Fenwu

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Fenwu (忿芜)
Alias(es)	Bai Fugui; Xiao Tao; “Fortune Star”
Species/Race	Ascendant; Fenwu may be a ghost-name or Ascendant codename rather than a personal name 237
Gender	Unknown; even Lan Shiwen could not confirm Fenwu’s sex, age, or build 146
Affiliation	Former associate of Tuyu and Ji Bochang; associated with the Cloud Ridge Three Immortals as the suspected Fortune Star 378 397
Occupation/Role	Long-lived Ascendant who suppresses Weird Events through memory and cognition manipulation
Status	Unconfirmed; a later operation suggested Fenwu/Great Haunt had feigned death or escaped confinement 474
First Appearance	Chapter 100 100

Identity and Vessels

Fenwu remains deliberately difficult to identify. Ning Zhe states that “Fenwu” is the name of a ghost or an Ascendant codename, not necessarily the wielder’s real name. Fenwu’s long-term survival relies partly on replacing identities, memories, and even bodies rather than appearing personally 237 491.

• Bai Fugui — Fenwu’s public-facing identity and Feng Yushu’s apparent husband; he was used to monitor and shape Baizhi’s life 381 400.
• Yan Yukuang — A Jade Valley Prison guard whose memories were erased and overwritten until the guard believed themself to be Fenwu. The Lamp-Blowing Ghost still recognized the host’s original name 237.
• Xiao Tao — Xia Yubing’s maid, whose body Fenwu used while infiltrating the Xia residence 384 392.
• Other stand-ins — Fenwu can erase a person’s selfhood, implant copies of his own memories, and create vessels that behave as perfect replicas despite differing genders, ages, and appearances 488 491.

Background and History

Fenwu had been active among Ascendants since at least the 1970s. Lan Shiwen considers this remarkable because Ascendants constantly suffer backlash from the ghosts whose rules they command; Fenwu not only survived several decades, but remained active throughout them 203.

Forty years before the main conflict, Fenwu, Tuyu, and Ji Bochang invaded the Yin Family ancestral estate in Yundu City and massacred the family. Fenwu later erased Ji Bochang’s memories of his own association with Fenwu 378.

Fenwu previously controlled Te Rang and violated an agreement with Yu Ziqian after accepting his deposit, releasing Te Rang to kill people at Bishuiwan Manor. Fenwu’s actions there eventually drew Ning Zhe’s attention, as Fenwu was pursuing the ghosts within Ning Zhe—especially Zhaoyou 100 206.

Before Ning Zhe acquired Zhaoyou, Fenwu had discovered the Snake God and ordered Cha Yu to imprison it in He Family Village. Fenwu intended to study Zhaoyou’s rules and compatibility before harnessing it, but Ning Zhe and Taiyi entered the sealed village first 348.

Appearance

Fenwu’s true appearance is unknown. The only “Fenwu” face reconstructed through Lan Shiwen’s perception is entirely generic: every feature is ordinary and forgettable, to the point that its gender cannot be identified 353.

• Uses hosts of different appearances, sexes, and physiques without changing the mannerisms and expressions that identify them as Fenwu 491.
• As Xiao Tao, wore a black puffed maid dress with a white apron, stockings, garters, and a cat-ear headband 384.
• As Yan Yukuang, appeared as a slender prison guard in an ill-fitting uniform 236.
• Often smokes while speaking with Ning Zhe’s stand-ins or during negotiations 348 349.

Personality

Fenwu is cautious, calculating, and intensely self-preserving. Ning Zhe concludes that Fenwu does not act without confidence of success and prefers using brainwashed vessels rather than exposing the true body to danger 249.

Despite this caution, Fenwu is ruthless when threatened. While fleeing Xia Yubing’s villa, Fenwu survived catastrophic injuries, drove through pedestrians, slaughtered everyone in an office building, and escaped by military helicopter in pursuit of Ning Zhe 385 386.

Fenwu presents the suppression of Weird Events as a public good. By erasing public knowledge of supernatural incidents, Fenwu sought to reduce the frequency and severity of further Weird Events. However, this also gave Fenwu power over the memories and lives of the bestowed elite, making Fenwu their shared enemy once the scheme was exposed 391.

Abilities & Skills

Memory Alteration and Mind Control

Fenwu can alter memories, emotions, behavior, and cognition through Taichong/Tai Chong-related methods. Victims can remain outwardly indistinguishable from their original selves, while their brains are consumed and replaced by grubs 343.

• Can erase, paste, and edit memories; Ning Zhe identifies these as documented forms of Fenwu’s memory influence 363.
• Can erase a victim’s former identity and implant Fenwu’s memories, creating a stand-in who sincerely believes they are Fenwu 237 488.
• Used this process on Yan Yukuang, Xiao Tao, and other vessels 237 392 491.
• Altered the memories of Tian Chengyun, Yu Ziqian, Feng Yushu, and Baizhi 238 410.
• The ability has limits: Ning Zhe’s incomplete simulation could erase only a short span of Bei Dang’s memories, while Fenwu’s puppet could be reduced to a fully empty shell 353.
• Ning Zhe’s self-imposed Thought Imprint resisted Fenwu’s attempt to sway him through memory manipulation 392.

Taiyi-Linked Reality Suppression

Fenwu gained indirect control over Taiyi and used its cognition-based power to erase evidence of Weird Events and remove related memories from the public 391.

• Suppressed the aftermath of the Bishuiwan Manor incident and other supernatural events 391.
• Created a broad cognitive barrier intended to keep public awareness of the weird low, limiting the emergence and intensity of Weird Events 391.
• The collapse of this barrier contributed to the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade 391.
• Fenwu attempted to exploit Taiyi’s rule by making Ning Zhe doubt his own memories; if Ning Zhe had accepted the false cognition, Fenwu could have stolen Ning Zhe’s identity as perceived by Ning Zhe himself 383.

Misfortune Manipulation

Fenwu carries a severe misfortune-based rule. Ning Zhe deduces that Fenwu is the Fortune Star of the Cloud Ridge Three Immortals and names the core rule Fortune Star Shines Upon You 397.

• Fenwu’s misfortune is distributed among people near the host, making the host comparatively less unlucky when surrounded by others 397.
• Crowded, enclosed locations such as Jade Valley Prison and Saint Lia Opera House helped Fenwu share the resulting misfortune 397.
• Fenwu’s personal bad luck remains conspicuous when alone; a falling branch split the host’s head open during the prison operation 228.
• Fenwu sought Zhaoyou’s Averting Bad Luck rule to compensate for this flaw and continue on the path of Ascension 348.

Mind Reading

While inhabiting Xiao Tao, Fenwu demonstrated the ability to perceive Xia Yubing’s thoughts 384.

• Identified the Lamp-Blowing Ghost’s tongue hidden in Xia Yubing’s clothing without seeing it 384.
• Correctly inferred Xia Yubing’s plan to use the Lamp-Blowing Ghost to uncover Fenwu’s true identity 384.
• Used this knowledge to prevent Xia Yubing from warning Ning Zhe or testing the host’s identity 384.

Resilience and Countermeasures

Fenwu possesses extensive experience surviving ghost rules and lethal circumstances.

• Resisted the Lamp-Blowing Ghost’s repeated calls to Yan Yukuang, though Fenwu acknowledged that such countermeasures could not be used indefinitely 235.
• Survived a seven-meter fall that caused paralysis and severe internal injuries, then immediately escaped 385.
• Was believed capable of resisting or countering the Snake God’s accumulating Instant Death curse, though Ning Zhe remained uncertain how 393.

Relationships

• Ning Zhe — Primary enemy and long-term target. Fenwu initially pursued Zhaoyou within Ning Zhe, then became increasingly interested in Ning Zhe and Awakening Origin itself 100 352 363.
• Tuyu — Old associate and co-conspirator in the scheme that ambushed Ning Zhe at Jade Valley Prison 146 238.
• Ji Bochang — Former ally in the massacre of the Yin Family; Fenwu later erased much of Ji Bochang’s memory of their shared past 378.
• Lan Shiwen — Acquaintance with limited knowledge of Fenwu’s identity and methods; later helped expose Fenwu’s former identities to weaken Great Haunt 146 393.
• Feng Yushu — Wife of Fenwu’s Bai Fugui identity; Fenwu fabricated and altered her memories as part of Baizhi’s constructed family 400 479.
• Baizhi — Fenwu’s biological daughter and the host of Tai Su. Fenwu raised her within a manufactured human family and offered Tai Su to Ning Zhe in exchange for Zhaoyou 349 400.
• Xia Yubing — Targeted through the Xiao Tao vessel. Xia Yubing trapped Fenwu in her villa with Ink Line, though Fenwu escaped 383 385.
• Yu Ziqian — Received Te Rang from Fenwu, but Fenwu broke their agreement by releasing Te Rang to kill at Bishuiwan Manor 206 349.

Major Arcs

Pursuit of Zhaoyou

Fenwu’s initial objective was to acquire Zhaoyou’s Averting Bad Luck rule. After Ning Zhe unexpectedly obtained Zhaoyou, Fenwu investigated the survivors of Bishuiwan Manor and began hunting Ning Zhe 100 352.

At Jade Valley Prison, Fenwu used Yan Yukuang as a vessel and manipulated the setting to pressure Ning Zhe through luck and memory-related schemes. The Lamp-Blowing Ghost’s recognition of Yan Yukuang destabilized the vessel, allowing Ning Zhe to identify and destroy one of Fenwu’s puppets 228 237 238.

Saint Lia Opera House

Fenwu used the Gambler Ghost to strip Zhaoyou from Ning Zhe, then offered a truce and proposed exchanging Tai Su for Zhaoyou. Ning Zhe rejected the offer, believing the apparent Fenwu was another insincere or incomplete vessel 347 349.

During the confrontation, Ning Zhe stole an incomplete fragment of Fenwu’s identity through Lan Shiwen’s perception. This allowed Taiyi to imitate part of Tai Chong’s memory-erasure ability and temporarily shift the contest in Ning Zhe’s favor 353.

Exposure of Great Haunt

Fenwu infiltrated the Xia residence through Xiao Tao and attempted to steal Ning Zhe’s identity by manipulating cognition. Xia Yubing trapped the vessel with Ink Line, but Fenwu escaped after altering the past so that the villa’s protective lines had never been drawn 383 385.

After Ning Zhe obtained the identity of Fenwu as perceived by the Four-Faced Buddha, he learned that Fenwu had used Taiyi to suppress public knowledge of Weird Events. Fenwu’s control was exposed, the cognitive barrier collapsed, and the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade began 391.

Counterattack and Uncertain Fate

Ning Zhe used Awakening Origin to establish the cognition that Ning Zhe and Fenwu were the same person, transferring the Snake God’s curses onto Fenwu. Lan Shiwen then directed Taiyi’s Bestowed Ones to broadcast Fenwu’s former names and identities, undermining Great Haunt through public remembrance 393.

Fenwu’s later plan involved killing Lan Shiwen and resetting the timeline to preserve the original arrangement, but Ning Zhe refused to cooperate 410. A subsequent attempt to seal Great Haunt within Prumelia failed when Prumelia vanished, indicating that Fenwu or Great Haunt had survived 474.

Notable Quotes

“My luck is terrible—you know that. That’s why I need Zhaoyou’s rules for Averting Bad Luck to make up for that flaw.” 348

“I’ve always been a good person.” 391