Gu Qingfeng looked at Da Xing the Mad Monk, just looked at him. After a moment, he smiled but said nothing. He took out another jar of Heavenly Dao wine and fused it with Hell Impermanence wine, poured two cups, and handed one to Da Xing the Mad Monk.
"Not bad, not bad. The boy is teachable indeed."
Da Xing the Mad Monk took the cup, tilted his head back, and drained it in one gulp. After downing the cup, as if not yet satisfied, he smacked his lips twice and nodded in praise. "Heavenly Dao and Impermanence drink the cosmos, lying across the Great Barrens to roam heaven and earth, drunk on a dream of reincarnation. Good! Very good..." After drinking, Da Xing the Mad Monk pointed at the empty cup and said, "Come on, fill this old monk up."
Gu Qingfeng still said nothing, simply refilled it for him.
Another cup was drained, and it was refilled again.
After three consecutive cups, Da Xing the Mad Monk wanted to keep drinking. This time, Gu Qingfeng didn't continue pouring for him, instead drinking by himself.
"What's the matter? Hurry up and fill it!"
"I say, Da Xing!"
Gu Qingfeng drank the Heavenly Dao and Impermanence fine wine and said, "A little gesture is enough, you're not done yet, learning to climb up onto my face, is that it? What, you really think you've got me pinned down with this little bit of nonsense?"
"No! Nothing of the sort, just joking."
Da Xing the Mad Monk switched back to a cheeky, grinning face and said, "Don't take it seriously. This old monk is just craving a taste of your good wine, kid."
Gu Qingfeng didn't reply, just waited for Da Xing the Mad Monk to continue.
"Actually, it's not that big of a deal. Although this old monk is stuck in this godforsaken place, my divine sense hasn't been idle. Your doings in the Lingluo Heavenly Domain the other day, my divine sense was present at the scene. Have to say, you're still as overbearing as ever, kid, and your methods are getting more and more ruthless. Playing those old ancestors from the Cave-Heavens, Bliss-Lands, and Great Barrens giants until they were utterly helpless, hahaha... Impressive! Truly impressive! Makes this old monk admire you greatly."
"As for how this old monk knew you decided to seek Original Sin, the reason is simple. This old monk has a bit of understanding of you, kid. I know that if you didn't want to seek Original Sin, you wouldn't have shown your face at all. Since you showed up, you must have thought it through and prepared yourself. Besides... hehe."
Da Xing the Mad Monk took the jar of wine fused from Heavenly Dao and Hell Impermanence, poured himself a cup, and continued, "Given your current situation, you have no way back, no other choice. Throughout heaven and earth, whether it's the Cave-Heavens, Bliss-Lands, forbidden lands, sacred grounds, or the Gui Xu, Barrens Xu, and so on, they won't allow you to have any other choice either."
"Most importantly, there's an old saying: character determines destiny. What an aloof and proud person you are. To put it bluntly, even if you wanted to accept your fate, the pride in your heart wouldn't allow you to accept it. So, this old monk knew long ago that no matter how you toss and turn, toss and turn, in the end, you'd still go seek Original Sin. To be precise, to rid yourself of Original Sin. But to rid yourself of Original Sin, you must first seek it. How about it? This old monk isn't wrong, is he?"
Although Gu Qingfeng didn't want to admit it, he had no choice but to acknowledge that what Da Xing the Mad Monk said was absolutely correct.
"As they say, you can know a person's face but not their heart. You old bald donkey, usually not showing off, keeping a low profile, but your mind is quite cunning."
To be honest.
Gu Qingfeng wasn't surprised by these words from Da Xing the Mad Monk because he had never underestimated him. On the contrary, he always felt this old bald donkey was profound and unfathomable. It's just that this old bald donkey usually hid his abilities, either playing dumb or acting foolish. In short, he was a crafty old fox.
"You said earlier that you not only knew Genggu Wuming came to see me, but also knew why she came..." Da Xing the Mad Monk nodded, continuously drinking the Heavenly Dao and Impermanence wine, and said, "I can roughly guess one or two things."
"Tell me."
"Genggu Wuming looking for you is none other than for three reasons. First, she wants to tell you she is not your enemy, she never grafted your karma, and all your matters have nothing to do with her. Correct?"
"Right, that's exactly it."
"Second, she wants to formally tell you that the prelude to the Wu Dao Age has already begun. All the secrets are hidden within the Wu Dao Age, including Fate as well. Her meaning is simple: she wants to tell you that if you want to change Fate, you must open the Wu Dao Age. Missing the Wu Dao Age means missing the only chance to change Fate. Correct?"
"Indeed. Continue."
"Sounds like Genggu Wuming hopes you become the True Lord of Original Sin and open the Wu Dao Age in the future, right? If you think that way, then you're wrong. She's just handing the choice to you. That's also the third reason Genggu Wuming came to see you. She wants to gamble on you."
"Gamble on what?"
"The Buddha says, it cannot be spoken, cannot be spoken."
At this moment, Da Xing the Mad Monk changed from his previous cheeky attitude. He looked extremely solemn and dignified, appearing truly like an enlightened senior monk. He said, "What Genggu Wuming wants to gamble on, you shouldn't ask me. You should ask yourself. Moreover, this old monk can see that you've long guessed what Genggu Wuming wants to gamble on."
Gu Qingfeng said no more, lowering his head in contemplation, lost in thought.
"Actually... Genggu Wuming meeting you is none other than just to tell you one thing: Fate has long since perished. The Present-Ancient Era has no Fate. In other words, throughout heaven and earth, the Great Dao, and all living beings, the Fate of all of us is unknown. Fate may be unchangeable, but... Fate does not mean it cannot be created, nor does it mean it cannot be mastered."
After saying this, Da Xing the Mad Monk clasped his hands together and murmured with utmost piety, as if he had divulged some heavenly secret and was now repenting to the Buddha. "Amitabha, well said, well said."
When Da Xing the Mad Monk spoke these words, Gu Qingfeng suddenly raised his head, his expression also turning extremely serious, his gaze especially earnest. He stared at Da Xing the Mad Monk like this for a long time before finally raising his cup in a toast. "Da Xing, thank you."
"Thank me for what?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk widened his eyes and shook his head. "This old monk said nothing at all. Why thank me? Truly utterly baffling!"
"Indeed, you said nothing, and I heard nothing."
"Let's not talk about these messy matters anymore. Let's continue discussing our Zen Sect's soon-to-emerge relic."
Da Xing the Mad Monk asked, "Don't think this old monk called you here to help me. In a sense, this old monk is helping you."
"How so?"
"Didn't you decide to seek Original Sin, kid? When you reach our Zen Sect relic, maybe you'll gain some enlightenment."