The Gilded Chase is a Lost Chapter quest in Where Winds Meet that plays out as a bounty hunt for the thief Jun Bu Jian. It is tied to the Live to Game (Version 1.2) update and is also featured as a limited-time event, so finishing it in the right window grants extra rewards such as Echo Jade and Lingering Melody.
When and how The Gilded Chase unlocks
The Gilded Chase is part of the January content rollout for Version 1.2: Live to Game. It becomes available from January 16, 2026, and is listed both as:
- a Lost Chapter quest under the Version 1.2 content lineup, and
- a limited-time event with its own timer in the Events menu.
The event listing describes it simply: accomplish the Lost Chapter quest, The Gilded Chase, to claim various rewards. It runs from January 16 to February 3, 2026, so you need to clear it during that window if you want the event rewards.
Where to start The Gilded Chase
The quest does not start from a random NPC; it is framed explicitly as a bounty.
Step 1: Travel to Qinghe and head to Harvestfall Village. This is the village that hosts the starting point for The Gilded Chase.
Step 2: In Harvestfall Village, interact with the Bounty Board. The Lost Chapter is presented here as a special bounty posting tied to Jun Bu Jian, a master thief wanted by Master Wuhen of Weiyang City.
Step 3: Accept the bounty to add The Gilded Chase to your quest log. At this point, the game tracks it as a Lost Chapter quest and as an event objective if the event is active.
Once accepted, the quest shifts into a linear hunt that moves between several locations. The structure is deliberately light on grind; it is designed as a “log in, do a focused story quest, log out” experience rather than a long chain of side errands.
The Gilded Chase quest structure
The Gilded Chase plays out in short stages that alternate between tracking Jun Bu Jian and witnessing his heists. While the exact map markers and dialogue branches are handled in-game, the pattern is consistent.
Step 1: Read the bounty details on Jun Bu Jian. The posting frames him as a thief known for “elegance” and skill rather than brute force. This sets expectations for stealthy, spectacle-style encounters instead of heavy boss fights.
Step 2: Follow the first quest marker out of Harvestfall Village. You will be led to Jun Bu Jian’s last known location. These are usually small hubs or travel routes where townsfolk or bystanders have just witnessed him in action.
Step 3: Investigate each stop by talking to NPC witnesses or checking highlighted interactables. The quest uses these investigation beats to reveal how Jun Bu Jian operates and to point you toward the next destination.
Step 4: Continue tracking him across multiple locations. Each leg of the chase reinforces the same pattern: arrive shortly after a theft or showing, gather information, and move on. The emphasis stays on watching his “performance” as a thief and hunter of opportunity.
Step 5: Eventually, the chase concludes with a final confrontation or resolution scene that closes out Jun Bu Jian’s arc. The narrative choices that appear along the way change flavor text and reactions, but do not alter the core rewards.
The quest avoids long combat segments, dungeons, or complex puzzles. Instead, it leans on short travel segments, character moments, and location-to-location tracking, which makes it easy to clear in a single session.
Event rewards and why timing matters
The Gilded Chase sits at the intersection of Lost Chapter content and limited-time event design. Clearing it does three things:
- grants standard Lost Chapter rewards such as Echo Jade and progression currency,
- adds at least one Lingering Melody to your account, and
- fulfills the event task “Accomplish the Lost Chapter quest, The Gilded Chase” during its January 16–February 3 window.
Lingering Melody is a recurring reward across Version 1.2’s new content, used to unlock decorations, cosmetic keys, and related items elsewhere in the update. Completing this Lost Chapter, therefore, contributes to broader seasonal unlocks, not just the single quest.
How The Gilded Chase fits into the Live to Game update
The Gilded Chase is one of several narrative drops scheduled across January 2026 in the Live to Game patch. Alongside Kaifeng’s Jianghu Legacy quests, Mistveil Prison, and other Lost Chapters such as Whispers Beneath the Moon, it fills out the “story beats and encounters” portion of the update road map.
Structurally, it occupies a specific niche:
- It is anchored in Qinghe rather than the new Kaifeng maps, giving players a reason to revisit the older region.
- It is framed through the Bounty Board system, tying back into the broader World Affairs style of content.
- It is intentionally compact, designed to be finished in one sitting as a narrative vignette during the event period.
For players already focused on heavy PvE like the Nameless General or Mistveil Prison, The Gilded Chase offers a lower-intensity break that still contributes to seasonal progression.
Checklist: what to do to finish The Gilded Chase cleanly
Step 1: Log in during the event window that lists The Gilded Chase (January 16 to February 3, 2026) so the event reward tracks correctly.
Step 2: Fast travel to Qinghe – Harvestfall Village and accept the bounty from the Bounty Board to start the Lost Chapter.
Step 3: Follow each quest marker in order, always exhausting NPC dialogue and examining highlighted objects so the chase steps advance without backtracking.
Step 4: Stay on the quest until you see the final resolution scene and the completion banner. Leaving it half-finished undermines its role as a quick, drop-in story.
Step 5: Open your event tab to confirm the event objective has registered, then check your inventory for the Echo Jade and Lingering Melody you earned.
Handled this way, The Gilded Chase becomes a straightforward, self-contained story about Jun Bu Jian that fits neatly into the broader January schedule, gives you currency toward other Live to Game unlocks, and does not demand more than a single focused play session.
