After the master's received the funds and the construction plans, they put the ring away… All except two. These two clearly had something else on their mind aside from the construction of a city. One of these two was a woman, the other was a man.
"Hmm?" I looked at the two. "What is it?" I asked, which prompted an audible gulp from the two.
"Young Palace Master, I was one of the men who appeared to try and become your student." The man said, gulping with a bead of sweat dripping down both of his cheeks, forming a drop that traveled down to his chin and fell to the floor.
"Yes, I remember you. Just like all the rest of the prospective hopefuls. Unfortunately you did not meet the standards I required. If you are still upset about that, you shouldn't be. My standards are strict, but they are meant to prepare you for the might my Dao holds. It's the strongest one out there. In fact, only a perfect combination of space and time could hope to stand a chance." I explained, resting my chin upon my left fist & my right leg up resting on my left knee. "It's really nothing to be ashamed of, even my two little sisters that have the same birth circumstances as I, can't manage it. Likely due to them having different desires, but still. I was more surprised that there were more than 5 people who made the cut. And surprising me is no easy feat, of that I can assure you." I chuckled, with a light hearted smirk.
"Yes, Young Palace Master. I don't feel any anger about my failure to meet your high expectations. That is not what I want to say. But I was hoping that you could still aid me. I've hit a roadblock, whenever I explain it to another master, they seem to think it's merely a bottle neck. However, I know that this one feels very different from the ones I've had previously. Could you take a look at it?" The man asked, trembling as he did.
"Hmm, this is not a request I'd like to grant. As it would set a precedent that would honestly be more annoying than the stack of marriage proposals I still have to wade through." I said, inspecting the man's reaction. Good, he is understanding… Then I'll help him. "Since you understand, I want you to make me a promise. Make this, and I'll help you." I added, still relaxed.
"Yes, whatever it may be, I promise this humble one will see it through. Walking through fire or a field of spears…" The man continued on, only coming to a halt when I stood up when I floated over to him.
"You must promise me, that no matter what happens under your watch, that no child shall ever go hungry. I am not as powerful as I'd wish. I still need arms, legs, hands and feet. There will be events among the mortals where parents fall ill and pass away. Leaving children behind to fend for themselves. You will ensure that not a single one of them has to live a terrible life. Now, this might be too much for one person on their own. So you may do it however you need. Make your city a sanctuary for them or help your fellow brand new city lords to mimic your own city's actions. The choice is up to you… Can you do this?" I explained, leaving enough out to give him the freedom to act how he saw fit, while having enough information to get started.
"Yes, I can. This humble one accepts the Young Palace Master's mission. Let no child go hungry, humiliated, or lonely." The man said, with a gracious tone.
I smiled and pointed at his frontal lobe. "There, you should be able to make some progress now. Note that all I did was show you the hints to find your way. You have to find the way yourself." I chuckled as the man looked at his palms.
"I do feel a little different… I knew that the Young Palace Master could help me, I just knew it." The man said, damn near crying.
"Well, you were right, that was no ordinary bottle neck." I chuckled, and then turned to face the woman, who had a similar look of wanting something. "Now, it's your turn." I said, forming the lotus position as I floated above the floor.
"I… I…" The woman stammered. "I have realized it's not possible. Forgive me for having such thoughts, Young Master." She said, putting the ring away…
"Hmm, you seem to have a similar issue. Are you concerned that I won't be able to resolve it because you're a woman? And it's one of those kinds of issues." I asked, with a warm smirk. The woman nodded. "Ahahaha! No need to worry about that. I've had some experience dealing with similar such issues. I won't go into details, but I can definitely help you." I laughed, and my eyes glowed with a deep and powerful presence. "Stand up and look my way."
The woman did exactly what I told her to do. She stood there staring at my eyes. "Such power…" She murmured.
I placed my left hand on her belly, such that only my fingertips barely made contact. "Forgive me, but contact is the only way this can be done. I'm minimizing it so you'll have no other issues." I said, then the woman smiled.
"It doesn't feel like a man's hand is touching me, so there's no issue. I never expected Young Master to have such a delicate touch. This humble one feels honored." The woman said, with a light blush. She felt admiration, not love… Something I could tell from reading her qi flow.
"It wasn't easy to acquire this much of a change. But, I had to do it for the sake of those close to me. Now, you'll be the first aside from them, to have benefited from my efforts." I chuckled, though it sounded closer to an effeminate giggle.
"This humble one promises to do her best in the construction of the new city. And to ensure the safety of all the children. I can sense some of your reasons for this now… Young Master, you're extremely kind." The woman said as she began to glow, finally free of her issue.