Mo Zhaoyuan smiled charmingly. If Chen Yu were to see his smile at this moment, he would never believe it.
"Elder, if you have lost your purpose, then find another one," Mo Zhaoyuan suggested as he placed his Go stone on the board.
Elder Wendao let out a heavy sigh.
"If I had realized it earlier, I might have had a chance. But look at me now—just a bent, pitiful old man."
"Elder, do you know the story of Hong Min?"
"I memorized the entire story when I was young. The story of Hong Min is a tale filled with lessons," Elder Wendao said with a nostalgic smile.
The story of Hong Min was a very famous fairy tale, or perhaps a legend.
For children, it was deeply comforting.
For adults, it was filled with meaning and lessons about life.
"Elder Wendao, you still have the chance to choose," Mo Zhaoyuan emphasized.
Elder Wendao was startled by his seriousness and finally asked,
"What can a weak old man like me do? The world is cruel. I feel as if the world has toyed with me. I only realized it now, after speaking with you. Meanwhile, the remaining centuries of my life have passed without meaning."
"Elder, the world is indeed cruel, but it gives you the chance to choose. Even if the choices the world offers feel forced upon us, the world still allows us to choose—whether to take the choice it arranges, or the one we arrange ourselves," Mo Zhaoyuan continued.
"Elder, do you remember the beginning of the story of Hong Min?"
Elder Wendao nodded.
Hong Min was the Ancestor of Humanity. He was created from the Blue Sea of Life, the place where all living beings were born. He had several children, and together with them he experienced and created countless legends. The life stories of Hong Min and his children were recorded in a legendary book known by all humans, called The Legend of Hong Min.
One of the oldest legends spoke of the 'Emblem of Choice', the 'Emblem of Opportunity', and the 'Emblem of Hope'. In that legend, when the world was newly formed, it was a wild land of untamed forests. Savage beasts roamed the earth, bringing disaster and destruction.
Hong Min, however, was created in a separate place. He lived on a remote island.
The island was filled with dense forests, lush plants, and a small lake that served as a source of fresh water.
Those who lived on the island would never lack anything in life.
Beyond the island, endless seawater surrounded it. The blue ocean stretched so far that it seemed to have no end.
Hong Min lived happily. Everything he needed existed on the island.
Yet after living there for a long time, he realized how small his world truly was.
He longed for a greater world to explore.
When noon arrived, Hong Min returned to the forest to gather wild mushrooms for his evening meal.
This time, by pure coincidence, he encountered the 'Emblem of Choice'.
When he saw the Emblem of Choice, Hong Min ran toward it.
When Hong Min arrived before the Emblem of Choice, before he could speak, it spoke first.
"Oh human, why choose to run when you can walk? In the end, both will lead you to your destination."
Hong Min shook his head.
"I am afraid that if I do not run, you will leave first. There is something I wish to ask you."
"What do you wish to ask me, Hong Min?" the Emblem of Choice asked.
Without hesitation, Hong Min asked many questions at once.
"Is the world really only this small?"
"Is there another world at the end of the boundless sea?"
"If there is another world beyond the sea, is there other life there?"
"And if so, how vast is the world beyond?"
Hong Min asked with burning enthusiasm, one question after another.
Listening to the flood of questions, the Emblem of Choice interrupted him.
"Oh Hong Min, instead of asking me, why don't you go and see it for yourself?" the Emblem of Choice offered the most logical suggestion.
Hong Min shook his head. He feared that there was no other world beyond his own.
He feared that if he left, he would lose the world he currently had. Yet deep in his heart, he desperately wished to go.
Seeing his hesitation, the Emblem of Choice was about to speak—but the 'Emblem of Opportunity' appeared.
After boarding the ship, Hong Min entered the small cabin within it. Heavy rain and raging winds carried the vessel farther and farther away from the island.
When the rain finally subsided, Hong Min stepped out of the cabin.
Accompanied by the Emblem of Opportunity, he felt a surging, blazing spirit within his heart.
Days passed into days. Weeks turned into weeks. Months followed one after another.
The stock of food and fresh water on the ship gradually diminished.
At last, Hong Min complained to the Emblem of Opportunity.
"Emblem of Opportunity, when will my chance to reach another world arrive? I have already taken the risk of leaving my world behind," Hong Min said bitterly.
"Oh Hong Min, did I ever force you to leave your world?" the Emblem of Opportunity replied coldly.
"You left by your own choice, and you were prepared to bear the consequences of that choice. So why do you complain to me now?"
Hong Min fell silent once more. He could not refute the Emblem of Opportunity, for everything that had happened was indeed the result of his own decision—to see a world greater than the one he once knew.
Another month passed after Hong Min's complaint.
From that day on, Hong Min remained shut inside his cabin.
His spirit faded. His food supplies dwindled.
He began to realize that all his dreams of another world were nothing more than imagination.
Reality struck him harshly.
He had sailed for months, yet all he encountered was an endless sea.
The Emblem of Opportunity felt pity as it watched Hong Min's condition.
"Oh Hong Min, I have a way for us to reach our destination faster."
Hong Min's once-empty eyes shone again with hope.
"How?" Hong Min asked, his voice short yet urgent.
"Tonight, leave your cabin. Gaze upon the endless sea with genuine hope for another world. If you do so, you will meet 'him,'" the Emblem of Opportunity explained.
When night fell, Hong Min stepped out of his cabin.
He looked up at the full moon hanging high in the sky, adorned by countless stars.
The night wind pierced his skin, but following the advice of the Emblem of Opportunity, he chose to endure.
Time passed. Minutes felt like hours as he suffered in the cold. The biting wind nearly drove him to surrender and despair.
Yet his hope for another world was greater than the suffering he endured.
It allowed him to persist under any condition.
The wind grew stronger, and eventually rain fell upon the night.
Still, Hong Min endured. His suffering intensified—but so did his hope.
Several times, Hong Min nearly fainted from the cold. Each time, he bit his tongue to remain conscious.
Not long after, a radiant Emblem appeared.
Its light was so brilliant that Hong Min had to squint his eyes.
"Who are you?" Hong Min asked, shielding his vision from the overwhelming glow.
"Oh human, I am the 'Emblem of Hope.' I have come because your hope is so great that it summoned me here."
Hong Min was confused. Was this the one the Emblem of Opportunity had spoken of?
Seeing the doubt on Hong Min's face, the Emblem of Opportunity explained,
"Yes. With its help, we can leave this boundless sea."
Hong Min nodded after hearing the confirmation.
"Oh Emblem of Hope, how do I use you? And what price must I pay?" Hong Min asked, still squinting against the light.
"Oh human, offer me your heart, and I shall fill it. As long as you possess hope, I will remain with you," the voice of the Emblem of Hope echoed through the rain.
Hong Min surrendered his heart.
The Emblem of Hope entered the empty space within it.
A radiant light burst forth from Hong Min's chest.
Unable to endure the cold any longer, Hong Min finally lost consciousness.
The next morning, Hong Min awoke as sunlight warmed his face.
To his astonishment, what lay before him was no longer the boundless sea—
but a vast land stretching endlessly before his eyes.
Tears streamed down Hong Min's face as joy overwhelmed him.
Seeing his happiness, the Emblem of Opportunity spoke.
"Human, your opportunity has arrived. I will now depart. May we meet again someday."
Hong Min bowed his head in gratitude to the Emblem of Opportunity, which had accompanied him all this time.
They parted ways.
The Emblem of Opportunity drifted away.
Hong Min stepped down from his ship.
He placed his foot upon the world he had dreamed of.
A new land.
A new beginning.
A world born from choice, opportunity, and hope.