That haunting voice echoing across Moonveil Mountain isn’t just atmospheric ambiance—it’s your ticket to one of Where Winds Meet’s most rewarding side quests. Cries in the Distance combines intricate Yin-Yang puzzles, hidden cave exploration, and a unique bear boss fight that tests your Tai Chi skills. Ready to rescue Brother Feng and claim three treasure chests? Let’s navigate this Lost Chapter together!
Table of Contents
Where Winds Meet Essentials at a Glance
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Quest Name | Cries in the Distance (Jianghu Legacy 06) |
| Location | Peace Bell Tower, Moonveil Mountain, Qinghe |
| Quest Giver | Feng Jisheng (trapped behind wall) |
| Requirements | Fire arrows, basic climbing skills |
| Key Challenge | Eight Trigrams Yin-Yang puzzle |
| Boss | Thick-Skinned Albino Black Bear |
| Rewards | 3 treasure chests + Ebon Iron x14 |
| Difficulty | Medium (puzzle-solving + unique mechanics) |
Finding the Hidden Cave Entrance
The quest starts at Peace Bell Tower, the towering pagoda you visited during the Heaven Has No Pier main quest when you first met Killerblade at the Porcelain Kiln. If you haven’t unlocked this area yet, head west in the Qinghe region and prepare for a serious climb.
Once you reach the pagoda entrance, walk straight outside and look for a thick tree branch jutting from the cliff. Drop down carefully to find a hidden cave entrance below this branch. There’s also a treasure chest on the ledge beside the tree—grab it before entering!
Pro Tip: Use Wind Sense (detective mode) to highlight the exact location if you’re having trouble spotting the entrance. The sound indicator on your screen grows larger as you approach the source.
For more efficient exploration strategies and Lightness skill unlocking, check our Where Winds Meet beginner’s guide.
Freeing Brother Feng
Enter through the trap door and you’ll find Feng Jisheng trapped behind a stone wall. To free him, locate dried vines near the wall and shoot them with fire arrows to burn them down. Then stand on the circular pressure plate to release him.
After some dialogue, Feng explains the dangerous Yin-Yang formation that dominates the chamber and asks for your help solving the puzzle.
Solving the Eight Trigrams Yin-Yang Puzzle
This is where many players get stuck. The puzzle involves four outer pedestals surrounding a central Yin-Yang disc. You and Feng must stand on opposite empty circles in the Bagua formation, which causes the center mechanism to rise.
The Solution: Turn the central mechanism once clockwise, then set two contraptions (Water & Fire) to face inward toward the center, and the other two (Heaven & Earth) to face outward. You can tell they’re facing the right direction by looking at the dragon heads on each pillar.
When correctly aligned, grey misty trails will light up on the floor along each axis, indicating you’ve solved it properly. The center mechanism will retract fully, revealing a secret passage below.
Exploring the Lower Chamber
Use Mighty Drop to descend safely into the chamber below—don’t just jump or you’ll take fall damage. Once down, activate Wind Sense to locate five glowing objects of interest you must investigate. These reveal backstory about Tian, the cave’s former inhabitant.
After examining all five items, follow Feng to a wall between two lanterns. Interact with it to open the next area.
Defeating the Thick-Skinned Albino Black Bear
Here’s where the quest gets creative. This isn’t a traditional boss fight—you cannot defeat the bear through normal attacks. You must use the Tai Chi Mystic Arts skill to capture the bear and throw it against three stone piles scattered around the arena.
Strategy:
- Equip your Tai Chi Mystic Skill and lure the bear near one of the three rock piles
- Activate Tai Chi when the bear attacks
- Aim and throw it directly at the pile of stones
- Repeat for all three piles
Defeating the bear this way rewards you with three golden chests revealed when the stone piles collapse. Don’t forget to loot all three before talking to Feng!
For more combat mechanics and Tai Chi skill mastery, explore our Where Winds Meet combat guide.
Quest Completion and Rewards
After looting the chests and defeating the bear, speak with Brother Feng one final time to complete the quest. Your total rewards include the loot from all three chests plus Ebon Iron x14, making this one of the more rewarding Lost Chapter quests in Qinghe.
Bonus Tip: While you’re at Peace Bell Tower, consider grabbing the Horizon Seeker achievement by climbing to the very top of the pagoda. You’re already here, so might as well maximize your visit!
Why This Quest Matters Beyond Loot
Cries in the Distance introduces crucial mechanics you’ll encounter later in your journey. The Tai Chi throwing technique becomes essential for advanced martial arts paths and certain story missions. Learning it here in a controlled environment prepares you for when the game expects you to already know these systems.
The quest also showcases NetEase’s environmental storytelling—hidden areas beneath obvious landmarks, rewarding thorough exploration, and integrating Chinese philosophy (Yin-Yang, Eight Trigrams) into actual gameplay mechanics rather than just visual theming.
Connection to Peace Bell Tower Activities
The Peace Bell Tower where this quest occurs also houses the Bell of Demoncalm, which connects to the Lion’s Roar Mystic Skill unlock requiring you to ring copper bells scattered across Qinghe. While Cries in the Distance is completely separate from the bell-ringing mechanic, completing both activities during one visit maximizes efficiency.
For comprehensive guides and community discussions, visit the official Where Winds Meet wiki maintained by dedicated players.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Rushing the climb: Take your time ascending Moonveil Mountain. Falling from great heights wastes time and resources.
Searching inside the pagoda: The quest entrance isn’t in the pagoda itself—it’s on the cliff face below the tree branch outside.
Wrong pillar alignment: Double-check which pedestals face inward (Water & Fire) versus outward (Heaven & Earth). This is the most common error.
Fighting the bear normally: Don’t waste resources trying to kill it through standard attacks. Use Tai Chi throwing exclusively.
Forgetting chests: There are three chests from the collapsed stone piles plus the one near the cave entrance—don’t miss any!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is Cries in the Distance required for main story progression, or can I skip it and return later?
Cries in the Distance is classified as a Jianghu Legacy (Lost Chapter) side quest, meaning it’s completely optional for main story progression. However, “optional” doesn’t mean “unimportant”—the quest teaches Tai Chi throwing mechanics that appear in later story missions where the game assumes you’ve already learned them. Completing it early prevents confusion when those mechanics become mandatory without tutorial prompts. You can return anytime since there are no level locks or story gates blocking access, but tackling it during your natural Qinghe exploration feels most organic.
Q: What happens if I mess up the Yin-Yang puzzle—can I reset it, or do I need to restart the entire quest?
The Yin-Yang puzzle is forgiving and doesn’t lock you out if you make mistakes. You can freely rotate all four outer pedestals and the central mechanism as many times as needed until you achieve the correct alignment. There’s no penalty for trial and error, and the puzzle doesn’t reset progress if you step away from it. The visual feedback is immediate—when correctly aligned, grey misty trails light up on the floor showing energy flowing to the center. If you don’t see these trails, simply keep adjusting until they appear. You won’t need to restart the quest or leave the cave; just keep experimenting with the pedestal orientations until the solution clicks.
