Chapter 880: Karma of One's Own Making
"How come you seem completely indifferent to what Aunt Tong said..." I asked, somewhat puzzled. "Wasn't she a member you recruited?"
"I haven't just started listening to her today." Jiang Ruoxue closed her comic book and shook her head. "I don't know if it's because of the 'Echoes,' but Aunt Tong and I think completely differently. We often can't communicate, so I just stopped listening altogether."
"What do you mean?"
"For example, I believe that 'everything has its destined course'—everything happening now was already predetermined." Jiang Ruoxue replied. "But Aunt Tong thinks that everything we do now will come back to us in some other form in the future. This leads to me doing whatever I want, while she only does what she wants to achieve."
I found this explanation both philosophical and interesting, so I nodded and asked, "Then what do you think Aunt Tong wants right now?"
"Even though I wasn't listening, she probably mentioned it, right? She wants to get closer to the 'Mother Goddess' in her heart." Jiang Ruoxue stretched as she said. "In her view, she's currently helping a lost young person, which counts as doing good deeds. From the perspective of 'karma,' this act might change her fate in the future."
Whether it was Jiang Ruoxue's "Cause and Effect" or Aunt Tong's "Karma," both seemed too abstract to me.
These were auxiliary "Echoes" that didn't have an immediate effect on oneself or one's surroundings, requiring long-term planning instead.
If you said they weren't powerful enough, these two "Echoes" could certainly influence a person's fate. But if you said they were powerful, they were utterly useless against various sudden dangers.
"Child." Aunt Tong spoke to the White Sheep. "Now that you've been tainted with 'karma,' your 'good karma,' 'evil karma,' and 'neutral karma' will all change your future direction."
"Okay..." The White Sheep nodded, then asked again, "Auntie, if one day I am no longer myself, will this 'karma' still exist?"
"What are you trying to ask?" Aunt Tong countered.
"I mean... if one day I am no longer a 'Human Sheep' or a 'Zodiac,' or even no longer a human... will this 'karma' still act upon me?"
"Child, that depends on you." Aunt Tong said. "As long as you believe you are you, you will always be you. This 'karma' does not act solely on the 'Zodiac' or 'Human Sheep,' nor does it act on some 'human'—it acts upon yourself."
"I stand corrected." The White Sheep nodded to Aunt Tong, then turned to look at me. "Yan Zhichun, the people you brought this time are very formidable. Thank you."
Before I could even say "You're welcome," Jiang Ruoxue beside me couldn't hold back anymore.
"Hold on!" She frowned. "What do you mean by 'this time'? Are you implying I'm useless?"
"No." The White Sheep shook his head. "That wasn't my intention."
"Well, it's pretty much the same." Jiang Ruoxue slowly stepped forward. "Since Aunt Tong is willing to give you 'karma,' I can give you 'Cause and Effect' as well."
"Give me 'Cause and Effect'...?" The White Sheep seemed not to understand the meaning of those words.
I sensed something was off and stepped forward to pull Jiang Ruoxue back. "Ruoxue... this 'Cause and Effect' probably isn't something you can give..."
I knew well that what the White Sheep was planning far exceeded the "Extreme Path." Back then, even a single "Extreme Path" nearly drained Jiang Ruoxue to the point of collapse—how could she possibly give "Cause and Effect" to the White Sheep?
Jiang Ruoxue turned back and gave me a mischievous grin, lowering her voice. "Actually, I know I can't give it... but I want to see just how capable I am."
Hearing this, I had no choice but to stop holding her back, allowing Jiang Ruoxue to grasp the White Sheep's hand.
The White Sheep nodded. "It seems my understanding of 'Echoes' is still incomplete... To think there are unique individuals like you here?"
"Don't get too excited just yet." Jiang Ruoxue said. "Zhichun told me about your situation. I'm not sure if I can manipulate such a powerful 'Cause and Effect.'"
"It's fine." The White Sheep said. "I'm already grateful that you're willing to try."
Jiang Ruoxue took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes. Holding the White Sheep's hand, she whispered, "White Sheep... you need to understand the logical relationship here..."
The moment she finished that sentence, under my gaze, Jiang Ruoxue's face turned deathly pale in an instant, as if all the blood had been drained from her body in a single second.
"Ruoxue!"
"Xiao Jiang!"
Aunt Tong and I both cried out in alarm and moved to pull her away, but she gritted her teeth and said, "Don't touch me...!"
We stood frozen, completely at a loss.
Beads of sweat the size of beans began to appear on Jiang Ruoxue's forehead. I had seen her use "Cause and Effect" many times before, but this was the first time I had seen her in such agony.
"White Sheep... j-just..." Jiang Ruoxue forced out a few words, but couldn't continue.
Every word she tried to say seemed like a sharp blade, deeply cutting into her throat.
After a few seconds, she decisively let go of the White Sheep's hand, walked to the side, bent over, and gasped for air.
Aunt Tong and I quickly went over, patting her back to help her catch her breath.
"This is insane..." Jiang Ruoxue looked up after a few seconds. "This is absolutely insane... How many people's 'Cause and Effect' does what he wants to do involve? This feeling of self-contradiction... am I even caught up in it too?"
"You'd have to ask him that yourself, child." Aunt Tong said.
"Aunt Tong..." Jiang Ruoxue turned to look at her. "When you were using 'karma,' didn't you feel it? That heavy, hopeless, oppressive great fate that involves tens of thousands of people..."
"Unfortunately... my 'karma' is very different from your 'Cause and Effect.' I only focus on the person right in front of me." Aunt Tong said. "What will happen to him in the future doesn't depend on me, but on what he himself will do in the future. I only amplify his own 'karma' and don't directly interfere with his future."
"I see..." Jiang Ruoxue wiped her mouth with her hand, finally regaining some color in her face. "Because I had to directly tell him a 'result,' the weight of this 'Cause and Effect' was enormous..."
"Child, we can't interfere with him." Aunt Tong said. "Just let him reap the fruits of his own karma."
"Very well..."
"'Cause and Effect.'" The White Sheep called out from behind us. "Although you seem to have failed, I'm still very interested in you."
Jiang Ruoxue turned around and stared at the White Sheep. "Oh? I think I'm quite interesting too. Is there anything else you need my help with?"
"Just now, when I heard you mention 'Cause and Effect' and 'logic,' I suddenly became interested in your 'Cause and Effect.'" The White Sheep said. "If I understand correctly, can you create simple logical effects? Achieve things like 'if, then,' 'if not, then'—simple logic like that, similar to an 'AND-OR gate'?"
"That's certainly no problem... Such simple logic barely uses any 'Cause and Effect.'" Jiang Ruoxue replied.