A Toast to Heroes is a Wandering Tale in Where Winds Meet set around the Northern Vow Ruins in Qinghe’s Verdant Wilds. It looks simple at first — help an old man recover a lost bag, then bring him wine — but the early-game snakes and small, hard-to-spot wine flasks make it easy to stumble.
This breakdown follows the natural flow of the quest: unlocking it, handling the snakes around the bag, then tracking down both Sacrificial Wine locations and turning everything in.
How to unlock A Toast to Heroes
A Toast to Heroes belongs to the Wandering Tales category and sits in the Verdant Wilds portion of Qinghe.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Region | Qinghe – Verdant Wilds |
| Unlock condition | Speak to the Wayfarer of Verdant Wilds |
| Journal category | Exploration > Wandering Tales |
Step 1: Reveal the Verdant Wilds area map in Qinghe so the local exploration content, including Wandering Tales, becomes trackable.
Step 2: Talk to the Wayfarer of Verdant Wilds. This NPC introduces the local Wandering Tales, including A Toast to Heroes.
Step 3: Open the journal, switch to the exploration tab, and select Wandering Tales. Choose A Toast to Heroes to highlight its first clue and waypoint.
Where to start A Toast to Heroes (Battlecrest Slope)
The on-the-ground starting point is Battlecrest Slope, a mini-region south of the ruined fort at Northern Vow Ruins.
Step 1: Travel to Northern Vow Ruins in Verdant Wilds, then move south along the main road into the small village-like area on Battlecrest Slope.
Step 2: Look for an old man weeping at a tea stall or market stall along the road, just west of the ruin. This NPC is Grandpa Zhou.
Step 3: Speak with Grandpa Zhou. He explains that he lost a bag from his caravan and sets you on the first major task: recovering it.
Recovering Grandpa Zhou’s lost bag and dealing with the snakes
The lost bag is close by but ringed by snakes that can punish low-level characters. You can either bypass them with Celestial Seize or fight them directly.
Finding the snakes and the bag
Step 1: From Grandpa Zhou, climb the small hill to his right. Look for a broken pot on the slope; this marks the direction toward the field with snakes.
Step 2: Use Wind Sense once you reach the grassy area. The old man’s bag (a Soaked Bundle) appears in the middle of the snake cluster.
On the minimap, you should see several hostile markers tightly grouped together. They represent the snakes guarding the bag.
Method 1: Using Celestial Seize to skip combat
Celestial Seize lets you pull objects from a distance, turning this into a clean retrieval if you line it up correctly.
Step 1: Stop at the edge of the snake-infested grass, still outside their aggro radius.
Step 2: Aim Celestial Seize at the highlighted bag in the center of the snakes. Adjust your angle or footing on the hill if the targeting reticle refuses to lock onto the bag.
Step 3: Cast Celestial Seize to pull the bag to your location. Once it lands at your feet, pick it up without ever entering combat.
Method 2: Fighting the snakes safely
If Celestial Seize is unavailable or unreliable, you can clear the field by kiting the snakes and leaning on ranged tools.
Step 1: Prep before pulling:
- Equip a ranged option, such as a bow or any skill that can tag enemies from afar.
- Slot a healing flask and make sure you have cooked food ready for passive recovery once combat ends.
- Apply fire oil to your weapon if you have it; extra damage helps shorten each engagement.
Step 2: Stand at the edge of the field and hit one snake with a ranged attack. Immediately retreat so only that single enemy chases you up the slope or onto clear ground.
Step 3: Focus on the pursuing snake quickly. These enemies hit hard and inflict poison, so prioritize dodging and short attack strings over long, greedy combos.
Step 4: Break the line of sight when your health gets low. Once the snake drops aggro and starts retreating, wait a moment for your auto-heal effects or food buffs to restore you, then tag it again before it fully recovers.
Step 5: Repeat the pull-and-kite pattern until all snakes are dead. Avoid standing in the center of the group; the encounter is tuned to be punishing if you fight them all at once.
Returning the Soaked Bundle to Grandpa Zhou
With the snakes out of the way or bypassed, the bag is finally yours.
Step 1: Loot the item at the center of the former snake cluster. This is the Soaked Bundle — Grandpa Zhou’s lost bag, ruined by water and broken wine.
Step 2: Go back up the slope to the tea stall and speak with Grandpa Zhou again. Hand over the Soaked Bundle.
Step 3: Listen to his reaction: he realizes all his wine is shattered and asks for help acquiring fresh jars. He requests two containers of Sacrificial Wine and tells you to meet him again at the Boundary Stone near Northern Vow Ruins.
At this point, the quest shifts from snake handling to bandit camp raids and item hunting.
Finding Sacrificial Wine at bandit camps
Grandpa Zhou wants two small wine jars taken from nearby bandit supply wagons. Both are tiny red flasks placed on carts, easy to miss unless you know where to look.
Bandit camp locations around Northern Vow Ruins
| Wine Flask | Relative Location | Landmark | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flask 1 | North of Northern Vow Ruins | Small bandit camp by outer ruin walls | On the corner of a supply wagon/cart |
| Flask 2 | South, toward the river | Bandit caravan spot by the road next to the river | On the edge of a large cart |
Both camps are close enough that you can sweep them in a single loop around the fort.
Wine flask 1: North bandit camp by the fort
The first Sacrificial Wine sits in a compact camp just outside the main entrance to Northern Vow Ruins.
Step 1: From the fort’s main gate, move to the right-hand side and follow the outer ruin walls.
Step 2: Watch for a small bandit camp with a few enemies and a supply wagon nearby. Clear the guards or slip past them with stealth or movement skills.
Step 3: Inspect the wagon corners for a small red flask-shaped object. Interact with it to collect the first Sacrificial Wine.
Wine flask 2: South caravan by the river
The second flask lies at a separate caravan site on the opposite side of the ruins, closer to the water.
Step 1: Head south from Northern Vow Ruins toward the river. Follow the road that runs parallel to the water; the camp sits alongside this route.
Step 2: Approach the bandit caravan spot guarded by several enemies. Deal with them on your terms; ranged pulls and crowd control make this smoother.
Step 3: Once the area is safe enough, walk around the large cart and look along its edge. Pick up the second red wine flask to secure the second Sacrificial Wine.
Meeting Grandpa Zhou at the Boundary Stone
With both wine flasks in hand, the last leg of A Toast to Heroes is a short pilgrimage back to the old man, now relocated to a more solemn setting.
Step 1: Travel to the Boundary Stone near Northern Vow Ruins. This is a Sentient Being point where characters often gather to honor the fallen or mark important oaths.
Step 2: Find Grandpa Zhou at this Boundary Stone. He is no longer at the tea stall once you’ve collected the wine.
Step 3: Speak with him and hand over both jars of Sacrificial Wine. This completes the Wandering Tale and resolves his request to toast old heroes properly.
A Toast to Heroes quest rewards
Finishing the full sequence — recovering the Soaked Bundle and delivering the two wine jars at the Boundary Stone — grants a compact set of rewards that contribute to account growth and regional progress.
| Reward | Amount | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Echo Jade | 40 | Premium currency for pulls and select purchases |
| Qinghe Exploration | 10 | Exploration points that advance regional completion for Qinghe |
| Character EXP | 5,000 | Experience to level your character |
| Coin | 5,000 | General currency for vendors, crafting, and services |
The values above reflect the total payout across the mission’s steps and final turn-in, so there is no need to track sub-rewards separately.
Clearing A Toast to Heroes early in Verdant Wilds does more than fill a checklist: it teaches how to combine exploration tools like Wind Sense and Celestial Seize with cautious combat and map awareness around camps and Sentient Beings. Treat it as a small rehearsal for the more demanding Wandering Tales scattered across Jianghu.
