Wen Cai

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Wen Cai (文才)
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Uncle Jiu's disciples; the Mortuary/House of Longevity
Occupation/Role	Daoist priest and mortuary attendant
Status	Alive 23
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Background

Wen Cai tended the zombies housed in the House of Longevity. His duties included maintaining the lotus lamp that kept the corpses stable, offering incense before their coffins, and calling the dead to their meal. When Qiu Sheng's prank caused the lamp to go out, five real zombies awakened and cornered them; Lin Fan arrived in time to destroy the Black Zombies with the Five Thunders Spell. 2 3

He remained involved in Uncle Jiu's work during the Ren family crisis. Wen Cai helped arrange ritual materials at Ren Manor, set up the Plum Blossom Incense Array with Qiu Sheng, and applied the chicken-blood ink line to Old Master Ren's coffin under Uncle Jiu's orders. 7 11 12

When Old Master Ren's coffin exploded, Wen Cai was left terrified in the House of Longevity. He nevertheless followed Uncle Jiu and Lin Fan to warn the Ren family, then joined their investigation into the renewed Prosperity Flower and the danger facing Qiu Sheng. 13 14

Wen Cai later accompanied Uncle Jiu and Lin Fan to confront Dong Xiaoyu. The female ghost targeted him after separating her head from her body, but Lin Fan protected him with the Soul Locking Evil Dispelling Talisman. 15 16

During the later Ren Manor incident, a servant falsely claimed that A Wei had arrested Wen Cai. In reality, Wen Cai had gone to a neighboring village to buy glutinous rice and returned alongside Daoist Priest Four-Eyes, assisting him with a line of controlled zombies. 18 22 23

Personality

Wen Cai is notably timid around ghosts, zombies, and unexplained phenomena. He panics when threatened, flees from Dong Xiaoyu's grave after hearing her voice, and is often overwhelmed enough to cry out for Master or Lin Fan to save him. 2 11 16

His fear is paired with envy toward Lin Fan's sudden growth. Wen Cai cannot grasp how Lin Fan rose to Houtian Seventh Heaven so quickly, wishes the Ancestral Master would visit his own dreams, and openly recognizes that he cannot compare to his senior disciple. 3 6

Despite his cowardice and occasional laziness, Wen Cai is loyal to his fellow disciples. He follows Uncle Jiu and Lin Fan into danger, worries about Qiu Sheng when he realizes the latter has been isolated, and tries to plead for Qiu Sheng after his punishment. 13 14 17

Abilities & Skills

Mortuary Duties

Wen Cai has practical experience tending corpses at the House of Longevity.

• Maintains the lotus lamp whose flame keeps the housed zombies from becoming unstable. 2
• Offers incense before coffins and performs routine mortuary work. 2
• Assisted Daoist Priest Four-Eyes in escorting a line of controlled zombies. 23

Ritual Assistance

Wen Cai can carry out basic preparations under instruction.

• Helped arrange Uncle Jiu's ritual altar at Ren Manor. 7
• Set up the Plum Blossom Incense Array with Qiu Sheng. 11
• Assisted in applying chicken-blood ink lines to Old Master Ren's coffin. 12
• Requires supervision and clear instructions; Lin Fan had to ensure that he and Qiu Sheng did not leave the coffin's underside untreated. 12

Basic Daoist Training

Wen Cai has limited combat ability compared with his fellow disciples.

• He cannot “touch the edges” of the Five Thunders Spell. 1
• He briefly used a Bagua mirror to ward off a zombie, but dropped and shattered it while panicking. 2
• He and Qiu Sheng were considered unable to deal with more than a single Black Zombie without Lin Fan's intervention. 3

Equipment

• Lotus lamp — A mortuary lamp Wen Cai tended; its flame stabilized the House of Longevity's zombies. 2
• Bagua mirror — Temporarily repelled a zombie before Wen Cai dropped and broke it. 2
• Soul-Capturing Bell — Carried temporarily while helping Daoist Priest Four-Eyes escort zombies. 23

Relationships

• Uncle Jiu — Wen Cai's master. Uncle Jiu regularly assigns him ritual and mortuary duties, while reprimanding his carelessness and cowardice. 7 12 17
• Lin Fan — Wen Cai's eldest senior disciple. Lin Fan repeatedly rescues him, supervises his work, and earns Wen Cai's admiration and envy. 2 6 12 16
• Qiu Sheng — Wen Cai's senior disciple and frequent partner in trouble. Qiu Sheng pranks him, but the two cooperate on assignments and Wen Cai worries for him when he is endangered. 2 11 14
• Daoist Priest Four-Eyes — Wen Cai's martial uncle. Four-Eyes accompanied him home after Wen Cai purchased glutinous rice and later had him help escort zombies. 22 23

Trivia

• Wen Cai initially believed Lin Fan's devastating Five Thunders Spell had been cast by Uncle Jiu. 3
• After Lin Fan's breakthrough caused a purple-lightning phenomenon, Wen Cai hoped the Ancestral Master would someday visit him in a dream as well. 6
• His warning that Qiu Sheng was in danger only came after Lin Fan carefully explained why the enemy had lured the other disciples to Ren Manor. 14