Journey Towards Dao

The Royal Palace was located in the very center of the Bright Forest Capital City. The Capital City encircles the Palace grounds, the two being separated by both a tall stone wall and a barrier of lush trees.

The Bright Forest Capital City took up a very large area of space, encapsulating over 10,000 square kilometers of land, making it the second largest city contained within the Augustus Empire, just smaller than the famously grand Imperial Capital.

…

Under the partially cloud covered sky, morning sunlight fell down onto an extremely large black and silver carriage.

Four horses galloped in tandem as they briskly pulled the carriage outside the confines of the large formation of tall trees, the entirety of which was secured by a large regiment of patrolling armored cultivators.

Underneath the carriage was a wide stone-tiled road that led to a thick, similarly-colored stone wall that stretched tens of meters high, the imposing gates already opening in preparation for the carriage’s incoming passage.

Once the carriage made its way through the large metal gates, Auslen stood up on his brother’s lap as he raised his head to look out of the glass windows.

Wow.

Auslen’s eyes were dazzled at the sight of the bustling city surrounding him. Huge stone and brick buildings with arches and domes dominated his view. Tall towers and lofty steeples extended proudly into the sky with beautiful carvings and ornamentations adorning them.

The tree-lined streets were remarkably clean, despite the dense crowds of citizens and carriages that navigated them. The citizens outside were donning robes and dresses composed of many bright colors and vibrant embroideries.

At the moment though, most of them were standing still with bursting enthusiasm as they stared at the black and silver carriage with eager curiosity, wondering aloud which members of the Royal Family were taking a trip into the city this day. However, no matter how hard they tried, they could not see within, due to the shimmering, sight-obstructing Spell Formations that faintly covered the glass windows.

Auslen sat back down on his elder brother’s lap in satisfaction of the breath-taking scenery outside.

It was somewhat simpler yet somehow grander than he previously expected, however, he was a little surprised at the density of people that occupied such a small area. He sort of felt like he was driving through Times Square during New Years.

Aiden looked down at Auslen’s expression with trembling lips, desperately trying to hold back a smile that was threatening to form on his small face. Distracting himself, he turned to one of his servants seated beside him to give directions to his determined destination.

…

After passing through a large number of crowded streets and intersections, the carriage’s wheels finally stopped spinning as they arrived in front of the entrance of an extravagantly expensive looking three-story building.

As soon as Auslen was carried out of the carriage in his brother’s arms, he immediately smelled some of the most fragrant and delicious aromas he had ever smelled in either of his lives, stimulating his taste buds to the point of forcing him to swallow his saliva buildup.

He now understood that this building was a restaurant! He couldn’t even imagine what kind of food could produce such an appetizing aroma.

He curiously glanced at the beautifully designed sign hanging above the entrance doors, however he could not read as of yet. He retracted his gaze reluctantly.

The entourage entered the building.

Although the insides of the building were as beautiful and luxurious as the outside, the first thing Auslen noticed was that, within such a large restaurant, there was not a singular other person in sight.

Auslen looked around at the accompanying servants and guards, but none of them seemed surprised at the circumstances.

“bwothew, wew awe we? wew al da peepo?” (Brother, where are we? Where is everyone else?)

“This is the most highly renowned restaurant within the entire Capital! The reason you don't see anyone else inside is because the owner kindly cleared out the space for us in advance. Usually, this place is flooded with guests.”

Auslen raised his brows but was no longer surprised. He lowered his gaze as some green robed men and women from the upper floor. They hurriedly greeted Aiden and company before leading them upstairs to a large table filled with so many dishes, Auslen couldn’t imagine how their group of eight could finish them all.

A rich fragrance flooded Auslen’s senses as he gazed at the various platters.

Some of the delicacies included glistening rings of sausage, glazed pork ribs, golden deep fried chicken, bone broth soup with noodles, and a plethora of other dishes native to this world that Auslen could not yet name.

A servant stepped forward and waved his sleeves towards the table, sending faint lights shining around the food for a few moments.

Then, the servant nodded toward Aiden silently as he stepped back from the table.

After the indication that the food was safe to consume, Aiden sat Auslen down into a baby stool before finding a seat beside him, excitement prevalent in his gaze. But before he grabbed a dish for himself to eat, he reached to pick up a pleasant smelling bowl of vegetable rice porridge and began to feed the now frowning Auslen.

Auslen was exasperated! Even though the porridge was surely top-notch, he couldn't register the flavor in his desperation. Once again reminded of his infantile state, he lamented the fact that all of this delicious looking food in front of him was not fated for him to consume.

After feeding Auslen a few bites, Aiden then began to dig in like a starving lunatic.

None of the servants or guards even glanced at the food on the table, only closing there eyes as Aiden devoured the plethora of dishes as if chewing food was a foreign concept. It was a wonder how he was able to maintain such an impeccable sense of etiquette at the speed he was moving.

Within an hour, all of the dishes disappeared from the table, leaving Auslen in disbelief.

Is this a side effect of being a cultivator? Can normal people even afford to cultivate? What sort of lower or middle-class family can even provide for such a money-grubbing monster?

Once a servant helped clean Aiden’s face and hands, the group departed the table, leaving a bag of gold coins behind as they made their way to the exit.

Once they stepped outside, Auslen gaze was drawn to the sky, watching as the clouds quickly grew larger and darker in suspense.

Aiden couldn’t help but frown in childish disappointment, “It’s going to rain soon. Our trip to the Augustine Amphitheater is going to be ruined!”

As if in mocking response, lightning streaked across the sky as the cracking sound of thunder reverberated throughout the city.

Aiden sulked to himself before sighing, trying to regain some of his temperament. He then looked down at Auslen in silent apology, as if this outing had been Auslen’s idea this entire time.

One of the servants next to him chuckled before opening his mouth to speak, “Well, Your Highness, there are currently two options for us to choose from. We can find indoor attractions for the Second Prince to enjoy, such as a museum, library, or temple. Or we head back early and try another day. What do you think?”

Aiden lowered his head as he gazed at his brother in contemplation: ‘A library won’t do, because Auslen can’t read yet, and I’m afraid that a museum would bore him to sleep…’

Auslen lazily laid in Aiden’s arms, internally begging this brat to hurry up with his decision, lest they all get caught standing out in the street once the rain falls.

Aiden raised his head and decisively spoke to his servants, “Lets go to the Temple of Mercy!”

Finally, the party boarded the carriage, settling themselves within the carriage before they set off towards the temple.

…

A tall figure covered underneath a dingy, long black cloak was walking within a crowd of people.

Suddenly, his movements halted to a standstill as a black and silver carriage passed by to his left.

The figure quickly raised their head in the air. Loud, dramatic inhales sounded from the depths of their hood, shocking the people walking nearby.

The hooded figure continued sniffing madly, as if they couldn’t get enough of whatever smell attracted their attention.

Eventually the fragrance began to dissipate, causing the hooded head to whip backwards in the direction of the retreating carriage. Within the shadows of the hood, bright yellow irises glowed softly as the pupils within gradually began to elongate.

After turning the rest of their body in the direction their hooded head pointed, the cloaked figure continued walking again at a moderate pace, yellow eyes locked on the carriage ahead as an unknown liquid began dripping periodically from the shadows of the raised hood.

…

Heavy rain was beating down relentlessly on top of the carriage as the party continued down a far less populated street.

Auslen could roughly make out rows of inconsistently sized buildings through the rain-streaked windows, many of which lacking any sort of decorative architectural features. However, it was difficult to see them any clearer in the current weather conditions.

Sitting back down on Aiden's lap in boredom, Auslen found himself desperately missing the speedy modes of transportation that Earth had conveniently provided.

Wanting to lighten the dreary mood a bit, Auslen generously elected to give Aiden the opportunity to show off his budding knowledge for his adorable little brother.

“bwothew aiwen, wats tempew?” (Brother Aiden, what’s a temple?)

As expected, light blossomed in Aiden's blue eyes before he looked down at Aiden to explain. “Temples are buildings for prayer, meditation, and sacrifice. Each temple that you see lining these streets is dedicated to a legendary Immortal!”

Auslen’s eyes widened slightly as he asked: “imowto?” (Immortal?)

Chuckling at Auslen’s pronunciation, Aiden answered, “Heavenly beings with unlimited lifespan! I don’t know much about them, but Master told me that even cultivators have the opportunity to become one!”

Auslen watched as his brother fell silent with childish fancy.

Although the idea of beings with limitless lifespan seemed incredulous, after all of the irrational things he had experienced recently, he could no longer bring himself to be surprised.

At this moment, the carriage stopped in front of a large, but unassuming stone building.

The group alighted onto the empty, torrential streets.

A servant thoughtfully covered the brothers with a wide black umbrella before they began walking towards the opened doors of the Temple of Mercy.

Just as they were crossing the threshold of the temple, Auslen felt a jarring sensation in the back of his head.

This feeling faintly reminded him of some of his solo hikes in the mountains. It felt as if a carnivorous wild animal was hiding terrifyingly close to him as it stalked noiselessly with malicious intentions.

Auslen shivered before turning around in Aiden’s arms, quickly glancing over his shoulder at the rain-covered surroundings.

Aiden followed his gaze, “What’s wrong, Auslen?”

Auslen looked around a bit more before turning back quietly in thought. He glanced observingly towards the guards around him. After seeing that they didn’t seem to feel anything strange, he replied, “it nutin.” (It’s nothing.)

However, his thoughts told a completely different story.

I’m confident in my intuition. I’m almost certain that someone or something is at least watching us, but I can’t really say anything if this big group of ‘cultivators’ fail to notice. No one would take me seriously.

I hope that it truly is nothing serious.

Aiden continued inside, holding the increasingly suspicious Auslen in his arms.

As the sound of rain began deafening, Auslen took the opportunity to cautiously take in the surroundings of the temple.

Their footsteps echoed through the large, but surprisingly empty chamber.

Rows of thick, plain stone columns supported the extremely tall ceiling. Crystals that intermittently lined the walls emitted dim lighting that only served to further intensify Auslen’s growing anxiety.

Turning his eyes forward, Auslen’s adjusting eyesight could just make out a large and convoluted shadow at the head of the room.

Once the group advanced close enough close enough for Auslen to make out the details, his anxious attention was captivated entirely

Atop of a large throne, a giant statue of a woman, sculpted from what seemed to be pure gold, was seated casually. She was dressed in flowing robes and an intricately detailed crown. Attached to her sides and back were an enormous number of extra arms, and stacked on top of her crown were multiple smaller heads of various sizes.

The exquisiteness of the statue was greatly incongruous to the modesty that the rest of the temple exuded.

The group bowed to the statue in veneration while Auslen’s eyes widened uncontrollably.

Auslen was truly shocked, positive that he had seen this figure before in one of his travels.

Isn’t that…? What was her name again?

Looking back towards Aiden, Auslen asked, “hoo shee?” (Who is she?)

Aiden quietly answered Auslen in reverence, “She's the Immortal Mother of Compassion and Mercy. She's the absolute pinnacle of kindness and love. Father actually brought me here a few days before my sixth birthday. It was then that he taught me that all cultivators should carry Her traits within themselves, and that I should strive to carry them as well.”

Auslen listened to Aiden’s introduction carefully, even finding her title disturbingly familiar.

Wait! I remember! That’s Gua—

But before he could finish his thoughts, that invasive feeling was suddenly back several times stronger than before, causing Auslen to nearly gasp.

Gaining control of himself before he displayed his sharp unease, Auslen turned around, slowly this time, within his brother’s arms, looking back carefully at the entrance of the temple.

This time, he did see something.

Within the dim lighting next to the opened door, he could barely make out a tall shadow-like figure standing there in complete silence.

The figure was not there before.

Auslen was chilled all the way to his bones, but he continued moving his gaze past the figure as if he hadn’t seen anything of significance.

Realizing that no one else in the room seemed to notice the figure’s presence, he was filled with a potent surge of dread.

However, he acted just as natural and calm as earlier, slowly turning around with a cute smile on his face as he sweetly gazed up at Aiden.

“bwothew i tiwed. les goe home.” (Brother, I’m tired. Let’s go home.)