While exploring the Verdant Wilds region of Qinghe in Where Winds Meet, you’ll likely stumble across an old ruined castle that conceals one of the game’s more rewarding side quests. The Echoes of Old Battles quest combines exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving—culminating in a wall puzzle that unlocks the powerful Touch of Death Assassin Mystic Skill.
This quest isn’t mandatory, but the rewards make it absolutely worth your time. Between the valuable Echo Jade and the instant-kill assassination ability, completing this side story gives you tools that significantly enhance your gameplay experience.
Let me walk you through the entire quest from start to finish, including both the fire contraption puzzle and the crucial wall puzzle that many players get stuck on.
Check our full Where Winds Meet Walkthrough, Weapons, Quest and Skill Guide
Starting the Echoes of Old Battles Quest
Finding Lie Bujin
The quest begins in the Verdant Wilds area of Qinghe. Look for an NPC named Lie Bujin at the marked location near the ruined castle. Speak with him to officially trigger the Echoes of Old Battles side quest.
Once you’ve accepted the quest, head toward the ruined castle itself to begin your investigation.
Dealing with the Bandits
Step 1: Eavesdrop on the conversation
As you enter the ruined castle, you’ll find bandits talking near some explosive barrels. Don’t rush in—eavesdrop on their conversation first to gather information about what’s happening here.
Step 2: Use fire arrows strategically
Once you’ve heard enough, equip a fire arrow and aim at the explosive barrels. This clears the bandits efficiently and opens your path forward. If you haven’t used elemental arrows yet, this is a good introduction to their tactical value—exploration in Where Winds Meet often rewards creative use of your tools.
Step 3: Fight through more bandits
Proceed deeper into the castle, where another group of bandits will attack. Clear them out using your preferred weapon and combat style.
Confronting Zhang Bao (Area Boss)
Continue to the marked area where you’ll find the bandit leader Zhang Bao interrogating a descendant of the Northern Vow. This triggers a boss fight.
Boss fight tips:
- Zhang Bao has standard boss patterns—watch for telegraphed attacks
- Use dodges and parries to manage his aggression
- Your difficulty setting affects this fight, so adjust if needed
After defeating Zhang Bao, open the nearby chest in the training ground to obtain a puzzle map. This map is crucial—it shows the locations of fire contraptions you need to light to progress.
Solving the Fire Contraptions Puzzle
The puzzle map reveals four fire contraptions scattered around the ruined castle. You need to light all four in any order—there’s no specific sequence required.
Fire Contraption #1: Training Ground
Location: The training ground where you just defeated Zhang Bao
The first contraption is right near the treasure chest with the puzzle map. Light it before moving to the others.
Fire Contraption #2: Castle Entrance
Location: Near the ruined castle entrance (already lit)
How to reach it:
- Head to the castle entrance
- Face the entrance, then turn left
- Climb the stairs you’ll find there
- Jump onto the crumbling wall
- Head upward to find the second contraption
Good news—this one is already lit when you arrive, so you just need to confirm its location.
Fire Contraption #3: Along the Crumbled Wall
Location: At the end of the path alongside the crumbled wall
From the second contraption, proceed along the crumbled wall pathway. You’ll find the third fire contraption at the end. Light it to mark three out of four complete.
Fire Contraption #4: Eastern Lower Platform
Location: Lower platform to the east
This final contraption is trickier to reach and causes the most confusion.
Two routes to reach it:
Route 1 (Recommended):
- Jump toward the platform from your current position
- Climb the wall to reach the contraption
Route 2 (Combat-heavy):
- Drop down to the ground floor
- Fight through another wave of enemies
- Climb up to the platform from below
Important warning: There’s a contraption near the ground-level enemies that looks like it might be the correct one—it’s not. Keep climbing upward to the higher platform to find the actual fourth contraption.
Once all four fire contraptions are lit, head back to the training ground.
Opening the Hidden Underground Area
With all four contraptions activated, a pressure plate appears in the training ground where you fought Zhang Bao.
How to activate it:
Use the Mighty Drop ability (also called Power Slam—press Q while mid-air) to slam down onto the pressure plate with enough force to trigger it. This reveals the entrance to a hidden underground area.
If you’re unfamiliar with this mechanic, it’s the same ability used to break cracked floors throughout the game—basically a high-impact ground pound that opens secrets.
Obtaining the Yanyun Oath Pose
Descend into the newly revealed underground area. As you progress through the passages, you’ll encounter a soldier statue (or memorial).
Important step: Interact with this statue to learn the “Yanyun Oath” pose. You’ll need this specific pose to activate the wall puzzle ahead, so don’t skip this interaction.
Continue deeper into the underground chamber until you reach a large statue. Perform the Yanyun Oath pose in front of this statue to trigger the wall puzzle mechanism.
Solving the Puzzle on the Wall
Here’s where many players get stuck. The wall puzzle involves pushing three specific stone blocks in the correct sequence based on Chinese characters carved into them.
The Solution: Three Blocks in Order
The wall is divided into two sections—right and left from the room’s entrance perspective.
Right Wall (Push TWO blocks):
- The block with 移 (yí) character – means “move” or “shift”
- The block with 百 (bǎi) character – means “hundred”
Push both of these blocks on the right wall before moving to the left side.
Left Wall (Push ONE block):
- The block with 漂 (piāo) character – means “drift” or “float”
Push this single block on the left wall to complete the puzzle sequence.
Why These Specific Characters?
The puzzle relates to the lore of the Northern Vow and the history preserved in this hidden chamber. The characters form a phrase or reference significant to the story, though the game doesn’t explicitly explain the connection during gameplay.
For players who can’t read Chinese characters: The blocks are arranged in a grid pattern. If you’re having trouble identifying the correct characters:
- Take screenshots and compare them carefully to guides
- The 移 character has a specific radical structure on the left side
- The 百 character is relatively simple with horizontal and vertical strokes
- The 漂 character includes the water radical (氵) on the left
What Happens When You Solve It
Successfully pushing all three blocks in the correct sequence unlocks the door to the secret chamber. You’ll hear a mechanism activate and see the doorway open.
Accessing the Final Rewards
Behind the waterfall:
From the wall puzzle room, look for a waterfall. Go behind it to find a lever. Pull this lever to open another door that leads to the treasure room.
The treasure chest:
Enter the final chamber and open the treasure chest to claim your rewards:
- Touch of Death – Assassin Mystic Skill (the main prize)
- Echo Jade – Valuable currency
- Other materials and consumables
Using Touch of Death
The Touch of Death skill is an instant-kill assassination ability that works on unsuspecting enemies.
How to use it:
- Sneak up behind an unaware enemy
- Wait for the prompt to appear
- Press the indicated button
- Execute the instant kill animation
This ability is incredibly useful for stealth approaches, thinning out enemy groups before open combat, or simply feeling like a proper assassin in the Wuxia world. It won’t work on bosses or enemies that are already in combat with you, but for standard foes, it’s devastatingly effective.
Completing the Quest
After claiming the treasure, read the text on the wall in the final chamber. This provides lore context about the Northern Vow and the history of this location while officially completing the Echoes of Old Battles quest.
The quest completion grants experience and marks this location as fully explored in your journal.
Tips for Smooth Completion
Before starting:
- Make sure you have fire arrows in your inventory
- Stock up on healing items if you’re on higher difficulty
- Consider adjusting your difficulty if Zhang Bao proves too challenging
During exploration:
- Take your time finding all four fire contraptions—rushing leads to confusion
- Mark locations on your map as you go
- Don’t forget to actually learn the Yanyun Oath pose from the soldier statue
For the wall puzzle:
- Screenshot the blocks if you’re unsure about character recognition
- Remember: right wall gets TWO blocks, left wall gets ONE block
- Push them in the order listed—right wall first, then left wall
After completion:
- Practice using Touch of Death on regular enemies to get comfortable with the mechanic
- Return to Lie Bujin to see if there’s follow-up dialogue
Why This Quest Matters
Beyond the immediate rewards, the Echoes of Old Battles quest exemplifies what makes Where Winds Meet’s exploration rewarding. This entire sequence is optional—you could walk past that ruined castle and never know what you missed.
The quest combines:
- Environmental storytelling through the bandit occupation
- Combat challenges with the boss fight
- Puzzle-solving with the contraptions and wall blocks
- Lore discovery through the hidden chamber
- Practical rewards with Touch of Death
It’s the kind of content that rewards thorough exploration and curiosity—core pillars of the game’s design philosophy.
External Resources
For more information about Where Winds Meet:
- Official website: Where Winds Meet Game
- Steam page: Where Winds Meet on Steam
- PlayStation: Where Winds Meet on PS Store
- Game information: Where Winds Meet – Wikipedia
Final Thoughts
The wall puzzle in Echoes of Old Battles can be genuinely frustrating if you don’t know which characters to look for, especially for players unfamiliar with Chinese writing systems. But once you know the solution—right wall (移 and 百), left wall (漂)—it’s straightforward.
What I appreciate about this quest is how it layers different gameplay elements. You’re not just fighting or just puzzle-solving—you’re doing both, plus exploration and stealth elements with the final reward. The Touch of Death skill alone makes this quest worth completing, as it opens up entirely new tactical approaches to encounters throughout the rest of your journey.
If you’re the type of player who enjoys thorough exploration and discovering secrets, quests like this are exactly why Where Winds Meet rewards wandering off the main path. That ruined castle could have been just another landmark, but the developers filled it with meaningful content that enhances your capabilities and understanding of the world’s lore.
Now get out there, solve that wall puzzle, and start assassinating bandits like a proper Wuxia master.
