Phantom Blade Zero  ›  Locations  ›  Village of Lu
Phantom Blade Zero / Village of Lu

Village of Lu.

Soul's road reaches its third region here: a farming hamlet crawling with puppets, holding 22 Bells, a sealed well, a smugglers' passage to Pangzhen and a handful of rewards that are simple to overlook.

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Phantom Blade Zero wiki artwork
Phantom Blade Zero wiki artwork
Key points

Village of Lu at a Glance

  • Unseal the well: dealing with the remains of all three masters is the sole way to lift the thread barrier covering the Well of the Three Puppets.
  • Get five headbands early: unless the Young Mistress tale is complete before you ride down to Mu Xiaokui, you forfeit the Fiend Saws and the final stage of her fight.
  • Never leave the dock with nothing: right after that battle, grab the Wild Oriole Sword and a Sha-Chi Amber chest, because the elevator breaks afterwards.
  • Gather six unusual flowers: six of Firefly's Memory Flowers dispel the fog around the Temple of Blue Fireflies, which opens the path to Dusk, the Puppeteer.
  • Check in before heading to Pangzhen: once the Smuggler's Tunnel is open, talk to Old Man Gen and Lan Shaodi, or their tales will be missed.
  • Adjust how you deal damage: puppets are immune to Bleed and Life Steal unless the Livingwood Talisman is equipped.

Overview

Chapter 3, Heartless Remnants, takes place in the Village of Lu, which Soul reaches after Weeping Creek Valley and Crimson Forest. Pines, fences and houses wrapped in mist make up this farming settlement, squeezed between hills and water next to the market town of Pangzhen. Soul comes to in this place once the battle that ends Crimson Forest is over, and the majority of his attackers here are carved from wood.

Although it seems to be one hamlet, the area plays like a run of locked doors. To open the ancient well in its middle you must break a thread barrier, which only happens once the remains of three masters, scattered through the map's north and east, have been found and laid to rest. Down below lie the Puppet Testing Grounds, then a duel on the lakeshore with Mu Xiaokui, then a contraband path that ends in Pangzhen.

Permanently losing rewards is also a real danger. Rushing onward can cost you a pair of weapons, one shard of Sha-Chi Amber, a pair of accessories and a pair of trophy tales, so go through the checklist further down before taking the elevator under the well.

Zones and spots

Layout and links to other areas

You start the map at the Place of Awakening and the Crossroads; from them a bridge brings the road into the village. The Well of the Three Puppets is the central hub. Westward from it a big red house stands on a hill, while a river runs underneath and the hideout of Quick Hand Zhang is tucked inside a cave on its bank. North-east of the well is where the Temple of Blue Fireflies is located.

By way of the Covered Bridge you enter the village's northern part. On the far side the road splits, and its right branch heads to The Lady Grounds in the north-east, followed by the Smuggler's Treasure Cellar, then Master Bi Hai's riverside, then the fields called the Terraces. High above those fields stand the Engine Giant Remains; a zipline from there descends to Survivors' Courtyard in the east. Whatever lies under the well forms a distinct underground level.

The village borders four other regions

Region How it connects
Crimson Forest Soul comes through here after he has beaten Bai Chilian, Lady of the Twin Serpents. Use a Bell to come back for any unfinished business.
Pangzhen The link appears only when Mu Xiaokui is down. From there, a walk through the Smuggler's Tunnel and a lift ride bring you to the Hidden Passage to Pangzhen.
Mandate Encampment Enter by the locked gate next to the Mandate Encampment Outer Gate Bell, with a key that turns up much later in Pangzhen. A standard completion can skip this region, but the True Ending requires it.
Meigu Lake From the lake you can go back to the dock of the Mu Xiaokui fight, which is called Village of Lu Shallows Dock. After the elevator breaks, the village no longer gives access to it.

Longer questlines also run across the region

Name Details
Secrets at the Heart of the Lake starts the moment you pick up any of Firefly's Memory Flowers, and involves Dusk and Yanru's Blazing Mask
Illusory Pipa Dusk is the source of the Head
The Herald’s Illusion you will find the first portal beside the Puppet Testing Grounds Bell
Quick Hand’s Request three treasures to find in this area, with Fine Thread as the payoff
Whence the Weeping the next direction comes from Jewel
Pillars of Kunlun carries on to the Mandate Encampment, Mountain of Imprisonment and Meigu Lake

Other things found in the region

Closer look

Bells

What Quick Hand Zhang sells

Upgrade materials are on sale at his lair in this area, and it is among the places where a Banyan's Heart can be bought.

NPCs and inhabitants

People

Pangzhen's back streets are where Old Man Gen's own home stands.

Person Where Why they matter
Jewel Place of Awakening Polishing for accessories, Jewel's Knot chest
Old Man Gen His hideout The Journey Home, Leave None Alive
Lan Shaodi Young Master Lan’s Hideout Young Master Lan
Quick Hand Zhang His hideout Shop, treasure hand-in
Songstress Puppet Temple of Blue Fireflies A Puppet’s Wooden Heart
Pei, Wailing Scholar Survivors’ Courtyard The man wearing purple robes who is handed her letter
Stately Monk Survivors’ Courtyard Agarwood Prayer Beads
Sleeping Flower-Masked Hunter Building outside Survivors’ Courtyard Dahuang
Sleeping Flower-Masked Weaver A house with plaques around the entrance A Dream of Motherhood
Wounded Thief The door next to the Smuggler's Tunnel Entrance Bell Arrowward
Trapped Thief A cell inside the Smuggler's Tunnel Village of Lu Cellar Key
Cui Puppet Testing Grounds Cui

Foes and fights

Bosses

All HP numbers shown are base values, and they climb with higher difficulty and in later playthroughs.

Fight preview

Repeated guard breaks are enough to take down Zhuo Bi, whose fight has no tricky mechanics. Bi Yuan moves slowly and stays passive, making him one of the mildest battles in the main story. Bi Hai works as a cycle: while monks assault you, he shelters inside a golden bell shield, so the fight is shortened by clearing those waves fast.

White orbs shot by Yuzan can be perfectly deflected right back at her, but avoid her suction orbs and her red charge. Until he is at half health, Dusk keeps summoning puppets and hurling big pieces, after which he makes a double. The one with red eyes is fake, so strike the black-faced body. Once his half-body puppet stands up to deliver a palm strike, sidestep instead of backing away.

The opening phases of Mu Xiaokui are relatively gentle, although you must dodge the attacks that glow dark. Once the third phase arrives, take out Iron Fiend before anything else, as his attacks are simpler to read, and then go after the more agile Jade Dancer.

Boss Type Where Base HP Reward
Zhuo Bi, the Gatekeeper Main Where the Gatekeeper fights, on the principal path after you pass Old Man Gen's Hideout 10,000 Bastion
Master Bi Yuan of the Tianxuan Sect Main An arena found at The Lady Grounds 10,000 Tianxuan Bronze Sword, the first seal on the well
Master Bi Hai from Kuye Temple Main A riverside arena beyond the Smuggler's Tunnel Entrance Bell 8,000 Kuye Temple Prayer Beads, the second seal on the well
Acolyte Yanru Optional Scarecrow below the Terraces 9,000 Yanru’s Blazing Mask
Dusk, the Puppeteer Optional The ravine by Broken Puppet Pit 12,000 Illusory Pipa Head, Puppeteer's Bell
Yuzan, No. 3 Musician Puppet Main Puppet Testing Grounds 10,000 Heartrend Pipa, The Four Freed (1 of 4)
Mu Xiaokui, the Order's Young Mistress Main Dock on the lake, where the region ends with a final fight 9,000 Trophy Will We Meet Again?, and the Wild Oriole Sword not far off
Mu Xiaokui, Queen of Iron and Jade Main Her second form during the same finale 12,000 Belongs to the fight listed above
Jade Dancer, guardian of the Young Mistress Tale-locked Third phase, which happens only once Young Mistress is finished 8,000 Fiend Saws
Iron Fiend, guardian of the Young Mistress Tale-locked Third phase, which happens only once Young Mistress is finished 8,000 No weapon

Enemies

Puppets make up most of the enemies in this region, and bodies of that kind are unaffected by Bleed and Life Steal. For this chapter, either equip the Livingwood Talisman or swap out any weapon that depends on those effects. Village puppets retain the form of the people they once were, and they fight in matching ways. Dodge wide whenever one raises its head, and pull groups apart so the little ones cannot circle behind you.

Combat puppets:

  • Yin Puppet: quick, light and noiseless
  • Yang Puppet: heavy and unable to feel pain
  • Yang Puppet (Upper Half)
  • Yang Puppet (Lower Half)
  • Swordshield Puppet
  • Puppet Spearman

Village puppets

Name Details
“Simple Brother”
“Village Beauty”
“Peacemaker” throws its own detached head toward you
“Mad Scholar” breathes Chaos Fire
“Village Elder” slams its head into the ground, which bursts into a poison cloud that hangs in the air
“Village Auntie” a lofty body that "gives birth" to timber children, and these then join the assault
“Little Rascal” a speedy child body that rushes in and kicks

Tasks, side stories and things to do

Tales

Tale Where it starts What it asks Result
Young Mistress A headband hangs on the tree past the gate of Zhuo Bi Collect all five headbands prior to the last elevator Fist Fragment: Core, Fiend Saws, third phase
The Journey Home Old Man Gen Check in once the tunnel is open and receive Old Man Gen's Brass Key. Over in Pangzhen, set fire to the branches blocking the way to Old Man Gen's House, pick up the Dusty Old Wooden Comb and carry it back to him Together Till the End trophy
Young Master Lan Lan Shaodi Check in after the tunnel is unlocked, and then find him by the Pavilion of Knowledge Crossroads to be given the Lan Manor Key A Wanderer’s Honor trophy
A Puppet’s Wooden Heart Songstress Puppet beside the little shrine Deliver her letter to Pei at Survivors' Courtyard, inspect his corpse at the campfire under the Engine Giant Remains Bell, and go back to her The accessory A Puppet's Wooden Heart
A Dream of Motherhood Sleeping Flower-Masked Weaver, resting upon a cot in the courtyard where the right-hand branch of the riverbed terminates In the large house next to the well, destroy the tall puppet and then inspect the Weaver's corpse The tale ends here, and Mother's Talisman is dropped by the puppet
Dahuang A hut sits just past Survivors' Courtyard, and inside it lies Sleeping Flower-Masked Hunter Collect the Hunter's Dog Bell. Next, hunt down the hound's corpse in a yard that Backstreet Rest in Pangzhen connects to by zipline Closes in Pangzhen
Cui A weeping child puppet in the Puppet Testing Grounds It cannot be completed in this region, and carries on with Lu Sanqian at the Mountain of Imprisonment Crude Radiant Heart
Leave None Alive Old Man Gen Look in on the Outpost and Thieves' Camp, and afterwards hand Huijue's relic over to the Kuye Temple monk at Survivors' Courtyard Beginning it unblocks the entrance to The Lady's Cave

Background to the story (contains spoilers)

A village next to a road used by thieves

The settlement nestles against hills and water beside Pangzhen, and thieves in the distant past dug a concealed passage between them for carrying black-market goods. Leaving the village takes you through that same tunnel. The Lu clan's ancestral shrine is located well behind the village, on top of the Mountain of Imprisonment to the north of Meigu Lake, and the obligation of tending it kept numerous villagers home despite continued raids by Maskwalkers.

The departure of the Pillars of Kunlun

Arriving to drive off the Maskwalkers, the Pillars of Kunlun brought the village a stretch of peace. Twelve months prior to the events of the game they won a victory at great cost, and from then on they never regrouped at the encampment. The Mandate declined, leaving the people of Lu unprotected. Over the following year, belief in the Lady swept rapidly through the village.

Wood was what awoke

The Lady received a temple in what had been the ancestral hall, the Herald distributed red flowers, and households passed around a method of simmering prayer-silk with medicine. People fell asleep, and when they woke they were no longer themselves. Their puppet bodies keep playing the parts they held in life, explaining why enemies bear titles such as "Village Elder" and "Peacemaker".

To beg the Lady for the sake of his granddaughter Cui, Chief Lu Sanqian set out for the summit. She is the weeping puppet in the Puppet Testing Grounds. Guard captain Lu Jieyuan, her father, had previously left with his wife to join the Mandate in battle.

Pickups and loot

Collectibles

Weapons plus Phantom Edges

Elsewhere, Bastion also proves handy: it lets you shove through the volley of arrows in Crimson Forest's Thieves' Camp dungeon.

Memory Flowers

Four sets contain the 16 flowers: Firefly's, Wulin Fighters', the Villagers of Lu and the Mandate Masters'.

Memory Flowers:

  • The side area next to the Zhuo Bi arena
  • The riverbed beneath the bridge of the Well of the Three Puppets, searched as far as its northern end
  • The shrine near the farmland
  • Engine Giant Remains: the opening below the chest on the upper floor
  • The cliff beneath the house over the Covered Bridge
  • The Temple of Blue Fireflies

Key items and tempering materials: Key items (quest items):

  • Puppet No. 44’s Eye
  • Fist Fragment: Core
  • Old Man Gen's Brass Key
  • Tunnel Cage Key
  • Village of Lu Cellar Key
  • Black Serpent Fang
  • Loong Emblem (Yang)
  • Serpent Venom Sac: Black

Materials for tempering, plus key items: all tempering materials are gathered on return trips:

  • Reinforced Bowstring
  • Border Banner
  • Border Poems

Weapons plus Phantom Edges

Item Type How to get it
Bastion Phantom Edge, blocks arrows Defeat Zhuo Bi
Tianxuan Bronze Sword Main weapon Defeat Master Bi Yuan
Kuye Temple Prayer Beads Phantom Edge, summons monks Defeat Master Bi Hai
Puppeteer’s Bell Phantom Edge, summons automatons Defeat Dusk
Heartrend Pipa Phantom Edge Defeat Yuzan
Fiend Saws Main weapon, missable Beat Jade Dancer during the third phase
Wild Oriole Sword Main weapon, missable Found on the dock right after the Mu Xiaokui fight

Medicines and accessories

Item Effect Where
Jewel’s Knot Raises HP Chest behind Jewel
Mother’s Talisman Restores HP when Guard-Broken An enemy within the red house, at the head of the stairs
Livingwood Talisman Puppets, Phantoms and Golden Bodies are all vulnerable to Bleed and Life Steal The house under the courtyard of the Smuggler's Treasure Cellar
Arrowward Lowers damage from ranged attacks and Sha-Chi depletion Hand the Thief's Manual to the Wounded Thief. Can be missed
Agarwood Prayer Beads Shortens recovery from Guard-Broken Hand the Prayer Beads to the Stately Monk. Can be missed
Fine Thread Summon objects hit harder and drain more Sha-Chi Quick Hand Zhang, once all three treasures are found
A Puppet’s Wooden Heart Longer summon duration Complete the tale with the same name
Remnant Spark Cage Follow-up attacks from Phantom Edge might give back Remnant Spark A chest within the Smuggler's Treasure Cellar
Spirit-Returning Broth A medicine that heals HP and boosts Guard Break Cellar level of the courtyard structure near the well's staircase
Forbidden Concoction A medicine that heals HP and boosts Phantom Edge damage The cabinet on the upper floor of Black Serpent House

Memory Flowers

Near Location
Mandate Encampment Outer Gate Right beside the Bell
Zhuo Bi’s arena The area to the left, where a pair of doll girls are chatting
Well of the Three Puppets An enemy standing before the chest drops it, on the riverside beyond the weeping villager
Well of the Three Puppets Beneath the stone bridge over the river
Temple of Blue Fireflies Inside the large shrine to the right
Covered Bridge A building out in the field past the gate that stands behind the Bell
Covered Bridge, far bank Climb down a ladder inside the structure east of the fork, which overlooks the cliff
The Lady Grounds Directly beside the Bell
The Lady Grounds Beyond the Unveiled Statue, enter the next house and jump down to its lowest level
Master Bi Hai’s arena In the arena
The river beyond the Bi Hai arena Resting on a rock where the river ends
Terraces Placed upon a tabletop inside the house beside the Bell, on its right
Engine Giant Remains The statue inside the building drops it
Engine Giant Remains Next to the zipline in the cave underneath
Survivors’ Courtyard At the bottom of the stairs, near the mouth of the cave
Beneath the Well The spot where you land after descending the well

Blackstone along with Sha-Chi Amber

Item Location
Blackstone Fragment A chest in the Zhuo Bi arena
Blackstone Fragment A coffin standing by the tree, just beyond Zhang's Hideout (Village of Lu)
Blackstone Fragment A chest a short way upriver from the Bi Hai arena
Blackstone Fragment Past the enemy guarding the thread barrier in the Smuggler's Tunnel
Sha-Chi Amber Fragment Given by the weeping villager at the river once the enemy beside the chest is dead
Sha-Chi Amber Fragment Atop the cliff sits a chest, close to the Memory Flower across the water
Sha-Chi Amber Fragment Off the ledge close to where the Hunter stays, past Survivors' Courtyard, there is a chest
Sha-Chi Amber Fragment A chest next to the tree on the Mu Xiaokui dock. Can be missed

Treasures for Quick Hand's Request

Name Details
Wedding Candles in the red house above the well, upstairs in the puppet room, a green chest rests beside the altar at its rear
Unveiled Statue starting at The Lady Grounds Bell, walk through the house at your back and scale the wall to reach the statues
White Jade Twins outside Survivors' Courtyard, drop through the hole or along the rope shaft to find a chest among puppets

Work through these in the following sequence

Name Details
Arrowward as you move through the region the Wounded Thief will die at some point, so give him the Thief's Manual soon. The enemy near the entrance of Quick Hand Zhang's hideout in Crimson Forest drops it.
Agarwood Prayer Beads When talking to the Stately Monk, reply "Do not believe", and then give him the Prayer Beads taken from Weeping Creek Valley. If you pick "Believe", he is turned to stone.
Young Mistress complete it ahead of the elevator. Without it, the third phase is never triggered, which means no Fiend Saws.
The dock before you go, collect both the Wild Oriole Sword and the Sha-Chi Amber chest. Once the elevator breaks, coming back through Meigu Lake will find the chest missing.
The Journey Home and Young Master Lan once the tunnel is open and prior to entering Pangzhen, speak to each of the two men.

Return visits

Name Details
Flaming Mane the branches blocking the hill at Black Serpent House must be burned; the house itself contains Black Serpent Fang, Loong Emblem (Yang), Reinforced Bowstring and Serpent Venom Sac: Black.
Mandate Encampment Outer Gate Key fished from Gu Wanyue's arena well in Pangzhen, this item opens the Mandate Encampment's gate.
Bashpole smash the crack on the right side of the Young Master Lan's Hideout Bell to reach a chest containing the Border Banner.
Tiger Cannon explode the wall by the Hidden Passage to Pangzhen Bell to get the Border Poems.
Old Man Gen return the comb to him and finish his tale.
Leave None Alive take Huijue's relic to Survivors' Courtyard.

Items to collect

Item Price (Dust) Stock
Forged Metal 1,040 24
Twinned Metal 1,040 24
Broadplate Metal 1,040 24
Solvent 832 48
Exotic Copper Ingot 1,040 24
Darkfire Charcoal 1,040 24
Mechanical Gear 1,040 24
Ancient Timber 1,040 24
Incense Ash 832 24
Tainted Crystal Shard 7,440 2
Refined Indigo Crystal 9,920 1
Weapon Reforge Talisman 2,000 2
Phantom Reforge Talisman 2,000 2
The Banyan’s Heart 100,000 1
Traversal Talisman 2,000 2
Linked pages

Connected Entries

Nearby locations

Weeping Creek Valley · Outpost · Crimson Manor · The Lady’s Cave · Crimson Forest · Thieves’ Camp · Old Man Gen’s Hideout · Young Master Lan’s Hideout · Well of the Three Puppets · Temple of Blue Fireflies · Covered Bridge · Zhang’s Hideout (Village of Lu) · Black Serpent House · The Lady Grounds · Smuggler’s Treasure Cellar · Smuggler’s Tunnel · Terraces · Engine Giant Remains · Survivors’ Courtyard · Broken Puppet Pit · Puppet Testing Grounds · Hidden Passage to Pangzhen · Pangzhen · Backstreet Rest · Old Man Gen’s House · Mandate Encampment · Mountain of Imprisonment · Meigu Lake · Village of Lu Shallows Dock · Mirage Estate · Place of Awakening

Characters

Soul · Mu Xiaokui · Old Man Gen · Quick Hand Zhang · Lan Shaodi · The High Elder · Iron Fiend · Jade Dancer · Jewel · Lu Sanqian · Bai Chilian · Firefly · Lu Jieyuan · Dusk · Master Bi Yuan · Master Bi Hai · Sect Leader He · Pei, Wailing Scholar · Zhuo Bi · Lu Laowu · Yuzan · Acolyte Yanru · Old Beggar

Weapons

Tianxuan Bronze Sword · Fiend Saws · Wild Oriole Sword · Bashpole · Tiger Cannon · Flaming Mane · Bastion · Heartrend Pipa · Kuye Temple Prayer Beads

Quick answers

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the way to unseal the well in the Village of Lu?

Each of the three masters has to be dealt with: Bi Yuan in The Lady Grounds, Bi Hai along the riverbank, and the remains in the building at the Engine Giant Remains. When you walk back to the Well of the Three Puppets, the thread barrier will already have disappeared.

Which item unlocks the gate close to the beginning?

The Mandate Encampment Outer Gate Key. It is unobtainable at this stage, since it is found near the end of Pangzhen, inside the well at Gu Wanyue's arena.

Is it possible to return to the dock once Mu Xiaokui is defeated?

The village no longer leads there because the elevator breaks. After you obtain the boat, Meigu Lake offers a way back, yet the Sha-Chi Amber chest is already gone.

Are the fights against Dusk and Acolyte Yanru mandatory?

Getting to Pangzhen requires neither of them. Still, Yanru's Blazing Mask and the Illusory Pipa Head each contribute to quests tied to the True Ending, so fight them if that ending is your goal.

For what reason does the door of the Smuggler's Treasure Cellar remain locked?

The Trapped Thief in the Smuggler's Tunnel holds its key, and that path is unlocked only following Mu Xiaokui. No puzzle is being overlooked by you.

Can Bleed be used against the puppets in this region?

Yes. Wear the Livingwood Talisman found in the house under the cellar courtyard, which allows Bleed and Life Steal to work on them. Polishing the talisman strengthens the Bleed effect.

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