Phantom Blade Zero · Character
Zheng Rong
Zheng Rong is the captain of the Mandate squad holding the Weeping Creek Valley Outpost in Chapter 1, the swordsman in blue at the gate. He is keeping something quiet about the chained yard behind him, and two quests run through him: Festering Secret and Yu’er’s Apprentice Healer.
- FactionThe Mandate
- Where you meetWeeping Creek Valley
- Quests2 in the quest log
Who is Zheng Rong?
Zheng Rong holds the Outpost with what is left of a Mandate squad, worn down by the Maskwalkers and barely holding on. His men once served under Gu Lingran, and his own lieutenant was in Master Gu’s personal guard.
When Soul first speaks to him he waves him off (“If you’ve no business here, be on your way!”), but he does warn him that a vicious Maskwalker is bound in chains behind the Outpost, and that the chains will not hold for long. Inside, he is keeping his men quiet: when one of them shouts that he can silence them but not the truth, he snaps back, “One more word, and I’ll throw you in with them!”
He also looks out for Yu’er, who has followed the road to the Outpost. He has told her not to risk going out for herbs, and when her salve works he asks whether she would join the Mandate when she is older.
Who Zheng Rong is to the others
His lieutenant
Lieutenant Fu, on patrol at the old camp outside the Sha-Chi Tower, once served in Gu Lingran’s guard. He had raised something with his captain before; Zheng Rong set it aside, and in Festering Secret sends Soul to him with a written order: facing the truth is the path we ought to take.
“Give him this order, see if he'll tell you anything!”
In-game dialogueLooks out for her
Yu’er calls him the Captain and mostly does as he says. He praises her salve and asks whether she would one day walk the righteous path with the Mandate.
“The Captain told me not to risk going out for herbs... but... am I really supposed to just sit here and do nothing?”
In-game dialogue
1 more ties the story reveals later
His old superior
Shown Gu’s secret letter, the captain sees it at last: Gu wanted the Four Axes killed to keep his secret, and when the Axemaster escaped, he pretended to go scouting and fled.
“Gu Lingran... I knew he was hiding something. No wonder he wanted the Four Axes killed.”
In-game dialogue
Every quest with Zheng Rong in it
Tales
Festering Secret
Guards whisper outside a yard at the Outpost sealed with chains. Cut them with Peng Meng’s Dread Axe and you find three of the captain’s own men inside, out of their minds after Transcension. Confront him at the gate: he admits Transcension was meant to be a shortcut to power, and that the Mandate’s encampment became a living hell they were lucky to escape. Then he gives you his written order for his lieutenant at the Sha-Chi Tower.
How this quest turns out
The lieutenant hands over Gu Lingran’s secret letter. Back at the gate the captain names his old superior’s crimes, tells Soul a body dressed like Gu has been seen on the cliff across the ravine, and begs him to save the Mandate.
Tales
Apprentice Healer
Yu’er overhears the captain talking about his wounded: the squad’s healer has turned into something strange, and no one is left who can treat wounds. Find the three herbs on her recipe; her salve works wonders, and the captain asks her to think about joining the Mandate when she is older.
Keep reading
Frequently asked questions
Who is the swordsman in blue?
Festering Secret describes the captain as dressed in blue with a sword at his side. His lieutenant wears blue too: Lieutenant Fu is the Blue-Robed Swordsman at the camp by the Sha-Chi Tower.
Who were the three men in the chained yard?
Disciples from the captain’s own squad who had been through Transcension and lost their minds. A guard who was never their match kills them with his own hands, and can barely believe it.
Sources for this page 1
- Phantom Blade Zero Official Phantom Blade Zero launch build: the game’s own dialogue, documents, bestiary, quest log and loading screens, read 3 November 2026. Quotes are the game’s English text, unchanged.