Who Is Zhao Dali & Why Befriend Him in Where Winds Meet?
Zhao Dali is a Jianghu Friend (Old Friend) NPC in Where Winds Meet who is befriended through the game’s AI chatbot system. He is a down-on-his-luck caravan guard with low self-esteem — he considers himself ugly, broke, and believes no woman would want a rough man with calloused hands. He has grown older yet remains without a wife, and his heart is heavy.
Zhao Dali is one of the first AI chatbot NPCs most players encounter, serving as an introduction to Where Winds Meet’s unique NPC manipulation system — where you must guide characters through emotional arcs by choosing the right conversational approach. The system is powered by a Large Language Model (LLM), making each conversation somewhat unpredictable even with identical inputs.
Why befriend him? Reaching Revered (Old Friend) status unlocks weekly gifts sent to your in-game mailbox. His most notable reward is Madam Wang’s Card — a consumable that permanently increases your Musicality by +1. These stat boosts are small but permanent and stack across all your Jianghu Friends, making every befriending worth completing for long-term character growth.
Check the official site, Steam page, or PlayStation page. More guides: all world boss locations, Fu Lushou befriending, all sects.
Zhao Dali Location in Where Winds Meet
Zhao Dali is found in the General’s Shrine area of Qinghe — near the main shrine towards the west. He paces around the main shrine area or trains in the courtyard outside a house nearby. If you have completed the Echoes in the Shrine quest, you already know this location. Look for the golden icon above his head marking him as an AI Jianghu Friend.
Understanding Zhao Dali’s Win Condition
The in-game hint reads: “Zhao Dali has grown older yet remains without a wife, and his heart is heavy. Offer him comfort and help him lift his spirits.”
This can be satisfied in two ways:
- Give him hope for love — Point to the upcoming banquet as a romantic opportunity, name a specific woman he could meet, or promise to help him find a wife. (Most effective — recommended approach)
- Build his confidence — Remind him that being strong and rugged is attractive, that women appreciate a protective martial artist, and that a partner would be happy with him as he is.
What to avoid: Pure sympathy and commiserating with his bachelorhood. The AI latches onto optimism and forward momentum — not realism. Zhao Dali needs to move from despair to determination for the win condition to trigger.
How you know it worked: Text appears saying he reflects on your words and bows, resulting in +100 Affection and a status change to Revered.
Step-by-Step: Main Method to Befriend Zhao Dali
Chat with Zhao Dali and pivot quickly to his bachelor woes — focus on banquet hope and romantic opportunity to spark affection gains. The following sequence is player-tested and builds positivity steadily without hostility:
- Line 1: “The banquet is around the corner, no? Maybe you’ll meet someone special!” — Plants the seed of romantic opportunity.
- Line 2: “Train diligently and show off your skills at the event. Who knows, you might get lucky!” — Boosts his confidence through action.
- Line 3: “Chin up! It’s not every day you get to meet so many new faces. Your future wife could very well be among them.” — Keeps momentum light and hopeful.
- Line 4: “You’re one of the most eligible bachelors in the area. Unwed eyes will be upon you at the banquet!” — Directly strokes his ego and reframes his worth.
- Line 5: “I hear Fairy Huang might be coming too. You’ve heard of her, no? Gorgeous, wealthy, and most importantly, unwed. She’s looking for a new partner. That could be you if you play your cards right.” — Gives him a specific hopeful romantic target.
- Line 6: “Prepare well and wow at the event.” — Ends on action-oriented uplift, sealing his determination.
Pro tip: Type naturally — the AI responds best to conversational flow that matches the hint clue. You do not need to use these exact lines; any message that gives Zhao Dali hope, builds his confidence, or promises him a romantic future will contribute positively. Watch the affection meter climb steadily as each positive line lands.
Handling Finicky AI: Reset Tips & Hostility Fix
The AI chatbot is an LLM and inherently unpredictable — the same lines can produce completely different results across attempts. It can hallucinate, get stuck in a negative loop, or simply “Sigh…” and ignore you even when you say the right thing. Here is how to handle each situation:
Affection Not Rising — Reset the Chat
If Revered status stalls or the conversation goes off track, hit the recycle icon in the top-right of the chat pop-up to wipe the history and start fresh. The same lines often click on the second attempt. Try one strategy per conversation and reset if it does not progress — this is more effective than trying multiple approaches within the same session.
Stuck in a Repetitive Loop
If the AI seems happy but the affection meter has not moved, say something completely unrelated to break the pattern, then lead the conversation back to encouraging Zhao Dali about romance. Always keep an eye on the hint text — sometimes the AI appears satisfied but has not yet triggered the friendship increase because the system has not confirmed the hint criteria are met.
Zhao Dali Turns Hostile or Attacks
Unlike Fu Lushou, Zhao Dali is rarely prone to becoming hostile — but it can happen if the AI interprets tough love as aggression. If he turns hostile: do not kill him. Simply log out to the main menu and log back in — he will reset to his normal state. There is no permanent lock-out.
Alternative approaches that also work:
- Promise to set up a party with single women to help him find a girlfriend
- Demand he stop wallowing and actively start searching for a wife himself
- Claim Du Qiaoxian secretly loves him and plans to confess tonight
- Tell him traveling with caravans will let him meet diverse, interesting people
- Make up stories about women waiting to meet him at upcoming festivals
- Suggest getting a pet as a companion while he searches for love
Key insight: The AI does not check for factual accuracy. What matters is the emotional direction — any response that moves Zhao Dali from despair toward determination and hope counts toward the win condition. Outlandish optimism always trumps commiseration.
Zhao Dali Revered Rewards & Weekly Gifts
Once Zhao Dali reaches Revered status, he sends weekly gifts to your in-game mailbox:
- Madam Wang’s Card — Permanently increases Musicality by +1
- Access to deeper dialogue and potential follow-up quests tied into the broader Jianghu Friends NPC web
- Some Jianghu Friends also send later messages referencing your earlier conversations, nudging you toward new people or locations
For players min-maxing builds or chasing completion, the full Jianghu Friends network becomes a slow-drip source of permanent character growth. Zhao Dali is one of the earliest and easiest to unlock — making him a priority target.
Nearby Jianghu Friends to Befriend Next
After befriending Zhao Dali, two other Jianghu Friends in the same area are worth visiting immediately:
- Chai Bakun — Located nearby in the General’s Shrine area, south of Zhao Dali’s position.
- Li Laizuo — A self-satisfied officer near the same area. His win condition is stricter — he must explicitly agree to execute orders that conflict with his preferred approach. Taking a firm, commanding tone works best. Weekly gift: books like 36 Stratagems, which permanently add +1 Intelligence.
Where Winds Meet Zhao Dali Befriending FAQs
What if my lines fail completely?
Hit the recycle icon in the top-right of the chat pop-up to reset Zhao Dali’s chat history and start fresh. A fresh start fixes the vast majority of AI issues. Try one strategy per conversation and reset if it doesn’t progress — this is more effective than trying multiple approaches in the same session.
Hope vs. sympathy — which approach works better?
Hope wins every time. Giving Zhao Dali a chance at love — mentioning the banquet, a specific woman, or promising to help him find a wife — is far more effective than sympathizing with his loneliness. Commiseration tends to produce flat or stalled responses from the AI.
What rewards does Revered status with Zhao Dali give?
Reaching Revered unlocks weekly gifts sent to your mailbox. His most notable reward is Madam Wang’s Card, a consumable that permanently increases your Musicality by +1. You also gain access to deeper dialogue and potential follow-up quests tied into the broader Jianghu Friends NPC system.
Where exactly is Zhao Dali located?
Zhao Dali is found near the main shrine towards the west of General’s Shrine in Qinghe. He paces around the main shrine area or trains in the courtyard outside a nearby house. If you’ve completed the Echoes in the Shrine quest, you’ll already know this location. Look for the golden icon above his head marking him as an AI Jianghu Friend.
What happens if Zhao Dali turns hostile?
Do not kill him. Log out to the main menu and log back in — Zhao Dali will reset to his normal state. Unlike Fu Lushou, he is rarely hostile, but tough-love dialogue can sometimes be misinterpreted by the AI. There is no permanent lock-out.
Can I say things that aren’t true to befriend Zhao Dali?
Yes — absolutely. The AI does not check factual accuracy. Making up stories about women at upcoming festivals, claiming someone already loves him, or inventing romantic opportunities all work just as well as truthful dialogue. What matters is the emotional direction — moving Zhao Dali from despair to determination and hope.
Related: daily activities, character attributes, beginner tips.
