Flying Fish Guard

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

The Flying Fish Guard was founded under Great Li's founding ancestor. Its original mandate was to slay demons and monsters, punish evil and treachery, and defend the borders. Its members inherit an oath that service lasts for life: “once one wore the Flying Fish Robe, one was Flying Fish for life.” 129 182

Its fate is closely tied to that of Great Li. The Guard possesses authority granted by ancestral law to execute first and report afterward, an exceptional imperial mandate that even later emperors find difficult to alter. 408

Over centuries, its reputation became feared as well as respected. Commoners associate the Guard with ruthless raids, curfews, and collective punishment, while the organization itself is not uniformly incorruptible; members may be struck from its rolls for serious disgrace. 129 329

Organization

Command

• Commander — The Guard's true commander held authority over its forces. Shen Lian led it for more than a decade before being banished beyond the frontier; his return threatened to overturn the control held through Northern and Southern Commandery commandants. 49 64
• Commander-in-Chief — Shen Lian later received the rank of Commander-in-Chief and the additional title of Crown Prince's Junior Guardian after the Lu Region campaign. 400
• Later commander — Wei Wu became Commander of the Flying Fish Guard and Crown Prince's Junior Guardian. 566 576

Units and ranks

• Arrest squads — The Guard's most formidable branches, staffed with numerous experts and used for arrests, encirclements, and supernatural incidents. 123
• Centurions / Hundred-Household Officers — Officers such as Chang Wen command squads and local operations. 12 123
• Thousand-Household Officers — Senior officers who may lead major pursuits and arrests. 84
• Divine Constables — High-level arrest officers; Yuwen Jing was known as the Iron Mace Divine Constable. 57
• Corpse Burning Hall — A Guard branch that deployed several hundred personnel during the Lu Region campaign. 222
• Service Rooms — An officer assigned an independent Service Room may requisition personnel and undertake missions independently, allowing them to build a personal faction unless the Commander revokes the mission. 373

Case Files

The Guard maintains generational Case Files on demonic creatures, ghosts, bandits, and unusual martial figures. Files are graded A, B, C, and D, and remain active until their subject is captured, destroyed, or otherwise conclusively resolved. 250

Uniform and Equipment

• Flying Fish Robe — The Guard's distinctive uniform; its embroidery and color may denote status or office. 12 576
• Xiuchun Saber — Standard saber carried by Guard officers and commanders. 12 380
• Signal Arrows — Used to summon forces, relay alarms, and mark operations; some burst into a “Flying Fish” pattern. 84 492
• Arrest nets — Used to capture targets alive during coordinated operations. 84
• Plague-warding powder — Carried during the infiltration of Xianyun Temple. 57
• Arrows, cannons, and explosive barrels — Used against aquatic demons during the Grand Canal campaign. 211
• Flying Fish Array — The Guard's protective grand array, which forms a lightning-charged barrier around a target area. It was activated to confine a Five-tailed Fox Immortal. 407 408

Flying Fish Array

According to legend, Great Li's founding ancestor obtained the remains of an ancient Flying Fish Beast and used its residual lightning power to establish the grand array. The Flying Fish itself is described not as an ordinary fish, but as a primordial divine beast with a python's head, fish body, horns, wings, and command over lightning. 407

• Can erect a barrier spanning several hundred paces. 407
• Uses thunder and lightning to suppress targets within the formation. 407 408
• May draw strength from lightning strikes after activation. 408
• Its effectiveness is limited by available power; a Sixth-rank Fox Immortal nearly broke free before being forced deeper into the array. 407

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Xianyun Temple operation — More than two hundred plainclothes arrest personnel infiltrated a plague-stricken temple led by Yuwen Jing. The operation was compromised when the Bat Demon bewitched the worshippers, forcing Yuwen Jing to order a withdrawal. 57
• Capital City sweeps — The Guard conducted large-scale nighttime arrests against White Lotus suspects, deploying units across the city and using encirclement tactics, mounted pursuit, and live capture. 84 115 161
• Sha River battle — Shen Lian led the Guard against A Qige's three thousand Di Barbarian cavalry. His outer-strength breakthrough inspired the troops, and the Guard eventually gained the upper hand despite heavy losses. 182 183
• Grand Canal and Lu Region campaign — Under Tu Baishou, the Guard sailed south to address corpse unrest, clashed with aquatic demons, and slaughtered White Lotus forces after landing. 211 220
• Defense of Liu County — Chang Wen and Dou Lao Liu organized soldiers and civilians to defend the city against the Ghost Saber Sect and White Lotus Demon Army. 262
• Conflict with the Immortal Families — The Guard surrounded several Immortals, fought Grandmaster-class demons, and used Hedgehog Immortal's corpse as a morale-boosting reward for its members. 380 382
• Fox Clan confrontation — The Guard defended its headquarters from the Northern Plains Fox Clan, activated the Flying Fish Array, and battled a Sixth-rank Fox Immortal for nearly half an hour. The fox escaped only after abandoning its physical body. 399 407 408
• Dragon Slaying crisis — During the Blood Moon attack on the Imperial City, Shen Lian and Tu Baishou led the Guard against Giant Demons, ghosts, and dragon-slaying formation stakes. Though overwhelmed, they refused to retreat. 492 494
• Wei Wu's return — Wei Wu reappeared during the crisis, defeated the Ghost Corpse General, Ship Ghost, Catfish Demon, and Giant Demons, then routed the gathered demon horde. 495 496 497

Relationships

• Great Li Dynasty — The Guard is an imperial institution whose authority and fortunes are bound to the dynasty. 408
• Shen Lian — Long-serving commander who returned from frontier exile and led the Guard through the Di Barbarian and dragon-slaying crises. 49 64 494
• Tu Baishou — Senior leader who commanded the southern fleet, fought during the Imperial City crisis, and later became an outer-strength expert. 211 373 494
• Wei Wu — Former Corpse Burning Hall member who rose into the Guard's foremost younger generation and later became its Commander. 471 566
• Chang Wen — Centurion and arrest-squad officer who led investigations, city defenses, and local operations. 12 262
• White Lotus Sect — Centuries-old enemy; surrender to the sect is considered equivalent to death for Guard members. 262
• Dragon Guard Eunuchs — Allied defenders during the Dragon Slaying crisis, coordinating attacks against formation stakes. 492
• Five Great Immortal Families / Fox Clan — Powerful supernatural adversaries whose actions forced the Guard to reinforce and activate the Flying Fish Array. 405 407

Notable Quotes

“Our king's sword points—
Our hearts follow—
Radiant Flying Fish—
Slay demons and destroy evil!” 182

“Flying Fish Guard disciples are Flying Fish people in life and Flying Fish ghosts in death.” 494

“Flying Fish Guard, hold the line, never retreat!” 494