Ning Rongrong stepped forward and threw her arms around Boss Li, Li Haiyun!
The man's body was broad and solid, giving off a sense of vigorous vitality.
Not only that, Li Haiyun had a peculiar scent about him. It was hard to describe, faint, but very pleasant.
All in all, Ning Rongrong found his embrace quite nice, and her favorable impression of Li Haiyun kept climbing.
At the same time.
Information about the task timer came to Ning Rongrong's mind automatically.
One breath, two breaths... nine breaths...
Very quickly.
Thirty breaths passed!
A notification that the task had been completed sounded in both Ning Rongrong's and Li Haiyun's minds.
At the same time.
The Black-Grade Mission Card in Ning Rongrong's arms burst with a thick black mist, while her Martial Soul, the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda, emerged of its own accord.
Under everyone's gaze,
the black mist enveloped the radiant Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda.
Clang, clang...
The sound of masterful forging rang out.
After a little while,
the sound faded and the black mist dispersed!
The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda had advanced into the Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda!
Ning Rongrong's delicate body trembled violently. She stared at her Martial Soul in a daze, murmuring as she counted, "One, two, three... eight floors!!"
Chapter 4: Dad, I Did It
After counting, she saw that the glazed pagoda had eight floors in all.
"Eight floors! My Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda has become an Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda!!"
Ning Rongrong's expression turned wonderfully animated. Her heart raced, and it leaped with excitement.
She truly hadn't expected that she would spend ten thousand Gold Soul Coins on a Mission Card,
then follow the instructions on it and hug Boss Li Haiyun for thirty breaths.
Without breaking a sweat, her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda had advanced and awakened into the Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda!
This was something her father had yearned to achieve his entire life, yet never could!
Who would have thought that she would actually do it!
The Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda!!
"Dad, I did it!"
"Grandpa, I did it!"
"Today, I really turned the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda into the Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda!!"
"And I'm only twelve years old!"
Ning Rongrong grew more and more excited. Her chest heaved with joy as her little hands clenched into fists.
At that moment,
she couldn't help imagining her father, Ning Fengzhi, seeing her Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda Martial Soul. His expression would be incredible; he would be so shocked he wouldn't know what to say, and his smile would stretch from ear to ear!
Not only that,
when her Sword Grandpa and Bone Grandpa saw her Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda Martial Soul, they would probably be so shocked their jaws would hit the ground with a thud!
Thinking of her father, Ning Fengzhi, Sword Grandpa, and Bone Grandpa, and imagining their astonishment and affection for her,
Ning Rongrong felt warm inside, a happy smile blooming across her beautiful face.
The Passersby around them stared at the scene in shock.
"Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda—ah... no, that's the Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda! This little girl is the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"
"That's right! So this beautiful little girl is from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, one of the Upper Three Sects. No wonder she's so rich!"
"Never mind her money. This little girl is beautiful and gifted, too. The Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda Martial Soul must be the first of its kind on the entire continent!"
"I wonder who'll be lucky enough to marry such a pretty girl one day!"
"..."
The Passersby around them chatted excitedly.
After the City Lord's Mansion's eldest young master, Solio, and the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's little princess, Ning Rongrong, had tried it out,
everyone's attitude toward this Mission Card Shop had changed dramatically.
This was a treasure trove of a shop. With ten thousand Gold Soul Coins, you had the chance to obtain a rare Spirit Bone, or even strengthen and advance your Martial Soul!
And the boss wasn't a swindler. People no longer looked at Li Haiyun with the wariness they'd reserved for a charlatan or fraud.
Many people were tempted. They wanted to rush in, buy, buy, buy!
A moment later,
Ning Rongrong recovered from her joy and looked gratefully at Li Haiyun. She said softly:
"Thank you, Boss Li. You turned my Martial Soul from the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda into the Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda!"
"Don't mention it." Li Haiyun nodded. "You did this yourself. I only sold you the Mission Card. You were the one lucky enough to draw a Black-Grade Quest, and you completed it yourself. The person you should thank most is yourself."
Li Haiyun was telling the truth.
Luckily, Ning Rongrong had drawn an easy task: hug him for thirty breaths. And the reward was generous and straightforward, directly advancing and strengthening the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda into the Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda.
If she'd drawn a difficult task with a poor reward, wouldn't he have ended up looking like a huge fraud and been reviled by everyone?
That was why Li Haiyun was doing his utmost to distance himself from all this, insisting the task had nothing to do with him.
Otherwise, if customers drew even more bizarre tasks in the future and blamed him for them, wouldn't he be lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot?
Hearing Boss Li's words, Ning Rongrong paused, but still continued, "I don't just want to thank you. I also want to apologize, because I actually thought you were a fraud just now!"
Ning Rongrong was straightforward by nature. She said whatever was on her mind.
"Haha!" Li Haiyun smiled. "So now I've proved I'm not a fraud, right?"
"That's right, Boss Li. You're not a fraud. You're the best boss in the whole world!"
Ning Rongrong nodded firmly as she spoke.
She'd spent just ten thousand Gold Soul Coins and advanced and strengthened her Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda into the Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda.
In her eyes, Li Haiyun was the best boss in the whole world!
If her father, Ning Fengzhi, found out about this, he might even honor Li Haiyun as a distinguished guest of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and treat him with lavish gifts!
"Boss Li, my name is Ning Rongrong. I'm from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I'm happy to meet you!"
"My name is Li Haiyun, and I'm the owner of this shop. I'm happy to meet you, too!"
Through their cheerful conversation, Li Haiyun and Ning Rongrong became friends.
"Boss Li, give me ten more Mission Cards!!"
Ning Rongrong said boldly, then took ten exquisite sandalwood boxes from the gems on her Storage Soul Tool belt.
Every box was filled to the brim with Gold Soul Coins, gleaming brightly.
"So much money, that's way too much!"
"I wish I had all that money!"
"..."
One hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins was no small sum. In an instant, the shop filled with the distinctive scent of Gold Soul Coins, making the Passersby's hearts pound and their eyes burn.
Li Haiyun extended his long fingers and lightly tapped each exquisite wooden box. The system automatically counted the coins; after confirming the amount was correct, it collected them into the System Storage Space.
At the same time,
Li Haiyun swept his hand, and ten Mission Cards appeared out of thin air.
"Rongrong, here are ten Mission Cards. Take them!"
"You already know how to use them. Just channel a wisp of Soul Power into one, and you can use it to receive a quest!"
"But I should warn you: each Soul Master can accept no more than three quests at a time!"
"To accept a new quest, you have to complete the ones you've already accumulated before you can use another Mission Card!"
"Besides, some quests become compulsory once you draw them. You have to complete them before you can accept or complete any other quests!"
Li Haiyun patiently explained.
Ning Rongrong and the Passersby around her listened like examinees carefully studying the rules before an important exam, not missing a single word.
Every word Li Haiyun spoke was deeply etched into their minds. They wouldn't forget a thing.
"Boss Li, I've got it!"
Ning Rongrong took the ten Mission Cards and nodded obediently.
Then,
she put nine Mission Cards into a gem on her Storage Soul Tool belt and kept one out. "Boss Li, do you mind if I use a Mission Card here and accept a quest?"
The little girl was quite polite. Favorability +1.
Li Haiyun shook his head. "Of course I don't mind, Rongrong. It's your choice. Go ahead!"
"Great! I'm starting now!"
Ning Rongrong held the Mission Card in her left hand and channeled a wisp of Soul Power into it with her right.
A long stretch of purple text appeared on the Mission Card.
Chapter 5: An Intimate Purple Grade Quest
This time, Ning Rongrong drew a Purple Grade Quest.
Quest Grade: [Purple Grade] Quest Content: [True affection exists in this world. Interlace fingers with the nearest male Soul Master and gaze into each other's eyes, so that both of you can feel true affection! The process must last one hundred breaths!] Quest Nature: [Known only to yourself] Quest Reward: [Five bottles of Soul Grandmaster-level Experience Water] Quest Rating: [No rating] Note 1: [The nature of the current quest is known only to yourself. Before and during its execution, you may not reveal the quest's contents to anyone. Otherwise, the quest will be deemed invalid!] Note 2: [Each bottle of Soul Grandmaster-level Experience Water grants one level of cultivation! It can only be consumed by Soul Grandmasters at levels 21–29!]
Looking at the Mission Card's contents, especially the notes,
Ning Rongrong froze, her beautiful eyes trembling.
Beside her, Boss Li, Li Haiyun, was also stunned, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
"Interlace fingers with the nearest male Soul Master and gaze into each other's eyes for one hundred breaths!"
"And before completing the quest, I have to keep it secret. I can't reveal its contents!"
"This is so embarrassing!"
A troubled expression appeared on Ning Rongrong's lovely face.