Part 1: Incident at Valley of Dragons' Slumber
After the Incident at Valley of Dragons' Slumber the party will wake up in a tiny settlement known as Wutong Village. Or, rather, what's left of the party will wake up there, as only Yuwen Yi survived the ambush. That stinks. You'll be introduced to a few new characters, gain Affinity with one of them (we'll get to that in a bit), and learn how to equip items on your party members. You'll also receive a Toxicant Pendant in the process, which goes right onto Yi.
After the conversation is over you'll be free to explore Wutong Village. Before we set to plundering, it's worth checking out Jiang Yinfeng, your 'host'. You can chat with him, but you can also observe him. This allows you to check out Yinfeng's stats and equipment. Many NPCs are observable in this manner, which is usually a hint that you can run afoul of them in combat - or recruit them. (This also gives you a look at some of the items you'll be able to collect much later in Wandering Sword.)
One last thing: At this point you'll probably want to save your game. Open the main menu and you'll have the option to both save and load whenever you like - so long as you aren't in combat, or standing indoors.
Enough with chatting, though. Let's have a quick look around Wutong Village. As you explore you'll see a number of things in the environment - plants, heaps of rock, trees - that give off a sparkling aura. Anything that isn't a chest can be 'mined' to collect items, as well as to build up your various Life Skills (check the menu to see your current level). Each time you do this you'll use up some of Yi's Stamina, and you'll need to rest once you run out.
We'll begin with some NPCs of note:
- In the southeast of Wutong Village is a boy named Zhao Qizhi. Speaking to him will trigger a tiny side quest, Looking North.
- In the west of Wutong Village is a man named Dachui the Blacksmith. Speaking to him will trigger another tiny side quest, What Bothers the Blacksmith.
- In the southwest of Wutong Village is a man named Bai Ziaosheng. If you have money he'll warn you of something bad, and expect 50 coins for his warning. Whether you give him money or not you'll receive (and immediately complete) the Bai Ziaosheng: Unexpected Calamity side quest. Will this be a problem in the future? We'll see...
- Also in the west of Wutong Village you'll find several NPCs who will trade you basic equipment and items. Some of this still will come in handy later, once you have, you know, money. Yi is kinda broke at the moment.
- In the south of Wutong Village is a fishing hole, and if you speak to the Fishing Elder next to the water he'll teach you the basics of fishing. We'll discuss fishing in a different section of the guide.
Next we'll look at the items you can pick up:
- If you check the upper-right corner of the Jiang Residence, where you start off, you'll find a chest. It contains Fish Scale Armor and Martial Arts Notes. Equip the Fish Scale Armor on Yi, and use the Martial Arts Notes to gain 200 Martial Points. We'll discuss Martial Points in a bit, though they're basically experience.
- As you explore the rest of the village you can pick up Fuling, Copper Ore, and Wood from plants, heaps of rock, and trees. Keep your eyes peeled for all three.
- In the southeast of the village is a small woodsman's hut, belonging to Zhang the Woodsman. Check the chest next to Zhang for some Wood, a Shabby Pouch, and more Martial Arts Notes.
- Next to Dachui the Blacksmith's home, in the west of Wutong Village, is a chest. It contains Iron Ore and a Copper Helmet, the latter of which you should equip.
- Across from the blacksmith's home is a small stall, owned by Mrs. Zhao the Merchant. Look behind Mrs. Zhao, a little to the right, and you'll see a chest. The chest contains a Tigerhead Pendant, Linen, and a Piercing Awl Advanced Blueprint.
- In the west of Wutong Village is a small shed, next to steps leading to a pond. Inside the shed is a chest containing The Three Character Classic, Jinchuang Ointment, and Cloth Shoes. You can sell the book for some cash, and you'll want to equip the Cloth Shoes.
Approach the monkeys to get into a battle. You're facing off against the Monkey Leader and two normal Monkeys. Your combat options this early on are quite limited, though the fight still isn't difficult. Pull Yi back a bit to Xiatong to lure the Monkey Leader over, then gang up on it to take it out. Xiaotong has the Jianghu Palm Technique, which can decimate the normal Monkeys.
You'll receive some Hides and Monkey's Fruit Juice for defeating the Monkey pack. You'll jump back to the Jiang Residence, Xiaotong will leave the party, and Yinfeng will teach Yi the Cultivation Method, as well as teach you how to use Martial Points to upgrade your various Skills. After a few cut scenes you'll also be taught about Meridian Points, and using Acupoint Striking to upgrade your stats. (There's a lot to take in, but it's simpler than it sounds at first. Just hover over the Acupoint Strike spots on the diagram to see if you want the stat boost. Upgrade your Basic Cultivation Method Skill to receive more Meridian Points.)
Once the tutorials are done Yi will be ready to detoxify himself - though there are still some more things to do before he can get rid of the poison coursing through his veins.