Quick answer: The Broken Illusory Pipa is a story item from the Bai Chilian fight. Find its Head, Backplate and Strings, then take them to Myst, the sister who can restore it.
The pipa turns up in Chapter 1 of Phantom Blade Zero, during the story quest AGAINST THE FLOW in the Village of Lu. It arrives in pieces, and the game spreads the clues to fixing it across a book, three item descriptions and a conversation with one of Lady Inanis’s artisans.
What the Broken Illusory Pipa is
The pipa’s card lists it as a STORY ITEM. Its description reads:
“A badly damaged Illusory Pipa, missing its strings, head, and backplate. Only part of the neck and upper body remains, but it still emits a faint, otherworldly hum.”
After the Bai Chilian fight, it joins your rewards alongside the White Serpent & Crimson Viper and the Resonance Talisman. Their connection is noted in the Talisman’s description: its strings were taken from the pipa Inanis played.
Where to find Bai Chilian’s Notes
The book that explains where the missing pieces went sits a short walk from where you first arrive in the Village of Lu.
The writer records a location for each piece: the head was last spotted in the Village of Lu, the Mandate took the backplate to its base camp in the forest’s northeast, and the strings wound up somewhere with abundant water, perhaps Meigu Lake. At the entry’s end, the writer reports hearing a song and questions whether the pipa is producing it or the sound is only an illusion.
Where the three missing parts are
| Part | Hint from Bai Chilian’s Notes | Item text |
|---|---|---|
 Illusory Pipa Head | Last seen in the Village of Lu | “The elegantly shaped headstock of the Illusory Pipa. The Herald once sent it to the High Elder as a token before it was secretly taken by Dusk.” |
 Illusory Pipa Backplate | Taken by the Mandate to their base camp in the forest’s northeastern part | “The backplate of the Chord’s Illusory Pipa, broken near the frets. The green flowers on its lacquered surface remain as vivid and dreamlike as ever.” |
 Illusory Pipa Strings | Somewhere with lots of water, maybe Meigu Lake | “After Yan Qiansui’s defeat, her zither shimmered with iridescent radiance, revealing that she had strung it with the Illusory Pipa’s strings, bestowed by the High Elder.” |
These are the leads the game gives for each piece. The Strings description ties them directly to Yan Qiansui’s zither, so that part is linked to one of the game’s bosses.
Who restores the Illusory Pipa
Talk to Jewel, an artisan at a hut in the Village of Lu. Her hut menu shows the options “About the faint weeping” and “Polish accessories”. She recognises the broken pipa as the one Lady Inanis made for the Chord, and tells Soul to bring every missing piece to her second sister, Myst. Apart from Lady Inanis, Myst is the only one who can repair it.
The item texts say the same thing. The Strings description states, “Only Myst of the Three Sisters can restore the Illusory Pipa.” The Backplate description adds where to go: “Once all three pieces of the Illusory Pipa have been collected, seek her out at the tavern in Pangzhen.”
With the Head, Backplate and Strings in hand, head to the tavern in Pangzhen and find Myst. She is one of the Three Sisters, Lady Inanis’s artisans, along with Jewel and the Forge, who upgrades weapons.
