Location: Pingkang City
Petitioner: Mr. Cheng
Prerequisite: Begin Trip in Pingkang
Reward: Varies; see below

Once you leave Wutong City the world will open up, and one of the nearer places you can visit is Pingkang City, to the west. That said, you won't officially start going there until you begin the main quest Trip in Pingkang, which is about when you can handle the city's side quests. The petitioner for this particular side quest is sitting at a table on the first floor of the inn, to the left of the front door.

The petitioner, Mr. Cheng, wants to marry the woman seated across from him - but she's the governor's daughter, and the governor would never consent to the union. He has a calligraphy collection that he wants to sell which would help things, but no one would buy it. You have two options for resolving this side quest.


Buy the Calligraphy Collection (1,000 coins)

If you decide to purchase the Master's Calligraphy Collection Mr. Cheng will suggest you visit the Pawnshop. Apparently the owner believes the collection is worth more than 1,000 coins. Visit the Pawnshop in the far west of Pingkang, however, and the owner will claim that you're trying to scam him. You have two options:
  • Convince him. The owner isn't convinced, however, and will send you back to Mr. Cheng. You can give the girl a chance to explain, which provides two further options:
    • Listen. During the explanation a man named Inspector Chen will show up, and you'll fight on the couple's behalf. Chen is quite powerful, though fortunately he's also alone. Be careful surrounding him on all sides, as he has a powerful AOE attack. If you win you'll receive the Undying Cultivation Method manual, a Jinxian Crown, Refined Meridian Pills, Martial Arts Thoughts, and 2,000 coins. Quest complete.
    • Do not listen. The couple will give you 2,000 coins, ending the quest.
  • Threaten him. You'll receive 10,000 coins, but you'll also have to fight Inspector Chen, noted above. The quest ends if you win the fight.

Refuse to buy the Calligraphy Collection

If you refuse to buy the collection Mr. Cheng will ask you to sell it at the Pawnshop for him. If you turn him down the quest will end. If you agree you can take the collection to the owner of the Pawnshop, though, again, he recognizes it as a fake. You have two options:
  • Convince him. The owner doesn't care, and sends you back to the inn. heng will give you The Chinese Landscape, which ends the quest.
  • Threaten him. You'll receive 10,000 coins, and once again, you'll have to fight Inspector Chen. Win the fight to end the quest.
Overall it is best to buy the collection, try to convince the shopkeeper, let the girl speak, and then beat up Inspector Chen. Note that Inspector Chen also drops a random, fairly powerful weapon each time you beat him, so you may want to fight him a couple of times to get a weapon that suits your team.