Rising in rank once again, Yi has been approved to go on a trip to Nanjiang, the last major region that is yet unvisited in Wandering Sword. (We haven't really gone to the snowy area in the northeast, either, but technically you can.) First, though, you need to travel to Mingjian Manor.
Head southeast to Gusu City and use the pier to get to the manor. Approach the front gates to trigger a cut scene, at the end of which you'll receive a bunch of items: The Innerpeace Talisman Advanced Blueprint, Snowflake Hibiscus, Fish-Songrong Soup, Martial Arts Perceptions, and 10,000 coins. You'll also receive two more party members in Ouyang Xue and Ouyang Jianying. Xue's brother is very similar to her in combat, making him a welcome addition.
(If you haven't done it already, you should pump up Yi's Affinity with Jianying. He knows the same Cultivation Methods as Xue, and is quite happy to accept Gifts, unlike his sister.)
Your next destination is Jinglong City, in the southwest. There are two ways to get here:
- Travel through Bramble Shade Forest. It's located to the southwest of Wudang Sect, and consists of a quick path straight south. The guards that would normally stop you from passing will now let the group through.
- Travel to Solitary Cloud Marsh Pier. It's located to the south of Wudang Sect, and southwest of Tancheng City. Speak to the Boatman in the south and he'll ferry you over to the western pier. Note that if you've completed the Beggars' Sect missions out of Tancheng City you'll hit a battle here... though you'll also have an opportunity to recruit a new party member, assuming you can win said battle. You can't go through here without getting into the fight, so if you're unable to win you'll need to use Bramble Shade Forest.
If you're coming from Bramble Shade Forest you'll find Jinglong to the south. If you're coming from the pier, it's to the north.
- The inn is by the northern entrance. Nothing special here.
- East of the inn is a merchant selling some ingredients. Nothing special here either.
- There's an 'odd physician' named Zhou Xiong to the west of the inn. His goods don't seem all that odd.
- The blacksmith is located in the northwest of Jinglong. The tailor is one level down from the blacksmith.
In the south of Jinglong is a bamboo bridge. On the south end of the bridge you'll hit a cut scene where one of the Ouyang's retainers rushes up, claiming that Xue and Jianying's father has gone missing. He is likely in the Phoenix Cave, west of Jinglong. You can head the right direction by leaving the city via the southwestern gate. Travel southwest and you'll hit the cave by going south at the next crossroads.
Phoenix Cave - Enemies
- Rat
- Rat Horde
- Snake Division Blowgunner
- Snake Division Warrior
- Viperidae
- Wolf Spider
Phoenix Cave - Drops
- Brocade
- Celestial Garment
- Coldiron Knuckle
- Danggui
- Dangshen
- Demon Conqueror
- Fanyang Straw Hat
- Featherless Arrow
- Fine Raw Meat
- Hide
- Honghua
- Jadeite Guanyin
- Raw Meat
- Satin
- Silverlight Saber
- Snake Gallbladder
- Spider
- Sulphur
- Tanxiang
- Tiger Claws Boots
- Top-Quality Hide
- White Tiger Sword
Seemingly infested only by vermin at first, the Phoenix Cave quickly reveals itself as the home of the Snake Division. Most of the creatures down here like to Poison your characters, so be ready for a lot of chip damage. You can harvest Coal, Sulphur (lots of Sulphur), Shouwu, Ginseng, and Siderite Ore while exploring the Phoenix Cave.
There are no chests to open in the Phoenix Cave - pretty sure, anyway; I was thorough - so just fight and harvest your way along the straightforward path. (It's quite long, so auto-battles are likely the order of the day.) Once you reach a northbound bridge you'll be near the end, so save your game and kick Xue and Jianying out of the active party. They will show up for the next battle regardless.
Ambush! Liux Khat is accompanied by a large number of minions, though they're aaaaaall enemies you've been thrashing throughout the Phoenix Cave. Liux Khat is the only attacker who brings something new to the table:
- Ranged moves that can Poison a single target
- An AOE attack that lowers Accuracy for one turn
All in all, not that crazy a battle. Liux Khat is not powerful enough that you have to focus on him, so draw your characters together and use AOE attacks to wipe out the mooks. If Liux Khat croaks in the process, well, all the better.
An apparent misunderstanding will be cleared up after the battle, and you'll receive Liux Khat's Note in the process. Alas, Master Ouyang is not here, and you get wrangled into doing something else entirely. Leave Phoenix Cave once you're back at the entrance, then head west, north at Erjun County, and northeast. This will put you at your next destination.
Miasma Murk Forest - Enemies
- Crab Louse
- Cup Moth
- Jenb Xenxn the Lizard Envoy
- Lizard (Jenb Xenxn battle only)
- Salamander
- Wolf Scorpion
Miasma Murk Forest - Drops
- Buguzhi
- Chuanxion
- Dihuang
- Danggui
- Dangshen
- Fine Raw Meat
- Gouqi
- Honghua
- Premium Hide
- Scorpion
- Top-Quality Hide
A gloomy place filled with monsters, Miasma Murk Forest is also quite small. It has three entrances,and... not a ton in-between. You can harvest Ginseng, Songrong Mushrooms, Zhennan Wood, and Jade Ore in Misma Murk Forest, but there are no chests. The only thing that really stands out is a fellow named Jenb Xenxn, in the south, and he's still not that big a deal - though he will occasionally drop some useful stuff.
Head to the north end of the forest. On an upper level of the area you'll spot some blue flowers. Approach them to trigger a cut scene. Xue will procure some of the Witch's Iris for the party. Unfortunately this has the immediate effect of getting you in trouble with some Wuxian Sect Disciples, and they will attack. (And you'll probably beat them down in no time.)
Leave Miasma Murk Forest via its western exit and follow the road as it winds south and west. Eventually you'll reach a three-way crossroads, just past Mount Wuxian. Head north of here to find Shiping Village, then swing west to find your next stop, Herb Valley.
Herb Valley - Enemies
- Ayuttha the Sorcerer
- Bee
- Bee Swarm
- Cursed Puppet
- Lizard
- Viperidae
Herb Valley - Drops
- Brocade
- Celestial Garment
- Coldiron Knuckle
- Dangshen
- Demon Conqueror
- Fanyang Straw Hat
- Featherless Arrow
- Fine Raw Meat
- Honey
- Linen
- Satin
- Silverlight Saber
- Snake Gallbladder
- Tanxiang
- White Tiger Sword
An altogether nicer place than Miasma Murk Forest, Herb Valley is not without its own dangers. Of particular note are the Cursed Puppets, which despite not hitting very hard have a lot of HP, and higher-than-average defenses. The fights won't be difficult, but they will probably take a while. A few things of note:
- If you're willing to wander this place a bit you'll find a veritable wonderland of items that you can harvest: Ginseng, Shouwu, Lingzhi, Honghua, Dangshen, Danggui, Coldiron Ore, Silver Ore, and Jade Ore.
- In the north you'll find a fishing spot. Enjoy!
- In the northwest you'll find a clearing occupied by Ayuttha the Sorcerer, a unique enemy. He's a fairly standard saber fighter, and not too difficult. Near Ayuttha is a chest containing the Scaled Serpent Soup Recipe, the Ginseng-Cordyceps Soup Recipe, and some Brocades.
In the northwest of Ayuttha's clearing is a partially-hidden path leading down a cliff and further west. Here you'll find the Blood Saffron. More Wuxian Sect Disciples will show up to stop the group, and they're about as difficult as the ones you fought in Miasma Murk Forest. You'll be done in no time.
Almost done. Leave Herb Valley and head back south from Shiping Village. The path branches off to the west when you go far enough, and your final destination is waiting at the end.
Shiwan Dashan - Enemies
- Bat
- Furryman
- Furryman Guard
- Furryman Spear Thrower
- Leader
- Rhinocerous
- Wuxian Sect Disciple
Shiwan Dashan - Drops
- Brocade
- Celestial Garment
- Coldiron Knuckle
- Demon Conqueror
- Fanyang Straw Hat
- Featherless Arrow
- Jade Ore
- Jadeith Guanyin
- Linen
- Loneliness Guqin
- Premium Hide
- Rhinohorn
- Silverlight Saber
- Sunset Glow Boots
- Tiger Claws Boots
- Top-Quality Hide
- White Tiger Sword
The next stop on this trip has you zig-zagging across thin pathways and the occasional waterfall. Nothing too drastic, aside from the apparent band of... sasquatches...?... living here. They have a Leader once you've gotten through the Furryman mooks, though they aren't a big deal. You can harvest Shourou, Songrong Mushrooms, Lead Ore, and (near the end) Dragonwood as you wind your way through Shiwan Dashan.
Once you make your way to the top of Shiwan Dashan you'll start running into hordes of Wuxian Sect Disciples. They're guarding a narrow pass that leads north. Your prize waits at the far end... though first you'll have to battle a horde of Venomous Crocodiles. They surround the party, and have lots of HP, but are otherwise pretty basic enemies that can inflict Poison. Use AOE attacks as often as you can, and concentrate on one or two at a time until you wear them down.
The team will claim the Pearl Lotus after the battle, and you'll be sent back to the entrance of Shiwan Dashan. Your next stop is just a little ways to the east.
Mount Wuxian - Enemies
- Dreadnought Spider
Mount Wuxian - Drops
- Danggui
- Dangshen
- Honghua
- Spider
- Tanxiang
Yeeeesh, this is a lot of (admittedly short) dungeons in a row. Fortunately, Mount Wuxian is the end of the road. The main thing to note on this straightforward road is that the Dreadnought Spiders appear both as free-roaming creatures and as whiteish bundles of unmoving eggs. If you don't want extra fights, make sure you avoid the egg mounds. You can collect Ginseng and Shouwu in this short area.
Eventually the path will lead you to a pond, and a cut scene will see the miasma permeating this area dispelled. Head back west and you'll find a path out of Mount Wuxian.
Divine Pond / Forbidden Area - Enemies
- Carrion Centipede
- Dreadnought Spider
- Fungus Toad
- Golden Orb Weaver
- Green-Scaled Serpent
- Wolf Scorpion
Divine Pond / Forbidden Area - Drops
- Danggui
- Dangshen
- Honghua
- Scorpion
- Snake Gallbladder
- Spider
- Tanxiang
- Toad Coat
- Top-Quality Hide
Another quick dungeon, Divine Pond and Forbidden Area have a special caveat: Only Yi and Xue get to fight. They are more than powerful enough to handle the enemies in this area, though make sure Xue in particular is beefed up and has all of your available Cultivation Methods equipped. making her as strong as possible can't hurt your chances.
Aside from some Lingzhi there's not much to see in this area besides enemies. Fight your way to the northeast and you'll find the cave leading into the Forbidden Area. In here you'll find Jade Ore deposits. You'll also run into far more enemies that are sitting still and pretending to be bits of the scenery. Tread carefully if you don't want to get into battles.
Head steadily north until you hit what appears to be a dead end. It's difficult to see, but there's a ramp here that will take you further north, where you'll see a more natural light source. Yi will retrieve the Polis Snake Sword you came to grab... and a whole mass of venomous beasties will try to eat Yi and Xue. They're all regular-strength enemies, and shouldn't pose a massive problem so long as you avoid letting them surround your characters.
After a touching cut scene Yi's Affinity with Xue will rise, and you'll be sent back to the Divine Pond. Trek back to Wuxian Sect and you'll get into a battle with a legion of Green-Scaled Serpents and Purple Mist Serpents, but Yi and Xue will have Ouyangs Jianying and Heng to help them. Heng on his own more than tips the scales in your favor. And then, immediately after that battle...
Ah, this guy again. Accompanied by the enormous Silver Venomous Serpent - as well as a bunch of Purple Mist and Green-Scaled Serpents - Liux Khat is more challenging than before, though his moveset and strength levels are the same. The true contender is the Silver Venomous Serpent, which has way more HP than anything else in this fight.
Your primary advantage here is the addition of Thom Lief to your party. Lief is a swordswoman, like... basically everyone else in this battle... but she's easily the strongest of the bunch. She and Heng will keep the whole right side of the battlefield busy while you sweep left and deal with Liux Khat. Eventually the fight will come to chopping away at the Silver Venomous Serpent, which isn't a huge deal.
You'll receive the Heart-Piercing Dust manual, as well as several other items, for defeating Liux Khat and his snake buddies. The Ouyangs will depart after the battle, and you'll receive Snowflake Hibiscus Soup, Fish-Songrong Soup, and 10,000 coins.
Travel back to Wudang Sect. Once you arrive at the gates a new problem will arise, and Yi will be headed to a new destination: Yanfu Town. (And Mowen's coming along, as well.)