Corpse-Eating Xue

Captain Chen Zhu's Secret Letter

There's a rampaging Maskwalker wreaking havoc in the Creek Valley. It wields a broken, rusted blade and is exceptionally vicious. Anyone cut by the blade bleeds like a fountain. It must be the "Jagged Steel" our squad lost earlier!

Go to the valley at once and recover the blade. Keep this strictly secret, and do not let Master Huangxing find out! Otherwise, every last one of us will lose our heads!

Captain Chen Zhu

Written Order

Lieutenant Fu,

Regarding the matter you raised before, I set it aside for the time being, fearing that pursuing it would only create further complications. But... avoiding it forever is no solution. Facing the truth is the path we ought to take.

When the bearer of this order comes to you, please help them uncover a clue or two.

By order of Captain Zheng Rong

Yu'er's Medicinal Recipe

[Blemish Goldweed]
They say it grows outside of Lóng lairs, but I've never seen one of those. They tend to grow along streambanks as well.

[Congealeaf]
It tends to grow at the foot of cliffs prone to frequent rockfalls, among yellow wildflowers. Watch out for falling rocks when you're looking for it!

[Blood-Stopper Vine]
It likes the water and often clings to rocks or the edges of riverbanks. Follow the stream, and you will find some eventually.

The Lóng Clan Scholar's Testament

..................

The Lóng Pillars now stand across the land, yet the burden of this duty is immense, and I dare not neglect it even for a moment. I only ask to carve this inscription with my own hands, that it may forever stand as a testament for generations to come. I shall also devote this life to guarding this forbidden ground, atoning for the transgressions of my clan for a hundred generations without fail.

Grand Scholar of the Lóng Clan...

Bai Chilian's Notes

Pipa Head: Last seen in Village of Lu.

Pipa Backplate: The Mandate took it to their base camp in the Northeastern part of the forest.

Pipa Strings: Somewhere with lots of water...the lake? Meigu Lake?

Where's that singing coming from? Is the pipa making music? No...it's an illusion... it's an illusion illusion illusion illusion-

Record of the Missing Thieves

Zhou the "Lean Monkey"
Was chased by the bandit chief near the long suspension bridge. He seems to be hiding in a nearby cave occupied by a notorious butcher.

Li the "Flying Rat"
Imprisoned by the bandit chief in an underground cavern.

Gui the "Night Raven"
Attacked by rabid dogs while searching for treasure. Last seen at the cave beside the camp with mounted crossbows.

Zhen the "Slippery Eel"
Last seen in the cellar beneath the Baishan Sect mountain lodge. There may be another way out of the cellar...

Blood Letter from the Nimble Thief

I was somebody once. At thirteen, I stole a landowner's jade belt. At seventeen, I lifted the account book of a Mandate sect leader...

Then one day, as I climbed over a wall, a gold hairpin slipped from my hand and fell into a poor family's haystack. Their child dug it out and cried with joy, "Father can be saved!" I thought, fine. I rob the rich to help the poor. That's a good deed. Something to be proud of.

The next day, the man was beaten to death as a thief. The woman was sold off. The child disappeared... I keep dreaming of that woman... with that hairpin buried in her chest, the wings of the butterfly on its head trembling... trembling...

...I did this to them... That child... I've never stopped looking... If I don't make it... please tell... the Gentle Thief.

Wanted: Four Maskwalker Leaders

Hua Qianxiao
The Sword Fanatic. Formerly the leader of a Daoist sect, he drinks heavily and wields a five-foot-long sword, specializing in Drunken Sword techniques. The more intoxicated he becomes, the fiercer his swordplay grows, making his true strength difficult to gauge.
Use swift, agile techniques to disrupt his swordplay and counter the reach of his long blade.

Jingye
A ruthless outlaw who often fights on horseback. He carries a spiked shield and a long horse-slaying saber, and never leaves his opponents alive.
Break through his defenses with fierce, aggressive attacks, while using ranged Phantom Arts to disrupt his focus.

Iron Fever
A fist fanatic who fights bare-chested. His boxing style is highly varied, and his strikes are fierce and powerful.
Meeting force with force is ill-advised. Use light, agile movement to circle him and wear him down.

Bai Chilian
Little is known of her origins. Her bizarre weapon can take on the form of a serpent, coiling and biting at its prey, while her techniques are subtle and unpredictable.
Though her serpentine attacks are difficult to read, they are vulnerable to aggressive pressure. Combine strong frontal attacks with ranged Phantom Arts to keep her suppressed.

Songstress Puppet's Letter

My dear Pei,

Was I not spoiled into such willfulness by your own affection? How can you now be so heartless as to turn around and lay all the blame at my feet...

I will wait for you at the place where we pledged our eternal love to each other... Even if the seas run dry, the stones crumble, and Heaven and Earth fall apart, I will remain there until my dream man returns to me.

Longing for you，
Qingniang

Abandoned Puppet's Letter

We have to go... Master Dusk did not do it himself...

He summoned a Reflection. It looks just like him, but both its eyes are red... It helps him and protects us. With it here, we rarely get hurt...

But this time, it's here to dispose of us... Defective... To be discarded... The Herald's orders. Master Dusk has no choice.

Everyone says it is all right... He has already done so much for us.

The Lady's Request

"...you... the square stone... caught within the net...

...offer it unto me... I, whose origin lies beyond the heavens...

...bring it swiftly... west of Meigu Lake... before my sacred image...

...your suffering... so be it... I grant release..."

For Xiu

My dear sister Xiu,

The thought of what you have suffered cuts your brother to the heart. Enclosed with this letter is sacred Soul Displacement water. Have your maid drink it at once, then cover her face with the Lady's Blossom.

The Lady is merciful. She will surely reveal her grace and deliver you from danger!

Your brother, Jin

Xue's Item List

Broken Iron Sword
It's Master Liu's sword! He always looks angry, but he's actually a nice person!

Heroine's Hairpin
This is Sister Wan's favorite hairpin. One day, I'll be as brave as she is!

Pitch-Black Scabbard
It must belong to The Shadowless Traveler. But I only managed to find the scabbard...

The Traveler said the Child of Insight knows everything about the heroes, and will happily accept their possessions. But won't the heroes be upset if they came back and all their stuff was gone?

Ledger of Atonement

Fang Li, villager. Beheaded. Final words: "I-I never did anything to you, did I?"

Old Ku, physician. Beheaded. "You need to take better care of yourself."

Qin Juhua, steamed-bun vendor. Cut down across the body. "The buns just came out of the steamer. Have one."

Deng Guijiang. Beheaded. "The current ahead is strong. Be careful."

Unnamed farmer. Heart pierced. "...Next year's sweet potatoes will be bigger."

Bai Xue... abdomen pierced... "Look, Dazhu. That cloud looks like a little rabbit."

Letter to Yu Ling

Yu Ling,

It was I who was useless... If there is another life, may I become a hero, fearless even in a hundred deaths, asking only to protect you...

Zhou Pingzi

Lu Sanqian's Final Letter: For Jieyuan

My son Jieyuan,

I know you resent that the Lu ancestral hall, which stood for a hundred years, was converted into a shrine to the Lady. But this is a debt our clan created, and we must repay it.

Following the Lady's instructions in my dream, I am climbing to the summit to pray for blessings. The road is dangerous, yet a mysterious master always appears to help me. Surely the Lady knows...

(The letter ends abruptly in a sudden smear of ink, as though the writer stopped in haste and never returned to finish it.)