It is hearsay. I have never seen it. The only thing I know is that with the end of the Wu Dao Age, Fate was no more..."
"So you also cannot confirm for certain that Fate truly scattered during the Wu Dao Age, right?"
"You could say that."
Gu Qingfeng asked again, "In the legends, obtaining the Book of Fate allows one to know the past and future, command Fate and Cause and Effect, deduce the cosmos, and comprehend the mysteries of heaven and earth... Is this true or not?"
"According to legend, yes."
"Heh."
Gu Qingfeng laughed. "So that means if we open the Wu Dao Age, we might still find the Book of Fate, right? Even if the Book of Fate scattered, we might still find some fragments or pages, right?"
Genggu Wuming stared at Gu Qingfeng. After a long while, she finally said, "Perhaps."
"No wonder so many people want to open the Wu Dao Age. It seems the Wu Dao Age really hides many secrets. Not only does it hide the true meaning of the Great Dao, the mystery of becoming a god, but also the Book of Fate that records the past and future of all living beings under the Great Dao..."
Cang Yan asked, "Judging by your tone, could it be that you also want to open the Wu Dao Age to search for the Book of Fate?"
"Why can't I want to?"
"Heh!"
Cang Yan chuckled inexplicably.
"What are you laughing at now?"
"Haven't you always been resistant to Fate? Why would you want to search for the Book of Fate?"
"Those are two different matters."
Gu Qingfeng smiled. "It's just like us. Although I find the two of you unpleasant to look at, aren't I still sitting down drinking and chatting with you now? I am also very resistant to Fate, but that doesn't stop me from searching for the Book of Fate. Isn't that the logic of it?"
"Crooked logic!"
Cang Yan shook her head, too lazy to bother with Gu Qingfeng anymore.
"By the way, Big Sister Nameless."
Gu Qingfeng asked again, "You still haven't told me why exactly you want to banish us Original Sin variables to Gui Xu."
"I have said, variables are born from a series of erroneous Cause and Effect. As the embodiment of Cause and Effect, guarding the laws of Cause and Effect is my duty. Maintaining the normal order of Cause and Effect is my obligation. To prevent variables from perpetuating erroneous Cause and Effect, I have no choice but to banish them to Gui Xu."