Where Winds Meet is an experience that pushes you to explore more, come across a variety of NPCs and complete unique quests that may or may not involve cats.
Today, I’ll be focusing on the Encounters in Sage’s Knoll in the game’s first region, Qinghe. There are merely two Encounters in this location, but lengthy. They feel like the amalgamation of three different quests due to the sheer amount of things you need to do.
So, here are all the Encounters you’ll find in Sage’s Knoll, in addition to how to complete them in Where Winds Meet.
Sage’s Knoll Encounter #1: Deerforage’s Remedy
The first Encounter in Sage’s Knoll, Deerforage’s Remedy, has two unlock requirements before you can complete the quest.
First, this Encounter is located to the east of the Deerforage Grove in Sage’s Knoll. If you’re done with the prerequisite quests, head to the location as shown in the image above immediately.
For those unaware of the quests you need to complete to unlock this Sage’s Knoll Encounter, I went through the pain of searching for them and completing them. Here’s what you need to do:
Unlock Requirement #1 – Culinary Hotpot Fever Encounter Quest
Head to a campsite east of the Blissful Retreat Boundary Stone at Moonveil Mountain region (Western Qinghe). Extinguish the fire at the campsite and speak with Shi Yimo, the star of Deerforage’s Remedy. Make a Hotpot and offer it to Shi Yimo to complete this quest.
Unlock Requirement #2: Healer’s Calling Exploration Quest
For this Exploration Quest, head to Mercyheart Town in the Sundara Land region and speak to Mu Ji’an (Western Qinghe).
In this quest, you’ll learn how to heal other injured NPCs and unlock Healers’ Art. It’s basically a round-based deck-building mini-game you have to play to heal patients effectively.
With both of these unlock requirements out of the way, you can head to the east of the Deerforage Grove Blissful Retreat (fast-travel point) at Sage’s Knoll, located in southern Qinghe, to start Deerforage’s Remedy. Interact with Shi Yimo, whom I previously mentioned as the star of this Encounter, to begin the quest.
Speak to Shi Yimo at Deerforage Grove
Interact with Shi Yimo at the pond behind the large tree near the Deerforage Grove fast-travel point. She’ll talk to you about a treasure she’s looking for. Further in the conversation, select the “Need help?” option to join her treasure-hunting crew.
She’ll teleport to the Porcelain Kiln, located southwest of Kilnfire Ridge in the Moonveil Mountain region. I have included the image of the exact location below.
You’ll find Shi Yimo atop a wooden structure. Speak to her, and she’ll inform you about a “bad guy” who turns out to be Song Jiu. After your conversation, she’ll teleport again to Thousand-Buddha Vale in the Sundara Land region.
Head to the Thousand-Buddha Vale Blissful Retreat in northern Qinghe, as shown in the image above. Find Shi Yimo near the stone Buddha structures by following the marker on your map. Interact with her twice, and continue your conversation.
She’ll unfortunately fall sick, thanks to the so-called “treasure” she found earlier. Before she breaks this news, you need to cure her. This is where the Healers’ Art comes into play. Examine her illness, which turns out to be an unidentified poison in her organs. To neutralize it, start the treatment.
Neutralize the Poison Within Shi Yimo
You’ll have three Fiery Hearts to pick the right cards, and ten rounds to neutralize the poison under twenty minutes. Here are the cards you should choose for a successful treatment:
- Round 1: Essential Remedies (Level 1: costs 2 Fiery Hearts) and Inner Stillness (Level 5: costs 1 Fiery Heart).
- Round 2: Anesthesia Powder (Level 3: costs 2 Fiery Hearts).
After the treatment, continue your conversation with Shi Yimo, who will finally admit that she found the “treasure”, a deadly, poisonous red mushroom with a white stem.
During your chat with Shi Yimo, her treasure-hunting companion, named Fuling, appears at the scene.
Apparently, she knew that the red mushrooms were poisonous and was collecting them for Sister Lingdang to make medicine. However, she didn’t warn Shi Yimo, which led to this mess.
Taste Fuling’s Mushroom Soup to Complete the Encounter
Finally, to complete this Encounter in Sage’s Knoll, gather three white mushrooms for Fuling. You can find them at different Vendors or out in the wild.
Fuling will cook mushroom soup for you and Shi Yimo. Taste the soup, then have one last conversation with both to complete the Deerforage’s Remedy Encounter in Sage’s Knoll.
While this is a pretty lengthy quest, the rewards made it worthwhile for me since it includes a brand new Inner Way. Here’s what you’ll obtain after your hard work:
- 25x Echo Jade
- 25x Qinghe Exploration Points
- 10,000 Coins
- 10,000 Stored EXP
- Wildfire Spark Tome
Sage’s Knoll Encounter Quest #2: Forged Tales
The second and final Sage’s Knoll Encounter, Forged Tales, is located to the north of the Deerforage Grove Blissful Retreat, as shown in the image above. Approach the large tree and interact with an NPC named Iron Hammer Wang. A fitting name for a guy who sells hammers.
Purchase Hammers From Iron Hammer Wang to Continue the Story
All you have to do is purchase hammers from him to continue the quest and hear more stories from Iron Hammer Wang. It doesn’t matter which hammer you buy; the story will continue regardless.
After purchasing around five hammers, you’ll find out that all his stories are lies. Even the best warriors cannot avoid being scammed, so it’s time to defeat Iron Hammer Wang in a duel.
Since he’s a guy who specializes in hammers, he’s pretty tanky, so it took me some time to beat him. Once you’re done teaching him a lesson, he’ll ask you to feed his adopted stray cat as a way to repay you.
Feed Iron Hammer Wang’s Cat at Stonewash Strand
Wang’s cat is located right next to the Stonewash Strand Blissful Retreat in eastern Qinghe. Put a fish in the cat’s bow to progress the Encounter.
Interact with the note lying nearby to find out that you got trolled by Wang once again, since the note states the price of the hammers and nothing else. So, it’s time to teach him another lesson.
Speak to Wang’s Victim to Complete the Encounter
Return to the Deerforage Grove Blissful Retreat, where Iron Hammer Wang sells his stock in Sage’s Knoll. However, instead of confronting him, you’ll find out he has fled the scene. So, interact with another one of Wang’s victims at the same location.
Much like you and me, the victim also fell for Wang’s stories and kept purchasing hammers to finish the cliffhangers. It’s a creative way to sell hammers, that’s for sure, but not one that deserves respect.
This concludes the final Encounter in Sage’s Knoll, and here are the rewards you obtain to compensate for the losses you incurred because of Wang:
- 25x Echo Jade
- 25x Qinghe Exploration Points
- 5,000 Coins
- 5,000 Stored EXP
Thankfully, you’ll recover the entire amount you spent on purchasing hammers. This brings us to the end of all Encounters you can find in Sage’s Knoll in Where Winds Meet.
For more comprehensive guides on this free-to-play RPG, check out the ones on Love Prescribed in Medicine Wandering Tale and the Secret Edict Chamber Guide (Martial Temple).
