Jinyiwei

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Jinyiwei (锦衣卫)
Alias(es)	Imperial Guard
Affiliation	Great Zhou Dynasty 1
Occupation/Role	Imperial security force; monitors aristocratic clans and sects, slays Demons and Devils, ghosts, monsters, and investigates threats to regional order 1 49
Status	Active 50
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Mandate and Authority

• The Jinyiwei are the Emperor's personal guards, empowered by imperial decree to oversee powerful factions, suppress supernatural threats, and preserve local security. 1 49
• Their members may act with exceptional legal authority, including executing first and reporting afterward. 49
• In county jurisdictions, their routine duties include patrolling the county seat, guarding the Baihu Office, and investigating reports of Demons and Devils. 7
• A confirmed village massacre or a town occupied by Demons and Devils requires a full-scale Jinyiwei response; even the local Baihu Master cannot ignore such an incident. 7
• Jinyiwei units often cooperate with the County Yamen when cases involve both Demonic Creatures and civilian victims. 12

Organization and Ranks

Jinyiwei Position	Official Rank	Notes
Xiaoqi Officer	Ninth rank	The standard first officer rank; ten thousand Merit Points can qualify a member for promotion. 19 21
Zongqi Officer	Eighth rank	Holds authority beneath a county Centurion and may lead subordinates. 20 21
Centurion	Seventh rank	Oversees a Baihu Office; Cao De held this position in Ping'an County. 21 22
Thousand-Household Officer	Sixth rank	Senior Jinyiwei command rank. 21
Ten-Thousand-Household Officer	Fifth rank	Senior Jinyiwei command rank. 21
Commander	Fourth rank	Highest standard rank listed for the organization. 21
Deputy posts	Varies	Deputy Centurion, Deputy Thousand-Household Officer, and Deputy Ten-Thousand-Household Officer positions may be held concurrently. 21

County and Prefecture Units

• The Ping'an County Jinyiwei Baihu Office contains ten squads and two Zongqi Officers. 12 19
• A county Baihu Office is responsible primarily for its county seat; limited manpower means outlying towns and villages are usually investigated only after reports are verified. 7
• The Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office maintains more than a thousand personnel, with barracks, training grounds, a mess hall, and administrative offices. 45
• Its Tenth Brigade consists of roughly one hundred Jinyiwei and is led by a Baihu Officer; Lu Xuenning temporarily commands it under Chen Fan. 44 45
• Frontline service in Longyuan Prefecture is exceptionally dangerous due to the demons of Purple Mountain, causing rapid promotions as well as heavy casualties. 45

Jinyiwei Dark Guard

The Dark Guard are a specialized branch of the Jinyiwei. Internally, they inspect and assess Jinyiwei units for corruption; externally, they locate Demonic Creature territories and guide demon-slaying operations. 43

Dark Guard Rank	Notes
Ordinary Dark Guard Member	Entry level of the Dark Guard's separate promotion system. 43
Bronze Medal Patrol Envoy	Patrol and inspection rank. 43
Silver Medal Patrol Envoy	Patrol and inspection rank. 43
Gold Medal Patrol Envoy	Patrol and inspection rank. 43
Dark Guard Leader	Holds the same third-rank status as a Jinyiwei Leader and reports directly to the Emperor. 43

Recruitment, Cultivation, and Merit

• Recruits who pass the Jinyiwei assessment receive the Body Tempering Fist, a foundational technique capable of reaching the peak of the Spirit Concealment Realm. 1
• Members may earn Merit Points through operations and exchange them for additional techniques, weapons, or other resources. Chen Fan obtained Draw Sword Slash through accumulated merit. 1 15
• Cultivation methods issued by the Jinyiwei cannot be privately taught; recipients are bound by the oath taken when receiving an inheritance. 15
• County Baihu Offices generally possess only the Body Tempering Fist and Draw Sword Slash manuals. Higher Spirit Aperture Realm inheritances are available through prefectural Jinyiwei armories. 15
• Promotion is formally tied to merit and strength, though personal alliances and local corruption can obstruct the process. 19 23

Uniforms and Equipment

• Flying Fish Robe — standard Jinyiwei uniform, worn as a visible symbol of official authority. 22 49
• Embroidered Spring Blade — standard-issue saber carried by Jinyiwei personnel. 1
• Hundred-Refinement Embroidered Spring Blade — fine-iron standard weapon used by ordinary members and Xiaoqi Officers. 23
• Thousand-Refinement Embroidered Spring Blade — profound-iron saber available to Zongqi Officers; Huang Chengyue gives his own blade to Chen Fan after Chen's promotion. 23
• Jinyiwei standard boots — identifiable official footwear that can expose a member's identity even when disguised. 9

Internal Divisions

The Jinyiwei are not politically unified. Ping'an County demonstrates both the organization's intended role as a demon-slaying force and its vulnerability to corruption.

• Righteous faction — Wang Chao, Huang Chengyue, Chen Fan, and allied personnel support protecting civilians and exposing Demonic Creature collaborators. 6 20 27
• Corrupt faction — Centurion Cao De, Zongqi Officer Li Mo, and several subordinate Jinyiwei collude with Demons and Devils, arrange lethal patrols, and suppress threats to their control of Ping'an County. 18 28 30
• Cao De's death exposes the scale of the local conspiracy and allows the Jinyiwei, County Yamen, and constables to purge many of Ping'an County's Demonic Creature collaborators. 27 31

Known Members

• Chen Fan — Former ordinary Ping'an County Jinyiwei; became Zongqi Officer after earning ten thousand Merit Points, then rose to Deputy Commander of the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office. 19 23 44
• Wang Chao — Chen Fan's direct superior and squadron leader; recruited him into the Jinyiwei and repeatedly protected him despite threats against Wang's family. 1 18
• Huang Chengyue — Veteran Ping'an County Zongqi Officer who relinquishes his post so Chen Fan can advance; adoptive father of Lu Xuenning. 20 23 28
• Li Mo — Ping'an County Zongqi Officer who secretly serves Cao De and conspires with Demons and Devils against Chen Fan. 12 28 29
• Cao De — Former Ping'an County Centurion who cultivated the forbidden Blood Sha Skill and colluded with Demons and Devils; ultimately dies after his defeat by Chen Fan. 30 31
• Lu Xuenning — Longyuan Prefecture Zongqi Officer, Dark Guard member, and later Baihu Officer of the Tenth Brigade; infiltrated Ping'an County as a ninth-rank Black-Robed Head Catcher. 43 44
• Zuo Qianqiu — Commander of the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office and Lu Xuenning's master; oversees the prefecture's defense against Purple Mountain. 43 47
• Wang Teng — Deputy Commander who conveys the rewards for the Ping'an County operation and serves under Zuo Qianqiu. 44 45
• Yang Xiao — Longyuan Prefecture Baihu Officer and commander of one hundred of Zuo Qianqiu's personal guards. 50

Story Role / Major Arcs

Ping'an County Crisis

Chen Fan begins as a severely wounded ordinary Jinyiwei after a demon ambush kills his five companions. Wang Chao defies normal procedure by capturing a Wild Boar Demon alive so Chen Fan can fulfill his wish to kill a demon before dying. 1 2

The Jinyiwei's local failures become increasingly visible when Demonic Creatures operate openly in Ping'an County, including Spring View Pavilion and Black Bear Gully Village. Chen Fan and Lu Xuenning investigate these threats while uncovering evidence of official collusion. 8 12 16

Struggle for the Ping'an County Baihu Office

After slaying seven wolf demons and presenting their tails as evidence, Chen Fan receives ten thousand Merit Points and defeats Xiaoqi Officer Sun Jian in a public challenge. 19

Huang Chengyue voluntarily yields his Zongqi Officer position to Chen Fan, forcing Centurion Cao De to formally appoint Chen despite seeing him as a political threat. 20 23

Purge of Corruption

Chen Fan, Lu Xuenning, Huang Chengyue, Jinyiwei personnel, and County Yamen forces raid the residences of corrupt officials. They arrest County Magistrate Li Shouyi, eliminate Demonic Creatures hidden among the officials, and kill seventy-five demons and devils during the operation. 27

Li Mo's ambush exposes his allegiance to Cao De and the Demonic Creatures. Cao De subsequently reveals his forbidden Blood Sha Skill before facing Chen Fan directly. 29 30

Black Mountain Campaign

After Cao De's defeat, the Black Mountain Three Demons attack Ping'an County. Chen Fan kills the wolf, tiger, and ape demon leaders, rallying County Soldiers, Jinyiwei, constables, and Yamen runners into a coordinated counterattack. 35

The campaign culminates in the battle against Lord Willow, whose death ends the threat of its spreading black willow branches. 41 42

Longyuan Prefecture Reassignment

Following the Ping'an County operation, Chen Fan is promoted to Deputy Commander of the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office, with responsibility for logistics and command over the Tenth Brigade. 44 45

The Longyuan Prefecture office assigns Chen Fan and Baihu Officer Yang Xiao to escort a County Princess toward Yun Prefecture, placing the Jinyiwei in a new mission involving an Imperial Scion. 49 50