Li Yèlái

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Li Yèlái (李夜来)
Alias(es)	Night General; Bronze Mask
Species/Race	Human; Spirit Ability User
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Disaster Management Department, East City Branch; First Team
Occupation/Role	Disaster Handler; undercover informant within Ark
Status	Active
Age	23 5
First Appearance	Chapter 1: “Black Shadow”

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
First Awakening	2 3	At the brink of death against The Skinner, Li Yèlái reaches a deal with the Black Shadow, breaks one of its chains, and awakens as a Spirit Ability User. He gains Myriad Faces and first manifests Xiang Yu’s Hegemon Facial Mask.
Second Awakening	27 28	Resists Void Realm temptations during his advancement and gains Void Realm Beast Speech, alongside increased physique and psionic energy.

Background

Li Yèlái lives in Border City No. 3 with his younger sister, Li Yúnyān. Their father left nine years before his awakening, and their mother died of illness three months later; Li Yèlái became his sister’s sole caretaker while working at an antique shop. 5

For years, he has been dragged into a recurring fog-bound dreamscape and pursued by the chained Black Shadow. He also suffers bouts of severe misfortune after using his powers. Fearing that the entity could endanger Li Yúnyān, he initially keeps both the dreams and his condition secret. 1 5

The Skinner’s attack forces Li Yèlái into his first awakening. After killing the rogue Spirit Ability User, he accepts recruitment into the Disaster Management Department, chiefly because official resources may offer a way to suppress Li Yúnyān’s curse. 3 4

Appearance

Li Yèlái is a tall, slender young man with a delicate, handsome appearance. He is over 1.8 meters tall and is noted for his long limbs and narrow waist, traits that suit him to saber and polearm combat. 1 5 19

• In ordinary settings, he can blend into crowds; he has worn an antique-shop employee’s clothes, formal suits, and handler equipment. 14 46
• He conceals his long weapons inside an oversized black umbrella. 13 21
• When using Xiang Yu’s Facial Mask, he manifests a black-and-white mask with black at the crown, white eyebrows, and frightening Double Pupils. 2 5
• Huo Qubing’s Facial Mask is floral, gold-backed, black-browed, and red-eyed. 37
• The Heart of Slaughter leaves a crimson beating heart visible in his chest, with golden-red veins spreading across his skin. 32 33

Personality

Li Yèlái does not consider himself naturally brave and initially wants a normal, stable life. However, threats to Li Yúnyān or civilians consistently push him to act. He chooses to fight The Skinner, confronts human traffickers and forbidden items, and accepts the dangers of handler work to protect others and pursue a cure for his sister. 2 4 8 18

He is practical, thrifty, and highly conscious of money, often calculating compensation, merit points, and equipment costs. His humor is dry and irreverent even under pressure, but he takes responsibility for the consequences of his actions and fears becoming distorted into a danger to those he wants to protect. 4 12 23 39

Abilities & Skills

Myriad Faces

Li Yèlái’s first-awakened ability allows him to witness historical figures through battlefield-like illusions and imitate aspects of their power through Facial Masks. It is considered highly unusual because it can reproduce abilities associated with other Spirit Ability User paths. 3 5 6

• His masks grant combat experience and accelerate his mastery of unfamiliar techniques. 10 20
• Activating Myriad Faces causes a period of misfortune afterward, making the environment itself hazardous to him. 5 6
• The first Facial Mask consumes roughly 1% of his psionic energy per minute. 13
• He receives new blank masks as sacrifices connected to enemies he kills, though the exact terms of this arrangement remain unclear. 4 20

Hegemon Facial Mask — Xiang Yu

Li Yèlái’s first Facial Mask imitates Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu. It gives him formidable close-combat power and the Double Pupils’ ability to perceive structural weaknesses. 3 20

• Enhances his physique, strength, speed, senses, and killing intent. 3
• Double Pupils / Weakness Perception — reveals black lines representing vulnerable points in objects and opponents; striking along them lets him shatter concrete, weapons, defenses, and armor with greatly reduced force. 3 6
• Single-Handed Eighteen Thrusts — a polearm fighting style derived from Xiang Yu’s combat experience; Li Yèlái later adapts it to his own weapons. 17 25
• Hegemon’s Spear Throw — a powerful psionically enhanced throwing technique suited to heavy polearms or large blades. 19 20 39

Marquis of Champions Facial Mask — Huo Qubing

Li Yèlái acquires his second Facial Mask while fighting the Zhelan Iron Cavalry. It manifests the military presence, battlefield experience, and troop-commanding methods of Huo Qubing. 35 37

• Shadow Army — steals the shadows of units killed by Li Yèlái and turns them into soldiers under his command. 39
• Art of Commanding Troops — can issue tactical commands such as “Mountain,” “Thunder,” and “Wind” to alter the Shadow Army’s formation, defense, mobility, and force. 37
• Positional Awareness — grants an instinctive sense of direction even in chaotic terrain. 39
• Also provides riding and mounted-archery knowledge, though Li Yèlái considers these skills less useful in modern combat. 39

Void Realm Beast Speech

Gained during his second awakening, Void Realm Beast Speech allows Li Yèlái to communicate with and command animals. 28

• He can direct ordinary warhorses, allowing him to disrupt mounted enemies by forcing their mounts to turn or charge. 35
• Its effectiveness and range are limited. 28

Psychic Barrier and Sky Stepping

Li Yèlái displays exceptional aptitude with standard handler techniques, mastering both Psychic Barrier control and Sky Stepping in a single day. 7 11

• Psychic Barrier — blocks attacks, including bullets when sufficiently reinforced, and can neutralize another Spirit Ability User’s barrier at close range. 3 5
• Sky Stepping — condenses a foothold in mid-air for rapid aerial movement; Li Yèlái first uses it to take seven steps through the air while pursuing a Void Realm creature. 10 11

Heart of Slaughter Enhancement

During the Black Prison containment breach, the Class C Forbidden Item Heart of Slaughter merges into Li Yèlái’s body. It greatly strengthens his physique but attempts to drive its user toward murderous obsession. 32 33

• The enhancement raises his physical strength to a level comparable to a third-awakening True Martial Spirit Ability User despite his second awakening. 39
• It grants immense vigor and resilience; after prolonged combat, medical needles struggle to pierce his skin. 33 39
• Its primary danger is an escalating desire to kill and the risk of losing his humanity. 32 39

Curse Resistance

Li Yèlái possesses abnormally high resistance to curses. He can look directly at Puppet’s uncovered face without experiencing the overwhelming terror that affects nearly all other living beings. 22

• His resistance allows him to communicate normally with Puppet and makes him a rare source of companionship for her. 22
• He is likewise unaffected by Li Yúnyān’s curse because she perceives him normally. 22

Connection to the Black Shadow

The Black Shadow, also called Mr. Shadow, is an enormous chained entity that repeatedly reaches Li Yèlái through dreams. Their first known deal triggers his awakening. 1 2 3

• The entity accepts slain enemies as sacrifices and offers Li Yèlái blank Facial Masks. 4
• It devours the Ghost Immortal after Li Yèlái destroys the Ghost Immortal altar. 18
• Li Yèlái distrusts it, fears the consequence of breaking its remaining chains, and has concealed its existence from the authorities. 7 20

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Chilong Ji / Azure Dragon Halberd — C-class psionic polearm reforged from the damaged Crimson Longsword. Its resilient shaft allows Li Yèlái to fully apply the Single-Handed Eighteen Thrusts. 41 42
• Crimson Longsword — his former D-class psychic weapon. Its rotating eyes produced brief visual interference, disrupting ordinary people’s sight for over a second and Spirit Ability Users’ sight for a fraction of a second. It was heavily damaged during the Black Prison incident. 13 16 39
• Undead Summoning Bell — a Nether Path psionic weapon containing the ashes of a knight from Black Source City; summons a Dual Blade Knight with strength comparable to a second-awakening Spirit Ability User. 19 20
• Heat-Melting Axe — a foldable one-handed axe whose heated blade can cut deeply into metal. 41 42
• Oversized Black Umbrella — custom concealment gear used to carry the Chilong Ji or his earlier Crimson Longsword in public. 13 21 42
• Puppet’s Hair — detached hair retaining Puppet’s curse effect for around ten days; Li Yèlái can use it to frighten or suppress hostile creatures and forbidden items. 29 34

Relationships

• Li Yúnyān — younger sister and Li Yèlái’s only immediate family. He becomes a Disaster Handler largely to protect her and find a way to suppress her curse; she later moves with him into the department’s family apartments. 4 23
• Yáng Chén — captain, mentor, and fellow First Team member. He recruits Li Yèlái, trains him, supports both of his awakenings, and helps arrange protection for Li Yúnyān. 4 6 27 41
• Cheese — handler partner and early instructor. She trains Li Yèlái in Psychic Barrier use, repeatedly fights beside him, and helps secure an Anti-Spiritual Power Helmet for Li Yúnyān. 7 19 39 49
• Puppet — fellow handler whose fear-inducing curse does not affect Li Yèlái. He agrees to spend time with her to ease her isolation; she protects his move, cares for Li Yúnyān, and gives him her hair as a safeguard in Black Prison. 22 23 29
• Detective — Spirit Eye Path handler and private-job partner. They investigate Wang De together and refuse to abandon Wang De’s granddaughter despite being expelled from the manor. 14 15
• Black Shadow / Mr. Shadow — a dangerous, unresolved benefactor. Its deal grants Li Yèlái power and masks, but Li Yèlái remains wary of its motives and eventual release. 3 4 20
• The Skinner — the rogue Spirit Ability User whose attempted murder of Li Yèlái triggers his awakening. Li Yèlái kills him, after which the Black Shadow offers a second blank mask. 2 3 4

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Black Shadow and The Skinner — After recurring dreams worsen, Li Yèlái is targeted by The Skinner, awakens during their battle, and kills him using the Hegemon Facial Mask. 1 2 3
• Joining the Disaster Management Department — Accepts official handler status to gain protection, training, and possible treatment for Li Yúnyān’s curse. He receives the codename Night General and joins First Team. 4 6 11 12
• Human Trafficker Incident — Assists in locating abducted children, confronts the cannibalistic trafficker and Void Realm creature, and demonstrates rapid growth in combat and Sky Stepping. 7 8 9 10
• Wang Family Case — Investigates the Wang family’s annual deaths with Detective, exposes Wang De’s sacrifices to the Ghost Immortal altar, destroys the altar, and gains the Undead Summoning Bell. 14 16 18 19
• Black Umbrella and Family Relocation — After Black Umbrella threatens his family, Li Yèlái calls in branch reinforcements and moves Li Yúnyān into protected family housing. 21 22 23
• Second Awakening and Black Prison — Completes his second awakening, enters Black Prison rotation duty, survives a mass containment breach, absorbs the Heart of Slaughter, and gains Huo Qubing’s Facial Mask after defeating the Zhelan King. 27 28 32 37 39
• Ark Infiltration — Is selected to infiltrate Ark because of his strength and misfortune curse. Using the identity Bronze Mask, he enters the organization’s information market and trades intelligence about the Old Mad King. 42 49 50
• Red Dart Merchant Association — Intervenes to recover the Greed Gold Coin, defeats several rogue Spirit Ability Users, and tests the newly forged Chilong Ji in combat. 45 46 47

Notable Quotes

“If that situation truly arises, then you must be quick and ensure my sister is saved. She’s my only family.” 4

“You want to know? Then you'll probably only understand by dying at my hands once.” 21

“You haven't seen the <Mòdāo> formation before, have you? Let me show you!” 35

Trivia

• Li Yèlái wanted the codename Lancer, while Cheese suggested Snow Leopard; the authorities instead assigned him Night General. 12
• His custom black umbrella is so oversized that it can conceal not only his Crimson Longsword but even a guandao-sized weapon. 21
• He initially considers the Black Shadow’s offered blank mask too dangerous to accept, fearing the hidden price of another transaction. 4
• His sister repeatedly jokes that he is being “kept” by a wealthy woman whenever he returns home with unexplained money, gifts, or perfume. 7 20 23