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
Wen Clan of Qishan | 岐山温氏
Click here to see the Wen Clan's sigil in the Japanese audio drama art
Click here to see the Wen Clan's sigil in The Untamed
Leader: Wen Ruohan (last)
Residence: Nightless City | 不夜天城
Region: Qishan | 岐山 (based on modern Shaanxi)
Residence: Nightless City | 不夜天城
Region: Qishan | 岐山 (based on modern Shaanxi)
Formerly the top cultivation clan in the world, the ruling Wen family took things too far and was met with backlash as a result. The other cultivation clans banded together to war against them in the Sunshot Campaign. Many cultivators of Wei Wuxian's generation would distinguish themselves in battle here, and the power vacuum left in the wake of the Wen Clan's downfall would set the tone for the troubles which led to Wei Wuxian's death.
Their motto is "shine with the sun, die with the sun". Fittingly, their motif is also the sun.
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General Tropes
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Their clan colors were changed from the white and red in the novels to red and black in the Live-Action Adaptation.
- Animal Motifs: In the Live-Action Adaptation:
- The Wen Clan's symbol is changed to resemble a two-headed phoenix surrounded by a wreath of fire.
- The clan used owls as their spies.
- Equal-Opportunity Evil: Although Wen Ruohan viewed his clan as superior to the other cultivation clans, the fact that he took in Jin Guangyao as a disciple hinted that he didn't care about the lineage or background of any of his disciples, provided they were competent and stayed on his good side. Furthermore, the fact that Wen Qing was a high-ranking member of the Wen Clan and personally favored by Wen Ruohan himself even though she didn't specialize in combat hints that he wasn't misogynistic either. Not many clans show the same level of respect to other female cultivators.
- Light Is Not Good: White was one of their color motifs and they were symbolised by the sun. They were also one of the biggest threats faced in the novel before the timeskip.
- Obviously Evil: The ruling family of the clan, mainly Wen Ruohan's branch, didn't hide how tyrannical they are — which is what made it easy for the rest of the clans to unite and fight back against them once they've had enough. The Untamed even takes this trope to borderline cartoonish levels.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: In The Untamed, their Color Motifs are black and red, which is different from the novel yet still matched the clans' overall evil intentions.
- Ruling Family Massacre: Were originally the de facto leaders of all Cultivation Clans in the setting. After one Kick the Dog moment too many, the rest of the clans grew sick of them and started the Sunshot Campaign which saw the to the entire clan being wiped out with extreme prejudice.
- Take Over the World: Under Wen Ruohan's leadership, the Wen Clan attempted to subjugate every other cultivation clan and rule over all of China.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Wen Mao, the founder of the Wen Clan, is the reason the cultivation world is as classist as it is today. He dismantled the previous cultivation system — which was sect-based in that the cultivation world would accept anyone of any background as long as they had the aptitude and skill — and replaced it with a new clan-based system that focused more on bloodline. Essentially, a cultivator's family name and social background soon became the main determining factor of their worth, and it will always outweigh any actual talent or skill they possess. One of Wen Mao's teachings stated that all who abuse their power to oppress others should be killed, yet he failed to foresee that the changes he made would make it easier for the cultivation clans to abuse their power for all the wrong purposes.
- White and Red and Eerie All Over: The clan was distinguished by their white and red uniforms, a creepy colour theme that matched the clans' dictatorship ways.
Wen Ruohan (温若寒)
Voiced by: Yan Ming [animation], Chen Siyu [audio drama], Liu Cong [web series] (Mandarin) Click here for other languages
Played by: Xiu Qing [web series]
"The four clans have been extremely arrogant. It's about time to teach them what is order, and what is hierarchy."
The final leader of the Wen Clan. His ambition of ruling over all the cultivation clans with an iron fist helped influence the events that would lead to the Sunshot Campaign.
Tropes that apply to Wen Ruohan in general
- Adaptational Badass: The novel established Wen Ruohan as a powerful cultivator in terms of both political standing and cultivation ability, but the latter isn't shown much (with the exception of how he easily subdued Nie Mingjue). The donghua shows off the big difference in strength between him and other skilled cultivators he fought against, emphasising why it took the united effort of all the other clans (and then some) to defeat him.
- Ambition Is Evil: He wanted to take control of at least all the other cultivation clans and started a war to do so.
- Ascended Extra: In the novel, Wen Ruohan's only appearance was during the flashbacks of Nie Mingjue's past via Empathy, since the latter was present when he died at Jin Guangyao's hands. The donghua gives him a few more scenes such as during the Discussion Conference in Qishan and when he exchanged a few words with his son over how to deal with the other clans, which made his presence more felt in the events of the Sunshot Campaign.
- Bad Boss: Jin Guangyao noted that his temper made it hard to please him, and anyone working for him could easily be killed for the slightest offense.
- Bond Villain Stupidity: Downplayed. He had a penchant for torture rather than killing his enemies immediately. This was exploited by Jin Guangyao when Wen Ruohan subdued Nie Mingjue; he advised the Wen Clan leader to send Nie Mingjue away to be tortured instead of finishing him right there. Jin Guangyao then stabbed the leader as soon as his back was turned, killing him while also saving Nie Mingjue in the process.
- Classic Villain: He was a violent and hostile leader, and his actions against the other cultivation clans were driven purely by greed and ambition.
- Disc-One Final Boss: Chronologically. He was villainous clan leader and eventually died near the end of the Sunshot Campaign, but his death left an Evil Power Vacuum that caused more strife than he ever did.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: While he was far from a doting father figure, he seemed to have genuinely cared for his sons. When Nie Mingjue was at his mercy in the Sun Palace, Wen Ruohan directly referred to him as "the one who killed Wen Xu" with the clear intent of torturing him until he died. In The Untamed, he also flew into a rage after receiving word about Wen Chao's death.
- Evil Is Petty: Befitting of a villain, he often acted cruel just for the sake of being petty.
- The reason he indirectly killed Nie Mingjue's father was because someone suggested that the latter's sabre was superior to his own.
- He decided to launch an attack on the other cultivation clans because he thought they got "arrogant", when all they did was beat the Wen Clan fair and square in the archery competition during the Discussion Conference.
- Evil Overlord: Wen Ruohan was the tyrannical leader of the Wen Clan and intended to rule over the rest of the cultivation clans.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Although he was the main force behind the Wen Clan's plans, he initially stuck to sitting on his throne while ordering his sons to do the legwork for him in the initial conflicts of the Sunshot Campaign (such as the burning of both the Cloud Recesses and Lotus Pier). He only played a more active role after both sons died.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Many of the clan leaders described him as having a horrible temper, and Jin Guangyao observed that he would kill his own men for the slightest annoyances.
- Jerkass: He treated anyone that didn't belong to his clan like dirt.
- Might Makes Right: Because he and his clan were amongst the most powerful, he saw himself as having the authority over the rest of the clans and imposed his will over them.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: In the donghua his eyes were naturally red in color, and he was one of the villains in the flashback arcs.
- Sadist: He wasn't exactly someone who killed swiftly; he loved the sight of blood and delighted in torturing his enemies.
- World's Best Warrior: He effortlessly beat Nie Mingjue into the ground and was hinted to be the strongest cultivator barring immortals like Baoshan-sanren. It took an army of thousands of cultivators, Wei Wuxian's Cavalry of the Dead, along with some infiltration on Jin Guangyao's part, to finally take him down.
Tropes that apply to Wen Ruohan in The Untamed only
- Adaptational Ugliness: Downplayed. The way Wen Ruohan is styled in the series is clearly intended to make him look like a haggard and evil old man, whereas in the novel he's described to have an appearance of a youthful man despite having two adult sons.
- Adaptational Wimp: He wasn't as durable nor powerful as what's implied in the novel (even with the added detail of him wielding demonic cultivation long before Wei Wuxian did), and was only a serious threat because of the Yin Iron with how it both enhanced his powers and generated a powerful army that did most of the work for him. Without the artifact, he was extremely vulnerable.
- I Have Your Wife: He ensured that Wen Qing could not disobey his commands by using her brother's life as leverage.
- Necromancer: He was a demonic cultivator who could create ghoulish puppets out of the Yin Iron. This is what made him so hard to take down before Wei Wuxian came along and overrode his control of his ghouls.
- Orcus on His Throne: Most of his appearances in the series had him give commands and threats while lounging on his seat.
Wen Ning (温宁) - Qionglin (琼林) - Ghost General (鬼将军)
Voiced by: Shao Tong [animation], Teng Xin [audio drama], Li Xin [web series] (Mandarin) Click here for other languages
Played by: Yu Bin [web series], Su Qiuyi [web series, as a child]
Height: 183 cm
"I heard the Burial Mounds is gone. That everyone there... they're all gone."
Formerly another insignificant (and rather sheltered) disciple of the Wen Clan, his fame came when he died and was brought back by Wei Wuxian as the first corpse who retained his intelligence. Unfortunately, he proved unable to control the instincts of fierce corpses and accidentally killed Jin Zixuan. The Jin Clan responded by announcing to reduce him and his older sister to ashes, but secretly they kept him in chains to see if they could control him, which fortunately let him exist for another 13 years to reunite with Wei Wuxian and accompany his master in his journeys.
Tropes that apply to Wen Ning in general
Click here to see Wen Ning when he was still alive
- Affectionate Nickname: Wen Qing referred to him as A-Ning as a sign of her sisterly affection.
- Animal Motifs: In a series of official artworks from the donghua team with animals as the theme, Wen Ning (as a human) is shown holding a cat. Cats are a appropriate animal motif for him in several ways:
- A common belief about cats is that they have nine lives, which is a direct reference to his revival. Cats are also often associated with witchcraft, which alludes to how he was brought back by demonic cultivation, which others see as The Dark Arts.
- Cats are linked to medicine in some cultures, and Wen Ning comes from a family of doctors.
- Cats can represent courage and independence, and Wen Ning himself is a Cowardly Lion who learns to be more self-assured throughout the story, with Wei Wuxian encouraging him to be more independent.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Wen Ning mainly uses hand-to-hand combat as a fierce corpse, and he proves to fight with skill instead of just raw strength and force.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: The simple act of being friendly to Wen Ning and praising his archery worked well in Wei Wuxian's favor when the former helped him hide from the other Wens after the destruction of Lotus Pier.
- Beware the Nice Ones: He's still genuinely nice and kind even as a zombie, but it doesn't mean he can't kill you if he has to. And if you harass someone dear to him, he won't hesitate to raise his voice and give you a verbal beatdown, which Jiang Cheng can attest to.
- Beware the Quiet Ones: He was already very quiet even before he got turned into a fierce corpse, but that only makes him deadlier and more feared by the cultivation world.
- Be Yourself: The adapations sometimes have Wen Qing giving Wen Ning encouragement about staying true to himself. For example, the audio drama reveals that Wen Ning wouldn't have attended the Discussion Conference hosted in Qishan had it not been for Wen Qing telling him to pursue his interests and to not mind those who doubt him.
- Big Brother Instinct: He develops a protective and brotherly instinct around the younger generation, especially Lan Sizhui after realizing the teen is his cousin's son.
- Big Sister Worship: Even though Wen Ning was a bit intimidated by Wen Qing, he loved her dearly and greatly admired her skills. When he informs Jiang Cheng about the golden core transplant, he makes sure to state that the one who made it possible was his sister, the best doctor to have ever lived in the Wen Clan.
- Brutal Honesty: Although he's usually the peacemaker, he will be painfully blunt when he thinks it's necessary, such as brutally telling Jiang Cheng the actual reason he was able to cultivate again and sparing no gloomy details when admitting to Lan Wangji how painful the surgery — which had a 50% chance of success at best — was for Wei Wuxian.
- Butt-Monkey: Downplayed. If Lan Wangji is drunk and Wen Ning happens to be nearby, he's sure to get shoved or kicked. He's savvy enough to keep his distance the third time to avoid this.
- Chain Pain: Wen Ning was cast in chains while he was still a prisoner of the Jin Clan. After he escapes, he weaponizes said chains for a while before Wei Wuxian frees him of them. In the Animated Adaptation, he continues to keep them and use them in battle, but he finally removes the chains by the finale.
- Character Development: While Wen Ning remains a gentle soul, he learns to be more assertive, stand up for himself and make his own decisions regardless of what others may say or think about it.
- Cowardly Lion: He's understandably afraid of Jiang Cheng given that he caused the latter's brother-in-law Jin Zixuan's death. However, when he sees him aggravate Wei Wuxian to the point that the latter suffers a Heroic RRoD, Wen Ning stands up to him and reveals that Wei Wuxian sacrificed his golden core so that Jiang Cheng would regain his cultivation.
- Dark Is Not Evil: After he's brought back as the Ghost General, he gains an ashen complexion (to highlight his undead nature) and wears dark clothes in every adaptation. However, he's still as gentle and quiet as he was when he was still alive.
- The Dreaded: He is feared by many due to his violent reputation as the Ghost General, almost as feared as Wei Wuxian.
- Dull Surprise: He usually reacts with a blank look on his face no matter what emotions he's actually feeling and what he's reacting to, which is a given since he's a reanimated zombie. This is downplayed in the adaptations as he's able to look a bit more expressive.
- Expository Hairstyle Change: In the visual adaptations, his hair was tied up when he was a human. His hair was completely let loose once he was turned into a zombie and became reputed as the vicious Ghost General.
- Extreme Doormat: He has a soft and kind heart, but he's also meek and timid. This makes it difficult for him to speak his mind, let alone stand his ground against others. However, it becomes a different story when the people dear to him are the ones being threatened.
- Face of a Thug: Downplayed. Being a terrifying-looking fierce corpse does not bode well for anyone's first impression of him despite his timid personality, but any passerby who doesn't know any better just sees him as someone easy to pick on.
- Feel No Pain: He's a fierce corpse, with most of his organs and his nerves being dead. Hence, he can't process any physical stimuli such as pain or pleasure.
- Friendless Background: Implied. With how the other Wen disciples reacted when Wen Ning wanted to participate in the Discussion Conference, Wen Ning likely didn't have any one in the Wen Clan (besides his family) who he got along with.
- Friendly Zombie: As long as he's not dealing with Wei Wuxian's enemies, he's nothing but sweet and gentle even as a fierce corpse.
- Friend to All Children: He's highly protective of children and the younger generation, reinforcing that he really is a good and gentle guy despite his reputation.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: When he and Wei Wuxian first met, he was a timid young boy who was looked down on by his clan for being kind and physically frail. Nowadays, he's The Dreaded amongst people as the fearsome Ghost General.
- The Medic: Downplayed before he became a fierce corpse. He's not as skilled as Wen Qing but still knows a thing or two about brewing medicine and treating wounds, which came in handy when he and his sister helped Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng recover from their injuries and carried out the golden core transplant.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: He helped Wei Wuxian multiple times after Lotus Pier burned down and kept him and Jiang Cheng hidden in the Supervisory Office where his sister resided. After the Sunshot Campaign, he was killed by the Jin Clan (prompting Wei Wuxian to bring him back as a fierce corpse), and later he was Forced to Watch his sister being burned alive in front of all the clans, and then he was taken away by the Jin Clan to be further experimented on until Wei Wuxian's resurrection.
- No Social Skills: Downplayed. While he's sociable, his Shrinking Violet tendencies slightly hampers his ability to properly interact with other people.
- Odd Friendship: Wen Ning is timid and meek, while Wei Wuxian is boisterous and confidence. Nevertheless, the two didn't hesitate to give advice or lend a helping hand in their first two meetings and they became friends after the Wen survivors were rescued. Wei Wuxian worked non-stop to find ways to bring back Wen Ning's conscience and showed a lot of camaraderie towards him when he finally succeeded; and the "revived" Wen Ning easily went along with whatever shenanigans Wei Wuxian wanted to do during their time at the Burial Mounds, such as promising not to tell his sister Wei Wuxian spent most of the Wens' money for food on a birthday gift for Jin Ling. Even tragedy and 13 years of being dead or locked away has done nothing to damage their friendship, with Wen Ning still loyal to Wei Wuxian and the latter wanting his friend to be free of obligation.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: When he talks without stuttering once, you know that he means business.
- Papa Wolf: He becomes a protective guardian figure towards Lan Sizhui after learning his true identity as Wen Yuan.
- Power Incontinence: He occasionally slips into an unthinking berserker rage, with tragic consequences.
- Prophet Eyes: His eyes lack pupils in a state of mindless rage, making his eyes pure white.
- Revenant Zombie: Wen Ning is the first fierce corpse in history to keep his intelligence and free will from when he was still alive. While he was initially as mindless as any other fierce corpse, Wei Wuxian performed a few more experiments on Wen Ning to make him sentient.
- Secret-Keeper: He knew that Wei Wuxian gave his golden core to Jiang Cheng the entire time but was sworn to secrecy. However,Jiang Cheng attacking Wei Wuxian at Lotus Pier prompts Wen Ning to tell the former the truth to make him stop.
- Shrinking Violet: As a teen, he was shy, suffered from nerves, and had a hard time speaking up for himself, even after he Took a Level in Badass as a fierce corpse. Even in the present timeline he is still timid and on the shyer side, although most people being too scared to approach him doesn't help much.
- Speech Impediment: He has a stuttering problem, even as a corpse.
- Super-Senses: He gained heightened battle senses after he was turned into a fierce corpse, which helps him fight more efficiently. Even when he's not fighting, he's keener of his surroundings than the average human or cultivator, given how he could sense even from a long distance that Wei Wuxian is in trouble after Jiang Cheng's accosting literally enrages and distresses him into passing out.
- Third Wheel: Wei Wuxian sometimes forgets about him whenever he's alone with Lan Wangji since he's always kept himself in the background, to the point the latter was surprised he was the one steering the boat when he and Lan Wangji were having an intimate moment after the second siege. He's certainly aware of the two's developing relationship, as he learned to stay away from the two whenever Lan Wangji gets drunk and even attempts to erase their graffiti after a drunken bout.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: After everything he went through, from losing his life once to losing his family to becoming the lab rat of his family's murderers, in the epilogue Wen Ning is reunited with the last living member of his family and gets to live a life of peace with the people who don't see him as a monster. While Mo Xiang Tong Xiu has confirmed that he will die a second and final time in the far future, at least he'd have already experienced happiness, fulfillment, and closure by then.
- Token Good Teammate: He and his sister were the two named adult members of the Wen Clan who weren't power-hungry, sadistic, or anything in between.
- Unable to Cry: Wen Ning is unable to cry as a fierce corpse even if he wants to since his tear ducts are no longer functional. He lamented this shortly after becoming fully conscious in the past.
- Undeathly Pallor: As a resurrected corpse, Wen Ning's skin is deathly pale.
- Undying Loyalty: Even as a sentient corpse, his loyalty to Wei Wuxian knows no end, to the point that not even the Soul-Binding Nails could completely break his will. Unfortunately, said loyalty earns him the ire of Lan Wangji whenever the latter gets drunk. At the very least, his devotion is purely platonic.
Tropes that apply to Wen Ning in The Untamed only
Click here to see Wen Ning when he was still alive
- Adaptational Backstory Change: In the novel, Wen Ning was said to have always had a weak and fragile constitution since he was born. The series changes the reason to Wen Ning having part of his spiritual energy sucked out by the Soul-Eating Goddess when he was a child.
- Adaptation Personality Change: Downplayed. While his personality is similar to the novel, his behavior undergoes a significant overhaul in the The Living Dead movie sequel; there, he's more outspoken, sarcastic, and no longer prone to stuttering when he talks. He's also a lot more aggressive and confrontational towards his enemies, to the point of yelling at them and deciding that they deserve a Fate Worse than Death.
- Ascended Extra: He plays a slightly larger role in the series, and The Living Dead is focused on him and Lan Sizhui after the events of the series finale.
- Big Little Brother: He was taller than his older sister Wen Qing when the latter was still alive, although her fierce personality more than made up for the height difference.
- Black Eyes of Evil: His eyes usually turn black as a fierce corpse whenever he's in his berserker mode. The one exception (where his eyes gained double irises instead) serves as Foreshadowing to The Reveal that it was actually Jin Guangyao and Su She who were controlling him at the time, not Wei Wuxian.
- Deadpan Snarker: He seems to develop a witty side after the events of Guanyin Temple, and gets to deliver a few priceless zingers in The Living Dead.
- Insistent Terminology: Played for Laughs in The Living Dead, where he repeatedly tells Lan Sizhui to call him "Senior/Brother" and not "Uncle" because it makes him feel old (even though he's technically undead and can no longer age).
- Not Quite Dead: In the novel, he died and was brought back as a sentient zombie. However, The Untamed enforces this trope due to censorship laws in Chinese media in relation to showing zombies or undead characters. When Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing find his body in Qiongqi Path, he's clearly motionless and not breathing at all; but then it's later revealed that he lost only his spiritual cognition and not his life energy. In other words, he was only almost dead and Wei Wuxian turned him into a living fierce corpse (or in the jargon of The Untamed, a "ghoul puppet").
- Tainted Veins: His veins are very prominent to fully give the impression that he's undead (or something close to undead).
Wen Qing (温情)
Voiced by: Qiao Shiyu [animation, web series], Shan Xin [audio drama] (Mandarin) Click here for other languages
Played by: Meng Ziyi [web series], Lin Chenxi [web series, as a child]
"What the Wen Clan does is not representative of what we do. The sins of the Wen Clan are not ours to bear."
The leader of the Wen Clan's secundary branch, a highly talented medic, and Wen Ning's older sister. She was a close ally of Wei Wuxian in his first life.
Tropes that apply to Wen Qing in general
- Accomplice by Inaction: The other clans believed her to be just as guilty as the rest of the Wen Clan since, while she never aided Wen Ruohan and Wen Chao, she never stopped them either. The novel mentions she helped assuage Wen Ruohan's temper every now and then, but it is not clear if this was known to everyone else. Either way, they conveniently ignored how both she and her younger brother protected Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng from death at Wen Chao's hands — and when Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen did point it out, their arguments were quickly dismissed.
- Adaptational Jerkass: Although she still agreed to help them, she was a lot harsher and less sympathetic towards Wen Ning and Wei Wuxian in the donghua. She did soften her edges after Wei Wuxian rescued her family.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: She's normally proud and dignified, but she won't hesitate to get on her knees and plead for help if she needs to. And this is exactly she did when she asked Wei Wuxian to save her brother.
- Badass Pacifist: She refused to fight despite knowing cultivation and reminded anyone that she was a doctor first and foremost. It is telling the only time she used a sword was to stop Wen Ning during his rampage after he woke up.
- Big Sister Bully:
- Downplayed with Wen Ning. She was at most just strict with her younger brother, but Tough Love was her way of showing she cared for him.
- After Wei Wuxian became something close to a second younger brother figure to her, she tended to bully him by threatening to use her needles on him whenever he wouldn't do something she asked or wasn't listening to her. While she did this partly out of worry for him since he could be blase about his injuries, her "bullying" was mostly done in good fun.
- Big Sister Instinct:
- While her personality intimidated Wen Ning, when it came down to it there was nothing she wouldn't do or give for her little brother's life.
- She slowly developed a protective sister instinct for Wei Wuxian after he rescued the surviving Wens from Qiongqi Path. She was the one who would occasionally check in on him to make sure he was actually eating and sleeping. This instinct is partly what lead her to giving herself up in exchange for his safety.
- She was a caring older sister figure to Wen Yuan, as seen when she chided Wei Wuxian for burying him in the ground or making the child cry after being fed chili-laced porridge.
- Combat Medic: Implied. On top of being a highly skilled doctor, she also owned a sword which meant she also had some cultivation skill, but she's never seen fighting with it. She could also use needles to paralyze people for at least three days.
- Cool Big Sis: As stern as she was, she was also a very supportive and admirable sister to Wen Ning.
- Everyone Has Standards: While she didn't take direct action against her clan's acts of dictatorship other than helping her brother hide two Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng (both of whom were fugitives at the time), she outright stated that she was disgusted by Wen Chao and his mistress Wang Lingjiao.
- Fire-Forged Friends: Although she was loyal to the Wen Clan and technically counted as his enemy, she reluctantly helped Wei Wuxian as per her younger brother's request since she despised Wen Chao's ways like he did. Later, after Wei Wuxian went against the Jin Clan and helped her save her family, she became one of his most loyal allies.
- Heroic BSoD: Her brother and other family getting imprisoned by the Jin Clan made her so miserable and weakened that she sought after Wei Wuxian for help. When she came across Wen Ning's dead body, she was overwhelmed with grief and then passed out. She got better after Wei Wuxian rescued the Wen refugees and later restored Wen Ning's conscience as a fierce corpse.
- I Owe You My Life: After she paralyzes Wei Wuxian, she thanked him for doing everything he could to protect her family and told him how she was going to repay this debt by turning herself and Wen Ning into the Jin Clan so they would leave him and the others alone.Wen Qing (to Wei Wuxian): I'm sorry. And thank you.
- Iron Lady: Wen Qing was very tough-as-nails, proud, and had a no-nonsense attitude, but she was also capable of showing a gentler side to those she cared for.
- Like Brother and Sister: She and Wei Wuxian formed a close sibling dynamic after the latter started protecting the Wen remnants. While the two were purely platonic, Wei Wuxian and Wen Qing's relationship developed into a squabbling yet caring dynamic, particularly whenever the latter was scolding him.
- The Medic: The branch she led specialized more in healing and she is amongst the best. She can brew herbs to treat severe injuries and use needles to paralyze people for at least three days. Her greatest achievement was theorizing and carrying out the first documented transfer of a golden core.
- Not So Above It All: Despite her serious and strict nature, her overall mood was more relaxed whenever she messed or bickered with Wei Wuxian, suggesting she did enjoy dealing with his mischief.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: She helped Wen Ning hide Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng, and successfully performed the surgery that transferred Wei Wuxian's golden core to Jiang Cheng's body. In the end, her family got imprisoned, her little brother got killed (but was thankfully brought back to life), and she was burned to ashes, making it impossible for Wei Wuxian to resurrect her or even for Wen Ning to gather her remains.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Wen Qing was a proud woman with a cool demeanor, so it was usually a big deal whenever she broke out of this default personality:
- Wei Wuxian immediately knew something must be very wrong when she tearfully and desperately begged him for help in saving her brother.
- When she served Wei Wuxian some food at the feast the Wens prepared, he admited to being freaked out by her acting so nice. She went back to her cold demeanor and threatened him with her needles again, leading him to quickly backpedal.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: She was of high rank in the Wen Clan and regarded well enough that several of her fellow clansmen wanted her to become the next clan leader. However, she didn't approve of her clan's methods to gain power, and she agreed to hide two fugitives while they recovered despite the risk of being found out by her clansmen.
- Teen Genius: Wen Qing was the office leader of Yiling as a young woman and already considered a prodigy. To say that theorizing and succesfully performing the first transfer of a Golden Core at 18 years old minimun is no small feat is a major understatement.
- Token Good Teammate: She and Wen Ning were the two named adult members of the Wen Clan who weren't power-hungry, sadistic, nor anything in between.
- Tough Love: She treated her younger brother a bit coldly, but it was clear she did it from a place of love. And she is one of the few who took a healthy approach to the trope, in contrast to how most of the other adults of the novel enact(ed) their strict parenting on their children/wards.
Tropes that apply to Wen Qing in The Untamed only
- Adaptational Badass: In addition to her top-notch medical skills, she also got the chance to show some cultivation skills during her stay in the Cloud Recesses.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: Due to the canon-divergent plot of The Untamed having both her and Wen Ning study at the Cloud Recesses, she appeared in the first flashback arc instead of the Sunshot Campaign.
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Her personality was significantly softened in the series. She was also openly helpful towards Wei Wuxian, in contrast to the novel where she was more of an Aloof Ally.
- Adaptational Wimp: When it comes to her medical knowledge. She was still a genius doctor, but in the series, the golden core transfer was not her hypothesis but someone else's from several years ago. That being said, she was more than skilled enough to successfully apply the theory into practice.
- Ascended Extra: She gets significantly more screentime in this adaptation compared to the novel, making additional appearances studying at the Cloud Recesses and playing a larger role.
- Trapped in Villainy: In the flashback segment of the series, she was actively involved in the Wen Clan's schemes rather than a neutral party like she was in the novel. This was because her brother's life was being used as leverage for her to obey Wen Ruohan's orders.
The Wen Remnants — Warning: Walking Spoiler
Uncle Four voiced by: Feng Sheng [audio drama] (Mandarin) Click here for other languages
Uncle Four played by: Yi Jianxiang [web series]
Granny Wen voiced by: Chang Rongshan [audio drama] (Mandarin) Click here for other languages
Granny Wen played by: Cai Yingchun [web series]
"Young Master Wei, everything you've done for us, we deeply appreciate them. No words of gratitude is enough. From this day onwards, whenever you need us, we will walk through water and fire, and risk our lives for you!"
— Uncle Four
The members of the Wen Clan who remained after the Sunshot Campaign had ended.
- Adaptational Heroism: Downplayed. In all versions of the story, the remnants had no desire to fight nor seek revenge after the Sunshot Campaign ended and simply wanted to live in peace. Their backstory in The Untamed however makes them more explicitly innocent than their novel counterparts; much is made of the fact that they're a civilian branch of the clan made up of farmers and physicians who never took part in any fighting and are innocent of the main clan's misdeeds. This is not the case in the novel, where all of them except for Granny and Wen Yuan were combat-capable cultivators under Wen Qing's direction at the supervisory office in Yiling and the question of what they were or weren't guilty of during the war was much murkier.
- Beware the Nice Ones: After the war, all they wanted was to be left alone to restart their lives as a peaceful community, and they were nothing but kind and grateful to Wei Wuxian after he rescued them. But as fierce corpses, even with their small number, they're strong and aggressive enough to kill off a horde of at least a hundred other zombies that were being controlled by the Yin Tiger Tally.
- Family of Choice: Despite having no blood ties to them and even fighting against their clan in the Sunshot Campaign beforehand, Wei Wuxian grew close to the Wen survivors after rescuing them and saw them as family, especially after leaving the Jiang Clan. The Wens themselves also happily welcomed him as part of their family.
- I Owe You My Life: The Wen survivors were deeply grateful to Wei Wuxian for saving them even though he didn't have to. In the audio drama, Uncle Four outright told Wei Wuxian that they swear their loyalty to him for everything he had done for them.
- No Full Name Given: Except for Wen Yuan, none of the other survivors' full names are revealed.
- Sins of Our Fathers: Being the last survivors of the decimated Wen sect, they became subject to the rage of those who'd been fighting it for years, and were taken to a prison camp in Qiongqi Path where they were brutalized. After Wei Wuxian rescued them from the Jin Clan's clutches, they all took shelter in the Burial Mounds, but were eventually murdered during the First Siege.
- Undying Loyalty: They were strongly loyal to Wei Wuxian — in fact, the only reason their souls hadn't passed on ntil the Second Siege was because they wished to repay their debt to him by saving his life like he saved theirs, which they finally manage to accomplish after he comes back to life.
Wen Xu (温旭)
Voiced by: Unknown (Mandarin) Click here for other languages
Played by: Wang Rong [web series]
Click here to see Wen Xu in The Untamed
The older son of Wen Ruohan. He was responsible for burning down the Cloud Recesses, and soon met his demise when Nie Mingjue beheaded him during the Sunshot Campaign.
- Ascended Extra: Downplayed. While he only has his name mentioned in the novel a few times for burning down the Cloud Recesses and dying at Nie Mingjue's hands, the donghua and The Untamed give him additional screen time in flashbacks where he captured Jin Guangyao out of suspicion he was shielding Lan Xichen (the former) or played an extended role in the Wen Clan's attack on the Cloud Recesses (the latter).
- Co-Dragons: Both he and his younger brother did majority of the legwork for their father. In The Untamed, Nie Mingjue even referred to them as Wen Ruohan's "arms".
- The Ghost: Downplayed. He was of minor importance during the Sunshot Campaign and is mentioned multiple times, but he never appears in the novel. However, he has lines in the audio drama and appears in flashbacks for the donghua and The Untamed.
- Hero Killer: He was powerful enough to fatally wound the then-leader of the Lan Clan and a top-class cultivator, Qingheng-Jun. Downplayed since the latter was weakened and hadn't been cultivating in recent years at the time.
- Screaming Warrior: The Live-Action Adaptation had Wen Xu screaming out names or loudly barking orders once in a while during his attack on the Cloud Recesses.
Wen Chao (温晁)
Voiced by: Liang Xiaoqiang [animation], Hao Xianghai [audio drama], Wen Jingyuan [web series] (Mandarin) Click here for other languages
Played by: He Peng [web series]
"How many times do you need me to tell you before you remember? Make no mistake. You are nothing more than my subordinate cultivators. I am the one giving commands. I don't need anyone else to suggest I do anything."
The younger son of Wen Ruohan.
Tropes that apply to Wen Chao in general
- Adaptational Jerkass: Not that he had many decent traits in the novel to begin with, but the donghua went out of its way to make him as despicable as possible.
- Adaptational Ugliness: In the novel, he's described as handsome albeit in a greasy way. In the donghua he looks plainly greasy, with less emphasis on the handsome part.
- Bullying a Dragon: He humiliated and attacked the strongest disciples from every prominent clan that were all far more accomplished than him, and only got away with it because of his family name.
- Co-Dragons: Both he and his older brother did majority of the legwork for their father. In The Untamed, Nie Mingjue even referred to them as Wen Ruohan's "arms".
- Dirty Coward: Whenever there's danger, you can be sure he will not risk his own neck.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: He has an incredibly short fuse and is quick to take his anger out on whoever he felt insulted him.
- Hated by All: Very few people could stand Wen Chao due to his obnoxious and despicable personality.
- Jerkass: He is one of the most unpleasant and horrible characters in the story.
- Lethally Stupid: He was careless when exploring Xuanwu Cave in hopes of capturing something for the night-hunt, leading to him provoking the Tortoise of Slaughter, aka a powerful creature. While Wen Chao managed to escape with the help of Wen Zhuliu, all of the non-Wen cultivators were left to die and the protagonists came close to dying thanks to fighting the creature themselves and waiting for help for several days without food.
- Like Father, Like Son: Wen Chao shares his father's penchant for sadism and takes joy in seeing his victims suffer in more ways than one.
- Manchild: He was basically a playground bully who never grew up and always got what he wanted.
- Never My Fault: He never admitted to making a mistake, even if he was the one who instigated it. One such example is when he blamed the members of the other clans for awakening a ferocious man-eating monster even though that only happened because he was searching for the beast.
- Sanity Slippage: By the time Jiang Cheng and Lan Wangji found him during the Sunshot Campaign, Wen Chao had become borderline insane thanks to Wei Wuxian haunting and torturing him.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Connections!: The only reason he got away with what he did was because daddy dearest wielded all the power and let his son use that as a way to humiliate the rest of the clans.
- Smug Snake: He talked down on everyone, thinking that he could get away with anything. However, if he was confronted with someone he couldn't intimidate or put down, his cowardly colors quickly came out.
- Sore Loser: The novel states that he exhibited a poor ability to take his losses well when he flubbed the archery competition. In the donghua, he even attempted to cheat and nearly killed another cultivator who called him out for abusing his clan's authority.
- Spoiled Brat: Since his father let him get away with anything, Wen Chao had an incredibly inflated ego and felt entitled to anything and everything, much to the disgust of the other cultivators.
Tropes that apply to Wen Chao in The Untamed only
- Adaptational Jerkass: The series made him more despicable than he already was in the novel.
- Character Tics: He tended to flick his sleeves by swishing his arms.
- Forgot About His Powers: In his Establishing Character Moment in the series, Wen Chao showed the ability to conjure flames, which he used to burn a Lan disciple's neck and to destroy a seal. Said ability would make him at least even a bit more competent than his novel counterpart; however, he never again used this ability even when his life was in danger.
Wen Zhuliu (温逐流) né Zhao Zhuliu (赵逐流) - Huadan Shou (化丹手)
Voiced by: Hu Yajie [animation], Wang Minna [audio drama], Chang Wentao [web series] (Mandarin) Click here for other languages
Played by: Feng Mingjing [web series]
Click here to see Wen Zhuliu in The Untamed
"I owe a debt of gratitude for their recognition. It must not go unpaid."
Wen Ruohan's right-hand man and Wen Chao's bodyguard. Because of his unique ability to vaporize one's golden core via a strike to the chest, he is also known as the Core-Melting Hand.
- Adaptational Jerkass: In the novel he was mild-mannered and rarely, if ever, attacked others unless specifically ordered to do so. This side of him is downplayed in the donghua, making him come across as more violent and aggressive. His first appearance even had him melting off a cultivator's core because said cultivator spoke against Wen Chao, whereas his first appearance in the novel simply involved Jiang Cheng warning Wei Wuxian that he's someone who shouldn't be crossed.
- Bare-Fisted Monk: Given his special ability, he didn't wield a sword and fought cultivators with his bare hands despite the prevalence of cultivation weapons.
- Beware the Quiet Ones: He rarely spoke, which only made his presence and core-melting powers more unnerving.
- The Dreaded: Given that he could destroy golden cores, any cultivator was understandably afraid of him.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Despite playing an active role in the Lotus Pier massacre, he stopped Wang Lingjiao from desecrating Yu Ziyuan's corpse and told her that a woman like the Purple Spider deserved a quick and dignified death.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: Downplayed. Wen Chao was plenty dangerous and cunning himself, but it was Wen Zhuliu who delivered some of the most devastating blows and helped Wen Chao succeed or get out alive of situations where he would have died otherwise.
- Logical Weakness: His core-melting abilities were essentially the kryptonite of spiritual energy. When it came to resentful energy, on the other hand, his power became useless, making it easier for Wei Wuxian to deal with him. It also helped that Wei Wuxian no longer had a golden core to speak of.
- Meaningful Rename: He was formerly Zhao Zhuliu, but had his last name changed to Wen after the Wen Clan took him in.
- My Master, Right or Wrong: He disliked Wen Chao despite saving his ass multiple times, and the only reason he even did so was because his loyalty to Wen Ruohan superseded his personal misgivings.
- Mysterious Past: There were a few interesting details about him, such as his ability to melt off golden cores and the fact he was taken under Wen Ruohan's wing, but the backstories behind these details are not elaborated on.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: He was an intimidating figure allied with the Wens, and his name "Core-Melting Hand" made any cultivator wary of his presence.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Downplayed. His loyalty to Wen Ruohan was the only reason he followed Wen Chao's orders, and he wasn't actively malicious when he wasn't using his core-melting powers.
- Small Role, Big Impact: At the end of the day, Wen Zhuliu was just a bodyguard to Wen Chao. And yet his Core-Melting Hand was in part responsible for the creation of demonic cultivation and thus all the events that transpired as a result of that.
- The Stoic: He was rarely emotive.
