I was a charlatan in India

"Hurry up! Don't dawdle!"

In the Dalit shantytown, lower-class believers had their hands bound together with rope, forming a chain.

Surya took the instructions from the Great Heaven very seriously.

He sent his most elite guards to drive the poor together, preparing them to work in the ascetic factory.

These soldiers were all dressed in dark red robes and wielded long clubs covered with iron.

They have just changed their name to "The Army of Divine Punishment," meaning they will punish disobedient believers on behalf of God.

Regarding this naming, Surya had consulted Datian, and Datian did not object.

Yes, we're targeting you lowly, ignorant people who don't know how to cultivate yourself!

Appointments are acceptable, but lying down and doing nothing is not!

Arise, go and practice penance!

Although the site is not yet ready, it is permissible to excavate in the open if one cannot kick durians in a certain place.

Crying, pleading, wailing, panting—none of it worked.

The guards knew perfectly well that if they failed to complete the mission, the same misfortunes would befall them.

Listen up!

A leader of the Divine Punishment Army stood on the wooden crate, his voice booming, even drowning out the cacophony of weeping.

"By order of Lord Surya, I tell you plainly that Varanasi is a land blessed by the heavens; those who do not practice asceticism are nothing but useless parasites!"

He paused, then held up three fingers: "I now offer you two paths!"

"First, those who voluntarily enter the ascetic factory, dedicate themselves to the Great Heaven, and diligently practice asceticism to cleanse their sins, will be provided with food and clothing, and after death, their souls may return to the Great Heaven's side!"

A commotion broke out in the crowd.

Rumors of the ascetic factory had spread like wildfire; few who went in ever came out unscathed.

"The second option..."

The voice of the leader of the Divine Punishment Army suddenly turned fierce, like a hammer striking down.

"Those who disobey will all be regarded as heretics, sinners, and wasteful of food..."

"Execute him immediately!"

The crowd erupted in uproar.

Execution for not practicing asceticism?

Is this order really something a normal person would give?

If they weren't unarmed, they could probably have joined forces and taken over the Gupta family that very day!

In fact, even the Divine Punishment Army could not understand it.

But they had no choice but to obey their young master's orders.

These soldiers were brought from the capital by Surya, and their families were still in the capital, in Surya's hands.

If he obeys, his wife, children, and elderly parents will naturally enjoy good food and drink, and live a life of wealth and luxury.

But if they disobey orders, their family members will likely soon become prisoners.

As for whether these lowly people will riot?

What the hell does this have to do with me!

"Clang!"

At a command, longswords were drawn one after another, their cold gleam striking the ground and silencing those who were itching to act.

Right now, nobody wants to be the one to take the lead.

At most, they begged.

"My lord, please spare me! I...I..."

"Yes, we haven't done anything to wrong the city lord!"

"Sir, this is my meager savings, I only ask..."

For a time, cries for mercy were heard everywhere.

Many others stared blankly, as if they couldn't understand this simple choice between two options.

Am I dreaming?

Yesterday, during the full moon festival, I suddenly had a terrible headache. Could it be that I'm sick or hallucinating?

Definitely!

Ugh, I'm such a jerk, I even dream about being bullied!

Someone slapped themselves hard across the face, trying to wake up from their dream.

Of course, this can only provide divinity with a little bit of the power of asceticism.

However, neither the divine nor the Shen River can interfere with all of this now.

They were all overturned by that golden Buddha cart.

Although the other party did not kill Shenhe because they dared not devour him, he would not wake up for a while.

As expected of a high-ranking monk, that's impressive!

Of course, the golden Buddha also has its own troubles.

Those few of his most prized students seemed to have become so engrossed in their studies that they couldn't be called back.

Lately, I keep hearing their passionate encouragement to each other in my mind.

"Senior brother!"

"Junior brother!"

"Cheer! Cheer! Cheer!"

...Why did I provoke him?

Jin Fo wished he could slap himself twice.

However, Surya's pronouncements included more than just tyranny.

Shenhe also gave him many instructions on how to support the people, such as stabilizing tax revenue, limiting the use of scalpers, and preventing monk soldiers from extorting money...

Hmm, the monk soldiers have been quite well-behaved lately.

After all, they were studying the tactics of the Merit Ball.

Surrey issued a series of orders and even sent his men to assist various businesses in transporting goods and relocating sites, quickly restoring the city's economy.

The economy of Varanasi is really promising these days.

Because of the divine power and the Shen River's continuous draining of their resources, many tourists suspect that they have health problems.

Such a large-scale fainting spell might be due to some kind of infectious disease, so they decided to stay in the city and recuperate.

After all, if you really fall ill on the way back to the city, you could really die on the way.

So despite the terrible state of the local residents of Varanasi, the influx of outsiders has created a huge market potential.

"fraud!"

...Of course, most people do not believe in the part about Surya's benevolent rule.

It's also very easy to solve.

"Bang!"

The iron-plated wooden stick slammed down hard.

The Divine Punishment Army waved their hand: "Drag him away and beat him severely! Beat him until he understands the young master's mercy!"

With each wail, the man's voice grew fainter and fainter until he spat out a mouthful of blood and could no longer move.

See, the problem is solved now?

As expected of the Great Heaven!

Two orders from the beginning and the end taught me how to do things!

Although it wasn't Shenhe's original intention, it was indeed an efficient approach for Surieh, who wielded power.

As for whether there will be any long-term effects, it mainly depends on how violent he was.

For now, it seems we can still keep these troublemakers in check.

After signing all the orders, Surya solemnly rose and walked toward the Shiva Temple.

There's a piece of land nearby that belongs to Shenhe, the land he forcibly bought for Shenhe back then.

The renovation is now complete.

In the courtyard that spans over a thousand square meters, only two people currently live there.

Arti and Mina.

Since Shenhe had not given any instructions, Suliye did not dare to arrange manpower on his own.

I can only go there periodically, leave food, and see if there's anything I can help with.

These two are a saintly woman and a sacred fetus.

Just hearing the name is enough to make it a great achievement.

So when it came to serving him, Surie didn't feel wronged at all.

Old man, wait until I've accumulated enough power through arduous cultivation to transcend the mortal realm and become a saint, then I'll open your eyes to a whole new world!

Deep within the courtyard, two specially arranged quiet rooms are connected to each other.

The interior of Arti was filled with the fragrance of fine agarwood.

Mina did not light incense because she was about to give birth.

A fabric depicting Shiva dancing hung in the window, making the light inside the room very soft.

The floor was covered with soft white wool blankets, and these two blankets alone were made of the finest materials and were quite expensive.

The blanket is thick, so even if you fall, it won't affect the fetus.

However, Mina rarely moves around anymore; it's mainly Arti running around on it.

"Sister Mina, when are you going to give birth to my dad?"

Mina felt that this question was extremely strange.

However, it's still much better than being called "Grandma Mina" before.

For some reason, this younger sister insisted that she was pregnant with her father's child.

Do you want to listen to what you're saying?

He seemed like such a good kid, how did he become mentally challenged? Sigh!

Mina shook her head slightly.

At that moment, Surya arrived.

He knocked on the door very politely.

"Ah, it's Brother Suliye."

Thanks to the blessing of the Shen River, all ordinary humans are guaranteed to be friendly towards Arti, and Surie regards her as having done a great service, so she naturally treats her with extra courtesy.

As for Arti, she had never experienced any kindness before, so she naturally felt that anyone who was kind to her was a good person.

"Saintess".

Surrey scanned the room: "I've come to see if you two have any needs."

Mina was well-mannered and understood Suliye's status. She struggled to move her body and get up.

"Lord Surrey, thank you for your trouble."

Then she turned to Arti.

"Arti, quickly greet Lord Surie."

Mina completely treats Artie like a younger sister, so she naturally speaks to her in the tone of an older sister.

Otherwise what?

Do you really treat her like a granddaughter?

Surrey quickly stopped her, saying, "That's not appropriate, that's not appropriate."

But Arti didn't think that much about it. He jumped off the chair and greeted them in a very casual manner.

"Hello, Brother Suliye!"

"By the way, do you know where Brother Da Tian went?"