Zichuan Xiu

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Zichuan Xiu (紫川秀)
Alias(es)	Guangming Xiu / “Lord Guangming”; King of Light; Commander Xiuchuan
Species/Race	Human 105 249
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Zichuan Family; Far East Army; Xiu Battalion; Black Flag Army
Occupation/Role	Military commander, founder and leader of the Xiu Battalion, Far East ruler, Emperor of the Demon Kingdom
Status	Active; returned to the Imperial Capital after the defeat of Di Lin’s rebellion 312

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Vice Commander	7	Promoted above his rank by Yang Minghua, partly so he could be kept under surveillance.
Deputy Director	19	Takes up a deputy-director post under Director Gushan, though his disheveled first day damages his reputation.
Commander	162	Zichuan Ning personally confers his commander’s insignia and epaulets.
Commander of the Black Flag Army	164 169	Transferred to Danya Military Region and placed over the Black Flag Army.
Commander of the Langcang River defense line	188	Ordered to hold the line against Liufeng Shuang’s invasion for two weeks until reinforcements arrive.
Far East Commander / King of Light	196 197	Returns to the Far East with major reinforcements and is ceremonially welcomed by its soldiers and civilians.
Marquis of the First Rank	258	Granted a marquisate and a county fiefdom by the Imperial Capital.
Emperor	269 270	Receives the allegiance of Demon Race tribal leaders after a coronation at the Demon God’s Fortress.
Future President Commander of the Zichuan Family	310	Named as the family’s prospective President Commander after helping suppress Di Lin’s rebellion.

Background

Zichuan Xiu was an orphan adopted and raised by Lord Zichuan Yuanxing’s household. Although granted the Zichuan surname, he considers himself an outsider rather than a true blood member of the family. He was sent to the Far East Military Academy at nine and spent six formative years in brutal frontier warfare, surviving repeated injuries, starvation, pursuit, and the deaths of close comrades 11 47.

Yang Minghua promoted Xiu to Vice Commander while intending to keep his dangerous talent under observation. Luo Bo instead arranged for him to return to the Imperial Capital, entrusting him with Zichuan Ning’s protection; Xiu accepted the duty and vowed to repay Luo Bo’s kindness 7.

On July 29, Imperial Year 778, Xiu established the Xiu Battalion with Luo Bo’s approval. Family history credits the unit with later helping secure Zichuan Ning’s succession, suppress internal unrest, resist foreign enemies, defeat Liufeng forces, and conquer the Demon God’s Fortress 8.

Appearance

Zichuan Xiu is a tall, slender young man with a refined face, faint eyebrows, and a straight-backed bearing shaped by repeated life-or-death combat. His habitual smile is recognizable for its mixture of embarrassment, self-mockery, and optimism 94 105.

• Initially has black hair, a handsome face, and light stubble, which can make him seem older than he is 123.
• Is described as pale and slightly thin in the Far East, with an intimidating battlefield aura despite his amiable expression 105.
• By later campaigns, his hair has become snow-white; war has also weathered his complexion and sharpened his features 294 301.
• Commonly wears a dark blue high-ranking officer’s uniform; in the Far East, he is also associated with a black cavalry cloak 162 302.

Personality

Xiu presents himself as carefree, greedy, and opportunistic, but this image conceals an observant and cautious mind. He can flatter superiors with absurd exaggeration, manipulate expectations, and turn commerce into a military resource, yet he remains difficult even for enemies to read 7 51 80.

His humor is often irreverent and self-deprecating, especially when facing political pressure. He uses sarcasm to resist humiliation without openly breaking with powerful figures such as Zichuan Canxing 164.

Despite his willingness to profit from wartime opportunities, Xiu is deeply affected by civilian suffering and the sacrifices of the Far East. He feeds famine-stricken villages without payment, refuses the Ma family’s plan to reclaim Far East assets, and repeatedly places the region’s security above his own relationships and career 102 160 165.

War hardens him considerably. Di Lin observes that the formerly indecisive youth develops Sterling’s endurance and Di Lin’s own ruthless decisiveness, becoming capable of cold and difficult choices 154.

Abilities & Skills

Military Command

Xiu is an adaptive commander who combines deception, logistics, morale-building, and local alliances.

• Established and maintained the Xiu Battalion as a force with lasting influence in the Zichuan Family’s history 8.
• Turned Deren’s rebel force into an ally and accepted the surrender of tens of thousands of rebels in a single week 50.
• Used false Beastman battle cries at Thousand Foot Cliff to panic a superior Demon Race force into retreat 109.
• Organized relief, recruitment, raids on supply lines, and an intelligence network during the Demon Race occupation of the Far East 102.
• Reorganized the Demon Kingdom’s new army into four military towns and appointed commanders drawn from Beastman, Tatar, and Far East forces 274.

Political and Economic Strategy

Xiu understands that armies require money, supplies, and political legitimacy as much as battlefield victories.

• Created companies under the Xiu Battalion to raise money through trade and merchant investment, even bribing Ming Hui with shares to secure tolerance 51.
• Traded minerals for grain and weapons, using the proceeds to support Blue Village and nearby settlements during famine 102.
• Closed southwestern border crossings under the justification of military secrecy, forcing the Lin Family into negotiations 171 172.
• Planned industrial development for the Far East and assigned Shirakawa to seek machinery, equipment, and technical talent from the Lin and Liufeng families 275.

Combat and Infiltration

Xiu is a capable swordsman and field combatant who has personally operated behind enemy lines.

• Publicly executed the rebel Marquis Pingjing, Lei Hong, during a Demon Race gathering 83.
• Defeated Ronin harassing civilians in Heqiu and collected their swords afterward 173.
• Defeated Di Lin with the Divine Martial Overlord Saber during the final struggle against Di Lin’s rebellion 310.
• His martial arts are not invulnerable: he is severely wounded after his earlier Far East operations and temporarily loses his martial abilities during the campaign around the Zoe Holy Temple 94 106.

Leadership and Oratory

Xiu can identify what his followers desire and convert uncertainty into loyalty.

• Regained the Xiu Battalion’s allegiance by openly apologizing for his past actions and offering wealth, status, and opportunity amid the Demon Race occupation 97.
• Earned the title “Guangming Xiu” after his relief efforts saved Blue Village and surrounding settlements during famine 102.
• Retains the trust of Shirakawa, Roger, Ming Yu, and the Black Flag Army even when he is accused of defection, corruption, or rebellion 94 186.

Equipment / Items

• Xiyue Saber — Xiu gives its scabbard to Lin Yu as a memento when they part 124.
• Divine Martial Overlord Saber — weapon credited with Xiu’s defeat of Di Lin 310.
• Jade pendant — a valuable pendant given to him by Lin Yu, who asks him to visit the Listening Rain Coffee House in Heqiu 124.
• False travel documents — uses an authentic-looking false identity while entering Heqiu as a supposed tea-and-cloth merchant 173.

Relationships

• Zichuan Ning — Adoptive sister and childhood companion. Xiu is charged with protecting her, and their mutual affection is complicated by his outsider status and his choice to prioritize the Far East over their relationship 7 10 165.
• Sterling — Sworn brother and trusted ally. Sterling defends Xiu against suspicion, supports his rise, and later brings word of his marquisate 20 162 258.
• Di Lin — Sworn brother, political confidant, and eventual enemy. Di Lin warns Xiu about the Ma family and later urges him to take power; Xiu ultimately defeats him during the rebellion 160 310.
• Luo Bo — Patron within the Far East Army who helps return Xiu to the Imperial Capital and entrusts Zichuan Ning’s safety to him 7.
• Shirakawa — Founding Xiu Battalion officer and one of Xiu’s most trusted subordinates. She remains loyal when he is presumed a defector and later handles major Far East diplomatic tasks for him 8 94 275.
• Roger — Founding Xiu Battalion officer and longtime subordinate. He serves under Xiu in the Far East and leads raids against Demon Race supply lines 8 102.
• Ming Yu — Senior Far East subordinate who recruits scattered human soldiers and helps command the Far East Army in Xiu’s absence 97 102.
• Gurei — Xiu’s guard captain and trusted courier. Xiu entrusts him with secret orders for the Far East despite the danger of interception 165 169.
• Kadan — Initially captured by Xiu after a battle, later becomes an important Demon Race political figure in his sphere of rule 3 270.
• Lin Yu — A Heqiu noblewoman whom Xiu saves from assassins. Their bond deepens, but Xiu does not reciprocate her love because of his loyalty to the Zichuan Family 123 175 184.
• Mavi — Political enemy and love rival. Mavi joins the Black Flag Army under Xiu’s command while maintaining ties to the powerful and corrupt Ma family 169 178.

Major Arcs

Far East Resistance

After first capturing Kadan following a victory over the Demon Race, Xiu enters the Demon-held Far East conflict directly. He kills Lei Hong, is presumed to have defected, and later returns severely injured with Kadan as his hostage 3 83 94.

He rebuilds his position by winning the Xiu Battalion’s allegiance, establishing Blue Village as a base connected to the Zichuan interior by a secret mountain path, and using famine relief to gain support among Beastman communities 96 97 102.

King of Light

Xiu becomes a recognized Far East hero as refugees welcome the King of Light banner and former troops continue to identify him as their leader. His decision to preserve the Far East’s interests increasingly conflicts with the Imperial Capital’s attempts to control the region 147 149 163.

When ordered to surrender Far East control and take command of the Black Flag Army in the west, he agrees only after being threatened with the abandonment of the Far East. Before departing, he secretly orders Gurei to send a warning and retreat order to the region 164 165 166.

Black Flag Army and the Ma Family

As Black Flag Army commander, Xiu finds the legion poorly equipped and neglected while confronting the entrenched power of the Ma family. He investigates the exploitation of border troops, anticipates Mavi’s assassination attempt, and moves against the family’s influence in Valin 166 178 180.

His actions provoke political backlash in the Council of Elders, where he is accused of massacring civilians during the suppression of Mavi’s rebellion 181.

Return to the Far East

After being placed under house arrest, Xiu is released due to Liufeng Shuang’s advance and is assigned to defend the Langcang River. Soon afterward, he is sent back to the Far East with two cavalry divisions and over five thousand supply carts, becoming its commander once more 188 196 197.

Demon God’s Fortress and Imperial Rule

During the Eastern Expedition, Xiu reaches the Demon God’s Fortress with the Far East Army and allied Demon Race tribes. Tribal chiefs pledge allegiance at his coronation, after which he takes control of the fortress treasury and faces the administrative burdens of ruling the Demon Kingdom 269 270.

He begins rebuilding the region through military reorganization and planned industrial development rather than relying solely on conquest 274 275.

Di Lin’s Rebellion and Return to the Imperial Capital

Xiu pressures provincial governors to choose between the Far East and the Inspectorate, while privately fearing that the conflict may produce lasting regional separatism 301.

He defeats Di Lin with the Divine Martial Overlord Saber, rejects excessive personal credit for the victory, and returns to the Imperial Capital for Zichuan Ning’s inauguration as family head. At the ceremony, he considers his oath to Zichuan Yuanxing fulfilled 310 312.

Notable Quotes

“The Zichuan Family executes traitors, no matter how far! Those who dare betray Zichuan will be killed without mercy!” 83

“Your Highness, do I look like someone who forgets kindness and doesn't know what's good for him? You've given me such a great opportunity, and I'm filled with gratitude. I traveled to the west to take up my post with tears of thanks, happily singing all the way!” 164

“Whether one is pure-blooded or not is not very important; what matters is talent and strength.” 249