4 Chapter 4 : Quest

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After his bath, Wang Haoyu decided it was soon time to leave the mountains and head to one of the many places where he could cut wood and cultivate more easily without worrying about wild beasts.

Once he finished changing into more decent clothes than the rag he had been wearing, he put on a high-quality black Qipao with golden dragon draw . It was one of the outfits his master had left him, much more durable than the clothes ordinary humans would have, allowing him to make the journey without damaging his attire.

Wang Haoyu took out a map and began examining where he needed to go to start.

On the map, two cities were relatively close to where he was, each with a debt-ridden clan. The first was the city of Tianyun, where the Ning clan was located. The second was the city of Shenghuo, where the Peng clan resided. After some thought, he decided to head directly to Tianyun, as the Ning clan owed him more, and it was also the closest. For now, he didn't specifically need money, but he could gain other advantages such as information and useful connections. The city was only half a day's walk away, so Wang Haoyu, having made his decision, set off for the city of Tianyun where the Ning clan was. He walked through the mountains, following the path indicated on the map, remaining vigilant towards his surroundings and ready to use his new skills if needed.

Along the way, he pondered the best approach to integrate into the society of this world. Since he had inherited the skills and memories from his previous life, he already had an advantage in terms of cunning and manipulation.

He planned to manipulate the Ning clan in one way or another, and for that, he would need to gather information to begin with. The best would be to establish a dependent relationship with them, but he would figure it all out when he arrived.

However, during his journey, he narrowly escaped death three times due to his karma. The first time, he almost fell off a cliff; the second time, a beast much stronger than him targeted him, and the third time, lightning struck him. Fortunately for him, it seemed that his body had become resistant to lightning, and instead, it helped him clear his blocked meridians, reaching the final phase of Qi refinement.

After almost a day of travel, he arrived in sight of the city of Tianyun. He observed the scene from a nearby hill to get an idea of the atmosphere and the city's situation. Once he had a clear view, he descended and headed towards the main gate.

At the city entrance, guards were checking the identity of those entering. Haoyu approached without hesitation, his newly gained confidence and calm demeanor concealing his true intentions. The guards, after a glance at his face, let him pass without questioning, perhaps due to his expensive clothes, his appearance, or his temperament exuding an air of nobility. They were likely afraid of upsetting an important person if they stopped him, so they let him pass without any issues. 

The city was, as expected, adorned with typical ancient Chinese architecture, with stone-paved streets, wooden and paper buildings, all infused with the distinctive Asian cultural signature. In the distance, an imposing pagoda rose majestically at least fifty meters high, reigning at the heart of the city. He made a mental note to visit it later.

The first thing he needed above all was information. As the saying goes, knowledge is a weapon, and currently, he possessed no information, rendering him unarmed.

Without hesitation, he headed towards a place where he was confident he would find what he was looking for. It was the gathering spot for those with little occupation, devoted to listening to rumors and observing passersby. These individuals, deeply rooted in their city, rarely traveled, making him almost certain that they were natives of this city.

After a few minutes, he reached the marketplace, where various stalls and street vendors displayed their products, carefully arranged on sheets spread on the ground.

Fortunately, he found what he was looking for in a secluded corner away from the bustling market stalls. A neglected and poorly dressed figure stood out, identifiable by the rag serving as clothing and the grime covering the skin, emitting an unpleasant odor.

Lying on the ground, only accompanied by a straw hat to collect the coins that charitable souls were willing to offer, he lay there in his humble solitude, patiently awaiting the generous gestures of passersby.

In a small town like this, beggars were of precious utility for gathering information. Their inability to travel, due to external dangers, made them almost always natives of the city. Spending their days begging, they were a reliable source for both rumors and verified information, thus serving as privileged holders of local knowledge that could be acquired at a modest price.

Wang Haoyu approached the beggar and dropped a few gold coins into the straw hat, catching the beggar's attention, who looked at him with surprise.

"Why such generosity, noble stranger?" asked the beggar, his eyes expressing both gratitude and curiosity.

Haoyu smiled slightly. "I am new in town, and I want to know everything about this city—the factions that compose it, the rivalries, information about the clans, even the rumors that may seem trivial. I need to know it all."

The beggar didn't hesitate for a moment and began sharing everything he knew with Wang Haoyu. It was only after 30 minutes that the old beggar finished speaking.

After he was done, Haoyu thanked him with a nod, gave him a few more gold coins, and left. As he walked, he decided to sift through the important information.

"The city has only one faction under the command of the Ning family. The other clans are submissive to them due to their power, which is far above theirs."

Among the minor clans, three were mentioned: the Li clan, the Xu clan, and the Ye clan.

"The Ning clan is the most powerful and influential. They have been involved in the city's commerce and politics for generations, being a long line of soldiers serving the Qin dynasty. The current head of the family is a renowned general named Ning Guo. The city was granted to them by the previous emperor along with their noble title."

Currently, the count's daughter is engaged to someone from a neighboring city, the son of an old friend of the count named Ye Ling. However, Ye Ling is considered a waste, incapable of practicing martial arts.

As Haoyu recalled all this, he glanced at the window that had appeared before him a few minutes earlier. It wasn't the first time he had seen such a notification; he had encountered it once when he asked questions to Guiji.

[QUEST : Plot against Ye Ling to steal his karma / Reward: Karma reset, random gift box]

[QUEST: Reach the peaks of this world and become the most influential person in it / Reward: ??????????]