Hartley negotiated a beautiful carriage from the Baron's estate for only 500 gold.
Chen Xia, the captain of the guards, had given him a great deal because of Harley saving the merchants which made the Baron breathe a sigh of relief, it had the shine sheen of polished wood with intricate carvings decorated around the side panels, it had four wheels padded with rubber for a smoother ride on bumpy surfaces.
The interior was spacious and could carry four. Hartley made custom adjustments to the comfortable seats and cushions so they could cultivate while travelling. The windows and the doors had beautiful white drapery which could be drawn over the windows for privacy or just to look sophisticated.
Hauling the carriage were a pair of the finest wild beast. Wild beast are beast that have no beast cores, they are more docile than fierce beasts and can be easily tamed and bred for domestic purposes.
These were called thunder bulls, they resembled rhinoceros and they had a thick carpet of brown fur, horns on their forehead, well built sturdy bodies and thick legs, these beasts could carry a carriage at a steady pace for days without food or water.
Hartley had been trying to hire a coach driver for the last week, the local coach drivers he had asked to do the job weren't willing to take the long, dangerous journey to the capital, he was now considering driving the coach himself.
Over the following days Zhi Ruo told Hartley that there was a person coming to the shop everyday just sitting and waiting and would ask for Hartley, she said the person didn't seem dangerous but it was starting to creep her out.
The next day he went to the armory shop to check on Zhi Ruo and make sure she was in no danger. In the shop was Qin Li sitting at a corner as Hartley entered, Qin Li got up and turned towards him with a broad smile.
Hartley was surprised to see him there
"What are you doing here?" he asked as he greeted him suspiciously.
"You haven't been back to the clan in a while, I asked around and found out..."
Qin Li had a sheepish embarrassed look on his face as he answered.
"What's the matter?" asked Hartley sternly.
Qin Li moved around and fidgeted for a bit before answering
"I heard you were looking for a coach driver..I'm available"
Hartley's eyes squinted as he listened.
"Since your performance for the last two months, people have been paying attention to you, I just happened to hear from the whispers around the clan that you are preparing to leave the Waltham province and I decided to come."
Hartely snorted.. "Did they send you here to spy? people who mean me and Ruo harm will not end well"
Qin Li put both hands in front of him, palms out and fingers up, quickly saying
"no, no its not like that, Hartley I've seen your power" he said with a serious and honest face, "you have the strength of an elder at such a young age, I think you will go on to be a very influential person that makes history in the future, I want to be apart of it" He sighed
"I too desire to break the shackles of my upbringing and travel the world, when I heard the whispers on the mountain and I couldn't let this opportunity pass. I've already told the clan I am going to adventure the world" He then exhaled a long breath.
Hartley knew his preparations weren't exactly secretive, he expected people to figure it out eventually, he thought about it for a while, having another expert on the road was a plus, but he could not risk putting Ruo at an arm's length away from a potential threat.
On the other hand he had always had a good impression of Qin Li, he couldn't allow himself to trust him fully but he could some what relate to the Qin Li's circumstances and the fact that he was having a hard time finding a coach driver.
After deliberating in his mind for a while he said "Alright, meet us here in two weeks." Qin Li smiled and bowed respectfully as if he was addressing an elder of the clan.
The end of the year was quickly coming up and the weather had started to get a bit more chilly, The winds howled as dusk descended earlier than usual.
A beautiful dark carriage was rumbling along, disappearing from sight on the deserted main road pulled by a pair of majestic beasts.
Their thick fur swayed to the whims of the wind as they maintained their speed easily dragging along the carriage. On the driver's position was Qin Li, seated under the canopy that protected the driver from falling rain and hot sun shining, he wore a thick robe made of beast fur, he sat still in his position as he eyed the long ahead road towards his destiny.
Inside the carriage Hartley was sat cross legged in cultivation, Zhi Ruo sat on the opposite side looking absolutely bored.
Hartley opened his eyes with a flash of blue glow and jumped over to her side and kissed her neck saying "Ruo you need to cultivate as well, if you don't reach xiantian realm then your life span will not be as long as mine".
Zhi Ruo had now passed the 8th realm of houtian with the aid of the medicinal dans Hartley had provided, within in a couple months she would probably push into the 9th realm and work her way up to the peak.
Zhi Ruo weren't as dedicated to cultivating as Hartley was, she had her business to run and other duties through out the day, added to the fact that she found it excruciatingly boring.
She had sold her father's shop, a place she had spent many years honing her skills in armor making along side her dad. She had many fond memories of that place and had given it up without a thought for the handsome youth sat beside her, she didn't regret doing it but with the long boring hours of travel on board the carriage, she couldn't help but wonder what the future holds.
Hartley hugged the unusually quiet Zhi Ruo and whispered, "it will be ok Ruo, believe in me" she rested her head on his shoulders without saying a word.
The carriage traveled forward through green flat lands, rolling land was visible for miles in all direction, they had now exited the mountainous region of the Waltham province, they had passed the Cosmos region and was on the main road moving towards the Calabar province. It had been an uneventful day. They had passed a trickle of people going to and fro, they stopped and set up camp when it was dark. The carriage was parked off the main road to block out the wind as they had the first of many meals under the stars, Zhi Ruo still had a mind of full of internal thoughs as she retreated to sleep in the carriage as the other two camped outside taking watch duties through out the night.
Hartley left Qin Li on watch and flashed away about 500 meters into the flat lands, the grass and shrubbery grew waist high here, the ground was uneven and in a spot there were blue sparks moving at right angles and then swiftly changing directions. Hartley had applied 30x gravity to his body and was pushing his Star Feet technique to the limits. He now knew the importance of being able to navigate in tight spaces at maximum speed. Hartley would continue like this for the rest of the journey.
After two days of travel a city wall crawled into view in the distance, it was comparable to the Waltham province's in size. Hartley hugged Zhi Ruo in excitement after hearing Qin Li's message, Zhi Ruo hugged him back, she finally had the semblance of a smile on her face..