Chapter 3 Section 2 (Part 2) It's hard to say goodbye

  "The game is over." The old woman said calmly.

  I was shocked and frightened, with a head full of fog: "Grandma, what's going on here?"

  The old woman said: "Young man, I ask you, what is fate?"

  "Life is precious!"

  "What is the true heart?"

  I scratched my head: "You never said."

  "Now I'll tell you what the original heart is. The original heart is choice! Whether it's a person, a demon, or a flying bird and walking beast, from the moment they're born, they have to face countless choices. Connecting every choice made into one line is fate."

  It suddenly dawned on me: "No wonder in the game, you always let me choose."

  The old woman said, "To make a choice, you must first understand your strengths and weaknesses, so that you can use your strengths to avoid your weaknesses. This game is designed to help you understand yourself." She pointed her hand in one direction, and I looked where she was pointing. A person who looked exactly like me was standing at the crossroads. He didn't choose the desert, but instead walked straight down the green path on the left. After just a few steps, the lush trees suddenly turned into countless ferocious monsters that pounced on him. In the midst of his terrified screams, he was torn to shreds by the monsters.

  The old woman said, "In the first choice, you headed towards the desert, which means you are not a person easily misled by appearances, very clever. This is your advantage. Because the road leading to the oasis seems beautiful and pleasant, but in fact, it's full of hidden dangers."

  I was self-satisfied: "I've always been vigilant."

  "The old woman continued: 'The second choice, you entered the wooden house, which means you are a very curious person. Sometimes, curiosity may lead you to discover treasures and have strange encounters; but sometimes it will also cost you your life.'"

  "It's just like gambling, either you make a big profit or lose everything including your pants."

  The old woman said, "In your third choice, you released the pregnant woman, which shows that you have a kind heart, but it also shows that you are too rash. How did you know that the pregnant woman was definitely a good person? At least ask her clearly why she was tied up."

  I nodded: "You're right, grandma. From now on, I'll be careful, careful and even more careful when doing things. Otherwise, I'd die a muddle-headed ghost."

  The old woman said: "You killed that pregnant woman, and you were too impulsive. Whose wife was she? Was there a powerful backer behind her? You enjoyed a momentary thrill, but did you think about the possibility of bringing even greater disaster upon yourself? Perhaps if you had spared her life, you would have gained unexpected benefits."

  I said: "I didn't think so much. If I had known it was that troublesome, I wouldn't have entered the wooden house."

  "Don't push the door to go in, how do you know what's inside? Maybe there's a rare treasure hidden in the house, wouldn't you be missing out on it? Even if it's a demon inside, can't you make use of it?" The old lady sighed: "That's why, to control one's own destiny, one must have great wisdom and foresight. Take one step, look three steps ahead, assess the situation, and then decide on the best choice for oneself."

  I nodded like a garlic press, and the old lady was right, I, Lin Fei, had some cleverness, but indeed lacked great wisdom.

  The old woman said, "Finally, when facing that infant, you hesitated and were indecisive, showing that at critical moments you are too weak-willed. When a crisis arises and every second counts, what time is there for consideration?"

  I nodded repeatedly and thought of the last scene in the game, and curiously asked: "Grandma, why does that baby grow up to have a face exactly like mine?"

  "Because it is you." The old woman said slowly: "A person's greatest enemy is himself. Defeating oneself can grasp one's fate. Child, in the future, no matter how terrible an enemy you face, remember that except for yourself, no one can truly defeat you."

  I fell into deep thought, this game was short, but it made me understand a lot of things.

  "Look closely!" The old woman drew a line with her hand, and countless patterns appeared around us, like the Eight Trigrams but more complex. I stared at them carefully for a while, but still couldn't understand.

  The old lady said: "Making a choice is equivalent to deciding one's own fate. But how to make the choice? Simply put, it is to avoid evil and disaster on the basis of fully understanding oneself, and turn bad luck into good fortune."

  "Qian represents heaven, Kun represents earth, Li represents the sun, Kan represents the moon, Zhen represents thunder, Xun represents wind... The old lady explained each one to me in front of the diagram, and then told me how to combine these diagrams to calculate and predict good or bad fortune. After listening for half a day, I suddenly realized: "Granny, this is actually the I Ching divination! What's Wu Wang Gua, Nv Hou Gua, they're all I Ching symbols. In the past, that blind Huang from the east gate of Luoyang city often used I Ching to swindle people out of money."

  The old woman was taken aback: "What is Luoyang? What is the Book of Changes?"

  I had to ramble on and bluff my way through. But in my heart, I thought that the Northern Territory and the Tang Dynasty were completely different places. The Tang Dynasty has wine, but the Northern Territory doesn't even know what wine is. In the Northern Territory, the old lady's lifeblood, the study of physiognomy, was just fortune-telling with the Book of Changes. In the Tang Dynasty, many ordinary people knew about the Book of Changes and didn't think it was anything special.

  The so-called fate and reason, it turns out to be this kind of thing, I'm a bit disappointed. However, the old lady's words about understanding oneself, making the best use of one's strengths and avoiding weaknesses, gave me great inspiration.

  "If fate is a long river with changing currents, the Secret Arts and the Art of Fate are the ferry that carries you across, and divination is the oar that rows the boat." The old woman slowly closed her eyes: "Alright, I've taught you everything I should. How much you understand depends on your own insight. To truly grasp the subtleties of fate, perhaps a lifetime is not enough."

  With a loud crash, I broke free from her divine consciousness. The enormous heart of the dragon whale was beating beside me, and everything that had just happened seemed like an illusion.

  Looking at the old woman's weathered face, I suddenly felt a pang of sadness. If she knew that her life's work could be bought for just over ten cents in the Tang Dynasty, she would probably choke with rage to the point of vomiting blood.

  "Grandma, if I learn all these things, can I really grasp my fate?" I asked tactfully. To be honest, I didn't quite believe it. If it were that magical, the fortune tellers in the Tang Dynasty would have become immortals long ago.

  The old woman sighed: "This is just my humble opinion, whether it's useful or not, I'm not even sure myself. However, these hexagrams represent the power of nature, such as Kun, which represents the earth and yin energy, Xun representing the wind, and Dui showing the power of oceans and rivers. If one can grasp all these powers and enter a state where heaven and earth are at their command, perhaps they can break free from the fate of birth, growth, decay, and emptiness."

  My heart moved, according to what the old lady said, can I Ching also be cultivated into a kind of magic?

  At this time, the old woman's poisonous curse acted again. Seeing her painful expression, I felt sad: "Granny, is there no way to break the poisonous curse?"

  The old woman shook her head and pressed her legs tightly against Long Jin's heart: "Unless the person who cast the spell is killed, it cannot be broken."

  "I gritted my teeth: 'Mother-in-law, who is your husband? Tell me, and I'll make sure to use the most despicable means to kill him when I get the chance.'"

  The old woman smiled bleakly: "His name is Chudu, and with your current strength, wanting to kill him would be a dead end. After being apart for so many years, he may have already entered the final state of demon evolution - Alaya consciousness."

  What's gotten into you? I was startled: "Mother-in-law, is your husband a monster?"

  The old woman's expression was calm: "What's so strange? I'm also a monster. Many years ago, I too once dominated the world in the Demon Realm." She lowered her head and silently looked at her own legs: "Actually, the most difficult fate is not about making choices, but rather having no choice at all. This life, I can only be trapped inside the Dragon Whale's belly until I die in the heavenly tribulation."

  A sour feeling rose in my heart, the old woman lifted her head, gazing deeply at me for a long time before speaking: "There is no banquet that does not disperse, young one, you should leave."

  "Go?"

  "Do you also want to spend your whole life in this godforsaken place?"

  I was taken aback: "Grandma." I stared at her blankly, unable to speak for a moment. More than three years had passed in the blink of an eye, and now that I'd learned everything I needed to know, it seemed like time to say goodbye.

  From the day I was swallowed by the dragon whale, I have been looking forward to getting out as soon as possible, but now, I am hesitant and reluctant to move my feet. In the past, I always felt that time passed very slowly, but now, it suddenly feels so fast.

  Is life always full of contradictions?

  The old lady waved her hand: "Go on, don't be like a young girl."

  "Grandma, you have a bad temper and like to scold people. When things don't go your way, you even hit me with your fists and kick me. In the three years I've been with you, I've had a hard time." I forced a smile, trying my best to laugh it off, although I was feeling terrible inside.

  "But, mother-in-law, even if it's bitter, I think it's very happy." Looking at her disheveled white hair, my throat choked: "Don't say three years of bitterness, even thirty years, three hundred years, I'm willing."

  "Thud", I fell to my knees and knocked three loud heads on the ground.

  "Master, after the disciple leaves, take good care of yourself."

  "Little one, if you're going to leave, then go! What's the use of dawdling?" The old lady said in a trembling voice, turning her back: "Hurry up and go, hurry up!"

  I stood silently for a long time before saying, "Master, I'm really leaving." Looking left and right, I wanted to bid farewell to Moon Soul as well, but that guy was nowhere to be found.

  The old lady said slowly with her back to me: "When the fire is gone, it will be passed on. Although I can't go out, having you outside is the same."

  I gritted my teeth, stood up abruptly and walked away without looking back. After a few steps, I suddenly heard the old woman's voice behind me: "Young man, you'd better make something of yourself, don't bring shame to me!"

  I stopped and nodded vigorously. After a while, the rapid wind sound came from behind, and the old woman suddenly flew over, grabbed me, and rushed forward. Like every time she taught me to practice in the past three years, she grasped me roughly and rudely, without caring whether I was willing or not.

  I smiled slightly and closed my eyes, letting her grab me as we sped along. Actually, with my current magical powers, it wasn't difficult to break free.

  The wind whizzed past my ear, the feeling in my heart was so warm, being held by her, passing through the mushroom forest, passing through the whirlpool of blood, passing through three years of time.

  "Grandma, you're pinching me too hard!"

  "Grandma, can you be a bit more civilized? It's really embarrassing for me to be grabbed by you like this!"

  "Grandma, are you an abusive person?"

  Time flies in reverse, and I seem to see the mischievous boy of yesterday being caught by an old woman, constantly protesting in his mouth. Then, there will be a series of violent knocks on his head. Opening my eyes, I gaze at the old woman's thin face, my eyes sour, and hastily turn my head to shout: "Old lady, don't you know how to cherish talent? I'm also a pretty boy."

  "Thud", a violent slap landed on my head. I rubbed my head, silently laughing, and a deep sadness surged up in my heart, I knew this was the last time I'd get beaten.

  She put me down before the river of blood.

  "Look, young one!" The old woman gazed at the river of blood with a solemn expression. Before us, the bright red river surged and churned, winding its way forward, echoing with a deafening roar as it rushed along, disappearing into the distance. Just like my life, forever moving forward, forever strong, forever filled with hope in the struggle against fate!

  "The long river of life is so winding, and hope is so magnificent. My child, I believe you will have a great future!" The old woman said in a low voice, her tone gradually becoming sorrowful: "On the other side of the river, there should be an even more wonderful world. Unfortunately, grandma won't see the day when you'll dominate the northern borders."

  "Life is so winding, and hope is so majestic." I muttered to myself, when suddenly a low growl came from the distant snow-capped peak. I looked up and saw a rhinoceros standing at the summit, its long neck stretched out towards me as it let out a loud bellow, its snowy tail waving like a cluster of flames.

  The mighty roar echoed for a long time, and my heart trembled. Rhinoceros, did you also know that I was going to leave? I waved my hand vigorously, steeled myself, and charged straight up, unleashing the Chaotic Shell Shield Technique, turning the flesh wall above into a chaotic mess. In an instant, I had already pierced through the dragon whale and burst out of its belly!

  Farewell, Master! The torch has been passed on, Master. One day, I will break free from the cycle of birth, growth, decay and emptiness, fulfilling your wishes!

  I will definitely kill Chu Du.

  I will reach the other side of the river!

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