Shaopai, the elder who was responsible for the Scrolls of Wisdom, has been waiting here for you.  He says to you that you are Bidden to Greatness- it is up to you, Ji, and Aysa to remove the thorn from Shen-zin’s side, and you must trust one another in order to succeed.  Still, somehow you are more important than Ji and Aysa.  According to him, you can find a lone hermit in the Pei-Wu Forest, who knows very well of the dark things that now lurk there.  You are to go to the Pei-Wu forest and head directly for his hut: there is no time to waste if Shen-zin’s pain is to be alleviated and the land that is his very shell is to be saved.

In order to reach your next goal, you’re going to need to head to the South, through Mandori Village.  Run, jump, or roll down the stairs into the village- if you need anything that can be found there, now is the time to pick it up.  Towards the South side of the village, you can find a large, round gate which is closed.  When you approach, you will find Ji and Aysa here as expected.  The surprise here is that Jojo is present as well, and not only that he has the pillar that nearly broke his head with him.

As you approach, Aysa points out that you have arrived, and the three open the Mandori Village gate and head down the hill.  It’s a short run, so it barely matters that the three are likely to be a touch faster than you.  When you arrive, Aysa tries to open the gate- however, whatever mechanism is used to close the thing is jammed.  Ji offers to take a try- he smacks the gate a few times, but there is no response- he wonders if perhaps it has been propped up with a boulder or something similar.  Just as he complains that the door will not open, Jojo lets out a roar and runs up to the thing, slamming his head into it- his jade tiger head, that is.  The door finally comes open at that, and Ji Firepaw compliments him on a job wel done.

The three then run into the forest, heading for a hut atop a small knoll.  You can follow them immediately, or you can let yourself be distracted a little by the local wildlife.  The two major animals to be found here are Pangolin, inoffensive armadillo-esque beasts usually around level 8, and Pei-Wu Tigers, which are agressive, but only range from level 7-9, preventing them from being truly dangerous given your likely level of eleven.  There are also Long-eared Mink to be found, but as these are critters they will generally not be worth noticing.