Characters / Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi - Jin Clan of Lanling

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi - Character Index
Main Characters: Wei Wuxian | Lan Wangji
Five Great Clans: Lan Clan of Gusu | Jiang Clan of Yunmeng (Jiang Cheng) | Jin Clan of Lanling (Jin Guangyao) | Nie Clan of Qinghe | Wen Clan of Qishan
Other Characters: Other Clans | Yi City Group | Miscellaneous Characters

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Jin Clan of Lanling | 兰陵金氏

^{Click here to see the Jin Clan's sigil in the Japanese audio drama art} 

^{Click here to see the Jin Clan's sigil in The Untamed} 

Leader: Jin Guangyao (current), Jin Guangshan (past)
Residence: Golden Carp Tower | 金鳞台
Region: Lanling | 兰陵 (based on modern Shandong)

The foremost clan of the Four Great Clans. As the final winner of the century-long cultivational disruption leading up to the Sunshot Campaign, the Jin Clan of Lanling became the head of the cultivation world — its leader is even referred to as the "commander" of all cultivators, the Chief Cultivator.

Their motif is a specific type of peony, Sparks Amidst Snow (金星雪浪). The direct disciples have a vermilion mark between their eyebrows, which means "opening the doors toward wisdom and aspiration; illuminating the world with the vermilion light".

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General Tropes

• Aristocrats Are Evil: The ancient Chinese version. The Jin Clan are known for their wealth and prestige, and many of its members are corrupt.
• Big, Screwed-Up Family: Jin Guangshan's maliciously ambituous ways and his womanizing breeded a lot of immorality and tension (and even at least one case of incest). The only ones who aren't screwed up are Jin Zixuan and Jin Ling.
• Decadent Court: There are ground rules that all the cultivation clans follow. However, what makes the Jin Clan stand out is not how many prominent cultivators they've harbored, but their infighting over political power. This was particularly the case when the clan was still led by Jin Guangshan, whose ambition to secure power over all the other clans caused more trouble than the Wen Clan ever did.
• Flower Motifs: The clan is symbolised by peonies. These flowers are known as the "king of the flowers" and the "flower of wealth and honor", and as such they symbolize royalty, wealth, virtue, and honor. This sums up the clan's great wealth and prestige pretty well, although not their (lack of) virtue and honor.
• Gold-Colored Superiority: Gold/yellow is the Jin Clan's Color Motif. Aside from being nearly as powerful as the Wen Clan at its prime, they definitely love to flaunt their wealth and their power.
• How the Mighty Have Fallen: They became the most prominent clan after the Wen Clan's demise. However, by the end of the novel they've become the laughingstock after Jin Guangshan and Jin Guangyao's crimes come to light.
• Meaningful Name: Their surname translates to Gold. Fitting for the wealthiest Clan in the setiing who have the color as their main color scheme.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Part of what makes the Jin Clan so powerful is their wealth. Their financial support to the other clans is why they're able to get away with a lot of the shady stuff that they pull behind the scenes and why almost all the other clans act as sycophantic suck-ups to them, especially when they were under Jin Guangshan's leadership.

Jin Guangyao (金光瑶) né Meng Yao (孟瑶) - Lianfang-zun (敛芳尊)

The current leader of the Jin Clan, who succeeded his father Jin Guangshan during the Time Skip. For more information, refer to his character page. (Warning: unmarked spoilers.)

Jin Ling (金凌) - Rulan (如兰)

Voiced by (Mandarin): Su Shangqing (animation), Li Lanling (audio drama - teenager), Jiang Yingjun (audio drama - child), Zhang Si Wang Zhi (web series)
Voiced by (Japanese): Yūki Kaji (animation, web series), Ayumu Murase (audio drama)
Voiced by (Korean): Lee Kyeong-tae (animation)
Played by: Qi Peixin (web series)

Height: 172 cm
Weapon: Suihua | 岁华 (jian)

^{Click here to see Jin Ling in The Untamed} 

"It's true I don't have a mother. But I'm not any less than anyone just because of that! In any case, I'm gonna make everyone see clearly that I'm much stronger than all of you!"

The son of Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan, which makes him the only living legitimate grandson of the direct Jin line. He has a spiritual dog named Fairy, given to him by Jin Guangyao. Because of his personality, he is often nicknamed the "Young Mistress" (da xiao jie) and doesn't have many friends of his age. Despite his bratty attitude, he is otherwise good-natured. Because of the circumstances behind his parents' deaths, Jin Ling hates Wei Wuxian and anyone who practices The Dark Arts.

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• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Due to the adaptations not covering the extra chapters, both the donghua and The Untamed don't show Jin Ling recovering from all the trauma he has to deal with by the end of the main story. Additionally, in the donghua he isn't given the chance to make amends with Wei Wuxian and doesn't handle the Awful Truth nearly as well as his novel counterpart — he's last seen running away in tears after receiving the gift Wei Wuxian meant to give to him for his one-month anniversary.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: Downplayed. He's a little less bratty in the Animated Adaptation, with his Establishing Character Moment making him come across as less of an arrogant Royal Brat and more of a reckless and insecure "Well Done, Son" Guy. His snobby and Jerk with a Heart of Gold personality still remains, however.
• Affectionate Nickname: He's sometimes referred to as A-Ling by his uncles for them to show their affection (even if one of them still says it in a cranky manner).
• Animal Motifs: Jin Ling is associated with dogs in multiple ways.
  • He owns a spiritual dog called Fairy and is very fond of it, as it's been his Only Friend since he was a child.
  • The dog is one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac and is seen as symbol of fortune. While Jin Ling was born into the wealthiest cultivational clan, his life isn't exactly fortunate due to being orphaned when he was only an infant and getting bullied for it.
  • People born in the Year of the Dog have flaws and strengths which match Jin Ling's personality. Jin Ling may be stubborn and emotional, but he's also brave, loyal, and heroic. After receiving proper guidance, he also becomes more responsible and open-minded.
• Berserk Button:
  • Due to his hatred for Wei Wuxian, just the mere harmless mention or demonstration of demonic cultivation will set him off. He gradually changes his stance when he sees demonic cultivation can be used for good and after the real truth about Wei Wuxian comes to light.
  • Downplayed. He quickly gets offended whenever someone makes fun of his dog.
• Be Yourself: When he and Wei Wuxian meet again at Golden Carp Tower, the older man encourages him to be more open and honest about his frustrations towards others while he's young enough to still get away with it.
  Wei Wuxian: When you grow older, you'll find out that there are more and more people you want to beat up, but you'll have to force yourself to get along with them nicely. So, since you're still young, go beat up all the people you want. At such an age, if you don't have a few proper fights, your life won't be complete.
• A Birthday, Not a Break: Downplayed. Although he was blissfully unaware of it at the time due to only being a baby, he lost both his parents around his full-month celebration.
• Bow and Sword in Accord: Jin Ling wields both a sword (as most cultivators do) and a bow, allowing him to switch from close to long-ranged combat.
• Break the Haughty: Going through multiple scary incidents throughout the story finally starts to beat some humility and sense into the boy.
• Catchphrase: Every time Jin Ling is called the Young Mistress, he always responds with, "Who are you calling a young mistress?!".
• Character Development: By the end of the novel, thanks to his experiences with Wei Wuxian and his newfound friendships with the rest of the junior disciples, Jin Ling matures and learns the importance of apologies, gratitude and (most importantly) forgiveness.
• Curiosity Is a Crapshoot: Jin Ling's recklessness and curiosity has thrown him right into danger and near-death situations several times, and it's only thanks to the protagonists that he's not pushing daisies yet:
  • The fiasco with the Heavenly Maiden only happens because Jin Ling carelessly makes a wish to the deity in an attempt to provoke it.
  • Despite the Nie Clan's ancestral hall being heavily guarded, Jin Ling chooses to trespass anyway. This results in him angering the spirits trapped inside and getting Buried Alive in the walls for a while.
  • At Guanyin Temple, he's so deadset on looking for Wei Wuxian that he doesn't hesitate to stop at the eerily quiet temple in the middle of the night to check it out, even when Fairy senses something. He then thinks the wisest thing to do is 1) loudly knock on the door and ask if there's anyone inside, and 2) climb up the walls to see what's going on. He's only lucky that Wei Wuxian is also there to keep him from getting an arrow to the head. Unfortunately, this doesn't save him from being held hostage at the temple with everyone else and forced to witness some disturbing turns of events.
• Determinator: He gets so stubbornly focused on his goals he often further endangers his life in the process.
• Does Not Know How to Say "Thanks": Wei Wuxian notices Jin Ling has trouble expression his gratitude after the latter helps him escape from Jiang Cheng, and gently lectures him about it.
  Wei Wuxian: Young man, sometimes in life, there are a few sappy things one must say.
  Jin Ling: What?
  Wei Wuxian: "Thank you", and "I'm sorry". [...] There'll come a day when you'll say them through tears.
• Embarrassing First Name: Jin Ling finds "Rulan" to be too feminine for his liking, so he avoids using it and dislikes it when other people refer to him by his courtesy name.
• Establishing Character Moment: He's introduced bullying and chasing other cultivators off a night hunt by setting up 400 spirit nets (a very expensive cultivation tool) around a mountain, which summarises his Royal Brat personality pretty well.
• Flower Motifs: The "lan" from his courtesy name (Rulan) means "orchid". The orchid is one of the Four Gentlemen, which refers to four special plants that are commonly used in Chinese art. The orchid in particular symbolizes nobility and humility. Nobility is something that Jin Ling has always had since birth in terms of status, but in terms of moral character, he has to learn to grow into that role, something that (alongside humility) is taught through his experiences in the novel.
• Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: Downplayed. Neither the protagonists nor the junior disciples hold the stabbing incident against him; but when Jin Ling later attempts to approach Wei Wuxian at the Burial Mounds, he's stopped by Lan Wangji, Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi, who are all wary and fear that he might harm him again.
• Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Jin Ling having issues is inevitable given that he lost both his parents when he was only an infant, and it's only natural that his other relatives do their best to coddle him as compensation for his losses. However, as other cultivators point out, it doesn't mean he should be spoiled and enabled in getting his way every time — if every orphan was raised in such a manner, it wouldn't bode well for either themselves or anyone else.
• Friendless Background: Even though he's the heir to the Jin Clan, he has no positive relationships with the rest of his generation in the clan, being bullied and ostracized by them. This is why he tends to act alone or go with his maternal uncle, Jiang Cheng. However in the "Iron Hook" extra, he's shown to have gotten closer to the rest of the juniors even though he won't outwardly admit that they've become friends.
• Generation Xerox:
  • Jin Ling truly is his father's son. Like Jin Zixuan, he:
    • Is not the nicest person around and has attitude problems that need fixing. Similar to his father aka the "male princess", his proud personality even earns him the mocking nickname "Young Mistress". However, Jin Ling's heart is in the right place and he will help those in need, reflecting his father's noble side.
    • Likes dogs and owns one. Funnily enough, Fairy frightening Wei Wuxian also mirrors how Jin Zixuan's dog did the same to him when it was let loose outside the Cloud Recesses.
    • Has no idea of the Jin Clan's corruption and dirty dealings, and suffers the consequences of it (although he avoids his father's fate and makes it out alive).
    • Gets off on the wrong foot with Wei Wuxian because of his attitude. The latter is more forgiving and gentle towards Jin Ling than he ever was with Jin Zixuan, but he does remark in frustration how the boy inherited many of his father's flaws. Similar to Jin Zixuan, Jin Ling also make an effort to improve his relationship with Wei Wuxian later on; he's fortunately able to make amends with him without having to die for it, unlike Jin Zixuan who inadvertently met his untimely demise as a result.
  • Jin Ling takes a lot after his maternal uncle and guardian Jiang Cheng, both personality and story-wise.
    • They're both quick-tempered, violently passionate about the things or people they hate, and driven to prove themselves to those who they feel look down on them.
    • They experienced similar losses when young, which shaped them into the people they are today. They both lost their parents due to an incident that (in)directly involved Wei Wuxian, have murderous hatred for him and other demonic cultivators as a result, and they carry the weapons of their parents as Tragic Keepsakes (Suihua and Zidian, respectively). By the epilogue, Jin Ling also becomes the last of his family and gets shouldered with the responsibility of leading his clan at a young age, mirroring his uncle after Lotus Pier was burned down.
    • By the epilogue, they let go of their hatred for Wei Wuxian after learning that everything involving him wasn't as simple as it seemed. The only difference is that while Jin Ling also mends bridges with Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng remains distant.
  • While Wei Wuxian laments that Jin Ling doesn't take more after Jiang Yanli, the one thing the son and mother duo do have in common is their capacity to forgive.
• Glory Seeker: Jin Ling is a capable cultivator, but he is very eager and determined to take down rare and dangerous creatures for prestige. This is partly due to his uncle pressuring him to attain a big achievement from a night-hunt as soon as possible, partly because Jin Ling wanted to prove himself that even as an orphan he's still plenty capable, and partly because Jin Ling grew up learning about how the previous generation was already fighting wars and slaughtering powerful monsters at a young age. Wei Wuxan — who knows all too well just how War Is Hell — is quick to attempt to discourage him from that mindset. Jin Ling eventually stops being this after assuming the role of clan leader.
• Heroes Love Dogs: Jin Ling is a rude kid with a genuinely nice side to him, and he treasures his dog and Only Friend Fairy.
• Hidden Depths: Despite his hot-headedness and tendency to act before thinking, Jin Ling has proven to be silver-tongued if needed, such as when he distracts Jiang Cheng's attention from Wei Wuxian by claiming to have seen Wen Ning somewhere else.
• Hypocrite: At Yi City, Jin Ling gets appalled when Wei Wuxian "lets" himself in an old woman's house (by jamming his foot onto the door so she wouldn't be able to close it), despite being rude and inconsiderate enough to knock down a vendor's stall because said vendor pissed him off by saying Wei Wuxian's name.
• Inferiority Superiority Complex: He acts arrogant because he's the heir to the Jin Clan and thus holds himself to impossibly high standards.
• Insult of Endearment: Lan Jingyi and the other juniors refer to him as the Young Mistress due to his temper, but the nickname becomes more friendly on their part the closer they get to him. While Jin Ling doesn't get too angry about it anymore, he still finds the nickname insulting.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Despite being a Royal Brat, he can still be rational and bring up good arguments.
  • When Jiang Cheng scolds him for not lighting a distress signal, Jin Ling reminds his uncle of his earlier threat of not having to come back to him if he failed to capture any prey. Even Jiang Cheng reluctantly admits that his nephew's not wrong.
  • At Yi City, when Wei Wuxian plans to rescue and shelter a blind swordsman, a wary Jin Ling protests with the reasoning that the guy may actually be a bad person. As heartless as he seems here, his suspicions turn out to be correct — the swordsman in question is actually Xue Yang.
  • He points out to Jiang Cheng that his tendency to act on his anger first and reason last is what drives Wei Wuxian further away.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Even at his brattiest, Jin Ling is no doubt brave with a strong sense of responsibility. He does slowly lose the bratty side as the story progresses.
• Last of His Kind: It's unknown if Jin Guangshan has any other illegitimate children who aren't dead yet, but Jin Ling is the remaining legitimate member of the Jin bloodline following Jin Guangyao's demise at Guanyin Temple.
• Leeroy Jenkins: While he's brave, he's also pretty reckless in battle as he tends to charge first and think later.
• Like a Son to Me: Wei Wuxian notes that Jin Guangyao may be treating Jin Ling the same way he would have treated his own son if it weren't for his untimely death. This takes a much darker turn after the true circumstances behind Jin Rusong's death is revealed, and when Jin Guangyao holds Jin Ling hostage at Guanyin Temple.
• Locked Out of the Loop: He has no idea just how messed up most of his relatives are and their involvement in the many things that went wrong after the Sunshot Campaign.
• Mage Marksman: In the donghua, he channels spiritual energy into his arrows to strengthen or multiply his shots.
• The McCoy: He's emotional and irritable compared to the other two major junior disciples Lan Sizhui (who's logical and composed) and Lan Jingyi (who's Hot-Blooded but nevertheless capable of acting as a voice of reason). While he frequently squabbles with the latter due to both being snarky teens, he can also get tense with Lan Sizhui due to their clashing perspectives.
• Morality Chain: He and Jiang Cheng practically love to argue, but there's nothing the latter wouldn't do for his nephew's well-being, and not any monster, spirit, or even the authority of the other clan leaders can get in the way of that. Despite Jiang Cheng's issues and antagonistic personality in the present timeline, Jin Ling is the one person keeping him from fully losing it.
• Neat Freak: Implied. Jin Ling grew up in a wealthy clan where he's given a lavish life, hence he isn't used to being in dingy and dusty places and easily gets grossed out when he's in such surroundings.
• Nephewism: Because his parents died early and his paternal grandparents followed soon after, he was mainly raised by his uncles from both sides of the family.
• Nice Mean And In Between: While he means well, he's the rudest out of himself and his fellow disciples Lan Sizhui (the most polite) and Lan Jingyi (mouthy but also friendly).
• Not So Above It All: While he usually acts snobbish when around others especially the juniors, he does show that he can also have fun or let loose his childish side. He goes along with Wei Wuxian's prank with A-Qing, he gets excited when he beats up the juniors of his clan bullying him, and gets into a bumping match with one of them in the Burial Mounds since he was tied up and couldn't do anything else.
• Orphan's Ordeal: He's been dealing with the pain of being parentless his entire life. Even as a young teen, Jin Ling continues to harbor bitter feelings over how he never got to know either his mom or his dad and how everyone else looks down on him for it.
• Real Men Hate Affection: Downplayed. Due to facing either neglect, ridicule, or Tough Love his whole life, Jin Ling has no idea how to react when someone extends a gentle and comforting hand to him. As a result, he's aversive to any form of affection and gets embarrassed easily.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: The "Iron Hook" extra shows that, while Jin Ling is still getting used to managing his clan, he already knows his responsibilities and never spurns anyone who asks for help, listening to their concerns and not caring about their rank.
• Royal Brat: While he proves early on to have a good heart deep down, he still acts like a pompous, brash and sometimes entitled teen because he's next in line to be the leader of the rich and prestigious Jin Clan. Many people comment on his brattiness behind his back, with Lan Jingyi and Wei Wuxian even referring to him as the Young Mistress because of his status and temper. It's implied he acts this way because he's not only never had any friends his age to interact with, but also due to pride. The dangers he faces and the friends he makes throughout the story help him grow out of this trope.
• Security Blanket: His father's sword, which he carried around even as a young child. Whenever he cried as a baby, he could only be comforted by holding the tassel of the sword. When some bullies tried to pry it away from him as children, he immediately retaliated by hitting and biting them. After the Second Siege, he breaks down crying at the docks and clutches the sword in his arms until he calms down.
• Shared Family Quirks: He inherited Jiang Cheng's poor naming sense, and also got both his maternal uncle and his father's tsundere tendencies.
• Spanner in the Works: He unintentionally thwarts Jin Guangyao's attempts to flee with his life. By following Wei Wuxian to Guanyin Temple and getting taken hostage by his uncle, Fairy (who manages to escape) is able to lead Jiang Cheng to where they are — this causes further delays in the Jin Clan leader's plans and effectively seals his fate.
• Strong Family Resemblance:
  • Downplayed with his uncles. Jin Ling's described to strongly resemble Jiang Cheng, to the point of looking like brothers. In The Untamed, he looks like not just his maternal uncle but also his paternal uncle Jin Guangyao.
  • He has some resemblance to at least one parent. In the novel, when he breaks into a sob while trying to come to terms with Wen Ning not being the monster he thought he was, Wei Wuxian notes that he looks like a crying Jiang Yanli. In the donghua and manhua, he's a perfect blend of his parents' physical features, including his mother's bangs and his father's arrogant facial expressions.
• Token Good Teammate: Jin Ling is among the very few members of the Jin family who's not involved in any shady business.
• Took a Level in Kindness: He softens his personality as a result of his Character Development. By the time of the "Iron Hook" extra, although still a Tsundere, he's not as haughty and reckless as he used to be and has lost his spoiled attitude and his vengeful edges.
• Tragic Keepsake: Suihua is the only thing he has left of his parents. One of the few times he breaks down is when someone tries to take it away.
• Tsundere: His most defining characteristic amongst the younger generation is his inability to express his nice side in a non-cranky manner. He gets it from both his uncle and his father. One of the donghua's advertisements even refers to him as an ao jiao (傲娇), which is essentially the Chinese translation of the word "tsundere".
• The Unapologetic: Jin Ling has no idea how to say sorry. He struggles to grow out of this after stabbing Wei Wuxian, and it's hinted that he looks for him in Lotus Pier after the Second Siege because he wants to apologize for what he did.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Neither would admit it, but he develops a good friendship with Lan Jingyi even if all they do is bicker.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: What fuels Jin Ling's Inferiority Superiority Complex is his desire to impress his uncle Jiang Cheng, which is easier said than done.
• Wise Beyond Their Years: While he's introduced as stubborn and bratty, his Character Development shows that he has a higher emotional maturity than one would first expect from him. He's also one of the few to acknowledge and accept several harsh truths that most of the adults around him fail, refuse, or take much longer to understand.
• You Killed My Father:
  • He hates Wen Ning for his father's death (and indirectly his mother's) and is immediately set on killing him when it's discovered the Ghost General is alive. In the climax, Jin Ling finally able to let go of his grudge when Wen Ning saves his life.
  • When Wei Wuxian gets his cover blown, Jin Ling reacts by stabbing him as revenge for causing his parents' deaths but feels no satisfaction from it. By the epilogue, he can no longer bring himself to hate him and even begins to get close to him.
• Young and in Charge: By the epilogue, Jin Ling succeeds Jin Guangyao as the leader of the Jin Clan despite being no older than 15.

Qin Su (秦愫)

Voiced by (Mandarin): Qian Chen (animation), Ye Zhiqiu (audio drama)
Voiced by (Japanese): Sayaka Ohara (audio drama)
Played by: Jin Luying (web series)

^{Click here to see Qin Su in The Untamed} 

"You treat me well... You do treat me well... But I... I'd rather that I never met you!"

Jin Guangyao's wife.

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• Affectionate Nickname: Jin Guangyao calls her "A-Su" to show his love.
• Beware the Nice Ones: She is courteous even to those she is not comfortable with, such as the infamous ex-disciple "Mo Xuanyu". She is also capable of screaming slander and slapping someone she is angry with, as Jin Guangyao finds out the hard way when she learns the truth behind their marriage and son's death.
• Child by Rape: It is revealed that Jin Guangshan forced himself on Madam Qin, resulting in Qin Su's birth.
• Happily Married: Qin Su and Jin Guangyao's marriage is admired by many, due to how well they get along and how much they respect each other. Everything changes when she finds out the disturbing background behind their marriage...
• Hidden Depths: Wei Wuxian speculates that one reason Qin Su killed herself was because she (correctly) predicted that she would become the subject of mockery and gossip once the truth about her marriage is revealed to the public — hinting that she is, on some level, aware of the two-faced nature of the cultivation world.
• Outliving One's Offspring: While she is alive in the present timeline, her son was tragically murdered during the Time Skip when he was just a few years old.
• Rescue Romance: She fell in love with Jin Guangyao when he saved her during the Sunshot Campaign, and ever since then she was determined to marry him, which she eventually succeeded at.
• Sanity Slippage: When she learns the Awful Truth about how she and her husband are blood relatives and how their son might have really died, she subsequently loses it and is beyond help.
• Small Role, Big Impact: She only appears in two chapters and isn't mentioned much afterward, but her presence is connected to a good deal of shocking and damning information about Jin Guangyao.
• Surprise Incest: Jin Guangshan had raped her mother, the wife of his subordinate, resulting in her birth. No one but her mother knew. Qin Su then went on to fall in love with and marry Jin Guangyao, who only learned of their relation after their wedding date was set. Qin Cangye was loyal enough to Jin Guangshan that his wife was deathly afraid of telling him about who Qin Su's biological father is, which also why Jin Guangyao couldn't easily back out of his engagement with Qin Su even after learning about how they're half-siblings, because the political backlash that would occur would be too grave. Additionally, by the time he knew of their relationship, she was already pregnant – and, due to his childhood, he is extremely familiar with the way the cultivation world scorns women and children for the sins of their fathers. He never touches her again after the wedding. She is horrified when she learns many years later.
• Token Good Teammate: She has nothing to do with the Jin Clan's misdeeds and is completely unaware of them.

Jin Chan (金阐)

Voiced by (Mandarin): Lin Maomao (audio drama - teenager), Zhao Xiaojiang (audio drama - child)
Voiced by (Japanese): Shouta Hayama (audio drama)
Played by: Liu Yinjun (web series)

^{Click here to see Jin Chan in The Untamed} 

"What's wrong with teaching a lesson to an indecent disciple of our clan?"

A disciple of the Jin Clan.

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• Bit Character: Besides being a Jin Clan disciple whom Jin Ling isn't on good terms with, he doesn't have much of a role in the story.
• The Bully: His only significant role in the story is to pester Jin Ling, showing Wei Wuxian how the latter doesn't get along with anyone in his clan. The audio drama reveals that Jin Chan has been bullying Jin Ling since they were kids.
• Depending on the Artist: While he has a fringe, wears his hair in a bun and is around the same size as Jin Ling in the manhua design, in the donghua he has a more hulking build and wears his hair in a ponytail with no fringe.
• Hypocrite: He calls out Jin Ling for summoning his dog whenever they fight, but he himself brings a few disciples with him whenever he is accosting him. Jin Ling mentions to Wei Wuxian that Jin Chan does this because he could never win against him in a one-on-one fight.
• Jerkass: He is a bully that pushes Jin Ling's buttons for no reason and mocks him for being an orphan. Disturbingly, he is still a saint compared to most of the Jin Clan, who are rife with crime.
• Kick the Dog: To drive home how much of a bully he is, he has no qualms with mockingly bringing up Jin Ling's deceased parents unprovoked, just to agitate him.

Jin Guangshan (金光善)

Voiced by (Mandarin): Li Longbin (animation), Xiao Tan (audio drama), Yang Mo (web series)
Voiced by (Japanese): Sho Hayami (animation, audio drama, web series)
Voiced by (Korean): Bak Sang-hun (animation)
Played by: Shen Xiaohai (web series)

^{Click here to see Jin Guangshan in The Untamed} 

"Women who've read some books always think they're a level higher than the other women. They're the most troublesome, with so many demands and unrealistic fancies."

The late leader of the Jin Clan.

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• Abusive Parent: While nothing hinted at him being a terrible father to Jin Zixuan, his many illegitimate children didn't enjoy the same treatment. The abuse and neglect he subjected them to basically caused much of the novel's plot.
• Adaptational Attractiveness: Downplayed. In the novel, while described as handsome, he was also said to have a boxy face. In the donghua, however, he looked more youthful and slender.
• Adaptational Villainy: In case he wasn't wretched enough in the novel, in the donghua it's implied that he deliberately set the events in Qiongqi Path and in the Nightless Immortal Capital so that Wei Wuxian would lose control of his powers, which would make it easier for Jin Guangshan to rally all the other clans against Wei Wuxian.
• Ambition Is Evil: He plotted to make his clan the most powerful and replace the Wen Clan at the top of the cultivation clans, and he resorted to immoral tactics to do so.
• Depending on the Artist: Downplayed. His appearance is the same in the donghua and the manhua, but his hair color is brown in the former while it's black in the latter.
• Evil Overlord: Jin Guangshan was antagonistic towards Wei Wuxian and also power hungry, being very eager to expand the Jin Clan's influence and dominance over the rest of the cultivation world. He was even the one to come up with the Chief Cultivator position, in hopes of taking it for himself and abusing it for his clan's benefit.
• Faux Affably Evil: He may had acted polite on the surface, but any courtesy he showed was purely skin-deep and barely hid his pure despicability.
• Henpecked Husband: Downplayed. It's stated a few times that Jin Guangshan was afraid of incurring his wife's wrath, but it didn't stop him from fooling around with other women (which was the reason she was furious with him in the first place).
• I Have No Son!: Implied. When asked about Jin Guangyao by some of his mistresses, he replied with, "Son? Forget it." This is what finally prompted Jin Guangyao, who overheard the entire conversation, to kill him.
• Ironic Name: The guang and shan in his name translates to "light" and "kindness", respectively, and neither accurately describes his character at all.
• Miles Gloriosus: Despite not actively participating in the Sunshot Campaign and only joining forces with the other clans at the last second, the way he played up his role would make any unknowing cultivator think otherwise. What's worse is that most of the clans buy it and act as if he contributed the most to the war.
• Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: As if he wasn't immoral and vile enough, not all of his mistresses willingly slept with him (such as Qin Su's mother). Fittingly, he also died by gang rape, by the order of one of his sons.
• Really Gets Around: He was infamous for the many women he slept with and the many illegitimate children that resulted from it. Bonus points for his children being responsible for (or at least involved in) many of the story's conflicts.
• Stay in the Kitchen: He believed that the only things women need to learn in life is how to look pretty and warm a man's bed. The reason why he didn't take in Meng Shi and her son was because she could read, and he found educated women to be troublesome.

Jin Zixuan (金子轩)

Voiced by (Mandarin): Gu Jiangshan (animation), Liu Mingyue (audio drama), Shi Zekun (web series)
Voiced by (Japanese): Kenji Akabane (animation, web series), Hiroki Takahashi (audio drama)
Voiced by (Korean): Kim Hyun-wook (animation)
Played by: Cao Yuchen (web series)

Height: 185 cm
Weapon: Suihua | 岁华 (jian)

"Don't think that just because you come from a powerful clan that you can steal and trample other people's feelings. Some people, even if they come from poor backgrounds, their character are much better than the former's."

The only legitimate son of Jin Guangshan, Jin Guangyao's older half-brother, Jiang Yanli's husband and Jin Ling's father. His death marked the beginning of Wei Wuxian's frame-up and downfall.

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Tropes that apply to Jin Zixuan in general

^{Click here to see Jin Zixuan as a teenager} 

• Adaptational Early Appearance: His first appearance in the novel is when he was confronted (and pummeled) by Wei Wuxian about his negative feelings towards Jiang Yanli. The donghua and The Untamed introduces him right at the beginning of the Flashback Arc (at the Cloud Recesses and in Caiyi town, respectively).
• Adaptational Jerkass: He confronted Jiang Yanli more aggressively in the donghua and manhua when he mistakenly thought she stole credit from the maid who's been giving him soup (although he appeared even more remorseful in the donghua afterward). The worst he did in the novel was give her a blunt speech about character and integrity, but even then he never laid a hand on her.
• Always Someone Better: He was Jin Guangshan's only legitimate son and outranked Jin Guangyao in terms of practically everything, such as appearance, cultivation ability, and reputation. The latter felt some resentment towards him as a result.
• Animal Motifs: Wei Wuxian frequently calls him a peacock, as he's said to be quite vain about his looks. Peacocks commonly represent beauty, and they also symbolize dignity, divinity, rank, and power, all of which the Jin Clan are associated with.
• The Atoner: It becomes obvious later on that Jin Zixuan's courting of Jiang Yanli post-Sunshot Campaign was also his attempt to make up for how dismissive he was of her back then. In an audio drama extra, he even outright apologized for his actions and promised to treat her well from now on.
• Brutal Honesty: He didn't really mince his words about anything.
• Character Development: Downplayed. Even when he was quite the prick, he was always a moral man who wouldn't hesitate to do what's right. When he grew into an adult and after he fell in love with Jiang Yanli, he became less and less of a prick.
• The Dandy: According to Wei Wuxian, Jin Zixuan was narcissistic and very conscious about his appearance. He even called him a peacock for it.
• Deceased Parents Are the Best: He, along with his wife Jiang Yanli, were one of the few loving parents in the story. Tragically, they died when their son Jin Ling was barely a month old.
• Easily Forgiven: Downplayed. Despite still holding feelings for him, Jiang Yanli kept her distance from Jin Zixuan after he wrongly accused her of taking credit for the soup she made him, and she wasn't comfortable around him at the Phoenix Mountain Hunt because she assumed he was only accompanying her out of obligation. However, once Jin Zixuan made his feelings for her clear and revealed he was the one to invite her, she was amused and eventually married him, implying she forgave him for wronging her.
• Endearingly Dorky: Jiang Yanli found Jin Zixuan's affectionate side to be hilarious and sweet, especially since he had a habit of stumbling in his words and getting flustered whenever he tried to be romantic.
• Everyone Has Standards: Part of what made him so proud was his status as the heir to the Jin Clan. However, even he disagreed with anyone using their authority to oppress and terrorize other people, which made him one of the first to stand up to the Wen Clan.
• Family Man: From the little time he got to spend with his wife and infant son, it was clear he loved them dearly and was fiercely loyal to them. His last moments have him thinking of his family and telling Wei Wuxian that Jiang Yanli was waiting for him.
• Fatal Flaw: He had a bad habit of immediately acting without taking a moment to learn the full picture first, even though he was acting with good intentions. Such examples include accusing Jiang Yanli of taking credit for making him soup and trying to talk down Wei Wuxian despite the latter being outnumbered and ambushed by Jin Zixun. The first incident left him beaten up and mortified by his misunderstanding, and the second incident cost him his life due to Wei Wuxian's resentment unintentionally triggering Wen Ning to impale him.
• Happily Married: Although it took a lot for them to get there (including one cancelled arranged engagement), he had a successful and happy marriage with Jiang Yanli and was very open with her. Even when he was impaled and about to die, his main priority was to tell Wei Wuxian that his wife was waiting for him.
• Horrible Judge of Character: Downplayed. Even putting aside that he had no idea about his clan's sinister motives, Jin Zixuan didn't seem to realize just how clearly unpleasant so many of his clansmen were. He sincerely thought that Wei Wuxian would be able to get a fair trial in Golden Carp Tower — couldn't be further from the truth, especially since his father was one of the main instigators of the public's denouncement of Wei Wuxian.
• Jerkass Realization: Although it required a few beatdowns, Jin Zixuan eventually realized just how horrible he had been to Jiang Yanli, which sparked his Love Epiphany and his attempts to court her.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He may not had been the nicest nor friendliest person, but he truly loved his family and would do what's right. And while he might not had liked Wei Wuxian, he understood and accepted how important he was to Jiang Yanli and even invited him to Jin Ling's full-month celebration.
• Like Father, Unlike Son: While his father Jin Guangshan was lecherous, ambitious to the point of immoral and a horrible father and husband, Jin Zixuan was far more honourable and treasured his family.
• Locked Out of the Loop: It's implied Jin Guangshan kept him in the dark about the seediest activities of the Jin Clan. For example, Jin Zixuan invited Wei Wuxian to Jin Ling's party with genuinely good intentions, unaware that his father and cousin were going to use the invitation as an excuse to ambush and assassinate Wei Wuxian.
• Not Good with Rejection: Downplayed. Wei Wuxian observed that Jin Zixuan wasn't used to being spurned, given his status as a handsome and rich man as well as a skilled cultivator. Jin Zixuan's offended reaction when he noticed that Jiang Yanli was feeling uneasy around him during the Phoenix Mountain Hunt says it all.
• Perfectly Arranged Marriage: Zig-zagged. He was betrothed to Jiang Yanli as children thanks to their mothers being good friends. However, back then he had no interest in marrying her, and their fathers broke off the engagement after seeing how unhappy they were with it. Despite all this, he eventually reciprocated Jiang Yanli's feelings and they later married out of their own free will.
• Pride: He was a prideful man since his teens, and this is what initially got in the way of his Character Development. While Jin Zixuan was ashamed about his actions towards Jiang Yanli and wanted to make up for it, he was still quick to get angry whenever Wei Wuxian got in his way even though he had good reason to be wary of his intentions. When he got the chance to personally chat with Jiang Yanli, he quickly got offended when he sensed that she felt uncomfortable around him — he would have permanently ruined his last chance at making amends with her, had it not been for outside circumstances that allowed him to finally swallow any pride he had left and properly confess to her.
• Royal Brat: Downplayed. He was the haughty and conceited heir of the Jin Clan, although he never went out of his way to antagonize the people around him as a teen. It took a few Humble Pies for him to finally grow out of his conceitedness.
• Strong Family Resemblance: The donghua shows that he took after his parents (especially his mother) in the appearance department.
• Token Good Teammate: He was the one of the very few members of the Jin family who wasn't driven by greed nor ambition.
• Tsundere: He was aloof and snappy by default, but showed a softer side if his loved ones were involved (namely his wife and son). Even then, his attempts to show his feelings were often awkward and resulted in him being even more snappy or showing a lot of embarrassment. A shining example was when he refused to admit to Jiang Yanli he was the one who invited her to the Phoenix Mountain Hunt, then blurted it out as a Love Confession and ran for his life with a Luminescent Blush.

Tropes that apply to Jin Zixuan in The Untamed only

• Adaptational Jerkass:
  • Unlike the novel, in the series he openly sided with his father's plans in demanding the Yin Tiger Tally from Wei Wuxian. He also didn't protest when Wei Wuxian was labelled an enemy nor bat an eye to the inhumane treatment of the remaining Wens. While his love for Jiang Yanli was still sincere, there's his questionable action of preventing her from visiting Wei Wuxian. None of this happened in the novel, where it's implied at worst that he wasn't present in the events where his clan antagonized and vilified Wei Wuxian.
  • In the novel, one of his kinder moments involved him inviting Wei Wuxian to Jin Ling's full-month celebration with no ulterior motive nor any idea what the rest of his family really had in mind for Wei Wuxian. In the live-action drama, he wasn't not the one who gave the invitation, and didn't protest his father's plans in using the invitation as an opportunity to force Wei Wuxian to surrender the Yin Tiger Tally. The only silver lining was that he had no idea that his father and cousin also plotted to kill Wei Wuxian.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: In spite of his Adaptational Jerkass moments, he was also softer than his novel counterpart in other ways. While he initially didn't like his Arranged Marriage to Jiang Yanli, he never thought badly of her in particular and always acted gentlemanly towards her prior to the soup incident at Langya (which he still ended up regretting later on),
• Bystander Syndrome: Because the live-action drama had Jin Zixuan get more involved (or at least more awareness) with the Jin Clan's plans following the Sunshot Campaign, he came off as rather unproactive even when people's wellbeings were at stake.
• Innocently Insensitive: Jin Zixuan looked excited when his father asked Jiang Cheng to reconsider the former's cancelled engagement and looked offended when Jiang Yanli declined due to being too busy with rebuilding Lotus Pier. While he only instinctively reacted that way because his crush was concerned, it still made him appear unsympathetic since he seemed to forget that Jiang Yanli had legitimate reasons to not want to think about marriage just yet (namely because it hasn't been that long since her parents died and she's still mourning them).

Madam Jin (金夫人)

Voiced by (Mandarin): Zhang Kai (animation), Liu Qianhan (audio drama)
Voiced by (Japanese): Kozue Harashima (animation)
Played by: Hu Xiaoting (web series)

^{Click here to see Madam Jin in The Untamed} 

"A-Li, please don't be angry. Tell me what stupid thing that stubborn brat of mine did to you this time. I'll tell him to make it up to you properly."

Jin Guangshan's wife, and Jin Zixuan's mother.

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• Adaptational Jerkass: In The Untamed, Madam Jin explicitly told Jiang Yanli that Wei Wuxian was dangerous and that she should stay away from him. She said no such thing in the novel, and the only thing she warned Jiang Yanli of was the possibility of gossip if she was seen walking alone with another man — which wasn't said out of any particular animosity towards Wei Wuxian himself.
• Affair? Blame the Bastard: Madam Jin was always harsh with Jin Guangshan's bastard son Jin Guangyao, and she started venting out her anger over her husband's infidelity on the latter after Jin Zixuan died. In the "Poisonous Friends" extra, Xue Yang noticed a bruise from her mostly hidden by his cap, and it is implied an old head wound that reopened after Nie Mingjue kicked him down the stairs was from her as well.
• Mum Looks Like a Sister: In the novel, she was stated to look like she is in her 20s, even though that was her son's age at the time. Justified as high-level cultivators like her manage to keep their youthful looks for longer than the average person.
• No Full Name Given: Her name is never revealed, and she was only ever referred to as Madam Jin in every medium.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: As shown during the scuffle at Phoenix Mountain, she didn't let her temper cloud her judgement and could acknowledge if her own family was in the wrong without abusing her authority as the clan leader's wife.
• Shipper on Deck: Due to a promise she made with Yu Ziyuan, she still pushed for her son and Jiang Yanli to get together even long after the engagement was already called off. Granted, Jin Zixuan eventually started falling in love with Jiang Yanli some time during the Sunshot Campaign, and Madam Jin was acting on her son's behalf.
• Statuesque Stunner: It is easy to miss at first, but in the donghua she stood at the same height as her son (possibly even taller), who already had an impressive height of 185 cm (around six feet).
• What Happened to the Mouse?: In the donghua and The Untamed, it is never clarified what became of her after her son's death. At best, it can be assumed she's also dead since she is absent from Golden Carp Tower during the Discussion Conference.
• Wicked Stepmother: She didn't think that highly of Jin Guangyao and talked to him in an overly harsh manner, since he was one of the many children born from her husband's illicit affairs. She eventually became more abusive when she started physically lashing out at him whenever her husband went to jaunt around with other women and Jin Zixuan was no longer around to mediate between his parents.
• Woman Scorned: Despite fearing her temper, Jin Guangshan didn't give up his womanizing ways, and Jin Zixuan had to play peacemaker between them whenever she was furious at him. After his death, with no one to help rein in her anger, Madam Jin started taking out her frustrations on Jin Guangyao and often beat him up badly.

Jin Zixun (金子勋)

Voiced by (Mandarin): Yang Lei (animation), Zhao Yi (audio drama), Wang Minna (web series)
Voiced by (Japanese): Kouzou Douzaka (animation)
Played by: Yao Shuhao (web series)

^{Click here to see Jin Zixun in The Untamed} 

"Wei Wuxian, you are too bold! Did the Jin Clan of Lanling invite you today? And you dare run wild here. Do you really think that you're invincible, that nobody has the courage to confront you? Do you want to overturn the Heavens?"

One of Jin Zixuan's cousins.

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• Adaptational Early Appearance: In The Untamed he first appeared when accompanying Jin Zixuan during the Sunshot Campaign, whereas in the novel he first appeared in the Phoenix Mountain Hunt.
• Adaptational Ugliness: In the novel, he's described as to have had a tall, broad, and overall good physique, as well as somewhat handsome features. In the donghua, he's drawn with a portly figure and a toad's face.
• Ascended Extra: He gains more plot relevance in the donghua, as his corpse becomes part of the investigation involving the demonic left arm.
• Asshole Victim: The way he died was awful — he got inflicted with the Hundred Holes Curse and then died when Wen Ning went berserk due to Wei Wuxian losing control of his demonic cultivation. However this death wasn't undeserved — he loved to bully others and had no issues with torturing the Wen survivors while they were imprisoned. The only thing worth mourning about his demise was that it also involved Jin Zixuan's death.
• Body Horror: He was inflicted with the Hundred Holes Curse before his death, which is exactly as it sounds.
• The Bully: He tended to antagonize anyone who he looked down on, including Wei Wuxian.
• Bullying a Dragon: He made it a habit to antagonize Wei Wuxian every time they met, despite fully knowing the latter's capabilities as the Yiling Patriarch. The only things that saved him were his connection to the Jin Clan and Wei Wuxian being very good at exercising patience... until Jin Zixun went too far, at least.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Downplayed. As awful and immoral as he was, he did seem to care for Jin Zixuan. He had no shame boasting about his cousin's talents and reacted in horror to his death.
• Fat Bastard: He's described to have had a large build, and his character design in the donghua puts him on the chubbier side. He was also a complete asshole.
• Jerkass: All the reader needs to know about him is that he was rude, arrogant, and spiteful. The only remotely redeeming factor about him is that as bad as he is, his relatives are even worse.
• Never Gets Drunk: He claimed he could drink eight bowls of wine and still be able to travel on his sword with no problems. By modern life standards, this is the equivalent to driving properly even while inebriated.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Jin Zixun antagonizing Su She is what kicked off the tragedies that plagued the cultivation world and the last few months of Wei Wuxian's life. Su She sought revenge on the Jin clansman by inflicting him with the Hundred Holes Curse, and Jin Zixun thought Wei Wuxian was responsible. This led to their confrontation in Qiongqi Path, which ended with both himself and Jin Zixuan dead — this incident is what led to Wen Qing and Jiang Yanli's deaths, the bloodbath at the Nightless Immortal Capital and the First Siege.
• Would Hurt a Child: He was in charge of the imprisoned Wen survivors and had no issue with also putting the lone toddler at work. In the donghua, he was even holding a branding iron with Wen Yuan's grandmother putting herself between him and her grandson, implying he was actually originally aiming for the latter.

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