Gaming Guide

Where Winds Meet: A Keen Ear and Return, O Soul Walkthrough

Complete both Greenshade Village encounters, from eavesdropping on rebellion rumors to finishing the night-time soul-calling ritual.

Complete both Greenshade Village encounters, from eavesdropping on rebellion rumors to finishing the night-time soul-calling ritual.

Image: Everstone Studio

Greenshade Village in Where Winds Meet holds two timed Encounter quests that run back to back. “A Keen Ear” has you clear a scholar of treason rumors, while “Return, O Soul” asks you to carry a ritual lantern through the village at night to cure a sick vendor. Both lean on the in-game clock, so knowing which hour to advance to is the difference between a quest that stalls and one that finishes cleanly.

Quick answer: Start “A Keen Ear” at Crownleek Terrace, clear scholar Huang Chuan, then skip forward two days to finish. Then begin “Return, O Soul” at the market, perform the Soul-Calling ritual at three houses plus the tree, and wait to the next day.


A Keen Ear: clear Huang Chuan of rebellion rumors

This encounter begins just outside Greenshade Village near Crownleek Terrace and Sageplow Stead. Three villagers trade rumors about a suspected rebel, and your job is to track the story back to its source and set the record straight.

Open the world map in Greenshade Village and accept the encounter quest “A Keen Ear” near Crownleek Terrace / Sageplow Stead.
Starting Quest "A Keen Ear"00:07Starting Quest "A Keen Ear"
Accepting "A Keen Ear" from the Greenshade Village map near Crownleek Terrace. Shown at 00:07 in RIFAS’s video. Image: Everstone Studio
Walk toward the three villagers talking by the rocks near Crownleek Terrace. These are Li Hongxia, Liu Yinyuan, and Xu Guiying.
Locating the Villagers00:13Locating the Villagers
The three gossiping villagers gather by the rocks near Crownleek Terrace. Shown at 00:13 in RIFAS’s video. Image: Everstone Studio
If the villagers are silent, open the clock wheel and set the time to Shen hour (around 16:00). Stand behind the rock to trigger the eavesdropping prompt and listen to them discuss the suspected rebellion.
Triggering the Eavesdropping Cutscene00:35Triggering the Eavesdropping Cutscene
Standing by the rock triggers the eavesdropping scene with the villagers. Shown at 00:35 in RIFAS’s video. Image: Everstone Studio
Speak to Li Hongxia afterward and volunteer to investigate scholar Huang Chuan’s home. Follow the waypoint across the river, swimming if needed, to reach his stone house out in the fields.
Climb onto the roof opening and look down to eavesdrop on Huang Chuan reciting texts while a cloaked visitor listens. Then drop inside and inspect the dropped bundle on the floor.
A fight starts against the intruder, listed as the Black-Clad Figure, inside the cramped room. Defeat them to continue.
Interrogate the visitor, who turns out to be Meng Ding, a friend from the Inkbound Order sneaking over examination notes. Agree to clear both their names.
Fast travel back to the waypoint near Crownleek Terrace and talk to Li Hongxia. Pick the dialogue options that explain the classical verses, which puts the treason rumors to rest.
The quest now asks you to wait. Open the clock and skip forward two full calendar days.
Advancing Time Two Days03:55Advancing Time Two Days
Selecting "Day After Tomorrow" in the time menu to skip the required two days. Shown at 03:55 in RIFAS’s video. Image: Everstone Studio
Return to the village entrance and overhear the elders chatting peacefully. That conversation closes out “A Keen Ear”.

You know it worked when the reward screen appears, granting 50 Echo Jade, 50 Qingzhou Exploration, 15,000 Coins, and 15,000 Stored EXP.

Final Village Check & Quest Complete04:34Final Village Check & Quest Complete
The completion screen confirming the "A Keen Ear" rewards. Shown at 04:34 in RIFAS’s video. Image: Everstone Studio

A Keen Ear rewards

RewardAmount
Echo Jade50
Qingzhou Exploration50
Coin15,000
Stored EXP15,000

Return, O Soul: the Greenshade Village soul-calling ritual

The second encounter starts in the Greenshade Village market. A basket seller named Wang Xiulian has fallen ill after losing her soul, and curing her means carrying a lit lantern to several homes during the night. This one hinges on reaching the correct night hour before the ritual can begin.

Go to the vendor stalls in Greenshade Village market. Wang Xiulian and Li Cuilan are loudly disputing basket prices; intervene to settle things.
Starting Encounter 2: Market in Greenshade Village04:51Starting Encounter 2: Market in Greenshade Village
The Greenshade Village market where "Return, O Soul" begins. Shown at 04:51 in RIFAS’s video. Image: Everstone Studio
Follow the quest tracker up the path to Wang Xiulian’s house. Eavesdrop at the window on the villagers discussing her sudden fever and delirium, then head inside.
Inside, physician Lu Wenxin examines Wang while Granny Guo (Guo Daoqun) insists she has lost her soul. Speak with Granny Guo to learn the ritual’s requirement: a young martial artist carrying a lantern lit with thread from the sick person’s clothes.
Use the time wheel to set the time to 23:00 (Zi Hour) on the following day. The ritual can begin only at night.
Meet Granny Guo down by the riverside and pick up the lit Soul-Calling lantern.
Follow Granny Guo through the village and perform Soul-Calling at each of the three houses in turn.
  • House 1 — Sun Mangzi: perform the ritual at the barred window while he curses from inside.
  • House 2 — Li Cuilan: perform the ritual at her window as she talks guiltily in her sleep.
  • House 3 — Chu Xiaoshan: Carry out the ritual, then talk with the scholar after he comes outside.
Follow the distant cries to a large tree. Little Mao, the boy who ran away from Wang earlier, is perched in its branches; persuade him to call for Auntie Wang’s soul.
Go back to Wang Xiulian’s front yard. A black cat bearing one white paw appears and meows, causing the lantern’s flame to relight by itself.
Open the clock and set it to the daytime Wu hour on the following day.
Walk into Wang Xiulian’s house. She is awake and petting her returned cat, which completes “Return, O Soul”.

Both encounters are built around the clock wheel, so keep it in mind whenever a quest seems to stop progressing. If the villagers won’t talk or the ritual won’t start, you almost certainly need to advance to the exact hour the quest asks for before anything else will trigger.