Qiu Yunru had always had too soft a heart. In the end, he allowed Pan Fa to drag him around like a mother following her chick. They changed into their Jade Clouds robes and then set out.
When Pan Fa, that manipulative kid, pointed with sparkling eyes at savory crepes and pork buns on the market street, Qiu Yunru could only lament in his heart while pulling gold out of his sleeves to hand over. He even bought this kid a fan, a sword tassel, and two tanghulu skewers! What was this kid, a black hole of greed? Qiu Yunru's heart bled as he handed over more money, but Pan Fa's puppy face was too hard to resist.
As they sat at the side of the road and ate skewers together, a young girl approached them. She was adorable--at maybe five or six years old, her face was round and squishy and her eyes large and watery. She must be the daughter of a rich family--her hair was tied in silken ribbons, and her robes were bright and carefully embroidered. Her eyes were swollen from crying. Qiu Yunru's heart leapt up his throat, and he had the sudden urge to run away. Wasn't this every man's greatest fear--a crying girl?!
The girl tugged on his sleeve, wiping at the snot from her nose. Somehow, it was still adorable.
"Master, will you help me? Please, please!" Her voice was shrill and grating, like the whine of a child spoiled rotten. Qiu Yunru winced. Maybe she wasn't so cute after all. "You have to help me! I'm lost! I lost my daddy and I'm going to die in the streets, I'm so hungry and I want to take a nap! Wahhhhhhh!"
Qiu Yunru wanted to massage his temples again. Why did he have to get migraines everywhere in a world where he was cured?! But a green quest marker flashed over the little girl's head. He sighed, swallowed his skewer meat, and stood, brushing off his robes.
"Little Miss, who is your father? Do you know where he lives? I'll help you get back to him."
The girl's eyes grew wide, shining in the afternoon light like two bells. Qiu Yunru's heart was fickle; he felt it melt again. He never wanted kids, but you had to admit that once in a while, they were cute to look at.
"Thank you, thank you!" She wept, wiping her eyes frantically on her sleeves. She beamed up at him, grabbing his hand. "I don't know the way, but my daddy and I live at the Li Mansion!"
Why did this sound familiar? Qiu Yunru thought back. He'd heard this information dropped from NPC's before--back when that greasy old uncle had been showering the streets with gold. He had been called Li Fengguang, and his nephew...He couldn't remember. He couldn't remember anything about a daughter, either, but NPC hints were always full of holes that you had to fill yourself. He gave this girl another look, and couldn't help but pity her. This girl had that man as a father? He lit a candle for her internally, then thought about it a little more and snuffed it out. No, she was probably fine. By her looks, he probably doted on her! It was that nephew that attracted all the uncle's hatred...
After some time wandering and asking for directions, they finally found the Li mansion's location. Of course, Pan Fa followed along like a bramble clinging to Qiu Yunru's clothes. This kid chattered the whole time on Qiu Yunru's right, and the little girl (her name was Li Mei, he learned) babbled on and on about her daddy on his left. Qiu Yunru lit a candle for himself this time. All he wanted was a moment of peace, and this was where he ended up?
When they reached the Li Mansion, Qiu Yunru brought Li Mei to the guards standing outside. They recognized her, immediately sending a messenger to inform Li Fengguang that his daughter had been found. Li Mei promptly ran into the house calling for her daddy without a word to Qiu Yunru. Qiu Yunru sighed. She really was a spoiled girl. Not even a thank you? He supposed children were like that sometimes...
He was just wondering why there seemed to be no quest reward when, as he turned to leave with Pan Fa, an oil-slick voice called out from the gate:
"You, boy. You were the one who returned my daughter?"
It was clear who the voice belonged to before Qiu Yunru turned around. Indeed, it was the slimy man himself, Li Fengguang. Now that Qiu Yunru could get a better look at him, he almost lit a candle for this man's appearance: thin like a stick, with gaunt cheeks and a face whose expression was greasy no matter how you looked at it, Qiu Yunru had to wonder how he'd ever managed to have a daughter with someone! Qiu Yunru smiled courteously and bowed his head.
"This humble one was approached by a lost girl and thought it would be a wrongdoing to not help. I am honored to have seen her home safely."
Li Fengguang appraised this young man for a moment. He was certainly handsome, though perhaps beautiful might be a better word--good-looking, that was for sure. He had a grace and intelligence to him that was rare to see in boys of his age, and his robes were of good quality. Beside him stood a boy with a less pleasant appearance, though bright-eyed and with passion in his gaze. Now that he could see them properly, both of them were wearing cultivation sect robes--white and jade robes that could only come from the great and wealthy Jade Clouds Sect. So these two were young, upright disciples...
Li Fengguang's mouth split into a smile. He spread his arms welcomingly. "This master wishes to invite both of you to a dinner with me and my daughter tonight. Kindness should be repayed tenfold, don't you think?"
In reality, what he was really thinking was: When have I ever had such a perfect opportunity to get my hands on young Jade Cloud Sect disciples? If I make a connection and whisper in their ears, who knows what kind of wealth I could acquire?
Qiu Yunru flinched internally at this man's gaze. He was surely thinking something unsavory. He didn't enjoy the company of strangers much anyways--especially not this kind of character. He opened his mouth to decline, but another quest marker appeared over Li Fengguang's head at that moment, shutting him up. This one was yellow--a Medium-level quest had appeared at last. It even came with a quest title:
Save the Abused Nephew! Reward: Surprise!
Qiu Yunru frowned. Surprise? What was up with this game and its obsession with surprises recently? Surprise DLC, surprise reward...How was he supposed to know a quest was worth it if it was a "Surprise"?! He managed to smile and bow to Li Fengguang respectfully, though he was scolding the game internally. Surprise? Surprise? What's the next surprise, surprise rock falls from the sky and crushes me?!
"It was really no big deal, but if my lord insists, we will surely return in the evening." The quest marker burst into yellow confetti at his confirmation, as though celebrating. Why hadn't any of the other markers done that?! Did the game have a preference on which quests he took and which he didn't? The thought made his head hurt.
After thanking and humbling himself before Li Fengguang a bit longer, Qiu Yunru and Pan Fa set off back into the city with a seal that would let them into the mansion grounds that night.