Just because one doesn't know how to rid themselves of Original Sin, does that mean they shouldn't try?
Just because one doesn't know how to grasp Fate, does that mean they should resign themselves to it?
Just because one doesn't know, does that mean they should give up?
Of course not.
At the very least, whether it was Ren Tianxing or Mo Wentian, although neither knew how to rid themselves of Original Sin nor how to take Fate into their own hands, neither would give up. They would both stubbornly pursue it. Even if they knew Original Sin was inescapable, knew Fate could not be defied, they would still stake everything on one desperate gamble.
Not seeking a miracle, but only that their lives would have no regrets.
However.
Gu Qingfeng was different.
It wasn't that he didn't want to rid himself of Original Sin, didn't want to master his own Fate. On the contrary, he too wanted to rid himself of Original Sin, wanted to master his own Fate, and for this, he had not been without effort.
He had tried.
And not just once.
If he hadn't wanted to rid himself of Original Sin back then, when Wu Dao Mountain descended, he wouldn't have entered, much less ascended Wu Dao Mountain to ignite the Original Sin Karmic Fire.
Only.
Things went contrary to his wishes. In the end, not only did he fail to rid himself of Original Sin, he sank deeper into it. Moreover, he discovered that the deeper he sank into Original Sin, the less Fate was his to command.
Perhaps he was truly tired, or perhaps he had struggled enough.
In any case.
Ever since awakening from his ten-thousand-year slumber after igniting the Original Sin Karmic Fire back then, Gu Qingfeng's desire to rid himself of Original Sin had long since lost its intensity; the thought grew fainter and fainter.
Perhaps this was his true nature, or perhaps it was due to his Mental State.
His former dream was to live freely and without worries. His current dream remained the same, and likely would not change in the future either.
Therefore.
As long as he could live freely, whether he was a person of Original Sin, whether he was bound by Karma, even if he was just a pawn of Fate, he didn't particularly mind.
Although along this journey, he hadn't lived very freely, nor very comfortably. On the contrary, he had lived as one rejected by heaven and earth, with a life not his own to command.
Perhaps he was numb to it, or perhaps he had grown accustomed.
Sometimes, thinking about it, just muddling through like this wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
At the very least.
Gu Qingfeng wasn't that bothered by it.
Ren Tianxing seemed not to believe that Gu Qingfeng had truly resigned himself to Fate. Or perhaps it wasn't disbelief, but rather an inability to accept it. He said, "Brother Gu, if you have truly resigned yourself to Fate, then why, like us, did you pursue the source of that Great Clamor?"
"What kind of talk is that? I'm already in here now, can't get out, so I have to find something to do, right? Can't just sit around like a fool in this godforsaken place with nothing to do. Every time that clamor comes, it affects me deeply. Naturally curious, of course I wanted to see what was going on."
Hearing this.
Ren Tianxing and Mo Wentian exchanged a glance.
Mo Wentian's expression was grave, lost in thought.
Even the aloof and cold Ren Tianxing had a complex light flickering in his eyes.
"What's with the looks from you two?"
Gu Qingfeng looked at them, a playful tone in his voice. "Could it be you're disappointed in me?"
Gu Qingfeng, however, looked utterly unconcerned, still wearing that same roguish grin. He picked up the wine jug, refilled their cups, then raised his own and drained it in one go. "Not afraid to tell you, even I'm disappointed looking at myself. No choice, that's just the kind of person I am."
"Me, I've never had much ambition since I was a kid, never had any grand aspirations. All this talk of the Great Dao, of heaven and earth, of Karma and Fate—to be honest, hearing this stuff gives me a headache. As long as I can muddle through, the rest can go to hell. I don't mind being a pawn for Fate either."
Then, shifting his tone, Gu Qingfeng chuckled again. "Of course, having said that, just because I've resigned myself to Fate now doesn't mean I've given up. If there was hope of ridding myself of Original Sin and mastering my own Fate, I'd still go all out and gamble on it. What if I won?"
At this point, Mo Wentian spoke. "Can I understand this as Brother Gu being lost?"
"Lost?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head in denial. "I'm not lost."
"No!
Brother Gu, the 'lost' I speak of isn't losing oneself, but losing direction."
"Losing direction?
What do you mean?"
"As Brother Gu said just now, if there was hope, you would still gamble. And the reason Brother Gu isn't gambling now is because you haven't seen that hope yet, or perhaps should say you can't see that hope, correct?"
Gu Qingfeng shrugged, neither confirming nor denying. "You could say that."
"And if you lose the gamble?"
"Lose is lose, what else can you do? You win some, you lose some."
Beside them.
Ren Tianxing looked at Mo Wentian. "Well?"
Mo Wentian, however, stared intently at Gu Qingfeng, his expression solemn. "Admirable. Utterly admirable. Brother Gu's Mental State is truly, as you said, beyond our comparison. It leaves one trailing in the dust, utterly trailing in the dust!"
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng, who was in the middle of drinking, was quite baffled. He glanced at Ren Tianxing, then looked at Mo Wentian, asking, "I say... what game are you two playing? Sounds like you're setting me up for something?"
"Brother Gu, please don't misunderstand."
Mo Wentian explained. "The matter is this. Back when I met Brother Ren, we once talked about you. Brother Ren told me that in his life, he only admired one person, and that was you, Brother Gu."
"He said you were the type who could pick things up and put them down at will, following your heart's desire, letting nature take its course. Not forcing things, not clinging, but also not refusing. That was your attitude towards anyone and anything."
"I asked him, what was Brother Gu's view on Original Sin?"
"Brother Ren said you viewed it however you wanted to view it."
"I asked him again, what was Brother Gu's attitude towards Fate?"
"He said you had no attitude towards Fate."
"I asked why."
"Brother Ren said you simply didn't care about Original Sin or Fate. So, you viewed them however you wanted, your attitude was whatever you wanted it to be."
"I asked Brother Ren, what *do* you care about?"
"He said you only cared about what you cared about. Brother Ren didn't know what you cared about, but he knew what you *didn't* care about, and among those things were Original Sin and Fate."
"Brother Ren said that although you, as a person, had not transcended, your heart already had."
"When I first heard Brother Ren speak of you, I didn't quite believe it. Today, hearing Brother Gu discuss Original Sin and Fate, I, Mo, now know Brother Ren was absolutely correct. The height of Brother Gu's Mental State rivals that of a Great Dao Sage. It has already exceeded my imagination, and leaves me, Mo, utterly admiring!"
Mo Wentian stood up, holding a cup of wine. As he spoke, his resolute, handsome face was filled with a look of deep admiration. He spoke with sincerity.
But Gu Qingfeng listened in utter confusion. He looked at Mo Wentian, grinning crookedly, then glanced at Ren Tianxing, asking, "I say... you two, singing in harmony like this, are you playing some trick on me? Are you deliberately mocking me, or ridiculing me, or being sarcastic? To actually say my Mental State is high? Even rivaling a Great Dao Sage? You two really have the nerve to say it."