Chapter 242

The two first wrestled with their bare hands, then escalated into a fight with sticks.

The more he fought, the Duryodhana shocked he became.

This person looks shorter than me, yet he's faster and stronger than me.

Could it be that the popular legend is true, Arjuna was indeed the son of Indra?!

While still in shock, Arjuna suddenly withdrew his hand and jumped backward, nimbly creating distance.

Duryodhana looked around and realized that all his brothers had been defeated and that the Pandavas had surrounded him.

Just as the melee was about to escalate, a voice suddenly rang in their ears. "Wait!"

A man with a Persian-style beard squeezed in, rubbing his hands together and squinting at Arjuna.

"Uncle."

Duryodhana he breathed a sigh of relief.

This person was none other than Shakunin, the elder brother of Queen Gandhari of Kuru King, who had lived in Elephant City as a Shakuni and was known for his scheming and intrigue.

In the Mahabharata, he is also the only ruthless character who can rival and Krishna.

It can be said that this person's position in the Mahabharata is similar to that of Shen Gongbao in the Investiture of the Gods.

"The Pandavas, truly living up to their name! They are indeed descendants of heroes, of divine blood. I admire them! I admire them!"

Shakuni's entrance was a resounding success, his tall hat leaving the Pandavas speechless.

"However, I think you've all forgotten something?"

Shakuni pointed to the well not far away. "Didn't you start your dispute because of playing football? But now that the ball has fallen into the well, shouldn't the most important thing be to get the ball out first?"

Arjuna, as if waking from a dream, exchanged glances with his brothers, all of whom were speechless with astonishment.

The five of them ran toward the well together. When Duryodhana saw this, he also set off, but Shakuni held him down by the shoulder.

"Silly boy."

My uncle's smile was sinister and malicious. "Look at that well, how deep it is—enough to drown several people."

"Uncle!"

Duryodhana's voice rose slightly, "Then why don't you give them a push, or let me give them a push?"

That's why I say you're a silly boy!

Shakuni sighed, "Do you think your great-uncle—the invincible and unparalleled Tianshi —would have ignored this farce today?"

"Ah, this—"

Duryodhana's expression turned somewhat grim. He realized that his great-uncle already knew the gap between him and Arjuna and the others.

As the true ruler of the Kuru Dynasty, Tianshi would certainly be pleased to see Arjuna and his men display such prowess.

That's five extra-large cups!

Can those lousy Chinese cups like the Kauravas compare?

Shakuni said coldly, "Therefore you must not do it yourself. It would be best if the five of them drowned in the well on their own—"

He added a few more words of encouragement, which aroused Arjuna and the others to the point that they immediately set up a human ladder to go down into the well.

Shakuni's eyes were half-open, and before a smile could even appear on his lips, he saw a Brahmin with disheveled hair walking towards him like the wind.

—No, where the hell did you come from?

Shakuni frowned, instinctively sensing something was wrong. Just as he was about to go up, he was stopped in his tracks by a single glance from the Brahmin.

The visitor was none other than Drona.

"You are all princes of the Kuru clan, how can you risk your lives?"

Drona said, "I'll get the ball out for you."

"But, Master."

The eldest of the Pandavas Yudhishthira, said, "Your body is so strong that even your upper body cannot pass through the well opening. How can you help us retrieve the ball?"

"It's not difficult, it's not difficult."

Drona smiled slightly.

"Uncle--"

Shakuni coldly raised his hand to stop his nephew's actions.

He could tell that Drona was capable, and he was also aware of the rumors circulating in Elephant City.

It seems that this scheme not only failed, but will also become a stepping stone for Drona's rise to fame.

But then Drona reached out and plucked a blade of grass from the side, muttered a spell, and then shot an arrow into the football at the bottom of the water, leaving only the end of the grass sticking out of the water and swaying gently.

Immediately afterwards, Drona shot out six blades of grass, each connected end to end, forming a straight line extending out of the well.

Drona then used the straw to retrieve the football from the well.

"This..."

Bharata has possessed the divine skill of "Vedic Archery" since ancient times.

Just as Kshatriya are skilled in vajra and spear techniques, archery is a specialty of Brahmin.

"Hahaha--"

A hearty laugh echoed from afar, and a figure dressed in silver-white Tianshi through the long corridor to stand before Drona.

"I have long heard of the name of the son of the immortal, the Brahmin master Drona, and now I finally see your true face."

Although he was the regent of Elephant City and Kuru Dynasty, the Tianshi, who was wholeheartedly devoted to upholding the Dharma, still paid homage to Drona according to ancient etiquette.

Drona watched with mixed feelings.

He sighed, and instead of accepting the oath from Tianshi, he returned the gesture.

After the two finished their greetings, the Tianshi invited Drona to be the teacher of the princes of Elephant City —not only the Pandavas, but also the Kauravas.

"Is that so? Are you sure you want me to be the teacher of these princes?"

Drona feigned surprise and said, "But I'm afraid the king won't agree."

Tianshi fell silent upon hearing this—and everyone present also fell silent.

Yes, Bharata the king of the four directions, the king of Kuru, and the lord of Elephant City.

Despite all these prestigious titles, even a child knows that the one who truly makes this country function is not the blind ruler sitting on the throne.

Rather, it was this true Kuru pureblood, the son of the Ganges — Tianshi.

It could be said that the king was a puppet, but no one would openly admit it.

Tianshi pondered for a moment, then chuckled.

"Of course, of course, I think King Chi will agree. Let's go and pay our respects to King Chi now."

"No—no! No way!"

Inside the palace, on the throne, the king shouted loudly.

"How could I bear to let my son struggle to survive in the Forest of Asceticism like this? How could they endure such suffering?!"

What about the sons of Nathanus?

The Tianshi inquired.

"No problem."

Dhritarashtra said, "They had been practicing asceticism in the forest with my brother before, so they should be quite used to this kind of life."

Tianshi wasn't angry. Instead, he nodded slightly to Arjuna others. "Since King Dhritarashtra is unwilling for you brothers to study together, then you will become disciples of Master Drona— "

"Wait a minute!"

Once again, the Shakuni interrupted with his words, just like an owl.

"The Dharma bestows upon us a great caste, which inevitably leads us to undergo arduous spiritual practice."

He looked at his nephew and said, "As the eldest son of the King, how can you back down when faced with difficulties? Go!"

The Kauravas finally realized that if they really backed down, they would not even have the right to compete with the Pandavas.

Led by their Duryodhana, the other brothers also stepped forward and asked to become Drona's disciples.

Tianshi laughed heartily.

The blind King Dhritarashtra sat on his throne without saying a word, while Gandhari held her husband's hand, feeling his anger and fear.

Shakuni looked at his sister, his eyes flashing with pity and reluctance, but when his gaze swept over Tianshi, it turned cold.

Drona looked around and sensed that the court of the Kuru Dynasty was also rife with intrigue and turmoil.

But all of this proves that everything Hebe said was true.

—The Dharma is outdated, and times have changed.

Drona suddenly smiled, opened his arms, and embraced his elder brothers, Duryodhana and Yudhishthira.

"Alright, I, Drona, acknowledge you as my disciples."

The great Brahmin commanded, "I will give you one day to prepare. For the next twelve years, you will spend your time in my Forest of Asceticism."

A day later, Drona, along with his newly trained disciples (and of course his son Ashvasena), embarked on a grand journey to Pelican Town.

—He received too much and too heavy a favor from Hebe.

After much deliberation, Drona could only come up with one solution.

That is to take Karna as his apprentice and pass on all his skills to him.

"And then history took a turn here."

Hebe leaned back in her bamboo recliner, rocking back and forth, and of course she was talking about the story of the Mahabharata.

She could not easily alter the Ramayana; but it took considerable effort to change the Mahabharata.

In the original work, Drona's behavior is completely the opposite of the current situation—he refuses to accept Karna as his disciple because of his caste and allows his disciples to humiliate him.

"Father, open your mouth."

Karna was taller than before, and possessed an androgynous beauty.

She used a small bamboo skewer to hold a piece of mango and offered it to Hebe's mouth.

"Awoo."

Hebe took a bite of the sweet mango and savored the burst of sweetness on her tongue.

The other vendors in the area were already used to it.

Hebe's fruit stall could only sell a limited amount of fruit in a day—it was basically all consumed by her and Karna.

"Karna."

"Father, I'm here."

Little Sun answered softly.

"If one of your benefactors were to commit an evil act in front of you, what would you do?"

Hebe said vaguely.

"It depends on the situation, Father."

"Uh-huh?"

"How much kindness has this benefactor shown me? Have I ever sworn an oath? What kind of evil is this, and who will it harm? What is my relationship with the victims of this evil?"

Karna counted on his fingers for Hebe.

"That may be true, but in reality you may not be able to be so rational."

Hebe sat up and stroked Karna's soft white hair. "For example, what if your mother and brothers start plotting against you?"

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