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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Rogue Cultivators
Mo Xuanyu (莫玄羽)
Voiced by: Zhang Jie [animation], Tong Yin [audio drama], Lu Zhixing [web series] (Mandarin) Click here for other languages
Played by: Xiao Zhan [web series]
Another illegitimate son of Jin Guangshan taken in by Jin Guangshan after the death of Wei Wuxian. A gay man ("cut-sleeve" in Chinese parlance) in a homophobic society, his choice of paramour was Jin Guangyao — which did not bode well for his reputation. Jin Guangyao was, however, one step ahead of him, and chased Mo Xuanyu out of Golden Carp Tower at the first chance, on top of (allegedly) driving Mo Xuanyu insane. However, Mo Xuanyu had read the theory of the sacrificial rite, and used it to summon a villainous ghoul to possess his body, trading his own soul to kill the Mo family.
Note: For the person currently inhabiting his body, see Wei Wuxian in his respective character page.
Tropes that apply to Mo Xuanyu in general
- Adaptational Sexuality: In the novel, he's explicitly stated to be gay. Due to censorship, the donghua enforces a change in sexuality by making him an Extreme Omnisexual (at least, according to the rumors) to play up his reputation as a lunatic.
- Compressed Hair: When Wei Wuxian first reincarnates into Mo Xuanyu's body in the donghua, the latter's hair is styled in a cross between a bun and a short ponytail, but not much loose hair is shown. When it gets retied into a ponytail, however, it looks much longer and fuller.
- Depraved Homosexual: Became infamous amongst the Jin Clan and other cultivators for his homosexuality and reputation of harassing his fellow disciples.
- Extreme Omnisexual: In the donghua, instead of a Depraved Homosexual, rumor is that he would harass anyone and anything he found pretty, including animals, plants, and his own half-brother. It's never confirmed if this was true or merely the result of gossips exaggerating his homosexuality (or whatever his actual sexuality was).
- Hidden Depths: There are hints of him knowing more than one would expect from him despite his reputation as a lunatic, and that the reason he got kicked out was very different than claimed. The ritual he used to summon Wei Wuxian is found in a book hidden in one Jin Guangyao's secret chambers and he definitely had some skill with demonic cultivation to pull off said ritual. Additionally, the fact it's officially told that he made a pass at Jin Guangyao as to why he was kicked out implies that the man had a reason to need him removed from Golden Carp Tower and blacklisted.
- Incest-ant Admirer: At least allegedly, Mo Xuanyu was kicked out of the Jin Sect by his half-brother Jin Guangyao for harassing him.
- Lineage Comes from the Father: Downplayed. He's not acknowledged as a candidate for the position of the Jin Clan leader due to being an illegitimate son, but Jin Guangshan still specifically sought after him and enlisted him as a guest disciple. While he got kicked out, it's due to his alleged harassment of Jin Guangyao rather than his mother's background.
- Sanity Slippage: Being kicked out the Jin Clan and sent back to his abusive family was not kind to his mental state and led him to sacrifice his spirit to summon Wei Wuxian and get revenge.
- Small Role, Big Impact: His death is what starts off the entire novel's plot in the present time, but he's already dead when the novel begins in the present timeline and he only has one small speaking role in the other adaptations before bringing Wei Wuxian back to life.
- Uncanny Valley Makeup: When Wei Wuxian first wakes up in Mo Xuanyu's body, he sees that his face is garishly covered with white powder, with the eyes caked in red. Some characters liken it to a "hanging ghost".
- Unwitting Pawn: It can't actually be proven, but Wei Wuxian's hypothesis is that Nie Huaisang used Mo Xuanyu to deliberately summon himself back into the world, kicking off the long Xanatos Gambit that the Nie leader had prepared for the downfall of Jin Guangyao as revenge for Nie Mingjue's death.
Tropes that apply to Mo Xuanyu in The Untamed only
- Adaptational Sexuality: While the novel describes him as gay, the live-action series enforces a sexuality change due to censorship by making him straight. Thus the rumors state that he made a move on Qin Su instead of Jin Guangyao himself, although there are some hints where not all is at it seems.
- Cool Mask: His habit of wearing ghostly makeup is replaced with donning a mask that hides the upper half of his face. According to Jin Ling, however, there were times that Mo Xuanyu went with the makeup instead of the mask.
- Hidden Depths: The Untamed provides his character with a few additional layers. In the novel, all that's known (or rumoured) about him is that he's (supposedly) gay, was interested in his half-brother, had a few screws loose, and summoned Wei Wuxian to take revenge on his family. While the last part remains true in the series, the series adds an additional target of Mo Xuanyu's revenge: Jin Guangyao. From this, Wei Wuxian infers that the possible reason Mo Xuanyu really got kicked out of the Jin Clan was because he knew about Jin Guangyao's darker side and tried to warn Qin Su before he got thwarted and that his insanity was possibly induced by Jin Guangyao via a song from the Collection of Turmoil.
- Identical Stranger: Invoked by the summoning ritual in this adaptation, which includes the effect of Wei Wuxian's appearance being slowly assimilated into Mo Xuanyu's body. Now looking like his old self, Wei Wuxian has to go out of his way to hide his face behind a mask so that people can't recognise him.
Luo Qingyang (罗青羊) aka Mianmian (绵绵)
Voiced by: Xu Jiaqi [animation], Chen Nianru [audio drama], Zhang Yumeng [web series] (Mandarin) Click here for other languages
Played by: Wang Yifei [web series] note
"Irrational? Calling white black? I'm just being considerate it as it stands. What does it have to do with the fact that I'm a woman? You can't be rational with me so you're attacking me with other things?"
More commonly known by her nickname of Mianmian, she was a servant of an unnamed clan that was brought to the Wen Clan's "re-education camp" along with several other cultivators.
Tropes that apply to Luo Qingyang (Mianmian) in general
- Back for the Finale: 30 or so chapters after her appearance during the conference at Golden Carp Tower, she appears again in the epilogue when she and the protagonists run into each other in Guangling.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: She stood up for Wei Wuxian during his first life when the other clan leaders began to badmouth him. The others pass it off as her having a crush on Wei Wuxian from him saving her life, but she was genuinely grateful he saved her life and knew he was a good person despite the cultivation path he chose.
- Damsel in Distress: She was almost made to be a sacrifice for the creature at Xuanwu Cave and was then nearly burnt with the Wen branding iron, prompting fellow disciples (including Wei Wuxian) to help protect her. This was justified, however, since her weapon was confiscated and she was surrounded by armed Wen soldiers.
- Depending on the Artist: While both her donghua and manhua designs feature her in warm pink robes, her hairstyle, hair color, and facial features are completely distinct from the other.
- Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: It took plenty of bravery to tell off an entire group of cultivation clans filled with people who rank higher than her before walking out on them in the middle of a conference, something that many would see as extremely disrespectful.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: She is the only prominent female character to survive all the way to the epilogue, living a content life as a rogue cultivator with a family of her own. Well-deserved for a cultivator from a lower-class clan who was endagered as a teen and was then ridiculed for defending Wei Wuxian, which prompted her to leave her clan despite the disadvantage this put her in.
- Good Parents: From the little that is shown in her interactions between her and her daughter, she and her husband treat little Mianmian well.
- Happily Married: Her marriage to a former merchant is implied to be a happy one since was willing to quit his job to accompany her during night-hunts and have a daughter, making them one of the few happy and living couples in the story.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: In the novel, her real name is never revealed until the epilogue, as the narration and all the characters In-Universe only referred to her by the nickname Mianmian in the flashbacks. It is implied the nickname has died down in the present, with her husband referring to her by her given name and the ever-so-formal Lan Wangji referring to her as Maiden Luo (plus her daughter inheriting the nickname). In the donghua, her real name is revealed to the audience in her introduction, but characters otherwise still refer to her by her nickname.
- Only Sane Man: She was the only other person besides Lan Wangji who didn't buy the Blatant Lies that the Jin Clan was feeding to the other clans.
- Pink Means Feminine: Her character designs in the Animated Adaptation and manhua feature her with pink clothing and hair decorations. Her beauty was enough to catch the interest of the womaniser Wen Chao.
- Single Woman Seeks Good Man: After the Time Skip, she is married to a man who isn't a cultivator yet loved her enough to leave behind his old and safe job as a merchant to be able to travel with her during night-hunts.
- Took a Level in Badass: She was a Damsel in Distress in her introduction due to being unarmed and held hostage by the Wen Clan at the time. The epilogue reveals that ever since she left her clan, she has been going on night-hunts solo.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Her mere presence at the Wen Clan's re-education camp alone was what led to the Lotus Pier massacre. Wang Lingjiao was jealous of Mianmian (who caught Wen Chao's unwanted attention), prompting her to choose the girl as a sacrifice at Xuanwu Cave. Wei Wuxian defended her, which directed Wen Chao and Wang Lingjiao's wrath on him. The trope is downplayed, however, since it is implied that neither he nor Mianmian's presence would have changed the outcome that was the fall of Lotus Pier.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: In the donghua adaptation, her fate after she left her clan is left ambiguous as she is not shown meeting Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji in the epilogue.
- Wowing Cthulhu: After she chewed out the other clans for their hypocrisy and/or misogyny after standing up for Wei Wuxian, she gained the respect of Lan Wangji who bowed to her as she left. She even got some praise from Nie Mingjue, who couldn't help but admit she certainly had more courage than all of the other cultivators in the room.
Tropes that apply to Luo Qingyang (Mianmian) in The Untamed only
- Adaptational Badass: Downplayed. During the Xuanwu Cave arc, she served purely as a Damsel in Distress in the novel. In The Untamed, while she still got nearly branded by Wang Lingjiao, she was able to join the others in the fighting beforehand.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: She appeared long before the re-education camp where she originally debuted, studying at the Cloud Recesses along the protagonists.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: In the novel, she and Jin Xixuan had no relation to each other and only interacted when the latter protected her from the Wen soldiers at Xuanwu Cave. In this adaptation, she was a guest disciple of the Jin Clan and good friends with Jin Zixuan.
- Ascended Extra: She was a guest disciple of the Jin Clan rather than a servant of an unnamed and lesser-known clan, thus she joined the others in studying at Cloud Recesses and received more screentime than her novel counterpart.
- Mama Bear: When she senses someone hiding near her house, her immediate reaction is to stand in front of her daughter and draw her sword.
- Shipper on Deck: She was supportive of Jin Zixuan and Jiang Yanli getting together.
- Significant Wardrobe Shift: She's introduced wearing the golden robes of the Jin Clan. After leaving the Jins when she became outraged by their corruption and hypocrisy, the next time she makes an appearance, she's shown wearing bright green robes — which doesn't match the colors of any of the Four Great Clans.
Baoshan-sanren (抱山散人)
Voiced by: Bai Xuecen [web series] (Mandarin)
Played by: Liu Tingyu [web series]
Click here to see Baoshan-sanren in The Untamed
A powerful and ancient cultivator who lives in seclusion — along with her sect — in the mountains. She is the teacher of the late Cangse-sanren and Xiao Xingchen.
- Action Girl: Strongly implied. She managed to cultivate to immortality, something only very skilled cultivators are capable of, and her students are all said to be highly skilled swordsmen.
- The Ageless: She's one of the very few cultivators who achieved immortality and is still alive at present.
- Ascended Extra: Baoshan-sanren gets to make an appearance in The Untamed via a brief flashback involving her and Lan Yi.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Baoshan-sanren is a title rather than a birth or courtesy name, and it translates to "wanderer who embraces the mountain".
- The Ghost: Downplayed. She's often mentioned due to her prestige as powerful woman who's cultivated to immortality, as well as mentoring multiple characters in the story. However she never makes a proper appearance (except for the Live-Action Adaptation due to plot divergence); this was the case even when Wei Wuxian told Jiang Cheng in the past that she's the only one who can restore his golden core, although that's because he was lying to him.
- Healing Hands: According to others, Baoshan-sanren can restore life and bring flesh back to bone. Wei Wuxian even justified this as the reason that she can also repair damaged golden cores, except that he wasn't being honest.
- The Hermit: She chose to isolate herself from the rest of the mortal world so as to not get involved with their conflicts, and she encouraged her disciples to do the same. Any disciple who wished to descend the mountain and join the secular world would never be allowed to return.
- Meaningful Name: Baoshan literally translates to "to embrace a mountain", referring to her choice to live in solitude and reside on a mountain.
- Mystical White Hair: In the manhua, she's depicted with either white or light grey hair, befitting of her reputation as a powerful and immortal cultivator.
- Really 700 Years Old: Baoshan-sanren is rumored to be born on the same generation as the founders of the Lan and Wen Clans, and both founders were born centuries ago.
Yanling-daoren (鄢陵道人)
The first disciple of Baoshan-sanren to descend from her mountain.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Yanling-daoren is a title, and his birth or courtesy name is never revealed.
- A Pupil of Mine Until He Turned to Evil: Downplayed. According to the legends, Yanling-daoren only became evil long after he left Baoshan-sanren's tutelage.
- Strong and Skilled: Xiao Xingchen described him as a powerful and talented cultivator.
Cangse-sanren (藏色散人)
Voiced by: Chen Nianru [audio drama] (Mandarin)
Click here to see Cangse-sanren in The Untamed
Wei Wuxian's mother. In her younger years, Cangse-sanren studied under Baoshan-sanren before leaving her mentorship and eventually marrying Wei Changze and having a son with him. However, she and her husband died some time later while they were night-hunting.
- Action Mom: Cangse-sanren is a disciple of Baoshan-sanren, implying she was greatly skilled. She night-hunted even after her son was born, up until her death.
- Childhood Friends: She studied in the Cloud Recesses with Wei Changze and Jiang Fengmian when they were younger. Both men became close enough to be romantically interested in her, or at least rumoured to be (in Jiang Fengmian's case).
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: She's the only other known female character besides Jiang Yanli and Mianmian to have no issues with both her marriage and raising a son. It's no surprise then that she kicked the bucket when Wei Wuxian was still a child. He has few memories of his parents, but does remember her fondly.
- Dude Magnet: According to Xiao Xingchen, Cangse-sanren had many men vying for her hand in marriage.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Cangse-sanren is not actually her name, but her title.
- The Gadfly: It's easy to see where Wei Wuxian got his trolling personality from. An extra from the audio drama features Wei Changze gently chiding his wife for putting a fish in her son's shirt, which is similar to how Wei Wuxian would tease Wen Yuan despite his affection for the boy.
- Good Parents: Like mother, like son indeed. Wei Wuxian took a lot after her, including remembering people's kindness and the way he handles children.
- Happily Married: Compared to the most of the other female characters who were in an Arranged Marriage, Cangse-sanren and Wei Changze eloped of their own free will. As such, both were completely content together.
- Meaningful Name: "Cangse" means "hidden colors" and "sanren" is an honorific that means "wanderer" or "traveler". Her full title essentially translates to "wanderer of hidden colors", which is befitting of a mysterious cultivator that travelled around.
- Nice Girl: The little that's known of her imply she was a kind woman, considering the words she imparted to Wei Wuxian about remembering only the kindness others do for him and not the other way around.
- Posthumous Character: She and her husband are dead even in the flashback arcs, since they died when their son was just a child.
- Spell My Name With An S: One can be forgiven for translating the mother's name into Zangse-sanren, since the 藏 in her name can be pronounced as either cang or zang. The donghua and the audio drama use the former pronunciation, while the Live-Action Adaptation uses the latter.
Wei Changze (魏长泽)
Voiced by: Wu Hao [audio drama] (Mandarin)
Click here to see Wei Changze in The Untamed
Wei Wuxian's father. Formerly a servant of the Jiang Clan, he left after marrying Cangse-sanren and had a son with her. However, he and his wife died while on a night-hunt.
- Action Dad: Despite his status as a subordinate to Jiang Fengmian, Wei Changze seemed to be skilled enough in cultivation to study with his master in the Cloud Recesses. He and his wife would also go night-hunting together even after their son was born.
- Childhood Friends: Wei Changze previously served the Jiang Clan and was on good enough terms with Jiang Fengmian that the latter quickly took the initiative to take his son under his wing after his death.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: He's one of the very few fathers or father figures who was kind to his wife and nurturing towards his child. As such, he's dead. Wei Wuxian has few memories of him, but remembers him fondly.
- The Faceless: Zigzagged in the official artwork and visual adaptations. Despite being the protagonist's father and frequently talked about, artists for the audio drama give the viewer only the faintest idea of what it looked like; however, both the animated and live-action adaptations give him a full appearance.
- Good Parents: Implied. Wei Wuxian's only memory of his father involves him being carried on the latter's back while the entire family is traveling merrily, suggesting he was a loving parent.
- Happily Married: Almost every other parent duo in the story (such as Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan) are bound by Arranged Marriages, hence marital problems were inevitable. In contrast, Wei Changze and Cangse-sanren chose to marry each other without being forced or obligated to, and so were perfectly content together.
- Posthumous Character: He and his wife are dead even in the flashback arcs, since they died when their son was just a child.
- The Quiet One: Implied. Wei Wuxian's sole memory of his parents indicated that Wei Changze was rather quiet and not one for talking.
Non-Cultivators
Mo Household
Madam Mo (莫夫人)
Voiced by: Liao Jing [animation], Chang Rongshan [audio drama] (Mandarin) Click here for other languages
Played by: Jia Shuyi [web series]
Click here to see Madam Mo in The Untamed
"It's all your fault, you son of a bitch!"
Mo Xuanyu's aunt. She is the matriarch of the Mo family.
- Evil Aunt: She is a nasty woman and was as abusive as her son was towards her nephew. There are even hints that she is actually the most abusive in the family; when Wei Wuxian observes that among the cuts on his arm (which represent the people that Mo Xuanyu wants dead and disappear when they do die), the cut that represents the latter's revenge against Madam Mo is the largest and most gruesome.
- Green-Eyed Monster: She abused Mo Xuanyu out of resentment for him getting chosen as a guest disciple of the Jin Clan instead of her own son. By extension, she resented her sister for the same reason.
- Large Ham: If all of her Chinese voice actors portray her as a mean old lady, then her Japanese voice actor in the audio drama portrays her as a hysterical old lady... and this is before her son dies.
- Mama Bear: She attempts to physically attack Wei Wuxian when she suspects he killed her son, due to him earlier claiming that he'd kill anyone who messed with his stuff again.
- No Full Name Given: She's only referred to as Madam Mo in the story.
Mo Ziyuan (莫子渊)
Voiced by: Xing Chao [animation], Li Qingyang [audio drama] (Mandarin) Click here for other languages
Played by: Sun Shengxuan [web series]
Click here to see Mo Ziyuan in The Untamed
"Are you proud of yourself just because you've studied cultivation for a few years? Well, how does it feel when you've been kicked back home like a stray dog?"
Mo Xuanyu's cousin. He abused Mo Xuanyu often out of envy because his cousin had an aptitude in cultivation whereas he has none.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: While it would be far-fetched to call him handsome in The Untamed, he's more pleasant-looking than what the novel implies ("slant-browed" with a sickly looking constitution).
- Artistic Age: His character design in the donghua and manhua makes him look like an adult like his cousin rather than his actual age of 17 years. This gives him a more intimidating look befitting of an abuser.
- An Arm and a Leg: He loses his left arm after being possessed by an evil spirit. This kicks off the crisis at Mo Manor as it's revealed the demonic left arm has been looking for a body and so keeps ripping off people's arms and transferring to their bodies as a replacement.
- Fat Bastard: He was abusive to his cousin and has a heavy build in the donghua and the manhua, unlike in the novel where he's described with a "sickly-looking constitution".
- Green-Eyed Monster: The main reason he treated Mo Xuanyu like dirt is because he was envious of the latter for having the cultivational abilities that he himself lacks.
- Hypocrite: He was incredibly abusive to his cousin, yet in the donghua he runs away after "Mo Xuanyu" kicks him in the face and verbally challenges him.
- Kick Them While They Are Down: He would often bully Mo Xuanyu even when the latter was helpless. Too bad he failed to realize that even lunatics are more than capable of snapping and fighting back.
- Large Ham: While he's far from restrained in both actions and words, he's nearly wailing all of his lines in the Japanese audio drama.
- Manchild: Even at the age of 17 (or 20 in the Live-Action Adaptation), he evidently hasn't matured nor wisened up thanks to his mother's doting.
- Momma's Boy: He is quick to go crying to his mom if distressed or upset.
- Spoiled Brat: While an older teen, he immediately gets mad and starts throwing violent tantrums when things don't go this way.
- Sticky Fingers: He tended to steal all of Mo Xuanyu's belongings, believing that he was entitled to own them. In the end, this is what does him in, as the last thing he steals is a spirit-attraction flag, which is essentially a death magnet to those who don't know how to use it.
Mister Mo (莫旦那)
Voiced by: Feng Sheng [audio drama] (Mandarin) Click here for other languages
Played by: Liu Daomin [web series]
Click here to see Mister Mo in The Untamed
"Damn madman! If you don't go back now, wait and see how I'll punish you!"
The patriarch of the Mo family. In spite of his status, it is obvious that he is not the one who truly holds the reins in the household.
- Adapted Out: Due to time constraints, the donghua adapts him out to focus on his wife and son's deaths.
- Evil Uncle: He was abusive towards his nephew, calling him a madman and threatening to beat him up if he didn't act compliant. There's a reason Mo Xuanyu also wanted him dead.
- Extreme Doormat: He defers to his wife and is somewhat afraid of her temper.
- No Full Name Given: It's known from the credits of the audio drama that his surname is Mo, but otherwise no other names are given. In-Universe, the only time he's ever addressed by another character is when Wei Wuxian refers to him as "Mo Ziyuan's dad".
- Out-of-Character Alert: While little is known about him, he's introduced as an Extreme Doormat to his wife. So when he shoves her while she's ranting about their son's death, it's a sign that something's off. And it is — he's possessed by a malevolent spirit.
Yunping City
Meng Shi (孟诗)
Voiced by: Kuo Haojun [audio drama] (Mandarin)
Click here to see Meng Shi in The Untamed
Jin Guangyao's mother, and a formerly famous prostitute in Yunmeng.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: Despite her profession, she wholeheartedly loved her son and was one of the very few positive influences in Jin Guangyao's life. In return, she is one of the few people who he truly loved and cared for, and the only person who he never dared to trick or manipulate. The statue at Guanyin Temple is his way of paying tribute to her.
- Hidden Depths: She was known to be rather well-educated for a prostitute, as she could read and write poems, sing, paint, play the guqin and chess. Not that many think it amounted to much because in the eyes of the public, the stigma of her profession outweighed her talents.
- High-Class Call Girl: She was once a prominent and well-respected prostitute, but her worth dwindled after she gave birth.
- Horrible Judge of Character: In her defense, she was not the first to be blind to Jin Guangshan's true character and how he didn't care for any of his mistresses nor the children he conceived with them.
- Parents as People: She never mistreated Jin Guangyao and did her best to take care of him in spite of the environment they lived in. However, she made the (albeit innocent and well-meaning) mistake of telling him about who his father was and instilling in him her hope that he would eventually be accepted into the Jin Clan so they would escape their life of difficulty and poverty. Long after she died, Jin Guangyao never got rid of that hope, which ended up being his undoing.
- Posthumous Character: She's dead outside of a single instance of Empathy back to Jin Guangyao's childhood days.
- Struggling Single Mother: She was a prostitute raising her son alone in a brothel, having long been abandoned by the father Jin Guangshan. She spent all her money on expensive sword and (fraudulent) cultivation guides for her son's education. In the one flashback we see of Meng Shi, she was attacked by a customer in a dispute about payment.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Meng Shi meant well when she encouraged her son to earn Jin Guangshan's favor, likely from the belief that climbing up the social ladder of the cultivation world would solve their problems with regards to their status and life in poverty. However, it only ended up making way for the ruin and downfall of many people, including her own son's.
Sisi (思思)
Voiced by: Yan Meme [audio drama] (Mandarin)
Played by: Su Yue [web series]
Click here to see Sisi in The Untamed
"When I saw that the man was dead, I knew that we were done. We wouldn't be able to escape either."
A prostitute who wears a veil around her face to hide the scars underneath. She was kept prisoner for years, until she was set free and sent to Yunmeng to inform the cultivation clans what she knows about her captor.
- Beware the Nice Ones: It requires a lot of kindness for someone to show concern towards people everyone else either slandered or treated poorly. And whenever she defended those people, it usually involved her yelling at the others to piss off or getting into a violent catfight with someone who decided to get a little too mouthy.
- Brutal Honesty:
- While she was the only one in the brothel who showed kindness to Meng Shi, she didn't hesitate to tell her that she should change her prideful ways if she wants to retain her value as a prostitute and avoid getting scorned by her clients. After Meng Shi got beaten up by a john, Sisi was sympathetic but also scolded her friend with a tone that clearly spoke, "What did I tell you?"
- When she introduces herself to the cultivators in Lotus Pier, she doesn't hesitate to tell them that she is a prostitute and why her face is scarred in spite of their scandalized reactions.
- Covered in Scars: Her face is full of cuts, and in the novel they are said to be so gruesome that the others are immediately crept out. This is why she covers up her scarred face with a veil.
- Demoted to Extra: In the drama, she is still needed to expose Jin Guangyao's misdeeds, but the adaptation never shows Jin Guangyao's flashback during his life in the brothel which would have explained why he spared only her and not the other prostitutes.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Anxin described to a customer how Sisi had a fierce personality. The fact that the latter defended Meng Shi from any mocking onlookers by yelling at them to quit gawking and keep moving along attested to this. After her time in captivity, her personality has become more mellow, although speaking to an entire room of high-ranking cultivators is easier said than done.
- Properly Paranoid: She was the only one who realized how suspicious it was for someone to hire several prostitutes who were past their prime and take them to a basically a palace without informing anyone else. She is also the only one who gets spared, albeit for a completely different reason.
Anxin (安心)
Voiced by: Yang Neng note [audio drama] (Mandarin)
A prostitute from the same brothel where Meng Shi worked at.
- Adapted Out: As neither the Animated Adaptation nor The Untamed show much of Jin Guangyao's past when growing up with his mother at the brothel, Anxin doesn't show up in the flashbacks of either adaptation.
- Jerkass: From what little the reader knows of her, Anxin was catty, unpleasant, and talked about people behind their backs.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Anxin was just a Bit Character, but it is through her memories that the main cast realize more vital information about Jin Guangyao.
Mount Dafan
A-Yan (阿胭)
Voiced by: Chen Nianru [audio drama] (Mandarin) Click here for other languages
Played by: Zhang Linran [web series]
Click here to see A-Yan in The Untamed
One of the victims of the Heavenly Maiden, and the only one to have regained her soul after making a wish to the creature.
- Adapted Out: She doesn't appear in the donghua, since the Heavenly Maiden in this adaptation isn't an entity of its own but is instead a statue that comes to life only after the ghost arm possesses it.
- Came Back Wrong: Her father wished for her soul back when she lost it thanks to the Heavenly Maiden. She was able to move and talk again, but her soul was damaged from the entire experience, and it is obvious that she is not completely there.
- Composite Character: In the drama, she takes the place of another woman who gives Wei Wuxian's donkey an apple to eat.
- Empty Shell: She lost her soul for a while after making her wish to the Heavenly Maiden. She came back thanks to her father's wishes, though her mind and soul still remain damaged.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: She is only referred to and credited as A-Yan. While her father's name is Zheng, it's never specified if it's his family name or first name.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Although she has little significance, learning her story helps Wei Wuxian figure out the mystery behind the Heavenly Maiden and the true threat it possesses, and his involvement in subduing the statue eventually gets him entangled with his old allies.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: She could have enjoyed the happy marriage she was looking forward to had she never prayed to the Heavenly Maiden, and her father would have also remained alive and well.
Luo Qingyang (Mianmian)'s Family
Luo Qingyang's Husband (罗青羊的丈夫)
Click here to see him in The Untamed
Mianmian's husband. He was a merchant but then gave up his job to accompany his wife on her nighthunts.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: In the novel, he appears in the epilogue. In The Untamed, he appears shortly before the Second Siege due to rearrangement of events.
- Adapted Out: Since Mianmian isn't shown in the present time in the donghua, her husband doesn't appear in the adaptation.
- Amazon Chaser: Downplayed. Between him and his wife, his wife is the fighter. Not that it stopped him from falling in love with her and marrying her, and his willingness to give up his job implies he admires her cultivation skills.
- Good Parents: He's shown to be doting to his daughter, and there's no indicator that he's nothing less than a loving parent to her.
- Happily Married: He willingly gave up his job as a merchant to assist Mianmian during night hunts and it's clear the two are very happy together.
- Nice Guy: From the little that is seen of him, his defining trait is his kind personality, which is more than enough to win Mianmian's love.
- No Name Given: Neither his first nor family names are revealed.
- Papa Wolf: When Wei Wuxian realizes that Mianmian named her daughter with her nickname, the man becomes confused and quickly asks how the former knows his daughter with a suspecting tone. While Wei Wuxian coos over little Mianmian, he refrains from squishing her cheeks since her father is present.
Little Mianmian (小绵绵)
Click here to see Little Mianmian in The Untamed
Mianmian's daughter.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: She appears in the penultimate chapter of the novel. However, she appears a few arcs earlier in The Untamed due to rearrangement of events.
- Adapted Out: Since Mianmian isn't shown in the present time in the donghua, her daughter doesn't appear in the adaptation.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: She's inherited her mother's nickname, but it isn't known what her actual name is.
- Tsundere: She claims that she doesn't like Wei Wuxian, but her mother teasingly points out that she would have rejected the money that he offered her if she truly disliked him.
Other
Young Master Qin (秦公子)
Voiced by: Feng Ming [audio drama] (Mandarin)
"The incident happened years before now. Please excuse my inability to recall every single detail. But in all honesty, who has never acted on impulse when they were young, doing inexplicable things, meeting inexplicable people. Please don't tangle yourselves in such an incident. Right now, all I want is to deal with this matter as soon as possible."
A wealthy man who appears only in the "Intrusion" extra. He has been troubled by a fierce corpse constantly rapping at the gates of his house by night and calls for help, receiving the assistance of Lan Sizhui, who is accompanied by Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji.
- Adapted Out: Since neither the donghua nor The Untamed cover the extra chapters, Young Master Qin doesn't appear in either adaptation.
- Character Development: His experience with the fierce corpse that hounds him is implied to have taught him a thing or two about treating servants better.
- Jerkass: While he's neither rude nor dismissive to the protagonists, they notice that Young Master Qin is obstinate and doesn't think too highly of servants. He even rubs Lan Sizhui off the wrong way.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Downplayed. When the fierce corpse he did wrong to finally breaks into Young Master Qin's house, the worst it does to him is (besides returning his necklace) knock him out with one punch before deciding that its business is done. However, the experience does scare Young Master Qin straight in the long run.
- Nervous Wreck: Although he does bring it on himself, he understandably gets more and more rattled each day when the fierce corpse that's been trying to get into his house gradually starts succeeding in its task.
- Never My Fault: He's very reluctant to admit that he's the reason there's even a fierce corpse harassing his household late at night, and refrains from telling the whole truth to the very people he called to help deal with the issue. It takes a lot of pressing and more nights of the fierce corpse's persistence to get in that he breaks and starts spilling the beans.
Gate Crasher Fierce Corpse - spoilers!
A fierce corpse with a limp that's been hounding Young Master Qin's gates for many nights, causing the young man to call for the assistance of Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji to exterminate it. He used to be Young Master Qin's Childhood Friend who was missing for two years due to unknown reasons.
- Adapted Out: Since neither the donghua nor The Untamed cover the extra chapters, he doesn't appear in either adaptation.
- Bully Magnet: Young Master Qin recalls an incident where he refused to believe he was wrong on a subject, so thinking that he is becoming prideful for a servant, he and his classmates bullied and chased him away.
- Childhood Friend: He and Young Master Qin lived used to be friends under their Grandmother's roof when they were young, mirroring Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng's relationship in their youth.
- Death by Falling Over: Young Manster Qin thinks that he must have committed suicide, but Wei Wuxian hypothesizes that he may have died by falling from a mountain while trying to find the lost pendant as he couldn't have saved himself because the former permanently crippled his leg.
- Friendly Zombie: He never harmed anyone during the time he was haunting Young Master Qin's residence, often resorting to harmless tricks like throwing fruits or destroying door locks to open the gates. It never tried to attack Lan Sizhui even once when they were fighting as it kept dodging his attacks until Wei Wuxian figured it doesn't have a malicious intent to anyone. Once it was able to fulfill his wishes, he peacefully moved on.
- No Name Given: He is only referred to as Young Master Qin's friend by other characters.
- Parental Favoritism: It's implied that Young Master Qin's grandmother has a preferetial treatment for him to even send him to school with his friend, which is another parallel to Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng's past relationship.
Animals
Little Apple (小苹果)
Click here to see Little Apple in The Untamed
"You're definitely destined for wealth, even harder to please than me."
— Wei Wuxian
A donkey that Wei Wuxian brought along with him after he left Mo Village.
- Adaptational Jerkass: In the Animated Adaptation, Wei Wuxian initially has difficulty in getting the animal to come with him, and it intentionally harasses the rabbits in the Cloud Recesses just because. In the novel, it only acts aggressive because it's hungry but can't eat from the grass because of the rabbits running around it.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Little Apple is still overall prickly in the manhua, but a few panels show it to be more affectionate towards Wei Wuxian. When the two see each other after the conclusion of the Yi City arc, Little Apple starts running to him with tears in its eyes as if to say it missed its owner.
- Big Eater: It can eat several apples at once, implying it has a huge appetite (at least for the fruit in question).
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: As one would expect from a donkey, Little Apple is stubborn and difficult to have around. However, it willingly continues to tag along with Wei Wuxian during the Mount Dafan arc when it could have just left, and it doesn't make any noise when it senses that the latter isn't in a good mood.
- Meaningful Name: The donkey is called Xiao Pingguo in Chinese, which literally translates to "Little Apple". It got its name due to its love for apples.
- Picky Eater: According to the narration, it's very particular about what kind of grass it eats. It apparently only likes to eat high-quality fresh grass with dew and will throw a tantrum if it's fed straw or even grass with a hint of yellow in it.
- Silent Snarker: As an animal it doesn't speak, yet in the donghua it frequently gives a snarky look at the characters.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Loves apples so much that Wei Wuxian names it after them.
- Unusual Pets for Unusual People: Donkeys are noted to be stubborn and are also known as animals of burden. Wei Wuxian himself is headstrong and part of his personality involves shouldering all his troubles and those of his loved ones on his own, while refusing to ask for the help of others.
- Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: Jin Ling thinks that a name that means "Little Apple" is stupid for a donkey. Lan Jingyi points out in response that Jin Ling gave his own dog an even more ridiculous name.
Fairy (仙子)
Click here to see Fairy in The Untamed
Jin Ling's pet husky, a spiritual dog. It was gifted to Jin Ling by Jin Guangyao when Jin Ling was still a child.
- Ambiguous Gender: Because of the lack of gendered pronouns in the Chinese language, it's not made clear which sex Fairy actually is. In The Untamed, it's played by a female dog, and the official subtitles occasionally makes use of female pronouns.
- Amplified Animal Aptitude: Fairy manages to understand and imitate the events at the Guanyin Temple enough to convey it to other people, something that no real dog is capable of doing. It's a lot smarter than the average husky, and huskies in Real Life aren't noted for their intelligence.
- Big Friendly Dog: A certain cynophobe's fear of it aside, Fairy is a husky (a breed of dogs that are as large as wolves) and is generally energetic and playful when their master isn't in danger. Unfortunately, if it feels playful towards Wei Wuxian, his cynophobia kicks in and causes him to run from Fairy.
- Canine Companion: Frequently accompanies its master Jin Ling as his spiritual dog. It was given to him to help combat his loneliness.
- Demoted to Extra: Fairy plays a pivotal role in the Guanyin Temple arc, as it not only helps Jin Ling track down Wei Wuxian but also seeks out Jiang Cheng and later the rest of the cultivators to get help when its master (and the protagonists) are in danger. But in the donghua, it doesn't appear with Jin Ling during this part (due to the changes in how the Guanyin Temple events occur), reducing the dog to a mostly comedic role in the adaptation.
- Evil-Detecting Dog: Fairy is a spiritual dog, and one that's good at detecting evil creatures and malicious energy.
- Heroic Dog: While its mere presence scares the crap out of Wei Wuxian, there's no arguing that Fairy is on the side of good.
- Pets as a Present: It's revealed in an extra that Jin Guangyao had given Fairy to Jin Ling as a pet and friend when he noticed the other Jin Clan children were bullying him.
- Undying Loyalty: Fairy is fiercely loyal to Jin Ling, as expected from a spiritual dog, and will go out of its way to get people to help him when things get dire.
- Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: It's a dog whose name is "Xianzi", which translates to "Fairy". Even Wei Wuxian and Lan Jingyi lampshade the silliness of the name. When Jin Ling initially tries to explain it to Wei Wuxian, he claims it was because he couldn't call it "Little Fairy" anymore after it got bigger.
Lan Wangji's Rabbits (蓝忘机的兔子)
Click here to see the rabbits in The Untamed
Originally a pair of rabbits that Wei Wuxian gave to Lan Wangji. When Wei Wuxian finds himself in the Cloud Recesses once again, he finds that Lan Wangji now owns an entire fluffle of them.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: In The Untamed, the rabbits served as companions to Lan Yi, who was trapped in a cave within the Cloud Recesses for some time. After Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji met the latter's predecessor, whose spirit then left the mortal world in peace, Lan Wangji decided to take the rabbits into his own care.
- Adaptational Dye-Job: In the novel, both the original rabbits Wei Wuxian gave Lan Wangji are described to have white fur. The donghua and the manhua depict the pair as one of a black and a white rabbit, respectively.
- Bunnies for Cuteness: The rabbits, being the adorably round, plump, cuddly, and fluffy things they are, add a lot of cuteness to the Cloud Recesses and evoke a soft spot from everyone.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: One of the original two rabbits is possessive over the other, with an audio drama extra having it chase away the other rabbits when they get too close to its mate.
- Love at First Sight: Played for Laughs. Within less than a day of meeting each other, the original two rabbits immediately decided to start humping. The "Lotus Seed Pod" extra strongly hints that ever since then, they're almost never apart. An audio drama extra has the rabbit that resembles Lan Wangji drive away all the other rabbits that the other rabbit (who resembles Wei Wuxian) attempted to befriend.
- No Name Given: The "Lotus Seed Pod" extra revealed Lan Wangji named the rabbits, but he was reluctant on telling Lan Xichen their names. Even the author confirmed that the bunnies' names are a secret that only he knows.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: One of the two original rabbits is energetic and excitable, while the other is quiet and not as adventurous. It becomes obvious that they're meant to resemble Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, respectively.
- Series Mascot: The rabbits are featured in several artwork and merchandise of both the donghua and the live-action drama.
Creatures
Fierce Corpses (凶尸)
Corpses that have been "brought back to life" due to resentful energy. They are more dangerous than walking corpses and are trickier to defeat.
- Adaptation Species Change: Enforced in The Untamed due to Chinese media not being very approving of showing zombies and the like on television. The fierce corpses here are instead referred to as "ghoulish puppets" — humans who aren't dead but are nevertheless placed in a mindless, zombie-like state.
- Elite Zombie: The sentient fierce corpses are considered upgrades to normal fierce corpses, since they not only retain their intelligence and awareness from when they were alive but also have heightened strength and senses.
- Friendly Zombie: There are a few fierce corpses that have no intention of being a threat. Examples include the blood corpses of the Wen remnants that save the cultivators in the Second Siege and the fierce corpse that keeps on stalking Young Master Qin's household in the "Intrusion" extra to return his necklace. Even in the chibi spinoff, the fierce corpses summoned by Wei Wuxian in one episode liked Wen Yuan and merely wanted to play with him (unfortunately the latter was terrified of them due to their undead appearance).
- The Nose Knows: Some fierce corpses can figure out friend from foe from the scent of their blood.
- Not Using the "Z" Word: While they function similarly to undead zombies, they're only referred to either as "corpses" or "fierce corpses".
- Our Zombies Are Different: They're not zombies, but dead humans reanimated by resentful energy. To become a fierce corpse, one has to have harbored regrets or grudges in their life.
- Stronger with Age: Inverted. The sooner a human turns into a fierce corpse after their death, the more powerful and threatening they are.
- Technically-Living Zombie: The living corpses are close to being zombies despite not being dead yet; they become this way not because they were reanimated with necromancy, but because they were afflicted with corpse poisoning, which slowly affected their organs until their entire bodies functioned similar to that of an actual fierce corpse.
- Zerg Rush: While a single fierce corpse isn't too difficult for a cultivator of decent skill to deal with, it's a whole other issue when one is facing a massive horde of them. Not even a hundred cultivators will have an easy time fending them off.
Waterborne Abyss (水行渊)
Click here to see the Waterborne Abyss in The Untamed
An aquatic monster that's formed from the resentful energy of several beings that drowned in a certain area of water. The protagonists and their classmates had to fight one as teens when it made its way near Caiyi Town.
- Making a Splash: The creature is practically made of water and thus can use said element for all kinds of purposes, particularly to cause destruction and mayhem.
- Mega Maelstrom: It can take the form of a dark whirlpool that swallows anything near it.
- Nigh-Invulnerable: Given that it's basically a mass of resentful energy thriving underwater, it's extremely hard to kill. Even the more powerful cultivators can only seal it for some time. The only way to exterminate it would be to drain the waterbed it's living in, dig up all the people and objects it had consumed, and let the entire place dry for a few years.
- Tentacled Terror: In the donghua, the monster at Caiyi Town could create something between a reversed waterspout and a giant tentacle. And when it went after the protagonists, the resentful energy that the creature was composed of appeared in the form of black tendrils.
Heavenly Maiden (舞天女)
Click here to see the Heavenly Maiden in The Untamed
A statue resembling a woman in a dancing stance; it is located inside a cave on Mount Dafan, and people visit the cave to pray to the statue.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: The novel states that the Heavenly Maiden gradually gained its sentience after being prayed to for at least a hundred years. In The Untamed it became sentient due to the influence of the Yin Iron, and it's responsible for Wen Ning's frail condition as it drained part of Wen Ning's soul when he was still a child.
- Adaptational Wimp: While it gives cultivators a lot of trouble at Mount Dafan, in the animated chibi spinoff it gets easily defeated in separate occasions by Jin Ling and Wei Wuxian.
- Adaptational Badass: It's a lot harder to deal with in the donghua since it's controlled by a limb of one extremely ferocious corpse and is able to stretch its limbs to greater distances.
- Composite Character: Due to its entire subplot being adapted out of the donghua, the sentient statue is a combination of both its novel counterpart and the ghost arm that possesses it.
- Jackass Genie: It will definitely grant the wishes of those who pray to it... but at the cost of the wisher's soul.
- Living Statue: While it's been sentient for some time, it starts to become animated after Jin Ling wishes for "the soul-consuming creature in Mount Dafan to appear".
- Mysterious Past: The statue became sentient after receiving countless prayers over the years, but nothing else is known about its background.
- Nigh-Invulnerable: It's made of stone, for one, so swords and arrows will barely land a scratch on the thing. It's also a supernatural being that's neither a spirit nor a beast, hence it's immune to any cultivational spells, talismans, or any other tools. It's only put down after Wen Ning smashes it to irreparable pieces.
- Rock Monster: A stone statue that eventually wrecks havoc in the story.
- Soul Eating: It consumes the souls of people whose wishes it grants.
- Spanner in the Works: None of the juniors would be in danger if it weren't for its presence. Wei Wuxian has to use demonic cultivation to summon Wen Ning and save their lives, which is what inadvertently clues in Lan Wangji and Jiang Cheng to "Mo Xuanyu's" real identity.
- Starter Villain: The Heavenly Maiden is more of a brutal monster than an outright villain. Nevertheless, it is the first creature in the present storyline to give Wei Wuxian and the juniors some trouble.
- To Serve Man: After Jin Ling makes a careless wish to it, the Heavenly Maiden decides that human souls aren't enough to satisfy it anymore and so starts to consume human flesh as well.
Hook Hand (钩子手)
A malevolent spirit that haunts the Bai residence, where he was defeated. The spirit earned his moniker from wielding an iron hook, which he used to cut off the tongues of any woman he sees.
- Adapted Out: He doesn't appear in The Untamed nor the donghua, which only cover the main chapters of the novel and so doesn't include the "Iron Hook" extra he appears in.
- Beware the Nice Ones: When he was alive, he was said to be a kind man. A certain spousal betrayal happened triggered his violent and vengeful side, however.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: He was previously a simple blacksmith before his rage at his death turned him into a murderous ghost.
- He Who Fights Monsters: When he killed his wife, who was unarguably deserving of her death, he became just as bad and murderous as her, if not worse.
- Kill It with Fire: His spirit is finally put to rest after his hook is burned and melted away.
- Tongue Trauma: His wife cut off his tongue after killing him so he wouldn't be able to tell his story in the afterlife. He got even with his wife by cutting off hers, and did the same to his other victims.
- Woman Scorned: Gender-inverted. The Hook Hand was originally a blacksmith who was killed by his wife and the man she was cheating with. While the blacksmith rose from the grave and slaughtered his wife, his hatred wasn't sated and he continued to linger about, killing every beautiful woman he would see since they would remind him of his unfaithful wife.
Damsel of Annual Blossoms (莳花女)
A benevolent, albeit elusive, spirit born from the passion of a poet who owned a garden.
- Berserk Button: The spirit gets annoyed and knocks out anyone who recites subpar or outright horrible poetry to her.
- Demoted to Extra: She still exists in the Live-Action Adaptation's lore since her name was mentioned when Wei Wuxian, Lan Wangji and Nie Huaisang stumbled upon a festival celebrated in her honor. However, the backstory involving Wei Wuxian annoying her with horrible poetry is omitted.
- Green Thumb: Being a flower spirit, she's mostly associated with flowers. In the donghua's chibi spinoff, she can also manipulate vines.
- Non-Malicious Monster: The Damsel of Annual Blossoms is a benign spirit, not a yao (beast), and is one of the few supernatural presences mentioned in the novel to not be a threat to anyone. The most she does is attack anyone who provokes her with terrible poetry.
- Petal Power: She can summon flowers out of thin air, and the fragrance can last for up to three years if she wills it.
- Pink Means Feminine: In The Founder of Diabolism Q, her getup includes pink colors which emphasise her feminity.
- True Blue Femininity: In The Founder of Diabolsm Q, her getup includes blue colors which emphasise her feminity.
Tortoise of Slaughter (屠殺玄武)
Click here to see the Tortoise of Slaughter in The Untamed
An ancient monster that resided in a cave on Dusk Creek Mountain. A failed imitation of the legendary divine beast Xuanwu, it devoured hundreds of humans centuries ago, but was in hibernation afterward.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: While referred to as a tortoise, the creature was actually a hybrid between a tortoise and a serpent.
- Nigh-Invulnerable: Downplayed. Its skin was almost impenetrable and couldn't be wounded with normal arrows and swords. Certain weapons could cut through it, but even that's another challenge of its own.
- Really 700 Years Old: The Tortoise of Slaughter looked like your standard albeit supersized animal, but it was actually much older; according to Lan Wangji, it appeared in Qishan 400 years ago.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: In contrast to the yellow eyes it's described to have in the novel, the donghua depicts it with a hellish red eye color which is befitting of a dangerous monster.
Canon Foreigners
The Untamed
Xue Chonghai (薛重亥)
Played by: Yu Zikuan [web series]
A powerful cultivator from centuries ago who created the Yin Iron using human sacrifices.
- Ambiguously Related: A few characters speculated that he may be Xue Yang's ancestor in Episode 10, although this is never touched upon again.
- The Beastmaster: When he was alive, he controlled the Tortoise of Slaughter.
- Canon Foreigner: Xue Chonghai is unique to the web series. His existence is what influenced the series' canon-divergent plot, which involves the existence of the Yin Iron and why both Wen Ruohan and Xue Yang were practicing demonic cultivation before Wei Wuxian.
- Evil Sorcerer: In this adaptation, he's the who founded demonic cultivation and used it for evil, complete with creating an artifact fueled with evil power and living sacrifices.
- Greater-Scope Villain: His creation of the Yin Iron was what gave Wen Ruohan the opportunity to subjugate the cultivation world. The Yin Iron's existence was also what filled the Jin Clan with ambition, leading to their attempts to try and take over after the Wen Clan was defeated.
- Madness Makeover: After he got mad from using the Yin Iron, when Wen Mao found him, he appeared completely disheveled and had a maniacal expression on his face.
- Mysterious Past: It's known that he created the Yin Iron and used it for malicious purposes, but Lan Yi stated that no one knew why.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: After he became insane, his eyes glowed a permanent red.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: While not explained in detail, his choice to create the Yin Iron and nourish it with resentful energy took quite the toll on his mental state.
The Living Dead
Xiao Qing (萧情)
Played by: Wang Yifei [web series] note
The first-born child of the Xiao Clan, a family famous for the lanterns they craft.
- Canon Foreigner: She doesn't exist in the novel and was made solely for the movie.
- The Lost Lenore: Xiao Yi's motivations are purely driven by his desire to see her again. It's assumed to be platonic, but turns out to be romantic when it's revealed that they're not actually siblings and that Zhao Yi has feelings for her.
- Nice Girl: From what's seen of her, she was gentle, kind-hearted and the only one in the Xiao family to treat Zhao Yi nicely.
Xiao Yi (萧忆)
Played by: Gao Han [web series]
The second-born child of the Xiao family, and Xiao Qing's younger half-brother. In truth, however, he's not all who he seems to be, and he's directly linked to the secrets surrounding the now nearly-abandoned town of Fufeng.
- Bad Powers, Bad People: He's a demonic cultivator, and he's managed to create his own version of a piece of the Yin Iron.
- Believing Their Own Lies: While he's mainly lying to avoid being exposed as the true killer, there are hints that he's deluded himself with those lies to justify his motives to resurrect Xiao Qing.
- Canon Foreigner: He doesn't exist in the novel and was made solely for the movie.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: He turns on the Xiao family after being abused by the clan's disciples one too many times.
- Serial Killer: He's the true murderer of the Xiao household.
- Significant Wardrobe Shift: He gets rid of his disheveled appearance and puts on red robes once his true colors are revealed.
- Sole Survivor: He's the last one of the Xiao household who's still alive, although downplayed when it's revealed he's not really a member of the Xiao family.
- Yandere: One of the reasons why he snapped was because his crush Xiao Qing fell in love with Zhou Zishu, and he spent the next few years trying to resurrect her.
Zhou Zishu (周子殊)
Played by: He Longlong [web series]
A talented lantern-maker that gained the favor of the Xiao Clan. He is also Xiao Qing's fiancee.
- Canon Foreigner: He doesn't exist in the novel and was made solely for the movie.
- Good All Along: He's initially assumed to be responsible for the massacre of his fiancee's clan. It turns out he's actually one of the victims, with Xiao Yi being the real culprit. Zhou Zishu even attempted to apprehend Xiao Yi and have him face trial.
- Red Herring: The promotional posters and trailers set him up as the Big Bad. However, the real villain of the film is Xiao Yi.
- Serial Killer: Strongly implied to be responsible for killing off the entire Xiao Clan at first. The late half of the movie reveals he's a Red Herring.
