Main Characters (Shen Qiao, Yan Wushi) | Sects of the Jianghu (The Three Demonic Sects, Daoist Sects) | Nations and Kingdoms
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Xuandu Mountain | 玄都山
Also formally known as the Purple Manor of Xuandu, Xuandu Mountain is the foremost Daoist sect in the jianghu. After Qi Fengge's death, however, Xuandu Mountain's standing gradually declined because of its refusal to get involved in the matters of the secular world.
General Tropes
- Divided We Fall
- Elemental Motifs: Some of its techniques are named after the wind and the sky, which makes sense given that the sect resides on a mountain.
Leadership
Qi Fengge (祁凤阁)
Voiced by: Wei Chao (audio drama)
"Like how the ocean is capable of holding water from thousands of rivers, a person should be forgiving and tolerant to diversity, and it is the same for practicing martial arts. People who are narrow-minded can only achieve so much. Even if they do reach the summit, they cannot stay there for long."
The late sect leader of Xuandu Moundain, and Shen Qiao's mentor.
- The Ace: He was one of the foremost martial arts masters of his time and managed to defeat Hulugu, Yan Wushi, and Sang Jingxing. He's even ranked first among his generation.
- Affectionate Gesture to the Head: In any scene featuring him and Shen Qiao interacting, he will pat Shen Qiao on the head at least once.
- Berserk Button: While the dream resulted mainly from Shen Qiao's shame eating at him, Shen Qiao nevertheless gets a nightmare where Qi Fengge scolds him for allowing Shan He Tong Bei to be used for Mundane Utility, implying that the man would not be happy at his sword being used in such a manner. In said nightmare, Qi Fengge even becomes outraged when Shen Qiao asks him if he ever used the sword as a shaving tool.
- Face Death with Dignity: In Extra 9, Qi Fengge realizes that he will die soon, but he takes this information with grace and assures Shen Qiao that it is the natural way of life.
- For Want Of A Nail: The novel's plot only happened because Qi Fengge failed to deal the killing blow on Hulugu and instead made him promise to not set foot in the Central Plains for twenty years, which allowed the Tujue to make their move once those twenty years were up. One of the initial steps in their plan involved targeting Xuandu Mountain, and the rest is history.
- Good Is Not Soft: Like master, like disciple. Qi Fengge is as good as he can be, but to anyone bearing evil intentions, he will not hesitate to show them no mercy whatsoever. That being said, however, he can also be too honor-bound sometimes.
- Honor Before Reason:
- Rather than kill Hulugu and put a permanent end on the threat the Tujue posed on the Central Plains, Qi Fengge's Daoist beliefs stopped him from landing the decisive blow. Instead, he only made Hulugu swear an oath to not enter the Central Plains for twenty years, which ended up giving the Tujue an opportunity to attempt another takeover of the nation.
- Qi Fengge didn't really do anyone a favor when he spared Sang Jingxing after defeating him because the latter was smart enough to discard his pride at the moment and beg for his life.
- Mistaken for Racist: Shen Qiao clarifies to Ruyan Kehui that Qi Fengge has no prejudice against foreigners. Rather, he supports any alliance with foreign nations as long as said alliance does not detriment the welfare of the people of the Central Plains, which is an entirely reasonable belief to hold.Shen Qiao: If a foreign nation comes to our land and learns the Han culture, if they can treat all people, both the Hans and the foreigners, equally, why can't they be a good ruler?
- Papa Wolf: In the donghua mini-theaters, one of the episodes has Yan Wushi tell Shen Qiao that when he visited Xuandu Mountain many years ago, Qi Fengge approached Yan Wushi and asked him to stay away from Shen Qiao (who was a child at the time).
- Parental Substitute: He was the one who found Shen Qiao when the other was a baby and took him into his sect. He's the closest thing to a father figure that Shen Qiao had.
- Posthumous Character: He's dead long before the start of the story, and Shen Qiao took his place as the sect leader of Xuandu Mountain.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Qi Fengge could have saved his nation plenty of grief had he simply killed Hulugu right from the start. Even Shen Qiao admits that it was a mistake on Qi Fengge's part to spare his enemy.
- Worthy Opponent: He was The Ace of his generation. It's saying something that the likes of Yan Wushi and Hulugu highly respected his ability.
Qi Fengge's Disciples
Tan Yuanchun (谭元春) — Warning: Walking Spoiler
Voiced by: Wang Yuhang (animation), Su Xin (audio drama)
Qi Fengge's first disciple and an elder of Xuandu Mountain.
- All for Nothing: In the end, all of his plans go up in smoke once his treachery is revealed. Even more, Shen Qiao strips him of his rank and his ability to practice martial arts ever again and sentences him to a lifetime of confinement and exile. Tan Yuanchun loses everything in every sense of the word and is left a shell of the man he once was.
- Ambition is Evil: Tan Yuanchun seeks to become the sect leader of Xuandu Mountain. However, his envy towards Shen Qiao makes him want to attain the position by dragging Shen Qiao's name through the mud first, because he wants to spite Qi Fengge for choosing Shen Qiao as his successor instead of him. To add insult to injury, he's more than willing to conspire with an enemy nation to eliminate any members of the sect who do not wish for him to lead Xuandu Mountain.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: When he's first introduced, he's described to be a peacemaker and not one for starting troubles. The final chapters would reveal that it's all a facade, and he's far more selfish, spiteful and ruthless than what anyone would expect from him.
- Bullying the Dragon: Although Tan Yuanchun was at Shen Qiao's mercy the entire time, revealing his motives to Shen Qiao did not help his case any further when the latter decides to give his shixiong a Fate Worse than Death as a fitting punishment for his crimes.
- Cruel Mercy: While he's not killed for all the wrongs he has done to his sect, Shen Qiao punishes him in such a way that death would actually be a less painful retribution.
- Evil Is Petty: He incited discord within Xuandu Mountain and nearly brought it to complete ruin... all because he felt that Qi Fengge did not give him the respect and attention that he felt he deserved as his first disciple.
- Fate Worse than Death: After his true colors are revealed, Shen Qiao destroys his foundations and sentences him to stay at Qunling Peak and guard the burial tombs for the rest of his life, and he can never leave the place. The narration even directly states that this is a sentence that anyone sees as no better than death.
- Green-Eyed Monster: He secretly resents Shen Qiao for being Qi Fengge's most favored disciple in spite of the fact that he served as Qi Fengge's disciple first. This is his main motivation for betraying Shen Qiao and pushing Yu Ai into doing the same.
- I Regret Nothing: After he gives his Motive Rant as to why he betrayed Shen Qiao, Tan Yuanchun states that he's satisfied with his actions -– all of which involved Shen Qiao's injuries and downfall, Yu Ai's demise, and Xuandu Mountain being nearly torn asunder.
- Tempting Fate: After Tan Yuanchun reveals his motives for undermining and betraying Shen Qiao, he mockingly asks Shen Qiao if he plans to damage his meridians as punishment. Shen Qiao does exactly that, and moments later, Tan Yuanchun breaks down hard once his sentence fully sinks in.
- Token Evil Teammate: The last few chapters would reveal that Yu Ai's actions — while morally dubious and not the most sensible — still come from well-meaning (albeit misguided) intentions. In the end, It was ultimately Tan Yuanchun who planted the seeds of betrayal that would lead to Shen Qiao's fall, all because of sheer spite and a sense of entitlement.
- Un-person: Downplayed. As punishment for his betrayal and for killing Yu Ai, Shen Qiao doesn't execute Tan Yuanchun, but he shatters his foundations and sentences him to guard Qunling Peak for the remainder of his days. On top of that, he will be written off as a dead man. This is the final tipping point that drives Tan Yuanchun to his Villainous Breakdown.
- Villainous Breakdown: He bursts into tears and starts wailing loudly after Shen Qiao punishes him for his crimes by sentencing him to a Fate Worse than Death.
Shen Qiao (沈峤)
See more information about Shen Qiao in this page.
Yu Ai (郁蔼)
Voiced by: Xie Tiantian (animation - adult), Xiao Wu (animation - child), Liu Yuxuan note (audio drama - adult), Mang Yin (audio drama - child)
"Xuandu Mountain is also where I grew up, so of course, I wish it could become better. My heart and feelings for it aren't any less than yours, so why do you need to assume this look of a saint then? Are you saying that you are the only one who is right in the world, and all the other people are wrong?!"
Shen Qiao's childhood friend and shidi (junior martial brother), and Qi Fengge's third disciple. After Shen Qiao lost in his battle against Kunye, Yu Ai took over as the regent sect leader of Xuandu Mountain.
- Anti-Villain: While his actions of allying with the Tujue and betraying Shen Qiao's trust are highly unscrupulous and extreme, Yu Ai did so with the intention of improving Xuandu Mountain's standing and genuinely believed that he was acting in the best interests of his sect. Even Meng Xishi points out that Yu Ai is not a bad person, and he truly means well in spite of taking the worst options to achieve his goals.
- The Atoner: In the penultimate arc of the novel, he finally admits that he was wrong to betray Shen Qiao and ally with the Tujue, and loses his life when he protects Shen Qiao from a fatal blow.
- Big Little Brother: In terms of age, Yu Ai is two years older than Shen Qiao. The reason why he's Shen Qiao's shidi rather than his shixiong is because Xuandu Mountain ranks its disciples level of seniority based on when said disciple entered the sect rather than on their age.
- Childhood Friends: He was close to Shen Qiao and even teased the other to refer to him as shixiong when they were younger. He also refers to the two of them as brothers. But once it's revealed he was the one who poisoned Shen Qiao, he does feel guilty and suggests that Shen Qiao be a puppet leader for their sect so he could still remain at home. However, Shen Qiao refuses to be imprisoned in his own sect and implicitly says that their friendship is through.
- Deceptive Disciple: Played with. Whereas Qi Fengge fought Hulugu to stop Tujue from invading the Central Plains, Yu Ai made a deal with Kunye, Hulugu's disciple, in an attempt to boost Xuandu Mountain's reputation. However, Yu Ai tells Shen Qiao that the alliance is only but a means to an end and he has no real intention helping Tujue conquer the Central Plains. The penultimate arc would also reveal that the real Deceptive Disciple is not Yu Ai, but Tan Yuanchun.
- Didn't Think This Through: Yu Ai plotted to poison Shen Qiao to ensure that he would win in his duel with Kunye; but otherwise, he had no intentions of killing him. However, Yu Ai did not account for the possibility that the poison would be potent enough to severely damage Shen Qiao's sight and martial arts.
- Don't Make Me Destroy You: As he attempts to stop Shen Qiao from leaving, he constantly yells at him to stop and how he doesn't want to hurt him.
- Due to the Dead: In spite of everything, Shen Qiao has Yu Ai be buried alongside the other past sect leaders of Xuandu Mountain and honors his shidi's legacy by continuing his ambition of helping Xuandu Mountain become more politically involved.
- Enemy Mine: Even though Shen Qiao was his childhood friend, he still conspired with Kunye to poison Shen Qiao, leaving the latter blind for most of the story and his meridians damaged beyond repair. While Yu Ai was close to being an extremist, he was doing what he believed was best for his sect since he was frustrated with Shen Qiao's decision to keep their sect isolated from the outside world as per Qi Fengge's wishes.
- The Extremist Was Right: While he disapproves with the means his friend had executed to achieve his goals, Shen Qiao does agree with Yu Ai's sentiments that the reclusive ways of Xuandu Mountain should be changed. After he becomes the sect leader of Xuandu Mountain once again, Shen Qiao continues where Yu Ai started by opening the doors of Xuandu Mountain to the outside world and getting more involved in the political affairs of the jianghu.
- Face Framed in Shadow: In Episodes 5 and 6 of the donghua, he's often shown with a dark shadow cast over his face. Technically speaking, this is because he's in an enclosed room and where there's not much sunlight passing through. However, the trope is deliberately used to hint at his dubious nature and his viewpoints are the opposite of Shen Qiao's own. What further supports this trope is that unlike Yu Ai, Shen Qiao is bathed in light when both men are featured in the same scene.
- Horrible Judge of Character: Downplayed. While Yu Ai tells Shen Qiao that even though he's enlisting Tujue's help to expand Xuandu Mountain's influence, he would never truly ally with them. But later chapters would reveal that he should have known better still than to make any sort of deal with the people who aim to conquer the very nation he lives in.
- Hypocrite: Lampshaded by Shen Qiao when Yu Ai chews him out on associating with the leader of a demonic sect.Shen Qiao: If you can collude with the Tujue people, then why can't I stay together with people from the demonic sects?
- Know When to Fold 'Em: When they meet a second time, Yu Ai finally accepts, albeit bitterly, that nothing he can say or do will convince Shen Qiao to return to Xuandu Mountain or have anything to do with him again when Shen Qiao wins against him in their rematch. This is capped off with Shen Qiao warning Yu Ai that he must live with the consequences of his actions and make the best of it, lest he find him once again to personally deal with him if he fails.
- Never My Fault: While he's never shown to be proud of what he did, it takes a very long time for him to properly admit that making an alliance with Tujue was a horrible mistake.
- Not Good with Rejection: A platonic example. Yu Ai does not take well to the idea of Shen Qiao breaking ties with Xuandu Mountain, and even attacks him more than once when Shen Qiao tries to leave.
- Oblivious Guilt Slinging: He attempts to do this to Shen Qiao when the other says he's severing his ties with their sect for good after finding out that Yu Ai was the one who poisoned him, and Shen Qiao refuses to bend to the nostalgic memories that Yu Ai tries to weaponize against him.
- Please, Don't Leave Me: He begs for Shen Qiao not to leave their sect again, but after all that's revealed between the two, Shen Qiao refuses and puts his foot down on the fact that he is cutting ties with Xuandu Mountain.
- Redemption Equals Death: Yu Ai eventually admits that he was wrong in his actions and saves Shen Qiao from a fatal attack, but he dies shortly after.
- Unwitting Pawn
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Before their differences in their political beliefs split them apart, any flashback involving them in their childhood years would show that Yu Ai had nothing but adoration and respect for Shen Qiao.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Even Meng Xishi herself describes Yu Ai as such. Yu Ai betrayed Shen Qiao out of a misguided attempt to improve Xuandu Mountain's political strength.
- We Used to Be Friends: He was the one who poisoned Shen Qiao so he would lose the duel to Kunye. He also reveals to Shen Qiao he intended to retrieve him after he fell but couldn't find him, as well as the fact that he's actually working with Kunye and got the poison from him. Shen Qiao listens, but is angered at his former friend, suspecting him beforehand but giving him the benefit of the doubt. As Yu Ai tries to guilt Shen Qiao from turning his back on the sect which he claims he's trying to keep in power, Shen Qiao no longer considers the two of them friends.
- Would Hit a Girl: He planned to attack Gu Hengbo when she started asking too many questions about Shen Qiao, although he hesitated when he was about to kill her, giving her an opportunity to escape.
Yuan Ying (袁英)
Voiced by: Sun Ye (audio drama)
Qi Fengge's fourth disciple.
- Beneath Notice: His reserved and quiet disposition makes him have a hard time standing out at all, and the novel describes that it would take a few days for others to even realize that left after he's already long gone.
- Butt-Monkey: Yuan Ying finds himself becoming this to Yu Shengyan after the two meet, with Yu Shengyan having fun in bullying the hell out of him.
- Cowardly Lion: Although Yuan Ying's reclusive nature makes him more than comfortable in the confines of Xuandu Mountain, he was willing to leave the mountain on his own to look for Shen Qiao and inform him of what's going on in their sect.
- The Load: Downplayed. Yuan Ying is capable enough of performing his sect's duties, but he is aware that while he tries he's not of much help compared to his other fellow martial siblings when it comes to handling other types of affairs.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: One of the novel mini-theaters has Yuan Ying tell the reader that he acts totally airheaded and oblivious whenever Yu Shengyan bullies him so as to throw him off.Yu Shengyan: I said, you're so dense it really ruins the image of Qi-zhenren and your shixiong!
Yuan Ying: Huh?
Yu Shengyan: You're so stupid, a disgrace!
Yuan Ying: Huh?
Yu Shengyan: ... Do you have a death wish?
Yuan Ying: Huh?
Yu Shengyan: [starts seething and foaming at the mouth] - Speech Impediment: He has a stuttering problem.
- Undying Loyalty: Yuan Ying was concerned when Shen Qiao suddenly disappeared from their sect and even asked for Yu Ai to search for him. Gu Hengbo running away without prior warning made him more suspicious as to what's going on, and Gu Hengbo trusted Yuan Ying enough to leave him a letter explaining everything— which incited Yuan Ying into leaving the mountain and search for Shen Qiao himself.
- The Unfavorite: Due to his stammering and the fact that he's only one out of many children in the family, he was neglected by both his parents and the servants of the household.
Gu Hengbo (顾横波)
Voiced by: Xiao Qingyuan (audio drama)
Qi Fengge's fifth disciple.
- Action Girl: She's not the sole female disciple of Xuandu Mountain for nothing. She's also the inheritor of one of Qi Fengge's three swords, Tian Wei Shui Chun.
- Big Brother Worship: She highly looks up to Shen Qiao and immediately gets suspicious when he vanishes from Xuandu Mountain. When they meet again, the first thing she does is run to him and hug him tight.
- Dude Magnet: She is described to be stunning and beautiful enough to cause the men around her to turn their heads.
- Hot-Blooded: She is both passionate and impulsive in nature.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: While she may be Hot-Blooded, she is smart enough to know when the wiser option would be to run away rather than continue fighting.
- Mysterious Past: The Sword Trial Conference hints that something happened between her and Yuan Zixiao, although what exactly went on is never revealed.
- Put on a Bus: She doesn't show up for the rest of the novel after the events of the Sword Trial Conference, with only the narration clarifying that she survived the scuffle. Afterwards, she is only briefly mentioned in Extra 2 and shows up for a short scene in Extra 8.
- Smurfette Principle: Among Qi Fengge's five disciples, Gu Hengbo is the only female among them.
- Undying Loyalty: When Shen Qiao suddenly disappeared from Xuandu Mountain, Gu Hengbo refuses to take it lying down and demands answers from Yu Ai about Shen Qiao's whereabouts.
Shen Qiao's Disciples
Shiwu (十五)
Voiced by: Liu Jingxia note (animation), Feng Xiu (audio drama - teenager), Weng Yuan (audio drama - child)
"Do you remember giving pancakes to a boy outside Xiangzhou? He then kowtowed to you and said he would set up a longevity tablet for you."
- Androcles' Lion: Shen Qiao gave him some food for him and his family to eat. In return, Shiwu saved Shen Qiao when the latter was close to death after he destroyed his own foundations in his fight against Sang Jingxing.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Shiwu had a rough life when he was living on the streets with his family, since they were suffering from hunger and poverty. It reached the point that his father sold his mother for some money, but then Shiwu lost his siblings to an illness. His father would have cooked him into his own dinner had it not been for Zhu Lengquan rescuing him and taking him in.
- Meaningful Rename: His original name isn't revealed; Shiwu is the name that Zhu Lengquan gave to him after taking him into his care.
Yuwen Song (宇文诵)
Voiced by: Liu Jingxia note (audio drama)
Yuwen Xian's son, and the seventh among his children.
- Brutal Honesty: Played for Laughs; he doesn't hesitate to tell Yan Wushi that he doesn't wish to join the Huanyue Sect, if only because he already pledged to become Shen Qiao's disciple first.
- Hypocrite: Yuwen Song internally chides Shiwu for acting so clingy towards Shen Qiao, even though he himself always needed Shen Qiao's company to be able to sleep in peace when they were still on the run from Yuwen Yun's forces.
- Last of His Kind: Yuwen Song is the last surviving member of Yuwen Xian's branch after Yuwen Yun ordered their execution.
- Lucky Seven: Played with. Yuwen Song is not so lucky to lose his entire family in a single night. However, as the seventh and the youngest of Yuwen xian’s children, he is the only one to survive the massacre.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: While he's very young, he's already more learned than most other children his age and can easily understand anything Shen Qiao speaks about with him.
Duan Ying (段缨)
Voiced by: Xiao Xin (audio drama)
- Foil: To Chen Gong. Both are teenagers who ran away from home due to strained relationships with their family, both seeks to empower themselves by joining major sects in jianghu, both find their way to Shen Qiao. However, Duan Ying is not as driven as Chen Gong, and it's his gentle and humble nature that convinces Shen Qiao to take him as a disciple.
- Nice Guy
- Out of Focus: Unlike Shen Qiao's two other disciples, he's prominent for only three chapters at most.
- Son of a Whore: To be more specific, his mother was a concubine to the lord of the Luling Duan family.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: After not getting accepted into the Linchuan Academy, Shen Qiao offers to become his teacher, much to Duan Ying's delight. The novel also mentions that in spite of his average aptitude and the fact that he'll be learning martial arts at a later age, he will soon become recognized as a prominent martial arts master in the jianghu in the far future.
Other Disciples
Le An (乐安)
Voiced by: Shen Dawei (audio drama)
One of Kong Zeng's two disciples.
Yun Chang (云畅)
Voiced by: Feng Xiu (audio drama)
One of Kong Zeng's two disciples.
Elders
Kong Zeng (孔增)
Voiced by: Liu Beichen (audio drama)
One of the seven elders of Xuandu Mountain.
- Bystander Syndrome: He's explicitly mentioned to use his age and his lack of involvement with the outside world as excuses to not have to uphold the responsibility of teaching the sect's disciples.
Lian Shan
One of the seven elders of Xuandu Mountain. He's one of the four who supported Yu Ai's goals to have their sect more politically involved.
- Everyone Has Standards: While Lian Shan supported Yu Ai in hopes of gaining more power for himself, his ambitions were never malicious and he was completely Locked Out of the Loop regarding Yu Ai and Tan Yuanchun's treacherous plans. He's even ashamed of himself when he learns of the entire conspiracy.
Liu Yue (刘阅)
Voiced by: Wang Yuhang (audio drama)
One of the seven elders of Xuandu Mountain.
- Jerkass Has a Point
- Know When to Fold 'Em: Liu Yue has ambitions of becoming the sect leader of Xuandu Mountain, but once Shen Qiao returns to take back his position, the novel implies that he's aware that he no longer has any chances of achieving his goal.
Chunyang Temple | 纯阳观
General Tropes
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Although Chunyang Temple suffered heavy losses due to both the Hehuan Sect and Tujue's interference at the Sword Trial Conference, the first extra has Yan Wushi donate a hefty amount of money to Chunyang Temple thanks to Yi Bichen's words helping him win a bet.
Leadership
Yi Bichen (易辟尘)
Voiced by: Ji Hehong (audio drama)
The leader of Chunyang Temple.
- A Father to His Men: He is very protective of his disciples, as shown during the Sword Trial Conference, in which he's constantly on the look out for Li Qingyu, even joining the standoff against Hulugu when it's apparent that Li Qingyu won't stand down.
- Not So Above It All: Although he didn't technically bet on the winner in Hulugu and Yan Wushi's duel, he's not above offering vague answers to the outcome of the duel, causing Yan Wushi to win a large sum of money from the betting pool, and Yan Wushi in turn gives him a cut of the winnings.
- Spell My Name With An S: His name can be read either as "Yi Bichen" or "Yi Pichen".
- Token Good Teammate: Between the currently-ranked top three masters (him, Xueting, and Ruyan Kehui), Yi Bichen is the only one who was not involved in the assassination plot against Yan Wushi. He even tries to rally the other sects against the Hehuan Sect and the Buddhist sects when the latter two factions pledged their allegiance to Yuwen Yun.
Disciples
Li Qingyu (李青鱼)
Voiced by: Ke Muqing (animation), Lu Shujun (audio drama)
A member of Chunyang Temple and Yi Bichen's last personal disciple.
- Berserk Button: The mini-theaters show Li Qingyu quickly losing his temper when someone pokes fun at him for his Punny Name.
- Brutal Honesty: Li Qingyu can be rather blunt and tactless, as shown with the way he criticizes Shen Qiao for his fall from grace and for his association with Yan Wushi.
- Butt-Monkey: Yan Wushi picks on Li Qingyu when the latter visits the Bixia Sect by implicitly poking fun at his Punny Name... via serving him fish head soup.
- No Social Skills: He has a difficult personality and doesn't care much beyond improving his martial arts.
- Punny Name: The yu (鱼) in his name means "fish". Yan Wushi even makes fun of Li Qingyu for it by serving him fish head soup as a Stealth Insult. In a (non-canon) mini-theater from the audio drama, Yan Wushi calls him "fish head" to his face.
- Second Place Is for Winners: Li Qingyu has fought against several powerful martial arts masters, and while he doesn't always emerge victorious, he is nevertheless able to earn the respect of both his seniors and his peers since he's already able to hold his ground against other skilled martial arts practitioners in spite of his young age.
- The Stoic: He is rather cold and is not the type to emote often.
- Sugar-and-Ice Personality: He is considerably warmer and friendlier with Shen Qiao than he is with anyone else due to his admiration for Shen Qiao's swordsmanship. When he smiles while meeting Shen Qiao again during his visit to Bixia sect, the narration points out that this is a rare expression for him to make.
Su Qiao (苏樵)
See more information about Su Qiao in this page.
Bixia Sect | 碧霞宗
Located on Zhunan Peak of Tai Mountain, the Bixia Sect was founded during the Han Dynasty and was previously one of the largest Daoist sects in the jianghu, but its political foothold has greatly declined over the years.
General Tropes
- Back from the Brink: They were almost wiped out by Ruan Hailou and Tujue's forces, but they slowly manage to pick themselves back up after the incident.
- Foil
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: The fact that they're located in a very isolated spot and up in the mountains makes it hard for anyone to easily travel there, which would also deter any potential disciples that could come knocking onto their door.
- Undying Loyalty: After Shen Qiao saved what remains of the sect from getting massacred, the survivors have pledged their loyalty to him and are willing to ride through fire and water with him if they have to.
Leadership
Zhao Chiying (赵持盈)
Voiced by: Xiao Qingyuan (animation), Weng Yuan (audio drama)
"True blue will never stain, and history will judge if one is truly innocent or guilty. Truth will not disappear over time. It is and will always be there."
The current leader of the Bixia Sect.
- Action Girl: She's said to be one of the ten strongest masters of her generation.
- Foil:
- To Shen Qiao. Both are leaders of a Daoist sect and both spent most of their life in seclusion and away from the affairs of the world. The difference is that Shen Qiao gradually learns to become more involved with the politics of the jianghu, while Zhao Chiying still remains low-key.
- To Yuan Xiuxiu. Both are female leaders of mostly male dominated sects and one of the top ten masters of their respective generations. However, whereas Yuan Xiuxiu weaponizes her femininity and often uses her opponents' prejudices to her advantage, Zhao Chiying does not shy away from a show of force in her dynamic entrance.
- Heroes Fight Barehanded: Downplayed. Her first appearance has her taking down two armed opponents with her bare hands, even shattering one of their blades with just her hands, but this has more to do with her leaving seclusion in a hurry and less with her being accustomed to fighting this way.
- Locked Out of the Loop: As she's spent most of her life on the mountain and has spent the past few years meditating in seclusion, she has yet to catch up with the latest news about any new prominent figures in the jianghu, and is not familiar with many faces.
- Put on a Bus: After Shen Qiao leaves in Chapter 52 to save Yan Wushi, Zhao Chiying doesn't appear again until Chapter 91 when Shen Qiao pays the Bixia Sect another visit. The trope takes effect once more after the end of the Sword Trial Conference arc.
- Reasonable Authority Figure
- Worf Had the Flu: She emerged out of seclusion early to help her disciples when her sect was on the brink of being wiped out. However, this resulted in her cultivation suffering some damage.
Hui Leshan (惠乐山)
The former leader of the Bixia Sect.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Hui Leshan was described by other characters as an extremely competitive man, and the reason he backstabbed Ruan Hailou was because he envied the other's talents and didn't want the other to become the sect leader.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After betraying Ruan Hailou's trust to secure the position of sect leader for himself, Hui Leshan soon became very ashamed of his actions that he confessed all his crimes to Zhao Chiying and Yue Kunchi on his deathbed.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Hui Leshan's betrayal of his once closest friend would soon lead to the near-annihilation of the entire Bixia Sect. Even Zhao Chiying admits that his actions have brought doom to their sect, even if that wasn't his intention.
Disciples
Yue Kunchi (岳昆池)
Voiced by: Lu Shujun (animation), Zhao Yang (audio drama)
A disciple of the Bixia Sect. He acted as the regent sect leader when Zhao Chiying was still in seclusion.
- Cannot Spit It Out: He has a crush on Zhao Chiying, but has always kept it to himself... until Yan Wushi bluntly announces his feelings in public.
- Everyone Can See It: Downplayed. While Yue Kunchi has kept his affections for his shimei to himself for the longest time, his feelings are still obvious enough for Yan Wushi to notice and subsequently mock him about it.Yan Wushi: Admiring someone in secret for ten or twenty years, but ultimately not daring to speak up and declare his feelings— what's that like?
- Nice Guy: He's a very amicable person and is easy to talk to.
Fan Yuanbai (范元白)
Voiced by: Ke Muqing (audio drama)
A disciple of the Bixia Sect.
- Action Survivor: He's one of the few survivors of the massacre of his sect, and the novel notes that he managed to live through sheer determination.
- The Bus Came Back: He first makes his appearance in Madam Qin's birthday banquet, although he's only mentioned in passing. He appears once again when Shen Qiao and Shiwu head to the Bixia Sect.
- Those Two Guys: Both he and Zhou Yexue usually show up together, and the novel often mentions both their names in the same sentence.
Zhou Yexue (周夜雪)
Voiced by: Wan Suwan note (audio drama)
A disciple of the Bixia Sect.
- All Love Is Unrequited: Each time she tries to get friendly with Li Qingyu in an attempt to court him, he fails to take the hint and doesn't play along, much to her chagrin.
- Brutal Honesty: She's quick to show her dislike of Wang Zhuo and comments on how sheltered and arrogant he is.
- Those Two Guys: Both she and Fan Yuanbai usually show up together, and the novel often mentions both their names in the same sentence.
Elders
Lu Feng (卢峰)
An elder of the Bixia Sect, who betrayed his sect to Ruan Hailou and the Tujue in the hopes of becoming the new sect leader.
- Adapted Out: Downplayed. His name is mentioned in the donghua, but he doesn't show up in the arc where the Beimu (Tujue) warriors attack the Bixia Sect.
- Evil Counterpart: To Yu Ai.
- Both intend to bring their sects to its former glory and are willing to make deals with outsiders to make that happen, but Lu Feng has no hesitation in spilling the blood of all the other disciples of the Bixia Sect, something that not even Yu Ai — despite the questionable actions he took to further his own goals — would ever do.
- Yu Ai is portrayed as a Well-Intentioned Extremist who genuinely cares for the people in his sect and still cares about Shen Qiao in spite of betraying him. On the other hand, Lu Feng despises his fellow disciples and sees them as weak for being unwilling to get involved in politics, and even tries to have them slaughtered for it.
- Uncertain Doom: He's swiftly defeated and his plans to overthrow Zhao Chiying as the sect leader is thwarted, although how he's dealt with afterwards is never shown or hinted at.
