Gongxi Chou

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Gongxi Chou (公西秋)
Alias(es)	A Nian (childhood name); Gongxi Feng En; General Gongxi; Great General; Mountain Lord; Strange Hero Chou 747 1033 1342 1362 1567
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Kang Country; formerly served King Zhi 238 945
Occupation/Role	Martial Gall Warrior, Warlord, mercenary commander, honorary General of Kang Country 580 945
Status	Alive 1567

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Fifteenth Rank Shao Shang Zao	226	A young master-rank warrior whose advancement came through cultivating his own Martial Qi rather than exchanging military merit for martial fortune. He was already considered a prodigy with the potential to reach Che Hou. 226
Sixteenth Rank Grand Shang Zao	747	Broke through after undergoing the three trials required to advance from the fifteenth rank. His Martial Gall Totem subsequently evolved beyond what observers expected from a newly advanced Sixteenth Rank warrior. 747 748

Background

Gongxi Chou was raised among the Gongxi Clan, whose members commonly used childhood names until adulthood; he was known as A Nian. The clan’s destruction defined much of his early life. He believed every member had died, personally gathering the remains of all 265 registered clansmen and retaining the clan registry. 255 1033

For a time, he served under King Zhi and addressed an old general as his adoptive father. He resented orders that prevented him from fighting, especially King Zhi’s retreat from the Alliance Army, which he believed his side could easily defeat. 238 258

His vengeance against those connected to the clan’s destruction culminated in Tang Guo’s death. Gongxi Chou celebrated the killing as the repayment of his “great vengeance,” intending to bring news of it to his remaining family. 480

He later made restoring the Gongxi Clan his central goal. He adopted Lai as Gongxi Lai, entrusted her with the clan’s Sacred Object and secret stratagems, and gave her his wealth and abandoned ancestral lands to support the clan’s reconstruction. 471 473

Appearance

Gongxi Chou is a tall, powerfully built young warrior with refined, deep-set features, a high forehead, delicate skin, and long black hair typically divided into many small braids. His appearance is distinctive enough to have inspired imitators and a widespread fashion trend among Kang Country’s martial artists. 349 395 945

• Long braided black hair, usually tied behind his head with a serpentine silver ornament. 349
• Often wears fitted, exotic-style martial attire marked with Gongxi Clan patterns. 747 989
• Known for snake-patterned iron bracers, a single shoulder guard, waist tassets, and a towering warhorse. 349
• Wore a dark-green veil over his eyes after becoming blind. 747
• His fully manifested Martial Armor is refined, dark green, and considered dangerous even by veteran observers. 636

Personality

Gongxi Chou is intensely confident, blunt, and battle-hungry. He considers himself a natural Martial Artist and has little patience for opponents too weak to provide a worthwhile fight. His arrogance is not merely a performance: he has held an exceptionally high opinion of himself since childhood, believing himself the clan’s most handsome, talented, and beloved member. 580 1362

Despite his fearsome battlefield conduct, his motivations are fundamentally personal rather than political. He has no interest in governing territory, managing officials, or becoming a lord; he wants to find his elder brother, live peacefully in the Clan Land, and preserve what remains of his family. 580 1216

He is practical about money and reputation. Rather than establish his own faction, he chose mercenary work—helping weaker forces for payment, building fame, and accumulating resources for the Gongxi Clan. 580

Gongxi Chou is not unintelligent or incapable of command. He can lead troops, maintain a private army, and assess battlefield developments while imprisoned, but he dislikes schemes and administrative work in favor of direct action. 641 802 952

Abilities & Skills

Martial Gall Cultivation

Gongxi Chou possesses extraordinary Martial Qi talent and reached the Fifteenth Rank through personal cultivation rather than military merit. His physical strength, endurance, and combat ability were already feared by alliance forces before his later breakthrough. 226

• Defeated Zhao Feng with only two fingers and a flick. 242
• Killed multiple Martial Gall Warriors during the Alliance Army conflict. 250
• Overwhelmed Shen Tang in their early duel, sustaining only minor armor damage while leaving her visibly injured. 246
• Continued fighting effectively even after being injured by stronger or concealed opponents. 516 1341
• Can manifest Martial Armor instantly in battle. 636 1341

Martial Gall Totem

His Martial Gall Totem is a dark-green serpent or giant python. Following his Sixteenth Rank breakthrough, the totem evolved substantially and displayed power beyond ordinary expectations for that realm. 636 748

• Can manifest as a giant serpent to engage enemy troops and other Martial Gall Totems. 636 637
• Can assume the Totem’s complete serpent form or a merged half-human, half-serpent form. 1157 1278
• His Totem is associated with the Twin Crescent Serpent Halberd in his duel with Gong Cheng. 944
• The Totem can form protective armor from its own flowing blood, allowing it to withstand repeated attacks. 974
• His vision becomes poor while in Totem form. 1566

Gongxi Clan Markings and Deity Blessing

Gongxi Chou’s clan markings can awaken and spread across his body, forming plain but potent armor linked to the earth and the Gongxi Clan’s Deity. 827

• The armor grants a powerful sense of vitality and connection to the earth. 827
• It differs from his Martial Armor, carrying a peaceful rather than violent aura. 827
• The blessing can shield him from lethal attacks, including a strike aimed at his heart. 974

Martial Qi Soldiers and Command

Although he prefers individual combat, Gongxi Chou can use Martial Qi Soldiers and command organized forces. 802 1033

• Used Martial Qi Soldiers to transport wounded soldiers efficiently during a crisis. 1033
• Maintained a private army composed largely of adopted orphans and wandering fighters; it grew from several hundred members to more than a thousand. 952
• Left this elite force under Gongxi Lai’s care when he departed to seek his elder brother and nephew. 952

Training

Gongxi Chou teaches with harsh honesty and high expectations.

• Took Yang Ying as a disciple despite her initial reluctance because he had killed her father. 583
• Recognized Yang Ying’s potential and trained her into a capable Martial Gall Warrior. 583 650
• Frankly judged Gongxi Lai unsuited to cultivation, while continuing to support her in other pursuits. 583

Limitations

• His Martial Gall Totem’s shedding periods leave him blind for roughly six or seven days; forced shedding to recover from severe injuries can make the timing unpredictable. 1310
• He lost a prolonged battle with Shen Tang after exhausting his Martial Qi first; Shen Tang’s dual Literary and Martial cultivation gave her just enough remaining strength to finish the fight. 640
• Gong Cheng’s Horned Eagle Totem countered his serpent-based Totem, placing him at a disadvantage in their first confrontation. 944

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Martial Armor — dark-green, refined armor manifested from Martial Qi. 636
• Clan-marking armor — simpler Deity-blessed armor awakened through the Gongxi Clan markings on his shoulder blades. 827
• Twin Crescent Serpent Halberd — weapon associated with his Martial Gall Totem. 944
• Snake-patterned iron bracers — distinctive wrist guards. 349
• Warhorse — a powerful horse nearly as tall as he is. 349
• Gongxi Clan registry — retained by Gongxi Chou after the clan’s apparent annihilation. 255

Relationships

• Shen Tang — sworn sister whom Gongxi Chou calls “Mama.” They began as battlefield opponents, became close friends, and later fought over the Gongxi Clan’s Sacred Object. 349 354 635 641 944
• Gongxi Lai — adopted younger sister. Gongxi Chou entrusted her with clan duties, wealth, lands, secret stratagems, and the Sacred Object’s protection. 471 473
• Jimò Qiu — elder brother and High Priest of the Gongxi Clan. Gongxi Chou’s desire to find and live with him is one of his core motivations. 580 965
• Shao Bai — eldest nephew and a Gongxi Clan High Priest. Gongxi Chou became immediately protective upon learning his identity. 945 946
• Yang Ying — disciple. Their relationship began with her hesitation over her father’s death at Gongxi Chou’s hands, but she endured his severe training. 583
• Gong Cheng — enemy pursuing the Gongxi Clan’s extermination as part of a promise connected to the power bestowed on him through Anointing. 917 944
• Qi Shan — a youth acquaintance who knew Gongxi Chou as A Nian. Their reunion was strained by the Gongxi Clan’s past destruction and Qi Shan’s concealed identity. 1032 1033
• Adoptive Father — unnamed old general who commanded Gongxi Chou while he served King Zhi and gifted him the dancer who later managed his household. 258 350 469

Story Role / Major Arcs

Alliance Army Conflict

While serving King Zhi, Gongxi Chou entered the conflict against the Alliance Army and established his terrifying reputation by effortlessly defeating Zhao Feng, challenging Wu Xian, and slaughtering several Martial Gall Warriors. Qin Li’s fog strategy failed to meaningfully impede him. 242 250

He fought Shen Tang directly and initially held the upper hand. Their later rematch ended in his narrow defeat only after both combatants had exhausted their reserves. 246 640

Clan Restoration and Mercenary Career

After separating from King Zhi’s forces, Gongxi Chou focused on restoring the Gongxi Clan. He adopted Gongxi Lai, arranged resources for rebuilding the ancestral land, and became a hired warrior to obtain money, fame, and a path toward finding his elder brother. 471 473 580

His mercenary work made him an unpredictable factor in regional conflicts, including his defense of Xiaocheng for Qiu Wenyan. 638

Sacred Object Conflict

Gongxi Chou believes Shen Tang may be the Gongxi Clan’s Sacred Object. When Shen Tang challenged him to wager the Sacred Object in a duel, he responded with killing intent, an awakened serpent Totem, and his full Martial Armor. 635 636

Liao Jia ultimately captured him with a sealing Word Spirit. Even in captivity, Gongxi Chou calmly analyzed the battle and negotiated with Shen Tang over the Sacred Object’s will and safety. 641

Service to Kang Country

Gongxi Chou later fought alongside Shen Tang’s forces and was recognized as an honorary General of Kang Country. His appearance alone deterred enemies such as Zhang He, who judged confronting him for the National Seal to be too costly. 778 945

He broke through to the Sixteenth Rank during the Dragon Slaying Bureau conflict, arriving blind but actively seeking Shen Tang and contributing an evolved Martial Gall Totem to the battlefield. 747 748

Gong Cheng and the Surviving Clan

Gong Cheng used deception involving a supposed youth surnamed Jimò to expose Gongxi Chou’s connection to the Gongxi Clan. Their ensuing duel revealed Gong Cheng’s advantage against Gongxi Chou’s Totem, until Shao Bai arrived and was identified as Gongxi Chou’s nephew. 944 945

Gongxi Chou later reunited with his elder brother Jimò Qiu and worked to protect his newly recovered family against threats connected to the Gongxi Clan’s past. 963 965 973

Notable Quotes

“I am a Martial Artist by nature. My maternal uncle also said I'm a once-in-a-million martial arts prodigy. My life is destined for battle, not for the battlefield.” 580

“A defeated opponent isn't worth much.” 580

Trivia

• Gongxi Chou’s braided hairstyle and fitted clothing became popular among martial artists in Kang Country. 395 945
• Xu Quan founded the Gongxi Chou Preservation Society, a fan organization that promoted Gongxi Chou-themed clothing, accessories, stories, and martial training. 1159
• The society remained influential for over thirty years and later helped turn Gongxi Chou’s hometown into a proposed tourist attraction. 1566
• His blindness is tied to his serpent Totem’s molting cycle rather than ordinary eye disease. 747 1310