Nong Zhu

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Nong Zhu (弄竹)
Alias(es)	Mr. Nongzhu; Xiaoyao 461 709
Gender	Male
Affiliation	South Sea Purple Bamboo Forest; Langhuan Villa 383
Occupation/Role	Island master of the South Sea Purple Bamboo Forest; Spirit Transformation cultivator; Ziyi's master 619 763
Status	Active; later operates in the Illusory Immortal City 1150
First Appearance	Chapter 338 338

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Mid Spirit Transformation	344	Uses a flute-generated sound barrier to contain Yue Qianchou's Azure Fire, then compresses the barrier until Yue is forced to withdraw his technique.
Late Spirit Transformation	763	Reveals that he has broken through after previously suppressing his advancement to avoid being made the Demon Ghost Domain's Punishment Envoy. 700 763

Background / History

Nong Zhu was notorious for his romantic history and was known as a handsome, wandering playboy. While living as “Xiaoyao,” he concealed that he was a Spirit Transformation cultivator during his relationship with Fairy Qionghua, wishing for their relationship to remain free of status and deception. He later fled former lover Shu Xin after their relationship ended badly; she pursued him even into the Demon Ghost Domain, where he intervened to save her from Bi Changchun. 476 573

His relationship with Qionghua ended when she sought to take Ziyi to the Wangyue Sect for training. Nong Zhu, refusing to let the sect raise the child, secretly took Ziyi away and raised her in the Purple Bamboo Forest. The accounts describe Ziyi as both his daughter and his disciple, though Nong Zhu later tells Yue Qianchou that he is not her biological father. 338 573 574

A longtime friend of Bi Changchun, Nong Zhu was once Bi's preferred successor as the Demon Ghost Domain's Punishment Envoy. He deliberately suppressed his cultivation rather than advance to the late Spirit Transformation stage and become eligible for the position, preferring a carefree life. 700

Appearance

Nong Zhu is an exceptionally handsome, refined-looking man with an angular face and a deliberately maintained middle-aged appearance. His reputation as the Cultivation World's most handsome man is widely recognized. 476 486 863

• Carries a dark-purple bamboo flute at his waist. 476
• Maintains a youthful appearance through cultivation and is notably concerned with preserving it. 486
• Usually presents himself with an elegant, leisurely demeanor, even when provoking others. 383 619

Personality

Nong Zhu values freedom above responsibility. He avoids major obligations, resists becoming the Punishment Envoy, and repeatedly states that he does not wish to become entangled in conflicts that are not his own. 346 481 700

Despite this, he is protective of those he considers his own. His concern for Ziyi is intense enough that he burns his cultivation to drive out the Black Fire's cold from her body, and he openly shields Yue Qianchou when several Spirit Transformation cultivators threaten him. 439 481

He is also cunning, shameless when it benefits him, and fond of manipulating situations for amusement. He tricks Yin Baikang through Furong's jade pendant, uses his connections freely, and is willing to bargain for pills, favors, and information. 474 481 617

Abilities & Skills

Great Shifting Form / Shape-shifting Technique

Nong Zhu's signature movement technique creates vast numbers of convincing phantom bodies, making it extremely difficult to locate or strike his true form. 708 709

• Creates hundreds of lifelike images that can surround opponents. 708 709
• Uses the phantoms as decoys; physical strikes pass through them without effect. 709
• Held an advantage while fighting Yan Ji, Huo Zongming, and Pu Taidong simultaneously, despite all four being mid Spirit Transformation cultivators. 708
• Ziyi also cultivates the technique and used it to strike a late Tribulation Transcendence cultivator seven times before he could react. 373

Flute Arts

His dark-purple bamboo flute functions as both a musical instrument and a formidable weapon.

• Generates a sound barrier capable of blocking and compressing Yue Qianchou's Azure Fire. 344
• Its music can draw sea creatures, including whales, toward him. 383
• Channels lethal attacks through his phantom bodies during combat. 709
• Was used in his one-versus-three battle against Yan Ji, Huo Zongming, and Pu Taidong. 709

Spirit Transformation Techniques

Nong Zhu possesses the mobility, divine sense, and combat ability expected of a high-level Spirit Transformation cultivator.

• Teleports rapidly, including when rushing to Ziyi after she collapses from the Black Fire's cold. 439
• Can use human fire to drive harmful cold and external evil from another person's body. 439
• The human fire consumes his own cultivation, making it a costly method of treatment. 439
• Maintains a protective formation around the Purple Bamboo Forest. 763

Cultivation Knowledge

Nong Zhu serves as an informal teacher to Yue Qianchou on advanced cultivation matters. 482 483

• Explains the roles of the Three Souls and Seven Spirits.
• Outlines cultivation stages from Qi Refining through the Immortal Realm.
• Relays Bi Changchun's guidance on balancing Water and Fire Arts. 485

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Dark-purple bamboo flute — His primary instrument and weapon; used for sound barriers, attacks, and his Shape-shifting technique. 344 709
• Green flying sword — Used in his possession during the Black Fire incident. 439
• Human-skin mask — Given to him for intelligence work in the Illusory Immortal City. 1140

Relationships

• Ziyi — His disciple and the person he raises in the Purple Bamboo Forest. He is fiercely protective of her, though the account of whether he is her biological father is contradictory. 338 439 573 574
• Fairy Qionghua — Former lover and Ziyi's mother. Their relationship was destroyed by hidden identities, Qionghua's obligation to the Wangyue Sect, and Nong Zhu's decision to take Ziyi away. 573 574 712
• Bi Changchun — Old friend and fellow Spirit Transformation expert. Bi once wanted Nong Zhu as his successor, while Nong Zhu repeatedly avoided the responsibility. 346 700
• Yue Qianchou — Bi Changchun's disciple, frequent target of Nong Zhu's taunts, and eventual ally. Nong Zhu mentors, bargains with, and repeatedly protects him. 338 481 482 709
• Ancestor Nanming — Old friend and frequent adversary. Their friendship is strained by Nong Zhu's past theft of Fire Rock Vajra eggs. 450 451
• Wen Lanfeng — Old friend whose life Nong Zhu has saved twice. Nong Zhu later helps him attempt to rescue Lu Yanqing. 461 739 767
• Furong — Entrusted to Nong Zhu's protection by Yue Qianchou; he later travels with her and uses her connection to Bi Changchun to unsettle Yin Baikang. 481 617
• Shu Xin — Former lover who continued pursuing him after he left her. 476

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Ziyi's assignment — At Bi Changchun's request, Nong Zhu sends Ziyi to accompany Yue Qianchou and instructs her to prioritize her own safety. He also warns Yue Qianchou not to pursue her. 338 346
• Dayang City — Discovers Yue Qianchou impersonating him, then allows the disguise to continue while observing the situation around Yin Baikang's kidnapped grandson. 476 478
• Protection of Yue Qianchou — Publicly declares that nobody may harm Yue Qianchou before he leaves Dayang City, even when confronted by several cultivators of his own realm. 481
• Battle at Xuanxuan Island — Intervenes alongside Ancestor Nanming when Yan Ji moves against Yue Qianchou and the Huaxia cultivators. Nong Zhu kills Yan Ji, Huo Zongming, and Pu Taidong in a one-versus-three battle. 708 709
• Search for Yue Qianchou — After reaching the late Spirit Transformation stage, agrees to assist the badly injured Wen Lanfeng in locating Yue Qianchou to save Lu Yanqing. 763
• Immortal Realm operations — Works as a trusted lone agent for Yue Qianchou, receiving a disguise and a silver ball to gather intelligence in the Illusory Immortal City. 1140

Notable Quotes

“Brat, I'm warning you, don't get any ideas about my daughter just because she's pretty. If I find out, I'll castrate you.” 338

“Today, I'll make my stance clear: before this kid leaves Dayang City, I won't let anyone touch him.” 481