The quick answer
Start Veiled Blades near Goldwater Street, enter Zhao Pu’s residence through the wall gap, and work with Zhao Chengzong to open the hidden rooms. Transform the hairpins to match each lock, then finish the letters and exit sequence.
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Quest requirements
Jianghu Legacy · Start with Conversation near Goldwater Street
Rewards
- Riptide Reflex
- Medicinal Tales
Begin at Goldwater Street
Eavesdrop on the two men near the Goldwater Street Boundary Stone in Kaifeng. Follow the investigation to Zhao Pu’s residence and enter through the broken wall section. Trying to climb straight over the boundary at this opening stage can reset the approach.
The quest is also called Shadowed Edge. Follow the same investigation rather than looking for a separate quest with that translation.
Register the courtyard clues
Break the rocks beside Zhao Chengzong to help his companion, then follow him to the bridge. Examine the footprints, flower pot, bloodstains and stone table. Wait for the objective to update before attempting the next route.
After the water sequence, follow Zhao without entering the guards’ view. Later, the quest explicitly takes you across the roofs to obtain a key. The initial wall-gap rule does not mean every later climbing instruction is forbidden.
Use Zhao’s distraction and the Throwing Star
Collect the room key and rejoin Zhao. Wait for his guard distraction before slipping inside. Use Wind Sense to locate the Throwing Star by the cabinet or bookshelf in the investigation room, then place it in the lever mechanism.
The star functions as a local mechanism key. It is not ammunition you need to throw at a guard. Once the mechanism is unlocked, coordinate the lever with Zhao to enter the concealed chamber.
Keep the passage open
In the next room, obtain the required star and operate the lever. If the door closes as soon as you release it, speak to Zhao and have him hold the mechanism. Cross, pull the chain to make a route for him, then operate the next paired mechanism together.
This is a companion-positioning puzzle. Repeatedly sprinting from the lever to the closing door skips the interaction designed to hold it open.
Find all three hairpins
| Pickup | Where to inspect |
|---|---|
| First hairpin | Red book in the room opened by the lever |
| Second hairpin | Arrow-covered mannequin beyond the gate Zhao can crawl behind |
| Third hairpin | Red book beneath the bookshelf near the Contraption Tower |
Ask Zhao to crawl through the gate’s gap when prompted. Having the first hairpin does not remove the need to open that room and collect the second.
Match the lock rather than forcing the default pin
Inspect each Contraption Lock and use Transform to change the hairpin’s blade configuration. Match the visible two- or four-blade requirement, rotate it into alignment and confirm. Repeat for all three locks.
If the interaction refuses the pin, check its shape before repeatedly adjusting the angle. Shape and orientation are different parts of the solution.
Collect the evidence and leave properly
Read the Secret Letter, inspect the night attire for Riptide Reflex, and use the additional hairpin mechanism to obtain the Stack of Letters. Follow the opened exit route back out, then finish Wei Zhixi’s conversation.
Obtaining the passive does not close the investigation by itself. If the journal remains active, check the letters and final conversation rather than returning to the first courtyard clues.