Chapter 248
No matter how Duryodhana he tried to stop him, Karna was moving at breakneck speed.
The sound was still stuck in his throat when the figure had already disappeared.
Just when the Duryodhana was almost giving up, a turning point appeared.
He was surprised to realize that he wasn't the only one who "disliked" Karna.
The Pandavas were also unhappy with Karna.
There are several reasons why they dislike Karna: the eldest brother Yudhishthira, felt that Karna had neglected her mastery of martial arts, as she had not trained with them since becoming a disciple of Drona, which was not in accordance with the Dharma.
The second brother Bhima, simply felt that Karna was a loner.
As for the fourth and fifth twins, they simply felt a sense of crisis.
—When the dormitory lights are turned off, the sound of my roommate playing games is the best lullaby, while the sound of my roommate turning the pages of a book is deafening.
This fear of classmates driving Land Rovers is quite realistic.
Arjuna, the third brother, showed no particular emotion, but when his brothers suggested going to talk to Karna, he volunteered.
Duryodhana to see this and feel happy about it.
He grabbed Ashvasena after a long absence. "Brother, it's been so long since we've gotten together. Does our friendship mean nothing? Come on Ashvasena Si, don't be shy, have a drink and play some dice with us and enjoy yourselves for a while."
Ashvasena hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not refuse.
Although he preferred to be with Karna, the latter's routine was a bit too gloomy.
It had been a long time since I had played with Duryodhana and the others, so indulging for a day wouldn't be a bad thing.
Thinking of this, Ashvasena Si sat down in the empty seat and started gambling with the Kauravas.
On the other side, Yudhishthira said to his brothers, "Ashvasena's neigh has been held back by Duryodhana, so now is the perfect time to go and talk to Karna."
"I never thought that even a Duryodhana like Nan De would have his good moments."
Bhima laughed and patted Arjuna on the shoulder, "Let's go!"
The two continued along the path and soon blocked Karna's way in front of the cave.
Who are you?
"I am the Pandavas, the son of Vayu, Bhima!"
The burly man patted his chest. "The man beside me is the third son, Arjuna, son of Indra, the King of Gods."
Arjuna, with his black hair, stood beside Bhima, scrutinizing Karna with a critical gaze.
"Alright, what can I do for you two?"
Karna nodded calmly.
Why is this person reacting like this...? Bhima scratched his head, looked at Arjuna, and gestured for his brother to speak.
"Simply put, we hope you can train in martial arts with everyone."
Arjuna said, "We are classmates, and we should get along well with each other..."
"That won't be necessary."
Karna waved his hand. "I know very well what I'm doing. Learning martial arts is a waste of my time."
Their eyes met.
Arjuna frowned.
How can you say that?
Arjuna countered, "Kshatriya possess spearmanship and the skill of wielding the vajra; Brahmin excel in archery. You are Brahmin, how can you neglect your duty to carry on the tradition?"
"Then you shouldn't treat me like Brahmin."
Karna shrugged. "I need to go to school now. Can you please move aside?"
"You are violating the Dharma!"
Arjuna, for some reason, suddenly shouted loudly.
"The Dharma?"
Karna stopped and returned to the two men.
"You want to talk to me about the Dharma? Fine, then let's talk about the Dharma."
A faint smile appeared on Karna's face. "Please sit down, please sit down."
The two brothers exchanged a glance, instinctively sensing that something was wrong, but they had already sat down on the stool made from the wooden stake.
Karna stepped forward, removed the rosary from his arm, and then clapped his hands together.
Snap!
This marks the start of the debate.
"May I ask you two, where did humankind come from?"
This question is too simple; even Bhima, who doesn't usually read much, could answer it.
"Naturally, it comes from the original humans."
The Primordial Man, as recorded in the Vedas, is the progenitor of humankind. Legend has it that he gave birth to Brahmin from Kshatriya head, Kshatriyas from his shoulders, Vaishya from his legs, and Shudra from his feet, thus defining the four major castes. As for the Dalit, because they did not originate from the Primordial Man, they are considered untouchable.
"Oh, so according to the teachings in the Vedas, the four castes born from the original human must all uphold their positions according to the will of the gods and the two supreme beings, is that right?"
"Yes!"
This time it was Arjuna's turn to answer.
"So, if a lower caste does something that only higher castes do, will they be punished?"
"Meeting!"
Arjuna.
"Alright, since you believe that doing this should punish the lower castes, then shouldn't the higher castes be punished for impersonating the lower castes?"
"...want!"
"Good."
Karna clapped his hands suddenly, "Since you say that those of high caste who impersonate those of low caste should be punished, then all the believers of the Mahadeva Shiva should die!"
The followers of Mahadeva Shiva renounce the world and live like wild animals in the woods and wilderness.
They are also the group with the greatest demand for ritual implements made from human bones.
Many of the devotees of Mahadeva Shiva are of high caste.
Arjuna was sweating profusely. He instinctively felt that Karna was being sophistical, but he hadn't read many books and couldn't really explain it.
The eloquent and quick-witted third brother was defeated. Even the Bhima, who only loved physical exercise, was speechless.
Karna put the rosary back on his arm. "See? Martial arts are useless at this point. Don't bother me anymore."
She turned and walked toward the cave.
A sharp shout came from behind, "But at this moment, your knowledge is not as useful as our martial arts!"
Karna turned around and saw the two of them rushing towards him.
She stood quietly until the two men were about to reach out and grab her arm, at which point she quickly pulled her arm out and pointed it like a sword.
After two sharp cracks, Arjuna and Bhima were frozen in place in terror.
They were unable to move; the slightest movement would cause their entire body to go numb.
Karna looked at the two of them and sighed helplessly, "I really don't have time to mess around with you. Let's call it a day. If you still want to fight me, blink once. If you choose to go back, blink twice."
A few seconds later, Karna reached out and patted the two men on the chest and shoulders a few times.
"Is this some kind of malevolent curse?"
Bhima rubbed his numb limbs.
Arjuna also looked unwell—fortunately, his skin was relatively dark, so it wasn't too noticeable.
"It's just some tips and tricks that I figured out myself, based on the knowledge my father taught me and what I read in books."
Karna answered calmly, then turned and went into the cave.
"It seems he really doesn't need to practice martial arts."
"I can't believe it," said the Bhima helplessly.
No, he will need it.
Arjuna stared intently at the cave. "He will never know what a true Kshatriya warrior looks like—what are these little tricks compared to archery?"
"In the midterm exams two months from now, I'll show him what a 'sharpshooter' really is! He'll regret not studying martial arts properly then."
"That's true."
While comforting his younger brother, Bhima walked back.
Even so, an idea still uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.
—Just based on Karna's quick and accurate actions just now.
Could Karna really be bad at archery? That seems unlikely...
It seems that the third brother will have to put in a lot of effort to surpass Karna in archery.
Meanwhile, Karna, who was studying scriptures in the cave, gazed at the sunlight streaming down from above.
She began to miss Hebe and Kama.
What are you doing now?
Inside the cave, Karna's murmur burst silently, like a bubble.
I miss you all...
Chapter 308 Gambling Monster.
Karna is missing Hebe and Kama.
So what are these two doing now?
Meanwhile, although the foundation of the Kuru Dynasty was rotten and its people were struggling like fish in a frying pan, everything in Elephant City —the most prosperous place in the world—was still flourishing and thriving.
The economic base determines the superstructure. Or, to put it in Cathay, "When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame."
The moral standards of residents in Elephant City are generally higher than those in other places, and it is common to see women wearing saris walking alone on the streets.
Several months ago, two young men arrived at the intersection of West Street in Elephant City.
Before long, a shop opened along the street—and then a sign that read "Vedic Astrology" was hung up.
In those days, merchants in Bharata either set up stalls on the ground or hawked their wares along the streets; the wealthier ones could own a shop, but they didn't care much about the details of hanging up signs. The shops that could operate for a long time all had a solid customer base.
Therefore, Hebe's signboard attracted the attention of the residents of Elephant City West Street.
What surprised them even more were the long, rectangular scrolls hanging on the two pillars at the entrance, with words written on them in Elephant City script:
On the left is "Only speaking of profound and mysterious principles"; on the right is "Not uttering a single empty word."
Walking further into the room, you'll see two more scrolls, with Sanskrit inscriptions on them:
"A sharp tongue can discern good or bad fortune in people's inquiries; two strange eyes can observe the rise and fall of the world."
These words were clearly written casually, with strokes as graceful as lotus flowers, carrying an indescribable elegance and style.
Below that sign, a small flag was hanging.
"One divination costs one hundred coins."
So this is what happens in front of Hebe's astrology shop: residents who want to come in and see what's going on are kept at the door and dare not step in.
The reason is simple.
Even the best astrologer in Elephant City would only charge a maximum of twenty coins for a fortune telling session.