--- Chapter 19 ---
[Ding! Emergency Quest]
[Name: Save the Damsel]
[Objective: Save the Girl(0/1)]
[Reward: 9 Bronze Upgrading Tickets]
[Do you want to accept the quest]
[Yes/No]
Huo Yuhao accepted the quest with a tired look because he escaped one hole and fell into another. He kicked the ground and summoned Chains of Heaven, controlling it to save the girl.
"D-Don't come here!" The girl seemed to notice Huo Yuhao's presence and bit her lips.
The bandit couldn't help but laugh and replied, "Hmph, I'm sure you fetch quite a lot in the black market with that appearance, kid. Those pesky nobles want adorable kids these days. Don't blame me for doing it rough."
"Stay put-!" A white-gleaming dagger passed through the bandit's neck.
Cough!
"W-Who?"
Huo Yuhao slammed Thunderfire on the bandit's chest and indifferently said, "Stay away from her, pedo bastard."
The bandit was engulfed with purple flame and fell from the cliff with a shocked expression. He couldn't even utter the last word because his neck suddenly was ruptured by Huo Yuhao.
The girl trembled and swayed like a broken doll, but Huo Yuhao quickly used Chains of Heaven to catch her. He can't let her fall and makes the quest fail.
"Are you okay?" Huo Yuhao asked while checking her condition with Kenbunshoku Haki. He wasn't paying attention to her appearance a moment ago, but this girl was noble.
This girl is seven years old or younger, having neat blonde hair and bright amethyst eyes. She wore a casual dress and a blue ribbon around her waist. Even though her clothes were messy because of some mud here and there, they couldn't tarnish her pure image.
"T-Thank you." She kneeled on the ground, knowing her knees gave up after that life and death event. "Thank you for saving my life."
She cried for a few minutes, and Huo Yuhao wiped her tears with a clean handkerchief. He soothed her mind with Spiritual Energy, making her comfortable around him for now.
"Can you tell me what happened? Ah, also your name." Huo Yuhao asked while covering her with his cloak.
"My name is Qianye Ying'er. I'm the youngest child of the Qianye Clan and was on a trip with my mother to our vacation villa at Star Luo Imperial City. W-We were ambushed by bandits when passing a mountain range. They robbed and killed everyone, even my m-mom..."
[You have finished the quest]
[Rewarding 9 Bronze Upgrading Tickets]
[You have triggered chain quest]
Huo Yuhao's face hardened when hearing Evo's monotonous voice. He slowly glanced at the system panel and saw a new quest tab appears.
[Name: Bandit & Scheme]
[Objective: Find out the bandit hideout and the truth about the ambush(0/2)]
[Reward: 2 Silver Upgrading Tickets and 1x Random Spirit Ring(Purple)]
[Do you want to take the chained quest?]
[Yes/No]
'You've got me good, Evo. You know very well I won't miss out on these rewards.' Huo Yuhao couldn't help but sigh. He took the quest and brought Qianye Ying'er back to the carriage.
The driver was still busy checking out the survivors in the destroyed carriages. However, they should be brought by the mountain bandit somewhere else, according to the young lady beside him. Qianye Ying'er clutched her hand on Huo Yuhao's sleeve when seeing the bloody scenery again.
"Everything will be alright." Huo Yuhao assured Qianye Ying'er while giving her a pat on the back.
Huo Yun'er peeked out of the carriage and pouted when seeing her Haor'er with an unknown girl. "Who's she, Hao'er?" She asked suspiciously.
Huo Yuhao shrugged and began to tell everything to Huo Yun'er, making the older woman silent for a moment. She stared at Qian Ying'er with a pitiful gaze because witnessing such a thing at a young age was traumatizing.
Huo Yun'er massaged her temple and continued, "What do you want to do then?"
"I'll investigate this matter. No matter how you look at this problem, some mountain bandits were somehow brave enough to attack noble carriages?" Huo Yuhao replied calmly because of the quest. "It's not weird, but vastly uncommon."
"Qianye Ying'er told me they have some Spirit Ancestor Guards, but they couldn't even survive against the bandits, meaning the opposite side also has Spirit Masters."
"W-When I was running away, I saw someone with five spirit rings. It's the bandit leader." Qianye Ying'er suddenly added, which left Huo Yuhao mute for a moment.
That statement made everything more complicated now. Huo Yuhao was confident enough to take down everyone below Spirit King Realm, but since the bandit's leader possessed five spirit rings, he had to prepare something first.
Huo Yuhao's physical abilities and spiritual energy are on par with a Spirit King. However, he needed to consider that his enemy might have an annoying set of Spirit Skills.
"Hey, is there a village near this mountain?" Huo Yuhao suddenly asked the driver.
"A-Ah, there is one after that mountain." The driver replied sheepishly. "I don't think we can get away safely and should report this to the Star Luo Imperial City's Guards."
Huo Yuhao frowned inside because he was running away from that place, and this man wanted to take them back. He glanced at Huo Yun'er, noticing a coldness in her eyes when the driver said that.
"Let's go to the village." He said to the driver.
"B-But-!"
Huo Yuhao abruptly rushed to the driver and pressured him with Haoshoku Haki, making the poor man shiver in fear. "I said let's go to the village, sir." A smile appeared on his childish face.
...
...
The carriage arrived at the village.
Huo Yuhao used Kenbunshoku Haki and sensed the peaceful atmosphere in the village. There was no slightest fear on these people's minds while mountain bandits loomed around them.
"How weird." He commented casually.
"W-We are here." The driver said, to which Huo Yuhao responded with a nod.
They jumped off the carriage and looked at the bustling city with a calm gaze. Qianye Ying'er hides behind Huo Yuhao and warily gazes at everyone.
Huo Yuhao picked a gold coin from his inventory and threw it at the driver. "Your payment, go away immediately." He said while walking away.
The driver gulped in nervousness and waved the leather in his hand, making the horse move again. Unaware of the indifferent expression on Huo Yuhao's face because there was no way he would leave him alive. That guy was from Star Luo Imperial City and has seen his face, after all.
Huo Yun'er barely noticed something, but her nose detected poison in the air. She looked down at her son and assumed he had done something to the driver.
'Dead men tell no tales.' Huo Yuhao thought while searching for a temporary place to rest.
They walked into a quiet restaurant and ordered some food with copper coins. Huo Yuhao told his mother to ask about this village's condition in the past years and waited with Qianye Ying'er at the table.
"Hey, is there someone in your clan that hates you?" He suddenly asked, which made the young lady scrunch her face in confusion.
Qianye Ying'er thought about it and answered, "I think someone from my uncle's side has a grudge against my mother... I'm not sure about what because mother never told me."
"Am I going to die too..?" She looked down, feeling tears building up in her eyes.
Huo Yuhao shoved a rice cake into her mouth and replied, "You won't die with me around."
Huo Yun'er returned to their table with some fruit juices. She began to tell her son about the village's condition, and there was no bandit group in the vicinity because this place was close to the Star Luo Imperial City. Unless they want to court death and get imprisoned for lifetimes, no criminal dared to do such things.
"Well, that confirms something." Huo Yuhao takes a sip of the fruit juice. "Let's go to the inn next."
"Sure." Huo Yun'er agreed immediately.
The three went to the nearest inn and rented a room, relaxing until the evening. When the night arrived, Huo Yuhao placed the White Goblin Mask and leaned on the window.
"Hmm?" He noticed a slender finger lifting his mask.
Huo Yun'er kissed his forehead and said, "Please be safe, okay?"
Huo Yuhao smiled and kissed Huo Yun'er back, hugging her for five minutes. He moved his gaze to the sleeping Qianye Ying'er and sighed inside because this girl had gone through a lot.
"I'll be back soon, so please protect her." He jumped out of the window, disappearing with faint electricity.
"We haven't been out of the city for a day, and Hao'er has met with two girls already. At this point, he will have a harem." Huo Yun'er commented helplessly. "Hmph! I won't let those girls easily be close with my Hao'er."
"You can't blame him. Divine Dragons always have luck with women." A familiar voice appeared in the room.
"Fufu~."
...
...
Huo Yuhao used Extreme Lightning Mirage and returned to the destroyed carriages. He checked them with Kenbunshoku Haki and heard some noise from the previous cliff.
"Oh?" He carefully moved to the cliff again.
A group of three was talking on the cliff.
"Are you sure this is the place?" A skinny-looking man asked.
Another person with a bandana over his head scowled at his partner and replied, "Yes, I saw him running here to catch that girl. Do you think I'd lie about something like this?!"
"Shut up! You're the one who wanted to use our goods without the boss's permission." A guy with a scar on his face shouted.
"The girl must have jumped into the cliff with brother kong."
They stared at each other for a minute and agreed to return to their hideout. "Let's report that Kong Ming failed to get the girl. And He jumped into the cliff with her." The skinny-looking man declared.
"Yeah, that should be enough."
"I hope the boss won't be mad at us later."
Huo Yuhao listened to the three calmly and followed them for half an hour, navigating through the dense forest. He arrived at the abandoned mines and caught flickering light inside. His Kenbunshoku Haki detected more than thirty people, including the survivor there.
[Objective: Find out the bandit hideout and the truth about the ambush(1/2)]
"One more to go." Huo Yuhao muttered while grabbing the Baruka's Dagger.