The hermit continued, “I can give you more of these. Your kingdom will prosper and so will your people. But you will have to do something for me in return.” The King thought for a while and asked, “What can I do for you?” The hermit replied, “In the forest of Tanakpur is a peepal tree in which hangs a corpse upside down. You have to bring that corpse to me.” The King was surprised to hear this. He asked, “Whose corpse is it?” The hermit replied, “A ghost named Baital lives in the corpse. Bring him to me. I want to enhance my spiritual powers. I will also help you.” The King said, “I will get you the corpse in the interest of my people.” The hermit said, “You can commence your mission on the next moonless night. I will wait for you in the crematory.”
The Hermit’s Proposal
