Allure of Vanity Walkthrough - All 6 Yan'er Memory Flowers

What Is Allure of Vanity?

Allure of Vanity is a Mystery quest set entirely on Meigu Lake, and it is one of the most atmospheric hunts in Phantom Blade Zero. A mournful zither song drifts across the mist-covered water; following it leads you to six floating Yan’er’s Memory Flowers, each one a titled scene from a theatre performer’s tragic past. Collect all six and the mist parts, revealing the island where Yan Qiansui, the Zither Maiden waits. KillGamer’s quest data records the subtitle: “Awake, a thousand forms; in dreams, all is empty.”

The quest matters far beyond its story. Yan Qiansui holds the Illusory Pipa Strings — the third and final component of the broken Illusory Pipa — which makes Allure of Vanity a load-bearing step in the true-ending structure even though it reads like a quiet side tale.

Before You Start: You Need a Boat

All six flowers float on open water between roughly 100 and 260 metres from the Meigu Songhouse Dock bell, so a boat is non-negotiable. Progress the Sha-Chi Powered Boat quest until you have the Sha-Chi-powered vessel, then sail to the lake’s southeastern dock. Ring the Meigu Songhouse Dock bell — every flower location and the final island are described relative to it, and it is where the quest ends. One practical tip from AllThingsHow: bring the boat within about two metres of a flower and the E prompt appears over the blue blossom; you can collect the six in any order.

All Six Yan’er Memory Flower Locations

Each pickup plays a short memory. Together they tell how Yan’er — a renowned zither player — was courted by Sect Leader Ming, bore his child, and was sent an assassin’s blade instead of a wedding; how the High Elder took her in, renamed her Yan Qiansui, and strung her zither with the very strings you are about to claim. PowerPyx notes the collection behaves like any six-petal memory: all six petals grant +10% maximum HP, one of the largest single HP upgrades in the game.

Three practical notes for the hunt itself. First, the quest map marks every flower once you collect the first — you do not need to memorize this table, only the bell as your anchor. Second, shallow-water flowers can snag the boat’s hull on rocks; approach wrecks and islets slowly rather than ramming them. Third, several flower patches sit close to hostile boat patrols — clear the water first or sail wide, because a boarded fight near a flower wastes more time than a small detour.

The Yan Qiansui Boss Fight

With the sixth flower collected, the ALLURE OF VANITY banner strikes through the collection objective and the quest log advances to “Find Yan Qiansui on the island in Meigu Lake.” The mist parts, and the island sits roughly 20-30 metres from the dock bell.

Yan Qiansui fights exactly like the musician bosses you have already met — she is the same archetype as Yuzan, No. 3 Musician Puppet. GameRant’s strategy is short and correct: block and deflect her blue orbs until her Sha-Chi gauge breaks, then attack relentlessly and repeat. Treat red-flash attacks as Ghoststep-only, and do not greed — her orb volleys punish tunnel vision. For a full moveset breakdown, frame data, and phase notes, see our dedicated Yan Qiansui boss guide — this page covers the quest flow; that one covers the duel.

Rewards — and the Pipa Loop Closed

Beating Yan Qiansui completes Allure of Vanity and pays three ways:

• Illusory Pipa Strings — the third fragment of the broken Illusory Pipa, after the Head (Dusk the Puppeteer) and Backplate (Yubi, No. 21 Swordfighter Puppet). With all three, Myst of the Three Sisters in Pangzhen can restore the instrument.
• Fanatic’s Fragment: Attachment — a weapon Soul Tempering material; gathering every Fanatic’s Fragment forges Fanatic’s Obsession.
• 66,000 Remnant Dust and the +10% HP from the flower set itself.

The repaired Pipa dispels the mist north of Meigu Lake, opening the Spectral Gate route to the Mountain of Imprisonment — which is where the Illusory Pipa parts guide chain pays off and where several other purple quests continue. Allure of Vanity is therefore the quiet hinge of the mid-game: one boat ride, six flowers, one boss, and half the true-ending board unlocks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you do Allure of Vanity before getting the boat? No. Every flower floats on open water far past swimming range. Finish the Sha-Chi Powered Boat questline first.

What level should you be for Yan Qiansui? She is rated around level 19 on a first playthrough and drops 66,000 Remnant Dust. If you have cleared the Mandate Encampment comfortably, you are ready.

Do I need to find the flowers in order? No — any order works, and the map marks them once the quest starts. The roman numerals above only mirror the memory titles, not a required sequence.

Sources: allthings.how (Allure of Vanity quest guide with bell-relative distances), powerpyx.com (Meigu Lake collectible locations and memory petal rewards), gamerant.com (Yan Qiansui strategy and Illusory Pipa Strings), keengamer.com (complete walkthrough — Allure of Vanity section), kungfupunk.com (quest data and subtitle), pbz.gg (Yan Qiansui stats and lore transcript) — launch-week guides, October–November 2026.