Part 36: Strong eat the weak

Ren Zu lost Freedom Gu; he was anguished and only recovered after a long time. Ren Zu was troubled; he asked Cognition Gu, “Oh Cognition Gu, how can I obtain Freedom Gu again? After what happened last time, Freedom Gu will not approach me anymore.” Cognition Gu answered, “Oh human, why do you desire Freedom Gu so much?” Ren Zu replied irritably, “Don't you know the reason already? I am searching for freedom to break free of the restraints of fate.” Cognition Gu answered once again, “Then I have nothing much to tell you. Haven't you told Fate Gu the answer to this question already?” Ren Zu was dazed before he recalled, before he went insane, he met Fate Gu. When he was harmed by Fate Gu, he shouted at it that he would use his own strength and wisdom to obtain freedom; he would eventually break free from fate's control. Ren Zu's eyes brightened, “Oh Gu, I remember now, thank you for the reminder. I need to rely on myself to break free of fate. I already have my own strength; what I lack is my own wisdom. I need to let Self Gu eat a mouthful of Wisdom Gu, just like how it ate a part of Strength Gu in the past. But where is Wisdom Gu?”, Ren Zu asked Cognition Gu. Cognition Gu replied, “I do not know. Wisdom Gu has been to many places; its location is not fixed. You can find wisdom in countless places, so human, you need to find it yourself.” Ren Zu nodded as he set off on his journey again. He walked and walked and walked. One day, he saw two Gu worms chasing each other along the road. One Gu worm was white and tiny; it escaped ahead as it begged for mercy, “Stop chasing me, stop chasing me, I do not want to be eaten by you.” The other Gu was clearly larger in size; it had thick armor and said in a deep tone, “I want to eat you, I want to eat you! No matter where you escape to, I will eat you.” The tiny white Gu was about to be caught by the larger Gu behind; it suddenly saw Ren Zu and hid behind him, “Oh human, I beg of you, quickly save me.” Ren Zu saw that this Gu worm was so pitiful, chased by another Gu worm, unable to fend for itself, he felt like he was seeing himself.

At this instance, a new heart grew in his chest—the heart of sympathy. Ren Zu stretched out both arms as he stopped the larger Gu, “Stop, stop chasing it.” The armored Gu shouted, “Hey human, are you obstructing me? No, you cannot stop me; you are unable to stop me. Why is that so?”, Ren Zu was curious. The armored Gu explained, “I am Strong Gu; that is Weak Gu. Since time immemorial, the rule of nature is that the strong prey on the weak. Thus, the strong must eat the weak; weaklings are the food of the strong.” Ren Zu sighed as he tried to convince the Gu, “Then why don't you let it off just this once; look at how pitiful it is.” Strong Gu sneered, “Not even once! In the eyes of the strong, weaklings have no stature; there is no sympathy for the weak. This is because heaven and earth will never pity the weak; it will only marvel at the incredible feats of the strong. Weaklings are born to be subdued, controlled, and devoured by the strong.” Ren Zu saw that his words fell on deaf ears; he could only deny Strong Gu forcefully, “I have already saved this Gu; go and eat others.” Strong Gu knew that it could not beat Ren Zu alone; it could only fly away in dissatisfaction, “I will be back.”