Chapter 237

Kunti coldly refused. "When I was in bed with Indra, he told me that this Childbirth Mantra could only be used five times at most. And because I summoned Indra the fourth time, no matter what kind of deity it is afterward, they will not respond to my summons, otherwise there will be a calamity of unequal status."

"There is indeed one more opportunity to use the Childbirth Mantra right now, and I can teach it to the Queen. It all depends on whether you are willing or not."

This can be considered a test for Kunti.

She wanted to know whether her husband was completely controlled by the intensity of the attack or was forced to do so.

Unfortunately, Kunti's test failed, and Bando was completely immersed in the joy of three super-sized cups.

With a heart as still as water, Kunti taught the incantation to the Queen. This time, the Queen summoned the influence of the Ashvins — the Glorious Twins.

As a result, the princess gave birth to twins – Anapasrita and Sahasra.

With these five enormous sons, Bando was overjoyed. But his joy didn't last long, for Eris's curse struck unexpectedly.

Spring has arrived, bringing with it a vibrant and flourishing season where all things thrive.

While strolling in the forest with the Queen, Ban Du suddenly felt hot all over.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the youthful and beautiful princess wrapped in a thin dress. In an instant, his small head outshone the rabbit's head, thus taking control of his large head.

After a frantic struggle, Bandhu lived up to expectations and died in the same way as his nominal father and grandfather.

By the time Kunti arrived, Bandhu was already hard.

According to the increasingly strict precepts of the Dharma generation, when a king dies, his wives and concubines are buried alive with him.

But Kunti's reasons were quite valid: on the one hand, she still needed to raise her children, and on the other hand, she had never received any affection from Bandu.

On the other hand, if Banda hadn't shared a room with you, he wouldn't have died. Clearly, it's all your fault as the queen.

Princess, you can die in peace. I will raise your son for you.

Using her persuasive skills, Kunti tricked the princess into committing suicide by throwing herself into the fire.

With the death of King Pandu, his ascetic practices came to an end.

Bringing news of King Pandu's death, Kunti returned to Elephant City with his five sons, including the one who was the largest cup.

King Pandu has passed away!

"King Pandu has passed away. For three days, no music, song, dance, or poetry may be played in the entire city—"

A series of orders requiring urban civilians to abide by the regulations were issued.

As the proclamation officer, riding a tall horse, toured around, the once bustling Pelican Town fell silent instantly, and then a few half-real, half-fake cries drifted from somewhere.

Karna's face fell. She wanted to pretend to cry like the others, but deep down she was calm.

No matter how she contorted her facial muscles, it always ended up being an expression that couldn't be more fake.

Fortunately, there are many people like her around.

The messenger clearly knew that it was unrealistic to expect everyone to weep together and for every family to grieve, so he rode his horse around the streets for a short while and then returned home.

Karna immediately regained his calm and indifferent expression.

She turned to look at Hebe, who was lying on the bamboo recliner, seemingly taking a nap with his eyes closed, and carefully reached out her finger to poke Hebe's elbow.

What do you want to ask?

Before Karna could even poke Hebe, the calm voice of "Father" rang in his ears.

Karna withdrew his finger, showing no embarrassment at being caught, and asked with the same stern face, "Father, who is King Pandu?"

"The ruler of the four corners of the land, the king of Kuru, the lord of Elephant City, and the boss of the boss of Pelican Town— "

Hebe said, "During his reign, the Kuru Dynasty did indeed briefly restore peace and glory, with all the lords coming to pay tribute."

"This is the official statement from the Kuru Dynasty."

If you ask me my personal opinion—

"He's an unlucky guy."

Hebe pondered for a moment before giving his answer.

What else could they be but an unlucky soul? Being targeted by Eris means only a fate worse than death.

King Pandu was initially a Lord who valued chastity highly, but later he even began to force his wives and concubines to give birth to divine children.

He thought that by indulging himself in intensity, he could numb the shame and pain, unaware that he had fallen into Eris's trap and was now even more unable to extricate himself.

Karna nodded calmly, and was about to sit back down when Hebe stopped him. "So what are your thoughts, Karna?"

The girl with striking white hair thought silently for a while, then let out a sigh.

"How pitiful."

She felt that King Pandu was a pitiful person.

"Why?"

Hebe remained noncommittal, only asking Karna why he had come to this conclusion.

"Because very few people will truly grieve and mourn for him."

Karna replied, "Neither the proclamation officer nor the commoners of Pelican Town showed any sign of grief, because... people's joys and sorrows are not shared; they may simply find it noisy."

"Well answered."

Hebe touched Karna's head, messing up her white hair.

"Father, don't do this, Mother will scold me."

Karna covered his head with his hands and ran away.

There was a hint of reproach in her tone, but a faint smile on her face.

Hebe smiled faintly and closed her eyes.

—— [The First Mark Poor Man's Knowledge]

Under Hebe's tutelage, Karna embarked on the path of a subordinate of the Lamp's Principle from a young age.

Why not let Karna follow in Hanuman's footsteps and become Heroic Path?

The reason is quite simple: even Hebe is currently clueless about the preliminary steps of the Heroic Path.

The first two tiers of the Path of Ascension are [Enlightenment] and [Daylight].

Among them, "Enlightenment" is also known as "Apprentice" and "Daylight" is also known as "Hero".

Arthur is able to summon multiple Knights of the Round Table of the [Daylight] rank to fight for her with the Sword in the Stone; these Knights are also known as Heroic Spirit.

But no matter how it changes, the normal Path of Ascension always proceeds from "enlightenment" to "daylight," with clear distinctions and orderly progression.

However, the "Heroic Path" has no foundation whatsoever.

According to Hebe's observations, Hanuman seems to have entered the "Heroic Path" out of thin air after clarifying his true nature.

Intercalation does exist, but it requires a sufficient number of positions.

Take Royal Sister as an example. It's as if she mortgaged her achievements, then went through a series of complicated procedures to transfer her assets from Canlang's forces to Pearl's side, and then used her identity as a member of the Water Palace Immortal Class as proof to retrieve her mortgaged achievements.

Because of its association with Fangcun Mountain and Hebe, Hanuman's status is similar to twilight, but its essence is still daytime.

Furthermore, Hebe believed that the so-called "twilight position" did not play any role in his leap to the "Heroic Path".

In other words, the Heroic Path allows Ascended to do things that are only possible at the Dusk rank while still in the Day rank.

"It's impossible that all paths have an overlap between the Daytime Rank and the 'Heroic Path,' right?"

Hebe was lost in thought.

Thinking of this, Hebe reached out and waved his hand, quietly retracting the veil of illusionary power that permeated the air.

The noise from all around grew louder again.

Hebe is now a coachman, a farmer, and a vegetable and fruit vendor—in Pelican Town, these identities don't conflict; many ordinary townspeople have these identities. The key is what can make money.

Karna sat down again in front of his small stool, watching the passersby and occasionally calling out a few words.

At that moment, bursts of laughter came from afar.

Karna wasn't curious, but the laughter was getting closer.

So she stood up and moved her stall back a bit, afraid that the naughty children and rascals would trample the fruits and vegetables.

The laughter and noise soon revealed the person—a dark-skinned little boy with slightly reddish skin, surrounded by a group of his peers.

Karna recognized him; the little boy's name was Ashvasena.

However, the fact that everyone present knew the child's name was thanks to his own father, the beggar who often begged in the market— Drona.

Drona was the only beggar standing up and wearing a long robe. He was tall with hands and feet, pale complexion, often with scars on his cheeks, a holy mark on his forehead, a bushy beard, and messy hair.

Drona also had a sacred thread wrapped around his wrist, and whenever he begged, he did not thank others, but instead showed a proud and solemn expression.

—It is an immense honor for you commoners to be able to provide me with food and drink in Drona; you are truly blessed.

He didn't seem to be there to beg; rather, it was the benefactors who were being mistreated.

Over time, fewer and fewer people were willing to give Drona food and drink. With no other option, Drona had to send his son Ashvasena, out to beg as well.

Of course, this good fortune didn't last long.

Because a perfectly healthy person is begging, everyone would at least try to advise him against it. But Drona himself considered himself Brahmin and always said that begging was the proper path of Brahmin practice, and that doing things like Vaishya was truly impure.

This angered many, and both Drona and Ashvasena became unpopular.

Karna stood behind the stall, watching the Ashvasena surrounded by a group of mischievous children, and calmly waved.

The group of mischievous children looked at Karna with grim expressions, but they dared not rush forward—because Karna was simply too powerful.

Ashvasena's eyes lit up, and he broke out of the encirclement, squatting in front of the stall like a wild dog.

Karna picked out a mango and handed it to Ashvasena.

A simple smile appeared on Ashvasena's dark red face, and then he squatted down by the roadside and finished eating the mango.

Chapter 300: Brahma resides in the lowly, the Tao in excrement and urine.

After finishing the mango in his hand, the little black boy gave Karna a shy smile.

"Thanks!"

Karna's face showed little expression.

As the saying goes, "One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black, "Hebe's calm attitude towards all things deeply influenced Karna from a young age.

Seeing that Karna had no intention of standing up for Ashvasena Si, the mischievous children exchanged glances and retreated to the edge of the road.

Once Ashvasena left the stall, the group of mischievous children reappeared in a swarm, rushing forward to surround Ashvasena and mocking and playing with him.

The surrounding vendors, however, would not stop them at this time; in fact, they would even find amusement in it.

Karna watched the Ashvasena neighing as it was beaten and kicked by the children, and remained silent.

"You want to help him?"

Hebe's voice rang out again.

"I don't really want to."

Karna answered.

Hearing this, Hebe opened her eyes. "But you pity him."

"That's right, Father."

Karna replied, "But only if Ashvasena asks me to help him."

For Karna, if Ashvasena hadn't spoken up, it would have been disrespectful for him to intervene rashly.

Conversely, if Ashvasena makes a plea—even to anyone, in a non-targeted call for help— Karna will step forward.

Hebe nodded.

"Ashvasena — Ashvasena— "

Drona's shouts came from afar, sounding like a broken bellows, which startled the surrounding children and sent them scattering.