Qian Duoduo

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Qian Duoduo (钱多多)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Imperial City Security Department
Occupation/Role	Fourth-Rank Martial Artist and Investigative Captain 548
First Appearance	Chapter 548

Background / History

Qian Duoduo is an Investigative Captain dispatched to Wushui Commandery from Jiangyang Dao. An internal record lists his origin as unknown, suspects he comes from a Jiangyang Dao Noble Family, and notes that he is skilled at investigation, possesses many life-preserving methods, and has never failed a mission he accepted. 550

His family possesses a collected body of research on Black Calamities, including their classifications, possible mediums, and the theory of innate talents. Qian draws heavily on this inherited knowledge and on a large collection of protective artifacts supplied by his father. 549 577 579

Appearance

Qian Duoduo is a round-faced, plump man whose jovial appearance conceals the physique and qi of a capable Fourth-Rank martial artist. Fang Yuan judges his blood and qi to be as dense as a furnace and considers him stronger than many peers of the same rank. 548

• Usually wears brocade robes. 560
• Has a broad, fat face that often creases into narrow-eyed smiles. 548 560
• Though visibly overweight, he is solidly built, with slow, deep breathing likened to a beast lying in wait. 548
• Often carries a conspicuous assortment of supernatural and survival-oriented tools. 549

Personality

Qian initially presents himself as excessively friendly, presumptuous, and carefree. He enters Fang Yuan's Duty Room uninvited, treats it as his own, and speaks to Fang Yuan with the familiarity of an old friend. Fang Yuan quickly concludes that this behavior is a façade: Qian is outwardly coarse but inwardly meticulous. 548

He is talkative, fond of food, rewards, gossip, and dramatic reactions from others. He can also be cowardly around Black Calamities, repeatedly showing fear when faced with unknown phenomena. However, this does not stop him from taking cases or returning to danger when necessary. 564 567 575

Behind his frivolity, Qian is observant and politically aware. He tests Fang Yuan's concealed strength without confronting him openly, recognizes the implications of unrest in Wushui Commandery, and treats Fang Yuan's deductions seriously after seeing them resolve a case that exceeded his own understanding. 563 564 571 616

Abilities & Skills

Fourth-Rank Martial Arts

Qian is a Fourth-Rank Martial Artist whose thick qi and blood place him among the stronger members of his rank. Fang Yuan believes Zhao Honglie may not necessarily be able to defeat him. 548

• Can keep pace with Fang Yuan's movement despite frequently pretending to be exhausted. 582
• Survived the final attack of the Yongfu Lane Black Calamity. 570 582
• His specific martial arts and Force method have not been identified.

Black Calamity Investigation

Qian is an experienced Black Calamity investigator who combines inherited research with practical use of supernatural tools. He explains that Black Calamities may be broadly understood as Story-Type or Artifact-Type, with each type relying on a medium such as a tale, memory, object, or artifact. 570 577

• Identifies and investigates possible Black Calamity mediums. 570
• Uses case details, timelines, and witness accounts to form hypotheses. 618
• Knows that Black Calamities can manipulate perception and reproduce details from existing case files. 571
• Recognizes that artifacts consecrated by masters can be useful, but does not consider them a substitute for Investigative Captains. 564 578
• His reliance on tools can leave him unable to understand a case as quickly as Fang Yuan does. 571

Knowledge of Innate Talents

Qian's family researches innate talents and their historical relationship to Martial Dao. He believes talents emerge through a person's focus, personality, and experiences, and that they can grow rather than remain fixed. 578 579

• Connects Old Hei's unusual abilities to a possible talent involving calligraphy, painting, suppression, or sealing. 577 578
• Suggests Fang Yuan's ability is an insight-based talent that finds truth within tangled information. 577
• Reveals that, according to his family’s information, innate talents were once associated with those who possessed Superior Force during the Great Wu Dynasty. 579

Claimed Talent: Wealth

When Fang Yuan directly asks about his talent, Qian claims that it is simply “being rich.” 577

• Uses wealth and family resources to acquire protective and investigative artifacts. 549 577
• His claim may be humorous or deliberately evasive; no clear supernatural effect of this “talent” has been established. 577 578

Equipment / Items

• Bronze Compass — A palm-sized compass consecrated by a Hukuo Temple master. Its needle reacts to Black Calamity activity and helped identify the relevant side chamber in the Yongfu Lane residence. 564
• Jade Pendant — Reacted to Fang Yuan, causing Qian to suspect that Fang Yuan might be connected to the Black Calamity. 549
• Copper Coin — Used to repel the transformed Chen Li during the Yongfu Lane case. 570
• Protective supplies — Carries silver needles, a Bronze Mirror, cinnabar, yellow paper, and other items intended for detection, warding off evil, or preserving his life; Qian admits that he does not know the purpose of every item. 549

Relationships

• Fang Yuan — Fellow Investigative Captain. Qian initially approaches him to test and observe him, particularly after his Jade Pendant reacts to Fang Yuan. Their first joint Black Calamity mission develops into a functional partnership, though Fang Yuan remains wary of him. 549 560 572
• Old Hei — Senior figure within the Imperial City Security Department who assigns Qian and Fang Yuan to cooperative cases and controls mission rewards and Contribution Point settlements. 560 575
• Qian Family — His family collects and preserves specialized knowledge about Black Calamities and innate talents; his father also provided his investigative artifacts. 549 577
• Shen Qingwan — Qian deliberately avoids meeting her and becomes unusually defensive when Fang Yuan suggests he may owe her money. 562
• Prefect Zhao — Zhao’s household hires Qian privately to investigate Zhao Tianci’s nightmare affliction, offering substantial payment outside normal Department channels. 616 617 619
• Li Suxin — Their interactions are tense; Qian is angered by her dismissive assessment of him, though they later investigate the Prefecture Governor’s Mansion alongside Fang Yuan. 619 643

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Arrival in Wushui Commandery — Qian enters Fang Yuan’s Duty Room under the pretense of mistaking it for his own, asks about the Black Calamity, and begins assessing Fang Yuan’s identity and capabilities. 548 549
• Grade A Case No. 17: Yongfu Lane — Old Hei assigns Qian and Fang Yuan to investigate the abandoned Chen residence. Qian uses his Compass to locate the danger, vanishes within the residence, and later assists Fang Yuan against the Black Calamity with a Copper Coin. 560 564 565 570
• Aftermath of the Chen Li case — Qian realizes Fang Yuan had led the investigation from the beginning and struggles to understand how Fang Yuan broke the Black Calamity’s medium. He subsequently becomes more sincere in treating Fang Yuan as a partner. 571 575
• Black Calamity discussions — Qian explains his family’s classifications of Black Calamities, shares theories of innate talents, and provides Fang Yuan with information unavailable through ordinary public channels. 577 578 579
• Prefecture Governor’s Mansion case — Though Prefect Zhao initially hires Qian alone, Qian waits for Fang Yuan and brings him into the private investigation of Zhao Tianci’s nightmare. As the mansion’s situation worsens, Qian increasingly follows Fang Yuan’s judgment. 616 617 644
• Entering the afflicted mansion — When the group hesitates before the abnormal Steward Fu, Qian unexpectedly takes the lead and crosses the threshold first, showing a rare moment of calm decisiveness. 643

Notable Quotes

“My talent, of course, is being rich!” 577

“Guaranteed. I've survived countless times by relying on this thing.” — on his Bronze Compass 564