Li Haitian

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Li Haitian (李海天)
Alias(es)	The 13th of the Month Devil; Woodworm Devil
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Green Ridge City constabulary
Occupation/Role	Green Ridge City head constable; serial-killer Devil cultivator
Status	Deceased; killed by Luo Zhou's Dragon-Slaying Thrust 15
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background

Li Haitian served as Green Ridge City's respected head constable. He attended the investigation of Gu Shanhe's death, formally linking it to the crimes of a newly designated seventh Woodworm Devil, the Head-Exploding Devil. He publicly assessed the killer as a powerful Qi Refining cultivator and called for a city-wide manhunt. 1

His authority and reputation allowed him to influence minor cases. When Luo Zhou rescued Wang Xiaoya from abuse, Li Haitian acknowledged that Luo had saved the child, but still fined him three taels of silver for entering the Wang home and injuring her parents. He gave the fine to Wang Dong, while warning Wang Dong not to beat the child to death. 5

Li Haitian had already targeted the Wang family by then. On the second day of the lunar month, he murdered the entire household, including Wang Xiaoya, while making the killings appear to have occurred on the third day. 10 13 When Luo Zhou used Soul Crossing rites to contact Wang Xiaoya's Dead Spirit, she transmitted Li Haitian's image as her killer. 13

Behind his respected public identity, Li Haitian was the 13th of the Month Devil. He used a Woodworm Devil ritual to exterminate families on the second day of each lunar month, then deceived the city into believing the murders happened on the third. He had annihilated fifty-six households and killed 235 people. 15

Though he had reached the Great Perfection of Qi Refining, Li Haitian postponed Foundation Establishment because advancing would prevent him from continuing the Qi Refining-stage ritual. What began as cultivation became an obsession with terrorizing families and deceiving the city. 15

Luo Zhou exploited Li Haitian's fixation on solving cases by staging a false Head-Exploding Devil scene in a cramped clock tower. Li Haitian ignored his innate warning to inspect the scene personally, entered Dragon-Slaying Thrust range, and was killed through his right eye after his protective token and three-layer Qi shield failed. 15 16

Appearance

Li Haitian had a square, sharply defined face and a solid, rock-like bearing. His authoritative presence could silence hostile crowds without raising his voice. 5

• Square face with prominent, angular features.
• Steady, unyielding demeanor.
• Hawk-like gaze used to intimidate onlookers. 5

Personality

To Green Ridge City's residents, Li Haitian appeared diligent, principled, and dependable. People across social classes greeted him warmly because they believed he maintained order, apprehended criminals, and acted with integrity. 15

In private, he was calculating, vigilant, and consumed by cruelty. He took pleasure not merely in killing, but in trapping entire families, watching their fear and desperation, and successfully concealing his responsibility. 15 His enthusiasm for investigation became the flaw that Luo Zhou used to lure him into a trap. 15

Abilities & Skills

Qi Refining Cultivation

Li Haitian had reached the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining realm and possessed roughly a century of cultivation, though Luo Zhou only inherited sixty-six streams of his true energy after his death. 15 16

• Cultivated three water-aligned true-energy characteristics:
  • Ice Qi
  • Water Tide Qi
  • Misty Qi 15 16
• Could combine the three energies into a protective Qi shield. 15
• Deliberately avoided Foundation Establishment so he could continue using the Woodworm Devil ritual. 15

Woodworm Devil Ritual

Li Haitian performed a family-extermination ritual that fueled his cultivation and concealed his crimes.

• Selected and slaughtered families on the second day of each lunar month.
• Created the false impression that the murders took place on the third day.
• Used the ritual more than fifty times. 15
• Murdered fifty-six households and 235 people before his death. 15

Investigation and Counter-Surveillance

As a head constable, Li Haitian was exceptionally observant and familiar with Green Ridge City's factions, underworld, geography, and hidden dangers. 14 16

• Detected Luo Zhou's distant surveillance and began counter-investigating him. 14
• Could notice scrutiny from Luo Zhou's Keen Dharma Eye, preventing Luo from locking onto him at close range. 14
• Identified that the clock-tower corpse was staged and had been dead before its head was exploded. 15
• His compulsion to solve the staged case overrode his innate warning of danger. 15

Constable Combat Arts

Li Haitian's memories passed five constable combat skill sets to Luo Zhou. 16

• Iron sword techniques.
• Ruler techniques.
• Iron rod techniques.
• Archery.
• Chain techniques.

Equipment and Assets

• Protective token — Produced a protective spiritual light, but was shattered by Luo Zhou's Dragon-Slaying Thrust. 15
• Secret safe house — Contained a hidden room protected by crossbows and poisons. 17
• Fifty-two Spirit Stones — Stored in his concealed wealth. 17
• The Azure Waters Flow East to This Return — A cultivation manual covering advancement from Qi Refining through Nascent Soul. 17
• Constable communication key — Allowed access to Green Ridge City's constable communication talisman network; Luo Zhou later used this knowledge to frame Liu Changlong. 30

Relationships

• Luo Zhou — Initially handled Luo's case involving the Wang family; later became Luo's target after Wang Xiaoya identified him as her murderer. Luo Zhou lured and killed him. 5 13 15
• Wang Xiaoya — One of Li Haitian's victims. Her Dead Spirit revealed his identity to Luo Zhou. 10 13
• Wang Dong and Liu Sanmei — Parents of Wang Xiaoya; Li Haitian murdered them during the Wang-family extermination. 10 15
• Gu Shanhe — Li Haitian investigated Gu Shanhe's death and classified it as part of the Head-Exploding Devil case. 1
• Coroner Zhang Tao — Worked with Li Haitian on crime scenes, including the staged clock-tower case that led to Li Haitian's death. 1 15
• Green Ridge City residents — Regarded him as an upright, hardworking constable, unaware that he was the 13th of the Month Devil. 15

Trivia

• Li Haitian was not the constable assigned to the Wang family's neighborhood, making his rapid arrival during Luo Zhou's dispute with Wang Dong suspicious in retrospect. 5 13
• He never married and had no children. 16
• His death recreated the signature method attributed to the Head-Exploding Devil: a pierced eye and exploded skull. 15