Gu Qingfeng slept until noon the next day.
After waking and washing up, he went to find Xiao Jinr to ask if she was willing to leave with Genggu Wuming.
Truthfully,
when Genggu Wuming had said those words last night, Gu Qingfeng had already guessed the outcome.
Sure enough,
just as he had expected, Xiao Jinr still decided to leave with Genggu Wuming.
Regarding this,
Gu Qingfeng did not stop her.
He knew the Xiao Jinr of now was no longer the innocent, naive, and ignorant Xiao Jinr of before.
Xiao Jinr had now awakened.
As for what she had awakened to, Gu Qingfeng did not know. The only thing he knew was that Xiao Jinr's existence had an indescribable, unclear connection to Original Sin.
Yes.
Gu Qingfeng could sense it, and the feeling was very strong.
Whether Xiao Jinr was the True Lord that Original Sin sought, Gu Qingfeng dared not be certain, but he always had a feeling that Xiao Jinr's existence might be far more complex than even the True Lord of Original Sin.
"Big Brother, I know you have many doubts about Jin'er in your heart."
Xiao Jinr seemed to have seen through Gu Qingfeng's inner thoughts and said softly, "Jin'er doesn't mean to hide things from Big Brother on purpose, it's just...
There are many things Jin'er doesn't understand right now either, and I don't know how to speak of them. Big Brother, please don't blame Jin'er, okay?
When Jin'er figures things out, I'll definitely tell Big Brother right away, okay?"
Gu Qingfeng gave a faint smile, rubbed Xiao Jinr's head, and said, "Figure it out if you can, but don't force yourself if you can't. I'm here for everything."
Opposite them, not far away,
Genggu Wuming, Cang Yan, Nalan Qianqiu, and Mo Ruyi were all waiting for Xiao Jinr, who was bidding farewell to Gu Qingfeng.
"Don't do anything foolish. Remember what I said: no matter what happens in the future, Big Brother will always stand by your side. Regardless of right or wrong, life or death, fate or fortune, cause or effect!"
"Big Brother!"
Xiao Jinr threw herself into Gu Qingfeng's embrace, hugging him tightly as she burst into tears, utterly reluctant. She cried out, "Wah...!
Big Brother, don't worry...
Jin'er won't do anything foolish, I won't!
Absolutely not!"
Gu Qingfeng comforted Xiao Jinr, saying, "If you miss me in the future, no matter where you are or when it is, just call my name into the void, and I'll come to you right away."
Having said that, Gu Qingfeng still seemed somewhat uneasy. He plucked a strand of his own hair, then took a strand from Xiao Jinr's head. He tied the two strands together, wrapped them around his finger, and without any other visible action, the two tied strands of hair mysteriously merged into Gu Qingfeng's fingertip, leaving behind a series of profound, intricate patterns.
Witnessing this scene, Nalan Qianqiu and Mo Ruyi might have been somewhat puzzled, but Genggu Wuming and Cang Yan clearly knew that Gu Qingfeng tying his and Xiao Jinr's hairs together and wrapping them around his finger was an ancient divine ability called the Heart-Tied Seal.
Using two strands of hair to link their Heart-Minds together, so that in the future, if Xiao Jinr's Heart-Mind experienced violent fluctuations, Gu Qingfeng would be able to sense it.
Gu Qingfeng used his sleeve to wipe away Xiao Jinr's tears and said, "Go on."
"Big Brother, you must...
take care!"
At this moment, Genggu Wuming also walked over, comforting Xiao Jinr before looking at Gu Qingfeng. She merely nodded and said, "Until we meet again."
As her words fell, Genggu Wuming led Xiao Jinr away. But not far off, a voice from Gu Qingfeng reached her ears.
"Genggu Wuming, I'm entrusting Xiao Jinr to you for now. If anything happens to her, I will spare no cost to personally use your blood to bury this Karma and Fate!"
"Xiao Jinr will be fine. I will do everything in my power to protect her."
Genggu Wuming left.
Xiao Jinr followed and departed.
Gu Qingfeng stood at the gate of Yunxia Sect, just watching, watching for a very, very long time. Only when the setting sun dipped west again, dusk falling once more, did he return to the courtyard.
Thump! Thump!
Opening a vat of Hell Impermanence wine and a vat of Heavenly Dao wine, mixing them together, Gu Qingfeng began gulping them down in great draughts.
Huode knew that Xiao Jinr's departure must have left Gu Qingfeng feeling terrible inside. He was tactful enough not to say much, simply drinking vat after vat alongside Gu Qingfeng.
"Huode."
Gu Qingfeng raised his cup and clinked it with Huode's, saying, "In a couple of days, it'll be time for me to leave too."
"You're leaving too?"
Gu Qingfeng's sudden announcement that he was leaving caught Huode off guard, making it hard for him to accept immediately. Although he knew Gu Qingfeng would eventually leave, he hadn't expected it to be so soon.
Gu Qingfeng said nothing, and Huode remained silent as well. Gu Qingfeng drank his sullen wine, and Huode did the same.
Time passed bit by bit, and the night grew deeper.
Finally, it was Huode who broke the silence, asking, "Where are you planning to go, kid?"
"I want to find a quiet place to go into Seclusion for a while."
"You?
Seclusion?"
Upon hearing this, Huode was instantly shocked, even doubting if he had misheard. Because in his memory, he had never once heard Gu Qingfeng mention the word 'Seclusion.' Even back when his cultivation was crippled and he was half-dead, this guy had never gone into Seclusion. To this day, Huode clearly remembered what Gu Qingfeng had once said: that cultivation was for eating, drinking, having fun, and whiling away time; only a fool with his head squeezed by a door would go into Seclusion.
"What are you going into Seclusion for out of the blue? This...
this really isn't like your usual style, kid."
"Times have changed."
Gu Qingfeng sighed, "Today is different from the past. Before, I muddled through life as I pleased, letting everything take its natural course, resigning myself to Fate. If I could do something, I did it; if I couldn't, I let it go. I never forced anything. That's how I treated Karma, Fate, fortune, and even Original Sin."
"Originally, I thought if I could shake off Original Sin, I would; if I couldn't, then I simply wouldn't bother...
But in the end, I can't get past this hurdle in my own heart. I've been trying to convince my heart, but it's no use. The more I try, the more my heart resists. So, I've decided to gamble with all my might."
Huode lowered his head, drinking his wine, listening carefully to Gu Qingfeng's words. He knew that Gu Qingfeng was serious this time—probably the first time he had ever been this serious in his life.
Huode knew, he could hear it, see it, and feel it.
After a moment, Huode asked, "What are the odds?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head, "No odds at all."
"And if you lose?
What would the consequences be?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head again, responding, "I truly don't know what the consequences would be if I lose this gamble."
"Do you have to make this gamble?"
"You know I have no other choices left, no retreat to fall back on. I have to make this gamble. I don't want to live with this regret."