Villa Courtyard: Ink Study 4 (Tianxing)

Villa Courtyard: Ink Study 3 (Wuxuan)

Villa Courtyard: Ink Study 4 (Tianxing)

Story Stage

Villa Courtyard: Ink Study 5 (Yibian)

Overview

• Stage Cost: None
• First Clear Rewards: Astral Memory x80, Stellin x2000

• Note - During its initial limited run, this stage's first clear reward was: Holly Stationery x800 (Clear), S-Chip x10, Holly Stationery x100 (Silk Pouch)

Guide

• Hover to view spoiler content.

Items of interest

• Clear conditions: Unlock 1 exit mechanism
• Key: Dragon Pattern Jade
• Silk Pouches: 1
• Note: The level must be cleared to obtain the items collected.

Map

Easter Egg note

The "Ex" mark on the map is an easter egg referencing Vyn "Burning Embrace"; bring Vyn as your exploration partner for extra dialogue.

Door code guide

Clues

This puzzle focuses on finding corresponding values between numbers, flowers, months, the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, the "earthly branches," and the "heavenly stems."

Male lead's half (left):

• Clue 1: A scroll painting hints at the connection between the months, earthly branches, and heavenly stems.
• Clue 2: Lists the heavenly stems in order: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui. It also says these correspond to the numbers 1-10 in order.
• Clue 3: The two bookshelves, together, correspond the earthly branches to the animals of the Chinese Zodiac:
  • Zi - Rat
  • Chou - Ox
  • Yin - Tiger
  • Mao - Rabbit
  • Chen - Dragon
  • Si - Snake
  • Wu - Horse
  • Wei - Sheep
  • Shen - Monkey
  • You - Rooster
  • Xu - Dog
  • Hai - Pig

MC's half (right):

• Clue 4: On each of the six desks are two teacups apiece. The cups and the heavenly stems on them are listed in pairs per desk.
  • Pig and Dog: Xin and Geng
  • Rooster and Monkey: Ji and Wu
  • Sheep and Horse: Ding and Bing
  • Dragon and Snake: Jia and Yi
  • Tiger and Rabbit: Ren and Gui
  • Rat and Ox: Geng and Xin
• Clue 5: A conversation about the guqin reveals associations between flowers and months:
  • Apricot: February
  • Peach Blossom: March
  • Rose: April
  • Lotus: June
  • Chrysanthemum: September
  • Wintersweet: December
• Clue 6: The wall scroll further hints at the connection between the months, earthly branches, and heavenly stems, and it displays associations between earthly branches and months:
  • Yin: January
  • Mao: February
  • Chen: March
  • Si: April
  • Wu: May
  • Wei: June
  • Shen: July
  • You: August
  • Xu: September
  • Hai: October
  • Zi: November
  • Chou: December
• Clue 7: Both corner tables must be examined to allow the room's artifact to be appraised. These give the clues "Dragon-shaped," "Scales and Feathers," and "Striking Similarity."
• Clue 8: The final clue points out the most important entries in the puzzle: Wintersweet, Lotus, Chrysanthemum, and Rose.

Code entry

Hint 1:

The order of links is Flowers -> Months (clue 5) -> Earthly branches (clue 6) -> Zodiac (clue 3) -> Heavenly stems (clue 4) -> Numbers (clue 2).

Hint 2:

Enter the numbers that correspond to the flowers in order of Wintersweet, Lotus, Chrysanthemum, Rose

Complete chart:

Hint 1:

Flower	Month	Earthly Branch	Zodiac	Heavenly Stem	Number
	January	Yin	Tiger	Ren	9
Apricot	February	Mao	Rabbit	Gui	10
Peach Blossom	March	Chen	Dragon	Jia	1
Rose	April	Si	Snake	Yi	2
	May	Wu	Horse	Bing	3
Lotus	June	Wei	Sheep	Ding	4
	July	Shen	Monkey	Wu	5
	August	You	Rooster	Ji	6
Chrysanthemum	September	Xu	Dog	Geng	7
	October	Hai	Pig	Xin	8
	November	Zi	Rat	Geng	7
Wintersweet	December	Chou	Ox	Xin	8

Final code:

8472

Quick Walkthrough

There can be multiple ways to do this stage; one solution is available below for a quick clear.

1. On the male lead’s (ML) side, check the 3 jades.
2. Proceed to nearby chest, solve the mechanical lock, and collect the Silk Pouch.
3. On the main character’s (MC) side, check all Clues 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 points.
4. On the ML’s side, check the 3 jades again, solve the Artifact Appraisal, and collect the Dragon Pattern Jade.
5. Check Clue 1 point.
6. On the MC’s side, go to locked door and input lock code: 8472.

Mechanical Lock

The goal in this puzzle is to draw two paths through the grid such that every square is drawn through, the Red "Start" is connected to the Red "End," and the Black "Start" is connected to the Black "End." There are many ways to solve this puzzle; one solution is available above in case of difficulty.

Artifact Appraisal

The clues at the "7" markers on the map must be checked before obtaining the marked artifact (Dragon-pattern Jade). These reveal the true artifact has "Scales and feathers" (dotted body and "mane" patterns around its heads) and "Striking similarity" (symmetrical). The correct artifact is above.