A Faltering Flame is an Exploration and Wandering Tales side quest in Where Winds Meet. It’s very rewarding as completing it nets you the Fivefold Bleed Tome, one of the best early offensive Inner Arts in the game. The quest takes place in Kaifeng City’s Grand Imperial Temple, where you need to find three of the Lamp-lighting Monk‘s old friends and solve lantern puzzles. Here’s how to complete every objective in A Faltering Flame quest and what rewards you receive.
How to Complete A Faltering Flame in Where Winds Meet
To unlock the quest, head over to the Grand Imperial Temple in the eastern part of Kaifeng City.
Inside the temple to the northeast corner, talk to the Lamp-lighting Monk in the Lantern Hall. He has been feeling a bit down because the lamps are out, and he needs you to fetch his three old friends to help relight them. Agree to help him, and he’ll recite three verses from the Buddha, each of which hints at when and where his friends will appear.
Note: This quest takes place over three in-game days. To save yourself from waiting around, use the Clock icon in your menu to advance the in-game time to the next day after completing each stage.
Find Benevolent Li (Day 1)
Follow the quest marker outside the Lantern Hall. Benevolent Li will be standing near a large tree in the open area by the building directly across from the hall. Walk toward the opposite building, turn left, and speak to him. He’ll throw a riddle your way. Pick the first option (“You thanked the Lamp Monk“), then follow up with the second option (“He wants you to turn back“), and he will agree to move back to the Lantern Hall. Lead him back to the hall to start the first puzzle.
Solve the First Lantern Puzzle
Back at the Lantern Hall, a short scene will play between the monk and Benevolent Li. After that, interact with the lanterns on the table on the right. The puzzle is simple: move the lamps around the board and get the glowing special lantern onto its marked spot. Since it’s the first one, there are plenty of open spaces, so just shimmy the other lamps out of the way to clear a path.
Find Mingniang (Day 2)
Change the in-game time to the next day from the clock menu. Go to the large temple building adjacent to the Lantern Hall. You’ll find Mingniang, a blind NPC in a white outfit, standing near the entrance. There’s no complex riddle here; talk to her and escort Mingniang back to the monk.
Solve the Second Lantern Puzzle
Same as before, interact with the next lanterns to solve the second puzzle. Here, two of the lanterns are connected in a box and move as a single unit. Keep that in mind when you plan your moves so you don’t accidentally block the path. You’ll need to plan a few steps ahead to slide the multi-lamp blocks out of the way to let the glowing lantern reach its destination.
Find Deng Santong (Day 3)
Fast-forward one more day on the clock. Deng Santong is standing in the corner near the same spot as Benevolent Li, up the small stairs of the building across from the Hall. Speak to him and bring him back to the monk. Right before you get to light the final lamp, Deng Santong will attack you. It’s not a long or brutal fight, just an unexpected one. Parry his telegraphed moves and deplete his health to pacify him.
Solve the Third Lantern Puzzle
The final puzzle will have two sets of connected candle boxes. It looks crowded, but the logic remains the same. Clear the center of the board first, then use the edges to park the connected boxes while you slide the main lantern home.
Finish the Dialogue
With all three lamps lit, the monk and Deng Santong have a conversation that fills in their shared history. Your reply at the end impacts how Deng Santong interprets the monk’s words, but it doesn’t affect the story. Pick whichever option fits the moment, and the Where Winds Meet’s A Faltering Flame quest will end here.
A Faltering Flame Rewards
After that, open your Journal, go to the Wandering Tales tab, and select Fairgrounds Part 10 to claim these rewards:
- Fivefold Bleed Tome
- Echo Jade x40
- Coin x10,000
- Stored EXP x10,000
- Kaifeng Exploration x10
The Fivefold Bleed Inner Way gives every hit a 10% chance to apply “Weeping Blood.” At five stacks, it deals a burst of Piercing damage and further, this bleed stacks separately from weapon-specific bleeds like those from the Strategic Sword. It’s essentially free passive damage to stay aggressive.
