Side Quest

Volume Two: The Yellow Turban Rebellion, Chapter 3: Side Quest

Lin Maoxian and Old Man Sun climbed into the large basket one after the other. Though it swayed precariously and looked dangerous, Lin Maoxian wasn't particularly concerned. The city wall was only about seven or eight meters high, and with his current attributes, even if he fell, he'd suffer no more than an injury. His life wouldn't be in danger.

The basket swayed for a while before the soldiers above finally hauled Lin Maoxian and Old Man Sun up onto the wall.

Once they were up, one of the soldiers said to Lin Maoxian, "Since you're here to join the army, head to the recruitment office in the south of the city. They've been taking people these past few days. As long as the Yellow Turbans aren't attacking the city, there'll be someone at the recruitment office. Whenever you want to enlist, just go there."

"Thank you, officer. I understand. I'd like to take Old Man Sun home first, then I'll head to the recruitment office."

Lin Maoxian thanked the officer, then left the wall with Old Man Sun and headed for his clinic.

Perhaps because the Yellow Turbans were about to attack, the streets were unusually quiet. Old Man Sun led Lin Maoxian through several turns before stopping in front of a clinic called the Sun Family Clinic. "Benefactor, this is the clinic my family has passed down for generations. Please, come inside."

Lin Maoxian followed Old Man Sun inside. As soon as they entered, a middle-aged woman came over. "Father-in-law, you're back. Did you find the herb?"

When Old Man Sun saw that it was his daughter-in-law, he would normally have scolded her for being so rude in front of a guest. This time, though, he didn't even feel like scolding her. "Alas! Don't ask. I did find the herb, but I ran into the Yellow Turbans. I lost my medicine basket while fleeing. If my benefactor hadn't saved me, I might not have made it back alive!"

Then he turned to Lin Maoxian and said, "Forgive my rudeness. After all that happened, I was so shaken that I forgot to ask your name. How careless of me."

Lin Maoxian shook his head and said unconcernedly, "It's all right. My surname is Lin. I enjoy adventuring in different places, so I simply go by Adventurer. I don't have a courtesy name."

"So you're Benefactor Lin. Please rest at my humble home for a while and let me show you my gratitude." After speaking, Old Man Sun turned to his daughter-in-law, who was standing nearby, and instructed her, "I'm going to treat our benefactor properly. Go prepare something good to eat, and don't neglect him."

His daughter-in-law answered and went inside to prepare the food.

Watching her go, Old Man Sun said apologetically to Lin Maoxian, "Benefactor, my son is still bedridden. I'd like to go see how he's doing."

"Go ahead. I'll rest here for a while, then head to the recruitment office to report in." Lin Maoxian waved Old Man Sun toward his son, telling him not to worry about his guest.

While Old Man Sun was inside, Lin Maoxian took out the ball of white light he had stored in his Storage Space and examined it. After asking the space, he learned that the ball was the essence of a living creature. The stronger the creature, the higher the chance it would drop one. It could contain equipment, medicine, skills, or other items—in short, it was a catch-all that could produce just about anything.

Lin Maoxian opened the ball of white light and found a steaming bun inside.

Steaming Small Bun (Common): Using this item immediately restores 20 health points to Adventurer, then restores 2 health points per second for the next 10 seconds. Cannot be used in combat.

The restriction against using it in combat greatly reduced the item's value. Fortunately, Lin Maoxian hadn't expected much. It was a target he'd defeated with a single punch; what good loot could he possibly have dropped? The other four hadn't dropped so much as a hair. Getting a bun was already pretty good, and it could still come in handy at a crucial moment.

Lin Maoxian put the bun back into his Storage Space. Before long, Old Man Sun came out with a heavy sigh.

Seeing his expression, Lin Maoxian guessed that his son wasn't doing well. Otherwise, Old Man Sun wouldn't have been sighing. "Old Man Sun, is your son's condition getting worse?"

"To tell you the truth, Benefactor, my son's condition is deteriorating. If we had that herb, he could be cured, but now he probably won't live much longer." Tears streamed down Old Man Sun's face. The poor old man would have to bury his own son, and his family had been reduced to a single line for nine generations. It seemed his family would end with his son. How could he face his ancestors after he died?

Hearing that the herb could cure Old Man Sun's son, Lin Maoxian guessed this must be a quest. He still had plenty of time to complete his main quest, and he was curious about why Yellow Turban Soldiers were on Dilong Mountain. He wanted to Probe the area, too, so he said to Old Man Sun, "Don't worry, Old Man Sun. Didn't you say that herb could cure your son? If I go to Dilong Mountain and bring back the herb he needs, won't he be saved?"

Though Lin Maoxian's words tempted Old Man Sun, he still said, "Benefactor, there may still be Yellow Turban bandits on that mountain. Going there now would be like walking into a tiger's den. I can't let you take that risk. If anything happened to you, how could I ever live with myself?"

Lin Maoxian thought, I can't exactly tell you that the space might issue a side quest, and that I'm curious about Dilong Mountain, too. He put on a righteous air and said, "What are you saying, Old Man Sun? How could we let the possibility of danger frighten us? Besides, you've seen how skilled I am. Unless there's an expert there, I can't promise anything else, but I'm confident I can protect myself."

Old Man Sun still frowned. "But... this has nothing to do with you, Benefactor. How can I let you risk your life?" He was tempted, but the thought of sending the man who'd saved his life into danger made him uneasy.

"Don't worry, Old Man Sun. Just tell me where you lost your medicine basket and where you picked the herb. Even if I can't find the basket, I can gather another herb and bring it back." Lin Maoxian continued to persuade him. He felt that his life was truly hard. He wanted to help someone, yet had to convince that person to let him do it. It was frustrating.

Seeing Lin Maoxian insist, Old Man Sun stopped arguing and told him where the herb grew. "I dropped my medicine basket where I was gathering herbs, near a cliff. I'd just picked the herb when those Yellow Turban bandits suddenly charged at me from somewhere. I was so focused on escaping that I dropped the basket in my panic. Even if you can't find it, you can pick another herb there and bring it back."

Hearing that the herb grew in the same place, Lin Maoxian breathed a sigh of relief. That would make it easier to find. Still, he asked Old Man Sun, "What does the herb look like? If I can't find your basket, knowing that will help me pick another one."

Old Man Sun stroked his long beard and said, "The herb is golden yellow, so it's easy to recognize. Since it only grows on Dilong Mountain, it's called Dilong Grass. There's a whole patch on the cliff. It isn't particularly valuable; it's just a bit troublesome to get because it only grows on Dilong Mountain."

Though he still hadn't heard any notice from the space about a side quest, Lin Maoxian stood up to bid Old Man Sun farewell. Probing Dilong Mountain was one of his goals anyway, so he could make the trip even without a quest. It was just a little disappointing.

Old Man Sun bowed to Lin Maoxian as he rose. "Thank you, Benefactor. No matter how things turn out, if you return safely, I'll be sure to repay you handsomely. Please be very careful."

As soon as Old Man Sun finished speaking, Lin Maoxian received a notification from the space: "Adventurer has triggered a side quest—Bring Back Dilong Grass. Difficulty: Average (C-rank)."

"Quest description: Old Man Sun's son doesn't have much time left. He hopes you'll go to Dilong Mountain, find the medicine basket he lost, and bring back Dilong Grass; or, if you can't find the basket, pick a stalk of Dilong Grass and bring it back to him."

"Quest objective: Adventurer must bring back Dilong Grass and hand it to Old Man Sun within 24 hours."

"Since Adventurer saved Old Man Sun's life, there is no penalty for failing this quest. However, Old Man Sun's relationship with Adventurer will return to its starting point (stranger). Upon completion, the reward will be an unknown reward from Old Man Sun; the space will provide no reward."

After receiving the space's notification, Lin Maoxian knew he'd come out ahead. The quest wasn't difficult at all; with his current strength, he could complete it without a problem. As for Old Man Sun's unknown reward, it would likely be for saving the lives of him and his son after completing the quest, so it was worth looking forward to. Even if the reward was only so-so, the bonus to his completion rating wouldn't be small.

After saying goodbye to Old Man Sun, Lin Maoxian retraced the route he'd memorized and returned to the city wall.

The soldier saw Lin Maoxian return not long after leaving and walked over to him.

Before the soldier could ask anything, Lin Maoxian spoke directly. "Officer, I'm heading out of the city. Old Man Sun's son has taken a turn for the worse and urgently needs Dilong Grass from Dilong Mountain. I promised Old Man Sun I'd find the medicine basket he lost there. I'd appreciate it if you'd let me through."

The soldier looked Lin Maoxian up and down. Seeing that he didn't look like a Yellow Turban bandit, he said, "You're a kind man. But given the situation, the Yellow Turbans may launch a major attack soon, and before long we'll seal the city gates completely. No one will be allowed in or out. Keep in mind that if you're not back within twelve hours, you may not be able to get back in."

Lin Maoxian thanked the officer for the warning. Now he understood the benefit of having high charm: people got a good first impression of him and didn't give him a hard time for no reason. If someone with low charm took on this quest, getting in and out of the city would probably be a whole ordeal.