Chapter 1

Another New Wing

main-story released tutorial prologue

Summary

Opening cinematic and combat tutorial. Uncle Jiang carries the infant protagonist while the basics of bow, mystic arts, internal arts, and postures are introduced.

Characters

Aunt Han (Han Xiangxun)

Independent - formerly Jianghu underworld qinghe

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.
Jiang Yan (Uncle Jiang)

Independent - pre-Heaven's Pier past unclear qinghe

The protagonist's rescuer and foster father from the opening cinematic. Disappears mysteriously, driving one of the game's longest-running mystery threads.
Young Master of Heaven's Pier

Independent qinghe

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.

Connections

Story Sequel A Horse Neighs in the Forest

Synopsis

The game opens with a brief framing cinematic - Uncle Jiang (Jiang Wulang) flees through a hostile night carrying an infant, while a man in black strikes him down and tears away a Jade Pendant. Years later, the protagonist - the Young Master of Heaven's Pier - wakes in the village he was raised in. Uncle Jiang is missing. The household is uneasy. The quest is the formal tutorial layer of Where Winds Meet, but it threads its mechanics through a domestic mystery: where did the man who raised you go, and what was he hiding?Together with Ruby, the young protagonist begins searching Uncle Jiang's house for clues. Mechanically this acts as the bow-tutorial doorway: Fen Jisheng, an archer met on the path, drills the player on aim, draw, and shot economy. A separate stranger introduced as the Wayfarer hands the protagonist the first piece of the world map (Verdant Wilds of Qinghe) and the Wulin Journal, then asks for help with a bear haunting the nearby ridge - that bear is the in-narrative excuse for the Mystic Arts tutorial, where Tai Chi is unlocked as the first mystic skill.Returning to Uncle Jiang's desk, the protagonist finds a letter addressed "From Wei, to Jiang Wulang." The letter is the quest's emotional pivot: a contact named Wei reports that the "Sleeping Puppet" scourge has resurfaced, and asks Jiang to draw his sword again. The protagonist now understands their guardian was no retired carpenter - he was a wuxia of some repute, with active enemies and unresolved debts.To press further, the protagonist seeks Beard Guang, who hands over a book of Uncle Jiang's that no one in the village can decipher. With the book in hand, the trail leads outward, handing the player off to *A Horse Neighs in the Forest*.

Key Events

Prologue cinematic - Uncle Jiang carries infant protagonist; man in black attacks and steals the Jade Pendant.
Protagonist wakes in Heaven's Pier; Uncle Jiang is missing.
Investigation of Uncle Jiang's house with Ruby (tutorial framing).
Meet Fen Jisheng - bow / archery tutorial.
Meet the Wayfarer - receive first map fragment (Verdant Wilds of Qinghe) and Wulin Journal.
Deal with the bear - Mystic Arts tutorial; Tai Chi unlocked.
Find "From Wei, to Jiang Wulang" letter mentioning the Sleeping Puppet.
Meet Beard Guang; receive Uncle Jiang's undecipherable book.
Quest ends; A Horse Neighs in the Forest begins.

Outcomes & Revelations

Protagonist's mysterious origin established (rescued as infant; Jade Pendant stolen).
Uncle Jiang is unmasked as a jianghu figure, not a peaceful elder.
The "Sleeping Puppet" is named as an active threat.
Player gains: Wulin Journal, first map fragment, bow + Tai Chi mystic art.
Aunt Han, Ruby, Fen Jisheng, Beard Guang, and the Wayfarer introduced as recurring Qinghe NPCs.

Notable Quotes

“We were supposed to go shopping — why are you sleeping in the dirt?”
- Ruby
“The jade pendant doesn't matter. Tell me — are you hurt?”
- Aunt Han
“From Wei, to Jiang Wulang: the Sleeping Puppet has resurfaced. Draw your sword again.”
- Wei

Gameplay Notes

Consolidated combat + traversal tutorial. The narrative flow forces the player to learn bow (via Fen Jisheng), Mystic Arts on a real enemy (the bear via the Wayfarer), and basic double-jump / air-dash traversal between landmarks. No real boss; the bear is a tutorial encounter sized to teach posture-break and skill timing. Investigation pacing is generous - markers point clearly and there are no fail-states. Recommended power level: starter (the quest is the on-ramp).