Part 33: Pursuit of Freedom

Ren Zu wandered alone on the vast land; his hair was dishevelled, and he seemed to have lost his mind. At times, he wailed, at times, he sat down in a daze, and at times, he laughed like a fool. Fate Gu's manipulation had separated him from his children, and he also lost Wealth Gu. Ren Zu was forced into a state of madness. “Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?” Ren Zu was at a loss and went crazy again. One morning, a group of birds ran past Ren Zu. These birds did not have wings; their six legs moved alternately as they ran on the ground, raising clouds of dust in their path. Ren Zu jumped with joy when he saw these birds. “So, I'm a bird!” He also spread his legs and ran wildly, joining the bird group. The birds growled strangely towards Ren Zu: “You are a human; you use two legs to walk. You are not a bird. Leave, don't disturb us. We are pursuing freedom Gu; we want to retrieve our freedom.” Ren Zu asked, “Why are you all searching for Freedom Gu?” The birds said with a heavy tone, “We once possessed Freedom Gu, but we did not realize that. Only after losing it, we found that we no longer had wings and could not fly anymore. When we regain freedom, we will be able to spread our wings and soar to the sky again.” Ren Zu realized, “I understand; humans also need freedom. If humans don't have freedom, they will be like birds who have lost their wings.” “Right! I remember now!” Ren Zu clapped and laughed madly. “I also need to search for freedom to get rid of fate's shackles. After that, I can go wherever I want to go and be with whomever I want to be forever.” The birds casted a strange look at Ren Zu, “Oh human, how can you have such preposterous thoughts? Look at us; how can birds not have wings? So, chasing after freedom is part of our duty. But you humans are destined to be alone; all gatherings will end up in separation. Oh human, you want to pursue freedom, but you also need to abide by your nature; you should not indulge in wild fantasies.” Ren Zu scratched his head, puzzled, “Is that how it works?” The birds left behind their last words, “Oh human, let us give you some sincere

advice. If you obtain freedom in the future, you must cherish it; don't be like us and let go. Don't let Freedom Gu fly away; otherwise, you will regret it.” After Ren Zu parted ways with the birds, he slowly forgot his identity and goals once again. One afternoon, a leap of blue leopards passed by him. The insane Ren Zu saw the group of leopards and shouted in joy, “So, I am a leopard.” Ren Zu rushed into the group, but the leopards pushed him away and shouted, “You are a human, not a leopard. You use two legs to walk, while we have four legs. Leave, don't disturb us. We are pursuing freedom Gu; we want to retrieve our freedom.” Ren Zu asked, “Why are you searching for Freedom Gu?” The blue leopards looked depressed, “Sigh, we once possessed Freedom Gu, but we did not realize it. Only after losing it, we found that we no longer had teeth and could not bite and tear apart our prey. When we regain freedom, we will be able to eat happily again.” Ren Zu realized, “I understand; humans also need freedom. If humans don't have freedom, they will be like beasts with no teeth.” “Right!” Ren Zu clapped and laughed madly. “I need to search for freedom to get rid of fate's shackles. I will possess countless delicacies and wines, endless wealth, and all kinds of comfortable and beautiful clothes.” The blue leopards were stunned before laughing loudly as they mocked Ren Zu, “Oh human, how can you have such preposterous thoughts? Look at us; how can beasts not have fangs or claws? So, chasing after freedom is part of our duty. But you humans were born with empty hands and will pass away with nothing. Oh human, you want to pursue freedom, but you also need to abide by your nature; you should not indulge in wild fantasies.” Ren Zu scratched his head, unsatisfied, “Is that how it works?” The leopards left behind their final words, “Oh human, let us give you some sincere advice. If you obtain freedom in the future, you must cherish it; don't be like us and let go. Don't let Freedom Gu fly away; otherwise, you will regret it.” After Ren Zu parted ways with the leopards, he slowly forgot his identity and goals once again. One evening, a school of fish swam past him. Ren Zu saw the fish and shouted in joy, “So, I am a fish.” Ren Zu joined the fish group and tried to swim like them. There was a commotion in the fish group as they pushed Ren Zu away and shouted, “You are a human, not a fish. You use two legs to walk, while we have no legs. Leave, don't disturb us.

We are pursuing Freedom Gu; we want to retrieve our freedom.” Ren Zu asked, “Why are you searching for Freedom Gu?” The fish sighed, “We once possessed Freedom Gu, but we did not realize that. Only after losing it, we found that we no longer had gills and could not breathe in the water again. When we regain freedom, we will be able to swim in the water again.” Ren Zu realized, “I understand; humans also need freedom. If humans don't have freedom, they will be like fish with no gills and cannot breathe.” “Right!” Ren Zu clapped and laughed madly. “I need to search for freedom to get rid of fate's shackles. I will breathe freely and live on forever; I want eternal life.” The fish sneered, “Oh human, how can you have such preposterous thoughts?” “Look at us, a fish must have gills, so chasing after freedom is part of our duty. But you humans are destined to have no relation with eternal life; you will die of old age and illnesses. Oh human, you want to pursue freedom, but you also need to abide by your nature; you should not indulge in wild fantasies.” Ren Zu frowned, feeling irritated, “Is that how it works?” The fishes left behind their final words, “Oh human, let us give you some sincere advice. If you obtain freedom in the future, you must cherish it; don't be like us and let go. Don't let Freedom Gu fly away; otherwise, you will regret it.” After Ren Zu parted ways with the fishes, he slowly forgot the advice of the birds, leopards, and the fish. “I am a human; I need to pursue freedom. I need to get rid of the shackles of fate. I want to live forever with my loved ones; I want to enjoy life with enough wealth. I want to live on forever.” Many beings that walked past Ren Zu heard him; they shook their heads and stayed away from him. “Let's quickly leave; he is Ren Zu and he is talking nonsense again.” “He has already gone mad completely.” “How could he dare to have such thoughts?”