Region 01
Qinghe
Overview
The starting region - riverside towns and farmlands along the Qing River, gateway to the wider jianghu.
Geography
History
Factions Present
Key Locations
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Mercyheart Monastery
Major Buddhist monastery in Sundara Land. Spiritual and political anchor of northern Qinghe; sheltered refugees during the Five Dynasties wars.
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Thousand-Buddha Vale
Cliffside cave complex carved with hundreds of Buddha images, inspired by real Mogao/Longmen iconography. Houses Thousand-Buddha Cavern and Village settlements.
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Halo Peak
Sacred summit of Sundara Land, often wreathed in cloud halo. Pilgrim destination and a region-wide landmark.
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Bodhi Sea
Vast lake-and-wetland in Sundara Land. Lotus blooms, stone causeways, and waterborne shrines.
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Flower Expanse
Wildflower meadow in Sundara Land used for seasonal festivals and herb gathering.
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Finesteed Hamlet
Small Sundara Land village known for horse breeding ties to Wildmane Ranch.
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Wildmane Ranch (Stallion Ranch)
Open grassland where wild horses roam; players capture and tame mounts here.
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Battlecrest Slope
Eastern Verdant Wilds borderland. Broken forts and the Northern Vow Ruins - a battlefield monument to a forgotten Five Dynasties war.
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Bamboo Abode
Reclaimed pagoda and hut complex in Stonewash Strand. Originally a wartime hideout, now part-shrine, part-hermitage.
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General's Shrine
Memorial to a Five Dynasties commander whose name was erased from records. Major Verdant Wilds landmark.
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Heaven's Pier
Cliffside viewing platform in Verdant Wilds with panoramic views over the region.
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Qinghe Bell
Region-unique landmark; once repaired and rung, it permanently reduces the difficulty of Qinghe world bosses.
Stories
- main-story Another New Wing Opening cinematic and combat tutorial. Uncle Jiang carries the infant protagonist while the basics of bow, mystic arts, internal arts, and postures are introduced.
- main-story A Horse Neighs in the Forest The protagonist returns to Heaven's Pier and is dragged into an involuntary adventure with the mythical bandit Killerblade, who is searching for someone from his past.
- main-story Dusty Mirror The mystery around Aunt Han's true identity deepens through a series of investigative beats in and around Blissful Retreat.
- main-story For Whom Does He Return Chapter 1 climax. The Aureate Pavilion attacks Heaven's Pier, the protagonist duels Qianye on Moonveil Mountain, and Killerblade intervenes to save the survivors.
- campaign Blissful Retreat Defend Heaven's Pier from the Aureate Pavilion's full assault led by Qianye - the campaign-tier fold-in of the Chapter 1 finale.
- campaign Gleaming Abyss Unlocks a large underground area beneath Moonveil Mountain and climaxes in the Void King fight - direct follow-up to the Mysterious Colossus.
- campaign Palace of Annals Qinghe campaign through the Palace of Annals - Emperor Chai Rong’s abandoned youth-era retreat, culminating against Lucky Seventeen.
- campaign Still Shore Flooded cavern shrine beneath the Evercare Clinic where a phantom scythe-wielder, Heartseeker, guards a haunted memory.
- campaign Bodhi Sea Ruined prison-shrine in Sundara Land where sounding three drums summons the illusory cavalry general Ye Wanshan.
- campaign Halo Peak Jade-crowned summit in Sundara Land where Tian Ying - staff, fists, then clones - tests every deflection the player has earned.
- jianghu-legacy Echoes of Old Battles Uncover the hidden treasures of the Northern Vow hoarded by Tiger Fort Bandits, rescue a Northern Vow heir from captivity, and master the Touch of Death technique.
- jianghu-legacy Echoes in the Shrine Answer a devout pilgrim's prayers by exploring a hidden shrine and uncovering the truth behind a sacred statue.
- jianghu-legacy Meridian Touch Meet a legendary acupoint master driven to madness by loss and restore him to clarity by mastering his signature technique.
- jianghu-legacy Blind to the World Honor a Lunar Goddess and her devotee by solving a sacred bell puzzle through surrender of sight and trust in sound.
- jianghu-legacy Afterglow Master the art of lightness via a rigorous water-jar challenge taught by a humble fisherman who is actually a legendary spear master.
- jianghu-legacy Cries in the Distance Answer distressed cries echoing from Moonveil Peak by rescuing a trapped martial disciple and confronting a territorial beast.
- jianghu-legacy Where a Thousand Buddhas Wept Conduct sacred funeral rites for the trapped souls of a village consumed by fire, guiding them toward rebirth and peace.
- jianghu-legacy Final: The Promised Light Confront the master of Halo Peak in a three-phase duel that tests all Qinghe skills and culminates the region's martial legacy.
Characters
- Independent - formerly Jianghu underworld Aunt Han (Han Xiangxun) Innkeeper of Blissful Retreat and adoptive mother of the protagonist. Her hidden jianghu identity is the legendary Water Lady - a master of face-altering surgery. Secretive, sharp-tempered, and pursued by the Aureate Pavilion after taking certain artifacts from them by force.
- Independent Chen Zixi Recurring Qinghe-area side cast member who reappears across Chapter 1 questlines.
- Independent Grandpa Zhou Elderly tea-stall keeper in Qinghe weeping over a lost bag - the trigger NPC for a starter wandering tale.
- Merchant Jia Fu Qinghe merchant entangled in the Missing Funds wandering tale.
- Independent - pre-Heaven's Pier past unclear Jiang Yan (Uncle Jiang) The protagonist's rescuer and foster father from the opening cinematic. Disappears mysteriously, driving one of the game's longest-running mystery threads.
- Unaligned bandit-hero Yi Dao (Killerblade) A mythical wandering bandit and parry-combat duelist searching for Han Xiangxun. Intervenes to save the protagonist during the Aureate Pavilion raid on Heaven's Pier, and later returns as a Qinghe world boss.
- Spirit construct Mimi The Paper Fox - a small spirit tied to the Painter's mural sequence. Gifts the Koi Key after a full day's wait.
- Independent Young Master of Heaven's Pier The player character - infant rescued by Uncle Jiang and raised by Aunt Han at Blissful Retreat. After Heaven's Pier falls, the Young Master becomes a wandering xiake whose true origin remains unknown.
- Aureate Pavilion Qianye The Aureate Pavilion's most feared enforcer - the Heartseeker witch, a master of disguise who reads the human heart deeply enough to become anyone. Leads the assault on Heaven's Pier and is the Chapter 1 finale boss.
- Independent The Painter Qinghe artist whose mural sequences weave the Veiled Lady encounter and the Gone with the Wind questline together.
- Independent Tian Ying Campaign boss waiting at Halo Peak's Buddha Light Pagoda in Qinghe.
- Independent The Veiled Lady A spectral figure summoned by lighting the lamp under a wooden shed at the Zi hour in Withered Woods. Boss of the Gone with the Wind questline - after her defeat she reveals Qianye's location, bridging Qinghe to the Hexi Azure Glow campaign.
- Independent - entity The Void King Massive humanoid colossus dwelling in the underground area unlocked by the Gleaming Abyss campaign - a follow-up entity to the Mysterious Colossus in Desolate Woods.
- Independent Yan Ming Qinghe child distressed over a missing doll - trigger NPC for an early wandering tale.
Bosses
- world Coffin Master A coffin-bound campaign boss haunting Mercyheart Monastery in Qinghe.
- world Earth Fiend Deity Demonic deity-class campaign boss at Emperor Chai Temple, between Gleaming Abyss and Bell of Demoncalm on Moonveil Mountain.
- campaign Qianye The Aureate Pavilion's Heartseeker witch - a face-stealing master and the climactic boss of the Chapter 1 finale on Moonveil Mountain.
- campaign Tian Ying Campaign dungeon boss residing beneath the Buddha Light Pagoda at Halo Peak, Qinghe.
- campaign Veiled Lady Summoned by lighting a lamp under a wooden shed at the Zi hour in Withered Woods - defeating her unlocks the revelation that drives the Azure Glow campaign.
- campaign The Void King Massive humanoid colossus dwelling in the underground Gleaming Abyss below Moonveil Mountain - direct follow-up to the Mysterious Colossus.
- world Puppeteer Sheng Wu Qinghe world boss appearing as two distinct fights - Overture and Curtaincall - same character, different arenas and mechanics.
- world Sleeping Daoist Slumbering rogue Daoist world boss waiting at the Path of Karma waystone in Sundara Land, Kaifeng.
- world Snake Doctor Cave-bound world boss in the underground passage west of Encircling Lake, Kaifeng.
- world Yi Dao (Killerblade) The wandering bandit-hero of Chapter 1 returns as a world boss in Qinghe - activated by touching his sword near a destroyed building at Blissful Retreat, Moonveil Mountain.
- campaign Heartseeker A graceful scythe-wielder shrouded in mystery, defending the Heart Lake beneath Moonveil Mountain with illusions and crimson lightning.
- campaign Ye Wanshan A fallen general astride his noble steed, wielding both sword and glaive in the Bodhi Sea, where broken oaths weigh heavier than steel.
- campaign Dalang A noble horse bound to its handler, twisted and possessed by forces of control, standing as a barrier between the player and answers in Chapter 1's opening hours.
