It was night time in a house about twenty miles from the central region of the Waltham province, there was a half moon sitting lazily high in the middle of the sky, it was giving off a warm blueish glow to the surrounding trees and foliage.
The humble two bedroom house had a small courtyard that was bathed in the hypnotic glow from the moon. Two people were in the bedroom on the west side of the house that faced the back mountains in the distance.
One person was sat on a soft bed with blankets made of fluffy animal pelts, a sweet fragrance permeated through the entire room.
Hartley was sitting on the bed with his upper body naked, Zhi Ruo was stooping in front of him with a mid sized wooden bucket by her feet filled with warm water, she had a soft piece of cloth that she was dipping in the bucket and using it to clean the blood from Hartley's upper body and face.
Fortunately for the youth, none of this blood was his own.
She displayed a shy blush every time she reached out and touched his body, moving the cloth up and down gently scrubbing away the stubborn dry blood before dipping it again in the water, turning the water in the bucket a deeper shade of red each time she dipped the cloth in it.
Hartley was looking in her eyes as she helped him clean up, she still had on the slim green dress from earlier which was now stained with multiple splotches of blood.
"I'm sorry, I've even ruined your dress. I promise to get you a new one."
Hartley said this with a sad, regretting expression on his face, Zhi Ruo didn't answer and just kept wiping at his body.
"Are you mad at me?"
Before she could answer Hartley continued.
"I understand. The first time you met me your uncle's inn got destroyed and now this."
Hartley spoke frettingly with a voice filled with worry unable to keep still as if he was sitting on needles.
Zhi Ruo held a stern expression in reply.
"Its ok, I'm not mad, but why are so many people trying to kill you? and are they all xiantians? Have you stolen some kind of treasure?"
Hartley released a long sigh.
"I don't know, the first time was an assassin sent by the Lin clan, and now these guys just popped up. I am a orphan who lived my whole life at the remote back mountains and only just left there a couple months ago. I can't imagine what i have or who I've offended."
Zhi Ruo stayed quiet and didn't ask anymore personal questions. Zhi Ruo finished helping him clean up and was about to carry away the bucket but Hartley stopped her by gently holding her wrist, her body went stiff, she was so nervous her back was sweating.
Hartley leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Ruo I want you, I have wanted you ever since i met you in town, at first I didn't understand the feelings in my chest but now I do, I've never had any friendships in my life, please don't reject me Ruo"
Hartley pulled back his head and looked her in her chestnut brown eyes containing fine speckled highlights, with a pleading look.
Zhi Ruo didn't say anything for a while, she looked him in his eyes, the silence seem have stretched out for eternity before she nodded a shy affirmation to him with a blush on her face.
Hartley stood her up and kissed her, he now understood what the ruffians in the forest had did to that woman. He slipped the dress from her shoulders and it fell down like a waterfall wrinkling on the floor, he removed the rest of her undergarments and lay her down on the sweet smelling soft bed then pressed her down under his body, kissing her neck and lips, intoxicating himself with her natural feminine fragrance, he had gone inside her.
Zhi Ruo had one tear rolling down her eye from the pain but at the same time she moaned out in pleasure. She closed her eyes and took it, knowing that this was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. On this night the two had formed an unbreakable bond for a lifetime.
Hartley spent the next 3 days in bliss, he had no intention of returning to the Luo clan just yet, even though he had only been there for a month he was sick of that place, he had no fondness for that environment and now he had found happiness for first time why the hell would he leave.
Zhi Ruo went about her daily duties as usual, Hartley stayed at her house and cultivated until she returned. Hartley had now found something he enjoyed even more than gaining strength through practice, and every night when Hartley closed the doors she would come to bed with a blush on her face.