Part 17: Taking the first step

Luo Po Valley was a very wide and complex labyrinth; Ren Zu searched for Northern Dark Ice Soul, who was missing, but he got lost in the labyrinth himself. Even after several days, he did not find a way out. He was extremely tired, sprawled on the ground, his back leaning against the walls of the labyrinth. A feeling of boundless loneliness quickly engulfed him. This was because he had given his original heart to hope; right now, he only had a Heart of Loneliness left. The feeling of loneliness was unbearable. Ren Zu was afraid of being lonely; he had once dug out both of his eyes and turned them into a son and daughter to accompany him. But right now, he could only endure the torture of loneliness. A midst the loneliness, Ren Zu felt intense desolation, loss, and pain. Time

seemed to have stopped; he was all alone in this world, and there was nobody he could rely on, no fire that he could gain warmth from. Ren Zu felt suffocation, but as time passed, he got used to the feeling of loneliness; he even started to savor it. He started to feel that loneliness was not that scary. In his loneliness, he felt serenity, peace, and quiet. He talked to himself: “Oh human, what is the purpose of your existence? Struggling here in this world, rushing about everywhere.” Next, he heard a voice from beside him: “Oh human, you are the spirit of all beings. You are lonely; thus, you wanted to be comforted, to be understood, to be recognized. Right now, the thing you want to do most is to find the way out of this damned place.” Ren Zu was shocked: “Who, who is talking to me?” That voice laughed as it said: “I am a Gu, called 'self.' If you look inside yourself, you will find me.” Ren Zu quickly inspected his Heart of Loneliness, and as expected, in the deepest part of his heart, he saw a Gu Worm. This Gu looked very real, almost like himself, but it was many times smaller than him, like the size of an ant. Ren Zu was curious: “Eh, you are a Gu Worm, why are you inside my body?” Self Gu said: “Ever since you gained life, I had been inside your body; you just did not discover me. It is not easy to find me; you will need to inspect your inner Heart of Loneliness.” “Is that so?” Ren Zu had little interest, as his mind was entirely concerned with Northern Dark Ice Soul. Self Gu saw Ren Zu's lack of concern and laughed: “Oh Ren Zu, you should be happy. You should know, finding yourself and understanding yourself, that is the most important thing in life. You yourself are the most reliable thing in the world. Let me help you leave this place.” “You can help me leave this place? No way, can you bring me out of Luo Po Valley, and travel in the Reverse Flow River?” Ren Zu was shocked and excited. Self Gu laughed heartily: “Oh Ren Zu, why must you walk on this road? The Door of Life and Death's entrance and exit are the traces left behind by Fate Gu when it visited Fairness Gu. When you walk on this road, you will be under the manipulation and arrangement of fate. If you want to revive, to leave this place, you should walk on a brand new road.” Ren Zu was perplexed: “Isn't there only one road? Wisdom Gu had already told me that, where can there be a second road?” Self Gu said: “Oh Ren Zu, as long as you want to walk, there will be a road for

you to step on.” Ren Zu was even more confused now: “Then how should I walk?” Self Gu said: “Didn't I say it already, first, you have to 'think' about leaving.” “Think?” Ren Zu tried using his brain, thinking of how to move on. He thought for half a day, his head was bursting, when finally, a Gu jumped out of his mind. This Gu was an old friend of Ren Zu; it was Cognition Gu. “Where there is cognition, there is me.” Cognition Gu said: “Oh human, you seem to have gotten into trouble again; let me help you think.” Saying so, Cognition Gu gave off a bright light, enlightening Ren Zu. Cognition Gu had an ability, that was to enlighten all beings. Any lifeforms enlightened by Cognition Gu would gain wings. Back then, Verdant Great Sun obtained the wings of ‘self,’ flying into the sky. When the light dispersed, Ren Zu obtained a pair of wings. This pair of wings was located at his heels, and they were very delicate. Cognition noted: “Mm, this pair of wings is called independence, Ren Zu, it will help you walk on a new road. You have to be careful; a new road is hard to walk on. Other Gu are unreliable; you can only rely on your Self Gu.” Saying so, Cognition Gu vanished. Ren Zu was still very much confused: “How should I walk?” “Walk ahead and carve the path of your Road of Life. This is a road that is unique to yourself! Only you can walk on it!” Self Gu said excitedly. Ren Zu took the first step forward. Bam! The next moment, his vision changed. Ren Zu started walking on the Road of Life, his vision changed; it was pure darkness. He took the first step. Plop. At the next moment, he stepped into the mud. He raised his foot, wiping it with his hand; it was full of mushy mud and extremely smelly. He was hesitant to move forward. At this moment, Self Gu said: “Oh human, do not hesitate. If you want to walk on your own road, you will need to rely on your own legs. When your leg steps on the road, do not be afraid of dirtiness.”