Side quests often tell engaging stories that quickly become a more memorable part of a story-driven game. Phantom Blade Zero offers many interesting side quests that dive deeper into characters’ lives and reward you at the end for completing them. If you are looking for a heart-wrenching side quest with good storytelling and voice acting, then you need to complete Cui’s quest. Just like the quest A Puppet’s Wooden Heart, Cui’s quest takes you through an emotional rollercoaster with many characters and a proper ending that makes the entire quest worth the time investment.
This is a full guide to Cui’s quest in Phantom Blade Zero. Here, I will be going through all the objectives of the quest to help you complete the quest and get the reward at the end.
Cui Quest Overview
This is one of the longest quests, but completing it will award you the Baishan Headband. Before we dive into the guide, make sure you meet the requirements ahead. You must beat Yuzan in the Village of Lu. The boss is not the final boss in the area. You will start the combat encounter against Yuzan, No. 3 Musician Puppet, near the end of the Village of Lu. Here is the list of objectives for Cui’s quest:
- Starting Cui’s Quest
- Find Cui’s Grandfather
- Open the Mountain Gate
- Get to Hanging Cage Cavern
- Get to Cavern Passage Bell
- Rescue Cui’s Grandfather Lu Sanqian
- Meet up with Cui’s Parents
Starting Cui’s Quest
Head to the Puppet Testing Ground, then head to the reddish area near the bell to find Cui in an empty room. She will be looking for her mother, father, and grandpa; interact with her to obtain the “Cui’s Red Ribbon” (Story Item). Our task now is to deliver the item to Cui’s grandfather. Unfortunately for us, Cui’s grandpa is trapped inside a cell; we must head to the cage or cell location to rescue the old man.
Find Cui’s Grandfather
Cui’s grandfather is trapped inside a cell near the Iron Butcher’s camp bell. We must rescue the old man to deliver the item, Cui’s Red Ribbon. First, travel to the Iron Butcher’s Camp bell in the Mountain of Imprisonment. Now take the grand stairs to the right to reach the upper region.
Move straight forward, and you will find the locked cell on the right, as marked in the image above. Once you reach closer to the cell area, you will hear Old Man in the Cage saying, “Lady of the Veil… bless me…watch over me…”.
Climb up the rocks to find the cell, and interact with it to break the padlock. After a sorrowful conversation about his granddaughter, we will find out the old man’s name is Lu Sanqian, and we will get our next task. Near the cage, you will find a barred gate; our next task is to open the gate to progress in the questline.
Open the Mountain Gate
Travel to the Commander’s Platform bell in the Mountain of Imprisonment. Here, pick up the “Rootless Dew” found on the edge of the cliff near the open building, as marked in the image above. You don’t have to travel a lot, since the area for the item is located right next to the bell spot.
Get to Hanging Cage Cavern
Our goal here is to get to the Hanging Cage Cavern bell from the Iron Butcher’s camp bell in Mountain of Imprisonment. The route to the cavern is found near the spot where we found Cui’s grandfather’s cell. The route to the Hanging Cage Cavern is blocked by thorns, just like the entry to the Mirage Estate. Here, you must use the Flaming Mane to burn down the thorns to open the path to the area.
Get to Cavern Passage Bell
Head inside the cave near the Hanging Cage Cavern bell, explore the area, and defeat the monsters. Right at the end, you will find a chain tied to the cage with “Liu Yi“. Pull the lever to drop the trapped cell from above, follow the route to find the bell to Cavern Passage. Now take the short route ahead, and it will take you to the Commander’s Platform bell.
From the Commander’s Platform bell, head down the stairs and lift up the barricade to unlock the door to Cui’s grandfather’s cage location. Climb the rocks to find Lu Sanquian in the same location, near the cell as earlier. Our next objective will be somewhat ominous, as the quest for Cui will update to “Will Lu Sanquian reach the shrine?”
Rescue Cui’s Grandfather Lu Sanqian
Travel to the Shrine Outer Gate bell in the Mountain of Imprisonment. Once you are in the spot, drop down to the ground below, now head forward and descend down the ladder, near the tree with hanging bodies, as marked with a yellow circle in the image. After getting down on the first ladder, take the second ladder to the right to reach the lowest floor.
Now head inside the cave on the left; once inside, keep moving forward until you reach a fork in the road. Here, take the path on the right, just as marked by the yellow arrow in the image above. Not too long later, you will find multiple cells hanging at the top; Lu Sanqian will be trapped in one of them. You will hear his voice asking for help coming from the cell hanging above.
Keep moving forward, and you will engage in a combat encounter; defeating the enemies in the spot will grant you the Shrine Gate Key. Now climb the ladder on the left to reach the upper floor, and pull the lever in the marked spot in the image to lower Lu Sanqian‘s cage. As the cage comes down, head down the ladder, and you will see Lu Sanqian‘s cage on the path. Interact with the cage to unlock it just like the last time; now we are about to move to the final portion of Cui’s quest.
Now head back to the Shrine Outer Gate bell in the Mountain of Imprisonment; near the bell, you will find a locked red gate. Use the Shrine Gate Key to open the doors to get inside. Cross the wooden bridge, follow the route, and you will find Lu Sanqian or Cui’s grandpa crawling on the floor, next to the Lady’s Shrine bell. After interacting with him, you will obtain Wulin Tales Books and the Crude Radiant Heart accessory.
Crude Radiant Heart: Attacks that land on enemies build temporary Remnant Spark. Martial-type phantom edges consume temporary Remnant Spark first.
Meet up with Cui’s Parents
Now travel to the Last Mandate Encampment in Mount Soulrend. After a short walk, use the Hunter’s Chain Sickle to the left (marked on the image) to reach the upper region. Now turn right, cross the wooden bridge, and you will find “Lu Jieyuan” on the left. Talk to him to help bury Cui and her mother, along with Elder Lu’s belongings with her. After the burial and a conversation with Lu Jieyuan, you will complete Cui’s quest in Phantom Blade Zero.
You will further meet with Lu Jieyuan during the boss encounter against the Crusher and the Saw in the Giant’s Lair bell at Mount Soulrend. Here, you will meet with Lu Jieyuan taking his final breath. After his tragic death, you will get the Baishan Headband as a final reward, which can be used to soul-temper the Baishan Stormsword.
