Pursue The Strange Purple Shadow is a tracking objective inside Gone with the Wind, the Jianghu Legacy quest also presented in-game under the line "The Gentle South Wind Arrives." It plays out in Hexi during the late stages of the Worldly Affairs quest To Friends, to the End, and it is one of the chase beats that leads to the Veiled Lady confrontation.
Quick answer: Trigger the questline by lighting the lamp on the tent at the well in Qinghe at the Zi hour, then follow the purple silhouette using Wind Sense each time it stops, closing the gap until it vanishes and the next objective updates.
Where this objective fits in the questline
Gone with the Wind is unlocked through the Worldly Affairs quest To Friends, to the End, which itself follows Lost Among Ancient Bulwarks in Qinchuan. After finishing Sunken City Lake and waking up by the well in Qinghe, the chain continues at night.
The purple shadow chase is one of several action beats inside Gone with the Wind, alongside Traverse The Withered Woods and Challenge The Northern Vow Disciple. Completing the full questline unlocks the Veiled Woman as a Campaign boss.
Requirements before the purple shadow chase
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Region access | Hexi unlocked, with progress through Qinchuan Path |
| Prior quest | Lost Among Ancient Bulwarks completed |
| Active quest | To Friends, to the End advanced past Sunken City Lake |
| Time of day | Zi hour (late night) on the day after waking by the well |
| Trigger object | Lamp on the tent next to the well in Qinghe |
| Mystic skill | Wind Sense available for tracking |
How to trigger Gone with the Wind
Step 1: After waking up by the well in Qinghe at the end of the Hexi dream, open the time menu and advance a full day, then advance again to the Zi hour of the next day. The well area must be in deep night for the lamp to respond.
Step 2: Approach the small tent beside the well and light the hanging lamp. The Veiled Lady appears and starts the Jianghu Legacy quest Gone with the Wind, which carries the in-game subtitle The Gentle South Wind Arrives.
Step 3: Continue the conversation until control returns. The chase objective for the strange purple shadow appears once the Veiled Lady leaves the scene.
How to complete Pursue The Strange Purple Shadow
Step 1: Activate Wind Sense as soon as the objective starts. The shadow shows up as a faint purple silhouette that drifts away from the lamp area, and Wind Sense highlights it through trees and terrain.
Step 2: Stay within line of sight while it moves. The figure pauses briefly at fixed points along the route. Each time it stops, sprint to close the distance, then it resumes its path. Falling too far behind makes the silhouette fade, and you will need to backtrack to the previous pause point to restart the trail.
Step 3: Follow it through the marked area until the shadow stops at the next story beat. The objective updates on its own when you reach the trigger point, transitioning the quest into the next stage of Gone with the Wind.
How to know it worked
The objective tracker swaps from Pursue The Strange Purple Shadow to the next step in Gone with the Wind, usually a follow-up investigation or the lead-in to a fight beat such as Challenge The Northern Vow Disciple. A short cutscene plays at the end of the chase, after which the purple silhouette disappears and the area returns to normal lighting.
Why the chase fails to progress
- Wind Sense is not toggled, so the silhouette is hard to see, and you lose the trail.
- You strayed off the path and triggered the fade-out distance, sending you back to the last pause point.
- The time of day shifted out of night during a long detour. Re-enter the area at the Zi hour to restore the encounter.
What completing the questline unlocks
Finishing Gone with the Wind returns control to the well in Qinghe and adds Mimi, a paper fox, on the table after a full in-game day. Interacting with Mimi awards the Koi Key, which is required for the next stage of To Friends, to the End at the carp mural. The quest line also unlocks the Veiled Woman as a repeatable Campaign boss.
If the purple shadow does not appear after lighting the lamp, leave the area, advance time again to the Zi hour, and return. The encounter is bound to night and to the To Friends, to the End checkpoint that follows Sunken City Lake, so neither earlier story flags nor a daytime visit will spawn it.