That's what the Mysterious Woman had thought.
And so, she waited silently.
But as she waited, not only did Gu Qingfeng fail to rally his spirits, he instead went further and further down the path of self-abandonment. By the time Gu Qingfeng set foot on the path of going with the flow, the Mysterious Woman could no longer sit still, because she knew that if the end of the path of self-abandonment was going with the flow, then the end of going with the flow would be resigning oneself to fate.
When she realized Gu Qingfeng had taken that path, the Mysterious Woman was no longer merely anxious and worried; she began to feel some regret, regretting that she had ever placed her bet on Gu Qingfeng.
She even considered whether to withdraw her stake. At that time, it would still have been possible. However, seeing the Old Monk of Extinction remain utterly unmoved, the Mysterious Woman steeled her heart and decided to keep gambling.
And indeed.
The thing she feared and dreaded most finally happened.
Gu Qingfeng ultimately set foot on the path of resigning oneself to fate.
At this point,
the Mysterious Woman was no longer merely regretful; she began to despair.
Because once Gu Qingfeng took that path, it meant that all the stakes she had placed on him were now placed on that damned Fate itself.
If she was betting on Fate, then she didn't need to gamble at all—she could just resign herself to fate. What was there to bet on?
The reason she had bet on Gu Qingfeng was precisely because she did not want to resign herself to fate!
Who could have guessed that Gu Qingfeng would instead choose to resign himself to fate.
What drove the Mysterious Woman even more to the brink of madness, even collapse, was this:
When Gu Qingfeng was self-abandoning, the Old Monk was unmoved.
When Gu Qingfeng was going with the flow, the Old Monk was unmoved.
Now Gu Qingfeng had, for heaven's sake, resigned himself to fate, and the Old Monk still remained unmoved.
Because of this, she had urged the Old Monk of Extinction more than once to find a way to make Gu Qingfeng rally himself again.
Sadly, the Old Monk never paid her any heed, not even once.
Originally, the Mysterious Woman had been confident that the Old Monk, like herself, had placed his bet on Gu Qingfeng. But the Old Monk's repeated and persistent indifference made her confident certainty turn to doubt.
At that time, the regret in the Mysterious Woman's heart was profound.
When Gu Qingfeng was going with the flow, she might still have had a chance to withdraw her stake. However, when Gu Qingfeng resigned himself to fate, she could no longer withdraw her bet. To be precise, before Gu Qingfeng entered the Desolate Ancient Black Hole, she had a chance to regret her choice. Once Gu Qingfeng stepped into the Desolate Ancient Black Hole, she had no chance to turn back.
The Mysterious Woman despaired.
She could only despair.
Apart from despair, there was nothing else she could do.
However,
despair was one thing.
The Mysterious Woman's will was not completely extinguished. Although Gu Qingfeng's attitude of resigning to fate meant the stake she had placed might be lost entirely, it was only a possibility. After all, the gamble had not officially begun yet. Whether it would be a loss or a win remained an unknown. Perhaps some twist of fate might still occur; it wasn't impossible.
Moreover, the Mysterious Woman always felt that the Old Monk of Extinction would not reside in this Extinction Space for no reason, and this Extinction Space would not have fused with Gu Qingfeng for no reason.
She firmly believed that the Old Monk, like herself, had placed his bet on Gu Qingfeng. He must have!
Otherwise, everything about the Extinction Space was simply inexplicable.
And so,
the Mysterious Woman waited, patiently, calmly, holding her breath as she waited, hoping for a turn of events.
Finally,
her hope came true.
Gu Qingfeng's fighting spirit returned, his conviction revived, and he awakened his Id. This made the Mysterious Woman, who had been lingering in the abyss of despair, suddenly see a glimmer of hope.
Especially when Gu Qingfeng said he could accept living a dull and boring life, but he absolutely would not allow himself to live a lifetime for someone else. He could accept dying, reduced to ashes, but he absolutely would not allow himself to die in a wretched, humiliating way. Having lived a lifetime, one must be worthy of that lifetime, and must give that lifetime an accounting—leave no regrets, make this life not lived in vain, and live up to this human existence!
When Gu Qingfeng spoke these words, the Mysterious Woman almost cried out in excitement, nearly rushing over to give Gu Qingfeng a hug and a kiss.
In the past,
when Gu Qingfeng was self-abandoning, he wouldn't have gambled on this game at all; he wouldn't even have approached the gambling table.
Later, when Gu Qingfeng chose to go with the flow, whether he gambled or not was entirely up to the will of heaven. If heaven's will told him to gamble, he would.
Later still, when Gu Qingfeng chose to resign himself to fate, he might go and gamble, he might sit at the table, but whether he ultimately won or lost held no interest for him; he couldn't be bothered to care, leaving it to Fate to decide.
Now,
with Gu Qingfeng's fighting spirit returned, his Id awakened, and him speaking of leaving no regrets, making this life not in vain, and living up to this human existence—the Mysterious Woman knew, and she could feel, that this time, even if Fate did not want Gu Qingfeng to take this gamble, it would be useless. Since he had decided to gamble on this hand, he would certainly fight Fate to the bitter end.
What is he gambling on?
The answer: Fate!
That's right.
This time, Gu Qingfeng intends to gamble with Fate, about Fate itself!
"Old Monk, oh Old Monk, you truly have immense patience. This Mistress can't help but admire you."
If the Mysterious Woman had harbored any doubts about the Old Monk before, then this time, with Gu Qingfeng awakening his Id, the last shred of doubt dissipated like mist. She was one hundred percent certain that the Old Monk, like herself, had definitely placed his bet on Gu Qingfeng.
"Tell this Mistress, did you foresee this fellow awakening his Id long ago?"
The Mysterious Woman asked this question again.
The Old Monk replied, "This old monk has already answered that question."
"If you don't want to answer that question, this Mistress won't force you. However..." Changing the subject, the Mysterious Woman continued, "You must answer the next few questions for this Mistress."
"Is he truly an Incarnation of Karma?"
"If he is, then is he an Incarnation of Karma for Genggu Wuming, or for Wu Dao Zun Shang?"
"Or is it that...
he is both an Incarnation of Karma for Genggu Wuming and for Wu Dao Zun Shang?"
The Mysterious Woman's speculation was not without basis; it was deduced.
In her view, this Heaven and Earth of ancient and modern times is a chessboard, with the players behind it being Original Sin and the Great Dao.
However, within the chessboard of Heaven and Earth, there is another game within the game: the Desolate Ancient Black Hole. The players behind the Desolate Ancient Black Hole are none other than the Mandate of Heaven of the Great Dao and the Child of Original Sin.
Within the Desolate Ancient Black Hole, there is yet another game within the game within the game: the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces. The players behind it are the Predestined Tribulation Constants and the Original Sin Variables.
Yet,
whether it is the Heaven and Earth of ancient and modern times, the Desolate Ancient Black Hole, or the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces, they all revolve around one central chess game, because this central game determines the fate of the Great Dao, the fate of Heaven and Earth, the fate of Original Sin, the fate of the Unorthodox Dao, and even determines the fate of Fate itself.
This central chess game is none other than Gu Qingfeng.
Perhaps the players behind this central chess game of Gu Qingfeng are precisely Genggu Wuming, who represents Fate, and Wu Dao Zun Shang, who represents Original Sin.