Xuan-Yuan Sword: Dance of the Maple Leaves

The Warring States Period was a time of continuous struggle in China. Small kingdoms attacked each other, and none was strong enough to rule over the entire country. At this time, Fu Ziche was a young apprentice of the great philosopher Mozi in the country of Daliang. One day the river Huanghe flooded their town, and Fu Ziche discovered this flood was caused by people who used some kind of magic. He found out that the mysterious attackers also had a wooden robot with them. Mozi told the young man that it was him who designed the robot and developed the technique of wooden machines, but for some reason this technique was used for evil purposes. The hero sets off on a journey to discover the truth behind the attack and find their ultimate enemy.

This first waizhuan (side story) in the Chinese-made Xuanyuan Jian role-playing series is not directly related to the second game story-wise, but is very similar to it both graphically and gameplay-wise. It is the first game in the series that is set in a concrete period of Chinese history and features real historical characters, such as the philosopher Mozi and others. The game utilizes the same combat system with turn-based battles that feature animated "over-the-shoulder" attacks. The character sprites shown during such attacks are now significantly larger, and the animation is more detailed. Gameplay elements first introduced in the previous game, such as stamina bar and the possibility to capture and summon monsters in battles, have also been preserved.