"Kid Gu, don't fret too much. Everything I've said is mere conjecture."
Perhaps having heard Gu Qingfeng's self-deprecating tone, Da Xing the Mad Monk offered comfort. "Even if you are someone else's Incarnation of Causality, it doesn't necessarily have to be Genggu Wuming. Besides, whether you actually are someone's Incarnation of Causality is still unknown. Don't borrow trouble before it comes."
Comforting words were just that—comforting words. Even Da Xing himself didn't fully believe them, let alone Gu Qingfeng.
However,
on the other hand, did Gu Qingfeng even need comfort?
The answer was definite: no.
He had always been someone who could see things clearly. If he couldn't, given his circumstances and the various Karma traps he had experienced, he would have long since fallen into despair and collapsed.
Admittedly, the idea of being someone else's Incarnation of Causality made him somewhat uncomfortable. The thought of being devoured and having his body usurped afterward also felt stifling. The notion of having lived most of his life for someone else was even more unacceptable.
However,
Gu Qingfeng never troubled himself over things that hadn't yet happened, nor did he worry about uncertain matters.
As the saying goes, when soldiers come, we defend with generals; when water comes, we block with earth. As long as the sky doesn't fall, nothing is truly a problem. And if the sky did fall?
Nothing.
We'd deal with it as it comes.
Take one step at a time. Even if he truly was Genggu Wuming's Incarnation of Causality, even if Genggu Wuming had long ago laid down Karma traps to devour him, even if Genggu Wuning had a one hundred percent certainty of succeeding, Gu Qingfeng was not afraid.
He never believed in absolutes. As long as there was a sliver of hope, he would never allow anyone to devour him.
Taking it ten thousand steps back, if things truly became hopeless, Gu Qingfeng still had one final path: to annihilate himself before his self-awareness was lost. If I can't live, then no one else gets to occupy this body of mine. I'll take down as many as I can in death, and even if I can't kill you, I'll make sure your victory is hollow.
Gu Qingfeng didn't dwell on this issue further. Instead, Tang Hengxi's abrupt appearance and the things she said left him somewhat baffled, unsure of her true intentions.
While Tang Hengxi hadn't explicitly stated he was Genggu Wuming's Incarnation of Causality, her words strongly implied it. Moreover, she left immediately after speaking, without even a farewell. Clearly, her purpose in appearing was to tell him he might be Genggu Wuming's Incarnation of Causality.
The question was, what did she mean by telling him this?
What trick was she playing? What medicine was she selling in her gourd?
Could it be she wanted him to go confront Genggu Wuming now?
Or perhaps she wanted him to be on guard against Genggu Wuming?
Neither possibility seemed particularly credible.
Tang Hengxi was clearly aligned with the Great Dao. In other words, if Genggu Wuming could truly eradicate the Source of Original Sin this time, it would be good news for both the Three Thousand Great Daos and all beings in heaven and earth.
Logically, Tang Hengxi and Genggu Wuming should be on the same side. If so, why would she tell him this?
Could it be that Tang Hengxi, remembering their past ties, couldn't bear to watch him be devoured by Genggu Wuming in the end, and thus leaked this information so he could prepare in advance?
Thinking this, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but laugh at himself. He doubted his charm was that great. Tang Hengxi wasn't some inexperienced young girl; she was an old demoness who had lived who-knows-how-many years and undergone who-knows-how-many cycles of reincarnation.
In the eyes of these ancient monsters, so-called feelings probably weren't even worth a joke.
Da Xing the Mad Monk said, "This old monk reckons Lady Wuyue definitely isn't up to any good."
"Then what bad intentions do you think she has?"
"This..." Da Xing removed his tattered monk's hat, revealing his bald head. He rubbed it thoughtfully, then shook his head. "This old monk can't figure it out right now. But one thing is certain: Lady Wuyue's existence is absolutely extraordinary. She can ascend to Great Dao Mandate by manipulating Karma, and she can also weave Karma to bind herself to you. That alone proves her existence is terrifyingly formidable."
"Perhaps..." Da Xing said gravely, "perhaps her appearance and telling you these things is itself another Karma trap she's laying."
Gu Qingfeng scoffed, "This counts as a Karma trap?"
"Kid, laying Karma traps can be difficult, but it can also be easy. Sometimes, just a single sentence can plant a cause. Don't underestimate that cause. If deployed appropriately at the right moment, a tiny cause can affect the greatest outcome."
Da Xing wore a solemn, earnest expression. "Kid Gu, let me ask you: before this, weren't you planning to go with the flow, resign yourself to fate, and just hurry to end all this? As long as it ended, you didn't care about life or death, right?"
Gu Qingfeng nodded. "That's right. What of it?"
"Now that you've learned you might be Genggu Wuming's Incarnation of Causality, and might eventually be devoured by her, are you still planning to go with the flow, resign yourself to fate, and just hurry to end all this?"
Gu Qingfeng shrugged. "I'm still planning that. Haven't thought of anything else."
"Kid Gu, oh Kid Gu... This old monk wouldn't dare claim to know you inside out, but I understand your temperament well enough. It's true you don't care about life and death, but being devoured, having your self-awareness erased—that kind of death, you definitely wouldn't accept. Knowing you, you'd rather destroy yourself than allow anyone to devour your self-awareness and usurp your body."
Hearing this,
Gu Qingfeng stared at Da Xing with a startled, suspicious look. He truly hadn't expected Da Xing to understand him so thoroughly—like a tapeworm in his gut, as if this old bald donkey knew exactly what he was thinking inside.
"If it truly comes to that, what you'll be thinking won't be about ending things quickly, but about making Genggu Wuming pay a price. You might even go all out, risking your life to fight her to the death."
"Once you go mad, there's nothing you won't do. Right now, you have no interest in becoming the True Lord of Original Sin. But who's to say you won't, in a fit of rage, ascend to that position just to fight Genggu Wuming to the bitter end?"
Da Xing kept talking, each sentence making Gu Qingfeng's heart pound harder.
He originally thought Da Xing already understood him well enough, had his temperament andtemperament all figured out. Only now, only at this moment, did he realize he had underestimated Da Xing. The old bald donkey's words gave Gu Qingfeng a feeling—a feeling that Da Xing understood him better than he understood himself.
It truly felt that way.
He carefully considered Da Xing's words. Whether it was fighting Genggu Wuming to the death or ascending to the True Lord of Original Sin in a rage to clash with her to the end—these were things Gu Qingfeng felt he was entirely capable of doing.