What is fate? (Chapter 8, Part 2)

  A long time ago, in a forest, there lived a ferocious wolf. One day, it fell into a hunter's trap and was clamped by an iron clipper. Just then, a goat happened to pass by and opened the clipper to save the wolf. From then on, the wolf and the goat became the best of friends, playing and frolicking together, inseparable.

  "Grandma, aren't wolves and sheep natural enemies?"

  "It's not bad, the wolf's nature is to eat sheep, they should be natural enemies, but somehow became friends. The wolf said to the sheep, you saved my life, from now on, I will protect you. So, no other animal dared to mess with this sheep, everyone knew the wolf's ferocity. Not long after, a severe drought occurred. For two consecutive years, not a single drop of rain fell in the forest. The grass and trees withered, animals kept dying of hunger, and corpses were everywhere. The wolf and the sheep were also on the verge of starving to death."

  I was drawn into the story and asked, "What happened next?"

  The old woman continued: "At this time, the wolf and the sheep were arguing over a small matter. The wolf, in a fit of rage, swung its sharp claws and killed the sheep. As the sheep lay dying, the wolf was filled with regret and begged for forgiveness, but the sheep said that it was only natural for wolves to eat sheep, as it was predetermined by heaven. Looking at the sheep's corpse, the wolf did one thing." She stopped here and said: "The story ends here."

  "I shouted: 'What did the wolf do in the end? You haven't said yet.'"

  She gazed at me with piercing eyes: "If you were this wolf, what would you do? There are two answers, and you can only choose one. First, the hungry wolf devoured the sheep. Second, the wolf killed itself in remorse."

  I was taken aback, and the old woman said slowly: "This story doesn't have a fixed ending, only choices. Tell me, which one do you choose?"

  I thought for a moment and said: "I will choose the first answer because I want to survive."

  The old lady smiled: "You're not hypocritical. However, if I were you, I would choose the second answer."

  "Why?"

  "To master one's own destiny!" She declared, word by word, in a tone that was as stunning as a stone shattering the sky. Her white hair danced wildly, and her eyes flashed with an extraordinary light. In this instant, the person before me seemed to be no longer a frail old man, but a majestic and awe-inspiring heavenly god.

  I had an epiphany: "Mother-in-law, I get it now! If the wolf eats the sheep, it's fate; then the wolf choosing to kill itself is defying fate!"

  The old woman burst out laughing: "Good kid, you have some spiritual roots! I'll ask you again, was it destined that this wolf killed the sheep?"

  I thought for a moment and shook my head: "No. The forest is in a severe drought, the wolf is almost starving to death, and deep down inside, it probably wants to eat this sheep."

  The old woman suddenly patted my shoulder: "Good! You finally understand, what's predetermined is not fate, but the heart! What people should resist is not destiny, but their own heart! It's ourselves who decide our own fate!"

  "A person's greatest enemy is oneself."

  The old woman smiled slightly: "Well said, creation, dwelling, decay, and emptiness are the fate of all living beings in the North Territory. The only thing that can break through one's fate is one's own heart, not some map from the Heavenly Realm."

  "Sheng", "zhu", "hua", "kong". I've heard three beauties mention it many times, but I don't quite understand what it means. So I asked: "Auntie, what exactly are 'sheng', 'zhu', 'hua', 'kong'?"

  The old woman said: "When the nine heavens of the North Territory were formed, it was creation; humans and demons born and thriving on this land, it was existence; humans and demons fighting and killing each other, it was destruction; in the end, all living beings could not escape death, and the North Territory returned to nothingness, this is emptiness. Creation, existence, destruction, and emptiness are the laws of human affairs, which is also fate."

  "It's like in the stories, where the forest dries up and animals keep dying, that's what they mean by 'bad'."

  The old woman nodded, gazing at the pattern on the ground: "Although a person's fate is ultimately decided by oneself. But how to decide, it is a difficult and profound study, requiring careful calculation. In these years, I have been studying hard in the belly of Longqi for more than ten years, but still making little progress."

  "I asked in doubt: 'Is determining one's own fate also a matter of learning?'"

  The old woman grunted, and suddenly a look of pain appeared on her face. She floated up into the air, her palms pressing down, and flew backwards at high speed. In front of a giant, pulsating blood ball, she stopped, lifted her hem, and pressed her legs tightly against the blood ball. I was shocked to discover that her legs were covered in dark green **, sticky and slimy, as if they had a life of their own and were crawling up her body.

  "This big blood ball is the heart of the dragon whale." The old woman said calmly: "More than ten years ago, I was poisoned by someone, and only by relying on the blood of the dragon whale's heart can I survive. This is fate, I am destined to end my life in the belly of the dragon whale."

  My heart suddenly skipped a beat. The dragon whale's heart was like a peach, constantly expanding and contracting, with thick, long green veins twisting on its surface, secreting bright red blood that dripped onto the old woman's legs. Soon, the dark green stopped crawling, and after a while, it slowly retreated downwards, all the way to her ankle, motionless. She put down her hem and smiled mockingly: "The poisonous curse will act up twice a day, I'm already used to it."

  "I indignantly asked: 'Mother, who is so vicious and has harmed you like this?'"

  The old woman smiled wryly: "It's my husband."

  I was stunned, and the old woman said indifferently: "My husband is my own choice, so the fate of being cursed by poison is also my own doing. Young man, I'm a bit tired, come back tomorrow to keep me company and chat with me. The secret book here, take it and read it as you like."

  "I anxiously asked: 'Grandma, are you okay? If there's anything you need, just tell me to do it.'"

  The old woman's eyes sparkled: "Youngster, did I just give you a few secret books and now you're so grateful?"

  I let out a soft sigh: "A poor wretch, when others bestow a single silver ingot upon him, it's as if he's gained an entire world. Having too little makes one cherish things even more. Mother-in-law, I'm leaving now, rest well and I'll come visit you again tomorrow." I bowed my head in respect and turned to leave.

  Behind her, the old woman's mad laughter echoed: "It's true, having too much is like discarding worn-out shoes! It's my fault, it's all my own fault!"

  My heart is gloomy, the old lady also has a sad past. Back to the mushroom forest, I sat down and flipped through the two secret books in my hand.

  First, I looked at the "Mirror Pupil Secret Technique", which is a secret technique for cultivating one's eyes. I didn't know about it before, but after taking a look, I was shocked to find out that eyes can also be used for defense and attack. Simply put, the Mirror Pupil Secret Technique cultivates one's eyes into a bright mirror, allowing one to see through any illusions, similar to Gan Lingshen's Lotus Heart Eye. But what's even more amazing is that it can reflect an opponent's attacking moves back at them, just like a mirror reflecting light. However, it also has its weaknesses - if the enemy attacks from behind or from the side, my eyes can't see it, and I won't be able to use this technique effectively.

  On the last page of the secret book, there was a line of vermilion pen comments, with elegant and free-spirited handwriting, like white clouds emerging from the mountains: "If combined with the 'Misty Pupil Demon Classic' for cultivation, it will be even more powerful."

  This note was probably written by my mother-in-law. I quickly finished translating "Fantasy Pupil Secret Method" and picked up "Earth Treasury Demon Scripture". On the first page, there were notes in red ink that read: "Peaceful endurance is like the great earth." As I continued reading, I realized that the notes on the first page had already covered the essence of the entire book. The core of Earth Treasury Demon Technique lies in the two words "peaceful endurance". It takes the earth element as its foundation and uses demon technique to connect the body with the vast earth. No matter how the opponent attacks, it will be transferred to the boundless earth.

  I concentrated on reading the secret book, completely forgetting to rest. I don't know how long it took, but when I stood up to urinate, I suddenly saw a white light flickering across from me.

  "Ah, you're back again!" I shouted loudly and pounced towards the white light. It flew backward once more, and I chased after it relentlessly until we reached the vicinity of the Dragon Whale's heart. In an instant, it flashed and hid behind the old lady.