The Urban Dao Child

Dao Yin and Yang Dao came to the city gate and the guard said, “Sir, you need to pay the entry fee.”

The two were surprised and then Yang Dao asked, “Sir, may I ask, what is the entry fee for?”

The soldier noticed that the other party is very polite so he said, “Sir, the city does not have any citizens, it was established for the people to seek out opportunities and flourish. Even the shops inside will change owners every six months. This is to let other people have the chance to get in. The owners are selected on either the uniqueness or the comparison of their products.

The entry fee is for the city guards that ensure that no conflict inside escalates and also to test your identity. The test is to make sure that you are not a Daemon. There are degrees of the entry fee, if you wish to spend your night at the Miracle Inn, then you can pay two spirit stones extra. Miracle Inn is the most luxurious inn in the city. The charge is still comparable to the other inns and hotels.”

Yang Dao nodded and asked, “How much is the total amount if we pay for two people and a night at the Miracle Inn?”

The guard said, “Sir, the total amount is five medium-grade spirit stones.”

Yang Dao nodded and took out a spirit stone from his spirit ring, he said, “We only have high-grade spirit stones.”

The guard nodded and said, “That is completely fine sir, we will provide you with the ninety-five medium-grade spirit stones.”

Yang Dao shook his head with a smile and said, “The people behind us were all kind enough to let us go ahead even after they have been waiting for a long time. You may deduct their fees from the leftover amount.”

The guard was surprised and he nodded, he let them pass. Another guard at the side gestured for them to follow him inside a small room at the side. He said, “Sir, please place your right hand over this crystal.”

Yang Dao did as he was instructed and then the guard said, “Sir, please channel your spirit energy through the crystal.”

The Dao Child followed the instructions and the guard was shocked to see the crystal glowing with golden light. He gulped and said, “Sir, that is enough. Please pardon me for keeping you occupied.”

Yang Dao could not understand why the people were so polite to him and Dao Yin. Soon the guard asked Dao Yin to do the same as well, and then carefully dropped them to the other side of the city.

Yang Dao and Dao Yin held hands and began to look around the place as they walked inside.

…

The guard who had just returned from dropping Yang Dao and Dao Yin suddenly sprawled on the ground. The people were shocked, he raised his head, “Excuse me, guests, would you mind waiting for a few minutes, I need to catch my breath.”

The guard responsible for collecting the fee asked, “What happened?”

The latter only said, “Do you remember what did it mean for the testing crystal to glow golden?”

The guy replied, “Golden, hmmm, true immortal rea… wait, you mean those two young guests just now were true immortals?”

The latter nodded and the fee collector looked at the people queueing up. They all heard the conversation and they were all shocked at this moment. While some young males were worried if Yang Dao will erase them with a snap of his fingers, the ladies were scowling at Dao Yin for being beautiful because of her cultivation realm.

…

Unaware of the shock and awe at the gates of the city, the couple moved around with their hands held by each other. Yang Dao found a food item similar to cotton candy and he watched it from the side. Dao Yin asked, “What happened?” ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀ​ꪶ​

Yang Dao snapped out of his daze and he said, “You know, back in liro, I always wanted to eat this kind of streetside sweet. However, I was an orphan who did not have much money. Sister Tina would favor me over the rest of my siblings and will get me extra food.  I ate all that I could but still, I would forget to eat cotton candy. I do not know what to call it.”

Dao Yin smiled and walked up to the vendor. She said, “Excuse me, aunty, can I have the two biggest portions of this?”

The aunty was overwhelmed by the sweet and polite voice. She smiled and said, “Just a minute, sweetheart.”

Then she prepared two fresh portions and gave them to Dao Yin. The girl paid with a gold coin. The aunty refuse to say that it was too much. Dao Yin said, “Aunty, you called me sweetheart, that is the only memory I have left of my mother. She would call me the same way. I will take the sweets for free, but since I do not know what to gift you, think of this coin as a gift?”

The aunty could not help but accept the coin. Yang Dao said, “Yin, the logic was not sound.”

Dao Yin pouted and said, “I went there to get it for you, you know I am not very much of a crowd person.”

Yang Dao apologized and then the two people began to roam around the city while eating the cotton candy. They have never seen such a bustling place. The whole city seemed to be fair. They were having fun and a lot so of it.

The two began to share a lot of things that happened in their lives as a mortal. Some were happy and some were sad. However, they did not realize they were getting a better sync with each other. This will lead the two of them to understand the nature of Dao even better.

Yang Dao and Dao Yin ended up in a restaurant and they were having a meal in the most romantic box of the restaurant. The two people bought this spot in a lottery. The crowd was surprised but the two people understood why they won it and they smiled bitterly.

Since they won it, they came to eat a meal. The menu was fixed, but it was all dishes they have never tasted, so the two people had just started eating when they heard a conflict outside the door.

“I said, why can I not talk to those people inside? They just won it in a lottery, I will pay them for letting me and my wife have a meal in that box.”

Yang Dao did not care and kept eating his food. Dao Yin was the same, suddenly another remark came out, “They are beggars who can eat here for free, do you know who I am? I can buy this whole city.”

Dao Yin dropped her chopsticks at this moment, She hated when people looked down on her. Yang Dao was the same, but he did not find it necessary to act when Dao Yin was having her temper raging. He stood up after putting his chopsticks down and said, “Shall we go and see?”

Dao Yin nodded and they strode outside. To make sure that the girl does not paint the world red, Yang Dao held her with her shoulder after the came out of the room. In front of them stood the staff of the restaurant as he faced a handsome man and a beautiful lady.

Yang Dao said, “Waiter, can you tell me what is happening and who is this gent?” his tone was so sophisticated that the people who knew him for being black-bellied would have smashed their heads on a stone.

The waiter was surprised that the customer has come out of the box from the disturbance. The handsome man and the lady were in shock as well, they did not expect the people inside to be fairies. Well, that was the image Yang Dao and Dao Yin cast on these people.

The waiter said, “Sir, this gentleman wants to have a meal in the box. He offered that we let him negotiate with him.”

Yang Dao nodded and gazed at the young man with an aura of superiority emitting from his eyes. He asked, “May I ask, what is the hurry? Can you not wait till we are done? Will the world come to an end?”

His questions were straight, and the handsome man was obviously deterred but he did not want to back off, after all his wife was looking at him. He said, “It is our ten-year anniversary, and for the past ten years we have always maintained to eat a meal in this box at this exact time. This is why I ask you, how much do you want to leave this box for us.”

Dao Yin clicked her tongue and said, “Here I thought it was some high rider. Turns out it is just a stagnated couple.”

The lady was displeased by this remark. She asked, “Clarify yourself.”

Dao Yin did not reply, but Yang Dao said, “Yin means that when something stagnates it is not as good as it should be. Seems like the two of you do not want to make your relationship better and thus you insist on coming to this place every year.”

His words enlightened the two people and even the staff was in shock. Dao Yin said, “Yang, let us go, they have already ruined the mood anyway.”

Yang Dao nodded and the two people vanished from their place. The handsome and the lady only realized that the two people were not some beggars.