Fruit of the Forest

The gate opened, and Krishna walked in with a beaming smile. Behind him stood a man a head taller than him, with a robust build. He held a giant plow, exuding an imposing aura.

The man looked at Bai Mo with admiration and gratitude, and Bai Mo to him with his hands clasped together. On the other side, Krishna was much more relaxed.

"My friend! I never expected you to give me such a wonderful surprise so quickly. After learning of your victory, I rushed all the way from Dvaraka to celebrate with you. I hope I'm not too late!"

Logically speaking, the news of Bai Mo killing Yao Lian shouldn't have spread yet; there simply isn't enough time. And judging from the weapon-wielding man behind him, it's clear that Krishna hadn't had a chance to persuade him before dragging him over.

"There was no celebration, no reward, just a bunch of trouble," Bai Mo said speechlessly.

Krishna seemed to have rushed there, panting heavily. He then spotted the tea on the table and instinctively reached out. In an instant, a golden spike fell down, and Kama face dark, gave Krishna a murderous smile.

"There's a well below if you're thirsty."

Krishna instantly withdrew his hand, his expression subtle, and said, "Oh, this was specially prepared for him, my friend. Who said there was no celebration? Isn't there one?"

Upon hearing Krishna's words, Kama's previously dark face instantly turned slightly red. Krishna took out a plate from somewhere, placed tea on it, and handed it to Kama.

"Celebrations don't have to be grand. Even a grand feast can't compare to a cup of tea filled with heartfelt sentiment. Alright, Bai Mo, give me this spot. We can't finish a battle without a celebration. I know Yao Lian has a room that's perfect for enjoying tea."

"Wait, I still have..."

Before he could finish speaking, Bai Mo was pushed out the door by Krishna. Bai Mo didn't even know when the four corners of the chair had turned into wheels.

"Fine, since he's here, let him handle these things." Bai Mo sighed and stood up from his chair. Behind him, Kama held a teacup and whispered:

"Well... how about we go check out that room?"

Bai Mo took the tray from Kama, turned his head and said, "Let's go, we've already soaked."

Inside the room, Jara also clasped his hands together and bowed to the two, saying, "Greetings, Krishna and Bala Rama, I didn't expect you to arrive so soon."

The two returned the greeting, Jara said to Krishna, "O Vasudeva, thank you for your guidance. The evil I have caused has not been serious enough to harm the world."

After learning what Yao Lian had done, I was extremely worried. He was stopping the Rakshasa army, which seemed glorious, but in reality, he was being led to his own destruction by his arrogance.

"If it weren't for that person, Yao Lian would probably be facing an enemy like the Heavenly Emperor by now, and the Rakshasa would face extinction. But now, Vasudeva, please tell me, how can I guide these bloodthirsty beasts so that they don't bring about their own destruction?"

Krishna shook his head and looked at the city in the distance.

"A person who is courting death cannot be saved. If someone falls off a cliff, is tied with a rope, and then takes out a knife to cut the rope, no one can stop him from falling."

But here, not all Rakshasa are bloodthirsty. Many of the weak, fellow oppressed, still have the chance to embark on that arduous path of redemption.

Krishna stretched out his hand, and a leaf fell into his palm. He said:

"We can't expect that planting seeds will guarantee a harvest, but at least we'll keep the good ones. The seeds have been planted, and we'll see the results soon."

Krishna pointed in a direction, which was where Bai Mo had parked their vehicle. At that moment, the green vine that Krishna had left behind had grown luxuriantly, covering thousands of miles, and bearing bright red fruit that looked like flesh and blood.

Jara understood and left. Soon, she found several weak Rakshasa and had them embark on a path of asceticism with her, so that they would no longer eat humans.

She pointed to the bright red fruits, instructing them to eat only fruits from now on and never touch flesh again. One of the Rakshasa took a bite out of curiosity, but a bitter taste followed, and he immediately spat it out.

"I'd rather dig up corpses than eat this kind of thing!"

Many Rakshasa also left, leaving only a small number behind. These Rakshasa were all oppressed, including Vikatali, who was transformed into a human by Kama.

They clearly saw that such a mad war machine was destined to be destroyed. Some of them did not want to die, while others were disgusted by the group of Rakshasa madmen in Rajagriha, believing that those Rakshasa were too extreme.

In any case, they ate it.

"We all vow to never eat flesh and blood again, and to begin a practice of abandoning desires."

After each Rakshasa ate the fruit, the juice made them gradually forget the taste of flesh and blood. In the main hall of Rajagriha, Krishna sat in a chair with his eyes closed.

Every time Rakshasa eats the fruit, he feels as if a piece of his body has been gnawed off while he is still alive.

"Brother, why did you go to such lengths?"

Krishna's elder brother Bala Rama, asked, but Krishna only smiled and remained silent. Seeing his weak appearance, Bala Rama, who always doted on his younger brother, said somewhat angrily:

"Why go to such lengths for these Rakshasa? It would be better if I joined forces with that Mr. Bai Mo; we could wipe Rakshasa all out in a single day."

"Brother, this is a promise I made to Jara. Are you going to make me break it? Besides, look, if those Rakshasa start cultivating in the future, wouldn't that also lead to their annihilation?"

Don't tell Bai Mo about this. Compared to him, my problems are nothing. Besides, he helped us for free, so we shouldn't bother him with such troublesome matters."

Krishna's face still wore that sunny smile, though it was somewhat pale at this moment.

A day later, the green vine covered the surrounding forest. If Rakshasa entered it, she would be trapped in an illusion from which she could never escape. Legend has it that only by abandoning her bloodlust and eating the crimson fruit in the forest could she leave.

If one eats this fruit and then drinks a drop of blood, the fruit will sprout, causing the intestines to rot and the stomach to perforate.

But all of this is a story for later. In just one day, Krishna had already sent Bala Rama to take all the humans in the kingdom away.