Chapter 879: Good Karma
"You can't say that... child."
Aunt Tong was very patient. Despite Aries repeatedly displaying verbal aggression in an attempt to force her to back down, she acted as if she hadn't heard any of it.
I always felt that Aunt Tong's way of thinking was different from normal people... Or perhaps her mind operated on a higher plane?
"Although 'eliminating stray thoughts' might earn you the favor of the 'Mother Goddess,' it doesn't mean that having 'stray thoughts' makes it impossible," Aunt Tong continued. "Child, the fact that the two of us are standing here talking is, in some unseen way, also an intervention by the 'Mother Goddess.' So she has probably already taken notice of you."
"Is that so?" Aries let out a noncommittal, doubtful sound. "Then is your 'Mother Goddess' prepared to help me?"
"She will. But before that..." Aunt Tong smiled. "I need to ask you a question on behalf of the 'Mother Goddess.'"
"Go ahead."
This time, Aunt Tong didn't reach out to press against Aries' chest. Instead, she used both hands to hold up one of his hands.
Then, the sound of bells tolling in the distance, a strange aura emanated from Aunt Tong.
Aries also seemed to sense something unusual about the situation, but he didn't pull his hand back. He just stared expressionlessly at Aunt Tong.
"Child, how many 'good deeds' have you done?" Aunt Tong asked out of the blue.
"'Good deeds'...?" Aries's eyes went blank for a few seconds before turning cold again. He replied, "Almost none. I'm a con man. I rarely do 'good deeds.'"
I was taken aback. I had imagined many times what Aries' profession was in the real world. I'd even speculated 'negotiator,' but I had never considered 'con man'...
How should I describe this feeling?
To put it bluntly, I had been in contact with Aries for a long time, yet I had never sensed any 'evil' aura from him.
To be honest... even a petty thief like Zhang Qiang carried a heavier 'evil' aura than Aries.
Was it because Aries' level was too high for me to perceive?
"So, you're a 'con man'...?" Aunt Tong nodded after hearing this. "It seems I still can't grasp the 'Mother Goddess's' will..."
After saying this, she furrowed her brows and looked at Aries. "Child, are you really a con man?"
"Do I have any reason to lie to you?" Aries asked.
"Have you always been a con man?" Aunt Tong pressed on.
"Believe it or not."
Just as Aries was about to pull his hand back, Aunt Tong gripped him tightly again.
"Is there something else?" Aries asked.
"Child, I often fail to understand the 'Mother Goddess's' will," Aunt Tong said. "But every time, I follow her unconditionally, because she is everything. Since she has brought us together, she must have her reasons."
Aries didn't speak. He just stared at Aunt Tong in silence.
"I had thought that only enough 'good deeds' could accumulate enough 'good karma,' and everything would naturally fall into place. But I never expected that the 'Mother Goddess' would extend an olive branch to a child like you. I believe you must have your own exceptional qualities."
"I don't understand," Aries said. "Are you triggering some kind of 'Echo' on me? Or are you going to tell me that this 'Mother Goddess' is actually a product of your own 'Echo'?"
"A product of 'Echo'?" Aunt Tong shook her head after hearing this. "Wrong, child. All 'Echoes' are products of the 'Mother Goddess.' She bestowed these strange abilities upon us, hoping that we would use them to feel her presence."
"Heh." Aries nodded. "Then what is the 'strange ability' that the 'Mother Goddess' bestowed upon you?"
"Child, I am 'Karma.'"
"'Karma'..." Aries was momentarily stunned, his eyes full of skepticism. "Are you kidding me? Is there really an 'Echo' called 'Karma' here?"
Not only him, but I was also baffled.
All the 'Echoes' I had heard of so far at least gave some indication of their abilities from their names. But how was one supposed to understand a religious term like 'Karma'?
Aunt Tong smiled and turned her head to look at Jiang Ruoxue. "If Xiao Jiang can be 'Cause and Effect,' why can't I be 'Karma'?"
"'Cause and Effect'...?" Aries followed Aunt Tong's gaze to Jiang Ruoxue. He was silent for a long time before finally uttering a few words. "Interesting."
"Child, I had assumed that because you had done many 'good deeds,' you would reap good results," Aunt Tong said. "But your misconduct has accumulated 'bad karma,' and thus your future path is unclear."
"Then how would you distinguish my 'good karma' from my 'bad karma'?" Aries said. "Perhaps what you see as 'bad karma' is actually a 'good karma' I've been planning for decades. What then? There are a thousand thoughts among a thousand people. How would you judge my actions?"
"Child, good and evil do not depend on me, nor on the views of all beings in the three thousand worlds..." Aunt Tong said. "They depend on you."
"What...?"
"As long as you believe that what you do is 'good karma,' one day the 'Mother Goddess' will surely grant you the blessings you deserve," Aunt Tong continued. "These blessings will manifest in places you can see or cannot see—from something as small as changing a single stroke on a piece of paper, to something as great as influencing a person's destiny. In this world, one reaps what one sows. So it is for all beings."
"One reaps what one sows. So it is for all beings..." Aries muttered these words to himself, as if a light bulb had gone off in his head.
"So when you said you were a 'con man,' you yourself confirmed your 'bad karma,'" Aunt Tong said. "But the 'Mother Goddess' is ultimately the 'Mother Goddess.' We ordinary people cannot fathom her thoughts. Even though you have affirmed your 'bad karma,' the 'Mother Goddess' still chooses to favor you. This is her will. I am merely following it."
"'Cause and Effect'... 'Karma'... I understand..." Aries' eyes flickered slightly, and even his tone carried a hint of respect. "I think... I suddenly get it... The 'Mother Goddess'... might really exist here."
"Child," Aunt Tong said. "There is no 'might.' You will see her. She will give you what you deserve."
Aries stared at Aunt Tong for a long time, then slowly lowered his head. "I was rude just now. Thank you."
"The one you should thank is not me." Aunt Tong smiled. "It's the 'Mother Goddess' and yourself."
Jiang Ruoxue and I had been standing dumbfounded behind Aunt Tong, unable to get a word in.
Even someone with Jiang Ruoxue's personality couldn't interrupt their conversation... What could I say?
"Ruoxue..." I whispered from the side. "Did you understand that?"
When she didn't respond, I turned to look. I found that she had long stopped listening. She was hiding behind me, flipping through the comic book that Aries had dropped on the floor.
"Ruoxue!" I called out urgently.
"Huh?" Jiang Ruoxue looked up, her face full of confusion. "What's up? Are those two masters done?"