"She literally slapped the taste out of that fat slob's mouth. Hahaha, it was amazing, you should have seen it. I doubt he'll be eating anything solid for the next six months."

Fu Qian waved his arms around animatedly as he clumsily narrated the scene of Zhi Ruo flogging Hong Zang.

The stylish man was recounting the events of the prior day to Hartley who sat smiling on the second floor of his manor in a comfortable cushioned chair, the room was a large and open-planned lounge with a cozy fire place in the pillar at its center sending out flickers of yellow fire-light and warmth.

Sat close beside Hartley with an arm wrapped around his waist, Zhi Ruo blushed girlishly at the over-exaggerated way Fu Qian was acting but she didn't protest or mind too much.

At the other end of the room Qin Li sat with a smile plastered across his face, trying his best to suppress his laughter from bursting forth.

"Lady Ruo," Fu Qian now had a serious look on his face after recounting the story, he walked over and dropped to one knee in a knight's salute. The flickering lights from the fire place highlighted his mature handsome features in yellow.

"I want you to take my daughter under your wings. I want her to be just like you so I don't ever have to worry about any noble harassing her again, for this I will forever serve House Hartley with every last drop of blood within my veins. This I swear to you ma'lady." Fu Qian looked reverently towards Zhi Ruo with a face full of anticipation.

Zhi Ruo looked at Hartley awkwardly, she didn't know how to respond to this request. She wasn't a teacher and at first she wasn't even interested in cultivation like most other girls, if not for her mother's situation and Hartley pushing her, she would probably be just like his daughter.

Hartley laughed out at the bewildered look on Zhi Ruo's face... he too had no idea what to say. All he could do was shrug and say. "It's up to her, if she truly wants to cultivate she can join the others."

Fu Qian smiled broadly. "Then so it shall be. House Hartley will be our new home."

Two months went by quickly and the thaw of the spring was upon the capital. The relentless snows that had bombarded the region for the past months were now receding, the trickling of the melting snows that clung to the roofs and the naked trees were everywhere, the hard frozen ground transformed into a quagmire of soft slushy mud that would suck the boots off of one's feet.

As dawn broke over the capital on a chilly spring morning, another piece of major news was doing the rounds in the aristocratic circles. Sir Lingwei had been relieved of his duties at Windsor Peak Castle with immediate effect. He had been ruthlessly axed by the pragmatic young prince.

He was to be replaced by Viscount Sanzu who had finally made it to the capital. People put one and one together and figured that this was because of the Viscount's kinship with the rising star of the Western Hills which led to him being favored by the prince.

Viscount Sanzu was immediately instated as the chief administrator for the young prince, relegating Sir Lingwei to the obscurity of a common nobleman in some random back-water fief.

The days passed without incident in the western hills and the population of commoners in the region was increasing slowly.

Qin Li informed Hartley that he had instructed Fu Qian to spread the word that the commoners from the flat lands could seek refuge in his territory. Hartley didn't care too much about it, his fief had expanded in size almost overnight and there was a need for more man power.

Hartley wouldn't bound himself to the unwritten rules and illogical practices of the nobles before him. One of the most vital part of developing a fief was man power, if the people wanted to work for the betterment of the Western Hills then so be it, he would forgo the petty politics and shatter the mold of tradition. It was people's choice as far as he was concerned.

As the days stretch on, people from the flat lands constantly flocked to the western hills and sought refuge in Hartley's fief, word had spread that the standard of living for the common people there was like night and day compared to the butchery of the flat lands.

They began to abandon the flat lands in droves as they searched for a better life and a hopeful future for themselves and their families.

The increase in size of Hartley's fief meant that accommodating the influx of extra people wasn't too hard. They quickly built some temporary housing for the newcomers before a more permanent solution could be organized after the thaw.

Some went to work in the mines immediately while others joined the security team with a few days of training by Fu Qian, they were all eager to start earning a fair wage, and make an impression in the Western Hills.

Hartley was slowly learning as the population increased that he needed qualified people to delegate the more skillful jobs to, like blacksmith, apothecary and someone who could train his troops. He wanted to first establish a quality fighting force of a few hundred before expanding his forces to be on par with other nobles.

Yang Yi was now leaving for Windsor peak Castle to re-unite with Viscount Sanzu so Zhi Ruo who had experience in running her own shop in the Waltham province was now taking over the administrative side of running the manor.

Acquiring the talents needed and establishing separate departments of operation had to be the next step in the development of the Western Hills if Hartley was to grow his fief into something more than just back-mountains and mines.....

The date of the wedding was approaching fast, There was an excited buzz in the atmosphere around the manor. The people of the western hills had put Zhi Ruo and Hartley on a pedestal, she was their idol and had showed warmth and kindness to the commoners and represented everything they wished for their daughters to be and he was an extraordinary youth with a bright future in the aristocratic circles who treated the common people fairly bucking the trend of what all commoners believed the nobles to be. Their love and admiration for the couple was almost infinite.....

On the morning before the wedding just to brighten the mood Hartley dragged Qin Li and Fu Qian with him out of the manor to go shopping for new robes for the upcoming occasion.

Three men walked through the shops of the capital. Two were handsome and the other sported a scraggly unkempt beard looking miserable like he hadn't slept in days and would rather be anywhere else.

Qin Li was the one sporting the scraggly beard, he had not taken any time from cultivating, he was pushing himself to the limit. No longer did he want to be seen as a body guard for Zhi Ruo it was time for him to take the stage shoulder to shoulder with Hartley in any upcoming fights.

Fu Qian was a man who took pride in his appearance and was excited to introduce these youngsters to the style of the capital, he carried them to the places that had the most stylish fabrics, he considered himself somewhat of a style icon, they shopped at their leisure to the delight of Fu Qian who had transformed into a teenage girl on this shopping trip. They chose so much clothes that the merchants of the capital smiled with happiness when the men left, leaving them a golden profit.

While walking through the streets of the busy capital Hartley had noticed someone tailing them as the moved through the shops.

The person wasn't very powerful but he blended in with the surrounding crowd rather skillfully and ghost-like. Hartley purposely led his group to a more secluded street in hopes of isolating the person following and finding out what his intentions were.

On a street which was less busy than usual, Hartley walked while paying attention to the surroundings. Like clock-work a young man dressed scruffily who was about fifteen soon alighted from an empty alley way and headed straight towards to the three.

The black hair skinny youth was at the peak of the houtian realm so he was no threat to these three but the youth walked straight up to Hartley with confident strides and dropped to one knee and said.

"Guildmaster."

It dawned on Qin Li's and Hartley's face immediately, they had almost forgotten about the Wawrika province, no doubt this youth was one of the orphans from the Rykers guild they had taken over last winter on their way to the capital. After exchanging greetings the youth accompanied the three back to the western hills.....

The day of the wedding was a beautiful spring day with a clear sky and fluffy clouds.

Excitement saturated the atmosphere as the people of the western hills gathered in their masses. The bells tolled out around the manor and the rhythmic beats of drums sounded, Hartley and Zhi Ruo made their way out of the manor like deities smiling and waving, the commoners lined the street dressed in colorful clean robes sporting happy smiling faces.

They cheered loudly, children perched on the shoulders of their parents and threw red rose petals as the couple went by, the shower of roses littered the streets in a surreal carpet of crimson flowers as some felt content just to get a glimpse of the couple.

The grand wedding ceremony had gone off without a hitch inside the hall. Lining the winding streets were luxurious carriages and the personal guards of some of the most notable nobles in the capital under the banner of the young prince who had come to pay their respects to the rising star of the Western Hills.

Commander Genk looking as scruffy as ever stood with Anguo Chen in the thick traffic of people.

The new administrator for the young prince Viscount Sanzu too had made an appearance and was lined at the front of the manor as the newly weds emerged to the raucous cheers of the crowds. Some of these nobles present had never seen the common people so engage with the wedding of a noble like they were seeing today.

The couple walked hand in hand smiling and waving, Zhi Ruo wearing an elegant white dress that was beautifully embroidered with fine lace and dragged across the floor behind her. Hartley wore a black brocade robe made of silk with fine golden patterns sewed into the fabric.

This was the most unforgettable day of both their young lives, It was also an unforgettable day for the commoners of the Western Hills too, who for the first time in living memory felt invested in the affairs of the nobles. It felt like something the common people would cherish and pass down to their children like a fairy tale.

The people who had witnessed the ceremony first-hand strolled out of the hall behind the beautiful couple, Qin Li who had cut his gruff beard and had his hair neatly tied back was looking dashing in his blue brocade robe. He led the procession of people streaming out behind the couple.

A stylish Fu Qian wore white with his daughter beside him also donning a white dress. The members of the former bandits made up the security team dressed in uniformed black robes with a white bear stitched across the left breast. They fanned out military-style and secured the pathway for the couple in a manner not befitting that of a rag-tag group.

The wine flowed like a river and the cooks prepared dozens of roasted boars. It was like a carnival as the jovial supporters ate, danced and partied in happiness.

The nobles who had waited for a glimpse of the Lord of the Western Hills came up and offered their congratulations, parting with their expensive gifts and well wishes after greeting the beautifully bewitching young couple.

The day was a major success for the couple as they made their rounds around the manor then retreated back and out of sight inside the manor to spend their honeymoon period and consummate their marriage.....