"You think about it carefully, does that make sense?"
"You mean, back when I ignited the Original Sin Karmic Fire, Karma thought I was dead, so it nurtured a new True Lord of Original Sin in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm, is that it?"
"Exactly, that's right!"
"I seem to remember you saying that Jun Xuanji, Genggu Wuming, and Lady Wuyou all appeared in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm, and even fought fiercely. Why did they fight?"
"This... I don't know. When I barged into the Liúshā Small Secret Realm back then, I only saw a scene of utter devastation everywhere. They had already finished fighting. As for why they fought, I'm not clear on that either. I don't even know who fought whom. I asked around, but no one would say. And besides... those who barged into the Liúshā Small Secret Realm back then weren't just Jun Xuanji, Genggu Wuming, and Lady Wuyou. There were also some mysterious figures. I don't know who they were either."
"I reckon the reason they fought might have been because of that newly born True Lord of Original Sin. Perhaps some wanted to erase that new True Lord, while others wanted to protect him."
"Who wanted to protect the newly born True Lord of Original Sin? And who wanted to erase him?"
"Isn't it obvious? It's plain as day! Karma nurtured a new True Lord of Original Sin to eliminate Original Sin. Those who want to eliminate Original Sin would definitely protect that True Lord, waiting until he truly ascends to the position of True Lord before erasing him. Take Genggu Wuming, for example. She's the Karma Emissary, the incarnation of Fate. She definitely wants to eliminate Original Sin. If she made a move, it would surely be to protect that True Lord of Original Sin."
"You mean... Jun Xuanji or Lady Wuyou fought back then to erase that True Lord of Original Sin?"
"Hard to say. Probably, right?"
"That doesn't seem right, does it? Why would they want to erase that True Lord of Original Sin? To prevent Karma and Fate from eliminating Original Sin? What good would that do them? I don't know about the others, but both Jun Xuanji and Lady Wuyou are deeply mired in the Sea of Bitterness, and both have lost their way. The root of their lost state is Original Sin. They should want to eliminate Original Sin more than anyone else, right? There's no reason for them to protect it!"
"This..." Da Xing the Mad Monk scratched his head, also unable to figure it out. "Anyway, someone didn't want that newly born True Lord of Original Sin to die, and that person is definitely an existence beyond imagination."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because as far as I know, that True Lord of Original Sin newly born in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm... didn't die."
Just as he said this, Da Xing the Mad Monk took off the tattered hat on his head, frowning. "Wait, that's not right. If that newly born True Lord of Original Sin didn't die, then which of you is the destined True Lord of Original Sin? You? Or him? Damn it, how is this getting more and more confusing!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk had thought things were gradually becoming clearer, but now he felt the situation was growing more complex again, like a tangled mess.
"Da Xing, how did you find out that a new True Lord of Original Sin was born in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm?"
"I heard about it."
"From whom?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk hesitated. "Don't worry about who told me. The source is reliable."
"Then how are you so sure that newly born True Lord of Original Sin is definitely still alive?"
"This..." Da Xing the Mad Monk looked very conflicted, scratching his bald head repeatedly. Then, as if making a big decision, he said with a choked voice, "Kid Gu, how much do you know about that fellow from just now?"
"Who are you talking about? Bai Chou?"
"Right, her."
"Not much. I only know her name is Bai Chou. It's said that back in the Mortal Realm, many Original Sin Persons were nurtured, but most were erased by Lady Wuyou. Only I and Bai Chou survived."
"Who told you that?"
"She said it herself."
"You believe what she says herself?"
"I've never believed it. Why are you suddenly bringing up Bai Chou out of the blue?"
Gu Qingfeng thought for a moment, then suddenly stopped walking, looking at Da Xing the Mad Monk in shock. "You're not going to say that the True Lord of Original Sin born in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm back then was Bai Chou, are you?"
"I just suspect it might be her. I can't be sure."
"What's the basis for your suspicion?"
"Don't you think her existence is very mysterious?"
"Just because of that?"
"Logically speaking, she should be an Original Sin Variable just like you, right? But can you sense any Original Sin on her? You can't, not even a tiny bit."
"I remember her saying... that's because the white cloth on her body sealed away the Original Sin. It seems that cloth was even given to her by Genggu Wuming."
"You believe that?"
"Whether I believe it or not is what she said herself. How would I know if it's true or false?"
"Regardless of whether what she says is true or false, you, kid, need to be careful. If it's false, that's one thing. But if it's true, you need to be even more careful."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Let's make a bold speculation. If... I'm saying if, if Bai Chou really is the True Lord of Original Sin born in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm back then, and then you, kid, inexplicably came back to life later, that would mean there are two True Lords of Original Sin now, right? Both of you are the deepest Original Sin, the greatest Variables. One Variable is chaotic enough. Two Variables would only create more chaos, and the Variables would become even greater. The greater the Variables, the harder it is for Karma's scheme to succeed."
"So, Karma would absolutely not allow two Original Sin Variables to exist simultaneously. I reckon that back in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm, it must have been Genggu Wuming who took Bai Chou away. After hearing that you, kid, had come back to life, Genggu Wuming used that white cloth to seal away Bai Chou's Original Sin. Wouldn't that leave only you as the sole Original Sin Variable?"
Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin, pondering for a while. Damn it, upon careful thought, what Da Xing the Mad Monk said actually made some sense.
"According to what you're saying, why didn't Genggu Wuming just kill her? Wouldn't that be more direct?"
"You think a destined True Lord of Original Sin is that easy to kill? She must have been unable to kill her, so Genggu Wuming used that white cloth to seal her instead."
"And Bai Chou just let Genggu Wuming seal away her Original Sin like that?"
"Maybe they came to an agreement, negotiated terms, or reached a deal. If it were you, if Genggu Wuming came to you with a deal saying that as long as you, kid, agreed to have your Original Sin sealed away, you wouldn't have to become the True Lord of Original Sin. Since you wouldn't become the True Lord, you also wouldn't die. Wouldn't you agree?"
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng glanced at Da Xing the Mad Monk and said very seriously, "Da Xing, you old bald donkey, sometimes you really do sound like a charlatan. You spin these theories one set after another."
"What do you mean? You suspect I'm fooling you?"
Gu Qingfeng had never believed what Da Xing the Mad Monk said. Never. Because he always felt this old bald donkey Da Xing was definitely up to some little scheme.
But.
Having said that, even though he didn't believe what Da Xing the Mad Monk said, sometimes he had to admit that the words of this old bald donkey made a lot of sense. At the very least, it left Gu Qingfeng unable to find a reason to refute him.