Miao Ruolan

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Miao Ruolan (苗若兰)
Alias(es)	Lan'er
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Fengcheng Detective Agency
Occupation/Role	Ancient Martial Arts successor; former martial-arts instructor; detective-agency co-owner and field assistant
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 29

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Spring Return Skill true-qi initiation	32	After practicing from childhood for thirteen years, she accidentally captured a fleeting sensation of qi on a spring night, producing her first wisp of true qi. It subsequently circulated through her major meridians and gradually strengthened. 32

Background / History

The Miao family is a discreet Ancient Martial Arts family that moved from Xiaoxiang Province to Huashiqiao Village roughly seventy years before the present story. Their martial-arts background became locally known thirty years earlier, when Miao Ruolan's father, Miao Sanqiang, defeated more than ten armed villagers who tried to drive the family away; no one dared bully the family afterward. 29

Ruolan inherited the family’s Spring Return Skill, a cultivation method created by Miao Renjie. Unlike a conventional combat art, it develops Spring Return True Qi to strengthen and mend the practitioner’s own body. The method’s difficult initial step—creating true qi—cannot be directly taught. 31 32

Before becoming a detective, Ruolan taught children at a combat gym. Her focus on foundational training, particularly the horse stance, clashed with parents who wanted immediate combat instruction. After learning that Director Zhou planned to replace her with the more marketable Li Gang, she resigned rather than force the gym to retain her. 29 30

Lin Xiaosu approached her after her resignation and proposed that they establish a detective agency as equal partners. Ruolan accepted despite having no investigative experience, seeing it as a practical place for her abilities and a way to support her family. 30 32 The agency later opened with Ruolan holding a 50% share; she took responsibility for finances, logistics, internal affairs, receiving clients, and guarding the office. 35

Appearance

Ruolan is a petite, slender young woman, approximately 1.5 meters tall. Her usual plain presentation and quiet manner conceal an unusually refined bearing shaped by her martial-arts practice. 29 47

• Usually wears her hair in two braided pigtails. 29
• Has a youthful, childlike look and ordinary facial features. 29
• Frequently blushes when embarrassed, especially around Lin Xiaosu or intimate subjects. 31 33 40
• Wore a qipao and light makeup while undercover at Fengcheng Jewelry Store, presenting an unusually polished appearance. 47

Personality

Ruolan is soft-spoken, shy, and genuinely straightforward. When Lin Xiaosu invites her into detective work, she openly admits that she lacks experience and worries that she may become a burden. 30 32 She also refuses to hide her disappointment over failing as a martial-arts instructor, though she maintains warmth toward the children she taught. 30

She is diligent and adaptable. Determined not to fall behind Lin Xiaosu, she studies surveying through the night despite struggling to retain what she reads. Her efforts soon help her recognize the suspiciously convenient invoice used as a cover in the P39 toxin case. 36 41

Ruolan is protective of Lin Xiaosu and insists on accompanying him during dangerous investigations. Although cautious around unfamiliar social situations and explicit case details, she does not abandon her responsibilities when the work becomes uncomfortable or violent. 40 42 49

Abilities & Skills

Ancient Martial Arts

Ruolan is a direct successor of the Miao family’s Ancient Martial Arts.

• Demonstrated a horse stance precise enough to make dust settle into a Tai Chi pattern within a three-meter radius. 29
• Possesses heightened senses; she noticed Lin Xiaosu observing her and overheard Director Zhou’s nearby conversation. 30
• Her martial-arts bearing gives her exceptional control over movement and micro-expressions. 47

Spring Return Skill

The Miao family’s inherited cultivation art produces Spring Return True Qi and is intended to improve and repair the practitioner’s body. 31

• Requires personal contemplation to generate the first wisp of true qi; the critical step cannot be taught by another person. 32
• Took Ruolan thirteen years of practice to achieve true-qi initiation. 32
• The technique has flexible true-qi pathways rather than a single fixed circulation route. 37
• Its effectiveness is primarily self-directed; the art is described as treating and strengthening its sole “patient,” the practitioner. 31

Combat

Ruolan serves as the detective agency’s principal physical protector.

• Can rapidly disable multiple armed attackers in close quarters. 49
• Disarmed opponents using a steel bar, seized a weapon barehanded, and used a kicked dagger to pin an attacker’s hand. 49
• Criminal figures specifically regard her presence beside Lin Xiaosu as enough to deter an attack. 36 42

Detective Work

Though new to the profession, Ruolan develops practical investigative skills through study and fieldwork.

• Manages case intake, contracts, finances, logistics, and office operations. 35 36
• Studies surveying and criminology to improve her usefulness in investigations. 36 47
• Correctly deduced that a mistress’s carefully preserved invoice was a prearranged cover for distributing the P39 gene toxin. 41
• Assisted with surveillance, driving, navigation, undercover work, and field protection. 40 47 49

Equipment / Items

• Electric scooter — Ruolan’s regular transport for commuting and investigations; she uses it during surveillance of Wang Changfa. 31 33 40
• Spring Return Skill manual — The thread-bound Miao family cultivation text she gives Lin Xiaosu to study. 31
• Undercover qipao — Worn during the Fengcheng Jewelry Store operation. 47

Relationships

• Lin Xiaosu — Equal partner in the Fengcheng Detective Agency. She teaches him the Spring Return Skill, handles the agency’s operations, and repeatedly protects him in the field; their partnership carries mutual affection that remains unspoken. 30 32 35 40 49
• Hu Ya / Li Diandian — Friend and fellow martial artist. Hu Ya speaks about Lin Xiaosu often, which is why Ruolan recognizes him when they meet. 29 30
• Miao Sanqiang — Father and member of the Miao martial-arts lineage. His past defense of the family made their abilities known throughout the county. 29 32
• Miao Renjie — Ancestor associated with the family’s Spring Return Skill; he created the technique to heal and mend bodily deficiencies. 31
• Zhou Mei — Police ally and frequent investigative collaborator. Ruolan works alongside her during the P39 toxin and Fengcheng Jewelry Store cases. 41 47 49

Story Role / Major Arcs

Martial-Arts Hall Resignation

Ruolan’s traditional instruction is rejected by parents seeking quick, visible combat results. After overhearing the plan to replace her, she leaves the martial-arts hall with only 750 yuan for fifteen classes. 29 30

Founding the Fengcheng Detective Agency

Lin Xiaosu recruits Ruolan as an equal partner, valuing both her martial ability and her reliability. She becomes the agency’s operational backbone while pursuing a way to financially support her father and brother. 30 32 35

Early Detective Cases

Ruolan helps formalize the agency, signs its first high-priced lost-dog contract, and supports Lin Xiaosu’s decision to waive payment for a desperate mother searching for her son. 33 36 37

P39 Gene-Toxin Investigation

Ruolan accompanies Lin Xiaosu during the surveillance of Wang Changfa’s villa, contacts Zhuang Mengdie to trigger the police intervention, and identifies the suspect’s invoice as evidence of a deliberate cover story. 40 41

Fengcheng Jewelry Store Operation

Disguised as Lin Xiaosu’s wife, “Lan'er,” Ruolan helps investigate Fengcheng Jewelry Store’s suspected laundering operation. When the hidden heroin cache is exposed, she shields Lin Xiaosu and Zhou Mei from a mass attack, incapacitating multiple assailants until the police secure the scene. 47 49

Notable Quotes

“The power of Ancient Martial Arts is boundless, but I've only scratched the surface. The most critical thing is that this era cannot accommodate Ancient Martial Arts.” 30

“I'm not familiar with this line of work at all, I might not be able to do it.” 30

Trivia

• Ruolan’s first true-qi breakthrough came three years earlier than her father’s; Miao Sanqiang required sixteen years to achieve the same initial result. 32
• She initially requested only 2,000 yuan per month from Lin Xiaosu, then lowered the request to 1,500 yuan when she worried it was too much. 30
• Her Spring Return Skill improved her appearance from an initially unattractive baseline to an ordinary one, which the narration treats as a significant result of the technique. 32