Liu Qing

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Liu Qing (柳青) 5
Gender	Female 5
Affiliation	Wei Dao Si; Jinling Snake Guards 5 18
Occupation / Role	Snake Guard; later Snake Guard Commander 5 22
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 5

Appearance

Liu Qing is a slender woman in her early twenties with short hair. She typically conceals her face beneath a Snake Guard mask and dresses in the organization’s sharp, practical attire. 5 38

• Initially observed wearing a peculiar smiling-face mask while standing in a tree above Xia Qi'an's courtyard. 5
• Continues wearing a Snake Guard mask after becoming commander. 38
• Her movements are quiet and difficult to detect, fitting the Snake Guards’ covert role. 5 13

Personality

Liu Qing is relaxed, teasing, and frequently speaks in a deliberately unhurried manner. She enjoys provoking Xia Qi'an, particularly over his personal affairs and his connection with Si Nanyue. 13 38

Beneath this casual demeanor, she is pragmatic and ambitious. She recognizes profitable opportunities, negotiates aggressively for her share, and uses Xia Qi'an's investigations to help remove Chu Shiqing and position herself as Snake Guard Commander. 13 18 21 22

She also holds Chu Shiqing accountable for exploiting and neglecting the Snake Guards under him. During his imprisonment, she condemns his treatment of subordinates and his disregard for fallen agents' families. 21

Abilities & Skills

Martial Cultivation

Liu Qing is a mid-stage Bone Forging Realm martial artist. 18

• Can contend with Ghost One, the strongest of the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang, after her sleeping potion weakens him. 20
• Uses a short knife in close combat. 20
• Is considered an experienced field agent who has undertaken numerous missions. 18

Snake Guard Intelligence Work

As a Snake Guard, Liu Qing is skilled in intelligence gathering, surveillance, infiltration, and navigating underground martial-world networks. 5 18 19

• Briefs Xia Qi'an on the Wei Dao Si's internal divisions and mission-reward system. 5
• Identifies Soft Tendon Gu at Red Maple Ferry from Xia Qi'an's description. 18
• Knows how to enter and investigate the Stone Forest Ghost Market. 19
• Supplies Xia Qi'an with intelligence concerning the Wei and Wang families. 42
• Screens and investigates prospective martial artists for Xia Qi'an's recruitment efforts. 47

Poisons and Covert Operations

Liu Qing employs drugs and stealth to neutralize enemies before open combat begins. 20

• Secretly drugs the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang's wine with a sleeping potion capable of incapacitating Bone Forging Realm martial artists for hours. 20
• Enters targets' rooms without alerting them and coordinates captures with Xia Qi'an. 20
• Regularly arranges surveillance of Xia Qi'an through other Snake Guards. 38

Business Operations

Liu Qing recognizes commercial value and uses the Snake Guards’ resources to expand profitable ventures. 22 23

• Negotiates for the Snake Guards to receive a share of Xia Qi'an's scented-soap business. 22
• Partners with Xia Qi'an in the refined-salt trade and helps sell refined salt to royal courts. 23
• Reports that the refined-salt business earns 1.3 million taels in a month. 23

Equipment / Items

• Snake Guard mask. 5 38
• Short knife. 20
• Sleeping potion used against the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang. 20
• Mission scrolls and Wei Dao Si tokens. 5 11

Relationships

• Xia Qi'an — Initially assesses him for Wei Dao Si admission, then becomes his recurring intelligence partner, mission contact, and business associate. They agree to share illicitly recovered profits and later cooperate against the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang and Chu Shiqing. 5 13 18 20 23
• Chu Shiqing — Former commander and benefactor whom Liu Qing ultimately betrays after his corruption and neglect of the Snake Guards become intolerable. 21
• Si Nanyue — Works alongside the acting Hound Guard commander after Chu Shiqing's fall; Liu Qing reports the Four Ghosts case to her, enabling Chu Shiqing's arrest. 20 38
• The Jinling Snake Guards — Leads them as commander and seeks greater resources and influence for the division through business partnerships. 21 22
• Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang — Helps Xia Qi'an investigate, drug, capture, and interrogate the group over the stolen tax silver. 18 20

Story Role / Major Arcs

Assessment of Xia Qi'an

Liu Qing is dispatched by Chu Shiqing to assess Xia Qi'an’s suitability for the Wei Dao Si. She explains the organization’s structure, gives him his first mission to eliminate four Fierce Ghosts, and warns him of the danger inherent in Wei Dao Si work. 5

Black Wind Mountain Partnership

She delivers Xia Qi'an’s mission to assist the Jinling garrison against Black Wind Mountain Stronghold and provides the known strength of the three martial-artist bandit leaders. 11

After Xia Qi'an finds Luo Bingzhong's hidden money, Liu Qing appears and invokes the Wei Dao Si's unwritten “finders keepers” rule. The two agree to divide the proceeds and consider future cooperation on profitable missions. 13

Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang and Chu Shiqing's Downfall

Liu Qing joins Xia Qi'an’s investigation into the tax-silver robbery, identifying the Four Ghosts of Xiaoxiang and explaining their cultivation levels, movement technique, and Blood Essence-draining art. 18

She guides Xia Qi'an through the Stone Forest Ghost Market, helps determine Chu Shiqing’s likely connection to the criminals, and devises the plan to wait until the Four Ghosts leave the market. 19

Liu Qing drugs the Four Ghosts, fights Ghost One when he resists, and helps secure the group's testimony and hidden wealth. She then reports the evidence to Si Nanyue, triggering Chu Shiqing’s arrest. 20

After Chu Shiqing is imprisoned, Liu Qing openly rebukes him for exploiting his subordinates and failing those who served him. Her actions help clear the path for her rise as Snake Guard Commander. 21 22

Commercial Alliance

As commander, Liu Qing seeks Snake Guard participation in Xia Qi'an’s scented-soap business in exchange for easing surveillance of him. 22

When Xia Qi'an presents refined salt instead, Liu Qing recognizes its quality and helps market it through Snake Guard channels. Their venture becomes highly profitable, though it attracts the attention of Wei Dao Si headquarters. 23

Continued Intelligence Support

Liu Qing remains Xia Qi'an’s primary Snake Guard contact. She provides him with missions, informs him that Su Changqing has left Jinling, sends intelligence on rival families, and arranges delivery of Xia Qi'an’s duel challenge to Wei Wuji. 24 38 42

When Xia Qi'an becomes a Hound Guard executive and seeks to recruit martial artists in Lishan County, he again relies on Liu Qing and the Snake Guards to identify and investigate suitable candidates. 47

Trivia

• Liu Qing first appears while perched on an elm-tree branch above Xia Qi'an’s home. 5
• She bluntly refuses Xia Qi'an’s invitation to dinner because his household food is too poor. 5
• She considers Xia Qi'an talented enough to potentially become a Tiger Guard, while admitting she herself is unlikely to rise beyond Snake Guard Grand Commander. 22