Mao Yong'an

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Mao Yong'an (茅永安)
Alias(es)	Dao Master; Young Dao Master; Dao Child; leader of the Exploding Heaven Gang
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Daoist Sect; Dao City; later serves among the investigator squads of God Burying City
Occupation/Role	Dao Child, treasure hunter, Daoist Sect representative, squad captain
Status	Alive; last seen badly wounded but victorious after a spatial trial 1046
First Appearance	Chapter 66 66

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Dao City Daoist / Dao Child	66 215	Already possesses Dao City techniques, an extensive supernatural arsenal, and sufficient confidence to dismiss a Ghost Domain as manageable. He later negotiates permission to leave Dao City in pursuit of the Second Eternal Night.
Body-tempering regimen	436 437 442	Lu Dongbin seals his mental power and forces him to flee ghost soldiers, Ghost Generals, and Half-King ghosts. The training strips his excess weight, builds muscle, and reveals exceptional evasion and endurance.
Battle-hardened Daoist	660 746	Abandons pure treasure hunting to seek strength through war. His killing intent solidifies, and he crosses a city formation while carrying a bloodied sword.
Veteran squad captain	923 946	Develops into an acknowledged captain capable of guiding squads through the Wasteland and bringing back substantial gains.
Final spatial-trial combatant	1045 1046	Uses paper soldiers and ruthless close combat against Heavenly Court Immortals, continuing despite a broken arm, lightning burns, and severe blood loss.

Background

Mao Yong'an is a young Daoist from Dao City who initially longs for the outside world’s “red wine, luxury cars, [and] beautiful women.” He meets Wang Ye in Lin'an City while searching for supernatural items and agrees to travel with him after Wang Ye promises that the stories he heard about the outside world are true. Mao also demonstrates that he can leave the Ghost Domain himself. 66

His early time in Shangjing is defined by his instant, excessive infatuation with Zhou Han. After seeing her photograph, he declares that their future child will be named Mao Gang and repeatedly risks himself to impress her. Zhou Han’s eventual retaliation leaves him terrified and psychologically devastated; afterward, he flees at the mere sight of her. 67 78 82 84

Wang Ye later keeps Mao Yong'an as a captive in the old woman’s residence. There, Mao discovers that his fate has been altered, apparently after receiving only half of a strange fruit. He confronts the old woman with a Dao City talisman and summons an old Daoist’s spectral figure, but the apparition offers him no meaningful protection. 103 215 220 221

The old woman—later identified as Meng Po—warns that Mao will not survive more than a year unless part of his dangerous fate is dispersed. She also repeatedly forces him into humiliating service, including calling her “Grandma” one thousand times and fanning her at Number Seven Grocery Store. 221 293 331

Appearance

Mao Yong'an’s appearance changes considerably after Lu Dongbin’s training. He becomes lean and muscular after previously gaining substantial weight, and his powerful mental strength gives him a sharper, more imposing presence. 436 442 446

• Carries an apparently bottomless black backpack full of supernatural tools and paper creations. 66 79
• Often wears Daoist robes; later battles leave them soaked in blood. 746 1046
• Uses masks to assume Wang Ye’s face, repeatedly causing enemies and ghosts to mistake him for Wang Ye. 182 215 241
• Frequently carries a long sword in his later campaigns. 746 846

Personality

Mao is initially vain, impulsive, treasure-obsessed, and easily motivated by attractive women. His fixation on Zhou Han makes him reckless, while his greed repeatedly pushes him toward dangerous “treasures” without proper investigation. 67 79 293 370

Despite his cowardice and frequent attempts to flee, Mao is highly adaptive under pressure. He rapidly evaluates escape routes, uses decoys effectively, and can switch from bravado to survival instincts when overwhelmed. 182 241 372 437

His character matures through hardship. Mao openly admits that he fears death, yet accepts the possibility of dying for the Daoist Sect. Later, after nearly dying while carrying an injured teammate, he recognizes his inexperience and asks to be taught how to survive and lead responsibly. 436 846 849

By the final conflict, Mao’s early self-interest has developed into a fierce commitment to the Human Race. He becomes willing to endure injury, humiliation, and near-certain death rather than abandon comrades or yield to the Heavenly Court. 746 848 1046

Abilities & Skills

Paper Figure Technique and Puppetry

Mao controls paper figures, dolls, and puppets through mental power, allowing him to overwhelm enemies, scout dangerous locations, and field disposable soldiers.

• Deploys sword-bearing paper figures, plant-like minions, and larger dolls in an assault on Squad A headquarters. 79
• Uses puppets to investigate Dragon Tiger Mountain remotely; their vision appears directly in his pupils. 372
• Can create a massive paper-figure army for large-scale combat. 476 477 1029
• His puppets can be destroyed, and overusing mental power leaves him weakened. 372 373

Scarecrow Substitution

Mao can evade fatal attacks by replacing himself with a straw man.

• His apparent dismemberment by Zhou Han repeatedly resolves into a scarecrow rather than his real body. 78
• Escapes Qin Manor by throwing away his backpack and mask, transforming into a straw man, and reappearing outside the compound. 182
• Straw men are limited and costly; he complains after losing one during his escape. 78 182

Talismans and Daoist Implements

Mao uses talismans for combat, summoning, movement, and emergency escape.

• Summons an old Daoist’s spectral figure with a black talisman marked by red runes. 220
• Uses talismans to delay pursuing ghosts and escape Shangjing via paper cranes. 241
• Uses Swift Travel Talismans during Wasteland expeditions, though exhaustion can still drastically reduce his speed. 846

Treasure Detection and Mobility

His compass and transport tools make him an effective, if reckless, treasure hunter.

• Tracks ghosts and supernatural-item locations with a compass. 67 89
• Uses leather-like paper cranes to carry him through the air. 89
• Relies on spatial fruits for long-range emergency escapes; his final fruit is consumed while escaping a Qingfeng Village assassination team. 185 215

Wasteland Survival and Evasion

Mao’s experience fleeing ghosts becomes a genuine combat asset after Lu Dongbin’s training.

• Evades ghost soldiers for more than two hours and briefly outruns a Half-King ghost. 437
• Reads pursuit routes well enough to avoid being surrounded while under constant pressure. 437
• His Daoist cultivation has a stamina weakness; he can become dangerously depleted during prolonged travel or while carrying others. 846
• Learns practical survival knowledge from an experienced mountain guard after recognizing that determination alone is insufficient. 849

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Black backpack — seemingly bottomless storage for supernatural items, dolls, paper figures, talismans, and tools. 66 79
• Compass — tracks ghosts and detects promising supernatural-item locations. 67 89
• Paper figures and dolls — used as soldiers, decoys, scouts, and guards. 79 372 476
• Paper cranes — flying transport constructs that carry him by the shoulders. 89 241
• Talismans — includes summoning, restraining, and movement talismans. 220 241 846
• Identity-changing masks — most notably used to impersonate Wang Ye. 182 241
• Long sword — used during the God Burying City campaigns and final trials. 746 1045
• Modified hand cannon — drawn when Mao detects Wang Ye’s illusion. 472
• Golden egg — stolen from a courtyard of Ghost Kings during an emergency spatial escape. 185

Relationships

• Wang Ye — Begins as a temporary ally, but Wang Ye repeatedly exploits, imprisons, manipulates, and uses Mao as bait. Mao nevertheless repeatedly impersonates Wang Ye because of Wang Ye’s reputation. 66 86 182 215 241
• Zhou Han — Mao’s obsessive, unreciprocated infatuation becomes trauma after she terrifies and mutilates his scarecrow substitutes. She later shows concern for his importance to the Daoist Sect and the Human Race. 67 78 82 1046
• Meng Po / the Old Woman — Alters Mao’s fate, keeps him under her control, and treats him as a servant while demanding he call her “Grandma.” 215 221 293 331
• Lu Dongbin — Fellow Daoist and harsh trainer. Lu Dongbin’s methods nearly kill Mao, but cultivate his endurance and later develop into mutual battlefield support. 436 437 1046
• The Strong Man — An unnamed squadmate whom Mao refuses to abandon during a supply mission. Afterward, the man becomes Mao’s practical mentor in Wasteland survival and leadership. 846 849
• Underworld Boy — Forms a temporary alliance with Mao in the Jade Pool secret realm; Mao supplies the paper army while the boy performs lethal attacks. 477

Story Role / Major Arcs

Treasure Hunter and Wang Ye’s Scapegoat

Mao begins as a talented but reckless treasure hunter whose tools and disguises make him useful to Wang Ye. His repeated attempts to use Wang Ye’s identity backfire, attracting ghosts, assassins, and enemies who specifically want Wang Ye dead. 182 185 215 241 370

Dao City’s Humiliated Dao Child

After Meng Po alters his fate, Mao tries to reassert his status as Dao City’s Dao Child. His confrontation with her fails, and he spends extended periods trapped in humiliating servitude at Number Seven Grocery Store. 220 221 293 331

Jade Pool Representative

Zhou Han borrows Mao to represent the Daoist Sect in the Jade Pool secret-realm competition. As the sect’s sole survivor, Mao compensates for inferior numbers by summoning paper armies and seeking temporary alliances against Heavenly Court and Spirit Mountain forces. 428 476 477

From Treasure Hunter to Investigator

Witnessing investigators sacrifice themselves changes Mao’s priorities. He begins seeking strength through battle rather than opportunities alone, then endures Lu Dongbin’s body-tempering training and enters God Burying City declaring that he fights for humanity. 436 660 746

Squad Captain and Defender of the Human Race

Mao becomes an accomplished captain, but only after learning humility from his failed choices and the strong man’s survival experience. In the final war, his paper army becomes one of the Heavenly Group’s key group-combat assets, and he personally holds the line against Heavenly Court Immortals. 849 946 1029 1045 1046

Notable Quotes

“Daoist Sect, Mao Yong'an. Fighting for the Human Race.” 746

“I never thought I'd become such a selfless saint.” 848

“Come. Continue.” 1046

Trivia

• Mao’s imagined future son with Zhou Han is named Mao Gang. 67
• He calls himself a “Dao Master” even while panicking, fleeing, or bargaining for help. 67 185 215
• Mao’s use of Wang Ye’s face is so frequent that he effectively becomes another “Wang Ye” in the Wasteland, despite the disguise consistently worsening his luck. 182 215 364