Quick answer: Find Lan Shaodi, the Blue-Clad Young Master, seated at a table inside the Village of Lu’s walled camp, beside the Young Master Lan’s Hideout bell. Tell him you’re interested, and he’ll offer you a thirty percent share if you reopen the smuggler’s tunnel to Pangzhen.
You meet him in Chapter 1 of Phantom Blade Zero, during the story quest AGAINST THE FLOW. He moves hidden orphans for Master Herald, and he wants you to clear his path.
Where Lan Shaodi is
His camp sits low in the Village of Lu, downhill from the Crossroads bell and beyond the pond at the bottom of the valley. A tall dry-stone wall surrounds it. Inside are a wooden house on a stone base, crates, a broken cart, and jars with red lids. Lan Shaodi, in blue robes and holding a fan, sits on a chair at a low table in front of the house.
His house appears on the map beyond the camp huts, just above where the river curves. The Young Master Lan’s Hideout bell is inside the camp walls, only a few steps from the house.
Lan Shaodi’s business proposition
Before he gives his name, the game labels him “Blue-Clad Young Master”. As you approach, he calls out and asks whether you’re there on the same kind of business he is. He also remarks that you’re no ordinary man of the Wulin.
There’s a problem with the arrangement: the Herald and his subordinate Dusk had a falling-out, and Dusk shut down the smuggler’s tunnel. Lan Shaodi says that tunnel is the sole route into Pangzhen.
Soul accuses Lan Shaodi of selling children and disgracing his family. Lan Shaodi dismisses the accusation. He says he turned down Transcension, and the Herald will reward him with a fortune and provide a ship to take him to the South for a life of luxury. Going against the Herald, he warns, would leave his soul trapped in one of the wooden puppets.
He makes his proposal: since you’re going to Pangzhen regardless, clear the way, reopen the tunnel, and return to report to him. For your help, he pledges thirty percent of the Herald’s reward. Soul sees a possible opening into the Herald’s operation, and an opportunity to rescue the children.
Haggling over the thirty percent cut
After the offer, the game gives you two choices: “Then it’s settled” and “Thirty percent is too little”.
Choose “Thirty percent is too little” and Soul points out that the payment is meager for clearing the tunnel. Lan Shaodi praises his bargaining sense and sends him to Pangzhen to inspect the “goods” before they revisit the terms. Soul agrees to find out what’s going on at the manor; Lan Shaodi says he’ll await good news. The destination is shown on the Pangzhen map.
Young Master Lan’s Hideout bell
The bell is a wooden cross draped in red cloth, with small figures at its base, a few steps from Lan Shaodi’s house. Press E to ring it. The menu shows “Young Master Lan’s Hideout” in the bottom-left corner and lists six options:
- Traverse
- Upgrade Equipment
- Store
- Train Abilities
- Save
- Leave
Once rung, it joins your Traverse destinations alongside the other bells.
The Reflections book on his table
At Lan Shaodi’s low table, press E to collect the book “Reflections”. The Books category lists it with the region tag “VILLAGE OF LU”.
