The same moon, different places

Hastinapura, Night. Karna had just finished dinner with his parents and was grooming his horse's mane when a figure appeared, bathed in moonlight. The moonlight shone on the silver armor, making it resemble a majestic White Lion.

"Bhishma, Venerable Bhishma."

Karna bowed to the guardian of Hastinapura, while Bhishma walked in without any ceremony. He casually sat on the haystack and rubbed the horse feed.

"Your father, Adhiratha, was an excellent coachman. No one in the entire Hastinapura knew better than him how to take care of these precious horses. There was once a saying in the royal family of Hastinapura that the wildest horse would only allow two people to touch it."

One was the bravest warrior, and the other was the Adhiratha.

Bhishma spoke very casually, like an old man enjoying the cool of the evening, chatting about trivial matters.

"Every time my father cared for the horses, his eyes were filled with seriousness, and I could tell he was proud of his work. But I didn't have that talent; at least compared to my father, I was far inferior."

"Because this is not in your nature, Karna."

Bhishma suddenly sat up, which clearly expressed his meaning. Karna, who fully agreed with Bhishma's words, replied:

"Yes, I was born with this armor; my hands hold a bow and arrow more steadily than a pitchfork. When I was young, I felt that this talent made me a warrior, not a coachman."

Just like a blind Dhritarashtra shouldn't be king but...

"Alright, alright, I now clearly realize that keeping you in Hastinapura any longer will not bring any good. Karna, since you want to become a warrior, then go and achieve great things."

Drona issued an order for the princes to conquer King Drupada as a tribute to his master. You too shall go and fight; King Drupada's Kingdom of Panchala is vast and expansive, where you can carve out a territory that belongs to you.

Then you should take your father and go live there.

Bhishma felt that he really couldn't let him see Dhritarashtra anymore; why did that kid always like to kick the cripple's broken leg? But soon, he saw Karna's worried look.

"What are you worried about, child?"

My parents live here, can I bring them with me?

"Ah, child, you need not worry. Hastinapura has always been peaceful. As long as I am Hastinapura, no enemy will dare to invade."

"But at the martial arts tournament just now, Yao Lian wasn't..."

Bhishma slapped himself in the face. He was extremely grateful that Karna possessed the talent of a general rather than a prime minister; otherwise, along with Vidura, the two of them might have been able to Dhritarashtra and drive it to its death.

How was the Adhiratha taught to him?

Thinking of this, Bhishma smiled bitterly to himself. What right did he, as the grandfather, have to blame Adhiratha for not teaching Karna well?

"I will send my most elite soldiers to this area to protect your parents. You should try to make a name for yourself, and then I will send your parents there."

But you cannot return here, child. The Dhritarashtra has decreed that if you set foot on this land again, you will pay the price...

Bhishma's words were tinged with helplessness, and Karna understood the meaning behind them: Dhritarashtra wanted him to vow never to set foot here again.

"Very well, Bhishma, I trust you, grandfather. I, Karna, will never set foot in Hastinapura again after establishing my own kingdom."

Upon hearing Karna's address, Bhishma slightly taken aback. Then, he took a deep breath and suppressed the emotion welling up in his chest.

He turned and left, gazing at the moonlight in the distant sky. Bhishma smiled with satisfaction, knowing that he had consistently upheld his Dharma and had not mistreated the child.

The moonlight was bright and clear. Under the night sky, everything was illuminated by the moonlight. The moon god Soma shone on the peaceful Hastinapura, and also on the gloomy Rakshasa Forest.

Bai Mo stood in front of the woman, while Kama leaned out from behind him, his cold black eyes and Kama's alluring yet dangerous purple eyes both fixed on the small woman.

"Rakshasa? What are you saying? I am a resident of Kingdom of Magadha, how could I be a cannibal..."

"Alright, alright, whatever you say. You're not Rakshasa, you're just an ordinary woman from Kingdom of Magadha, and I'm just an outsider who wants to go to Kingdom of Magadha."

"In that case, how about I take you back to Kingdom of Magadha?"

Seeing Bai Mo's expression with a subtle smile, the woman felt her heart skip a beat, but she still forced herself to remain calm and got into the car with Bai Mo.

Throughout this time, Kama kept staring at her, and that gaze felt incredibly eerie to her.

Guided by the woman, Bai Mo quickly drove to an open space where the moonlight made him look like an actor under a stage spotlight.

And what lies behind those deep curtains is now stirring with activity.

His bare feet touched the mud, surrounded by sounds like wild beasts lurking in the forest. He glanced down at the woman at his feet; she remained there, whether out of worry or something else.

From the surrounding shadows emerged Rakshasa figures clad in animal skins and wielding crude yet heavy weapons. These clubs were essentially just wooden sticks tied to rocks, yet they appeared remarkably sturdy.

"Vikatali, are these two Kshatriyas? If they are, we won't be getting any fresh meat tonight. Didn't the king say that the Brahmins should be sent away, and if we encounter a Kshatriya, we should take him to him?"

The leader, Rakshasa wielding Great Saber, spoke, while the woman called Vikatali glanced worriedly at Bai Mo behind her. He slowly stepped down from the carriage and asked the Rakshasa:

"Your Majesty, are you referring to the Yao Lian?"

The Rakshasa kept glancing at Bai Mo, seemingly conflicted.

"Armor without weapons doesn't look like that of a Kshatriya, but driving such a luxurious carriage with a beautiful woman doesn't seem like that of a Brahmin either. Besides, you're far too calm... Never mind, I'm starving."

Then, the man kicked the knife onto his shoulder, took a step and came directly in front of Bai Mo. This Rakshasa was over three meters tall and his arms were as thick as tree trunks. He slashed down hard with his knife.

"Could you please answer my question? What exactly happened in Kingdom of Magadha?"

As the smoke cleared, Bai Mo, who had somehow managed to dodge the attack, stood to the side and asked a question. Upon seeing this, the Rakshasa was clearly even more excited and pleased.

"Hahaha, you've got some skill, come on!"

With a bang, the giant Rakshasa was struck directly in the back by Bai Mo's spinning kick, and his entire body was embedded in the ground. This sudden change startled everyone except for Kama.

"I don't want to see the brain of a cannibal. If possible, please answer my question; it'll be better for both of us."

As Bai Mo's voice faded, the Rakshasa lying on the ground let out a low growl and suddenly sprang up:

"Answer your question? Sure, as long as you let me put my teeth into your soft, fresh flesh."

"That would probably drive Arcueid crazy, and for you, that could be worse than death."

Faced with this guy's sudden outburst, he was met only by Bai Mo's icy fist. This time, Bai Mo's Decapitation Way dented the skull, and then he struck the Rakshasa's chest with a claw.

The Heavenly Martial Killing Way - the Heart-Breaking Way.

Rakshasa felt as if a pair of giant hands were twisting his heart and surrounding blood vessels like a pretzel. The intense pain made him kneel on the ground, letting out a heart-wrenching wail.