Location: Pingkang City
Petitioner: Lord Wang
Prerequisite: Begin Trip in Pingkang
Reward: White Tiger Sword Advanced Blueprint, Jade Ore, Note of Distress and Indignation

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 side quest is standing in front of a garden, around the city's halfway point.

Accompanied by a pair of Bouncers, Lord Wang starts off the conversation by flattering Yi - and then swoops straight into a business proposal. If you agree to hear him out Lord Wang will request five Toad Epidermises, which can be found in the Murkwood. He'll pay 1,000 coins per epidermis, which sounds like a good deal to Yi. (Though there's obvously a scam in here somewhere.)


Leave Pingkang City and head northeast. There's a bridge on your left, and once you cross it you'll be right next to the Murkwood. The location is somewhat innocuous, but the path will lead you inside. Note that if this is your first trip to the Murkwood a Bandit will stop you and try to extort you for money, and you'll either have to pay him or beat him up. (He's not difficult to defeat if you've got a friend or two.)

Head west through the forest, fighting or dodging all the creepy-crawlies, until you hit a clearing. At this point you'll be joined by some bigger trouble.


Sorcerer

Accompanied by a pair of Toads, the Sorcerer is actually a bit of a worthy opponent. All three enemies in this fight can lob venomous globs at your party members from a distance, and will often inflict Poison. Not the worst thing in the world, but the damage adds up. Lure them into a group and use AOE attacks to wipe out the Toads, then have everyone in your party gang up on the Sorcerer.

(If this battle proves a bit tricky, wait until you begin the main quest Revisit Pingkang. You'll have Mowen and Moqi along, and they make the battle much easier.)

You'll receive the Poisonous Dragon Tongue manual and (likely) several useful elixirs for winning the fight. Yi will also pick five Toad Coats off of the Sorcerer's body. This brings a new face out of hiding: A swordswoman named Shangguan Hong. She'll explain the whole dirty situation.


Head back to Pingkang City. When you approach Lord Wang you'll automatically trigger a confrontation with his five Bouncers. Luckily for you, Shangguan Hong will appear and join the fray on your side. The Bouncers are tough, but they're fairly standard melee opponents - and Hong will do a great deal to even the odds. (Mind that you can't control her in this fight.) The quest ends after the battle...

... though now you have something else to do: Recruit Shangguan Hong. She hangs out near the blacksmith's shop in Pingkang City from this point on, and you can give her Gifts to raise your Affinity with her. She likes swords, accessories, and tea-related items. Get her Affinity up to at least 40 and you'll trigger another side quest, Dance at Qingmu Sect, that will put you on the path to recruitment.