I was a charlatan in India

Night was falling.

Dana, wrapped in several layers of coarse linen, shivered in the dead of night as he struggled forward.

He somewhat regretted letting Haiti escape.

If we had that horse, at least we could walk faster, or stick together for warmth.

Given the current situation, there is absolutely no way for Varanasi to return.

Even if he is penniless now, those exploited businessmen may not let him go.

Well... saying I was penniless wouldn't be accurate either.

After all, Dana himself had some valuable jewelry hidden away, and it was all the most precious pieces.

As long as I can find a place to stay, I can at least make a living after selling the assets.

If an opportunity is found, it is not impossible to revive the business with the capital.

However, he had no food reserves, so he could only head west towards a relatively nearby city.

There is a city called Qunün on the western bank of the Ganges, where many merchants resupply.

It's suitable for both monetization and finding business opportunities, so it should be a good choice.

Dana had not previously been interested in this place.

He planned to meet up in the west of the city first, and then travel to Gandhara in the northwest.

However, the available resources do not support him to do so, so he has to settle for second best.

In addition, the injury on the arm also needs to be treated promptly.

If this continues for too long, it may gradually worsen.

Dana quickly sat down and made his decision, glancing back at Varanasi's shadow.

After roughly determining the direction, he sighed heavily and headed west.

Note:

Given the reader's meticulous attitude towards historical terminology, an explanation is provided here.

I know that at that time Qu Nu City should have been called Ji Rao Yi City, and the name used here is incorrect.

The problem is the character "罽" (jī), which creates reading difficulties.

Just like Agni, the next day there were rumors that people didn't know the character "耆" and that he shouldn't have been named that way.

Some people said it was a metaphor for "old age" and even gave my family a harsh insult.

Honestly, I am more wronged than Dana.

He at least wanted to provide cabbage for the children.

The host would like to clarify that I also love cats and have two pets.

Agni is the name of the "fire god," and has no other meaning.

Furthermore, this city is quite important later on, so I chose a version that is easier to remember.

That's it for Qu Nu City.

(Including this paragraph and punctuation, it totals 260 characters, but it is not part of the main text and will be added to this chapter.)

In the small deserted village.

"Mine! This is mine!"

"Why do you get more! Put it down!"

"Damn it, we're all servants, and you really think you're the master?"

"You're right, I'm a slut, but aren't you?!"

The scene was chaotic.

The old steward regretted letting Dana escape.

With his departure, the jewelry became completely ownerless.

Forget about restructuring the family and fair distribution! Get out of my way!

Nobody wants to be a servant anymore!

If you can rob enough money, who can't be the next big shot?

The guy who used to strut around the house on his danah is now lying in the crowd, trampled on countless times.

Everyone is envious of money!

Varanasi's regular army quickly fell.

Traces of people carrying goods are easy to find, especially in a remote village that legitimate merchants wouldn't frequent.

Dana is probably hiding here!

At the captain's signal, the soldiers silently surrounded the deserted village.

They exchanged signals and soon launched a surprise attack.

"Everyone stop! Lie face down on the ground, palms down!"

Upon seeing real weapons, the servants calmed down, stumbled and released their jewelry, and obediently submitted under the threat of the blades.

"Who's in charge? Call Dana out!"

The servants all looked at the old steward.

The old butler cursed inwardly.

Damn it, what were you thinking when I told you to stop?!

Now that the soldiers and bandits have arrived, no one will get a single penny!

What use am I? Can I take a knife for you?

The servants were also generally filled with regret.

I just heard from the old housekeeper that the assignments have been made according to seniority.

Taking more or less is better than having nothing at all.

Moreover, if not handled properly, they might even be forced to work in a mine.

On this point, the old butler was the first to feel relieved.

It's not that he has a good attitude.

The main reason is that he didn't have many years left to live anyway.

More than money, he wanted to experience being waited on like a master.

As for being caught at the mine?

He's an old man, he doesn't have the skills to mine!

I suppose these soldiers and bandits wouldn't even look down on me.

Not afraid at all!

However, he still had to come out and deal with it, since these bastards had already drawn the attention of the soldiers and bandits to him.

The old butler stepped forward.

"Sir, I am the steward of the Dana family, but the master... has already run away."

"Um."

The captain sized him up a few times, then waved his arm: "Except for this leader, all of them are to be sent to the factory for hard labor!"

Upon hearing this, all the servants turned pale.

They had heard about this ascetic factory; it had been a hot topic in Varanasi lately.

When he was working under Lord Dana, he often mocked those troublemakers who were desperately trying to get ahead and torment him.

I never thought it would happen to me now.

So your workers weren't hired, but kidnapped?

No, let me go to the coal mine!

I want to mine, and I'm also willing to do manual labor!

You know, humans are very adaptable.

Moving upwards is difficult, while moving downwards is fraught with landslides.

The old butler secretly rejoiced.

It seems that even with my old bones, no one wants me for ascetic practices.

Either the secret of Lord Dana was too precious, indirectly protecting him.

That's not true.

"Prepare the instruments of torture, torment him on the spot, and find out Dana's whereabouts!"

The old butler's face turned deathly pale instantly.

"I, I..."

As the pipe wrench and durian got closer and closer, the old housekeeper's lips trembled with anxiety.

"I really don't know!"

"Hmph, still so stubborn. Let's fight and show him what's what!"

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god...!!!"

At this moment, Dana was walking through the grass.

There was no large-scale trade between Varanasi and Qunu, so there were no good roads to travel after the abandoned village.

Even if there were merchants, they would usually take a longer route via the official road.

Of course, he couldn't possibly go back to the official road.

According to his subordinates, notices to arrest him had already been posted, so in the eyes of both soldiers and passersby, he was undoubtedly a walking bounty.

With his build, you can recognize him at a glance without even seeing his face.

Let alone the official road, even walking through this overgrown area, you'd make a path every few steps, making it impossible to hide your tracks.

He had to race against time.

In addition, there was one last method, which was the roll of cloth in his arms.

He obtained this from a guy who claimed to be an immortal, and it was said that the other person's power resided within it.

In India, the power of sages is mainly divided into blessings and curses, which is very similar to the ascetic system, both being a kind of energy generated from ascetic practices.

Therefore, the image of Indian sages is mostly that of unkempt hair and disheveled appearance.

Unlike ascetics, the power that immortals gain through asceticism is in their own hands, while ascetics dedicate it to God.

Therefore, the bodies of immortals are healthy, with full muscles and strong bodies, which is the difference between them and those who practice asceticism.

Ascetics are usually skin and bones, with the skin under their ribs so thin it can be swung around.

Just like Agni.

However, although the powers are from the same source, immortals cannot control their powers very well.

They can only choose whether to unleash their power on the other party, but they cannot determine the nature of that power.

Blessings and curses have their own ideas.

If the other party's actions are in accordance with the Dharma, then the power will be dedicated to blessing, but if the other party is arrogant and blasphemous, then a curse is easily incurred.

As for what the true Dharma is...?

This has always been a very strange problem.

Even the Three Gods cannot interfere with the outcome of the righteous law.

Although many religious myths offer different interpretations of the true Dharma.

For example, those who worship Shiva believe that the Great Deity is responsible for destroying and giving birth to new righteous Dharma.

Those who worship Brahma and Vishnu believe that they are responsible for creating and revising the Dharma, respectively.

But it's all nonsense.

There are also many cases of Triads being cursed.

Shiva can only be worshipped in the form of a lingam, which is a curse created by the sage Bhriku.

If things could truly be controlled, there wouldn't be so many messy situations.

Moreover, judging from the malice that Chong Shenhe sensed, this so-called "righteous law" is probably just like the blessing system, full of pitfalls.