Li Zhihe

Biodata

Appearance

Li Zhihe is a middle-aged official who commonly appears in the Demon Slaying Division’s light-green official robes, marked with golden tiger-head embroidery. 76 77 198

• Light-green official robe with beast or tiger-head embroidery. 76 77
• Wears a jade belt as part of his official attire. 111
• Has a beard, which he is noted to stroke while considering Li Feiyu’s background. 100

Personality

Li Zhihe is broad-minded and composed when dealing with strong or mysterious people. Rather than taking offense when Li Feiyu neutralizes his Force-infused tea-cup test and gains the upper hand, he openly praises the stranger’s skill and invites him to talk. 60

He is an astute recruiter who sees ambition as leverage. Li Feiyu’s request for the Bone Forging Prescription convinces Li that the young martial artist can be drawn into the Demon Slaying Division’s orbit; he repeatedly assesses, rewards, and attempts to cultivate him as a valuable asset. 60 72 89

Li Zhihe is pragmatic without being needlessly cruel. He investigates Li Feiyu’s suspicious connection to Zhou Yuanba and the Guo Family murder, but ultimately chooses not to pursue the matter because Guo Lie “deserved to die.” 128 He is also unusually candid about his self-interest, admitting that Li Feiyu’s advancement could become an achievement that helps him leave the three counties. 140

Abilities & Authority

Seventh-Rank Martial Arts

Li Zhihe is a Seventh-Rank Muscle Tendon Transformation Martial Artist who can employ Force in combat and tests of skill. 60

• Propelled a tea cup with Force to probe Li Feiyu’s abilities. 60
• Recognized Li Feiyu’s use of Transforming Force after their exchange. 60
• His Force test was neutralized by Li Feiyu, leaving a cracked cup and spilled tea. 60

Dynastic Fortune

Su Mu perceives a faint white radiance around Li Zhihe, mixed with decaying gray and black hues, when Li wears his official robes. 76 91

• During the Hongmen Banquet, his fortune manifests as Eagle Gathering: a crimson-eyed eagle with blood-red baleful energy. 111
• The manifestation exerts invisible pressure over the hall, disrupting the blood and Force of Clear Wind Gang members and alarming Gu Feng. 111

Demon Slaying Division Resources

As Division Master, Li Zhihe controls Qingyun’s bounty assignments, merit exchanges, and recruitment of Blade Catchers.

• Offers Bone Forging Ointment and the Bone Forging Prescription in exchange for completed bounty orders. 60 64
• Grants Li Feiyu a Bronze Blade Catcher token, then later promotes him to Silver Rank Blade Catcher. 64 83
• Provides classified bounty intelligence and a Tiger Head Mysterious Token that can secure assistance in Canghe County. 77 106
• Maintains intelligence contacts, including Black Heart Pharmacy shopkeeper Zhang Ping. 110
• Prepares and submits recommendations for Gold Token Blade Catcher assessment. 128 140

Relationships

• Su Mu / Li Feiyu — Recruit, Blade Catcher, and increasingly trusted asset. Li Zhihe tests him on their first meeting, rewards his bounty work, publicly protects his status during the Hongmen Banquet, and later recommends him for Gold Token Blade Catcher assessment. 60 64 111 140
• Gu Feng — Leader of the Clear Wind Gang. Li Zhihe faces Gu Feng in a tense standoff outside the Hongmen Banquet and uses the Demon Slaying Division’s authority to shield Li Feiyu. 110 111
• Tao Xingzheng — Qingyun County Governor. Tao asks Li Zhihe to arrange a meeting with Li Feiyu and offers Five Elements Pills as part of an attempted recruitment. 198 200 201
• Zhao Pingyuan — Division Master of the Canghe County Demon Slaying Division. Their jurisdictions exchange confidential notices, including the wanted order for Zhou Yuanba and Zhao Pingyuan’s attempt to frame Li Feiyu. 128 191
• Zhang Ping — Black Heart Pharmacy shopkeeper and Li Zhihe’s intelligence contact, who reports Li Feiyu’s dealings with the Clear Wind Gang. 110

Story Role / Major Arcs

1. Recruitment of Li Feiyu — Li Zhihe meets the disguised Su Mu at the Qingyun Demon Slaying Division, tests him with a Force-infused tea cup, and offers him a path to the Bone Forging Prescription through bounty work. 60

2. Blade Catcher advancement — He verifies Zhao Xuan’s death, awards Li Feiyu a Bronze Blade Catcher token, and accepts Zhou Tiande’s death as merit equivalent to five Level Three bounties. 64 70

3. Cultivation and utilization of Li Feiyu — Li Zhihe recommends the Demon Subduing Fist, supplies dangerous bounties, and increasingly regards Li Feiyu as a righteous weapon against the Black Mountain Rebel Army. 72 77 89

4. Hongmen Banquet intervention — After receiving intelligence from Zhang Ping, Li Zhihe arrives with Qingyun Army elites. He confronts Gu Feng, declares Li Feiyu a registered Silver Token Blade Catcher, and prevents the Clear Wind Gang from treating him as an unprotected outsider. 110 111

5. Suspicions and Gold Token assessment — He links Li Feiyu to Zhou Yuanba’s murder of Guo Lie, but deliberately overlooks the matter. Later, he offers to recommend Li Feiyu for Gold Token Blade Catcher status and openly explains that the success would benefit both of them. 128 140

6. Taiping Dao crisis — Li Zhihe warns Li Feiyu that Zhao Pingyuan has framed him through the Guo Family and Gongsun Xin cases. He also briefs him on Taiping Dao and coordinates with Tao Xingzheng during the campaign against the rebel forces. 191 198 199 206

7. Li Feiyu’s departure — After Tao Xingzheng’s death is attributed to Li Feiyu, Li Zhihe meets Su Mu without pressing him for details, provides information on Wang Xuantian’s supposed death, and is later promoted within the Demon Slaying Division. 228