Ghostlight Market is one of the strangest locations in Where Winds Meet — a hidden bazaar under Kaifeng that turns into a haunted ruin once the March of the Dead quest begins. It is both a fast travel destination and the stage for Jianghu Legacy 05: March of the Dead, where Nether Mist, patrolling spirits, and strict navigation rules all come into play.
How Ghostlight Market works in Where Winds Meet
Ghostlight Market sits beneath Kaifeng and first appears during an early kidnapping sequence. Later in the game, once Kaifeng is accessible, the market becomes a regular location on the map and can be reached through the usual fast travel system.
In its normal state, the area behaves like any other small hub: stalls, NPCs, and Worldly Affairs quests, including one critical quest called Bounty Trouble. At Mao hour, however, the entire market shifts into a spectral version filled with Nether Mist and spectral soldiers. That nighttime version is what March of the Dead uses.
| State | Time Window | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Open Market | Between You and Mao hours | Normal vendors and quests, no Nether Mist, fast travel hub |
| Haunted Market | Mao hour | Nether Mist active, Wind Sense disabled, March of the Dead quest area |
Time of day is not just cosmetic here. Changing the in-game clock between You and Mao hours flips the market between its open and haunted states and directly affects March of the Dead’s progression.
How to unlock March of the Dead at Ghostlight Market
March of the Dead is a Jianghu Legacy quest tied tightly to Ghostlight Market and Kaifeng. It has clear prerequisites before the haunted version becomes available.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Region access | Reach Kaifeng so Ghostlight Market appears as a reachable location. |
| Worldly Affairs: Bounty Trouble | Complete the Bounty Trouble questline at Ghostlight Market. |
| Time control | Use the in-game time change menu to set the clock to Mao hour while at the market. |
After Bounty Trouble is resolved, the Jianghu Legacy entry March of the Dead becomes available in Kaifeng. From the market, use the time change feature to switch to Mao hour. The environment darkens, Nether Mist fills the streets, and your usual Wind Sense stops working. An elder named Liu Changsheng appears here as the quest’s anchor NPC.
Changing time away from Mao temporarily “fails” the objective and returns the market to its open state, but shifting back to Mao restores your last quest step. Progress inside March of the Dead is persistent across these time changes.
Nether Mist and green lanterns: how survival works here
The haunted Ghostlight Market introduces a simple, punishing mechanic: Nether Mist. This fog constantly builds up and starts shaving off large portions of health when the hidden meter fills. The only safe zones are around specific green lanterns — Lanterns of Underground — scattered along the paths you need to take.
The lanterns serve two roles at once:
| Lantern Role | Effect |
|---|---|
| Nether Mist protection | Standing near a lantern slows or clears Nether Mist buildup and stops HP loss. |
| Navigation aid | Lamp chains mark the correct route to each required item and objective. |
Without Wind Sense, the green glow is your primary navigation tool. Every path to the Mountain Armor, Battle Helmet, and Iron Spear is essentially a chain of lanterns taking you through mist and around enemy patrols.
Step 1: Start March of the Dead and speak to Liu Changsheng
Once the market is in its haunted state, Liu Changsheng stands near the stairs leading up to the street. Speaking to him initiates March of the Dead and defines a clear objective: recover three relics scattered through the spectral market.
| NPC | Location Cue | Quest Role |
|---|---|---|
| Liu Changsheng | Near the starting stairs in haunted Ghostlight Market | Quest giver; requests Mountain Armor, Battle Helmet, and Iron Spear |
From here, you are free to collect the three items in the order laid out, returning to the starting point between each if needed.
Step 2: Mountain Armor location
The Mountain Armor sits in a cavern beyond a raft section, reached by following the right-hand route from Liu Changsheng and staying glued to the lantern line.
| Sub-step | What to Do | Key Landmarks |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | From Liu Changsheng, turn right and walk along the street, hugging the Lanterns of Underground. | Lantern chain, Nether Mist bar starting to climb |
| 2.2 | Continue until a broad stairway and a cat come into view, then turn left toward a voice calling out. | Large staircase, meowing cat, distant NPC voice |
| 2.3 | Reach the boatman Jin Yunhai on a raft, talk to him, then swim toward the cavern marked on your HUD. | Raft with Jin Yunhai, cavern icon beyond river |
| 2.4 | Stay near floating lanterns in the water to control mist damage, open the chest inside the cavern to obtain Mountain Armor. | Lanterns on the river, chest in cavern |
After looting the armor, backtrack along the same lantern path to return safely to the starting area.
Step 3: Battle Helmet location
The Battle Helmet is hidden at the end of a street that funnels into a gate with ribbons, then a short stealth segment through spectral soldiers.
| Sub-step | What to Do | Key Landmarks |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Swim back from the cavern to Jin Yunhai, then run straight ahead, following the same green lanterns as before. | Return past raft, reach gate with hanging lantern |
| 3.2 | From the gate with ribbons and a lantern, continue directly down the torch-lit street to a staircase and pass through the ribboned gate. | Ribbon-decorated gate, torches along street |
| 3.3 | Past the gate, follow the sound of a woman crying to a stall where Nan Lugong is sitting; speak to her. | Nan Lugong’s stall, crying voice audio cue |
| 3.4 | Follow the lanterns along the route she indicates, taking care not to collide with spectral soldiers. | Patrolling specters, narrow path bounded by lanterns |
| 3.5 | At the end of the path, loot the chest on a raft to claim the Battle Helmet. | Small pier, raft-mounted chest |
Spectral soldiers can kill you in a few hits and bounce you back to Liu Changsheng’s checkpoint. Running past them or luring them into water are both viable strategies; they drown instantly once they stumble into the river.
Step 4: Iron Spear location
The Iron Spear is guarded by a larger group of spectral warriors and accessed through stairways behind Nan Lugong’s stall.
| Sub-step | What to Do | Key Landmarks |
|---|---|---|
| 4.1 | Return to Nan Lugong’s stall and move slightly past it to find a staircase leading up. | Side stairs next to stall |
| 4.2 | Go up the stairs, stay on the left side of the path, then take another set of stairs when a lantern appears ahead. | Second staircase, isolated lantern |
| 4.3 | At the top, turn left and run straight until you pass a bridge with a lone spectral soldier and a lantern where Xiang Gutong stands. | Rope or wooden bridge, Xiang Gutong by lantern |
| 4.4 | Talk to Xiang Gutong, then sprint past the group of spectral soldiers ahead to the chest behind them and grab the Iron Spear. | Cluster of ghosts, chest in their rear arc |
Once the spear is secured, the safest approach is usually to sprint back along the marked route rather than trying to fight the full group.
Step 5: Submit items and equip Spectral Soldier Armor
With all three relics collected, head back to Liu Changsheng at the starting point. Turning in the Mountain Armor, Battle Helmet, and Iron Spear earns you a special disguise: Spectral Soldier Armor.
| Item | How It’s Obtained | Primary Function |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain Armor | Chest in cavern beyond Jin Yunhai’s raft | One of three relics required by Liu Changsheng |
| Battle Helmet | Chest on raft after route pointed out by Nan Lugong | Second relic for quest turn-in |
| Iron Spear | Chest behind spectral soldiers after speaking to Xiang Gutong | Third relic, completes set |
| Spectral Soldier Armor | Reward from Liu Changsheng after submitting three items | Makes spectral soldiers ignore you unless attacked |
Equip the Spectral Soldier Armor from your Bag under the Quest tab. The game briefly takes control and transitions your character into a specter, setting up the final sequence.
Step 6: Follow the procession to the Ghost Gate
Once disguised, watch for a procession of spectral soldiers moving through the marketplace. They will pass in front of the usual starting area. Fall in line and follow them without attacking.
| Phase | Action | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| Procession start | Join the marching spirits as they move away from the starting stairs. | Route overlapping the earlier Iron Spear path |
| Route fork | When the group approaches the region where the Iron Spear route branched, follow them to the right instead of retracing your old path. | Narrow trail leading toward a mountain wall |
| Ghost Gate | Continue behind the procession into a torchlit cave, then interact with the Ghost Gate and speak with Liu Changsheng again. | Interior cave, Ghost Gate entrance |
The armor prevents nearby spirits from turning hostile as long as you do not swing at them, turning what was previously a stealth or sprint segment into a guided march toward the boss arena.
Step 7: Defeat Zhu Yousheng in the cave
Beyond the Ghost Gate waits Zhu Yousheng, the founder of Nine Mortal Ways and the final obstacle for March of the Dead. The fight takes place in a bright, ritual-like cave that contrasts sharply with the murk outside.
| Boss | Attack Pattern Highlights | Effective Responses |
|---|---|---|
| Zhu Yousheng | Uses spear sweeps and overhead thrusts with noticeable windups, favoring circular coverage around him. | Time dodges to avoid sweeps, parry spear swings, then counter-attack during recovery windows. |
The encounter is not tuned as brutally as high-end bosses; patient dodges, parries, and counter-hits are usually enough. After he falls, you can loot his body for coins and materials such as Wolframite Weight and Bluestone Lock, then talk to Liu Changsheng again at the Ghost Gate to wrap up the quest.
When the quest ends, the time shifts back to You hour and the market returns to its open, living state.
March of the Dead rewards and why Ghostlight Market is worth revisiting
March of the Dead delivers both direct loot and soft progression currency. Across the quest and its completion, you earn multiple rewards tied to Inner Arts, materials, and exploration.
| Reward Type | Item or Currency | Use |
|---|---|---|
| Inner arts | Internal Art Note Custom Chest ×5 | Customizes and unlocks internal arts options. |
| Knowledge | Medicinal Tales | Provides progression in medicine-related systems. |
| Material | Lv. 3 Ebon Iron | Used for higher-tier crafting or upgrades. |
| Regional progress | Kaifeng Exploration Points ×50 | Advances exploration milestones for the Kaifeng region. |
| Account growth | Enlightenment Points ×100 | Feeds into broader character development systems. |
| Experience | Character EXP ×20,000 | Levels up your character. |
| Currency | Zhou Coins ×20,000 | Funds purchases, upgrades, and other costs. |
| Echoes | Echo Jade ×30 | Supports echo-related progression or exchanges. |
On top of this, you gain permanent familiarity with how Ghostlight Market behaves as a fast travel node, a time-dependent dungeon, and a narrative anchor for Nine Mortal Ways. Once you know how to flip it between its living and haunted states and how to read the lantern trails, it becomes far less intimidating — and a memorable example of how Where Winds Meet uses time and place to reconfigure the same map into something entirely different.
