"Da Xing!"
Gu Qingfeng tilted his head back and took a swig of fine wine, gazing at the chaotic vortex that filled the entire sky as he asked indifferently, "Do you ever have the feeling... that everything is fake?"
"Oh?" Da Xing the Mad Monk retorted, "You're feeling that way now?"
"More or less, yeah."
"Having that feeling is right."
Hearing Da Xing the Mad Monk's words, Gu Qingfeng suddenly laughed. "How is it right?"
"We're just at the beginning, and you're already starting to feel everything is false." Da Xing the Mad Monk adopted the demeanor of an enlightened senior monk offering guidance. "Let me tell you, kid. In the future, as your Mental State grows higher and your comprehension of the Great Dao deepens, you'll feel increasingly that it's all false. The heavens and earth, the Great Dao is false, all sentient beings are false, everything is false."
Gu Qingfeng curled his lip. "Is that so?"
"Of course." Da Xing the Mad Monk explained, "In the words of our Buddhist tradition, this is called seeing through the red dust of the mortal world. Once your Mental State transcends and you achieve the emptiness of the four elements, you'll understand. How does the saying go..."
Da Xing the Mad Monk took off his tattered hat, rubbed his bald head, and continued, "See a mountain as a mountain, see water as water; see a mountain not as a mountain, see water not as water; see a mountain still as a mountain, see water still as water..."
"Heh." Gu Qingfeng chuckled without further comment. After a moment, he sighed, "All phenomena are illusory."
"Logically speaking, with your Mental State, you shouldn't be affected by emotions. Besides, it's not like you don't know about that messy business of reincarnation and Karma. Why did meeting Lady Wuyou once depress you to such a pitiful state?"
"I was just feeling a bit sentimental, that's all."
"What's there to be sentimental about? What, do you feel like you've been tricked? Or deceived? It's nothing more than encountering someone tied to you across three lives and three lifetimes. It's not like it's your first time meeting such a person. Why all the sentimentality?"
"You old Bald Donkey seem quite experienced."
"Nonsense!" Da Xing the Mad Monk rolled his eyes. "This Old Monk possesses tens of millions of Incarnations, wandering through the myriad worlds. Don't even mention three lives and three lifetimes—I often encounter masters of nine lives and nine lifetimes. Those so-called Nine-Life Virtuous Persons, Nine-Life Evil Persons, do you think they're just talk? There are even those with thousands or hundreds of lifetimes. Like those bearers of the Great Dao's Mandate, and those destined to face calamities—which one hasn't undergone countless cycles of reincarnation, enduring one tribulation, one life, one hardship to cultivate the fortune of this present life?"
"I almost forgot, you old Bald Donkey are also hailed as a Living Buddha." At this point, Gu Qingfeng seemed to remember something. He glanced at Da Xing the Mad Monk and said, "Legend has it that you, old Bald Donkey, manifest tens of millions of Incarnations, wander through the myriad worlds, punish the wicked and aid the good, heal the sick and save the dying, delivering all sentient beings. Is that stuff true or false?"
"What do you mean true or false? How could that stuff be false?"
"If it were your Senior Brother White-Browed Holy Monk delivering all sentient beings, I might believe it a little. But you, old Bald Donkey... you just don't look like someone who delivers all sentient beings."
"Believe it or not, I don't care." Da Xing the Mad Monk wore an expression of not wanting to bother.
"But, speaking of which, why did you, old Bald Donkey, for no good reason, manifest tens of millions of Incarnations to deliver all sentient beings?"
"It's This Old Monk's duty, alright!"
"Duty? What duty?"
"Forget it, I can't make you understand."
"Is it that you can't make me understand, or that you don't want to say?" Gu Qingfeng smiled faintly. "Da Xing, we're both smart people. Even if you don't say some things, I more or less know a bit. It's just that messy business of Karma. What's there to hide?"
"Kid Gu, since you know, why ask again? Are you making fun of This Old Monk?"
Gu Qingfeng indeed knew a little.
Although he verbally didn't believe Da Xing the Mad Monk would manifest tens of millions of Incarnations to deliver all sentient beings throughout the myriad worlds, in his heart, he actually did believe it.
The key was how this 'delivering all sentient beings' was done.
Delivering all sentient beings wasn't simply about punishing the wicked and aiding the good, nor was it simply about healing the sick and saving the dying.
Guiding someone to become a Buddha was a form of deliverance; guiding someone to become a demon was also a form of deliverance. Guiding someone to cultivate virtuous causes leading to virtuous effects was deliverance; guiding someone to cultivate evil causes leading to evil effects was also deliverance.
As he said, he delivered both Nine-Life Virtuous Persons and Nine-Life Evil Persons, delivering those who had undergone countless cycles of reincarnation, enduring one tribulation, one life, one hardship.
In Gu Qingfeng's thoughts, Da Xing the Mad Monk's manifestation of tens of millions of Incarnations, wandering through the myriad worlds to deliver all sentient beings, was about delivering the Karma of all beings.
Since ancient times, the bearers of the Great Dao's Mandate, even if not directly delivered by Da Xing the Mad Monk, were undoubtedly ten out of ten related to this old Bald Donkey.
Moreover, Gu Qingfeng believed it wasn't just the bearers of the Great Dao's Mandate; he estimated many Original Sin individuals were also related to this old Bald Donkey.
He might not be able to guess what game Da Xing the Mad Monk was playing, but one thing he was very clear about: behind Da Xing the Mad Monk was definitely Karma, and what he did was absolutely related to Karma.
Thinking of this, he asked, "Da Xing, let me ask you something."
"What is it?"
"Have you ever delivered me?"
Perhaps not expecting Gu Qingfeng to suddenly ask such a strange question, Da Xing the Mad Monk replied without changing his expression, "What do you think?"
"You probably have, right?"
"Of course I have! But you, kid, are undeliverable! Back when you kidnapped the wrathful incarnation of my Buddha, the Great Sun Tathagata, This Old Monk tried to deliver you. Back when you, for Little Jin'er's sake, were about to go to war with the Three Thousand Great Daos, This Old Monk also tried to deliver you. Back when..." Da Xing the Mad Monk recounted a bunch of those messy past events. Before he could finish, Gu Qingfeng lost interest and interrupted him, asking, "The things you mentioned are all on the surface. I'm asking if you've delivered me in secret?"
"In secret?" Da Xing the Mad Monk shook his head and answered without hesitation, "No!"
"Really not?"
"Nonsense! Of course not!"
"Impossible, right? You, old Bald Donkey, have tens of millions of Incarnations. I don't believe there wasn't a single one of your Incarnations in that mundane world of the Great Northwest."
"Your mundane world is too special. To be precise, there are too many experts—Jun Xuanji, Lady Wuyou, all sorts of terrifying existences are everywhere. Even if This Old Monk had the heart, I wouldn't have the guts to send an Incarnation to that mundane world."
"Really? I'm having a bit of trouble believing that." Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment. "In this lifetime, I've encountered many mysterious individuals. These mysterious individuals have all influenced me to some extent. I've been able to trace the origins of some of these mysterious individuals, but there are a few who remain missing to this day, as if they never existed, disappearing without a trace."
"Among them, one called Old Taoist Peach Blossom left the deepest impression on me. That old master not only saved my life back then, and more than once, but later also helped me fuse with the Blood of Original Sin."