The Urban Dao Child

The family banquet of Yu Mulan came to an end and the people returned to their usual life. Yang Dao sorted out the knowledge in his mind, both new and old. The boy had concluded that the knowledge in his mind has no use here, except for providing him a better understanding of natural elements.  The tech and the rules of other subjects did not apply here, except basic mathematics. 

The boy would spend his time in the library learning about spirits and rules. Overall, the bigger the fist the better the rule. This was the principle of this world. It was accepted by everyone. The poor will endure the sufferings to grow. The strong will strive to grow stronger. 

The books did not shed light on the dark side of the world. Yang Dao had asked the family elders to be allowed to read the other books but they did not allow the boy to read because he was too young to see the dark side of human nature and strength exploitation. They did not wish for the gem of their house to be stained by all the trash in society. 

Yang Dao did not keep on insisting, he was aware that he will get to read them once he begins cultivating. So he diverted his attention to learning more about the diverse flora and fauna in this world. Time passed away soon and the boy was now three years old. Today he was going to visit his grandmother to ask her something. 

So, the boy held Yue Yun's soft hand as the lady carefully took him to the place where Yu Mulan lived. Yang Dao held her hand just out of habit and not that he needed support. The boy was greeted by every servant he encountered on the way with a respected gaze and smile. 

Yang Dao also smiled at them as he returned their greeting. What surprised everyone was how the child would greet them all with their names. Yue Yun led him to the place where Yu Mulan resided and said, "Dao, I will stay outside. You go meet Madam." 

The boy gazed at her and nodded with a smile. He let go of her hand and with his palm thumped the door and said, "Grandma, are you there?" 

As if waiting for his voice, the door opened and a genial-looking old lady appeared. Her tongue may be sharp, but Yu Mulan was a kind lady. She scooped up her darling grandson in her arms and asked, "How come you found time to visit me? Did the books in the library run out?" 

Yang Dao was surprised and asked, "How did you know?" his sweet voice shocked the old lady. She asked, "You mean to say that the books in the library ran out?" 

The baby boy nodded, he said, "Mundane knowledge all finished. They do not let me venture in the cultivation library for practitioners." then he snuggled his face in her neck. 

Yu Mulan asked, "Why do you wish to go to the practitioner section. You are too young, my child." she patted his back gently while trying to coax him. 

The boy said, "I will not be alone, Protector grandpa can watch if I tried to use the knowledge to practice. I am not a fool you know grandma. Also, there is granny Yun. Do you think I will be able to do such a thing?" 

Yu Mulan raised her eyebrow. The boy was speaking in such an aggrieved tone. She loved her grandson a lot. He was the apple of her eyes and she had given Dao everything he asked for, although the boy did not have any non-sensical demands things were fine. After pondering for a few minutes, she said, "Okay, you can enter the practitioner area, however, if you are one step closer to the skill sections, then I will never talk to you. You can only read basic knowledge and Yue Yun." 

Yue Yun materialized from the shadows and with a bow, she asked, "Is something the matter mistress." 

Yu Mulan said, "Find that stubborn old man and tell him to make arrangements, Dao is to be allowed in the practitioner section." her tone was commanding. 

Yue Yan nodded and vanished. Yang Dao kept hugging his grandmother and said in a serious voice, "I will not let you down. I promise, Grandma." 

Yu Mulan nodded as she said, "I know my love. Come let us go to the library. I will help you if you did not understand anything." 

The lady then carried the boy to the family library. 

...

Yue Yun told the patriarch of the family about how Yang Dao used Yu Mulan to counter his decision of prohibiting him in the spiritual practice section. He developed a twitch at the corner of his eyelids. He mumbled, "Shan, your kid, sure is a little fox." 

Yang Shan sat alongside him and stifled a chuckle and said, "First uncle, he took after you, the old fox of Yang House." 

This was the nickname of Yang Lang, the old fox. He was a clever administrator and everyone was wary of him. He was the oldest of the three Yang old men and was the current patriarch. Their main family was not a massive force like the other families and thus they had a good bond. The reason why a family with just five subsidiary planets in their domain was not looked down on by the others was because of the strength they all had. 

The Yang Family implied quality over quantity and thus the present result. Yu Mulan was the person in charge of the spies of the family and was akin to a minister in the family. Her ideas and speculations had saved the family a lot of times and thus her words were treated equally to the patriarch. 

Yang Lang nodded to Yue Yun and let her go. 

...

Yang Dao sat at a table, reading a book called, The Spirit. This book defined the spirit in its basic form and how it had different uses and what were the different attributes it had. The book also described the basic method to gather spirit around a person. 

The boy tilted his head after he turned over the last page and closed the book. Yu Mulan looked at him with a smile and asked, "Something you do not understand?" 

Yang Dao asked, "I understand everything inside this book, but why does it not mention the origins of the spirit energy? How was it discovered?" 

Yu Mulan was shocked by this pair of questions, she cast a gaze on Yue Yun, who had already told her to be wary of some questions that she could not answer. She sighed at the terrifying observation and curiosity of this boy and said, "I have no answers to these questions. We never thought about such things."

"Why?" asked the boy simply.

Yu Mulan was stunned by another question and counter asked, "Did you ever think why we eat food in the manner we do now?" 

Yang Dao shook his head, the lady nodded as she caressed his jade face, "Similarly, this knowledge was something passed down to us by the hands of our elders and we accepted it without thinking much. Maybe when our baby Dao is strong enough, he can find out the answers to these questions and tell us all." 

The boy thought for a bit and his eyes sparkled. He nodded to the lady with confidence. He asked, "Grandma, it said in the book that people can gather the spirit energy to nurture their bodies even if they do not practice. Can I try that?" 

The purposes of the spiritual energy defined in the book stated clearly that exposure to a high concentration natural spirit energy can nurture the body of any being and provide them a better foundation. Yu Mulan saw no harm in this and nodded to Yang Dao so that the boy can try. 

They left the library and came to the serenity garden. In the entire palace, the library and the serenity garden were the two places where Young Master Dao can be found other than his parent's room. He sat below the great tree and closed his eyes, his legs were crossed and his palms were placed above his knees facing the sky. 

Yang Dao began to slowly inhale and exhale. He was not in a hurry to do anything and just wanted to calm his mind. Gradually he fell into a state of meditation, where his breathing was the only thing left. He could not sense anything else and he did not want to sense anything else. His meditative state was apparent to the two old ladies beside him and they were mildly surprised. After all, the boy had shocked them on daily basis. 

Slowly minutes became hours and just when Yue Yun wanted to wake him up, a faint wisp became visible in his breath. The two ladies stood thunderstruck outside while Yang Dao sensed a warm current washing his body, making it more comfortable as time passed. A three-year-old Yang Dao managed to sense and gather spirit energy.