He Jiaqing

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	He Jiaqing (何家慶)
Alias(es)	Zhou Changhong; Jia Heqing
Gender	Male
Affiliation	He Family; Ghost Hand Gate; Hand and Foot Alliance
Occupation/Role	He Family’s First Young Master; Thief Cultivator; businessman; founder of the Hand and Foot Alliance
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Cloud Above, at least Third Layer	452, 468	Could simultaneously retain and use stolen Water, Fire, and Feng Cultivator techniques; every Cloud Above layer allows Mystical Empty Hand to hold one additional stolen technique.
Above the Clouds	732	Identified as an Above the Clouds Thief Cultivator while infiltrating Wen Yuan Pavilion and stealing thirteen Local Earth God Contracts.

Background / History

He Jiaqing is the legitimate son of the powerful He Family of Pro State. His engagement to Lu Xiaolan was politically advantageous only because the He Family had declined; the Lu Family nevertheless regarded his return as a threat, particularly because he possessed the Mystic Life Crimson Lotus. Lu Xiaolan was expected to ensure he did not return to Pro State alive. 1

During college, Li Banfeng was He Jiaqing’s sole friend. He Jiaqing admired Li’s directness, while Li’s history of mental illness kept others from approaching him. 2

After seeing Li Banfeng off at the train station, He Jiaqing inexplicably reappeared unconscious on Li’s dormitory bed. Li kept him hospitalized until He Haisheng, his third uncle, assumed the medical expenses. 4 His apparent coma later became part of an elaborate identity and hospital-double scheme involving Zhou Changhong, He Haisheng, and Wan Jinxian. 261 264 309

While operating from the Outer State, He Jiaqing developed a personal mission of securing dignity for marginalized people in Pro State. He persuaded Big Head that his uncontrollable talent did not make him a threat, then used his influence to improve Big Head’s family circumstances. 201 He later expanded this ideal into the Hand and Foot Alliance, presenting its members as brothers and sisters working toward a new order for Pro State. 666

His pursuit of influence increasingly relied on coercion, infiltration, and hostile takeovers. He eliminated Han Yaomen, absorbed the Azure Cloud Society’s businesses, pressured the Hundred Flowers Gate, and publicly adopted the strategy of “Deceiving the World and Stealing Fame.” 603 604 His actions alienated former associates, including Master Kong Fang and the Ghost Hand Gate. 603

He stole all thirteen Local Earth God Contracts from Wen Yuan Pavilion, enduring thirteen lethal strikes from a First-Class Weapon through repeated use of Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell. 732 During the conflict with Bitter Granny, he survived another near-fatal ambush, stole part of her internal organs and luck, then used her Heavenly Union Skill to heal himself. Qiao Yi rewarded the apparent victory by enfeoffing him as Marquis Zhenyuan. 846

Personality

He Jiaqing is ambitious, calculating, and exceptionally guarded. He routinely uses false identities, layered deceptions, and contingency plans rather than confronting superior opponents directly. Even when injured or outmatched, he prioritizes escape, recovery, and future advantage. 263 360 732 846

He can be empathetic toward people he considers undervalued, especially Big Head, and repeatedly frames his political ambition around dignity for Pro State’s people. 201 358 However, this ideal coexists with ruthless methods: he threatens rivals and their families, kills opponents, manipulates relatives, and treats allies as pieces in broader plans. 358 545 603 834

He is highly suspicious and rarely accepts help without assessing its cost. His caution extends to allies, unfamiliar information, and even offered tea. 524 673 He also takes pride in his ability to profit from dangerous situations, including the theft of the thirteen Contracts. 732

Abilities & Skills

Thief Cultivation

He Jiaqing is an Above the Clouds Thief Cultivator whose fighting style emphasizes speed, stealth, theft, substitution, and escape. 732

• Can react rapidly enough to contest close-quarters combat with Travel Cultivators. 546
• Infiltrated Xiao Zhengong’s villa to borrow a technique from Zhao Xiaowan’s long spear. 335
• Stole the thirteen Contracts in Wen Yuan Pavilion despite a First-Class Weapon’s defenses. 732
• Can steal physical objects, techniques, control methods, and even a portion of an opponent’s internal organs. 539 757 846

Mystical Empty Hand

Mystical Empty Hand allows He Jiaqing to steal and temporarily use techniques from other cultivators.

• At Cloud Above First Layer, it can retain one stolen technique; each additional layer permits one more. 468
• Higher-level stolen techniques have fewer uses before they must be stolen again. 468
• He demonstrated the capacity to use Water, Fire, and Feng Cultivator techniques in the same battle, establishing him as at least Cloud Above Third Layer at the time. 452 468
• He used it to remove Master Kong Fang’s copper coins from his body. 798
• He used a stolen Body Cultivator technique to transform into a spider and restrain Chen Zuixiang with webbing. 715

Golden Cicada Techniques

He Jiaqing possesses several Thief Cultivator survival techniques based on shedding false bodies.

• Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell — Leaves behind a destroyed substitute body while he escapes; he used it to survive Ma Wu and Feng Daiku’s attack. 797
• Thirteen Layers of Golden Cicada Shedding Its Shell — Allowed him to survive thirteen consecutive vital strikes while stealing the thirteen Contracts. 732
• Golden Cicada Transforms into a Pupal Shell — Creates a convincing false corpse or shell, concealing his continued survival even from skilled observers. 846
• These techniques do not negate injury; He remained severely wounded after repeated use against the First-Class Weapon. 732

Stealing the Beams and Replacing the Pillars

This technique exchanges He Jiaqing’s position or an incoming attack’s target with another object or person.

• Redirected Ma Wu’s Joyful Fire onto a peach tree. 797
• Escaped Feng Daiku’s emotional-thread attacks by switching places with a stone. 797
• Replaced himself with a Totem Army soldier while caught in Feng Xuanzhen’s silk net. 846
• Can steal intangible constructs, including Feng Daiku’s entire Hatred Net of emotional threads. 797

Concealment and Mobility

He Jiaqing uses specialized movement and concealment techniques to evade pursuit.

• A Farewell of Ten Thousand Miles — Moves him through obstacles after he establishes contact with a target; the Green Water Beggar partially countered it, but He Jiaqing still escaped. 263
• Shadowing and Concealing — Merges him with nearby terrain; he concealed himself within a peach tree beyond the detection of Feng Daiku’s emotional threads. 797
• Can scale walls and cross houses to infiltrate guarded locations. 678

Scholar Cultivation

He Jiaqing also practices Scholar Cultivation at a level stated to be no lower than his Travel Cultivation.

• Shared Script, Shared Rules — Created a barrier between himself and the departed Green Water Beggar. 263
• The barrier was eventually corroded by the Green Water Beggar’s phlegm, demonstrating that his Scholar techniques can be overcome by stronger opponents. 263
• He Caiyuan considered He Jiaqing’s overall cultivation superior to his own at the same age. 452

Disguise and Identity Manipulation

He Jiaqing can physically alter his face and impersonate others.

• Altered his cheekbones, wrinkles, complexion, and clothing to impersonate He Haisheng. 319
• Used the identity of Zhou Changhong while concealing his true movements from the Dark Star Bureau. 261 262
• Impersonated Li Qi while infiltrating the Chu Family mansion. 546

Cultivation Methods

He Jiaqing actively gathers cultivation resources through unconventional methods.

• Uses flower nectar collected by a specially raised bee; the bee stings his head after developing a white ring, enhancing his cultivation at the cost of intense pain. 327
• Absorbs popularity through devices and seals, though excessive absorption reduces his perception and leaves him exhausted. 353 357 431
• Uses medicinal herbs and pills to accumulate Dao Affinity. 651 652
• Later used Bitter Granny’s stolen Heavenly Union Skill to regenerate wounded flesh through pain. 846

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Pointed ring — Used for close-range throat strikes and to leave cuts on Feng Daiku’s face. 546 797
• Small knife — Used to escape Chu Shaoqiang’s capture. 433
• Breeding bee — Collects nectar from thirty-six peonies before stinging him to support cultivation. 327
• Forward Hat and magnet apparatus — Used during an attempt to refine pills from Thief Cultivator corpses. 667
• Thirteen Local Earth God Contracts — Stolen from Wen Yuan Pavilion at severe personal cost. 732

Relationships

• Li Banfeng / Li Qi — His only college friend; their relationship later became hostile and deeply distrustful as their ambitions collided. 2 546 684
• He Haiqin — Father and He Family head. He Haiqin remained deeply concerned for his son despite He Jiaqing’s schemes and altered condition. 12 265
• He Yuxiu — Aunt and senior He Family figure who generally supports the family’s interests, but openly opposed He Jiaqing when he accepted court-bestowed territory. 1 842
• He Haisheng — Third uncle; paid for He Jiaqing’s hospital care and became entangled in his hospital-double strategy. 4 309 360
• He Caiyuan — Grandfather and an eighth-level Scholar Cultivator. Though impressed by He Jiaqing’s talent, he fought and reprimanded him without mercy. 452 453
• He Shengdong — Great-grandfather who attempted to capture him for Qiao Yi; He Jiaqing killed him. 834
• Lu Xiaolan — Former fiancée. The Lu Family expected her to prevent He Jiaqing’s return to Pro State. 1 4
• Zhou Changhong — Close “brother” and participant in He Jiaqing’s identity scheme; He Jiaqing arranged for his escape and transformation. 261 264
• Big Head — Trusted subordinate whom He Jiaqing calls brother; He Jiaqing provides cultivation resources and seeks to protect him from danger. 201 235 666
• Shen Rongqing — Trusted subordinate and intelligence-gatherer who manages business and investigative tasks for him. 352 682 713
• Duan Shuqun — Core subordinate involved in his business operations, infiltration work, and territorial projects. 515 605 800
• Bitter Granny — Initially a supporter of his role in changing Pro State, later became an adversary after he lost territory and stole part of her organs and luck. 800 846
• Master Kong Fang — Former business associate and coercive patron who later turned against him over the Hundred Flowers Gate. 603 651 798
• Smiling Thousand Hands — Ghost Hand Gate ancestor who recognized He Jiaqing’s potential but became increasingly displeased with his independent ambitions. 567 603 667

Story Role / Major Arcs

Hospital and Identity Arc

He Jiaqing’s inexplicable coma, apparent return from the train station, and subsequent hospital confinement establish the mystery around his identity. His later use of Zhou Changhong, He Haisheng, puppets, and false bodies allows him to operate while misleading the Dark Star Bureau and the He Family. 4 261 264 360

Dignity and the Hand and Foot Alliance

He Jiaqing seeks to build influence by promising dignity to people rejected or controlled by larger institutions. He recruits and cultivates Big Head, organizes the Hand and Foot Alliance, and presents himself as “Brother Qing” rather than a distant master. 201 666

Expansion in Pro State

He Jiaqing expands through businesses, gang takeovers, and manipulation of the media. He destroys the Azure Cloud Society, attempts to absorb the Hundred Flowers Gate, and establishes “Deceiving the World and Stealing Fame” as his high-profile strategy. 603 604

Thirteen Contracts Heist

He infiltrates Wen Yuan Pavilion and steals all thirteen Local Earth God Contracts. The theft leaves him with thirteen critical wounds, but gives him control over territory central to his later ambitions. 732

New Land and Inner State Conflict

He Jiaqing attempts to consolidate the Contracts’ territories while navigating conflict with Li Banfeng, the Peddler, the Hand and Foot Alliance, and Qiao Yi’s court. His choices repeatedly place him between Pro State’s autonomy and Inner State authority. 797 800 834 842

Marquis Zhenyuan

After surviving Bitter Granny’s ambush and presenting her stolen organs as a battlefield achievement, He Jiaqing receives the title Marquis Zhenyuan from Qiao Yi. He then serves as a low-ranking but diligent court handyman while seeking opportunities to advance his own position. 846 847

Notable Quotes

“You are not a disaster, not a hidden danger, and not a threat. You are an elite of this world.” 201

“I want people who deserve dignity to live with a little more dignity, just like you.” 201

“By tomorrow, it’s uncertain which Dao Gate techniques I’ll know.” 452

“I made a profit.” 732

Trivia

• He received Thief Cultivator medicinal powder at age ten and entered the Ghost Hand Gate at age eleven. 760
• He was said to have never failed a Ghost Hand Gate task during his youth. 760
• His reliance on popularity absorption has caused fatigue, impaired perception, and concern that he may go bald. 334 357
• He once borrowed twenty-seven days of lifespan from Zhang Gunli when he believed he would not survive. 523