Imperial Astronomy Bureau

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Imperial Astronomy Bureau (钦天司)
Affiliation	Great Zhou Dynasty imperial court
Occupation/Role	Government bureau responsible for managing strange and anomalous events, including demons, ghosts, and related threats throughout Great Zhou 9
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 8

Mandate and Jurisdiction

• Established by the founding Emperor of Great Zhou at the beginning of the dynasty. Its stated responsibility is to manage all strange and anomalous events within the realm. 9
• Maintains local branches, including one in Baihe County; remote Prison Dragon County has no branch. 9 31
• Its personnel investigate anomalies, suppress ghosts and demons, secure dangerous objects, and cleanse residual Yin energy after supernatural incidents. 22 36 47
• Officials in Prison Dragon County fear Bureau investigations because its investigators are described as stubborn and uncompromising; a thorough inquiry could expose local corruption beyond supernatural matters. 8
• Despite its authority and specialist role, its public reputation is reportedly poor. 9

Organization

Position / Unit	Known Details
Squad Leader	Commands local Bureau personnel and directs field operations. Shen Jiyue leads the Baihe County branch members during the Willow Alley cleanup. 32 47
Lieutenant	A grassroots Bureau official. Xie Jiuyi serves as a lieutenant and was assigned to transport the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin. 22 25 37
County branch	The Baihe County branch receives protected cargo, investigates major incidents, and deploys personnel to clean up Yin energy and recover anomalous items. 31 32 47
Prefecture-level Bureau	The Bureau in Yinghe Prefecture is treated as the appropriate authority for threats beyond the Baihe County branch's capacity. 46

Methods and Resources

Ghost and Demon Suppression

Bureau officers employ cultivation methods, talismans, seals, and specialized guides to confront supernatural entities.

• Xie Jiuyi is trained in the Hundred Killings Divine Path Technique, Seven Seals of Demon Suppression, and the Imperial Astronomy Bureau 16th Edition Comprehensive Talisman Guide. 22
• Shen Jiyue possesses the same listed Bureau methods alongside the Dragon Elephant Body Protection Skill. 31
• Xie uses hand seals and talismans to block Yin energy, breach a ghostly inn, attack hostile ghosts, and temporarily reseal the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin. 23 27 36
• Escort guards assigned to Bureau cargo receive black dog blood powder for coating weapons against supernatural threats. 23

Heavenly Mechanism Coffin

The Heavenly Mechanism Coffin is a Bureau-controlled anomalous object transported to Baihe County under secrecy.

• The coffin can divine anomalous events, answer questions, and appears to possess consciousness. 37
• It is operated through established procedures, though even Bureau personnel are unfamiliar with how to respond when it acts autonomously. 37
• Its forced escape from its seal injured Bureau personnel and triggered further anomalies in Baihe County. 36
• Shen Jiyue identifies it as Bureau property and treats its defense as an absolute priority. 38
• The coffin's apparent warning led Shen and Xie to conclude that it had sought Fan Wu's protection from an approaching threat. 37

Known Personnel

• Shen Jiyue — Baihe County Imperial Astronomy Bureau Squad Leader. She investigates a major anomalous event affecting the prefecture and commandery, commands local subordinates, and wields a Xuanhua Axe. 32 34 47
• Xie Jiuyi — Imperial Astronomy Bureau lieutenant responsible for transporting the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin. An orphan adopted and trained by the Bureau, he specializes in methods for killing ghosts and eliminating demons. 22 23 37
• Unnamed Baihe County branch members — Shen Jiyue's subordinates; they arrive after the Willow Alley battle to disperse Yin energy and recover the coffin. 47
• Unnamed captain — The Bureau officer who trained Xie Jiuyi and named him “Jiuyi” after he was the ninety-first among more than one hundred adopted beggars. 23

Relationships

• Great Zhou Dynasty — Imperial government that founded and empowers the Bureau to manage anomalous events. 9
• Baihe County branch — Local Bureau branch under Shen Jiyue's field leadership; it receives the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin and handles local supernatural fallout. 31 47
• Huwei Escort Agency — Longtime contractor used to escort Bureau cargo; its caravan transports the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin toward Baihe County under Xie Jiuyi's supervision. 21 23
• Fan Wu — Initially avoids Bureau involvement, but repeatedly aids its officers against anomalies and protects the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin. He later reports the Great Venerable to Shen Jiyue in hopes that the Bureau will oppose it. 36 46
• Great Venerable — Identified by Fan Wu as an anomalous entity fundamentally opposed to the Bureau's role as a Great Zhou government agency. 46

Story Role / Major Arcs

Prison Dragon County

Prison Dragon County officials consider calling the Bureau when the county yamen is haunted, but reject the idea because a Bureau investigation could uncover their corruption. Since no local branch exists, they instead rely on Fan Wu and other invited cultivators. 8 9

Ghost-Obscuring Illusory Array

Xie Jiuyi travels with a Huwei Escort Agency convoy while secretly transporting a special Bureau item toward Baihe County. When the group becomes trapped in a Ghost-Obscuring Illusory Array, Xie determines that killing the array's creator is the only escape. 21 23

Ghosts at the illusory inn target the Bureau cargo specifically. Xie fights beside Fan Wu but is overwhelmed by the number of hostile entities and must force an exit with talismans. 24 25 27

Baihe County and the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin

The convoy delivers its cargo to the Baihe County Bureau branch, where Shen Jiyue is already investigating an anomalous event severe enough to affect the prefecture and commandery. 31 32

The Bureau attempts to use the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin to investigate a strange case, but the object breaks its seal and injures its handlers. Xie and Shen attempt to secure it, while Fan Wu becomes inadvertently involved. 36

When the coffin begins operating on its own, Shen concludes that it is warning them of imminent danger and has sought Fan Wu's protection. 37

Willow Alley Battle

The ghost groom, ghost bride, and their vengeful spirits trap Shen and Xie in a barrier while attempting to seize the Heavenly Mechanism Coffin. Both Bureau officers defend the artifact despite being outmatched. 38 39

After Fan Wu destroys the ultimate stitched entity formed by the ghost bride and groom, Bureau members cleanse the remaining Yin energy in Willow Alley and recover the coffin. 45 47

Great Venerable Report

Fan Wu informs Shen Jiyue of the Merciful Great Venerable of Salvation from Suffering Above and Below Heaven and Earth. Shen judges the Baihe County branch incapable of handling such a threat and orders the matter reported to the Imperial Astronomy Bureau in Yinghe Prefecture. 46