A Chan

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	A Chan (阿婵)
Alias(es)	Ji Chan — the name and identity lent to her by the deceased Ji Chan 2
Species/Race	Natural eight-tailed fox demon 2
Gender	Female
Occupation/Role	Possessor of Ji Chan's body; maker of incense and scented pouches 2 6 8
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 2

Background

A Chan was a critically injured fox demon seeking investiture and a chance to become human. In an alley, she encountered the dying Ji Chan, whose heart had been shattered by an arrow. Ji Chan offered her body and asked A Chan to live on in her place and seek vengeance for both her and her mother. A Chan accepted, used her powerful soul to repair the body, and inherited Ji Chan's memories along with her name. 2 3

The possession left A Chan trapped in a weak human body that could not cultivate. Although she avoided heavenly punishment, the body developed unexplained black lines around its waist, knees, and elbows; its frailty later caused a fever after exposure to a fishy smell. 2 5 10

Appearance

In her original form, A Chan is a snow-white fox. While using Ji Chan's body, she appears as an exceptionally beautiful young woman, though her health is poor and her appearance can take on a fragile quality after injury or illness. 6 10 19

• Her original fox form is bound by six black chains in an inner vision. 19
• The possessed body bears thin black lines on the waist, knees, and elbows that did not exist in Ji Chan's memories. 5
• Her injuries from Bai Xiuming's interrogation eventually scab over, leaving no visible scars on her back. 4
• When dressed for the Flower Festival, her appearance draws the notice of passersby and young gentlemen. 10 11

Personality

A Chan is pragmatic, observant, and intensely determined to survive. Faced with death, imprisonment, and the vulnerability of a human body, she continually looks for advantages: leveraging Feng Yang's authority against Xue Mingtang, turning incense-making into a livelihood, and using information to make herself useful to the Mingjing Division. 6 7 8

She is also bold and sharp-tongued when confronting enemies. She threatens Madam Xue with exposing the Marquis of Jinyang's affair and the questionable legitimacy of Xue Zhao and Xue Ying, despite lacking evidence and facing a far more powerful household. 11 12

Although she initially insists that Lady Xiao Lin is not truly her relative, A Chan is affected by the aunt's death and Mama Sun's helplessness. She chooses to summon Lady Xiao Lin's sealed soul rather than leave the Zhao family's wrongdoing unanswered. 14 18 19

Abilities & Skills

Possession and Soul Repair

A Chan can inhabit a human body and restore severe physical damage with her soul.

• Possessed Ji Chan's body after Ji Chan voluntarily offered it to her. 2
• Repaired Ji Chan's shattered heart sufficiently to preserve the body. 2
• Received Ji Chan's memories, allowing her to maintain the identity of “Ji Chan.” 3
• Her possession remains dangerous because the Bi'an's True Dragon Eyes can detect incompatibility between body and soul. 3
• The human body is frail, unable to cultivate, and vulnerable to illness and injury. 2 10

Knowledge of Heavenly Anomalies

A Chan retains knowledge of supernatural creatures and materials from her life as a fox demon.

• Identified the entity at the West Market as a Heavenly Anomaly snake associated with dragon remains and fine jade. 7
• Explained that the snake sheds from black to white after feeding on dragon spinal cord and does not carry ordinary demonic aura. 7
• Her information gives Feng Yang a lead in the Mingjing Division's investigation. 7 8

Incense-Making and Soul-Guiding Rites

A Chan uses incense both as a means of income and as a spiritual tool.

• Makes scented pouches and seeks to support herself through fragrance blending. 6 8
• Obtains unusual ritual materials, including black-water earth lichen, century-old grave soil, and hollow locust wood. 19
• Carves a Yin Willow bowl and burns Soul-Guiding Incense over seven nights. 19
• Successfully summons the weak, sealed soul of Lady Xiao Lin, though it cannot initially communicate coherently. 19

Social Reading and Manipulation

A Chan quickly assesses threats, motives, and opportunities despite her unfamiliar human circumstances.

• Recognizes Xue Mingtang's continued intent to kill her and uses Feng Yang's guards as temporary protection. 7 8
• Notices the suspicious circumstances surrounding Zhao Wenyue's jade hairpin and raises them during the investigation into Lady Xiao Lin's death. 11 13
• Suspects Zhao Wenqi's adoption is a façade concealing Zhao Ming's paternity. 16 17
• Uses feigned vulnerability and calculated flattery to extract Bai Xiuming's surname. 8

Equipment / Items

• Soul-Guiding Incense — used over seven nights to call Lady Xiao Lin's sealed soul. 19
• Yin Willow bowl — carved as part of A Chan's soul-guiding ritual. 19
• Hunt Shop token — received after commissioning rare ritual ingredients. 19
• Spices and scented pouches — supplies for her incense-making livelihood. 6 8
• Black willow wood — purchased at West Market for her incense work. 6

Relationships

• Ji Chan — The dying human who gave A Chan her body, memories, and name in exchange for survival and revenge for herself and her mother. 2 3
• Bai Xiuming — Pacification Commissioner who suspects A Chan's true identity, imprisons and interrogates her, but later permits her to assist in the Zhao Manor investigation. 3 4 13 14
• Feng Yang — Mingjing Division officer who receives A Chan's information on the Snow Needle Snake and provides guards to carry her purchases home. 7
• Lady Xiao Lin — Ji Chan's aunt; she offers A Chan practical support despite wanting to arrange a beneficial marriage for her. A Chan later tries to summon her sealed soul after her death. 5 6 14 19
• Mama Sun — Lady Xiao Lin's loyal servant and A Chan's supporter. After being forced from Zhao Manor, she confides the household's secrets to A Chan. 4 18
• Madam Xue — Enemy connected to Ji Chan's expulsion from the Marquis's Manor. A Chan pressures her to return Lady Lin's dowry by threatening to expose her affair with the Marquis. 1 11 12
• Xue Mingtang — Madam Xue's younger brother and an official who injured Ji Chan with an arrow; A Chan believes he continues seeking to kill her. 3 7 8
• Zhao Wenyue — Ji Chan's hostile cousin, whose jade hairpin becomes central to the investigation of Lady Xiao Lin's death. 5 13 16
• Zhao Wenqi — Newly adopted Zhao family heir whom A Chan regards with caution, suspecting his claimed adoption conceals Zhao Ming's affair. 16 17

Story Role / Major Arcs

Possession and Mingjing Division Interrogation

After taking Ji Chan's body, A Chan is discovered by Bai Xiuming and brought to the Mingjing Division's Town Prison. She claims that Ji Chan consumed a fox demon's inner core, using the explanation to account for her altered personality and survival. Bai remains unconvinced, but releases her after seven days. 3 4

Establishing a New Life

A Chan returns to Ji Chan's small Changping Quarter shop and accepts Lady Xiao Lin's support while refusing to marry as a concubine. She chooses incense-making as her livelihood, buying spices and wood with the money Lady Xiao Lin provides. 5 6

At West Market, she identifies the Snow Needle Snake for Feng Yang and deliberately makes use of Mingjing Division protection to deter Xue Mingtang. Bai Xiuming later warns her not to leave Shangjing and threatens her exiled maternal family if she is linked to the case. 7 8

Flower Festival and the Dowry Dispute

During the Flower Festival, A Chan encounters Madam Xue and demands the return of Lady Lin's dowry. She threatens to beat the Dengwen Drum and reveal that Madam Xue's children may be the Marquis of Jinyang's illegitimate offspring. 10 11 12

Lady Xiao Lin's Death

Lady Xiao Lin dies after cutting open her own abdomen; Bai Xiuming discovers a Yifu Fish inside her body. A Chan assists the investigation by describing the Zhao family's disputes and the suspicious jade hairpin given by Zhao Wenyue. 12 13

Though she had a strained relationship with Lady Xiao Lin, A Chan insists on seeing the body and mourns the woman who had offered her help when she was desperate. 14

Zhao Manor Funeral and Soul-Guiding

After Lady Xiao Lin's death, A Chan observes Zhao Wenqi's sudden adoption and begins to suspect Zhao Ming's hidden relationship with Madam Su. Mama Sun later reveals further concerns about Zhao Ming's efforts to secure Zhao Wenqi's inheritance. 16 17 18

Refusing to let Lady Xiao Lin's case end there, A Chan gathers ritual materials and performs a seven-night Soul-Guiding Incense rite. The ritual summons Lady Xiao Lin's sealed soul into A Chan's inner vision. 18 19

Notable Quotes

“Good. I leave this flesh and blood to you. After I die, live on for me.” — Ji Chan to A Chan 2

“After I avenge you, I'll return your name to you.” — A Chan to Ji Chan 2

“If you make things difficult for me, then I'll have to make sure no one has a good life.” 11

Trivia

• A Chan finds human cold, hunger, illness, and physical weakness difficult to endure after living with fur and a demon body. 2 3 5
• She is particularly susceptible to fishy smells, which trigger severe discomfort and later contribute to a fever. 10
• Despite fearing Bai Xiuming, she privately refers to him as a “Plague god.” 8