Heartless Remnants

Heartless Remnants is Chapter 5 of Phantom Blade Zero in the Village of Lu: secure the Mandate Encampment's outer gate, enter the village past Zhuo Bi or the cliffs, sever the red threads, and beat Master Bi Yuan, Master Bi Hai, Yuzan and Mu Xiaokui. Finish the Young Mistress ribbons first to unlock Mu Xiaokui's secret third phase.

Just over half of Phantom Blade Zero's Steam players had finished Heartless Remnants, the fifth chapter, by Nov 9, 2026: 56.0% had beaten Mu Xiaokui, the boss at its end, up from 9.2% on Oct 31, and 55.3% had left the Village of Lu for Pangzhen. It is the chapter of the puppet village strung with red threads, coming after Snake's Reflection and before Town of Death: Soul secures the Mandate Encampment's outer gate, enters past Zhuo Bi or up the cliffs, cuts the threads, and fights Master Bi Yuan, Master Bi Hai, Yuzan and finally Mu Xiaokui, in Game8's 19 steps.

It also has more side quests than any chapter before it: The Journey Home, Young Master Lan, Young Mistress, A Puppet's Wooden Heart, A Dream of Motherhood, Leave None Alive and Dahuang. Steam's counts show how many players stop for them: 47.6% had completed Young Master Lan and 35.7% The Journey Home by Nov 9. Game8 lists the chapter's rewards as the Tianxuan Bronze Sword, the Kuye Temple Prayer Beads, the Heartrend Pipa and the Wild Oriole Sword, with the Bastion from Zhuo Bi if you fight him, and the optional Acolyte Yanru and Dusk the Puppeteer wait off the main path.

The Crossroads and the Encampment gate

At the Crossroads, Jewel, one of Forge's sisters, polishes accessories and moves the Illusory Pipa mystery on (Game8). Ring the Mandate Encampment Outer Gate bell and take the Memory Flower; the candlelit building below holds three books, Pillars of Kunlun, Zuo Shang's Game and Wulin Tales. The Encampment opens later, with the Outer Gate Key from the well after Gu Wanyue in The Heart's Trail.

Old Man Gen, and two ways into the village

Cross the river, beat the puppets that drop from a tree, and save Old Man Gen at his hideout to start The Journey Home. Lan Shaodi waits beyond the farm fence. There are two ways into the village (Game8): fight Zhuo Bi, the Gate Keeper, for the Bastion Phantom Edge, or take the path to the left and climb the cliffs. Through a shed and down the gutter is the Young Master Lan's Hideout bell; talking to Lan Shaodi starts Young Master Lan, a choice with consequences on Missables.

Cutting the red threads

A red ribbon on a bush by the bridge starts Young Mistress, a ribbon hunt that matters at the end of the chapter. Ring the Well of Three Puppets bell and interact with a puppet at the well (Game8).
East, at the Temple of Blue Fireflies, the Songstress Puppet gives A Puppet's Wooden Heart.
West, in the building wrapped in red threads, beat the large puppet for the Mother's Talisman, which finishes the Weaver's A Dream of Motherhood. The second-floor chest has Wedding Candles for Quick Hand Zhang. Leave by the upper opening onto the Covered Bridge and ring its bell.
Clear the farmland to the thread source and beat every enemy there to sever the threads. The Black Serpent House is nearby, another of The Four Serpent Houses.

The two Master Bi

From the Statue Grounds Entrance bell, climb the stairs to Master Bi Yuan, who drops the Tianxuan Bronze Sword; Game8 warns not to attack into his parry stance. Ring the Crane bell after him for another Young Mistress ribbon. Through the Lady Grounds (the Unveiled Statue chest moves Quick Hand's Request on) and the Smuggler's Treasure Cellar and Tunnel, a cutscene offers "Any Other Requests?", which starts Leave None Alive. Talk to the Wounded Thief, then walk left to fight Master Bi Hai, who hides in a bell with three gold warriors, PCGamesN says; Game8 recommends heavy weapons with high Guard Break, such as the Outlaw Warblade or Scarlet Wraithblade. He drops the Kuye Temple Prayer Beads.

The Terraces and the Survival Courtyard

Northeast of Bi Hai, ring the Terraces bell. Near the Engine Giant Remains bell, a glowing red scarecrow summons Acolyte Yanru, an optional fight that moves Secrets at the Heart of the Lake on (Game8). In the house past that bell, beat the Sect Leader to cut the last threads over the well. In the Survival Courtyard, give the Songstress Puppet's letter to Pei, talk to the Sleeping Flowered-Mask Hunter for Dahuang, and kick down the ladder to the Temple of Blue Fireflies for a shortcut; a rope behind it leads to the White Jade Twins for Quick Hand Zhang.

Down the well to Yuzan, up to Mu Xiaokui

Jump into the Well of Three Puppets to reach the Puppet Testing Grounds and beat Yuzan, the musician puppet, for the Heartrend Pipa. The puppet girl nearby gives Cui's Red Ribbon, and a portal opens The Herald's Illusion (Game8). The locked mask door triggers a lift; ring the Lakeside bell at the top and fight Mu Xiaokui, the chapter boss. The red ribbons gathered for Young Mistress through the chapter pay off here: with the quest done, the fight gains a secret third phase, Iron Fiend and Jade Dancer, whose unlock is set out on Mu Xiaokui's page.

The chapter's last fight is settled by the lake: at 2:15 of PowerPyx's Oct 29, 2026 recording of it, Mu Xiaokui tells Soul what losing costs him: "If I win, you stay here. I'll enter Pangzhen myself!"