"If an Incarnation or a strand of Divine Sense merely falls into someone else's hands, at worst you'll suffer some torment and pain, and at most, your secrets will be laid bare for all to see."
Gu Qingfeng understood better than anyone how much of a headache it was for one's Incarnation or Divine Sense to fall into another's grasp.
It wasn't that his own Incarnations or Divine Sense had ever been captured by others before—on the contrary, he used to frequently refine other people's Divine Sense. Through their Divine Sense, he would torment their minds, forcing their true bodies to emerge so he could directly obliterate them. If the opponent was powerful, he would use their Divine Sense to uncover their secrets, knowing both himself and the enemy to ensure victory in every battle, and then proceed to trap and kill them. He had done plenty of such deeds in the past.
"But if Divine Sense falls into Genggu Wuming's hands...
Well, that's hard to say. That woman is, after all, the Incarnation of Karma and a messenger of Fate. Through a single strand of your Divine Sense, she might just weave a thread of causality for you, or arrange some destiny or other..." Gu Qingfeng shook his head, patted Da Xing the Mad Monk on the shoulder, and comforted him, "But that's just my speculation. Maybe Genggu Wuming has had her eye on you for a long time. Since she can't get her hands on your true body, she had to snatch your Incarnation to comfort her lonely heart that's been yearning for you day and night!"
After saying this, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but burst into uproarious laughter himself.
His laughter was downright maniacal, dripping with schadenfreude.
"Kid Gu!
This Old Monk is scared shitless here, and not only do you not help, you even have the nerve to tease me!
Do you have any conscience? Has your conscience been eaten by dogs!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk was so angry he was hopping mad, his face flushed red as he cursed.
"It's not that I won't help you, but the problem is...
How can I help?"
Gu Qingfeng laughed. "How about we make a sudden turn back and go to Kan Palace together to ask Genggu Wuming for your Divine Sense back?"
Hearing this, Da Xing the Mad Monk immediately perked up. "That's a good idea."
The more he thought about it, the better the plan seemed. Da Xing the Mad Monk said excitedly, "As long as you step forward, Genggu Wuming wouldn't dare refuse you this face."
"Oh ho, really?
Do I have that much face?"
"Do you?
Take away the 'maybe.' Others might not have any face in front of Genggu Wuming, but you definitely do. She might refuse others, but she wouldn't dare refuse you!"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Your attitude, in a sense, determines the life, death, and future fate of the Heaven-Earth Great Dao. In other words, Genggu Wuming simply doesn't dare offend you right now. She might even have requests for you. As long as you speak up, Genggu Wuming will definitely give you that face."
Da Xing the Mad Monk thumped his chest. "This Old Monk dares to say that even if you asked Genggu Wuming to spend the night with you, she wouldn't dare refuse."
"Do I have that much face?"
"Others might not, but you definitely do!"
Before Gu Qingfeng could respond, Da Xing the Mad Monk urged, "There's no time to lose. Let's go to Kan Palace right now."
Gu Qingfeng, however, laughed. "I was just talking casually. Did you actually take it seriously?"
His words left Da Xing the Mad Monk dumbfounded. "What do you mean, 'just talking casually'? Were you just messing with This Old Monk?"
"What else?
Did you really think I'd go plead for you?"
"Of course!
This Old Monk isn't joking with you!"
"Forget it. I don't have the leisure for that right now."
"How can you call this 'leisure'? This Old Monk is in trouble. Shouldn't you, damn it, lend a hand?
Kid, search your conscience and tell me: how many times has This Old Monk helped you over the years? Back when you had that feud with the eight sects of Western Buddhism, wasn't it This Old Monk who went around begging and pleading to settle it for you? And when those old ancestors from the cave heavens and blessed lands wanted to obliterate you, wasn't it This Old Monk who pleaded for mercy on your behalf? And when you fell into the demonic path back then, if This Old Monk hadn't risked this face to protect you, you'd have been reduced to ashes long ago..." Da Xing the Mad Monk recounted every single instance he had helped Gu Qingfeng over the years.
To be honest, whether the things he said were true or false, Gu Qingfeng couldn't really remember anymore. Based on his understanding of Da Xing the Mad Monk, even if this old bald donkey had helped him, it was always as a convenient favor, and his motives for helping were definitely not pure.
Watching Da Xing the Mad Monk, with snot and tears, recount how he had helped him over the years and accuse him of being heartless, ungrateful, and so on...
Gu Qingfeng was utterly exasperated. "Alright, alright, enough. You're going on and on. It's not that I won't help you, but...
If it were anyone else, no question, I'd definitely step forward and help you get your Divine Sense back. But as for that woman Genggu Wuming..." Mentioning Genggu Wuming gave Gu Qingfeng a headache too. "Da Xing, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but I don't want to see Genggu Wuming. To be precise, it's not that I don't want to, but I don't dare. That woman makes me feel utterly uncomfortable. Seeing her always feels like walking into a trap."
These words weren't an excuse from Gu Qingfeng; they were the truth.
He genuinely, from the bottom of his heart, did not want to see Genggu Wuming.
It wasn't exactly fear—he wasn't afraid of anything, and there was nothing about Genggu Wuming that scared him.
But he just didn't want to see her.
This reluctance was an instinctive aversion.
"What the hell are you afraid of!
This Old Monk already told you: your attitude determines the future fate of the Heaven-Earth Great Dao. Genggu Wuming simply doesn't dare do anything to you."
Gu Qingfeng shook his head. "This matter is not up for discussion. Even if you knelt down and begged me, I wouldn't go."
With that, he continued deeper into Li Palace.
Da Xing the Mad Monk, having finally grasped a lifeline, was not about to give up easily. He pestered Gu Qingfeng nonstop, first appealing to his emotions, then reasoning with him, employing both soft and hard tactics. His arguments were well-structured, claiming that if Gu Qingfeng didn't help him, he would be unrighteous, ungrateful, and so on.
Gu Qingfeng felt a massive headache coming on. Finally, with no other choice, he could only say, "Alright, alright, I give up. I'll agree to it."
"Kid Gu!
This Old Monk knew you weren't the ungrateful type!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk said, "Then let's hurry and go."
"If we go now, I'm afraid it's already too late. When I do see Genggu Wuming, I'll definitely help you get your Divine Sense back."
"What do you mean, 'when you see Genggu Wuming'?"
Hearing this, Da Xing the Mad Monk immediately grew anxious. "By the time you see Genggu Wuming, the opportunity will have long since passed!"
"Don't get worked up, you old bald donkey. Listen to me first. Your Incarnation fell into Genggu Wuming's hands in Kan Palace, right?"
"That's right."
"We're in Li Palace now. Even if we rush to Kan Palace, it'll take a long time. This isn't the Great Wilderness; I don't have the ability to shatter the void and leap directly to Kan Palace. Of course, if you have a way to transport me to Kan Palace right now, then pretend I never said anything."
"This Old Monk, I..." Da Xing the Mad Monk was momentarily speechless.
Just as Gu Qingfeng said, this wasn't the void of the Great Wilderness, but the void of the Primordial Nine Palaces, filled with endless transformations and profound mysteries.
If they were in the Great Wilderness, he could twist the void and teleport instantly.
Here, he couldn't twist the void at all. Even if he could, facing the ever-changing Nine Palaces, he wouldn't dare. A bad twist could send them into some remote corner of the Primordial Black Hole.
"Moreover, even if you could instantly bring me to Kan Palace, can you guarantee that Genggu Wuming will be waiting for you in the same spot?
How much time has passed already?
If we get to Kan Palace and can't find Genggu Wuming, wouldn't that be a wasted trip?
In the vast expanse of the Primordial Nine Palaces, where would we even look for Genggu Wuming?
You might find me easily here in the Primordial Nine Palaces, but that doesn't mean finding Genggu Wuming is easy, does it?"
"If she doesn't want to be found, you could search until your divine eyes go blind and still not catch a glimpse of her shadow. Isn't that the truth?"
"How will we know if Genggu Wuming is there or not if we don't go?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk said unwillingly, "What if she's still there?"
"I'm not worried about her not being there; I'm worried about her still being there!"
"What do you mean by that?"
"If Genggu Wuming is still waiting for you in the same spot, then things are serious. She might have already laid a trap, waiting for you to go settle accounts with her. By then, what falls into Genggu Wuming's hands might not be just an Incarnation or a strand of Divine Sense. It could very well be your true body and consciousness."
Hearing Gu Qingfeng's words, Da Xing the Mad Monk thought it over carefully. It seemed to make sense.
Suddenly.
Da Xing the Mad Monk felt something was off. He slapped his head and exclaimed, "Wait! That's not right! That's not the logic here!"
"What's not right?"
"This Old Monk almost got confused by your twisting words. I admit, if I went alone, I might fall into Genggu Wuming's trap. But the point is I want you to step forward now, isn't it?"
"Da Xing!
You old bald donkey, why can't you get it through your head?"
Gu Qingfeng, while sipping his wine, continued deeper, all the while trying to persuade and hoodwink Da Xing the Mad Monk. "Think about it. What kind of person is Genggu Wuming? She's the one who comprehends the mysteries of heaven and earth, who knows the past and future. Would she not know that the two of us are together?
You can think of asking me to help you step forward; can't she think of that?"
"What if that woman's purpose in kidnapping your Divine Sense isn't just to deal with you, but also to deal with me?
What if she lays a trap, and we, like idiots, go to settle accounts, only to walk right into an ambush? By then, we won't even know where to cry."
"This...
Damn it!
...
This Old Monk..." Da Xing the Mad Monk opened his mouth, then closed it, at a loss for words.
Although Da Xing the Mad Monk didn't want to admit it, he had to acknowledge that what Gu Qingfeng said wasn't impossible.
"You just said it yourself: my attitude, in a sense, determines the future fate of the Heaven-Earth Great Dao. If that's really the case, do you think Genggu Wuming would let me off?
And you even said Genggu Wuming doesn't dare offend me. I'm afraid that woman has already been brewing a bellyful of sinister schemes to deal with me."
Da Xing the Mad Monk stammered, "It... it can't be as serious as you say, can it?"
"You should understand Genggu Wuming better than I do. Do you think that woman is any good?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk shook his head like a rattle-drum. "If that woman is any good, then there hasn't been a single good person in all of history, in heaven or on earth."
"Well, there you have it."