บท 23: Seven days
In these last three days spent with Ruo Hartley had come to know of her origins more in depth.
She was not a native of the Waltham province, she had migrated here with her father from the Duancehal province which was the capital of Aidonia and her father was somehow involved with the royal family, he must have been a soldier or something of that ilk, Hartley wasn't sure because he couldn't get her to open up about her father in much detail.
On the journey to the Waltham province she had lost her mother by a savage bandit attack, upon reaching the Waltham province her father bought the house that she now lives and set up an armory shop in the central regions where she apprenticed under him for years until he peacefully passed away.
Whether through sentiments or just not being able to face the room of her late father, she had kept it as it used to be when he was alive, Hartley didn't want to snoop around but couldn't help himself from having a look.
The room had a simple wooden work desk and an old chair, the bed covered with worn pelts and a layer of dust was sitting at the far corner of the room, there was a collection of tobacco pipes hung neatly on the wall, overall, it was pretty simple with none of the luxuries one would associate to someone who had been in the employment of the royal family.
On the fourth day, Hartley had asked Ruo about getting a sword for him in town to replace his black blade that was destroyed, Hartley was staying low and didn't want to enter the town in the next couple of days since he couldn't be sure why he was attacked and Zhi Ruo had been running her shop as usual without any sign of trouble, he thought that might be the best option for the time being.
He hadn't forgotten about the death battle he had agreed with Lou Lee and it was time to start preparing himself.
Since entering the Lou clan he hadn't spent much money, his only expenditure was renting a horse, with his space ring still holding over a 1200 gold he thought that should be enough to get a decent long sword.....
Hartley discovered that Ruo was already 20 years and only at the 7th layer of the houtian realm, he wanted to give her the medicinal dans he had gained when entering the Lou clan but wasn't sure if it would hurt her body. He mentioned it in passing but she didn't seem concerned about it, she thought cultivating was too boring, her passion was in creating clothes and armor.
Hartley tried to convince her otherwise, if she didn't step into the xiantian realm she would only have the lifespan of a regular human, he would be alive long after she was gone, Hartley couldn't have that, so he cut one of the medicinal dans in four equal pieces and told her to take one piece and cultivate in the morning for the next four days which she agreed to after a long debate.
On the fifth night when Zhi Ruo returned, she brought back a package which she handed to Hartley and told him to have a look.
It was a thin and flexible under-armor made of what seems to be leather.
Zhi Ruo had finished the soft armor from the Giant Boar pelt, it was pretty comfortable and once he was wearing it, he hardly noticed it after that. Zhi Ruo went into her father's room and came back with an old looking wooden long box, when she came over and placed it before Hartley, laughingly he said,
"it's ok Ruo, you don't need to provide me with a dowry, I am already willing."
She pouted, gave him a death stare and commanded "open it" as if she was a commandor and Hartley a lowly troop, when Hartley opened the long box there was a sword inside.
it was about 2 foot long and the blade was a bright silver color, it appeared as if someone has been polishing the blade daily for the last 20 years, it had a sleek black hilt carved with designs for a better grip. Hartley wasn't an expert in spirit weapons but from what he could tell it was at least a rank 2 spirit weapon.
Hartley looked enquiringly into Zhi Ruo's eyes, she said "it was my father's, I want you to have it."
Hartley took up the sword and swung it around a little bit, the sword had some weight but it was comfortable. After playing around with it like a kid with a new toy he placed it back into the wooden box and put it away in his space ring saying
"Thank you Ruo" while bending at the waist respectfully.
"Now we have to get married, since I have collected your dowry,"
Hartley said while laughing, Zhi Ruo threw a piece of cloth that was lying around at his face, and with a pout turned to leave while saying
"You are not allowed in my bedroom tonight."
Hartley's face went livid with fright.. sweat started rolling down his forehead...he ran behind her saying "Ruo I"m sorry for saying stupid things, it won't happened again." she didn't even turn around, she kept her nose pointed in the sky and hmpphh....
On the sixth day Hartley returned to the the Stellar mountain, he was once again wearing his red robe, he wasn't particularly on friendly terms with anyone inside the clan, so he made his way pass the crowds of busy disciples and up the mountain to his house and started cultivating... Tomorrow would be the seventh day, and that was the day of the life and death battle.
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