Days passed as they traveled, Rick noticed that the road was getting wider. It did not take long before he saw other roads that branched that road they were taking. He also encountered a couple of carriage already, and some people in horses sped through and passed them.
Another day passed and they met a caravan escorted by several people above the 6th stage of Qi Condensation. They ignored his small carriage, they did not even take a look at him.
Rick new that they were already close. Another day passed, and Rick suddenly felt a fluctuating of Spiritual Energy inside the carriage.
Xinxin achieved a breakthrough. Rick was pleased. In a few days, he will also breakthrough.
Three more days passed and the road was wider and they encountered more and more people.
As usual, they stopped beside the road and prepared for lunch and ate. As they were about to pack up , a young man was slowly jogging towards them. He was carrying a large bag on his bag, and he looked really tired.
Rick and Xinxin watched as the young man approached.
"Brother! Can- you- Ah.. Gulp... can you give me some water.. please!" the young man said with great difficulty when he finally reached where Rick and Xinxin sat. But although he looked miserable, Rick could see that he was at the 7th stage of Qi Condensation.
'This guy is strong!' Rick thought. He could feel the aura being released by the youth infront of him.
Rick stayed silent as he gave him the cup that was filled with water. He watched as the young man gulped the water in one go.
"Thank you." the young man immediately expressed his gratitude and returned the cup. But Rick could still see that he did not have enough.
He then refilled the cup from the water dispenser and gave it to the young man. Embarrassed, the young man took it and gulped the contents. He put down his large bag on the ground and stretched his muscles.
"Thank you very much!" the young man said again. He looked at the meat on the table and took another gulp.
"No problem. Want some?" asked Rick. There was a smile on his eyes as he looked at how the youth was acting. He was reminded of how he met Xinxin.
The young man was about the same age as Rick (Shi Rong) and he was shorter by a head. And although he was clearly stronger than Rick, his attitude was normal, unlike the overbearing people that they met previously.
"Can I, really?!" the young man asked. His mouth watered a little.
"Of course." Xinxin just looked at them. She blushed and remembered the time he also met Rick, this interaction was extremely similar. She smiled gently and thought, 'Big brother is really kind!'.
Rick did care and gave the young man his plate that was filled with grilled meat.
The young man politely took it and ate like his life depended to it. Rick would then hand a cup of water, and minutes later, the young man finished the plate. He drank a mouthful and released a burp.
Xinxin was barely able to hold back her laughter. And Rick chuckled.
Seeing their attitude, the young man's face turned red from embarrassment. He hurriedly wiped his mouth and bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Brother! I will definitely pay you back!" The yoing man then stood straight
"My name is Jiang Chen, from the Soaring Cloud City! Thank you for saving my life!" the youth said loudly.
"Haha, don't mind it. My name is Shi Rong and this is my little sister, Shi Xinxin." Rick also introduced themselves.
Next to him, Xinxin was also surprised. She again smiled widely to herself.
"Nice to meet you, big brother." Xinxin said also said politely.
"I will remember it. Thank you again for saving my life!" Jiang Chen repeatedly loudly.
"Are you heading for the capital?" Rick asked as he gestured for the young man to sit on the carriage.
"Yeah. Several days ago, our group was suddenly attacked by a formidable beast that even our teacher did mot stand a chance. My horse died from exhaustion and I had to walk for 3 days without eating." The young man explained.
"Brother Shi, are you also heading for the capital?" Jiang chen asked.
"Yeah. We've also been traveling for days, thankfully we did not encounter anything bad." Rick replied. Although he seemed not to care, he was actually quite cautious. The young man could easily kill him in this distance, he had learned from experience. The people of this world attacks people without warning.
"If you don't mind, can I hitch a ride with you? I will definitely pay you back once we reach the capital!" Jiang Chen scratched the back of his head.
"No problem, Brother Chen. We should be able to reach the capital before nightfall." Rick estimated. He asked some people along the way, so he knew.
"Thank you, Brother Shi!" Jiang Chen bowed again.
"No problem." Rick replied.
...
They conversed as they traveled. With a new companion, the carriage was not as quite as before. Xinxin even stopped cultivating and happily talked with Jiang Chen.
It turns out that next week is the enrollment in the Heavenly Dao Academy, the number one academy in the Continent. Jiang Chen was one of the qualified students from Soaring Cloud City who had a high chance of getting in the academy.
The Heavenly Dao Academy is also the one attended by Shi Rong as a retainer. A position looked down by all of the people, even for the commoners. Rick could remember seeing Shi Rong being humiliated and beaten by other students as he sweeped the floor. They see retainers as garbage of the academy, garbage that needs to be disposed off.
Rick was a bit angry, in this age, in his previous life, only punks and cocky rich kids acts this way. And most of those kind of people doesn't really reach something in their life.
To those bullies, F*ck You!!
As he recalled the memories of Shi Rong, Rick was slowly getting to know what this world was really made of.
Shi Rong was a bullied student, and a name popped out. A young man called Lin Tianlang, a man hated by Shi Rong to the core.
As it turns out, Lin Tianlang was actually the young man served by Shi Rong as a retainer. But this guy was not anything good. He treated Shi Rong worse than a dog. He would beat him up and would threaten to Shi Rong to be removed from the academy. The teachers would notice his beaten face, but they did not pay it any heed.
It was because the young man was a young master of the Lin Clan and the grandson of the West Marquis. One of the four Generals of the empire. The others being the East, South, and North. They are the protectors of the empire, respected and feared by all.
It wasn't just that, the West Marquis, Lin Tiandao is also the most powerful and was especially protective of his descendants. "Kill a single one from my family, and I'll massacre yours" was his most prominent line.
That was the only reason why Shi Rong could do nothing. The other retainers envy him, they envy his position as being a retainer for a young man from a prominent family. But they did not know of his sufferings. He even considered committing suicide, but he did not want such a dishonorable death.
So when the war came, led by the East Marquis, Shi Rong finally let it all out. All his frustrations, anger, hate, and bitterness went all out. With a single Death Pill, he managed to kill many.
'Tsk, what a ridiculous life!' Rick thought. If it was him, he would have taken that punks life and committed suicide! Honorable death my ass! Can you eat those?!
Unknowingly he exuded a chilling atmosphere that frightened both of his passengers. Jiang Chen was even sweating a little and Xinxin was also feeling uncomfortable and awkward.
Thankfully, the atmosphere returned to normal not long after and the horses steadily moved on.