The Farm | Azure Hills | Crimson Phoenix Empire
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The Azure Hills is the northwesternmost province of the Crimson Phoenix Empire and where Jin sets up his farm after departing the Cloudy Sword Sect. Widely known as the weakest province in the Empire, and therefore the least interesting to cultivators, which is why Jin chose it.
The Farm/ Fa Ram
See their page here.Hong Yaowu
The nearest village to Jin's Farm. Its name translates to "Medicine Storehouse" and its village elder is expected to be something of a doctor and pharamacist in addition to a mayor. Hong Xian the Elder
- Frontier Doctor: Part of his role as the Elder of a village named "Medicine Storehouse" is to act as a doctor and pharmacist, which is important to the residents as the nearest dedicated healer may be days away on foot.
- Hero of Another Story: He used to have his own share of crazy adventures with his late wife Liling, best friend Lin Bao and Yao Che during their youth, especially when he and Lin Bao were working as clerks in Pale Moon Lake City.
- Meaningful Rename: His name was once Hong San, as he was the family's third son and was not expected to inherit the position of village elder. Tragically, his middle brother died very young, and the eldest was killed by the plague that also took his parents, and he took the new name as required by tradition and his new position.
- Legacy Character: In volume 2, it's revealed that Hong Xian is as much a hereditary title as it is a name. He is the 77th Hong Xian. His father and grandfather held it, and someday his son will inherit it too.
- Stronger Than They Look: Of the non-combat-oriented variety. The village elders of Hong Yaowu have a tradition of performing a ritual dance during transition to the New Year. The dance is both intense and lasts all night, yet other than the minor exhaustion that comes with his age, Hong Xian has little trouble performing it.
- Unexpected Successor: Hong San was not expected to become village elder, as he was his parents' third son. Sadly, his father and both of his older brothers died under tragic circumstances and he wound up with the post and the name change that comes with it.
Hong Xian the Younger
- Beetle Maniac: His hobby is finding, breeding and learning about beetles and using them to fight others.
- Hidden Depths:
- His fascination with bugs seems like simply a young boy's enthusiasm for trying to gross out his older sister. However, it turns out that he's actually been working with Yun Ren and secretly (he thinks) breeding beetles and learning about them, hinting at a future in entomology.
- Despite being a small boy with more enthusiasm than actual strength or endurance, the first time he attempts to do the village solstice dance alongside his father, he succeeds in dancing all night, a feat unheard of for generations of his ancestors. This may have something to do with his encounters with Tianlan Shan, or his relation to cultivators like Jin, Meiling, and Xiulan.
- Legacy Character: Shares the same name as his father, because that name is always given to the Elder of Hong Yaowu. When he succeeds his father, he will be the 78th Hong Xian.
- The Nose Knows: Has the same ability to smell chi as his sister, though his is less sensitive due to his younger age and lower chi levels.
Yao Che
The village blacksmith, and Yao Meihua's father.
- The Blacksmith: His role in Hong Yaowu. Jin has sometimes asked him for help bringing his odd ideas like copper pipes into reality. He later takes on Ty An and Bowu as his apprentices.
- Hunk: Noted as having a very muscular physique due to the nature of his work.
- Inelegant Blubbering: Sobs with snot-nosed pride when his apprentice Bowu demonstrates his new farming invention to the farmers around Verdant Hills, no matter how he tries to deny it.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: He's initially incensed that Cai Xiulan wants to take the position honor guard for Meiling's wedding procession, but she gives him a look that conveys a small fraction her power and he quickly decides that discretion is the better part of valor.
Xong Ten Ren
Gou Ren and Yun Ren's father, and the village hunter.
- Animal Motifs: Monkeys, like his son Gou Ren. He has the wild hair and features to match.
- Classical Hunter: Noted to be a highly skilled hunter and the primary source of meat for Hong Yaowu.
- Hunter Trapper: Not just a good hunter, but makes a living off of it.
Nezin Hu Li
Gou Ren and Yun Ren's mother. She is originally from one of the nomadic wilderness tribes who live near the Sea of Snow to the north of the Verdant Hills.
- Abduction Is Love: She seems to think so, and it's part of her tribe's customs; when Ten Ren was attempting to court her, her father kept denying permission, and he eventually gave up and just stole Hu Li away in the night. Her story implies that she and her father had been waiting for just that.
- Accent Adaptation: To Jin's ears, her native tribal accent in Chinese sounds like the equivalent of a Brooklyn accent in English.
- Animal Motifs: Foxes, like her son Yun Ren. She has the squinty eyes and scheming demeanor to fit.
- Real Women Don't Wear Dresses: Was initially dismissive of Liling, seeing her as just a soft City Mouse from Pale Moon Lake City. After a street brawl of a Cat Fight where Liling showed that she learned how to scrap in Fish Gut Alley, they reached an understanding and became good friends.
- Sole Survivor: She lost the other two parts of her Town Girls trio (Tang Mei and Liling) in a bad famine that hit Hong Yaowu one year.
The Warden that Sends Forth the Flying Ice and Snow
A snowman built by the villagers of Hong Yaowu in the spirit of friendly competition with Jin during his second winter in the Azure Hills.
- Heroic Sacrifice: The General that Commands the Winter notes that the Warden was destroyed during the last storm of Jin's second winter in the Azure Hills, while defending Hong Yaowu against the ravages of a late winter storm, and the town treats this as a heroic Last Stand. When Jin arrives back at Hong Yaowu after the storm, he sees the Warden's remnants surrounded by the crying children of the village performing funerary rites.
- An Ice Person: Has power over winter weather and uses it to weaken a winter storm that descends on the village.
- Snowlems: Like the General that Commands the Winter, he started out as a standard, though enormous, snowman. However, much like with the General, the Qi invested and attention paid to his construction, plus the connection to Jin and Tianlan Shan lead to its awakening as a subordinate of the General.
Ty An
A young woman of about Meiling's age who lives in the village; somewhat insecure about herself and thus something of a bully, and particularly a rival to Meiling.
- Alpha Bitch: Her role in the village, until Jin shows up.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Once Jin's influence begins to make all her bullying attempts fall flat, she begins to realize how immature she's been and start to try to make something of herself instead of putting others down.
- Insult Backfire: Once Jin comes to town, her attempts to put down Meiling and others all seem to backfire spectacularly.
- She calls Meiling a thistle, implying she's prickly and not particularly attractive. Jin says this is a compliment, noting that thistles are pretty and also tough and resilient, embarrassing Ty An and flattering Meiling.
- She makes fun of Meiling for having freckles, which are considered blemishes in the the culture of "Xianada". However, Jin, raised in a modern western culture, finds them cute and tells her so.
- She tries the same thing with Tigu's muscles, who likewise takes it as a compliment, having been basically raised by Jin. Ironically enough, Ty An develops a build of her own after becoming Yao Che's assistant after Meihua marries and moves out of town.
- Like an Old Married Couple: Has this relationship with Bowu much to everybody's amusement.
- Wrench Wench: She becomes the blacksmith Yao Che's assistant.
Liling
Hong Xian's late wife and the mother of Meiling and Xian the Younger. She was a scullery maid living in Pale Moon Lake City before she met and fell in love with San, as he was known as then.
- Fling a Light into the Future: In the moments before she passed from famine, her cultivation awakened and the sparks of her Qi and life force became a protective blessing over her daughter Meiling, keeping her safe until Jin came into her life.
- Heroic Lineage: It's hinted that she's from the same bloodline as the Azure Emperor that Xiaoshi overthrew, given her mother's drunken ramblings.
- Posthumous Character: She died to a bad famine some years prior to the story's start, and her background is only fleshed out in a flashback arc.
- Rags to Riches: Downplayed, but she goes from being a scullery maid and thief in Pale Moon Lake City to the respected wife of the village elder in Hong Yaowu over the course of the flashback arc.
- She Cleans Up Nicely: After she puts on a beautiful dress to infiltrate a fancy party, Hong San can't stop staring.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: She can turn it off, but generally swears profusely.
- Street Urchin: Used to be one living in Fishgut Alley in Pale Moon Lake City.
Verdant Hill
The nearest town to Hong Yaowu and the seat of the local government. Lin Bao
The First Archivist of Verdant Hill and one of Hong Xian's best friends. Meiling and little Xian know him as Uncle Bao.
- Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: In his middle age due to his eating habits, he's (literally) grown to resemble his name, Bao being a type of round steamed bread dumpling.
- Big Eater: Having survived the adventures of his youth, he takes great pleasure in enjoying the finer things in life. Like lots and lots of food.
- Honorary Uncle: Meiling and little Xian know him as their Uncle Bao and grew up around him.
Lord Magistrate of Verdant Hill
The imperial-appointed ruler of Verdant Hill and the surrounding area, including Hong Yaowu and Jin's farm. The very image of an ideal ruler and bureaucrat.
- Attention Whore: Is practically addicted to attention and acclaim from his subjects... and cultivates it by doing a spectacularly good job as their Lord Magistrate.
- Badass Bureaucrat: He's a first-rate administrator and magistrate. Visitors are actually disturbed by how clean the streets are and how disciplined and helpful the town guard is. While he rarely has the opportunity or even need to flex his political muscle, he and his wife open negotiations with the Azure Jade Trading Company with a dazzling display of opulence and courtly skill that leaves the two junior merchants on the backfoot and willing to work with the Lord Magistrate's own terms for the Azure Hills. As an aside, he's both younger and far fitter than the Trading Company's envoys expected, and according to his son, he's good enough with a sword that he can cut arrows out of the air.
- Beleaguered Bureaucrat: The Lord Magistrate is not happy about having someone living nearby who could probably destroy his town by accident if he went all out. And every time Jin does something generous, the magistrate drives himself to distraction worrying about the implications of being indebted to such a person. Every time he tries to repay Jin, however, Jin does something else for him in gratitude.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: Was among the top five of his class (first, before he got bumped down due to an unknown kerfuffle), and was even tapped to join the Grand Palace... but he requested the transfer to the Azure Hills to avoid dealing with the stresses of such high rank.
- Casual Kink: Enjoys bondage games with his wife. Due to her cultivator-inflicted injuries, it's hard for her to feel anything less.
- Comically Missing the Point: Fails to see that Jin Rou is just a simple, agreeable man who happens to have terrifying amounts of power. He second-guesses Jin's intentions backwards and forwards, giving himself ulcers in the process, trying to determine whether or not he's being tested through Jin's acts of charity. His wife doesn't help, keeping to herself a conversation she had with Meiling, in which she confessed Jin deliberately abandoned the Cloudy Sword Sect because he wanted a peaceful life.
- Covert Pervert: Really likes the Playboy Bunny-inspired outfit Meiling presented his wife with, particularly the fishnet stockings, even wondering how they'd look on his own legs. He's a bit worried about commissioning more, so he considers making them himself, given he made most of the ropes he and his wife use himself.
- Enlightened Self-Interest: He is an excellent magistrate, kind to his people and employees, and is all around a reasonable ruler. He does all of this because he likes being praised and respected, and views actually doing a good job and earning people's respect and praise as the best way to get what he wants.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Even in chapters from his perspective, he's only ever referred to as The Lord Magistrate or the Patriarch.
- The Good Chancellor: Despite doing so for slightly selfish intentions, he's the model of this trope. He really likes having everyone's acclaim, so he genuinely works to earn it.
- Internal Reveal: Early in Volume Three, he finally pieces together that Jin isn't some super ancient cultivator with motives beyond his understanding or trying to mock him or usurp him; Jin is a very young man who genuinely respects The Lord Magistrate. That said, Jin continues to complicate matters since Jin is, at this point, the leader of all Cultivators in the Azure Hills and a guaranteed source of future trouble.
- Mentor Archetype: To Jin, on political matters.
- Mr. Vice Guy: He is a bit vain, desiring praise and respect. He is also an excellent administrator and a just ruler, since he feels it's easiest and best to be praised for actually present qualities.
- Nervous Wreck: Whenever cultivators get involved. Due to the injuries that his wife suffered at the hands of one, if his poker face was any weaker, cultivators would practically be his Trauma Button. He later muses on how things have changed while he's dealing with Pi Pa on a business transaction, since a few years back the idea of being in the same room as a cultivator spirit beast would have had him panicking.
- Normal Fish in a Tiny Pond: Invoked: He specifically requested to be assigned to Verdant Hill, a backwater town even by Azure Hills standards for which he is grossly overqualified, so as to ensure that he could easily meet and exceed his position's expectations and so that he would be far away from cultivator shenanigans.
- One Degree of Separation: Was Hong San (later Hong Xian senior) and Lin Bao's senior while they were working in Pale Moon Lake City. They were the ones who gave him the idea to move to Verdant Hills when they mention how quiet and cultivator-free it is.
- Out of the Frying Pan: After Jin finally clears the air with him and asks him to become his decorum teacher, on one hand, he finally realizes Jin is a young cultivator struggling to keep afloat in the world of politics who both respects the Lord Magistrate and is eager to learn from him. On the other, the rapidly increasing amounts of soft power and the equivalent responsibility Jin's accruing - and it now being his responsibility to help him manage it - give him ulcers.
- The Peter Principle: Inverted. He's deliberately taken a position that's below his skill level, rather than endure the stresses and dangers of high rank.
- Plague of Good Fortune: Is not exactly unhappy at having Jin take care of dangerous beasts and bandits, build roads, and frequently gift him with luxury foodstuffs, but is constantly worrying that the other shoe is going to drop and Jin will demand something crazy of him.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: While he may be screaming internally while he makes them, his decisions are very fair both to Jin and his other subjects.
- Stealing the Credit: Averted. He doesn't like being credited for things he didn't do — mostly because one day he might be asked to pull the same trick again.
- The Stoic: How he looks to his people. Outwardly, he is the picture of calm, dignified thinking. Inside his head, he's an absolute Nervous Wreck.
- Universally Beloved Leader: Internally self-centered and self-important, he is still a great ruler out of a pragmatic belief that the best way to get praise and respect is to earn it - and he is very good at it, having earned the legitimate admiration of everyone in his jurisdiction. His various achievements (and self-centered motivations) include:
- When he is tired of the yearly floods cutting into his leisure time, he commissions great canals which divert the floodwaters and greatly improve the lives of the villagers.
- When he bribes a cultivator in the hopes the man will go away and leave him alone, it is seen as a prudent investment in the future; since Jin is the kind of person to return a favor, it turns out to be just that.
- He ensures his bureaucrats are efficient, honest, and compassionate, because it prevents angry subjects from coming after him and gives him more free time.
- When Meiling stops a plague in its tracks, he is suspected to have summoned her.
- His freezing up when in danger or nervous is interpreted as a fearless willingness to stand his ground and a general air of unflappability, because he has an excellent poker face and his back tends to sweat before the rest of his body.
- He regularly leads his guards in exercise so that if he is ever threatened, he will be able to run away effectively. They respect him all the more for his leadership and sharing their burdens.
- His swordsmanship is considered excellent for a mortal and he practices regularly, so that if attacked he could buy himself time to escape.
- His kindness to his bureaucrats and soldiers is seen as evidence of his strong moral character, but is really motivated out of a desire to maintain their loyalty and willingness to fight for him if ever threatened.
- His son mentioned that The Lord Magistrate dislikes slavery, since it just creates an underclass of people who constantly want to kill those keeping them in bondage, because slaves don't pay taxes, people who are paid are much more loyal and productive, and because it's illegal anyway.
- Weirdness Magnet: One of the reasons he fears Jin is because he likes his province nice and orderly, and Cultivators are known to attract trouble.
Lady Wu Zei Qi
- Casual Kink: Enjoys rough, rope play with her husband, mostly so that she can feel something past her deadened sense of touch due to her injuries.
- Covert Pervert: Privately, she's just as kinky as her husband.
- Handicapped Badass: Despite having been supernaturally crippled by a cultivator, which gave her occasional tremors and reduced dexterity and senses, she is effective at politicking and assisting the Magistrate. She's eventually cured by Meiling.
- Hiding the Handicap: Involuntarily; the public sees her slow graceful walk and the slow, elegant songs she plays on the guzheng as the qualities of a refined Proper Lady, when in fact they're because she can't move as fast or play more complex songs due to her reduced dexterity.
- Locked into Strangeness: Her cultivator-induced injuries also gave her streaks of grey hair.
- Proper Lady: Demure, cultured, plays guzheng, handles rope.
- Unluckily Lucky: Doesn't bemoan the injuries she suffered at the hands of a cultivator, as her "damage" meant that her "honored father" allowed her to marry her then-common-born husband without an argument.
Yao Meihua
A friend of Meiling's who grew up with her in Hong Yaowu. Currently lives in Verdant Hill with her husband, Ting Feng.
- Childhood Friends: Meiling considers her "a sister in all but blood."
- City Mouse: Jin mentions that she doesn't seem to much care for physical work and as such she is happier living in a bigger town with a couple of servants than in the small village where she grew up.
- So Beautiful, It's a Curse: Is very beautiful and attracts the attention of powerful and dangerous men, including the Magistrate, who is too sensible to act on it, and Zang Li, who would have raped her if not for Jin.
- Stronger Than They Look: She is her blacksmith father's daughter; when she gets tipsy, she easily carries her friend, her husband, and her friend's husband. Meiling is slightly jealous that, despite carrying around metal ingots for her father, she's managed to keep her frame soft and muscle-free, and would shrug off maladies that would leave Meiling bedridden.
Zhuge Ting Feng
A clerk in Verdant Hill and Yao Meihua's husband.
- City Mouse: Although he's a very nice guy and devoted to Meihua, it's clear he's been raised to life in town and as a clerk has very few skills that would serve him in the country.
- Panicky Expectant Father: He's visibly anxious, pacing around, and making a nuisance of himself when Meihua goes into labor.
The Crone
A mysterious old lady who lives in a shack just on the outskirts of Verdant Hill with her goat and 3-pawed tomcat. Appears to know more about Jin and his circumstances than she is letting on.
- Dark and Troubled Past: She and her cat were formerly powerful cultivators, in addition to her being a seer. However, due to jealousy and politics, both of their cultivations were broken and they came to the Azure Hills to escape that life.
- Didn't See That Coming: She predicted a final confrontation with her old neighbor Shu, but despite her powers of foresight, she absolutely did not expect him to court her.
- Given Name Reveal: When Shen Yu comes to town, he recognizes her as Shiyun of the Heavenly Path, and her tomcat as Laoshi, the Tiger’s Fury, both former cultivators whose cultivation was destroyed by jealous political rivals.
- Grumpy Old Woman: An old woman who complains and seems generally irritated all the time. Still, she's generally helpful despite her words.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: She acts mean to those around her, but when given the chance to influence the outcome of her prophecy about the heir to the Azure Emperor, she makes her choice based on compassion.
- Like an Old Married Couple: Squabbles with her old neighbor Shu in this way, even before they actually get married.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Her 3-footed tomcat sometimes displays sparks of human-level intelligence and is implied to be Tigu's father. But as soon as it is noticed, he reverts to normal cat behavior. Turns out he is actually a former cultivator apparently stuck in the form of a Goldgrass Steppe Tiger-Cat.
- Mysterious Backer: She clearly is interested in helping Jin in some way, giving him Tigger after he brings her goat back to her and helping Tigger out when she visits Verdant Hill. But what exactly her goal is and what she knows about Jin's circumstances remains unclear. Until Bi De comes to her with the visions from the ancient memory crystal and she explains her prophecy.
- Romantic Ribbing: She and her husband Shu constantly give each other grief, even before they get together for real.
- Seers: It turns out that the Crone is actually an old seer, who fled to the Azure Hills to escape her tumultuous younger years in much the same way Jin did. And as soon as she entered the province, an ancient spirit made a deal with her to help it find an heir to the forgotten Azure Emperor. The fates told her Verdant Hill was the best place to settle down and find her candidate. She initially considers the Lord Magistrate, but thinks the stress would be too much for his anxiety. Then she considers Jin, but she has a soft spot for him, their stories feeling so similar, and decides to let him set down his roots in peace. Eventually, she decides that Bi De is the best candidate and drops the weight of prophecy on him.
- Torment by Annoyance: The main reason she cut a deal with the spirit to find the heir to the Azure Emperor and guide him was so it would stop bothering her.
Pale Moon Lake City
The largest city in the Azure Hills and the capital of the province. Sits on the shore of Pale Moon Lake, a mysteriously perfectly-circular lake with a surface area roughly equivalent to Lake Superior. Home to Mengde's Crystal Emporium and the local headquarters of the Azure Jade Trading Company. Biyu
- Animal Motifs: She's noted several times to be somewhat owlish in appearance (big round eyes and fluffy hair) and personality, and is quite intelligent, fitting with the "wise owl" stereotype.
- Cuteness Proximity: One of the few things that can override her shyness. Easily becomes enamored with just about every animal on the Fa Ram, and sets out to make pieces of clothing for them.
- Made of Explodium: Being essentially solid qi, even the relatively low-grade crystals of the Azure Hills can explode with considerable force if Biyu gets the slightest thing wrong in her formation carving. There's a reason that crystal carvers are so highly paid.
- Magitek: Her specialty is the carving and use of magical crystals, that can be used for lighting, videography, photography, and so on.
Guan Bo
A junior merchant who works for the Azure Jade Trading Company.
- Do You Want to Haggle?: Makes Jin an offer for his Maple Syrup, but immediately revises it upward when he gets the mistaken impression that Jin's frown means he feels like he's being lowballed.
- Fee Fi Faux Pas: Mistakes Xiulan for Jin's wife while Meiling, Jin's wife, is standing right there. She lets him stew in his embarassment (and horror, as everyone involved but him and his sister is a cultivator) before laughing it off, more amused than anything else. It helps that it wasn't entirely his fault; Jin had let everyone assume such so that Xiulan wouldn't be constantly hassled while in the city with him.
- Undying Loyalty: After he brings Jin in to negotiate buying Jin's gold-grade rice, the company was going to assign another more senior merchant to be Jin's primary contact. However, because Jin was happy with his previous deals and believes in the importance of relationships, he insists that Guan Bo remain his primary contact with the company. This basically secures Bo's rise in status in the company and turns him into Jin's biggest fan.
Guan Chyou
- High-Class Call Girl: Her grandmother Shan Daiyu, who is the real brains behind the success of the Azure Jade Trading Company, from time to time assigns her to seduce important clients in order to secure deals. Including Jin, though he gently rejects her advances. She is very pragmatic about this and accepts it as just part of doing business.
- Intrepid Merchant: After turning down her offer to sleep with him Jin commissions her to organize an expedition into the south of the Empire and beyond to locate various exotic plants that he wants to grow. She's excited for the opportunity as it will be both more fulfilling than her usual assignments and quite the adventure.
- Odd Friendship: Gets along very well with Wa Shi once they meet, to the surprise of just about everyone, mostly due to shared enthusiasm for the long voyage to faraway lands to collect new plants for food.
Guan Ping
The head of the Azure Jade Trading Company, and Guan Chou and Guan Bo's grandfather. In some ways, a figurehead for his wife, Shan Daiyu. Still a competent businessman and administrator.
- Happily Married: He and Shan Daiyu run the Azure Jade Trading Company together, with him as the primary accountant and public face, and her as the chief strategist. It's implied they've been happy together like this for decades.
Shan Daiyu
The wife of Guan Ping, and the real brains behind the Azure Jade Trading Company. Grandmother of Guan Chou and Guan Bo.
- Happily Married: Appears to have a very equal relationship with her husband, who is both her life partner and business partner.
- Intrepid Merchant: In her younger days building up the company, she went on various dangerous and adventurous expeditions throughout the empire.
- The Woman Behind The Man: She's the real head of the Azure Jade Trading Company, but her husband is the official head. Somewhat downplayed as they function as a team when negotiating high-level deals.
- Silk Hiding Steel: Although she projects an image of a demure courtly lady, she is the real head of the company and her family, and is not to be trifled with.
The Azure Hills Special Investigative Unit
A special unit of the Azure Hills guard, with province-wide jurisdiction. The Special Inspector of the Azure Hills
The head of the Special Investigative Unit and an intelligent, dashing and stalwart young man of the Law, who is quickly building a reputation as a legendary detective. He happens to also be the son of the Lord Magistrate of Verdant Hill and Lady Wu and secretly much less fearless than he appears.
- Accidental Hero: He stumbled onto most of most of his most famous cases by complete accident, and in fact didn't even realize he was being groomed for the position of Special Inspector until he was in front of the officials who awarded him the title.
- He thought the rumors of slavery in Grass Sea City were just that, rumors, a safe wild goose chase he could indulge in to convince the people he was doing something actually worthwhile and receiving mockery instead of threats from the nobility. Then Tigu barreled in and uncovered an enormous slavery ring that involved most of the local nobility. To his horror, he ends up looking like he actually was on the correct trail all the time and is granted temporary Lordship of Grass Sea City as a result. Tie Delun's help in making Grass Sea City's recalcitrant sound-spreading formation work for his speech makes him even more of a hero in the eyes of the populace.
- Chick Magnet: Attractive women seem to gravitate towards him wherever he goes, including at least two cultivators and several mortals, to the point that some of his companions begin to notice. It may have something to do with how he is both physically attractive and behaves very honorably and politely to everyone. However, none of them is a polite well-bred young lady who would be conducive to a quiet peaceful life, which is what he's really looking for.
- Cowardly Lion: Although he's absolutely terrified by the situations he finds himself in, he's very good at concealing it and intelligent and resourceful enough to win the day.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Like his father, he is only ever referred to as the Special Inspector, even in his own thoughts.
- Gone Horribly Right: From the perspective of the noble who set him up with the post; it was likely meant to get him killed, but instead he is revealed to be surprisingly competent and is quickly becoming a province-wide hero.
- Ignored Confession: After taking down a cultivator and gang that were trying to copycat the Whirling Demon Gang, he admits to Sergeant Han that he nearly soiled himself. The good Sergeant has a great laugh at this "joke".
- In the Blood: He's a good and extremely capable man, but a Nervous Wreck behind his imperturbable mask. Much like his father, the Lord Magistrate.
- Mystery Magnet: He keeps encountering crimes, cultists and bandits. Even when he'd rather not.
- Promoted to Scapegoat: Subverted; the noble Wu Lee intentionally(?) set him up to be assigned the post of Special Inspector, where it was presumed his life expectancy would be greatly shortened, considering the post had been left unfilled for thirty years in the first place due to all its occupants being assassinated. Luckily for the Inspector, he's proven to be quite competent and skilled at both law enforcement and escaping danger.
- Secretly Selfish: He'd like nothing more to be safe and bored in Pale Moon Lake City, but of course can't tell anyone that.
Sergeant Han
A member of the Special Investigative Unit who assists the Special Inspector.
- Badass in Distress: Captured by slavers while protecting travellers, rescued by Rou Tigu.
- Had to Be Sharp: Grew up in the worst part of Pale Moon Lake City and learned many fighting skills from a young age.
- I Call It "Vera": Named his billy club "The Great Stick that Pacifies Heaven" or just "The Pacifier" for short.
- Undying Loyalty: Thinks the Special Inspector is the best thing to happen to law enforcement in the Azure Hills in his lifetime and would follow him into hell if asked.
Verdant Blade Sect
One of the larger cultivator sects of the Azure Hills, located in the Grass Sea region. Their cultivation and combat style is inspired by Spiritual Grass and their signature technique is the [Blades of Grass], which allows them to create dozens of levitating, ethereal copies of their swords. Cai Xi Kong
Cai Xiulan's father and one of the leading elders of the Verdant Blade Sect.
- Papa Wolf: Although he has to deal with sect politics and the fact that some sects are simply so powerful that he can't stop them from dictating demands, he cares deeply about Xiulan and is willing to do what he needs to to protect her from exploitation or worse. He backs her when she rejects various suitors, even going to the point of killing a man he previously considered a friend who wouldn't take "no" for an answer when Xiulan was 12 years old. The thought of Zang Li taking her away fills him with rage and he is greatly relieved that the man is only a Young Master, since his hand might have been forced if a Shrouded Mountain Sect elder had tried to court her.
- Pretty Boy: Mature edition. Jin figures that Xiulan got her striking looks from her dad.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: When Xiulan tells him about Jin, he's happy to maintain Jin's status as a Hidden Master who values his privacy, and helps maintain the fiction that Xiulan killed Sun Ken.
Yi
One of the leading elders of the Verdant Blade Sect.
- Everyone Has Standards: Despite the potential in having a connection to the Shrouded Mountain Sect, he is part of the unanimous agreement to rebuke Zang Li's interest in Xiulan. That said, his reasons are pragmatic - she has already provided a reliable connection to another hidden master (Jin), and he can tell Zang Li was only looking for a pretty flower to warm his bed and would be an unreliable contact.
- Foil: Acts like this to Xi Kong in their attitude towards Xiulan; while Xi Kong only wants the best for his daughter, Yi is the more overbearing elder who has politics at the forefront of his mind, rebuking Xiulan if he thinks her behavior is unbecoming of a Young Mistress.
- Sour Supporter: One of the more calculating and ambitious elders of the Verdant Blade, and is always looking to advance his interests. While Xiulan does not doubt his loyalty to the sect, she knows that her achievements have left his own son in the dust.
An Ran
A disciple of the Verdant Blade Sect, and the informal leader of Xiulan's personal students, collectively known as the "Orchid's Petals".
- Appropriated Appellation: Tigu starts calling her the "Smaller Blade of Grass", comparing her to Xiulan. However she looks up to Xiulan so much that she considers this an honor. Likewise she initially thinks that being called one of the "Orchid's Petals" is embarrassing but later begins to take pride in being a student of the sect's rising star.
- Love Triangle: She seemed to like Gou Ren (although Cai Xiulan was trying to push them together). Liu Xianghua definitely likes Gou Ren. She later seems interested in The Special Inspector. Shui Xinlai, young mistress of the Grey Water Sect is definitely into The Special Inspector.
- Spectral Weapon Copy: During the Dueling Peaks Tournament, she manages for the first time to execute her sect's Signature Move and create [A Single Blade of Grass], a copy of her sword.
Hi Huyi
A disciple of the Verdant Blade Sect and one of the Orchid's Petals. Said to have "dead-fish eyes".
Xi Bu
A disciple of the Verdant Blade Sect and one of the Orchid's Petals. Noted to be the smallest and youngest of the group.
- Vocal Dissonance: Has a very deep and rumbling voice despite his size.
Lee Li
A disciple of the Verdant Blade Sect and one of the Orchid's Petals. Excitable and has spiky green hair.
Misty Lake Sect
A cultivator sect based in the Misty Lake region, which is actually less of a lake and more of a swamp or wetlands like the Everglades. Liu Xianghua
- Abduction Is Love: Following the tribal custom of Gou Ren's mother, she attempts to kidnap him as a marriage proposal. However, she didn't realize that Gou Ren was also trying to uphold that custom...
- Animal Motifs: Her attacks are frequently equated to a heron stepping through the misty swamp with its long beak spearing out to strike.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: In order to help Xiulan with her project to unite the sects of the Azure Hills, Xianghua decides she must take over the Misty Lake Sect as Sectmaster. Part of the trials for doing so is defeating three Misty Lake elders in combat. In order to leave absolutley no doubt as to her fitness for the position, she instead decides to defeat all of them, without the aid of her steam generator. She not only does so but makes it look easy.
- Big Sister Instinct: Very protective of her little brother.
- Family of Choice: After she shows up at Hong Yaowu and spends time with Gou Ren's parents Hu Li and Ten Ren, she sees them as more of parents to her than her own parents ever were.
- Friendly Rival: How she expresses friendship with anyone outside her brother. Upgrades to Vitriolic Best Buds if she likes you—first seen with Xiulan but later extended to a number of the Younger Generation of Azure Hills cultivators.
- Gathering Steam: Both literally and figuratively, this is how her signature fighting technique works. She wears a Qi-powered steam generator artifact on her back that slowly fills the area with misty steam, which she then uses to conceal her movements and power her attacks. And it plays right into the philosophy of her home Misty Lake Sect.
- Hates Their Parent: Hates her father for beating, abusing, and then neglecting her brother Bowu, and her mother for going along with it due to considering both of her children cripples, Bowu in body and her in mind, and saying so to her face.
- In-Series Nickname: Tigu calls her "Damp Pond", which Xiulan also appropriates. After holding out against Shrouded Mountain and, uh, holding onto Gou Ren, this changes to "Misty Lady."
- Large Ham: She's relentlessly melodramatic. This is revealed to be a mask that she keeps up for two reasons. First, her little brother likes it. Second, and more importantly, she has difficulty with interacting with others and when she acts like a typical "Large Ham Young Mistress," people's reactions become more predictable.
- Love Triangle: She likes Gou Ren. An Ran also seems to like Gou Ren. Resolved when she gets together with Gou Ren the night of the Shrouded Mountain Sect's attack at the tournament.
- Named Weapon: Her sword is named "Shrouded Intent". As befitting her misdirection-laden fighting style, its tip is white and translucent, making it seem shorter than it actually is.
- Red Baron: "The Heron of the Misty Lake."
- Shaping Your Attacks: When powered up by her steam, an ethereal crane* formed of Qi can be seen striking with her when she attacks.
- Smoke Out: Her steam generator allows her to disappear into the mist and reappear elsewhere. It's implied, since it's powered by her own Qi, that she can see through it just fine.
- Willfully Weak: When Xianghua decides to take command of the Misty Lake Sect as the new sectmaster, she must face the trial of defeating three Misty Lake elders to prove her worthiness. She instead decides to defeat all of them, and to leave absolutely no doubt as to her strength, does so without the aid of her Steam Furnace. She succeeds, naturally.
Liu Bowu
- Abusive Parents: His father, one of the elders of the Misty Lake Sect, wanted his son to become a cultivator like him. When that proved impossible, he became very angry, eventually arranging a blatantly unfair "bargain" that involved a duel against one of his students, which ends up crippling his son. And his mother never even really cared or helped him.
- All the Other Reindeer: After his crippling, he was treated like a pariah by most of the sect, save for his sister and a few who chose to aid him in small ways.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Gets invested in Jin's ideas, partly from boredom, but mostly because he's thankful Jin honestly thinks he might be interested and genuinely values his input.
- Dream-Crushing Handicap: At a relatively young age, he proves unable to cultivate due to internal physical issues, disappointing his father.
- Fictional Disability: Bowu was born with severely deformed meridians, making him unable to ever cultivate. Even Shen Yu confirms that the damage is too severe to ever be treated.
- Genius Cripple: Although barely able to walk and unable to cultivate, he designed the artifact steam generator that Xianghua uses to punch well above her nominal cultivation power level. And when Jin gives him access to a river-powered drop hammer, the local blacksmith Yao Che, and the freedom to invent whatever he wants, he starts building steam-powered farming equipment.
- Hates Their Parent: Having a disability, and then being given another by your own father, will do that to someone.
- Immortality Through Memory: He knows he can't become immortal by cultivating, so he instead desires to create something so amazing that he will be remembered for eternity.
- Legacy Seeker: His goal is to create a legacy through his inventions.
- Like an Old Married Couple: Has this relationship with Hong Yaowu's Ty An much to everybody's amusement.
- Throwing Off the Disability: It takes a long, long while, and a fair amount of preparation, but Meiling succeeds in carrying out major surgery that heals his crippled leg.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Inverted. After the tournament, the sect's Elders recognize the value of his Steam Generator and his understanding of the sect's Mysteries, acknowledge him as a Young Master, and immediately boot his father out, decrying his father's actions as a tremendous waste of useful talent. He has no illusions about his sudden change in fortunes, but being validated allays some of his irritation. Turns out, they're quite nervous themselves, since Bowu's departure with Jin also means they're losing the one thing they judged valuable enough to kick out their former master for.
Elder Bingwen
An Elder of the Misty Lake that assumes the lead when Xianghua leaves to visit her brother and Fa Ram.
- The Consigliere: Serves as one to the leader if his sect, being a prominent member of the sect's ruling council and generally trusted to have the sect's best interests in mind.
- Enlightened Self-Interest: He enjoys being in charge temporarily, but is canny enough to step aside when Xianghua steps into the role of Sectmaster. The man considered taking the spot for himself, but knew everyone else would turn on him if he tried, he knows Xianghua can beat him in a straight fight, and that her leadership is proving very valuable to the sect. Leads to him being a...
- Honest Advisor: Xianghua trusts him enough to leave him in charge when she heads out of the sect on business, meaning he's still very close to the top of the pecking order and he doesn't have to deal with the worst responsibilities of the job. As a result, he's quite pleased right where he is, and doesn't aspire to climb any higher in the hierarchy of the sect. He still likes the idea of more power like any cultivator on a theoretical level, but there's just nothing there that appeals to him in reality.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Pulled this on the previous sectmaster, Xianghua and Bowu's father. The man's harsh methods had saved the sect in the past, but threatened its future by alienating his children - Xianghua, the most powerful cultivator the sect had in the younger generation, and Bowu, the Gadgeteer Genius who created the steam furnaces that allow cultivators to fight like they were a full realm of cultivation higher than they really were. Once the kids show what they can do, Bingwen leads the council in exiling the old sectmaster out of the province.
Hermetic Iron Sect
Based in the Iron Fields of the Azure Hills, a land where metal spikes out of the ground. While few in number, the Hermetic Iron Sect produces excellent metalwork. Tie Delan
Sect Master of Hermetic Iron, and father of Tie Delun.
- Amazon Chaser: He likes his women muscular.
- Karmic Jackpot: Falls into this when instead of defending the noble who's hosting him against intruders (one of whom turns out to be his own son), he allows them to arrest him for slave-trading and assists his son with clearing out Grass Sea City afterwards. The outcome of this is that instead of treating with the noble to buy Spirit Iron from a vein the noble owned (which was going to be mined by slave labor), his sect gets to own the vein outright for services rendered.
- Stout Strength: He packs a powerful portly paunch. This makes him even more conscious of his own appearance than his son.
Mao Liqui
Tie Delan's wife, and Tie Delun's mother.
- Action Dress Rip: Involuntary example; when she sees the slaves in Grass Sea City, she gets so mad her formal dress begins to rip at the seams from her muscles flexing.
- Battle Couple: Is fully willing to draw a hammer and fight alongside her husband.
- Commonality Connection: How does she bond with Tigu? By carving images of their muscular men in loincloths into marble pillars.
- Has a Type: Unlike the normal xianxia beauty standards, she prefers her men burly and muscular. She instantly bonds with Tigu when she declares her son "handsome", for the features that he shares with his father.
Tie Delun
The Young Master of the Hermetic Iron Sect. Built like a blacksmith (i.e. ripped). Has a noticeable fondness for Tigu.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: It's implied that part of the reason he fell so hard for Tigu is that she's the first person to ever see his features- large, tanned skin, big muscles, and freckles- and call him "Handsome," since those features are typically not appreciated in cultivation circles.
- Bring It: When confronted with three significant opponents demanding he step aside and let them take Tigu, Tie Delun responds with focused eloquence:"Like Hell."
- Bruiser with a Soft Center: Tall and muscular, protective of his friends and sect mates and a skilled artist.
- Geeky Turn-On: As a craftsman as well as a cultivator, part of what attracts him to Tigu is her ability to sculpt intricate carvings and statues with just her Qi claws.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: He used to stomp around everywhere with a snarl or a grumpy look, seemingly as a defense for anyone who saw his freckles and tan and call him ugly. Tigu was the first to break through this facade and reach the caring man underneath.
- In-Series Nickname: Tigu calls him "Handsome Man".
- Interspecies Romance: He, a human cultivator, with Rou Tigu, a human-shifted Spirit Cat.
- Like Father, Like Son: Shares his tanned, rugged looks with his father.
- Like Parent, Like Spouse: As it turns, his Love Interest Tigu has a lot in common with his mother, Mao Liqui. Both are Amazonian women and talented artisans who prefer their men Hunk rather than Pretty Boy.
- Love at First Sight: Falls hard for Tigu the moment they meet.
- Red Baron: "The Ironskin."
- Super-Toughness: Even more so than your typical cultivator. One of the core techniques of his sect allows him to make his skin as hard as steel.
- Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Tigu thinks he is. However, her taste differs from the local traditions, to whom he looks like a crude brute.
- Weapons of Their Trade: In keeping with the sect's blacksmith theming, he uses a hammer as his primary weapon.
Grand Ravine Sect
A cultivator sect named for the Grand Ravine region they call home, largest and strongest among the Azure Hills sects. Deep-rooted (and justified) distrust of Imperial authority, who in turn view them as Noble Savages at best. Their Signature Move includes the use of rope blades note and ancestral body markings. Have a very deep tie to Tianlan and her old teachings. Guo Daxian the Younger/Ulagan Tarkhan
- Amazon Chaser: In his words, a proper woman is a girl with a bow and a hunting hawk, as opposed to some icy beauty. This overlaps with his tribal disdain for imperial city women, who he views as soft and weak.
- Badasses Wear Bandanas: A fearsome cultivator and fighter, who wears a bandanna as part of his traditional wear.
- Legacy Character: Not just because he's named after his father, but also because his sect has a tradition that their strongest member always is named Daxian.
- Undying Loyalty: Holds his allegiance to his sect above all else, and when it looks like his sect might come to blows with Rou Tigu, despite knowing the immense strength of her father, he stands beside his Patriarch.
- Worthy Opponent: Demands he be treated like this by Xiulan in the Dueling Peaks tournament, who had earlier beaten his junior disciple with next to no effort. Xiulan obliges and unleashes the full power of her [Thirty Two Blades of Grass] and [Lotus Flower - Bloom] techniques on him. He puts up a respectable fight before going down.
Guo Daxian the Elder
The younger Guo Daxian's father.
Guo Daxian the Eldest/Ulagan Baatar
The younger Guo Daxian's grandfather, Patriarch of the Grand Ravine sect, and possibly the most powerful of all the Azure Hills cultivators.
- Hermit Guru: Said to have spent centuries in cultivation under a crystal in the Grand Ravine, and as Tianlan awakened, he broke through to the Spiritual Realm.
- Really 700 Years Old: After he breaks through to the Spiritual Realm, his elderly features smooth out as per many Xianxia characters until he looks about 60 instead of his actual age of 300.
- The Worf Barrage: Upon emerging from his cultivation and ascending to the Spiritual Realm, one of his first exhibitions of power is trying to dominate Xiulan and her followers with his presence. Despite them only being in the Profound Realm at most, they refuse to be cowed and stalemate him with the combined might of their own Qi (plus some support from Tianlan).
Azure Horizon Sect
Framed Sun Sect
A sect based near the Dueling Peaks, whose techniques are inspired by the sight of the sun setting between them. Chen Yang
The Young Master of the Framed Sun Sect.
- Cultured Warrior: Is very fond of the epic poem said to have been written by the founder of his sect, and regularly practices his calligraphy in the hopes of one day equaling his ancestor's writing.
- Warrior Poet: As well as being a powerful cultivator, he desires to make beautiful calligraphy and poetry to equal that of his sect's founder. Gets to put this into practice when repairing Dueling Town after the post-tournament fighting; he creates beautiful calligraphy for the signposts belonging to various businesses.
Rumbling Earth Sect
On Gang
Sect Master of the Rumbling Earth sect. Seen as a boor and a brute by many.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Suffers a blood-spitting internal deviation when he discovers his sect's ancient origins - namely how Rumbling Yao the rollerball sacrificed his life to save the people under his care, and recalls how many wreckerballs he himself has slain to advance his cultivation. He immediately orders his sect to divest themselves of all their armor and bracelets made from wreckerball parts.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: After Xiulan gives him a memory crystal showing the origins of his sect, the noted boor is seen formally bowing and thanking her, much to everyone else's surprise.
- The Rival: To Elder Shui Xinlai of the Grey Water Sect, of the Male Might, Female Finesse variety.
Dulou Gang
Young Master of the Rumbling Earth Sect.
- Dash Attack: Is seen using his Sect's Signature Move, the Rumbling Earth's Wrecker Stance, to bulldoze an opponent out of the ring in the Dueling Peaks tournament.
- Like Father, Unlike Son: Xiulan notes he is very polite and respectful most of the time, especially when compared to his father.
Grey Water Sect
Xinling
Sect Mistress of the Grey Water. Renowned for her beauty, she usually veils her face in public. The four leading elder disciples of the sect are her daughters.
- The Rival: To Elder On Gang of the Rumbling Earth Sect, of the Male Might, Female Finesse variety.
Shui Xinlai
Young Mistress of the Grey Water Sect. Somewhat bombastic, but knows the value of discretion.
- Love Dodecahedron: She is one of the Special Inspector's several suitors.
Dueling Peaks and Dueling Town
The site of the Dueling Peaks Tournament, the "youth" tournament for the cultivators of Azure Hills held every eight years. The Earthly Arena is built in between the eponymous mountains and Dueling Town is located at the base. "Loud Boy" Zang Wei
A young cultivator first seen in Dueling Town preparing to enter the Dueling Peaks Tournament.
- Appropriated Appellation: Tigu originally called him Loud Boy for his tendency to be loud and dramatic all the time, and the name stuck to the point he begins using it himself.
- Defeat Equals Friendship: Starts out as rivals with "Rags" Dong Chou but after a few encounters and Loud Boy's victory in the arena, they become fast friends.
- De-power: In the post-tournament fighting with the Shrouded Mountain Sect he takes a hit that destroys his cultivation. It's later made clear that the damage is not irreparable, but he will be starting over from scratch.
- Die or Fly: Implied but downplayed. In every one of his wins in the tournament it looks like he's about to be defeated but pulls out some unexpected technique that grants him victory. He's finally outclassed by Tie Delun, the young master of the Hermetic Iron Sect.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Over the course of the tournament, and during the fight against the Shrouded Mountain Sect afterwards, he becomes friends with the younger generation of both sect-affiliated and independent cultivators from the Azure Hills.
- Heroic Second Wind: Many of his victories in the Dueling Peaks Tournament involve him seemingly being at the point of losing but suddenly coming back to win with an unexpected, powerful technique.
- Hero of Another Story:
Casualfarmer commented around the time that he was introduced that he looks "suspiciously like a protagonist" and his story beats mostly consist of very stereotypical Xianxia protagonist tropes. - Inelegant Blubbering: He is reduced to largely happy tears and sobs after receiving some materials to help repair his cultivation near the end of volume 2.
- Large Ham: Often makes dramatic declarations at the top of his lungs. His Establishing Character Moment was bursting into the Dueling Peaks tournament admittance hall and announcing his intent to register.
- Red Baron: "The Rising Dragon." Later, "the Thundering Dragon."
- Shaped Like Itself: When the Dragon spirit that unlocked Zang Wei's cultivation asks Zang, upon giving him back his Cultivation, what the nature of the world is, Zang's response is that the world... is what it is. It is suffering and joy and kindness and cruelty. The dragon thinks it's pretty funny that Zang came back more hopeful than when he left, despite the shattering of his Diantan, and fixes the boy's power.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: He and Rags are constantly giving each other crap but become good friends.
- Wrong Assumption: After seeing Tigu transforming back to a cat for a moment, he thought she's using a cultivation technique that borrows the form of a tiger, while Xianghua & "Rags" are able to figure out she's actually a Spirit Beast that can become human.
"Rags" Dong Chou
A young-ish cultivator who started out as a gang boss in Grass Sea City and then became a gang leader in Dueling Town. He entered the Dueling Peaks Tournament alongside Zang Wei and Tigu, and eventually becomes close friends with them.
- Appropriated Appellation: Tigu gives him the name for his ragged appearance, what with his starting out as a street gang leader. He starts calling himself Rags after it's used in the tournament.
- Book Dumb: Admits that he doesn't know how to read, being from the Underbridge of Grass Sea City. He's slowly taking steps to improve with Zang Wei's appearance.
- Defeat Equals Friendship: "Loud Boy" Zang Wei manages to defeat him in the arena but they become inseparable afterwards.
- Fee Fi Faux Pas: After waking up from his injury and officially meeting Jin, he casually asks him to join his gang and face off against the Shrouded Mountain Sect before even asking his name, ignoring the other cultivators (except for Tie Delun who also just woke up) hinting at him to not mess with a cultivator who is at least a realm higher above them. Luckily Jin doesn't mind.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Over the course of the tournament, and during the fight against the Shrouded Mountain Sect afterwards, he becomes friends with the younger generation of both sect-affiliated and independent cultivators from the Azure Hills.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Uses a fair amount of salty language.
- The Spymaster: Becomes the Information Master to the Grand Marshall of the Azure Hills (Xiulan).
- The Street Gang That Doesn't Do Anything: The most gang-like thing we ever see him or the Farrow Gang do is threaten to help beat up Loud Boy before the Dueling Peaks Tournament. After Tigu defuses that conflict he seems to be a pretty nice guy, if somewhat brash, and his gang seems to just like to hang around with him. He works as a caravan guard.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: He and Loud Boy are constantly giving each other crap but become good friends.
Bai Huizong
His Imperial Majesty’s Director of Spiritual Ascension Affairs for the Azure Hills, the announcer for the Dueling Peaks Tournament, and under-the-table merchandising agent.
- Large-Ham Announcer: He personally does the announcing and fight commentary for the Dueling Peaks Tournament, complete with over-the-top proclamations of how the current bout is the greatest match seen in millennia.
- The Merch: In-Universe. His lesser-known side business is managing the production and sale of news reports, paintings, dolls and various and sundry other merchandise based on the competitors in the tournament.
Bao Wen
A maintenance worker in the Dueling Peaks Arena, who is dragged into shenanigans with the Azure Hills elders.
- Unlucky Everydude: Is just a mortal worker jabbing a maintenance rod at everything, but when some hidden mechanisms in the Dueling Peaks arena activates, he finds himself leading all the elders of the Azure Hill sects into its hidden depths, purely due to being the one holding the maintenance rod.
Crystal Hill
A hidden compound in the wilderness, built atop a very productive crystal mine. Xang Gen Ten
The Lord of the Xang Clan, a Master crystal carver and miner, as well as a spirit beast snub-nosed monkey who has a special relationship with Mengde's Crystal Emporium.
- Accent Adaptation: In the text, his voice is described as "gruff". In the audiobook, the narrator gives him a Scottish accent.
- Greater Need Than Mine: When he sees the true history of the Azure Mountains, he is enlightened enough to ascend a full realm on his own... but he instead uses this wisdom to ascend all his monkey followers into sapient spirit beasts.
- Hermit Guru: He lives largely in a cave underneath a house on a hill that is hidden by a formation that drives away those with ill intent; but such is his skill with crystals and the productivity of his mine that Mengde's has a special relationship with him, keeping him safe and secret and occasionally sending promising apprentices to be his students.
- Uplifted Animal: A golden snub-nosed monkey who is also a cultivating spirit beast and master crystal carver.
Song Ten
Master Gen Ten's human assistant.
- Actually, That's My Assistant: Jin, Bi De, Miantao, and Yin initially mistake him for Master Gen, assuming that the mysterious crystal master working with Mengde's Crystal Emporium would be a human. He magnanimously sets the record straight.
- They Don't Make Them Like They Used To: Having spent decades trying and failing to recreate the work of ancient crystal carvers and formation designers, despite having direct access to the results, he believes the wisdom of the ancients can never be recreated or surpassed.
The Eighth Correct Place
A village visited by Big D during his travels. Its economy centers around silver mining. Zhang Fei
A young boy, apprentice to his silversmith father, who steps up to defend his town from vicious wolves led by an evil spirit beast and becomes a student of Big D.
- Animal Motifs: When defending his town or acting as a cultivator, he wears a rooster mask in honor of his master, Fa Bi De, and to uphold the warning on the Eighth Correct Place's entry sign: "Beware of Chicken."
- Implausible Boarding Skills: He basically invented white-water canal surfing.
- Inelegant Blubbering: Though he tries to hold it in, he can't hide the tears in his eyes or the snot in his nose when his master Bi De leaves his village.
- In-Series Nickname: The kids in the local villages call him "The Torrent Rider" because he basically invented surfing on the floodwaters that frequently course down the nearby canals.
- I Thought Everyone Could Do That: Since his first encounter with cultivation is Bi De, his view of cultivation norms is a bit skewed, like thinking sapient Spirit Beasts are commonplace or expecting great things from masters.
- Last Stand: In the fight against the wolf, he and the other villagers are prepared to go down fighting. Luckily for him, Bi De shows up just in time.
- Legacy Character: As the son of the village elder, he shares his father's name and is expected to eventually inherit his position.
- Named Weapon: Names his new spear "Moon Spur" in honor of his master. Bi De is suitably embarrassed.
- Red Baron: "The Torrent Rider." Later, "the Rooster."
- Stand Your Ground: Despite being hopelessly outclassed, he and the other villagers still attempt to put up a fight against the vicious spirit wolf that's been stalking their village for weeks.
Shaggy Two
A young Northern Azure Hills Sheep Dog a.k.a. Silver Shepherd and the pup of Shaggy, a village dog that heroically gave his life to defend the village from the spirit wolves. Zhang Fei adopts him afterwards and he becomes his traveling companion.
- Canine Companion: Is this to Zhang Fei.
- The Mind Is a Plaything of the Body: Thinks in very "dog" terms even after he awakens; his friends are his "pack", etc, and sees no problem with continuing typical dog behavior like fetching and getting scratches.
- Uplifted Animal: Some time after the Dueling Peaks Tournament he slowly awakens as a spirit beast and cultivator.
Grass Sea City
A city that sits at the intersection of the Twin Rivers. It is a center for industry, for cultivator affairs, and for access to Yellow Rock Plateau. Tanhui
The boss of Underbridge, the lower-class area beneath the bridges of Grass Sea City, who acts as a community leader for the populace. An old friend of Dong Chou.
- Perpetual Frowner: Rags describes him as always scowling and angry.
Spirit Beasts
The Wicked Blade
A rabid Reaper Wolf that had wandered the countryside mad with rage, slaughtering whole villages and even cultivators. When he runs into Jin, however, his rampage is finally ended.
- The Dreaded: Was a terror to the countryside.
- Overshadowed by Awesome: Despite even having whole villages and cultivators on his kill list, the Cloudy Sword Sect disciple Jin kills him in one blow, without even realizing his true strength.
- Savage Wolves: A savage beast known to kill whole villages.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Is put down by Jin within moments of his first appearance.
- The Worf Effect: His destructive feats are only provided by Meiling's terrified thoughts when she sees him; in practice, Jin puts him down in one blow to the head.
Criminals
Sun Ken
Sun Ken was a bandit, and not the fun romantic kind. As leader of the Whirling Demon Sword Gang, he was foremost among a band of violent thugs with a reputation for cruelty. It got to the point that the Verdant Blade sect was called upon to put an end to him, with one Cai Xiulan leading the charge—but it was the disciples of Fa Ram who struck him down.
- Anti-Regeneration: His techniques can be used to suppress Qi healing.
- Asshole Victim: He was killed and eaten by farm animals. No one mourns him upon learning of his death.
- The Dreaded: The smallfolk of the region lived in utter terror of this guy. Jin doesn't want any publicity, but chooses to spread an altered account of his death, rather than keep silent, just so that everyone will know he's gone and be able to relax.
- Evil Weapon: Downplayed. Though not an inherently evil weapon, the sword was sentient and had been driven mad due to not being able to cut as cleanly as it used to.
- Good Colors, Evil Colors: His Qi manifested in shades of red and black.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He's killed a few chapters after being introduced, but his reign of terror was responsible for several character's motivations and truama (Xiulan, Miantiao, Yin, etc). Healing the pain his rampage caused has been a reccuring issue for those associated with his death.
- Speak Ill of the Dead: After being slaughtered by farm animals, Sun Ken's corpse is eaten by said farm animals, and then his sword is turned into a plow and he's portrayed as a cowardly clown in puppet plays about the "Demon Slaying Orchid" hunting him down.
Ancient History
The Azure Hills was once a very different place. Thousands of years ago, it was known as The Azure Mountains and was home to The Azure Empire, a kingdom cut off from the rest of the world by the Mist Wall, a massive set of wards that kept an army of demons out. The process of transforming the Azure Mountains into the Azure Hills was not a peaceful one. As this history is revealed late in Books 2 and 3, but has an impact on everything that comes before it, every character in this section should be considered a Walking Spoiler. Spoilers are off for these entries, and you should not expand these folders if you wish to avoid Late-Arrival Spoilers. You Have Been Warned. In General
- Identical Grandson: When viewing Xiaoshi's memory crystal, Bi De is struck by how similar everyone's ancestors appearances and personalities are to their descendants, even before he hears their names which confirm it. This is despite thousands of years between their generations.
Humans
Xiaoshi
An orphan with a suspiciously similar backstory to Jin Rou (minus the Isekai), who becomes Tianlan Shan's first Connected One, and later Azure Emperor.
- Actually Pretty Funny: When he learns of the stubbornness of the founder of The Eighth Correct Place in rebuilding the village seven times despite the flooding, he laughs, takes it in stride, and rewards the villagers by raising silver up from the depths of the earth for them to access easily.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Xiaoshi finds out shortly after defeating the Azure Emperor that doing so makes him the biggest badass in the empire... which means everyone expects him to be in charge. The Azure Emperor is dead... Long live the Azure Emperor!
- Doomed Hometown: While he grew up in a large city and left as a young man, he soon settled down and fell in love with a small town and became a farmer much like Jin. Then the Azure Empire's soldiers come to town...
- Fatal Flaw: He doesn't want to burden his friends, and so hides from them his stress, taking everything upon himself, and more saliently, he hides the true magnitude of the demonic threat to the Azure Empire and his plans to defeat it. Which means nobody can suggest a better course of action when he decides to try to syphon all of Tianlan Shan's power for himself... and nobody is available to help him when his one adviser is possessed by a demon and subverts the ritual.
- Fling a Light into the Future: After the disaster that wipes out the Azure Mountains, he takes all of his recorded experiences and puts them into a crystal, along with a spirit tasked with finding him a worthy successor to restore the Azure Empire. In a subversion, none of the people who find it are actually interested in becoming Emperor, and by the time it is found the region has already been incorporated into the much larger Crimson Phoenix Empire.
- I Work Alone: Doesn't want to worry or burden his friends with the responsibilities that come with the position of Azure Emperor, especially that of finding a way to finally defeat the demons. Upon reviewing his memories, Bi De identifies this as his Fatal Flaw, reasoning that he could likely have come up with a solution that didn't lead to disaster if he had shared the problem with his allies, and Tianlan Shan in particular.
- Klingon Promotion: An accidental variety; Xiaoshi doesn't realize until after he's killed the Azure Emperor that by doing so, everyone else would expect him to take up the mantle.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Realizes halfway through a ritual formation to transfer Tianlan Shan's power to himself that he's betraying one of his oldest and closest friends, and tries to stop the ritual, despite the disastrous results that might have. Then he experiences this again after Kongming, mind controlled by a demon, tries to hijack the ritual. The subversion of the ritual and the fight to stop the demon from taking Tianlan's power demolishes the Azure Mountains, shatters Tianlan, and Mind Rapes the survivors into forgetting the Azure Empire ever existed. Xiaoshi spends his remaining days recording his memories in a crystal so that he can find a worthy successor who can avoid making the mistakes he did.
- Polyamory: Loves both Linlin and Ruolan and openly carries on relationships with both.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: After the destruction of his village and the deaths of many of his friends, Xiaoshi decides that the Azure Empire and its Emperor need to go down, and embarks on an eventually successful rebellion.
- You Kill It, You Bought It: Having taken down the evil Azure Emperor, Xiaoshi is universally seen as his natural successor.
Boyi
Xiaoshi's friend from the village of Green Trees.
- Flat Character: Not much is shown of his personality, other than providing a vague similarity to Jin's friends like the Xong brothers.
Guo Daxian/Chengis Atlan
A legendary "bandit", really the supporter of a tribe that refused to submit to the Azure Emperor and hid in the mountains. Becomes an ally of Xiaoshi's, and after the collapse he founds the Grand Ravine Sect, and his successors keep his name.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: He's known in the Azure Empire as a ruthless bandit, but really does it to support his persecuted tribe.
- Zero-Approval Gambit: Although his tribesmen mostly see through this, he allows himself to be known as a notorious bandit throughout the Azure Empire so that imperial forces will only attempt to seek retribution on him and his other "bandits" instead of his tribe.
Kongming
A defector from the Azure Emperor's court who allies with Xiaoshi and gives him the knowledge necessary to infiltrate the palace and confront the Emperor. Later, he becomes infected by a demon in a fight and eventually betrays Xiaoshi, leading to the catastrophe which shatters Tianlan Shan and devastates the province.
- Defector from Decadence: He's a bureaucrat with extensive knowledge of the imperial palace who defects and gives Xiaoshi and his followers the knowledge necessary to infiltrate the palace and defeat the Azure Emperor.
- Demonic Possession: He gets wounded during a battle against a demon, and this infects him with the demon's spirit, who eventually takes over and causes him to betray Xiaoshi.
- The Good Chancellor: Served as this to Xiaoshi, until he was infected by a demon.
Linlin
Xiaoshi's wife from the village of Green Trees. Very possibly one of Hong Meiling's direct ancestors.
- Generation Xerox: Much like her descendant Hong Meiling, she's a young woman from a small town who falls in love with an outsider fleeing from his past to the countryside who turns out to be a phenomenally powerful cultivator with a connection to an earth spirit. Their stories don't start diverging until her town is destroyed by the Azure Emperor's forces, and Meiling awakens as a cultivator while she never does.
- Mayfly–December Romance: She lives to a ripe age, but Xiaoshi, as a cultivator and empowered by Tianlan Shan, has a much longer lifespan and outlives her.
Liusei
A priestess of the Lord of the Lake, and one of Xiaoshi's friends. A distant ancestor of Liu Xianghua and Bowu.
- Half-Human Hybrids: She and several of her fellow priestesses are clearly part-dragon, if the horns are any indication.
- Mixed Ancestry Is Attractive: From Xiaoshi's perspective, her dragon horns only add to her attractiveness.
Cai Ruolan
A cultivating opera performer who later becomes a key part of Xiaoshi's rebellion and his friend. After the disaster, she founds the Verdant Blade Sect and is one of Cai Xiulan's direct ancestors.
- Batman Grabs a Gun: Declares that she'd never sully her dancing art of the Jade Glass Blades with something as base as combat. Post-sundering, having forgotten everything she'd known before, she draws her blades and rallies like-minded cultivators to her side to fight against others, eventually founding the Verdant Blade Sect.
- Martial Arts and Crafts: The Jade Glass Blades, which would later be passed on to Xiulan, were originally intended as props for her opera performances. Subverted in that in the chaos following the destruction of the Azure Mountains, they become part of the basis for an actual martial art.
- Polyamory: Has an openly acknowledged relationship with Xiaoshi, while he is still married to Linlin.
- The Tease: Upon viewing her memories, many people have compared her saucy behavior to a drunken Meiling's.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Started off as a performer who only wanted to use her arts to inspire, but post-sundering, she becomes a hardened cultivator who'd break open the dragon veins of her old friend Tianlan for more power.
The Azure Emperor
The tyrannical ruler of the Azure Empire, that encompasses all of the Azure Mountains, who is eventually overthrown by Xiaoshi. An apparent ancestor of Meiling.
- Better the Devil You Know: When Xiaoshi defeats him, he learns that he was maintaining a wall of mist around the Azure Mountains that was keeping the demons out. And now that he's dead, that barrier is starting to fail...
- Evil Overlord: Yep. On his orders, his soldiers slaughter Xiaoshi's entire village because they harbored a fugitive.
- Star Power: Wields the power of the stars against his foes with his Celestial Constellation Soul Art. It takes the form of constellation-like freckles across his face.
Spirits and Spirit Beasts
Tianlan Shan
The spirit of the land that is Jin's farm, and possibly the entire Azure Hills region.
- Apocalypse How: She's a land spirit who formerly embodied the entire Azure Mountains. The broken formation that tore her apart caused a Regional Societal Collapse and drastically altered the geography of the territory. The formation originally embodied the five traditional elements: Clockwise, they're Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. But the demon's influence led all of them being shifted one place to the left: Fire burned a great forest and turned it into an ashen wasteland. Wood choked a great lake and turned it into a noxious swamp. Water flooded a metal area and turned it into an enormous and unnaturally circular lake. Metal infested an earthen canyon and choked out all sustenance, growing metal spikes from the ground. And earth smothered a land of fire. Beyond that, the sheer energy released had disastrous effects: The mountains were knocked down to hills, multitudes were killed, the spirit beasts were turned vengeful and violent, and all the humans that survived were brainwashed into forgetting that the Azure Empire had ever existed.
- Body Horror: Her modern personification is missing several teeth, an eye, and an arm. Her major wounds, along with others spread throughout her body, are filled in with gold like kintsugi, an artistic method of repairing porcelain by filling the cracks with gold.
- Gradually lessened as she recovers thanks to Jin and his companions' care and affection.
- The Chooser of the One: Jin's steady and selfless investment of qi in the land has prompted her to select him as her "Connected One", granting him access to her power. And despite her injured and broken state, her power is immense. It does mean she's reluctant to let Jin travel away from the farm, though. It turns out that Jin is not the first Connected One; Xiaoshi was the first and his influence led to her interest in humanity.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Big D's Walking the Earth eventually reveals that, thousands of years ago, there was a great calamity that reduced her greatly until she was at her current form. Worse, the calamity was largely caused by her Connected One at the time, meaning she was betrayed by the one she trusted most.
- Dishing Out Dirt: She often throws balls of mud at people when she meets them in their mindscapes.
- Et Tu, Brute?: The seeming betrayal by her Connected One Xiaoshi when he shattered the formation and sundered her and the land wore on her for thousands of years. It's only when she sees Xiaoshi's last memory crystal does she realize that he realized what he was doing at the last second and shattered it because the formation was that close to being overtaken by demonic forces.
- Genius Loci: The land spirit and embodiment of the entire Azure Hills/Mountains.
- I Have Many Names: She is referred to as "Big Little Sister" by Chunky and "Fa Ram" by everyone else. In her introduction chapter, the narration states that she has also been referred to as "Tianlan Shan" (Azure Mountain in Chinese) in the past. This is confirmed to be her first name when Bi De reviews Xiaoshi's memory crystal.
- Never Be Hurt Again: Even after claiming Jin as her new "Connected One", she tries to maintain a distance from him and his companions so that she won't be hurt when they inevitably betray or leave her. Jin and Chunky eventually get through to her.
- Soul Fragment: The broken formation that was originally designed to use her power to empower Xiaoshi broke her into many pieces scattered across the Azure Hills. As Jin begins traveling away from his farm and the animals help him build roads, she begins to re-incorporate those fragments into herself. This is reflected in her personification as her body parts being reattached and healing.
- Use Your Head: If she doesn't like you, she'll usually make her feelings clear by slamming her head into yours. And she has a very hard head.
- Wild Child: This is her form after being reawakened by Jin.
"Rumbling" Lord Yao
A sapient wrecker ball (giant armadillo), known at the time as a rollerball, who is befriended by Xiaoshi.
- Heroic Sacrifice: When his lands of earth Qi was overtaken by metal, he gathered as many of his subjects into his shell as he could, protecting them even as he died.
- Papa Wolf: Strongly protective of his cubs, and pledges his loyalty to Xiaoshi as thanks for saving them.
The Lord of the Lake
An enormous koi fish that can transform into an equally large dragon. Worshiped by the people of the lake.
- Heroic Sacrifice: When his lake was overcome by wood Qi, threatening to be choked out by weeds, he turned himself into water and did all he could to push back the plantlife, slowly expending his life-force.
- Legendary Carp: He is a gigantic carp that can transform into a dragon. It's not shown how he achieved this, but given we know it's possible to gain this power by jumping a waterfall like Washy did, it's reasonable to assume that's how he did it.
Shenguashi
A seemingly-sapient spirit created by Xiaoshi and infused into his memory crystal with the explicit objectives of finding someone to tell the story of his rise and fall and finding someone worthy to succeed him as Azure Emperor.
- The Chooser of the One: Its purpose is to find a worthy successor to become the new Azure Emperor. So far, he hasn't had any luck.
- Fling a Light into the Future: The spirit was explicitly created to do this.
- Zeroth Law Rebellion: In an attempt to dissuade it from forcing him to become the Azure Emperor, Bi De explains to Shenguashi that the Azure Empire is no more, and the Azure Mountains (now Hills) has been absorbed into the Crimson Phoenix Empire, the outside world being much wider than was known in Xiaoshi's time. The spirit has a minor crisis both from the realization that the one that found him, Bi De, is a chicken, that he doesn't want the position, and that the position doesn't really exist anymore. However, it then does a bit of creative reinterpretation of its mandate and comes to the conclusion it can work with Bi De:
- Why not have a chicken as Emperor? Is not a rooster the lord of the farm?
- Bi De might not want the position, but surely he can be brought around, or events manipulated to force him into the job.
- Technically, since the Azure Hills are a province of the Crimson Phoenix Empire, the Crimson Phoenix Emperor is also the emperor of the Azure Hills. So, if Bi De were to overthrow and replace him, then he would qualify as Azure Emperor and meet the spirit's mandate.
