History Characters / GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShiYiCityGroup

* GutturalGrowler: When angered, his voice becomes lower and harsher, and he speaks as if he's both hissing and snarling.

* GutturalGrowler: In some adaptations/dubs he has a deep and course voice.

* RevengeBeforeReason: A lot of the tragedy in Yi City likely could have been avoided had Song Lan immediately went to see Xiao Xingchen first instead of letting his anger for Xue Yang murdering his entire clan cloud his mind.

->''"Carry Shuanghua, walk the worldly path. Exorcise evil together with Xingchen. Once he wakes, tell im -- it was not your fault."''

* WhipItGood: As a Daoist priest, he carried a ''fuchen'' (horsetail whisk) with him.

* WhipItGood: Like all other Daoists, he carries a ''fuchen'' which he can use as a whip.

* BadassBaritone: Song Lan has a low voice thanks to his multiple voice actors, befitting of a powerful cultivator.

!!!'''Voiced by (Mandarin):''' Zhang Fuzheng [[note]]credited as Wai Wai[[/note]] (animation), Hui Long (audio drama - adult), Li Jiayi (audio drama - child), Liu Sanmu (web series)\\
'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/KoukiUchiyama (animation, web series), Creator/TakashiKondo (audio drama - adult), Yukari Kokubun (audio drama - child)\\
'''Played by:''' Wang Haoxuan (web series)

->''"I never like to exaggerate when I'm talking. If I say I'm gonna kill someone’s entire clan, I'll actually kill their entire clan. I won't even leave a dog behind.''"

* AnArmAndALeg: {{Fingore}} aside, Lan Wangji slices off Xue Yang's arm in the end of their battle.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: In the past, Xue Yang lived as a StreetUrchin doing menial jobs, and then everything went downhill for him when Chang Cian cost him his finger...

* DependingOnTheArtist: His eye color is never consistent in official art, changing from blue (first season of the audio drama), to yellow (second season of the audio drama), to gray (''manhua''), and finally to red (''donghua'').

* HandicappedBadass: Even without his pinky (which is actually the most important finger in sword-wielding), he's good enough with a blade to keep up with the likes of Song Lan and Lan Wangji. Granted, [[CombatPragmatist he had a few aces up his sleeve]] such as corpse poisoning powder and the fog shrouding Yi City, but still.

* MrFanservice: He gets to be shirtless in a few chapters of the ''manhua'', and he's admittedly easy on the eyes.

*** In the ''manhua'' when a merchant spurned Xiao Xingchen solely because he's blind, Xue Yang emanated a menacing aura towards said merchant to make him change his mind.

* SanitySlippage: While it's subtle, there's a part of his head that got irreparably screwed after Xiao Xingchen died. In the past, he's perfectly composed even while indulging in his murderous tendencies, whereas at present he's noticeably more unhinged and erratic. The ''manhua'' even shows the exact moment his breakdown trope happened in detail, from expression shifting from disbelief to denial to horror to rage and finally, to madness.

* VillainousBreakdown: He has an equally epic and tragic villainous breakdown after Xiao Xingchen committed suicide. He has another when Lan Wangji retrieves both Shuanghua and the spirit-trapping pouch containing Xiao Xingchen's soul from him.
* VillainousFriendship: He formed a friendship with the eventual BigBad Jin Guangyao, with the extra chapter "Villainous Friends" even named after it. Jin Guangyao was, however, pragmatic enough to recognize that a public association with a known hooligan did not bode well for his political aspirations.
* WouldHitAGirl: Xue Yang massacred an entire clan, which meant women were among the casualties. He was also more than content to kill A-Qing after his lies came to light.

* BeneathTheMask: His character song delves into his character and how he feels about the events of the Yi City arc. According to the lyrics, he mourns Xiao Xingchen's death and is aware that he'll never come back, and knows what he had done and admits that he brought his suffering on himself. However, he chooses to go into self-denial and persist in his attempts to resurrect Xiao Xingchen because otherwise he's left with nothing, and all the while [[DeathSeeker he's secretly waiting to die as atonement]].

* LaserGuidedKarma: Song Lan died like he did in the novel from a fatal stab through the chest. Years later, [[KarmicDeath Xue Yang gets killed by Song Lan in the same manner]].

!!!'''Voiced by (Mandarin):''' Qian Wenqing (animation), Chen Hao (audio drama), Chenzhang Taikang (web series)\\
'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/KaitoIshikawa (animation, web series), Creator/ShinnosukeTachibana (audio drama)\\
'''Played by:''' Song Jiyang (web series)

->''"If I were you, there'd also be a lot of things that I don't want others to ask about."''

* SkilledButNaive: Xiao Xingchen rightfully earned his reputation for both his pure heart and combat skill. That aside, his pure heart didn't last him long in a world where many are heartless and merciless.

* UnwittingPawn: While Xiao Xingchen could generally be too trusting, giving up his sight to restore Song Lan's made it much easier for Xue Yang to manipulate him.

!!! '''Voiced by (Mandarin):''' Liu Kang [[note]] Credited as Liu Sicen [[/note]] (animation), Wu Lei (audio drama), Lu Lifeng (web series)\\
'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/TakuyaEguchi (animation, web series), Creator/ShinichiroMiki (audio drama)\\
'''Played by:''' Li Bowen (web series)

!!! '''Height''': 190 cm\\
'''Weapon''': Fuxue | 拂雪 (''jian'')

->''"Roam this world with Shuanghua. Exorcise evil beings alongside Xingchen. When he wakes, say, 'I'm sorry, it wasn't your fault'."''

* WeUsedToBeFriends: Downplayed. He and Xiao Xingchen had a falling out after the White Snow Temple massacre and Song Lan ultimately pushed Xiao Xingchen away, but he regretted his actions soon after.

!!!'''Voiced by (Mandarin):''' Nie Xiying (animation), Yang Neng [[note]]credited as Mie Mie[[/note]] (audio drama), He Wenxiao (web series)\\
'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/AoiYuuki (animation, web series), Creator/NorikoShitaya (audio drama)\\
'''Played by:''' Chen Zhuoxuan (web series)

->''"You're tall and blind, and I'm small and blind. If we travel together, we can care for each other."''

* DependingOnTheArtist: In the audio drama art, she has most of her hair down with a few strands tied into loops. In the ''manhua'', her hair is tied into loose and low pigtails. In the ''donghua'', she has most of hair in a bun secured by a hairpin, with a few loose strands.

* EatingTheEyeCandy: In the ''manhua'', she took a peek at an unconcious Xue Yang's shirtless torso while Xiao Xingchen was tending to him and begrudgingly admitted he's not that bad on the eyes.

* GirlishPigtails: She wears her hair in pigtails in the ''manhua'' which is befitting of a young and energetic teenage girl.

* InsultOfEndearment: [[TheGadfly Xue Yang]] would call A-Qing "Little Blind" out of "affection", which she hated. It soon became a [[TermsOfEndangerment threatening nickname]] after he realized that she had been onto him the entire time.

* TermsOfEndangerment: Xue Yang would call her "Little Blind" as an InsultOfEndearment, which she grudingly tolerated. At present, however, he uses it as a threatening nickname instead since they are now enemies.

* YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious: Whenever Xue Yang referred to A-Qing by name instead of "Little Blind", she was on edge and worried he realized she truly wasn't blind. Sure enough, when he found her after she had fled Yi City he cheerfully called her by name right before killing her.

* EtherealWhiteDress: Years after Xiao Xingchen's suicide, she starts wearing white robes, making her look more eerie in appearance.

* ReflectionlessUselessEyes: Averted at first, since A-Qing was born with a normal eye color unlike the novel. However, her eyes eventually became white with no reflection after Xue Yang burned them with poison.

* AdaptationalWimp: Downplayed in the ''donghua''. While Xue Yang is still able to hold up against Lan Wangji for a while, he nevertheless struggles a lot more during their fight and it doesn't take as much time and effort for Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji to put Xue Yang at a great disadvantage.
* AlasPoorVillain: While Wei Wuxian does not approve of any of Xue Yang's actions whatsoever and believes that he has to pay for his crimes with death, he also expresses pity for the delinquent after learning of his backstory and surmising his motives.

* DeadPersonImpersonation: He impersonates Xiao Xingchen when the protagonists and the junior disciples encounter him. His cover is blown after Lan Sizhui confirms from Song Lan that he's the one controlling him.
* DependingOnTheArtist: His eye color is never consistent, changing from blue (first season of the audio drama), to yellow (second season of the audio drama), to gray (''manhua''), and finally to red (''donghua'').

* FateWorseThanDeath: PlayedForLaughs. While he's still in his disguise, he claims that death would be more preferable than eating the spicy rice congee that Wei Wuxian made. Given his SweetTooth, he may not have been joking.

* KilledOffscreen: Xue Yang suffers a serious injury when Lan Wangji cuts off his arm, but he's taken away by the gravedigger before Lan Wangji can deliver the final blow. Wei Wuxian theorizes that his wound is too serious for him to live for any longer anyways, and Creator/MoXiangTongXiu confirmed that Xue Yang is indeed dead.

* MasterActor: Xue Yang claims that he's nowhere near Jin Guangyao's level of acting. But when Wei Wuxian accesses A-Qing's memories and see what the real Xiao Xingchen was like, he notes that Xue Yang actually did an impeccable impression of the man.

* SnarkToSnarkCombat: He woul dexchange snide remarks with A-Qing, with him usually the one who instigated it.

* TakingAdvantageOfGenerosity: Song Lan outright accused him of taking advantage of Xiao Xingchen's kindness, and he wasn't far off since that was Xue Yang's intention... at least at first.

* VillainHasAPoint: There is some sense to be found in Xue Yang's harsh words to Xiao Xingchen about how, in spite of the latter's good intentions, he was far from prepared to properly face the brutality that awaits in the world that existed outside his mentor's mountain.

* YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious: Whenever Xue Yang referred to A-Qing by name instead of "Little Blind", she was on edge and worried he realized she truly wasn't blind. Sure enough, when he found her after she had fled Yi City he cheerfully called her by name right before killing her.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Xue Yang's injuries when A-Qing and Xiao Xingchen found him imply that the Jin Clan tried to get rid of him when they realized it wasn't worth the political trouble trying to keep him.

* DiesWideOpen: He dies while [[GoOutWithASmile smiling]] and looking at the last piece of candy that Xiao Xingchen gave him.
* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: Xue Yang's death occurs off-screen in the novel, and it's hinted that he dies of blood loss after getting his arm cut off. Here, his death is cemented after not just losing his arm but also Song Lan stabbing him through the chest shortly afterwards.
* GoOutWithASmile: As he succumbs to his injuries, he dies while wearing a wistful smile on his face.

* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: In the novel, he appeared to believe that the Jin Clan would exercise fair judgment regarding Xue Yang. The ''donghua'', on the other hand, made him more suspicious about the Jin Clan's motives; when Jin Guangshan expressed reluctance in executing Xue Yang, Xiao Xingchen openly questions if it's because Jin Guangshan is secretly planning to have Xue Yang recreate the Yin Tiger Tally.

* {{Bishonen}}: Some of the characters InUniverse describe him as handsome. The visual adaptations keep this detail and make him a slender, pretty man.

* DeadAllAlong: The man who introduces himself as "Xiao Xingchen" to the main group is actually Xue Yang in disguise; the real Xiao Xingchen is already long dead.
* DeaderThanDead: In the ''xianxia'' genre, when one's soul is consumed with despair in their last moments their soul will shatter nearly beyond repair -- which applies for Xiao Xingchen. However, Wei Wuxian states that given enough time, his soul could potentially heal and be restored.

* DrivenToSuicide: He killed himself out of anguish after Xue Yang revealed that Song Lan is dead and that he himself was the one who killed him.

* EyeScream: After Xue Yang blinded Song Lan, Xiao Xingchen gave Song Lan his own eyes so he would regain his sight.

* TearsOfBlood: He shed bloody tears after learning that he's been living with his enemy and that he killed his best friend. This is justified since he no longer had his eyes by then.
* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Xiao Xingchen's trusting and kind nature caused him to be overly naive. Hence, his suffering and eventual death was inevitable.

* FailedASpotCheck: He didn't seem to realize that A-Qing is faking her blindness simply from her request for him to describe Xiao Xingchen's appearance to her. Granted, he could have been so emotional about the thought of seeing his friend again that he might not have cared at all.
* GutturalGrowler: While he was still under Xue Yang's control, all Song Lan does is growl and roar like a wild animal. Justified because his tongue was cut off, so those are the only noises he can make whether he's lucid or not.

* PartingWordsRegret: After the massacre at the White Snow Temple, Song Lan lashed out at Xiao Xingchen and told him that he didn't want to see him again. Those are the last words he ever said to his friend and he feels guilty about it.
--> '''Song Lan''': When he [Xiao Xingchen] wakes, [I'll] say "I'm sorry, it wasn’t your fault".

* TongueTrauma: Song Lan got his tongue cut off, courtesy of Xue Yang.

* WanderingTheEarth: After the events of the Yi City arc he decides to.

'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/AoiYuki (animation, web series), Creator/NorikoShitaya (audio drama)\\

* AdaptationalCurves: Her ''donghua'' [[https://wx4.sinaimg.cn/large/005TRwzkgy1gqz4mhr4wrj30u016fwz8.jpg design]] makes her chestier than what's implied in the novel, which describes her to have a petite build.

* CuteGhostGirl: The juniors find her current ghostly appearance to be scary, but Ouyang Zizhen notes that she would have grown up into a lovely lady if she was still alive.
* DefiantToTheEnd: Up until her last moments, she continued to put up a fight against Xue Yang. Even as a ghost, she still tries to stop him.
* DependingOnTheArtist: In the audio drama, she has most of her hair down with a few strands tied into loops. In the ''manhua'', her hair is tied into loose and low pigtails. In the ''donghua'', she has most of hair in a bun secured by a hairpin, with a few loose strands.
* DyingCurse: She threw out curse words and whatever anger she felt towards Xue Yang in what she knew would be her final moments before he killed her. Fortunately for her, Xue Yang does end up getting his comeuppance some years later.

* EyeScream: Xue Yang blinded A-Qing shortly before cutting off her tongue and killing her. The manner in which he blinds her happens differently depending on the adaptation; in the novel and the ''manhua'' he uses a chemical powder to burn her eyes, while in the audio drama he slashes them out with his sword.

* GoOutWithASmile: When Xue Yang attacks her and damages her soul in the ''donghua'', A-Qing fades away with a smile as she's assured with the knowledge that Xue Yang will get his comeuppance.

* HeroicSacrifice: She helps in Lan Wangji fight against Xue Yang even though she knows Xue Yang can kill her, which happens when he spots her and destroys her soul.

* RightForTheWrongReasons: When she first spotted Xue Yang (who was beaten half to death), she wanted to leave him for dead and keep Xiao Xingchen from noticing him solely because she thought it would be a pain to bring along an injured man. In light of everything that happened after that, letting him die turned out to have been the more sensible option even if she didn't know why at the time.

* TongueTrauma: Courtesy of Xue Yang, she got her tongue cut off after she cursed him and right before she died.

'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/AoiYuki (animation), Creator/NorikoShitaya (audio drama)\\

'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/TakashiKondo (audio drama - adult), Yukari Kokubun (audio drama - child), Creator/KoukiUchiyama (web series)\\

'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/ShinnosukeTachibana (audio drama), Creator/KaitoIshikawa (web series)\\

'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/ShinichiroMiki (audio drama), Creator/TakuyaEguchi (web series)\\

'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/NorikoShitaya (audio drama)\\

* AwesomeMcCoolName: His whole name literally translates to "dawn stardust", which is neat for a name.

* KnifeNut: Implied. The AxCrazy Xue Yang has a habit of using knives as a form of intimidation which implies he's fond of using them. However, he's otherwise never seen using them other than for mundane purposes.

* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: It's strongly suggested that Xue Yang grew attached to Xiao Xingchen after living a peaceful life with him for two years.

* DeaderThanDead: In the ''xianxia'' genre, when one's soul is consumed with despair in their last moments their soul will shatter nearly beyond repair -- which applies for Xiao Xingchen. However, Wei Wuxian states that given enough time, his soul can heal and be restored.

* YankTheDogsChain: Saved his friend's life and eyes? Friend died anyway a few years later. Adopted a child and rebuilt a second life with another friend? Was manipulated into killing the village by that same friend. Also, his surrogate child died shortly after.

'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/ShinnosukeTachibana (audio drama), Creator/KaitoIchikawa (web series)\\

'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/TakashiKondo (audio drama - adult), Yukari Kokubun (audio drama - child)\\

'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/ShinnosukeTachibana (audio drama)\\

'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/ShinichiroMiki (audio drama)\\

* EvilGenius: Xue Yang fills the genius role in the three-person band led by the villain Jin Guangyao, as he's the one with the exceptional talent to restore the lost half of the Yin Tiger Tally and fulfil other evil schemes. Besides Wei Wuxian, he was also the only other person to successfully create a sentient corpse. However, he states that in terms of knowledge and expertise in demonic cultivation he's still only second to the founder himself.

* AntagonistInMourning: Even if he refuses to admit it, he's spent the last few years mainly grieving Xiao Xingchen's death and his attempts to revive him.

* ColorCodedEyes: Xue Yang has been drawn with [[IcyBlueEyes blue]], yellow, gray, and [[RedEyesTakeWarning red]] eyes. All three eye colors complement his cold-blooded nature.
* CombatPragmatist: As he admits, he's a delinquent and so is of course not afraid of fighting dirty.

* DeadPersonImpersonation: Impersonates Xiao Xingchen when the protagonists and the junior disciples encounter him. His cover is blown after Lan Sizhui confirms from Song Lan that he's the one controlling him.

* DoesNotKnowHowToSayThanks: When Xiao Xingchen started giving both him and A-Qing candy everyday, Xue Yang never thanked him but never rejected the gesture either. There are hints that, rather than to be be ungrateful, he was simply not familiar with feeling nor expressing genuine gratitude.

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: It's implied that he grew to care for Xiao Xingchen in his own twisted way, since after the latter rescued him the two of them were able to live in peace for some time. Even if that was the case, it didn't stop him from tormenting Xiao Xingchen when the cat went out of the bag. When that resulted in the latter's suicide, Xue Yang didn't take it well.

** If the audience needs more convincing that Xue Yang is a horrible villain, then his claim that he even kill animals if he has to will do the trick.

* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: When Xue Yang relayed part of his backstory to Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing, the latter expressed that what happened to him was horrible and Xiao Xingchen (after learning the full story) stated that the former would have been justified in his revenge had he merely taken a finger or an arm at worst. Xue Yang even claimed that it's why he's the way he is right now. The other characters in the novel however are of the opinion that it doesn't justify his SerialKiller tendencies.

* HandicappedBadass: Even without his pinky (which is the most important finger in sword-wielding), he's good enough with a blade to keep up with the likes of Song Lan and Lan Wangji. Granted, [[CombatPragmatist he had a few aces up his sleeve]] such as corpse poisoning powder and the fog shrouding Yi City, but still.
* HiddenDepths: Despite his StreetUrchin background and horrible personality, he possesses surprising knowledge in repairing houses. Demonstrated when he offered to direct Xiao Xingchen in fixing the rooftop of the coffin house in Yi City.

* KilledOffscreen: Xue Yang suffers a serious injury when Lan Wangji cuts off his arm, but he's taken away by the gravedigger before Lan Wangji can deliver the final blow. Wei Wuxian theorizes that his wound is too serious for him to live for any longer anyways. Creator/MoXiangTongXiu confirmed that Xue Yang is indeed dead.

* MadeOfIron: He can take a lot of hits without going down, mentioning to Xiao Xingchen that he's used to pain. Even after being heavily wounded by the Jin Clan, he still managed to survive. When Xiao Xingchen stabbed him after finding out who Xue Yang really is, he barely reacts to it. Lan Wangji has to slice his arm off for him to stop fighting.

*** In the ''manhua'' when a merchant spurned Xiao Xingchen solely because he's blind, Xue Yang emanated a menacing aura towards said merchant.

* PsychoticSmirk: He has a smug and psychotic smile plastered on his face almost all the time, which the visual adaptations can attest to. It only drops when he gets seriously angry.

* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Would exchange snide remarks with A-Qing, with him usually the one who instigated it.

* SweetTooth: A defining feature of his was his fondness for sweets. He desire to eat candy was what triggered his traumatic childhood incident, and Xiao Xingchen giving him candy every day was what had the latter warming up to him.

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Xue Yang's injuries when A-Qing and Xiao Xingchen found him imply the Jin Clan tried to get rid of him when they realized it wasn't worth the political trouble trying to keep him.

* AscendedExtra: Downplayed. In the novel, Xue Yang has plot importance but his screentime is limited to one arc, one extra chapter and handful of mentions. In this adaptation, he's given more screentime and is one of the most advertised characters in the series. He even gets his own character theme song to boot.

* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: In the novel he appeared to believe that the Jin Clan would exercise fair judgment regarding Xue Yang. The ''donghua'', on the other hand, made him more suspicious about the Jin Clan's motives; when Jin Guangshan expressed reluctance in executing Xue Yang, Xiao Xingchen openly questions if it's because Jin Guangshan is secretly planning to have Xue Yang recreate the Yin Tiger Tally.

* BlindWeaponmaster: The loss of sight didn't stop him from being a proficient fighter. It's only a shame that Xue Yang took advantage of his blindness to trick him into killing villagers.

* DespairEventHorizon: He found out the friend that's been living with him for years was his enemy and had been [[UnwittingPawn directing him to kill innocent villagers, as well as his old friend]]. The end result of all that was him taking his own life out of despaor.

* LightIsGood: He's dressed in almost all white and he's one of the nicest and most selfless cultivators in ''Literature/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShi''.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Although it took his death for Xue Yang to realize this, Xiao Xingchen was implied to mean a lot to the younger man, and his death left him devastated. Xue Yang spent the next few years trying to revive him, and he gets unusually angry and desperate when Wei Wuxian tells him point-blank that it's impossible. He also becmes furious shortly after he slips into his second VillainousBreakdown after Shuanghua is taken from him. Xue Yang's character song in ''Series/TheUntamed'' even confirms this, as the song is basically a mournful ode dedicated to Xiao Xingchen.

* TragicBromance: He was close friends with Song Lan. Unfortunately for them, they parted ways after Xiao Xingchen gave him his eyes and was manipulated into killing him, which shocked him so much he took his own life. However, Song Lan (now a fierce corpse) eventually gets posession of his soul fragments and intends to travel around while carrying them, in hopes of reuniting with his friend one day.
* TragicDream: He had a desire to find a cultivation sect based on merit and ideals rather than blood ties and social standing. Unfortunately, death aside, the present timeline shows that blood ties and social standing still trumps all and so would had made is dream impossible to achieve.

* YankTheDogsChain: Saved his friend's life and eyes? Friend died anyway a few years later. Adopted a child and rebuilt a second life with another friend? Was manipulated into killing the village by that same friend. Also, his child died shortly after.

* FailedASpotCheck: He didn't seem to realize that A-Qing is faking her blindness simply from her request for him to describe to her Xiao Xingchen's appearance. Granted, he could have been so emotional about the thought of seeing his friend again that he might not have cared at all.

* TongueTrauma: Got his tongue cut off, courtesy of Xue Yang.

* BigBrotherWorship: Downplayed. A-Qing looked up to Xiao Xingchen as an old brother figure and nearly gave herself away to Xue Yang after she praised the swiftness of his sword despite being "blind". [[UndyingLoyalty Even in death]], she chose to stay in Yi City to find Xiao Xingchen's corpse and hopefully find someone to enact justice onto Xue Yang on both of their behalf's. When Wei Wuxian opens Xiao Xingchen's coffin, A-Qing cries over his corpse.

* DefiantToTheEnd: Up until her last moments, she continued to put up a fight against Xue Yang. Even as a ghost she still tries to stop him.

* EyeScream: Xue Yang blinded A-Qing shortly before cutting off her tongue and killing her. The way in which he blinds her happens differently depending on the adaptation; in the novel and the ''manhua'' he uses a chemical powder to burn her eyes, while in the audio drama he slashes them out with his sword.
* FriendlyGhost: Creepy appearance aside, A-Qing is a friendly ghost that's on the heroes' side and helps the protagonists fight back against Xue Yang.

* HeroicSacrifice: She helps in Lan Wangji fight against Xue Yang even though he knows Xue Yang can kill her, which happens when he spots her and destroys her soul.

* StreetUrchin: Was an orphaned teenager living on the streets. She managed to shamelessly and successfully con people to survive.

* TermsOfEndangerment: Xue Yang would call her "Little Blind" as an InsultOfEndearment, which she grudingly tolerated. However he now uses it as a threatening nickname since they are now enemies.

[- ''[[Characters/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShiMainCharacters Main Characters]]'': [[Characters/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShiWeiWuxian Wei Wuxian]] | [[Characters/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShiLanWangji Lan Wangji]]\\
''Five Great Clans'': [[Characters/MoDaoZuShiGusuLanClan Lan Clan of Gusu]] | [[Characters/MoDaoZuShiYunmengJiangClan Jiang Clan of Yunmeng]] ([[Characters/MoDaoZuShiYunmengJiangClanJiangCheng Jiang Cheng]]) | [[Characters/MoDaoZuShiLanlingJinClan Jin Clan of Lanling]] ([[Characters/MoDaoZuShiLanlingJinClanJinGuangyao Jin Guangyao]]) | [[Characters/MoDaoZuShiQingheNieClan Nie Clan of Qinghe]] | [[Characters/MoDaoZuShiQishanWenClan Wen Clan of Qishan]]\\
''Other Characters'': [[Characters/MoDaoZuShiOtherClans Other Clans]] | '''Yi City Group''' | [[Characters/GrandmasterOfDemonicCultivationMoDaoZuShiMiscellaneousCharacters Miscellaneous Characters]] -]]]]]

!!!'''Voiced by (Mandarin):''' Zhang Fuzheng[[note]]Credited as Wai Wai[[/note]] (animation), Hui Long (audio drama - adult), Li Jiayi (audio drama - child), Liu Sanmu (web series)\\

* AntagonistInMourning: Even if he refuses to admit it, the last few years he spent before his death mainly revolved around his grief at Xiao Xingchen's death and his attempts to revive him.
* ArcVillain: He's directly responsible for everything bad that happens in the Yi City arc as well as the backstory.

* BreakThemByTalking: He seems to enjoy making his enemies or victims break down by telling them horrible things. Examples include telling Xiao Xingchen about who he's actually been killing and reminding Song Lan that his intentions to find Xiao Xingchen contrasted [[LeaveMeAlone the last words he said to his friend]].

* DarkIsEvil: In all of his adaptations he wears dark robes, and he's far from a nice person.
* DeadPersonImpersonation: Impersonates as Xiao Xingchen when the protagonists and the junior disciples encounter him. His cover is blown after Lan Sizhui confirms from Song Lan that he's the one controlling him.
* DeathWail: [[HowlOfSorrow He yells in both rage and anguish]] when Xiao Xingchen's death fully sinks in.
* DeliberateInjuryGambit: He intentionally gets himself infected with corpse poisoning so that he would be "rescued" and taken inside to where Wei Wuxian and the juniors are hiding.
* DependingOnTheArtist: His eye color is never consistent, changing from blue (first season of the audio drama), to yellow (second season of the audio drama), to gray (''manhua'') and finally, to red (''donghua'').
* DidNotSeeThatComing: When Xue Yang revealed to Xiao Xingchen that he actually killed Song Lan, he just wanted to break his spirit (metaphorically), and didn't anticipate that Xiao Xingchen would literally do just that by killing himself.

* DoesNotKnowHowToSayThanks: When Xiao Xingchen started giving both Xue Yang and A-Qing candy everyday, Xue Yang never thanked him but never rejected the gesture either. There are hints that, rather than to be be ungrateful, he did this simply because he's not familiar with feeling or expressing genuine gratitude.

* EvilGenius: Xue Yang fills this role in the three-person band led by the villain Jin Guangyao, as he's the one with the genius talent to restore the lost half of the Yin Tiger Tally and fulfil other evil schemes. Besides Wei Wuxian, he was also the only other person to successfully create a sentient corpse. However, he states that in terms of knowledge and expertise in demonic cultivation he's still only second to the founder himself.
* EvilIsPetty: The ''Villainous Friends'' extra shows that Xue Yang wasn't above trashing someone's stall simply because he didn't think the food was good, which sums up his villainous personality in a nutshell.

* FateWorseThanDeath: PlayedForLaughs. While he's still in his disguise, he claims that death would be more preferable than eating the [[BlazingInfernoHellfireSauce spicy rice congee]] that Wei Wuxian made. Given his SweetTooth, he may not have been joking.

* FreudianExcuse: When Xue Yang relayed part of his backstory to Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing, the latter expressed that what happened to him was horrible and Xiao Xingchen (after learning the full story) stated that Xue Yang would have been justified in his revenge had he merely taken a finger or an arm at worst. Xue Yang even claimed that it's why he's the way he is right now. [[FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse The other characters in the novel however are of the opinion that it doesn't justify]] his SerialKiller tendencies.

* KickTheDog: If the audience needs more convincing that Xue Yang is a horrible villain, then his claim that he even kill animals if he has to will do the trick.
* KilledOffscreen: Xue Yang suffers a serious injury when Lan Wangji cuts off his arm, but he's taken away by the gravedigger before Lan Wangji can deliver the final blow. Wei Wuxian theorizes that his wound is too serious for him to live for any longer anyways. The author confirmed that Xue Yang is indeed dead.
* KnifeNut: Implied. He has a habit of using knives as a form of intimidation, but he's otherwise never seen using them other than for mundane purposes.

* LeaveNoWitnesses: Xue Yang tells both Wei Wuxian and Jin Guangyao that he doesn't leave even a chicken or a dog alive whenever he [[DeadlyEuphemism "cleans up" a place]].

* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Wei Wuxian observes that Xue Yang has a high pain tolerance, and thus would laugh off normally severe injuries as if it were nothing. Xue Yang lampshaded this himself when he told Xiao Xingchen that he's used to getting badly wounded.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: While he never fully admits it was his fault Xiao Xingchen ended up killing himself, his breakdown afterwards when he was unable to reanimate his body implies a part of him subconsciously felt responsible.

*** When A-Qing claimed that someone called her ugly, Xue Yang tried to give her advice on what to do the next time someone insults her. Except that by then, A-Qing already knew about Xue Yang's true colors and Xue Yang's [[DisproportionateRetribution "advice"]] wasn't exactly family-friendly.
** While his relationship with Jin Guangyao is more accurately described as a criminal partnership rather than an altruistic friendship, Xue Yang truly respected Jin Guangyao's capabilities and never mocked his origins.

* PsychoticSmirk: He has a smug and psychotic smile plastered on his face almost all the time, which both the ''manhua'' and ''The Untamed'' can attest to. It only drops when he gets seriously angry.

* StreetUrchin: He was a poor and orphan child.
* SweetTooth: A defining feature his his fondness for sweets. He desire to eat candy was what triggered his traumatic childhood incident, and Xiao Xingchen giving him candy every day was what had the latter warming up to him.

* TragicKeepsake:
** When Lan Wangji severed one of Xue Yang's arms, Wei Wuxian sees that the hand was tightly holding onto a piece of candy -- the last one that Xiao Xingchen gave him.
** While his posession of it was mostly to help maintain his disguise, Xue Yang's anger when Shuanghua is taken from him implies he still sees the sword as a memento of his former companion.

* VillainousBreakdown: He has an equally epic and tragic villainous breakdown after Xiao Xingchen committed suicide. He has another when Lan Wangji retrieves both Shuanghua and the Soul-Trapping Pouch containing Xiao Xingchen's soul from him.
* VillainousFriendship: Formed a friendship with Jin Guangyao, with the extra chapter ''Villainous Friends'' even named after it. Jin Guangyao was, however, pragmatic enough to recognize that a public association with a known hooligan did not bode well for his political aspirations.

* AdaptationPersonalityChange: In the novel, Xue Yang's response to Wei Wuxian's statement that he can't repair Xiao Xingchen's soul is calm, even though he responds with a veiled threat. In the series, however, his reaction is far more agitated.

* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: He tells Wen Ruohan that he fears not death but a life of boredom and no meaning, implying he was looking for a goal in life.

* KubrickStare: Xue Yang tends to give the creepy heads-down eyes-up stare every now and then. Alongside with his {{Psychotic Smirk}}s, it reminds the audience just how manic he can be.

* ObfuscatingStupidity: In the novel, it's ambiguous exactly when Xue Yang found out that A-Qing can see after all. But in the series, Xue Yang's actor claims that before the tragedy began, Xue Yang eventually figured out that A-Qing isn't blind but never exposed her since he wanted to continue enjoying his life with her and Xiao Xingchen.

* AdaptationalBadass: He was already said to be StrongAndSkilled in the novel, but there's definitely a significant difference in power when cryokinesis (or a diluted form of it) is added to his arsenal -- which is the case in the ''donghua''.
* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: In ''The Untamed'', the events of the Wen Clan's impending attack on the Four Great Clans and the massacre of the Chang Clan occurred around the same time, hence Xiao Xingchen appeared much earlier when he apprehended Xue Yang in the flashback arc. He even got to have a brief interaction with Wei Wuxian, who asked him about Cangse-sanren.

* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Aside from the scar on his neck, his body didn't decay in the slightest in the years that passed by after his suicide. This is implied to be from Xue Yang using his own spiritual energy to preserve Xiao Xingchen's corpse.
* BigBrotherInstinct: When he first met A-Qing, he went out of his way to guide her away from the busy streets and protect her even after knowing she nicked him. After she told him the truth about Xue Yang and how she lied to him about being blind, he was more concerned about fer safety and advised her to run away, telling her he knows she's clever enough to make a good life for herself.

* BlindWeaponmaster: The loss of his sight didn't stop him from being a proficient fighter. It's only a shame that Xue Yang took advantage of his blindness to trick him into killing villagers.

* DespairEventHorizon: He found out the friend that's been living with him for years was his enemy and had been [[UnwittingPawn directing him to kill innocent villagers, as well as his old friend]]. The end result of all that is him taking his own life.
* DetectEvil: His sword, Shuanghua, can sense the resentful energy of corpses. However, it can't tell the difference between actual walking corpses and those infected with corpse poisoning, which Xue Yang took advantage of.

* HandicappedBadass: Even when blind, he still goes out on night-hunts.

* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Not that he was to blame for not knowing the Jin Clan's true colors, but had he known about their real plans with Xue Yang and why they were so insistent in not giving him the death penalty, Xiao Xingchen might have approached someone else to help resolve the matter.
* HowlOfSorrow: He lets out a painful howl in ''Series/TheUntamed'' after finding out he had killed his best friend and other innocent people his sword mistook for corpses.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: He was horrified with himself after Xue Yang revealed he had been killing people over the years. Xue Yang just didn't calculate how this revelation would drive Xiao Xingchen over the edge and commit suicide.
* NiceGuy: One could even say that he's ''too'' nice for his own good.

* WeUsedToBeFriends: Downplayed. Xiao Xingchen and Song Lan's close relationship grew strained after Xue Yang attacked the White Snow Temple, and Xiao Xingchen kept his distance from Song Lan as per the latter's request. He has no hard feelings, however, and even gave up his sight so that Song Lan would regain his own.

!!Tropes that apply to Song Lan in general
[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mdzs_sl.png]]

* BadassBaritone: Both the audio drama and ''Series/TheUntamed'' give Song Lan a low voice, befitting of a powerful cultivator.

* GutturalGrowler: While he was still under Xue Yang's control, all Song Lan does is growl and roar like a wild animal, similar to Wen Ning. This is more justified in Song Lan's case; his tongue was cut off, so those are the only noises he can make whether he's lucid or not.

* RevengeBeforeReason: A lot of the tragedy in Yi City likely could have been avoided had Song Lan immediately went to see Xiao Xingchen first instead of letting his anger for Xue Yang murdering his entire clan cloud his mind. Granted, the novel pointed out that he was reluctant to approach Xiao Xingchen first because it would mean having to tell him that he's been living with Xue Yang and he feared that Xiao Xingchen wouldn't take the truth well; however, there's no doubt that his action of choosing to approach Xue Yang instead of Xiao Xingchen is mainly influenced by anger.

!!Tropes that apply to Song Lan in ''The Untamed'' only
[[quoteright:225:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cql_sl_3.png]]

* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: In ''Series/TheUntamed'', the events of the Wen Clan's impending attack on the Four Great Clans and the massacre of the Chang Clan occurred around the same time, hence Song Lan appeared much earlier when he helped Xiao Xingchen capture Xue Yang. He encountered Wei Wuxian once again after Lotus Pier burned down, which happened around the same time Song Lan had his sight restored by Baoshan-sanren.
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: The novel states that when Xiao Xingchen stabbed Song Lan, unaware that he just fatally wounded his closest friend, Song Lan did not make any move or sound because he didn't want Xiao Xingchen to realize what he just did since the truth would break him. But in the series after being stabbed, Song Lan clued Xiao Xingchen in to what just happened by reaching out to his sword, although he was unsuccessful as he succumbed to his wounds before his friend could touch the engravings on Fuxue.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:A-Qing (阿箐)]]

!!! '''Voiced by (Mandarin):''' Nie Xiying (animation), Yang Neng [[note]] Credited as Mie Mie [[/note]] (audio drama), He Wenxiao (web series)\\
'''Voiced by (Japanese):''' Creator/NorikoShitaya (audio drama)\\
'''Played by:''' Chen Zhuoxuan (web series)

->''"You're tall and blind, and I'm small and blind. If we travel together, we can care for each other."''
\\

* CuteGhostGirl: The juniors find her current ghostly appearance to be scary, but Ouyang Zizhen notes that if she was still alive, she would have grown up into a lovely lady.

* DependingOnTheArtist: In the audio drama, she has most of her hair down with a few strands tied into loops. In the ''manhua'', her hair is tied into loose and low pigtails. In the ''donghua'', she has most of hair in a bun secured by a hairpin, with a few loose strands

* EasilyForgiven: Xiao Xingchen doesn't really hold it against her for pickpocketing him, and easily lets her accompany him when she makes the suggestion that they travel together.
* EatingTheEyeCandy: In the ''manhua'', she took a peek at an unconcious Xue Yang's shirtless torso while Xiao Xingchen was tending to him and begrudgingly admits he's not that bad on the eyes.

* HandicappedBadass: Even with her ability to see and talk taken away from her, A-Qing has done a great job protecting others from Xue Yang and is the one who gets to help Wei Wuxian figure out what happened in Yi City and fight against Xue Yang.

* IKnowYouKnowIKnow: Xue Yang suspected that A-Qing wasn't blind and she knew he knew and suspected he's untrustworthy. Much of their early interactions were them trying to expose the other without revealing their secrets.
* InsultOfEndearment: [[TheGadfly Xue Yang]] would call A-Qing "Little Blind" out of "affection", which she hated. It soon became a [[TermsOfEndangerment threatening nickname]] after Xue Yang realized that A-Qing had been onto him the entire time.

* NotNowKiddo: Her concerns or suspicious about Xue Yang were dismissed by Xiao Xingchen despite being correct. It didn't help that she couldn't reveal why she doesn't trust Xue Yang without giving away her own lies.

* ObfuscatingStupidity: ObfuscatingDisability aside, she pretended to be clueless about certain cultivator jargon in front of Xue Yang and got him to reveal that he's a cultivator by pretending to not know the difference between hunting and night-hunting.

* ProperlyParanoid: When she came across Xue Yang's body, she immediately got a bad feeling from him and tried to steer Xiao Xingchen away from him. Even after living with Xue Yang for three years, she could never let her guard down around him. She would eventually learn that her intuition wasn't incorrect.
* ReflectionlessUselessEyes: Exploited in the ''manhua''. Her white eyes lack reflection which helped give the impression that she was blind in her backstory. She could actually see fine, but she took advantage of them for her act as a useless blind girl to make stealing easier.

* YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious: Whenever Xue Yang referred to her as "A-Qing" instead of "Little Blind", she was on edge and worried he realized she truly wasn't blind. Sure enough, when he found her after she had fled Yi City he cheerfully called her by name right before killing her.

The third and latest disciple of the famed rogue cultivator Baoshan Sanren, Xiao Xingchen was a well-meaning but overly trusting Daoist priest. Having made his name in one night, Xiao Xingchen's arrest of Xue Yang set the tone of their future interactions as the target of Xue Yang's tactics.

* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: In ''The Untamed'', the events of the Wen Clan's impending attack on the Four Great Clans and the massacre of the Chang Clan occurred around the same time, hence Xiao Xingchen appeared much earlier when he apprehended Xue Yang in the flashback arc. He even got to have a brief interaction with Wei Wuxian, who asked him about Cangse-Sanren.

* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: In ''Series/TheUntamed'', the events of the Wen Clan's impending attack on the Four Great Clans and the massacre of the Chang Clan occurred around the same time, hence Song Lan appeared much earlier when he helped Xiao Xingchen capture Xue Yang. He encountered Wei Wuxian once again after Lotus Pier burned down, which happened around the same time Song Lan had his sight restored by Baoshan Sanren.

!!!'''Voiced by (Mandarin):''' Zhang Fuzheng[[note]]Credited as Wai Wai[[/note]] (animation), Hui Long (audio drama - adult), Li Jiayi (audio drama - child), Liu Sanmu (live-action)\\

'''Played by:''' Wang Haoxuan (live-action)

!!!'''Voiced by (Mandarin):''' Qian Wenqing (animation), Chen Hao (audio drama), Chenzhang Taikang (live-action)\\

'''Played by:''' Song Jiyang (live-action)

!!! '''Voiced by (Mandarin):''' Liu Kang [[note]] Credited as Liu Sicen [[/note]] (animation), Wu Lei (audio drama), Lu Lifeng (live-action)\\

'''Played by:''' Li Bowen (live-action)

!!! '''Voiced by (Mandarin):''' Nie Xiying (animation), Yang Neng [[note]] Credited as Mie Mie [[/note]] (audio drama), He Wenxiao (live-action)\\

'''Played by:''' Chen Zhuoxuan (live-action)

* AdaptationalBadass: Downplaued. Demonic cultivation was discovered long before the beginning of the story, and Xue Yang was already practising TheDarkArts before Wei Wuxian did.