Cui Lan

Biodata

Background / History

Cui Lan was originally a paper figure included in the dowry for a ghost marriage. After crossing the Yellow Springs River and Yang Pass into the Underworld, she became a spirit medium: neither fully human nor ghost, but a being meant to serve a master. She mistakes Zhao Ke for Wang Gouzi, the steward of their group of paper figures, after he replaces the vanished male paper figure on her boat. 43 44

She explains that their true bodies were burned and that they cannot simply return to the living world. At the Bai Family estate, Cui Lan accompanies Zhao Ke through the servants’ entrance, attempts to bribe Steward Bai with paper money, and accepts his order for the dowry spirit mediums to serve the family’s various branches. 43 44

Believing Zhao Ke to be her master, Cui Lan repeatedly tries to please him and seeks intimacy with him. She reveals that the ghost marriage will occur after a seven-day waiting period, rather than on the day of arrival. 45 46

Cui Lan ultimately discovers Zhao Ke’s deception while showing him that a spirit medium’s master’s name should be written on their arm. Zhao Ke’s bare arm exposes that he is not Wang Gouzi. Zhao Ke immediately attacks her, severing her head after discovering that ordinary lethal wounds do not kill a spirit medium. 49 50

Appearance

Cui Lan resembles the female paper figure Zhao Ke first encounters on the funeral boat. She has snow-white skin, almond-shaped eyes, and a rounded chin; Zhao Ke considers her presentable rather than exceptionally beautiful. 43 44

• Curvaceous, well-proportioned figure. 45 46
• Her body feels intensely cold to Zhao Ke, “like touching a block of ice.” 45 46
• Wears clothing identical to the female paper figure from Zhao Ke’s boat. 43 44
• After suffering severe wounds, her body is revealed to lack bones, a human brain, and internal organs. 49 50

Personality

Cui Lan is deferential and eager to serve the person she believes is her master. She worries over Zhao Ke’s supposed injury, explains the Underworld’s customs to him, and tries to improve their position with Steward Bai. 43 44

She is also flirtatious and persistent, repeatedly pressing Zhao Ke to share a bed despite his lack of interest. Her confidence collapses once she learns he is an impostor; after being wounded, she flees and begs for mercy. 45 46 49

Cui Lan longs for the modest security available to spirit mediums: finding a good master, serving peacefully for centuries, and eventually cultivating a human form. 49 50

Abilities & Skills

Spirit-Medium Physiology

Having entered the Underworld, Cui Lan possesses a semi-physical spirit-medium body rather than an ordinary human body. 49 50

• Can survive catastrophic injuries that would kill a human, including a dagger through the forehead, a torn throat, and a stab through the spine. 49 50
• Has no bones, brain, or internal organs; her body is described as a mass of flesh. 49 50
• Decapitation does not immediately destroy her body, but separates it from her control. 49 50
• Her head retains control over her body: placing it in an iron basin causes the body to stop moving, while removing it makes the body twitch again. 49 50

Knowledge of Underworld Customs

Cui Lan understands the basic rules governing the Bai Family’s spirit mediums and ghost marriage. 43 45 49

• Explains that the ghost marriage requires a seven-day waiting period. 45 46
• Knows that a spirit medium’s master’s name is written on their arm. 49 50
• Identifies most Bai Family residents as spirit mediums, with only a few being true ghost masters. 49 50
• Knows that the burned true bodies of the dowry spirit mediums prevent an ordinary return to the living world. 43 44

Relationships

• Zhao Ke / “Wang Gouzi” — Cui Lan mistakes Zhao Ke for her master and serves him loyally until his bare arm reveals the deception; he then dismembers her to prevent exposure. 43 49
• Wang Gouzi — The steward identity Cui Lan believes Zhao Ke possesses among the batch of paper figures. 43 44
• Steward Bai — Bai Family steward who rejects Cui Lan’s attempted bribe and orders the dowry spirit mediums into household service. 43 44
• Bai Family — Cui Lan is brought to their estate as part of the ghost-marriage dowry and is expected to serve its masters and madams. 43 44

Notable Quotes

“Return? We can't go back. Our true bodies were burned. How could we go back?” 43

“If it were a wedding between living people, of course, the ceremony would be today. But for our ghost marriage, we have to wait seven days.” 45