Li Chen chuckled when he heard this. "By your account, anyone who obtains a Dragon Fish certainly has extraordinary luck. But an antecedent cause need not lead to a consequent result. That maritime minister in the story achieved great things and left a name that endured through the ages, but that doesn't necessarily prove anything."
Gu Mocheng smiled. "Little brother, you don't believe in karma and fate? Yet this saying seems to have come true many times throughout history."
"Actually, never mind the distant past. Take the current mighty ruler of the Golden Sun Gate, the Golden Sun True Person who inherited his predecessor's title. When he was young, he once caught a Dragon Fish while out enjoying himself with his fellow disciples."
Li Chen asked in surprise, "That really happened?"
Gu Mocheng said, "Absolutely. They say that even now, the Golden Sun Gate still keeps that Dragon Fish within its grounds. The creature has lived for several hundred years and has become a true spirit. It spends all day hiding beneath a bridge, spraying water at disciples passing above and below, amusing itself by teasing them. But it's an auspicious creature cherished by the Golden Sun True Person, so the disciples can do nothing even when it bullies them."
Li Chen said, "I remain skeptical. The idea that anyone who obtains a Dragon Fish has an extraordinary destiny could very well be a classic self-fulfilling prophecy."
Gu Mocheng said, "I'd like to hear more."
Li Chen said, "A self-fulfilling prophecy is when human hearts and the principles of the world influence each other. Cause and effect become inverted, until the whole thing forms a consistent circle."
He offered a brief explanation in the style of speech familiar to people of this world.
In fact, a "self-fulfilling prophecy" was a