Part 32: Webs of Fate

Ren Zu had spent an enormous amount of energy and effort gathering Gu materials, even sacrificing his own two hands to finally refine Wealth Gu. He brought his son, Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance, and daughter, Myriad Gold Wondrous Essence, to the Feathermen’s residence. However, strangely, all the Feathermen had disappeared with no traces left. “What's going on?” Ren Zu was puzzled. “That is because I arrived here; those Feathermen are afraid of me. All of them ran away.” A black and white spider walked towards Ren Zu leisurely. “Who are you?” Ren Zu asked. The spider smiled, “Human, you have walked through the road I created in the Door of Life and Death; you still don’t know who I am? I am Fate Gu.” Myriad Gold Wondrous Essence added, “Fate Gu, you are not even the size of my palm. Why would those Feathermen fear you?” Fate Gu chuckled, “Because they pursue freedom, but I, Fate, bind and restrict them.” Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance grumbled, “So your intention was the same as us. You are really a failure, not capturing even one Featherman, while hindering us as well.” Fate Gu laughed loudly, “Who said I failed? The Feathermen are pursuing freedom, but what do they know? Their escape is only on the superficial level. I have already bound them. The road towards their freedom was all arranged by me, but they think they succeeded, not knowing anything. You are also the same, look at yourselves.” Ren Zu, Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance, and Myriad Gold Wondrous Essence looked at their bodies. They discovered that white spider silk had stuck to their limbs and body for some unknown time. They also discovered that not just themselves, even the surrounding flowers, grass, trees, rocks, water—everything was bound by the spider silk. These spider silk strands gathered together to form a spider web, which spread out endlessly in the sight of Ren Zu and his children. “This is the web that I weaved; it is called the all-encompassing web. Everything in the world is bound by this web, to be arranged and controlled by me, Fate. Every88

one you encountered and all the things that have happened are all controlled by me,” Fate Gu said. Ren Zu and his children felt a chill in their hearts and began to struggle fiercely. Fate Gu smiled, “It is useless; you cannot escape. Fate cannot be altered.” Ren Zu glared at Fate Gu furiously, “Oh Fate, why do you have to manipulate and toy with us? From what you said, all the hardships and misfortunes I encountered were all your doings. The loss of my children was also due to you.” Fate Gu said calmly, “Human, I know you want to save your eldest son Verdant Great Sun, but he is already dead. Death is a necessary fate of humans; you simply cannot save him. Moreover, you want to rely on Wealth Gu to save your daughter Boundless Forest Samsara; that is also impossible.” As Fate willed, a thread of spider silk bound Ren Zu’s Wealth Gu and dragged it in front of Fate Gu. “Release it, that is our Gu worm!” Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance shouted. Myriad Gold Wondrous Essence’s eyes reddened, sobbing, “Father sacrificed his own hands to painstakingly refine this Wealth Gu. How dare you take it away?” Ren Zu struggled fiercely, but the spider silk continued to become tighter, firmly binding them. Fate Gu laughed loudly, “Life and death are decreed by fate, prosperity is up to heaven. Human, you are fated to be poor and menial, tormented and humiliated till you become insane, and in the end, you will also die. Although you refined Wealth Gu, you don’t have the fate to enjoy it. If you are fated to be poor, even if you dug out gold, it will turn to copper; if you are fated to be rich, even if you pick up paper, it will turn to silk. All these things are under my control.” Ren Zu, Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance, and Myriad Gold Wondrous Essence started cursing Fate Gu furiously. Fate Gu was not the least bit angry, still carefree and at leisure, “Many have cursed me, but so what? Humans, no matter how you curse me, it won’t change anything.” Fate Gu suddenly moved the spider silk, throwing Blazing Glory Lightning Brilliance and Myriad Gold Wondrous Essence far away, completely out of Ren Zu’s sight. “My children!” Ren Zu howled. Fate Gu said darkly, “Human, don’t blame me; this is your fate. Not just you, loneliness is the fate of every person. Even if they are your own children, they will not accompany you for life and will eventually leave you. Every encounter is temporary; separation is normality.”

Ren Zu, however, kept on struggling, but the more he struggled, the tighter the spider silk bound him. Ren Zu felt an increasingly enormous pressure pushing him down to the point of suffocation. He panted heavily, gradually losing the strength to struggle. Ren Zu started crying, tears rolling down his cheeks, “Why does my fate have to be so pitiful?” Fate Gu was silent. But at this time, a voice emerged from the depths of Ren Zu’s heart. The voice belonged to Self Gu, “Human, believe in your own strength rather than blaming your fate.” Ren Zu stopped crying as he suddenly realized, “Right, although I don’t have Strength Gu, Self Gu has taken a bite of Strength Gu. I have my own strength now. Self Gu, I can only rely on you.” Self Gu then erupted with a dazzling light as it attempted to break the spider silk. Some spider silk was torn, but even more came to bind Ren Zu. “My own strength is not enough?” Ren Zu was anxious, “Right, Self Gu, you have also taken a bite of Love Gu. If strength does not work, let us rely on love instead.” Thereupon, Self Gu let out a gentle light as it attempted to break the spider silk, but this also failed. Fate Gu said, “Oh human, why can’t you understand? Love is a type of fate; I arranged it to make Verdant Great Sun fall in love with Desolate Ancient Moon, I also arranged it to make the Rockman fall in love with Desolate Ancient Moon. I also arranged success and failure in their lives, so they eventually ended up dead.” “No! No—!” Ren Zu screamed and bawled. Fate Gu listened quietly. Ren Zu gradually lost the strength to cry; he mumbled powerlessly, “I understand now; I know why the Feathermen pursue freedom.” Fate Gu smiled, “Human, you also want to pursue freedom?” Ren Zu nodded, “Yes, if I have freedom, I will no longer be bound by you.” Fate Gu said, “But look at those Feathermen, even though they pursue freedom, aren’t they still under my control?” Ren Zu shook his head, “My freedom is different from them. I will pursue absolute freedom.” Fate Gu laughed loudly, “A person’s absolute freedom is insanity. Oh human, see for yourself; you are seeking freedom but you are actually moving towards insanity. I already said this earlier; you will lose your mind. That is the road I arranged for you; you cannot escape my control.”

“No! I don’t believe you! I will use my own strength and wisdom to obtain freedom. I don’t believe your words; I will escape your control!” Ren Zu retorted. Fate Gu's laughter became louder, “Oh human, you are truly going crazy; you are already deranged. Did you forget? Your Self Gu has only taken a bite of Strength Gu and Love Gu, so you only have your own strength and love, but not your own wisdom. Oh human, when you think you are intelligent, it will be the sign that you are going crazy.” “Hahaha, hahaha.” It was Ren Zu’s turn to laugh, “I don’t believe you, oh Fate Gu, I don’t believe you! I don’t believe that this world has fate.” Fate Gu was silent for a moment before saying, “Even if you don’t believe it, I will still exist.” Ren Zu rebuked, “No, that is not true. When I stop believing in you, you will stop existing. I refuse to believe in fate; fate does not exist! Hahaha!” Fate Gu shook its head, sighing, “Truly pitiful, oh human, you have already fallen into insanity.” Ren Zu scratched his hair and skin; his tears and mucus mixed together. He struggled, he knelt on the ground as he rolled around. It was like how Fate declared; he had become insane.