2026-09-19 · source
The all-new version ["Calm Waters, Rising Storm"], launching on September 24, will become one of the most content-rich updates in terms of story among all updates to date.
Beyond brand-new Guardians and abundant open-world exploration content, the main chapter story alone, together with five side-quest storylines, is expected to deliver an immersive experience of over 500 minutes.
Within these stories, several important characters will make their appearance one by one. Starting from a bond of fellow students, the Wanderer will come to know them, gradually forging deeper ties. The threads of fate will draw you together, and no one knows where the story will ultimately lead—but at least for the journey ahead, there will be someone setting out alongside you.
With the new chapter drawing near, Wanderers may wish to revisit their first appearances through the trailer released when [Departing for Jiangnan].
Starting today, we will also introduce them one by one, offering an early glimpse into a facet of their personalities. However, a first meeting is, after all, only the beginning—true "mutual understanding" can only be built once the Wanderer personally travels alongside them.
This is a pre-research demonstration; please refer to the final release version.
Su Hongxiu: Mirrors Front and Back Reflect the Flowers, Flower and Face Shine as One
When told she was to attend classes at the academy, Su Hongxiu first turned to her cousin Qiangwei beside her: "What does one even do at school?" Before Qiangwei could answer, she was already being pulled out the door. Everything else could wait—if she was going out to meet people, she'd need a few new outfits first.
At the tailor's shop, Su Hongxiu took a liking to a lake-green dress, but then thought the dark-patterned silk gauze robe beside it looked good too. She tried them on in turn before the bronze mirror, unable to decide—but the moment the shopkeeper named the price, she no longer hesitated.
"I'll take this one."
Su Hongxiu turned halfway before the bronze mirror, lowering her head to smooth the hidden pattern on the sleeve, growing more delighted the longer she looked.
"See, this fabric—it really suits me."
She'd heard that many young lords and ladies would also be attending the academy, and since this would be their first meeting, she ought to dress more properly. Just as the shopkeeper unfolded another bolt of new silk gauze, she had already reached out to press her hand on it: "I'll take this one too."
Qiangwei glanced at the clothes already chosen: "Sister, that's the third piece now."
"But I'm not just going to school for three days."
No sooner had she spoken than her gaze was caught by the pearl flower ornaments on the counter.
Su Hongxiu picked one up, examining it closely against the light, then held it up to her temple to compare, before asking the shopkeeper:
"Is this one expensive?"
The shopkeeper said it was, and she smiled.
"Then I'll take this one."
Qiangwei asked: "Sister, why do you only ask if it's expensive?"
"How could something expensive possibly not be beautiful?"
She said it with utter conviction, then turned her face to show Qiangwei. The shopkeeper praised how it suited her complexion perfectly, which pleased her even more—she picked out another dangling hairpin to go along with it.
Just as she was about to leave, Su Hongxiu turned back to the counter and took out the pearl flower ornament that had just been placed in its box.
"Send the clothes to the Su household. There's no need to wrap this one—I'll wear it as I go."
……
By the water bridge at the academy, Li Laosan was in the middle of an animated tale. Reaching the exciting part, he still remembered to raise an eyebrow at the others, as if nothing could possibly be more fitting than this.
Qiangwei glanced at him, then at her sister, opening her mouth to speak several times before stopping herself. But Su Hongxiu listened intently, thinking it over again and again, before finally nodding solemnly.
"That makes sense."
She glanced down toward the bridge, lowered her head to smooth her skirt, then straightened the pearl flower ornament at her temple. A moment ago everything had seemed perfectly in order, but now that it came time to speak, she found she needed to quietly rehearse even her own name several times first.
"This humble one is... Su Hongxiu of Qiantang."
Luo Fengchun: Fine Beauty Is Rare, a Kindred Spirit Is Hard to Find
It was spring when Luo Fengchun arrived in Hangzhou. Cradling a plump-bellied porcelain jar in her arms, she took the time to properly admire the beauty of West Lake. West Lake truly was a gorgeous place, and she suddenly understood that person's wish. While the boat was underway, the boatman curiously asked about where she came from. "I've come to Hangzhou on business, and I'm taking the chance to have some fun as well. Hangzhou really is wonderful—beautiful scenery, beautiful people, it has everything." "Does the lady swordsman also enjoy watching... beauties?" "Of course! Admiring beauties is a matter of the utmost importance, just like studying a peerless, extraordinary book—it takes tremendous mental effort." Luo Fengchun said earnestly, "A beauty is the fine handiwork of Nüwa, the exquisite creation of heaven and earth. When such a thing exists in this world, of course one must savor it carefully. Take West Lake, for instance—I've heard you Hangzhou folk say that West Lake in sunshine, West Lake in rain, and West Lake in mist each have their own beauty at different times. It's the same with beauties! A delicate maiden is like water, a gentleman is like a mountain, white hair carries a pure bearing, and a blue robe carries its own uprightness... If one doesn't put in the thought and effort to look at them properly, wouldn't that be a waste of this world's wondrous creation?" The boatman agreed wholeheartedly—wasn't it just like the osmanthus flowers at Manjuelong? Whether high official or common folk, everyone had to come in autumn to take a deep breath of that sweet fragrance. Luo Fengchun laughed heartily: "A kindred spirit, my friend, a kindred spirit indeed!" When the boat reached the middle of the lake, Luo Fengchun unscrewed the lid of the porcelain jar and carefully scattered its contents into the water. The white powder flew away in an instant, like sand slipping through fingers, and by the time she came back to her senses, all possibility of holding it back had already been severed. She was sharp enough to pick out the scent of a beauty in a crowded marketplace, keen enough to find a single newly-blossomed flower amid a forest, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not see the omens of fate. The waters of West Lake drifted gently, sunlight glimmering on its surface—everything remained just as soft and tranquil as ever. She stayed in Hangzhou, and from then on, Pinglan Academy had one more senior fellow student whose actual year of enrollment no one could quite pin down. Even if you gathered every student in all of Hangzhou for comparison, she would most likely still be the most unorthodox one among them. She listened to music more than she sat in the study hall, chased after beauties more than she attended her teacher's lectures—and yet her reasoning seemed utterly airtight: Fine beauty is rare, and a kindred spirit is hard to find!
The Moon Is Disappearing?! Big Goose reports urgently: The bright moon on the official website's homepage has inexplicably dimmed. According to Big Goose's account, it personally witnessed some fragments of the moon scattered everywhere, and hopes that all Wanderers will go investigate what's happening.
