History Characters / QianQiuSectsOfTheJianghu

[[folder:Xue Ting (雪庭)]]

* AdaptationNameChange: His name is changed from Xue Ting to Xue Yin in the ''donghua''.

* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: In spite of Yan Wushi's animosity towards Xue Ting, he doesn't kill him in their final confrontation because [[spoiler: he intends to surrender him to the Tiantai Sect in exchange for a copy of the final book of the ''The Strategy of the Vermillion Yang'']].
* CatchPhrase: Although it's common for Buddhist monks to say it, one can already make a drinking game of all the times Xue Ting says "Amitabha" throughout the novel.
* CharacterTics: Xue Ting tends to slam his staff onto the ground whenever he expresses his frustrations in the AnimatedAdaptation.

** In spite of Xue Ting's claims that Yuwen Yong's reign is brutal and stained with blood, [[spoiler: Northern Zhou begins to fare far worse under Yuwen Yun's rule]]. Of course, Yan Wushi knows that he's bullshitting and is only supporting Yuwen Yun because of the latter's support of Buddhism, which is beneficial to Xue Ting's own ambitions.
** When Xue Ting calls Yan Wushi a thief in the ''donghua'', Yan Wushi is quick to fire back that he's NotSoDifferent either.
* StaffOfAuthority: Xue Ting carries a ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khakkhara khakkhara]]'' with him, which he can also use in combat. This is TruthInTelevision; while ''khakkharas'' are used mostly as noisemakers or instruments, they can also be used as a defensive weapon.
* TermsOfEndangerment: Yan Wushi ''always'' calls him an "old bald donkey" or "old bald ass", and Bian Yanmei also refers to Xue Ting by the same degrading nickname.
* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler: Yan Wushi nullifies Xue Ting's ''wugong'' after Yuwen Yun is deposed, and later hands him over to the Tiantai Sect for them to deal with their treacherous ex-disciple however they wish.]] It's never revealed when the sect has in store for Xue Ting.

* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler: During Yan Wushi and Xue Ting's rematch, the novel mentions that Dou Yanshan was killed by poisoning via Yan Wushi's machinations.]]

* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: In spite of Yan Wushi's animosity towards Xue Ting, he doesn't kill him in their final confrontation because [[spoiler: he intends to surrender him to the Tiantai Sect in exchange for a copy of the final volume of the ''The Strategy of the Vermillion Yang'']].

[- [[Characters/QianQiuMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/QianQiuSectsOfTheJianghu Sects of the Jianghu]] ([[Characters/QianQiuSectsOfTheJianghuTheThreeDemonicSects The Three Demonic Sects]], [[Characters/QianQiuSectsOfTheJianghuDaoistSects Daoist Sects]]) | [[Characters/QianQiuNationsAndKingdoms Nations and Kingdoms]] -]]]]]

[- [[Characters/QianQiuMainCharacters Main Characters]] | '''Sects of the Jianghu''' ([[Characters/QianQiuSectsOfTheJianghuTheThreeDemonicSects The Three Demonic Sects]], [[Characters/QianQiuSectsOfTheJianghuDaoistSects Daoist Sects]]) | [[Characters/QianQiuNationsAndKingdoms Nations and Kingdoms]] -]]]]]

! The Three Demonic Sects

!! Huanyue Sect | 浣月宗

[[folder:In General]]
* ALighterShadeOfBlack: While they're honest about their unscrupulous ways and their disdain towards morality, in contrast to the likes of the other two demonic sects and even some of the orthodox sects, they wish to maintain the political order in the ''jianghu'', whereas the others are willing to throw the entire country into chaos purely for the sake of their personal ambitions.
* FreudianTrio
* SpeedSmartsAndStrength:
** Strength: Between the three, Yan Wushi is the most skilled and powerful fighter, natch, and is recognized as the second most powerful master of his generation. [[spoiler: And then he defeats ''the'' [[WorldsStrongestMan most powerful master]] in the finale.]]
** Smarts: What he lacks in martial skill, Bian Yanmei more than makes up for in cleverness and complete competence when it comes to planning, diplomacy, politics, and the like.
** Speed: Yu Shengyuan is the more accomplished of the two disciples in terms of martial arts, but he still has long ways to go to be at Yan Wushi's level. The novel also described him to be quick in his movements.
* TrueCompanions: While they don't look the part at first, when it comes down to it, both Bian Yanmei and Yu Shengyan have complete loyalty and trust in their ''shizun''. Likewise, while Yan Wushi is stern with them both and criticizes them often, he knows and understands what their strengths and shortcomings are, and he's confident that they can handle themselves. Another proof that he also cares for them (in his own way) is when he asks Shen Qiao to look after them in his stead if anything happens to him.
[[/folder]]

!!! '''Disciples'''

[[folder:Bian Yanmei (边沿梅)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Zhang Pengfei [[note]] Credited as Peng Xiaopang [[/note]] (audio drama)

The eldest disciple of the Huanyue Sect. He serves as the diplomat of his sect and takes care of political matters in his master's stead.
-----
* AdaptedOut: He doesn't appear in the ''donghua'', and the scenes where he's supposed to appear feature Yu Shengyan instead. The chibi spin-off does acknowledge his existence, however, and jokes that he's not present in the adaptation because he's working behind the curtain instead.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's composed and polite, but mess with him or one of his own, and in a second he'll draw his blade on you.
* BrainsAndBrawn: Where Yu Shengyan is more renowned for his martial skill, Bian Yanmei is more renowned for his smarts and his resourcefulness.
* DeadpanSnarker: A more subtle example than most. Some of his interactions with Yu Shengyan have him make a remark about his ''shidi's'' naivete or lack of tact.
* DisguisedInDrag: He dresses up as a maid alongside Shen Qiao when they have to [[spoiler: infiltrate the imperial palace to rescue Puliuru Jian's children]].
* AFatherToHisMen: When he realizes that Huo Xijing killed his servant, Bian Yanmei is quick to go on the attack, and he shows gratitude to Shen Qiao for killing Huo Xijing.
* HypercompetentSidekick: He may not be the most accomplished fighter of his sect, but there's a good reason why Yan Wushi entrusts all kinds of tasks to him without hesitation.
* NotSoAboveItAll: Between his ''shizun'' and his ''shidi'', Bian Yanmei is the most level-headed and mature of the three, but even he's proven to have a silly side.
** Bian Yanmei has a hard time restraining his laughter when Yan Wushi "greets" Yuan Xiuxiu by insulting her appearance.
** While dressing as a palace maid, he teasingly asks Shen Qiao in a coquettish tone if he looks pretty.
** Just like his ''shizun'', Bian Yanmei calls Xue Ting by the same insulting nickname of "old bald donkey".
* OnlySaneMan: While he's one of the many who initially suspects that Shen Qiao has become Yan Wushi's boy-toy (thanks in no small part to Yan Wushi's deliberately ambiguous wording), Bian Yanmei is one of the very few who's smart enough to realize that the claim was only but a rumor after sending some men to look into the matter and talking to Shen Qiao in person.
* ShipperOnDeck: Zigzagged. When Bian Yanmei first met Shen Qiao, he initially viewed the other man with disdain when he mistakenly assumed that Shen Qiao is Yan Wushi's boytoy, but a conversation with him immediately had him look at the man in a more favorable light. Later on, when he realizes that Yan Wushi has genuinely fallen in love with Shen Qiao, Bian Yanmei is surprised, but otherwise he shows no sentiment of being against their relationship.
* UndyingLoyalty: Just like Yu Shengyan, Bian Yanmei's loyalty to Yan Wushi knows no bounds and he never doubts his master.
* VirtueIsWeakness: One of the novel's extras describes Bian Yanmei as contemptuous towards virtue and righteousness; he's still a member of a demonic sect, after all. However, he does respect Shen Qiao for his genuinely noble spirit.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yu Shengyan (玉生烟)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Ke Muqing (animation, audio drama)

->''"It's true that our Huanyue Sect is a demonic sect in the eyes of the public, but we are honest villains. If we want to kill, then we kill and will make no qualms about telling it, unlike some of the orthodox sects whose deeds could not be more different to their claims."''
\\

One of Yan Wushi's two disciples, who follows his master's orders the best he can.

* AdaptationDistillation: Majority of his role in the introductory arc is given to Yan Wushi instead in the ''donghua''.
* AtLeastIAdmitIt: He tells Shen Qiao that even if the Huanyue Sect is a demonic sect that's reviled and feared by many, they are at the very least honest about their immorality unlike the other sects, who hide their misdeeds and ill intentions under a false guise of righteousness.
* BeautyMark: The ''donghua'' gives him one under his left eye.
* BrainsAndBrawn: Between the two, Yu Shengyan's skill lies more in martial arts while Bian Yanmei's cultivation is average at best, which he makes up for with his expertise in negotiation and diplomacy.
* TheBully: The lighthearted version; Yu Shengyan has taken the habit of picking on Yuan Ying and messing with him, especially due to the latter's meek and timid personality.
* TheBusCameBack: He appears in the very first arc, but afterwards he's not seen again and is only mentioned a few times up until his next appearance, which is during the Sword Trial Conference. Said event takes place almost a hundred chapters later.
* ButtMonkey: In the ''donghua'', there's not a scene that goes by between Yu Shengyan and Yan Wushi where his master isn't critiquing him on his technique in some way.
* CompositeCharacter: He takes over Bian Yanmei's role in the ''donghua'' due to the latter being AdaptedOut in the animation.
* HypercompetentSidekick: Despite being the ButtMonkey to his ''shizun'', the fact he's only one of his two disciples speaks to how powerful he really is. Yan Wushi also tells Shen Qiao that Yu Shengyan possess exceptional martial skill and is only lacking in experience.
* NotSoAboveItAll:
** While he was already helping his master lie to Shen Qiao by telling him he was a disciple of the Huanyue Sect, Yu Shengyan couldn't help but also tell Shen Qiao he was his ''shixiong'', despite being younger than the other man. Shen Qiao goes along with it and continues to refer to him as such.
** In an extra, Bian Yanmei mentions that Yu Shengyan tends to pick on Shen Qiao's younger disciples.
* SkilledButNaive: Yan Wushi describes Yu Shengyan as such, stating that while he has extraordinary talent, he's still young and as such is lacking in experience.
* UndyingLoyalty: He'll follow his master's orders, even to the point of killing a family to send a message.
* WouldHurtAChild: He was willing to go through Yan Wushi's order on killing a man along with his family to set an example, but Shen Qiao interferes beforehand and warns the family to flee.

!!! '''Servants'''

[[folder:Ruru (茹茹)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Wan Suwan [[note]] Credited as Su Wan [[/note]] (audio drama)

[[folder:Wu Mi (吴弥)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Liu Yuxuan [[note]] Credited as Hei Shiren [[/note]] (audio drama)

[[folder:A-Qing (阿轻)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Du Guangyi (audio drama)

!! Hehuan Sect | 合歡宗

[[folder:In General]]
* AdaptedOut: The ''donghua'' barely, if at all, mentions that Sang Jingxing and Yuan Xiuxiu are secretly plotting to overthrow the other. The only closest the adaptation ever comes to showing that they're not on the same boat is [[spoiler: Sang Jingxing secretly making a deal with Yan Wushi to help with the latter's ''qi'' deviation, which Yuan Xiuxiu helped exacerbate]].
* PowerPerversionPotential: The Hehuan Sect cultivate mainly through ''caibu'' or dual cultivation.
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Regardless of whether they're loyal to either Yuan Xiuxiu or Sang Jingxing, none of the disciples really get along and are quick to ditch the others to save their own skin. If they ever show any anger if a disciple is killed, it's only because said death would greatly disadvantage the sect.
[[/folder]]

!!! '''Leadership'''

[[folder:Yuan Xiuxiu (元秀秀)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Feng Junhua (animation, audio drama)

-> ''"Yan-''lang, ''you've really got a heart of steel. I wonder what kind of woman it takes to attract you. Back then, I tried every possible way to entice you, but you still didn't agree to spend a night with me. I almost thought I was unattractive to men!"''
\\

The leader of the Hehuan Sect and the imperial adviser to the emperor of Qi.

* AdaptationalVillainy: The ''donghua'' features her as one of the many ''wugong'' masters involved in the [[spoiler: assassination plot against Yan Wushi]]. By contrast, she actually had nothing to do with the conspiracy in the novel.
* DarkActionGirl: Considering that she's of the Hehuan Sect, this is a given, especially since she's the leader.
* DualWielding: The novel describes her weapon of choice being a pair of swords.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: In the AnimatedAdaptation, [[spoiler: she injures Yan Wushi with a poisoned needle to damage his demonic core]]. When she tries to [[spoiler: attack Shen Qiao later]], she gets [[spoiler: injured with the same needle]]. Yan Wushi even mocks her by lampshading the trope, telling her that it would be rude of him to not return her "gift" in kind.
* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler: Sang Jingxing kills her some time after the Sword Trial Conference.]]
* LightIsNotGood: She's clad in white robes in the ''donghua'', but she's not as saintly as she looks.
* PowerPerversionPotential: She's an active practitioner of dual cultivation, and she definitely uses her beauty to her advantage.

!!! '''Elders'''

[[folder:Sang Jingxing (桑景行)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Xie Tiantian (audio drama)

One of the elders of the Hehuan Sect. To the public, he's known as Yuan Xiuxiu's paramour, but in reality, he's secretly plotting to overthrow her position as the leader of the Hehuan Sect. He is also infamous for being a rapist and a pedophile who goes after both men and women in equal measure.

* BeautyIsBad: The novel describes Sang Jingxing to look extremely fair and beautiful, which contrasts with how utterly sickening his character is.
* DepravedBisexual: Bai Rong tells Shen Qiao how her master likes both men and woman, and how he loves cultivating through sex. However, he tortures whoever he takes to bed until they're almost dead.
* EvilLaugh: He chuckles often when he threatens Shen Qiao with all the things he plans to do to him.
* PowerPerversionPotential: He's a pretty powerful cultivator and he apparently enjoys dual cultivation the most out of other forms of strengthening his cultivation.
* {{Sadist}}: He enjoys torturing people, especially in bed. He even fantasizes over moments where he'd make women shave their heads to play as priests while he acts out a scene of him raping them. Once he gets bored of his victims, he immediately tosses them.
* ToThePain: He takes delight in telling Shen Qiao what he plans to do to him in explicit detail when the latter is left at his mercy.
* WhiteHairBlackHeart: He's depicted with white hair in the ''donghua'', and he's one of the most depraved characters of the entire cast.
* YoureInsane: Sang Jingxing exclaims this word-for-word after Shen Qiao [[spoiler: destroys his foundations in an attempt to kill them both together]].

[[folder:Yan Shou (阎狩)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Ke Muqing (audio drama)

One of the elders of the Hehuan Sect loyal to Sang Jingxing. He's known as the "Bloodstained Monk" due to his monk-like appearance, which belies his cruel nature and how he has taken countless lives with his bare hands.

* AdaptationalUgliness: The novel described him as having the "dignified appearance of Buddha". In the ''donghua'', he's extremely large and has a rather grotesque appearance.
* BareFistedMonk: He earned his moniker for a reason, and anyone who's unfortunate to be struck on the head by his own hands are quick to lose their lives.
* KarmicDeath: Shen Qiao soon sees to it that Yan Shou will pay, and pay painfully, for the lives he took at Bailong Temple. In their second encounter, Shen Qiao costs Yan Shou one arm. Then when they meet again in Chang'an, Shen Qiao pierces his sword right through Yan Shou's heart, killing him for good.
* RedBaron: He's also known as the "Bloodstained Monk", or more accurately, "The Monk with Blood on his Hands".
* WouldHurtAChild: [[WouldHarmASenior As well as the elderly.]] Yan Shou is the one who kills both Chuyi and Zhu Lengquan.

[[folder:Bao Yun (宝云)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Xiu Yuan (audio drama)

-> ''"Shen-''daozhang, ''just as there is no long-lasting friendship in this world, there are no long-lasting enemies, either."''
\\

One of the elders of the Hehuan Sect. He's infamous for posing as a Buddhist monk to seduce female worshippers.

* FlatCharacter: He doesn't get much characterization compared to the other members of the Hehuan Sect, and gets offed a few chapters after he's introduced.

!!! '''Disciples'''

[[folder:Bai Rong (白茸)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Du Qingqing [[note]] Credited as Gui Niang [[/note]] (animation, audio drama)

-> ''"The Hehuan Sect is where I grew up. Where else can I go if not there? The Huanyue Sect? Or the Fajing Sect? Do you consider homicide better than dual cultivation? The others refer to the Hehuan Sect as a "demonic sect", but is the Huanyue Sect not a demonic sect too? I hope you don't forget that Yan-''zongzhu ''has more blood on his hands than me."''

A disciple of the Hehuan Sect who is tasked with trying to get information on ''The Strategy of the Vermillion Yang'' and often runs into Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi.

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: With every time she and Shen Qiao cross paths, she starts to become attracted to more than just his face. However, he doesn't feel the same way, something that he gently lets her know. While it annoys her, it doesn't make her less eager to tease him when she can.
* ArmorPiercingResponse: When Shen Qiao asks Bai Rong if she's comfortable in the Hehuan Sect and if she ever considered leaving her sect, Bai Rong tells him in detail why it isn't as simple as it sounds.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: While she already was attracted to Shen Qiao from the start because of his fair looks, what causes her to genuinely fall for him is that no matter the situation, he would always treat her with respect.
* DarkActionGirl: She's one of the few female cultivators introduced in the novel, and she often clashes with the protagonists.
* DependingOnTheArtist: The novel describes her wearing her hair in two buns, but the ''donghua'' features her with a long ponytail.
* TheDogBitesBack: It's strongly implied that she's the one who [[spoiler: lands the killing blow on Sang Jingxing, who wasn't exactly the kindest master to her]].
* EvilIsSexy: [[invoked]] She pretty much embodies the trope. She uses her looks to lower the guards of her opponents before ultimately killing them, something Chen Gong nearly falls for but then makes sure to never forget.
* FemmeFatalons: She has long sharp red nails in the ''donghua'', and she certainly isn't up to any good.
* FragileSpeedster: While she's a capable fighter, she focuses more on stealth and speed, meaning she's quick to get knocked down by attacks powered by strength and force.
* HeelFaceTurn
* HiddenDepths
* LadyInRed: Her most defining feature is her red outfit. In the ''donghua'', her spiritual energy also glows a bright red.
* TheLeader: [[spoiler: In the finale, she becomes the leader of the Hehuan Sect.]]
* MasterOfDisguise: She can change her appearance however she pleases, and she often does this to sneak around.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: She gets close to Shen Qiao multiple times than necessary which the other responds to by moving away and keeping his distance. This is played up more in the ''donghua'', where she touches him every chance she gets when she sees him.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Shen Qiao surmises that Bai Rong [[spoiler: finished off Sang Jingxing after he gravely wounded the latter in a fight]].
* PowerPerversionPotential: She practices dual cultivation and Yan Wushi theorizes that her master was the one who took her virginity. She doesn't mind though.
* PragmaticVillainy: At first, Bai Rong was ruthless enough to kill anyone who crossed her path on a mission, even killing civilians just because she can. Some time after her encounters with Shen Qiao, she settles on killing only the person she's assigned to assassinate, otherwise she'll only knock out anyone else. Yan Wushi surmises that this is her attempt to leave a good impression of herself on Shen Qiao, who's not fond of senseless slaughter.
* PunchClockVillain: Her master and fellow disciples are all twisted people with rather sick interests, but Bai Rong doesn't share their depravities even as she follows her master's orders without hesitation. Even Shen Qiao notices that she's not a bad person and encourages her to not end up like her master.
* RomanticRunnerUp: While she falls for Shen Qiao later on, she's not the one Shen Qiao ends up falling in love with.
* TheTease: She likes teasing Shen Qiao every chance she gets, and only beats it when she notices [[TheDreaded Yan Wushi]] is nearby.

[[folder:Huo Xijing (霍西京)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Zhao Yang (animation, audio drama)
\\

A powerful cultivator who is infamous for skinning the faces of beautiful people, and Sang Jingxing's favorite disciple.
----
* TheDreaded: He's infamous for his reputation of flaying the faces of the people he finds attractive enough to his liking.
* FaceStealer: He is able to steal other people's faces and is even able to mimic the original owner's personalities well.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: He dies when Shen Qiao stabs him in the chest with his bamboo pole.
* ImposterForgotOneDetail: When he was pretending to be Bian Yanmei's servant, he didn't know that Ji Ying was deathly afraid of Yan Wushi that he would never accompany Bian Yanmei to meet him. This is [[SpottingTheThread how Bian Yanmei is able to see through his disguise]].
* InTheHood: The ''donghua'' depiction of him shows him wearing a hood to cover his face.
* MasterOfDisguise: He can take the faces of other people, and impersonate others well, making him a deadly killer.
* MalevolentMaskedMan: When the hood goes off, he's revealed to wear a mask that hides the upper half of his face.
* VocalDissonance: While Huo Xijing is already somewhat old, his gravelly voice contrasts with the youthful faces that he stole and would wear over his own face.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: He's already of an older age, but since he steals the faces of others and grafts them onto his own, he looks younger than his actual age.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Xiao Se (萧瑟)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Feng Xiu (animation), Luo Piliang [[note]] Credited as Bu Yi [[/note]] (audio drama)
\\

-> ''"Shen-''zhangjiao'', as a grandmaster of the Daoist sects, don't you feel ashamed to be ordered around by someone like Yan Wushi?"''
\\

----
* CombatHandFan: His weapon of a choice is a fan that's constructed entirely of sharp blades, and he's very deadly with it.
* KarmaHoudini: Unlike Yan Shou, he doesn't get killed for the role he played at the Bailong Temple massacre. The closest thing he gets to karma is having to swallow the fact that [[spoiler: Bai Rong is the new leader of the Hehuan Sect]].
[[/folder]]

!! Fajing Sect | 法境宗

[[folder:Guang Lingsan (广陵散)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Shen Dawei (animation), Sun Ye (audio drama)
\\

-> ''"Shen-''zhangjiao, ''have you ever heard the saying, 'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it'?"''
\\

The leader of the Fajing Sect. He is also the ''shixiong'' of Feng Xiao, who would soon succeed him as the sect leader by the events of ''Wushuang''.
----
* AchillesHeel: He himself is one to Yan Wushi, since as member of the demonic sects, Guang Lingsan knows how to exploit the {{Fatal Flaw}}s in Yan Wushi's demonic core. [[spoiler: It's all but stated out loud that he's the only reason why the other masters had a shot in injuring Yan Wushi.]]
* AffablyEvil: He always speaks eloquently regardless of who he is talking to.
* DidIMentionIAmHeterosexualToday: When Shen Qiao gets in his way of making sure that Yan Wushi is DeaderThanDead, before engaging in a fight with the former, Guang Lingsan takes the time to tell Shen Qiao that he's not interested in men in spite of Shen Qiao's undeniable beauty, which is why he won't hold back against him.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: When he and Shen Qiao clash over [[spoiler: custody of Yan Wushi's corpse]], Shen Qiao already has recovered enough of his original power to fight both Guang Lingsan and Dou Yanshan to a standstill. Once Guang Lingsan realizes this, he decides against fighting Shen Qiao any further and leaves.
* MagicMusic: His main weapon is his zither, which he uses to dish out all kinds of attacks.
* NiceHat: The ''donghua'' features him with a hat, and a rather tall one at that.
* NotSoDifferent: Like Yan Wushi, Guang Lingsan also has the ambition of uniting the three demonic sects under his command. [[spoiler: This is why he also participates in the plot to have Yan Wushi killed.]]
* SicklyGreenGlow: In the ''donghua'', the color of his ''qi'' is a bright green, and the attacks that he'd create with his ''qin'' glow green as well.
* StrongerThanTheyLook: While he may not look like the physically powerful type, anyone familiar with Chinese instruments know that the ''qin'' and any of its variants are no lightweight instruments. In terms of martial skill, he's far from lacking either; in the Sword Trial Conference, he's ranked seventh -- two ranks higher than Yuan Xiuxiu.
[[/folder]]

! Daoist Sects

!! Xuandu Mountain | 玄都山

[[folder:In General]]
Also formally known as the Purple Manor of Xuandu, Xuandu Mountain is the foremost Daoist sect in the ''jianghu''. After Qi Fengge's death, however, Xuandu Mountain's standing gradually declined because of its refusal to get involved in the matters of the secular world.
----
* DividedWeFall
[[/folder]]

!!! '''Leadership'''

[[folder:Qi Fengge (祁凤阁)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Wei Chao (audio drama)
\\

-> ''"Like how the ocean is capable of holding water from thousands of rivers, a person should be forgiving and tolerant to diversity, and it is the same for practicing martial arts. People who are narrow-minded can only achieve so much. Even if they do reach the summit, they cannot stay there for long."''
\\

The late sect leader of Xuandu Moundain, and Shen Qiao's mentor.
----
* TheAce: He was one of the foremost ''wugong'' masters of his time and managed to defeat Hulugu, Yan Wushi, and Sang Jingxing. He's even ranked first among his generation.
* BerserkButton: Implied. While the dream resulted mainly from Shen Qiao's shame eating at him, Shen Qiao nevertheless gets a nightmare where Qi Fengge scolds him for allowing Shan He Tong Bei to be used for MundaneUtility. In said nightmare, he even becomes outraged when Shen Qiao asks him if he ever used the sword to shave off his own beard.
* ForWantOfANail: The novel's plot only happened because Qi Fengge failed to deal the killing blow on Hulugu and instead made him promise to not set foot in the Central Plains for twenty years, which allowed the Tujue to make their move once those twenty years were up. One of the initial steps in their plan involved targeting Xuandu Mountain, and the rest is history.
* HonorBeforeReason: Rather than kill Hulugu and put a permanent end on the threat the Tujue posed on the Central Plains, Qi Fengge's Daoist beliefs stopped him from landing the decisive blow. Instead, he only made Hulugu swear an oath to not enter the Central Plains for twenty years, which ended up giving the Tujue an opportunity to attempt another takeover of the nation.
* ParentalSubstitute: He was the one who found Shen Qiao when the other was a baby and took him into his sect. He's the closest thing to a father figure that Shen Qiao had.
* PosthumousCharacter: He's dead long before the start of the story, and Shen Qiao took his place as the sect leader of Xuandu Mountain.
* WorthyOpponent: He was TheAce of his generation. It's saying something that the likes of Yan Wushi and Hulugu highly respected his ability.
[[/folder]]

!!! '''Disciples'''

[[folder:Tan Yuanchun (谭元春)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Wang Yuhang (animation), Su Xin (audio drama)
\\

Qi Fengge's first disciple and an elder of Xuandu Mountain.
----
* AllForNothing: In the end, [[spoiler: all of his goals go up in smoke once his treachery is revealed. Even more, Shen Qiao strips him of his rank and his ability to practice martial arts ever again and sentences him to a lifetime of confinement. Tan Yuanchun loses ''everything'' in every sense of the word and is left a shell of the man he once was]].
* AmbitionIsEvil: Tan Yuanchun seeks to [[spoiler: become the sect leader of Xuandu Mountain]]. However, his [[spoiler: envy towards Shen Qiao]] makes him want to attain the position by [[spoiler: dragging Shen Qiao's name through the mud first, because he wants to spite Qi Fengge for his decision of choosing Shen Qiao as his successor instead of him]].
* EvilAllAlong
* EvilIsPetty
* FateWorseThanDeath: After [[spoiler: his true colors are revealed, Shen Qiao destroys his foundations and sentences him to stay at Qunling Peak and guard Yu Ai's tomb for the rest of his life without ever being able to leave the place]]. It's a sentence that anyone sees as no better than death.
* GreenEyedMonster: [[spoiler: He secretly resents Shen Qiao for being Qi Fengge's most favored disciple in spite of the fact that he served as Qi Fengge's disciple first. This is his main motivation for betraying Shen Qiao and pushing Yu Ai into doing the same.]]
* TemptingFate: After Tan Yuanchun [[spoiler: reveals his motives for undermining and betraying Shen Qiao]], he mockingly asks [[spoiler: Shen Qiao]] if he plans to [[spoiler: damage his meridians as punishment]]. [[spoiler: Shen Qiao]] does exactly that, and moments later, Tan Yuanchun breaks down ''hard'' once his sentence fully sinks in.
* VillainousBreakdown: He bursts into tears and starts wailing loudly after [[spoiler: Shen Qiao punishes him for his crimes by sentencing him to a FateWorseThanDeath]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yu Ai (郁蔼)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Xie Tiantian (animation - adult), Xiao Wu (animation - child), Liu Yuxuan [[note]] Credited as Hei Shiren [[/note]] (audio drama - adult), Mang Yin (audio drama - child)
\\

-> ''"Xuandu Mountain is also where I grew up, so of course, I wish it could become better. My heart and feelings for it aren't any less than yours, so why do you need to assume this look of a saint then? Are you saying that you are the only one who is right in the world, and all the other people are wrong?!"''
\\

The regent sect leader of Xuandu Mountain, Shen Qiao's childhood friend and ''shidi'' (junior martial brother), and Qi Fengge's third disciple.
----
* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: While his actions of allying with the Tujue and betraying Shen Qiao's trust are highly unscrupulous and extreme]], Yu Ai did so with the intention of improving Xuandu Mountain's standing and genuinely believed that he was acting in the best interests of his sect.
* TheAtoner
* ChildhoodFriends: He was close to Shen Qiao and even teased the other to refer to him as ''shixiong'' when they were younger. He also refers to the two of them as brothers. But once it's revealed [[spoiler: he was the one who poisoned Shen Qiao, he does feel guilty and suggests that Shen Qiao be a [[PuppetKing puppet leader]] for their sect so he could still remain at home. However, Shen Qiao refuses to be imprisoned in his own sect and implicitly says that their friendship is through.]]
* DidntThinkThisThrough: Yu Ai plotted to [[spoiler: poison Shen Qiao to ensure that he would win in his duel with Kunye; but otherwise, he had no intentions of killing him]]. However, Yu Ai did not account for the possibility that [[spoiler: the poison would be potent enough to do severe damage to Shen Qiao's sight and meridians]].
* DontMakeMeDestroyYou: As he attempts to stop Shen Qiao from leaving, he constantly yells at him to stop and how he doesn't want to hurt him.
* EnemyMine: Even though Shen Qiao was his childhood friend, [[spoiler: he still conspired with Kunye to poison Shen Qiao, leaving the latter blind for most of the story and his meridians damaged beyond repair. While Yu Ai could be seemed as an extremist, he was doing what he believed was best for his sect as he was frustrated with Shen Qiao's decision to adhere to their late master's desire to keep the peak isolated from the outside world.]]
* TheExtremistWasRight: While he disapproves with the means his friend had executed to achieve his goals, Shen Qiao does agree with Yu Ai's sentiments that the reclusive ways of Xuandu Mountain should be changed. [[spoiler: After he becomes the sect leader of Xuandu Mountain once again, Shen Qiao continues where Yu Ai started by opening the doors of Xuandu Mountain to the outside world and getting more involved in the political affairs of the ''jianghu''.]]
* FaceFramedInShadow: In Episodes 5 and 6 of the ''donghua'', he's often shown with a dark shadow cast over his face. This is due to the fact that he's in an enclosed room at a time when the sun is setting, but it's also to hint at his dubious nature and how he has opposing viewpoints with Shen Qiao, who is bathed in light when they are featured in the same scene.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Lampshaded by Shen Qiao when Yu Ai chews him out on associating with the leader of a demonic sect.
--> '''Shen Qiao''': If you can collude with [[spoiler: the Tujue people]], then why can't I stay together with people from the demonic sects?
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: When they meet a second time, Yu Ai ''finally'' accepts, albeit bitterly, that [[spoiler: nothing he can say or do will convince Shen Qiao to return to Xuandu Mountain or have anything to do with him again when Shen Qiao wins against him in their rematch. This is capped off with Shen Qiao warning Yu Ai that he must live with the consequences of his actions and make the best of it]], lest he find him once again to personally deal with him if he fails.
* NeverMyFault: While he's never shown to be proud of what he did, it takes a very long time for him to properly admit that [[spoiler: allying with the Tujue]] was a horrible mistake.
* ObliviousGuiltSlinging: He attempts to do this to Shen Qiao when the other says he's severing his ties with their sect for good [[spoiler: after finding out that Yu Ai was the one who poisoned him]], and Shen Qiao refuses to bend to the nostalgic memories that Yu Ai tries to weaponize against him.
* PleaseDontLeaveMe: He begs for Shen Qiao not to leave their sect again, but after all that's revealed between the two, Shen Qiao refuses and continues his attempts to leave.
* UnwittingPawn
* UsedToBeASweetKid: Before their differences in their political beliefs split them apart, any flashback involving them in their childhood years would show that Yu Ai had nothing but adoration and respect for Shen Qiao.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Even Meng Xishi herself describes Yu Ai as such. Yu Ai [[spoiler: betrayed Shen Qiao]] out of a misguided attempt to improve Xuandu Mountain's political strength.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: He [[spoiler: was the one who poisoned Shen Qiao so he would lose the duel to Kunye. He also reveals to Shen Qiao he intended to retrieve him after he fell but couldn't find him, as well as the fact that he's actually working with Kunye and got the poison from him. Shen Qiao listens, but is angered at his former friend, suspecting him beforehand but giving him the benefit of the doubt. As Yu Ai tries to guilt Shen Qiao from turning his back on the peak which he claims he's trying to keep in power, Shen Qiao no longer considers the two of them friends.]]
* WouldHitAGirl: He planned to attack [[spoiler: Gu Hengbo]] when she started asking too many questions about Shen Qiao, although he hesitated when he was about to kill her, giving her an opportunity to escape.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yuan Ying (袁英)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Sun Ye (audio drama)
\\

Qi Fengge's fourth disciple.
----
* BeneathNotice: His reserved and quiet disposition makes him have a hard time standing out at all, and the novel describes that it would take a few days for others to even realize that he's gone long after he left.
* ButtMonkey: Yuan Ying finds himself becoming this to Yu Shengyan after the two meet, with Yu Shengyan having fun in bullying the hell out of him.
* CowardlyLion: Although Yuan Ying's reclusive nature makes him more than comfortable in the confines of Xuandu Mountain, he was willing to leave the mountain on his own to look for Shen Qiao and inform him of what's going on in their sect.
* SpeechImpediment: He has a stuttering problem.
* UndyingLoyalty: Yuan Ying was concerned when Shen Qiao suddenly disappeared from their sect, and Gu Hengbo running away without prior warning made him more suspicious as to what's going on.
* TheUnfavorite: Due to his stammering and the fact that he's only one out of many children in the family, he was neglected by both his parents and the servants of the household.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Gu Hengbo (顾横波)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Xiao Qingyuan (audio drama)
\\

Qi Fengge's fifth disciple.
----
* ActionGirl: She's not the sole female disciple of Xuandu Mountain for nothing. She's also the inheritor of one of Qi Fengge's three swords, Tian Wei Shui Chun.
* BigBrotherWorship: She highly looks up to Shen Qiao and immediately gets suspicious when he vanishes from Xuandu Mountain. When they meet again, the first thing she does is run to him and hug him tight.
* MysteriousPast: The Sword Trial Conference hints that ''something'' happened between her and Yuan Zixiao, although what exactly went on is never revealed.
* SmurfettePrinciple: Among Qi Fengge's five disciples, Gu Hengbo is the only female among them.
* UndyingLoyalty: When Shen Qiao suddenly disappeared from Xuandu Mountain, Gu Hengbo refuses to take it lying down and demands answers from Yu Ai about Shen Qiao's whereabouts.
[[/folder]]

!!! '''Elders'''

[[folder:Kong Zeng (孔增)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Liu Beichen (audio drama)
\\

One of the seven elders of Xuandu Mountain.
----
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lian Shen]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Liu Yue]]
[[/folder]]

!!! '''Other Members'''

[[folder:Le An (乐安)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Shen Dawei (audio drama)
\\

----
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yun Chang]]
[[/folder]]


!! Chunyang Temple | 纯阳观

[[folder:Yi Bichen (易辟尘)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Ji Hehong (audio drama)
\\

The leader of Chunyang Temple.
----
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His name can be read either as "Yi '''B'''ichen" or "Yi '''P'''ichen".
* TokenGoodTeammate: Between the currently-ranked top three masters (him, Xue Ting, and Ruyan Kehui), Yi Bichen is the only one who was not involved in the [[spoiler: assassination plot against Yan Wushi]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Li Qingyu (李青鱼)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Ke Muqing (animation), Lu Shujun (audio drama)
\\

A member of Chunyang Temple and Yi Bichen's last personal disciple.
----
* BrutalHonesty: Before coming to respect Shen Qiao, Li Qingyu rather blunt with criticizing the other for his fall from grace and for his association with Yan Wushi.
* ButtMonkey: Yan Wushi picks on Li Qingyu when the latter visits the Bixia Sect by implicitly poking fun at his PunnyName... via serving him fish head soup.
* NoSocialSkills: He has a difficult personality and doesn't care much beyond improving his martial arts.
* PunnyName: The ''yu'' (鱼) in his name means "fish". Yan Wushi even makes fun of Li Qingyu for it by serving him fish head soup as a StealthInsult. In an (non-canon) audio drama mini-theater, Yan Wushi calls him "fish head" to his face.
[[/folder]]

!! Bixia Sect | 碧霞宗

[[folder:In General]]
Located on Zhunan Peak of Tai Mountain, the Bixia Sect was founded during the Han Dynasty and was previously one of the largest Daoist sects in the ''jianghu'', but its political foothold has greatly declined over the years.
----
* BackFromTheBrink
* {{Foil}}
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Zhao Chiying (赵持盈)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Xiao Qingyuan (animation), Weng Yuan (audio drama)
\\

->''"True blue will never stain, and history will judge if one is truly innocent or guilty. Truth will not disappear over time. It is and will always be there."''
\\

The leader of the Bixia Sect.
----
* ActionGirl: She's said to be one of the ten strongest ''wugong'' masters of her generation.
* {{Foil}}: To Shen Qiao. Both are leaders of a Daoist sect and both spent most of their life in seclusion and away from the affairs of the world. The difference is that Shen Qiao gradually learns to become more involved with the politics of the ''jianghu'', while Zhao Chiying still remains low-key.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yue Kunchi (岳昆池)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Lu Shujun (animation), Zhao Yang (audio drama)
\\

A disciple of the Bixia Sect. He acted as the regent sect leader when Zhao Chiying was still in seclusion.
----
* CannotSpitItOut: He has a crush on Zhao Chiying, but has always kept it to himself... until Yan Wushi bluntly announces his feelings in public.
* NiceGuy
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Yuanbai (范元白)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Ke Muqing (audio drama)
\\

----
* TheBusCameBack: He first makes his appearance in Madam Qin's birthday banquet, although he's only mentioned in passing. He appears once again when Shen Qiao and Shiwu head to the Bixia Sect.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Zhou Yexue (周夜雪)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Wan Suwan [[note]] Credited as Yinxiong-Suwan [[/note]] (audio drama)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lu Feng]]
* EvilCounterpart: To Yu Ai.
** Both intend to bring their sects to its former glory and are willing to make deals with outsiders to make that happen, but Lu Feng has no hesitation in spilling the blood of all the other disciples of the Bixia Sect, something that not even Yu Ai -- despite the questionable actions he took for his own goals -- would ever do.
** Yu Ai is portrayed as a WellIntentionedExtremist who genuinely cares for the people in his sect and still cares about Shen Qiao in spite of betraying him, but on the other hand, Lu Feng despises his fellow disciples for being either weak or unwilling to get involved in politics and even tried to have them slaughtered for it.
* UncertainDoom: Although his plans to overthrow Zhao Chiying as the sect leader is thwarted, how he's dealt with afterwards is never shown or hinted at.
[[/folder]]

! Buddhist Sects

!! Tiantai Sect | 天邰宗

[[folder:Xue Ting (雪庭)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Liu Yuxuan [[note]] Credited as Hei Shiren [[/note]] (animation), Liu Beichen (audio drama)
\\

-> ''"Buddha can be forgiving and advises people to act kindly. 'Put down the butcher's knife, and one becomes a Buddha,' they say. But for those that are unrepentant, he can also exert the power of lightning and thunder."''
\\

The imperial adviser of the former emperor of Northern Zhou, Yuwen Hu, as well as the former top disciple of the Tiantai Sect.
----
* AdaptationDeviation: The novel introduced him as the imperial adviser of Yuwen Hu, the previous emperor of Northern Zhou, but the ''donghua'' has him become the ''former'' imperial adviser of Yuwen Yong (renamed Yuwen You in the AnimatedAdaptation). Likewise, whereas he used to be a disciple of the Tiantai Sect in the novel, the ''donghua'' introduces him as an active member of said sect.
* AdaptationNameChange: His name is changed from Xue Ting to Xue Yin in the ''donghua''.
* AmbitionIsEvil: He's willing to put an incompetent and despotic emperor on the throne just so that the he and the Buddhist sects can regain influence in the ''jianghu'' once more.
* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: In spite of Yan Wushi's animosity towards Xue Ting, he doesn't kill him in their final confrontation because [[spoiler: he intends to surrender him to the Tiantai Sect in exchange for a copy of the final volume of the ''The Strategy of the Vermillion Yang'']].
* CatchPhrase: Although it's common for Buddhist monks to say it, one can already make a drinking game of all the times Xue Ting says "Amitabha" throughout the novel.
* CharacterTics: Xue Ting tends to slam his staff onto the ground whenever he expresses his frustrations in the AnimatedAdaptation.
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** In spite of Xue Ting's claims that Yuwen Yong's reign is brutal and stained with blood, [[spoiler: Northern Zhou begins to fare far worse under Yuwen Yun's rule]]. Of course, Yan Wushi knows that he's bullshitting and is only supporting Yuwen Yun because of the latter's support of Buddhism, which is beneficial to Xue Ting's own ambitions.
** When Xue Ting calls Yan Wushi a thief in the ''donghua'', Yan Wushi is quick to fire back that he's NotSoDifferent either.
* StaffOfAuthority: Xue Ting carries a ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khakkhara khakkhara]]'' with him, which he can also use in combat. This is TruthInTelevision; while ''khakkharas'' are used mostly as noisemakers or instruments, they can also be used as a defensive weapon.
* TermsOfEndangerment: Yan Wushi ''always'' calls him an "old bald donkey" or "old bald ass", and Bian Yanmei also refers to Xue Ting by the same degrading nickname.
* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler: Yan Wushi nullifies Xue Ting's ''wugong'' after Yuwen Yun is deposed, and later hands him over to the Tiantai Sect for them to deal with their treacherous ex-disciple however they wish.]] It's never revealed when the sect has in store for Xue Ting.
[[/folder]]

!! Other Buddhists

[[folder:Lian Sheng (莲生) and Lian Mie (莲灭)]]
!!! '''Lian Sheng voiced by''': Xiu Yuan (audio drama)\\
'''Lian Mie voiced by''': Zhang Pei (audio drama)
\\

----
[[/folder]]

! Confucianist Sects

!! Linchuan Institute | 临川学宫

[[folder:Ruyan Kehui (汝鄢克惠)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Su Xin (animation, audio drama)
\\

->''"The southern tea has its own exquisiteness. It's tolerant and all-embracing. Only then can it take in all the rivers and streams and eventually turn into a boundless ocean."''
\\

The master-in-charge of the Linchuan Institute.
----
* AdaptationDeviation: In the ''donghua'', while he is still complicit [[spoiler: in the plot to assassinate Yan Wushi]], Ruyan Kehui also allied with Beimu (Tujue), when he never did anything of the sort in the novel, where he views the Tujue people as "foreign barbarians". However, the writers eventually revealed that just like in the novel, Ruyan Kehui still doesn't trust the people of Beimu, but he still joins in their plan to [[spoiler:take down Yan Wushi for far more personal reasons, mostly that he strongly dislikes Yan Wushi and his obstinate nature]].
* EveryoneHasStandards: The novel's final chapter states that while Ruyan Kehui is not particularly fond of Yan Wushi, he does not wish for him to [[spoiler: lose against Hulugu]].
* FantasticRacism: Ruyan Kehui is a firm believer in the Han people's supremacy, and does not think highly of foreigners or the influence they have on China's rulers. [[spoiler: This is one of the reasons why he helped in the assassination plot, since he disapproves of the reign of the Yuwen family, are of Xianbei ancestry.]]
* FateWorseThanDeath: Lampshaded. At one point, Yan Wushi mentions that Confucianists love to give lectures and that someone like Ruyan Kehui would rather die than be forced to never preach to the public again.
* KarmaHoudini: Besides ending up [[spoiler: seriously injured in his duel with Yan Wushi that he needed to cultivate in seclusion for months to recover]], Ruyan Kehui doesn't get any proper comeuppance for his role in [[spoiler: the assassination plot to have Yan Wushi and then the emperor of Northern Zhou killed]]. However, [[spoiler: Yuwen Yong is succeeded by another of the Xianbei people -- who Ruyan Kehui look down on due to his Sinocentric beliefs]] -- so while Ruyan Kehui doesn't get any karma, he doesn't get what he wants either.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Xie Xiang (谢湘)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Xiu Yuan (animation), Xiao Xin (audio drama)
\\

Ruyan Kehui's favored disciple.
----
* AwesomeButImpractical
* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the chapter where Xie Xiang was introduced, he's specifically mentioned to be of the Xie Clan of the Chen Commandery. And beforehand, the narration stated that Yan Wushi would go by the surname "Xie" whenever he would travel. [[spoiler: It's eventually revealed that Yan Wushi is also a descendant of the Xie Clan, and his former name is Xie Ling.]]
* GracefulLoser: Zigzagged. While he's arrogant and competitive, he's quick to admit if he lost and if he got ahead of himself. He also doesn't feel ashamed about losing to people who he knows are the top-ranked ''wugong'' masters. However, he doesn't take well to the thought of losing to people he deems as nobodies.
* HotBlooded
* RedOniBlueOni
* UnknownRelative: It's unknown exactly how they are related, but it's later revealed that [[spoiler: Yan Wushi is from the Xie Clan, which means he and Xie Xiang are of the same blood]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Zhan Ziqian (展子乾)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Zhang Pengfei [[note]] Credited as Peng Fei [[/note]] (animation), Xiu Yuan (audio drama)
\\

A disciple of the Linchuan Institute, and Xie Xiang's ''shixiong''.
----
* {{Fanboy}}
* HiddenDepths: He has a strong passion for drawing.
* NiceGuy: He's always polite to anyone he speaks to. In his first appearance, he makes sure to greet both Yan Wushi and Shen Qiao, whereas his ''shidi'' only acknowledged Yan Wushi. He's also one of the few people who is courteous to Shen Qiao from the get-go, which is remarkable.
* RedOniBlueOni
[[/folder]]

! Other Sects

!! Liuhe Association | 六合帮

[[folder:Dou Yanshan (窦燕山)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Gao Qichang (animation), Wang Yuhang (audio drama)
\\

The chairman of the Liuhe Association.
----
* AdaptationalWimp: In the ''donghua'', Dou Yanshan is portrayed as someone who has far more bark than bite. While he participated in the heat of the battle during the ambush against Yan Wushi in the novel, he stays mostly out of the fighting in the ''donghua'' and only lands a sneak attack on Yan Wushi when the latter is already far too wounded to fight back. Then when he tries to land the killing blow on Yan Wushi, he nearly chickens out when Yan Wushi threatens him with an insidious look and smile.
* FantasticRacism: Dou Yanshan is an ethnicist and believes in the supremacy of the Han people while looking down on the Xianbei people.
* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler: During Yan Wushi and Xue Ting's rematch, the novel mentions that Dou Yanshan was killed by poisoning via Yan Wushi's machinations.]]
* KnowWhenToFoldEm
* LaserGuidedKarma: As one of the five masters that [[spoiler: took part in the ambush]], Yan Wushi makes sure that he doesn't get away with it by [[spoiler: taking advantage of the dissent within the Liuhe Association to have Dou Yanshan poisoned to death]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Yun Fuyi (云拂衣)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Weng Yuan (animation), Yang Ou (audio drama)
\\

The vice-chairman of the Liuhe Association and Dou Yanshan's second-in-command.
----
* ActionGirl: She's able to hold herself well against Murong Qin, who takes the time to praise her for her skills.
* AdaptationDeviation: The ''donghua'' has her ally with Beimu (Tujue) alongside Dou Yanshan early on in the story, whereas in the novel, she allied Tujue separately from Dou Yanshan in an attempt to consolidate power from him in the future.
* HairDecorations: She wears floral hairpins in the ''donghua''.
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: Yun Fuyi encounters too much trouble on her mission to deliver one of the books of ''The Strategy of the Vermillion Yang'' to Jiankang, and when it eventually escalates to an all-out confrontation in Chuyun Temple, she offers to surrender the book as long as she and her subordinates are left unharmed.
* PyrrhicVictory: [[spoiler: Although Yun Fuyi managed to become the chairman of her sect after Dou Yanshan's death, her leadership only lasted for half a month until evidence of her collaboration with the Tujue people was brought to light. The resulting revolt resulted in the other leaders of the sect forcing her to rescind her position, and this contributed further to the divide of the entire Liuhe Association.]]
* SleepingTheirWayToTheTop: Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi witness her in bed with one of the young masters of the Huang family to curry favors from them as part of her plan to become the next chairman of her sect.
[[/folder]]

!! Liuli Palace | 琉璃宫

[[folder:Yuan Zixiao (袁紫霄)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Zhu Jun (audio drama)
\\

----
[[/folder]]

!! Dongzhou Sect

[[folder:Ruan Hailou (阮海樓)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Liu Beichen (audio drama)
\\

->''"I killed countless disciples in your sect. You're going to hate me from the bottom of your heart this time. It doesn't matter anymore, however, since I'm going to pay you back with my life. But how are you ever going to make up for the half of my life that you owe me?!"''
\\

A former member of the Bixia Sect. After suffering a personal betrayal, he defected to Goguryeo and joined the Dongzhou Sect. Twenty years later, he returned to the Bixia Sect to take his revenge.
----
* ArcVillain: He's one of the adversaries that Shen Qiao faces when he heads to the Bixia Sect.
* DespairEventHorizon
* DrivenToSuicide
* EtTuBrute: He used to be close friends with Hui Leshan, the previous leader of the Bixia Sect. However, when both were competing for the position of sect leader, Hui Leshan got him drunk and made a plot to make it look like Ruan Hailou slept with their ''shizun's'' daughter, which forced him to leave the sect in shame.
* {{Foil}}
* LaughingMad
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Ruan Hailou seeks revenge on Hui Leshan for framing him and humiliating him. But he doesn't hesitate to dish out his revenge on the rest of the Bixia Sect, seeing them as equally responsible for their sect leader's actions.
[[/folder]]

[- [[Characters/QianQiuMainCharacters Main Characters]] | '''Sects of the Jianghu''' | [[Characters/QianQiuNationsAndKingdoms Nations and Kingdoms]] -]]]]]

[[folder:Wu Mi]]

[[folder:A-Qing]]

!!! '''Voiced by''': Gao Qichang (animation)

!!! '''Voiced by''': Peng Fei (animation), Xiu Yuan (audio drama)

!!! '''Leaders'''

!!! '''Leaders'''

* TrueCompanions: When it comes down to it, both Bian Yanmei and Yu Shengyan have complete loyalty and trust in their ''shizun''. Likewise, while Yan Wushi is stern with them both and criticizes them often, he knows and understands what their strengths and shortcomings are, and he's confident that they can handle themselves.

[[folder:Yu Shengyan (玉生烟)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Ke Muqing (animation, audio drama)

->''"It's true that our Huanyue Sect is a demonic sect in the eyes of the public, but we are honest villains. If we want to kill, then we kill and will make no qualms about telling it, unlike some of the orthodox sects whose deeds could not be more different to their claims."''

[[folder:Bian Yanmei (边沿梅)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Zhang Pengfei [[note]] Credited as Peng Xiaopang [[/note]] (audio drama)
\\

The eldest disciple of the Huanyue Sect. He serves as the diplomat of his sect and takes care of political matters in his master's stead.
-----
* AdaptedOut: He doesn't appear in the ''donghua'', and the scenes where he's supposed to appear feature Yu Shengyan instead. The chibi spin-off does acknowledge his existence, however, and jokes that he's not present in the adaptation because he's working behind the curtain instead.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's composed and polite, but mess with him or one of his own, and in a second he'll draw his blade on you.
* BrainsAndBrawn: Where Yu Shengyan is more renowned for his martial skill, Bian Yanmei is more renowned for his smarts and his resourcefulness.
* DisguisedInDrag: He dresses up as a maid alongside Shen Qiao when they have to [[spoiler: infiltrate the imperial palace to rescue Puliuru Jian's children]].
* AFatherToHisMen: When he realizes that Huo Xijing killed his servant, Bian Yanmei is quick to go on the attack, and he shows gratitude to Shen Qiao for killing Huo Xijing.
* HypercompetentSidekick: He may not be the most accomplished fighter of his sect, but there's a good reason why Yan Wushi entrusts all kinds of tasks to him without hesitation.
* NotSoAboveItAll: Between his ''shizun'' and his ''shidi'', Bian Yanmei is the most level-headed and mature of the three, but even he's proven to have a silly side.
** Bian Yanmei has a hard time restraining his laughter when Yan Wushi "greets" Yuan Xiuxiu by insulting her appearance.
** While dressing as a palace maid, he teasingly asks Shen Qiao in a coquettish tone if he looks pretty.
* ShipperOnDeck: Zigzagged. When Bian Yanmei first met Shen Qiao, he initially viewed the other man with disdain when he mistakenly assumed that Shen Qiao is Yan Wushi's boytoy, but a conversation with him immediately had him look at the man in a more favorable light. Later on, when he realizes that Yan Wushi has genuinely fallen in love with Shen Qiao, Bian Yanmei is surprised, but otherwise he shows no sentiment of being against their relationship.
* UndyingLoyalty: Just like Yu Shengyan, Bian Yanmei's loyalty to Yan Wushi knows no bounds and he never doubts his master.
* VirtueIsWeakness: One of the novel's extras describes Bian Yanmei as contemptuous towards virtue and righteousness; he's still a member of a demonic sect, after all. However, he does respect Shen Qiao for his genuinely noble spirit.
[[/folder]]

* AdaptationalVillainy: The ''donghua'' features her as one of the many ''wugong'' masters involved in the assassination plot against Yan Wushi. By contrast, she actually had nothing to do with the conspiracy in the novel.

* DependingOnTheArtist: The novel describes her to wear her hair in two buns, but the ''donghua'' features her with a long ponytail.

* FemmeFatalons: She has long sharp red nails, and she certainly isn't up to any good.

* PunnyName: The ''yu'' (鱼) in his name means "fish". Yan Wushi even makes fun of Li Qingyu for it by serving him fish head soup in secret.

A former member of the Bixia Sect. After suffering a personal betrayal, he defected to Goguryeo and joined the Dongzhou Sect. Twenty years later, he returned to the Bixia Sect to seek revenge.

* AntiVillain: [[spoiler: While his actions of allying with the Tujue and betraying Shen Qiao's trust are highly unscrupulous and extreme]], Yu Ai did so with the intention of improving his sect's standing and genuinely believed that he was acting in the best interests of his sect.

* {{Hypocrite}}: Lampshaded by Shen Qiao when Yu Ai attempts to call him out on associating with the leader of a demonic sect.

* WouldHitAGirl: He planned to attack [[spoiler: Gu Hengbo]] when she started asking too many questions about what happened to Shen Qiao, although his friendship with her made him hesitate from killing her, giving her an opportunity to escape.

* BigBrotherWorship: She highly looks up to Shen Qiao

One of the elders of the Hehuan Sect. To the public, he's known as Yuan Xiuxiu's paramour, but in reality, he's actually secretly plotting to overthrow her position as the leader of the Hehuan Sect. He is also infamous for being a rapist and a pedophile who goes after both men and women in equal measure.

[[folder:Bai Rong (白茸)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Du Qingqing [[note]] Credited as Gui Niang [[/note]] (animation, audio drama)

-> ''"The Hehuan Sect is where I grew up. Where else can I go if not there? The Huanyue Sect? Or the Fajing Sect? Do you consider homicide better than dual cultivation? The others refer to the Hehuan Sect as a "demonic sect", but is the Huanyue Sect not a demonic sect too? I hope you don't forget that Yan-''zongzhu ''has more blood on his hands than me."''
\\

A disciple of the Hehuan Sect who is tasked with trying to get information on ''The Strategy of the Vermillion Yang'' and often runs into Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi.

* AllLoveIsUnrequited: With every time she and Shen Qiao cross paths, she starts to become attracted to more than just his face. However, he doesn't feel the same way, something that he gently lets her know. While it annoys her, it doesn't make her less eager to tease him when she can.
* ArmorPiercingResponse: When Shen Qiao asks Bai Rong if she's comfortable in the Hehuan Sect and if she ever considered leaving her sect, Bai Rong tells him in detail why it isn't as simple as it sounds.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: While she already was attracted to Shen Qiao from the start because of his fair looks, what causes her to genuinely fall for him is that no matter the situation, he would always treat her with respect.
* DarkActionGirl: She's one of the few female cultivators introduced in the novel, and she often clashes with the protagonists.
* DependingOnTheArtist: The novel describes her to wear her hair in two buns, but the ''donghua'' features her with a long ponytail.
* TheDogBitesBack: It's strongly implied that she's the one who [[spoiler: lands the killing blow on Sang Jingxing, who wasn't exactly the kindest master to her]].
* EvilIsSexy: [[invoked]] She pretty much embodies the trope. She uses her looks to lower the guards of her opponents before ultimately killing them, something Chen Gong nearly falls for but then makes sure to never forget.
* FemmeFatalons: She has long sharp red nails, and she certainly isn't up to any good.
* FragileSpeedster: While she's a capable fighter, she focuses more on stealth and speed, meaning she's quick to get knocked down by attacks powered by strength and force.
* HeelFaceTurn
* HiddenDepths
* LadyInRed: Her most defining feature is her red outfit. In the ''donghua'', her spiritual energy also glows a bright red.
* TheLeader: [[spoiler: In the finale, she becomes the leader of the Hehuan Sect.]]
* MasterOfDisguise: She can change her appearance however she pleases, and she often does this to sneak around.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: She gets close to Shen Qiao multiple times than necessary which the other responds to by moving away and keeping his distance. This is played up more in the ''donghua'', where she touches him every chance she gets when she sees him.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Shen Qiao surmises that Bai Rong [[spoiler: finished off Sang Jingxing after he gravely wounded the latter in a fight]].
* PowerPerversionPotential: She practices dual cultivation and Yan Wushi theorizes that her master was the one who took her virginity. She doesn't mind though.
* PragmaticVillainy: At first, Bai Rong was ruthless enough to kill anyone who crossed her path on a mission, even killing civilians just because she can. Some time after her encounters with Shen Qiao, she settles on killing only the person she's assigned to assassinate, otherwise she'll only knock out anyone else. Yan Wushi surmises that this is her attempt to leave a good impression of herself on Shen Qiao, who's not fond of senseless slaughter.
* PunchClockVillain: Her master and fellow disciples are all twisted people with rather sick interests, but Bai Rong doesn't share their depravities even as she follows her master's orders without hesitation. Even Shen Qiao notices that she's not a bad person and encourages her to not end up like her master.
* RomanticRunnerUp: While she falls for Shen Qiao later on, she's not the one Shen Qiao ends up falling in love with.
* TheTease: She likes teasing Shen Qiao every chance she gets, and only beats it when she notices [[TheDreaded Yan Wushi]] is nearby.

[[folder:Huo Xijing (霍西京)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Zhao Yang (animation, audio drama)

A powerful cultivator who is infamous for skinning the faces of beautiful people, and Sang Jingxing's favorite disciple.

* TheDreaded: He's infamous for his reputation of flaying the faces of the people he finds attractive enough to his liking.
* FaceStealer: He is able to steal other people's faces and is even able to mimic the original owner's personalities well.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: He dies when Shen Qiao stabs him in the chest with his bamboo pole.
* ImposterForgotOneDetail: When he was pretending to be Bian Yanmei's servant, he didn't know that Ji Ying was deathly afraid of Yan Wushi that he would never accompany Bian Yanmei to meet him. This is [[SpottingTheThread how Bian Yanmei is able to see through his disguise]].
* InTheHood: The ''donghua'' depiction of him shows him wearing a hood to cover his face.
* MasterOfDisguise: He can take the faces of other people, and impersonate others well, making him a deadly killer.
* MalevolentMaskedMan: When the hood goes off, he's revealed to wear a mask that hides the upper half of his face.
* VocalDissonance: While Huo Xijing is already somewhat old, his gravelly voice contrasts with the youthful faces that he stole and would wear over his own face.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: He's already of an older age, but since he steals the faces of others and grafts them onto his own, he looks younger than his actual age.

[[folder:Xiao Se (萧瑟)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Feng Xiu (animation), Luo Piliang [[note]] Credited as Bu Yi [[/note]] (audio drama)

-> ''"Shen-''zhangjiao'', as a grandmaster of the Daoist sects, don't you feel ashamed to be ordered around by someone like Yan Wushi?"''

* CombatHandFan: His weapon of a choice is a fan that's constructed entirely of sharp blades, and he's very deadly with it.
* KarmaHoudini: Unlike Yan Shou, he doesn't get killed for the role he played at the Bailong Temple massacre. The closest thing he gets to karma is having to swallow the fact that [[spoiler: Bai Rong is the new leader of the Hehuan Sect]].

[[folder:Yan Shou (阎狩)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Ke Muqing (audio drama)

One of the elders of the Hehuan Sect loyal to Sang Jingxing. He's known as the "Bloodstained Monk" due to his monk-like appearance, which belies his cruel nature and how he has taken countless lives with his bare hands.

* AdaptationalUgliness: The novel described him as having the "dignified appearance of Buddha". In the ''donghua'', he's extremely large and has a rather grotesque appearance.
* BareFistedMonk: He earned his moniker for a reason, and anyone who's unfortunate to be struck on the head by his own hands are quick to lose their lives.
* KarmicDeath: Shen Qiao soon sees to it that Yan Shou will pay, and pay painfully, for the lives he took at Bailong Temple. In their second encounter, Shen Qiao costs Yan Shou one arm. Then when they meet again in Chang'an, Shen Qiao pierces his sword right through Yan Shou's heart, killing him for good.
* RedBaron: He's also known as the "Bloodstained Monk", or more accurately, "The Monk with Blood on his Hands".
* WouldHurtAChild: [[WouldHarmASenior As well as the elderly.]] Yan Shou is the one who kills both Chuyi and Zhu Lengquan.

[[folder:Bao Yun (宝云)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Xiu Yuan (audio drama)

-> ''"Shen-''daozhang, ''just as there is no long-lasting friendship in this world, there are no long-lasting enemies, either."''

One of the elders of the Hehuan Sect. He's infamous for posing as a Buddhist monk to seduce female worshippers.

* FlatCharacter: He doesn't get much characterization compared to the other members of the Hehuan Sect, and gets offed a few chapters after he's introduced.

[[folder:Yu Ai (郁蔼)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Xie Tiantian (animation - adult), Xiao Wu (animation - child), Liu Yuxuan [[note]] Credited as Hei Shiren [[/note]] (audio drama - adult), Mang Yin (audio drama - child)

-> ''"Xuandu Mountain is also where I grew up, so of course, I wish it could become better. My heart and feelings for it aren't any less than yours, so why do you need to assume this look of a saint then? Are you saying that you are the only one who is right in the world, and all the other people are wrong?!"''
\\

The regent sect leader of Xuandu Mountain, Shen Qiao's childhood friend and ''shidi'' (junior martial brother), and Qi Fengge's third disciple.

[[folder:Tan Yuanchun (谭元春)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Wang Yuhang (animation), Su Xin (audio drama)

Qi Fengge's first disciple and an elder of Xuandu Mountain.

* AllForNothing: In the end, [[spoiler: all of his goals go up in smoke once his treachery is revealed. Even more, Shen Qiao strips him of his rank and his ability to practice martial arts ever again and sentences him to a lifetime of confinement. Tan Yuanchun loses ''everything'' in every sense of the word and is left a shell of the man he once was]].
* AmbitionIsEvil: Tan Yuanchun seeks to [[spoiler: become the sect leader of Xuandu Mountain]]. However, his [[spoiler: envy towards Shen Qiao]] makes him want to attain the position by [[spoiler: dragging Shen Qiao's name through the mud first, because he wants to spite Qi Fengge for his decision of choosing Shen Qiao as his successor instead of him]].
* EvilAllAlong
* EvilIsPetty
* FateWorseThanDeath: After [[spoiler: his true colors are revealed, Shen Qiao destroys his foundations and sentences him to stay at Qunling Peak and guard Yu Ai's tomb for the rest of his life without ever being able to leave the place]]. It's a sentence that anyone sees as no better than death.
* GreenEyedMonster: [[spoiler: He secretly resents Shen Qiao for being Qi Fengge's most favored disciple in spite of the fact that he served as Qi Fengge's disciple first. This is his main motivation for betraying Shen Qiao and pushing Yu Ai into doing the same.]]
* TemptingFate: After Tan Yuanchun [[spoiler: reveals his motives for undermining and betraying Shen Qiao]], he mockingly asks [[spoiler: Shen Qiao]] if he plans to [[spoiler: damage his meridians as punishment]]. [[spoiler: Shen Qiao]] does exactly that, and moments later, Tan Yuanchun breaks down ''hard'' once his sentence fully sinks in.
* VillainousBreakdown: He bursts into tears and starts wailing loudly after [[spoiler: Shen Qiao punishes him for his crimes by sentencing him to a FateWorseThanDeath]].

[[folder:Yuan Ying (袁英)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Sun Ye (audio drama)

Qi Fengge's fourth disciple.

* BeneathNotice: His reserved and quiet disposition makes him have a hard time standing out at all, and the novel describes that it would take a few days for others to even realize that he's gone long after he left.
* ButtMonkey: Yuan Ying finds himself becoming this to Yu Shengyan after the two meet, with Yu Shengyan having fun in bullying the hell out of him.
* CowardlyLion: Although Yuan Ying's reclusive nature makes him more than comfortable in the confines of Xuandu Mountain, he was willing to leave the mountain on his own to look for Shen Qiao and inform him of what's going on in their sect.
* SpeechImpediment: He has a stuttering problem.
* UndyingLoyalty: Yuan Ying was concerned when Shen Qiao suddenly disappeared from their sect, and Gu Hengbo running away without prior warning made him more suspicious as to what's going on.
* TheUnfavorite: Due to his stammering and the fact that he's only one out of many children in the family, he was neglected by both his parents and the servants of the household.

[[folder:Gu Hengbo (顾横波)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Xiao Qingyuan (audio drama)

Qi Fengge's fifth disciple.

* ActionGirl: She's not the sole female disciple of Xuandu Mountain for nothing. She's also the inheritor of one of Qi Fengge's three swords, Tian Wei Shui Chun.
* BigBrotherWorship: She highly looks up to Shen Qiao
* SmurfettePrinciple: Among Qi Fengge's five disciples, Gu Hengbo is the only female among them.
* UndyingLoyalty: When Shen Qiao suddenly disappeared from Xuandu Mountain, Gu Hengbo refuses to take it lying down and demands answers from Yu Ai about Shen Qiao's whereabouts.

[[folder:Le An (乐安)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Shen Dawei (audio drama)
\\

----

[[folder:Kong Zeng (孔增)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Liu Beichen (audio drama)
\\

One of the seven elders of Xuandu Mountain.
----

!! Chunyang Temple | 纯阳观

[[folder:Yi Bichen (易辟尘)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Ji Hehong (audio drama)

The leader of Chunyang Temple.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His name can be read either as "Yi '''B'''ichen" or "Yi '''P'''ichen".
* TokenGoodTeammate: Between the currently-ranked top three masters (him, Xue Ting, and Ruyan Kehui), Yi Bichen is the only one who was not involved in the [[spoiler: assassination plot against Yan Wushi]].

[[folder:Li Qingyu (李青鱼)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Ke Muqing (animation), Lu Shujun (audio drama)

A member of Chunyang Temple and Yi Bichen's last personal disciple.

* BrutalHonesty: Before coming to respect Shen Qiao, Li Qingyu rather blunt with criticizing the other for his fall from grace and for his association with Yan Wushi.
* ButtMonkey: Yan Wushi picks on Li Qingyu when the latter visits the Bixia Sect by implicitly poking fun at his PunnyName... via serving him fish head soup.
* NoSocialSkills: He has a difficult personality and doesn't care much beyond improving his martial arts.
* PunnyName: The ''yu'' (鱼) in his name means "fish". Yan Wushi even makes fun of Li Qingyu for it.

!! Bixia Sect | 碧霞宗

[[folder:In General]]
Located on Zhunan Peak of Tai Mountain, the Bixia Sect was founded during the Han Dynasty and was previously one of the largest Daoist sects in the ''jianghu'', but its political foothold has greatly declined over the years.

* BackFromTheBrink
* {{Foil}}
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome

** In spite of Xue Ting's claims that Yuwen Yong's reign is brutal and stained with blood, [[spoiler: Northern Zhou begins to fare far worse under Yuwen Yun's rule]]. Of course, Yan Wushi knows that he's bullshitting and is only supporting Yuwen Yun because of the latter's support for the Buddhists, which is beneficial to Xue Ting's own ambitions.

* AdaptationDeviation: In the ''donghua'', while he is still complicit [[spoiler: in the plot to assassinate Yan Wushi]], Ruyan Kehui also allied with Beimu (Tujue), when he never did anything of the sort in the novel, where he views the Tujue people as "foreign barbarians".
** However, the writers eventually revealed that just like in the novel, Ruyan Kehui still doesn't trust the people of Beimu, but he still joins in their plan to [[spoiler:take down Yan Wushi for far more personal reasons, mostly that he strongly dislikes Yan Wushi and his obstinate nature]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the chapter where Xie Xiang was introduced, he's specifically mentioned to be of the Xie Clan of the Chen Commandery. [[spoiler: It's eventually revealed that Yan Wushi is also a descendant of the Xie Clan, and his former name is Xie Ling.]]

* StaffOfAuthority: Xue Ting carries a ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khakkhara khakkhara]]'' with him, which he can also use in combat. This is TruthInTelevision; while ''khakkharas'' are used mostly as noisemakers or instruments, they can also be used as a defensive weapon, especially in ''wuxia'' tales.

* FantasticRacism: Ruyan Kehui is a firm believer in the Han people's supremacy, and does not think highly of foreigners or the influence they have on China's rulers. [[spoiler: This is one of the reasons why he helped in the assassination plot, since he disapproves of the reign of the Yuwen family, who consist of Xianbei people.]]

* KarmaHoudini: Besides ending up [[spoiler: seriously injured in his duel with Yan Wushi that he needed to cultivate in seclusion for months to recover]], Ruyan Kehui doesn't get any proper comeuppance for his role in [[spoiler: the assassination plot to have Yan Wushi and then the emperor of Northern Zhou killed]]. However, [[spoiler: Yuwen Yong is succeeded by another of the Xianbei people -- whom Ruyan Kehui look down on due to his Sinocentric beliefs]] -- so while Ruyan Kehui doesn't get any karma, he doesn't get what he wants either.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the chapter where Xie Xiang was introduced, he's specifically mentioned to be of the Xie Clan of the Chen Commandery (which is a real clan in RealLife Chinese history). [[spoiler: It's eventually revealed that Yan Wushi is also a descendant of the Xie Clan, and his former name is Xie Ling.]]

* AdaptationDeviation: The ''donghua'' has her ally with Beimu (the Tujue) alongside Dou Yanshan early on in the story, whereas in the novel, she allied with the Tujue separately from Dou Yanshan in an attempt to consolidate power from him in the future.

* PyrrhicVictory: [[spoiler: Although Yun Fuyi managed to become the chairman of the Liuhe Association after Dou Yanshan's death, her leadership only lasted for half a month until evidence of her collaboration with the Tujue people was brought to light. The resulting revolt resulted in the other leaders of the sect forcing her to rescind her position, and this contributed further to the divide of the entire Liuhe Association.]]

* EtTuBrute: He used to be close friends with Hui Leshan, the previous sect leader of the Bixia Sect. However, when both were competing for the position of the sect leader, Hui Leshan got him drunk and made a plot to make it look like Ruan Hailou slept with their ''shizun's'' daughter, which forced him to leave the sect in shame.

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Ruan Hailou seeks revenge on Hui Leshan for framing him and humiliating him. But he doesn't hesitate to dish out h is revenge on the rest of the Bixia Sect, seeing them as equally responsible for their sect leader's actions.

* BerserkButton: While it's simply Shen Qiao's shame eating at him, at one point, Shen Qiao gets a nightmare where Qi Fengge scolds him for allowing Shan He Tong Bei to be used for MundaneUtility. In said nightmare, he even becomes outraged when Shen Qiao asks him if he ever used the sword to shave off his own beard.

* SmurfettePrinciple: Among Qi Fengge's five disciples, Gu Hengbo is the only girl among them.
* UndyingLoyalty: When Shen Qiao suddenly disappeared from Xuandu Mountain one day, Gu Hengbo refuses to take it lying down and demands answers from Yu Ai about Shen Qiao's whereabouts.

* AdaptedOut: He doesn't appear in the ''donghua'', and the scenes where he's supposed to appear feature Yu Shengyan instead.

* DisguisedInDrag: He dresses up as a maid alongside Shen Qiao when they have to infiltrate the imperial palace to rescue Puliuru Jian's children.

* NotSoAboveItAll: Between his ''shizun'' and his ''shidi'', Bian Yanmei is the most level-headed and mature of the three. But even he shows a silly side when he teasingly asks Shen Qiao if he's pretty after crossdressing as a palace maid.
* ShipperOnDeck: Zigzagged. When Bian Yanmei first met Shen Qiao, he initially viewed the other man with disdain when he mistakenly assumed that Shen Qiao is Yan Wushi's boytoy, but a conversation with him immediately had him look at the man in a more favorable light. Later on, when he realizes that Yan Wushi has genuinely fallen in love with Shen Qiao, Bian Yanmei is shocked, but otherwise he shows no sentiment of being against their relationship.

* VirtueIsWeakness: One of the novel's extras describes Bian Yanmei as contemptuous towards virtue and righteousness. He's still a member of a demonic sect, after all.

----

* PragmaticVillainy: At first, Bai Rong was ruthless enough to kill anyone who crossed her path on a mission, even killing civilians just because she can. Some time after her encounters with Shen Qiao, she settles on killing only the person she's assigned to assassinate, otherwise she'll just knock out anyone else. Yan Wushi surmises that this is her attempt to leave a good impression of herself on Shen Qiao, who's not fond of senseless slaughter.
* PunchClockVillain: Her master and fellow disciples are all twisted people with rather sick interests, but Bai Rong doesn't share their depravities even as she follows her master's orders without much hesitation. Even Shen Qiao notices that she's not a bad person and encourages her to not end up like her master.

* BareFistedMonk
* TheBrute

* NotSoDifferent: Like Yan Wushi, Guang Lingsan also has the ambition of uniting the three demonic sects under his command.

* ButtMonkey: Yan Wushi picks on Li Qingyu when the latter visits the special name by implicitly poking fun at the pun of his name.

* TheBusCameBack: He first makes his appearance in Madam Qin's birthday banquet, although he's only mentioned in passing. He appears once again when Shen Qiao and Shiwu plan to visit the Bixia Sect.

* AmbitionIsEvil: He's willing to put an incompetent and despotic emperor on the throne so that the he and the Buddhist sects can regain influence in the ''jianghu'' once more.
* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: In spite of Yan Wushi's personal dislike towards Xue Ting, he doesn't kill him in their final confrontation because [[spoiler: he intends to surrender him to the Tiantai Sect in exchange for the final volume of the ''The Strategy of the Vermillion Yang'']].

** In spite of Xue Ting's claims that Yuwen Yong's reign is brutal and stained with blood, [[spoiler: Northern Zhou begins to fare far worse under Yuwen Yun's rule]]. Of course, Yan Wushi knows that he's bullshitting and is only supporting Yuwen Yun becuase of the latter's support for the Buddhists, which is beneficial to Xue Ting's own ambitions.
** When Xue Ting calls Yan Wushi a despicable thief in the ''donghua'', Yan Wushi is quick to fire back that he's NotSoDifferent either.

* TermsOfEndangerment: Yan Wushi ''always'' calls him an "old bald donkey" or "old bald ass", and his disciples also refer Xue Ting by the same degrading nickname.

* FateWorseThanDeath: Lampshaded. At one point, Yan Wushi mentions that Confucianists love to give lectures and that Ruyan Kehui would rather die than be forced to never speak to the public again.
* KarmaHoudini: Besides ending up [[spoiler: seriously injured in his duel with Yan Wushi that he needs to cultivate in seclusion for months to recover]], Ruyan Kehui doesn't get any proper comeuppance for his role in [[spoiler: the assassination plot to have Yan Wushi and then the emperor of Northern Zhou killed]]. However, [[spoiler: Yuwen Yong is succeeded by another of the Xianbei people -- whom Ruyan Kehui look down on due to his Sinocentric beliefs]] -- so while Ruyan Kehui doesn't get any karma, he doesn't get what he wants either.

The eldest disciple of Xuandu Mountain.

* AllForNothing: In the end, [[spoiler: all of his goals end up going in smoke once his treachery is revealed. Even more, Shen Qiao strips him of his rank and his ability to practice martial arts ever again and sentences him to a lifetime of confinement. Tan Yuanchun loses ''everything'' in every sense of the word and is left a shell of the man he once was]].

[[folder:Gu Hengbo (顾横波)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Xiao Qingyuan (audio drama)

Qi Fengge's fifth disciple.

* ActionGirl: She's not the sole female disciple of Xuandu Mountain for nothing. She's also the inheritor of one of Qi Fengge's three swords, Tian Wei Shui Chun.
* SmurfettePrinciple: Among Qi Fengge's five disciples, Gu Hengbo is the only girl among them.
* UndyingLoyalty: When Shen Qiao suddenly disappeared from Xuandu Mountain one day, Gu Hengbo refuses to take it lying down and demands answers from Yu Ai about Shen Qiao's whereabouts.

[[folder:Yuan Ying (袁英)]]
!!! '''Voiced by''': Sun Ye (audio drama)

Qi Fengge's fourth disciple.

* SpeechImpediment: He has a stuttering problem.
* UndyingLoyalty: Yuan Ying was concerned when Shen Qiao suddenly disappeared from their sect, and Gu Hengbo running away without prior warning made him more suspicious as to what's going on.

* AdaptationDeviation: The novel introduced him as the imperial adviser of Yuwen Hu, but the ''donghua'' has him become the ''former'' imperial adviser of Yuwen Yong (renamed Yuwen You in the AnimatedAdaptation). Likewise, whereas he used to be a disciple of the Tiantai Sect in the novel, the ''donghua'' introduces him as an active member of said sect.

* AmbitionIsEvil: He's willing to put an incompetent and despotic emperor on the throne so that the Buddhist sects can regain influence in the ''jianghu'' once more.
* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: In spite of Yan Wushi's personal dislike towards Xue Ting, he doesn't kill him in their final confrontation because [[spoiler: he intends to surrender him to the Tiantai Sect for the final volume of the ''The Strategy of the Vermillion Yang'']].

* StaffOfAuthority: Xue Ting carries a ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khakkhara khakkhara]]'' with him, which he can also use in combat. This is TruthInTelevision; while ''khakkharas'' are used mostly as noisemakers or instruments, they can also be used as a defensive weapon.

* AdaptationDeviation: In the ''donghua'', while he is still complicit [[spoiler: in the plot to assassinate Yan Wushi]], Ruyan Kehui also allied with the Tujue, when he never did anything of the sort in the novel, where he views the Tujue people as "foreign barbarians".

* {{Foreshadowing}}: In the chapter where Xie Xiang was introduced, he's specifically mentioned to be of the Xie Clan in the Chen Commandery. [[spoiler: It's eventually revealed that Yan Wushi is also a descendant of the Xie Clan, and his former name is Xie Ling.]]
* GracefulLoser: While he's arrogant and competitive, he's quick to admit if he lost and if he got ahead of himself. He also doesn't feel ashamed about losing to people who he knows are the top-ranked ''wugong'' masters.

* {[Fanboy}}

* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler: During Yan Wushi and Xue Ting's rematch, the novel mentions that Dou Yanshan was poisoned to death.]]

* AllForNothing: [[spoiler: Although Yun Fuyi managed to become the chairman of the Liuhe Association after Dou Yanshan's death, her leadership only lasted for half a month until evidence of her collaboration with the Tujue people was brought to light. The resulting revolt resulted in the other leaders of the sect forcing her to rescind her position, and this led to the divide of the entire Liuhe Association.]]

-> ''"Shen-''daozhang, just as there is no long-lasting friendship in this world, there are no long-lasting enemies, either."''

* KilledOffscreen: [[spoiler: During Yan Wushi and Xue Ting's rematch, the novel mentions that Dou Yanshan died from being poisoned.]]

* AllForNothing: [[spoiler: Although Yun Fuyi managed to become the chairman of the Liuhe Association after Dou Yanshan's death, her leadership only lasted for half a month until evidence of her collaboration with the Tujue people was brought to light. This led to the divide of the Liuhe Association.]]

* AdaptationDeviation: The novel introduced him as the imperial adviser of Yuwen Hu, but the ''donghua'' has him become the ''former'' imperial adviser of Yuwen Yong (renamed Yuwen You in the AnimatedAdaptation). Likewise, whereas he used to be a disciple of the Tiantai Sect

-> ''"Shen''-zhangjiao, ''have you ever heard the saying, 'The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it'?"''

* KnowWhenToFoldEm: When they meet a second time, Yu Ai ''finally'' accepts, albeit bitterly, that [[spoiler: nothing he can say or do will convince Shen Qiao to return to Xuandu Mountain or have anything to do with him again when Shen Qiao wins against him in a second fight. This is capped off with Shen Qiao warning Yu Ai that he must live with the consequences of his actions and make the best of it]], lest he find him once again to personally deal with him if he fails.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: He [[spoiler: betrayed Shen Qiao]] out of a misguided attempt to improve Xuandu Mountain's political strength.

* AllForNothing

* FateWorseThanDeath: After [[spoiler: his true colors are revealed, Shen Qiao destroys his ''wugong'' and sentences him to stay at Qunling Peak and guard Yu Ai's tomb for the rest of his life without ever being able to leave the place]]. It's a sentence that anyone sees as no better than death.

* TrueCompanions: When it comes down to it, both Bian Yanmei and Yu Shengyan have complete loyalty and trust in their ''shizun''. Likewise, while Yan Wushi is stern with them both and criticizes them often, he knows their strengths and is confident that they can handle themselves.