Han Qi

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Han Qi (韩起)
Alias(es)	A Qi; Brother Qi; Water Monkey—a childhood nickname earned through his swimming ability 1 24
Gender	Male 1
Affiliation	Golden Fish Gang (formerly); Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall (former apprentice); Changle Gang (temporary refuge); Black Dragon Gang 1 15 19 25
Occupation/Role	Former fisherman; martial artist; assistant in managing the Black Dragon Gang 1 25 28
First Appearance	Chapter 1 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Unranked martial artist	1 19 25	Studied at the Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall three years before Liu Chu but failed to enter the ranks. Insufficient time and resources—not poor talent—were identified as the main obstacles.
Skin Refining Realm / Grade-Entry Realm	75	Revealed that he had broken through several days earlier. Liu Chu's gifts of silver and techniques had substantially improved his resources; Tendon Refining became a possible, though difficult, future goal.

Background / History

Fishing and Early Martial Training

Han Qi grew up with Liu Chu in a fishing community. Among their young companions at Heilu Bay, he was the best swimmer, earning the nickname Water Monkey. An accidental Treasure Fish catch provided enough money for martial arts tuition, allowing him to enter the Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Hall 1 19 24.

Although he failed to become a ranked martial artist during his apprenticeship, his training made him capable enough to attract a Golden Fish Gang hall master's attention. He gained a respected position within the gang and hoped eventually to become a hall master himself 1 25.

Supporting Liu Chu

Han Qi privately told Liu Chu where he had caught his Treasure Fish. After fishing that area for three years, Liu Chu caught one of his own; Han Qi helped conceal the valuable catch from the Golden Fish Gang's scrutiny 1.

He regularly added small fish and shrimp to Liu Chu's catch and used his standing to discourage interference from other gang members. When Liu Chu entered the martial arts hall, Han Qi gave him five taels for food and training, then continued helping with meat pies and small loans 3 6.

The two later captured the Green Tiger Gang leader's brother-in-law together. Han Qi immediately handed Liu Chu a pouch containing twenty taels and shared the subsequent rewards, including a Treasure Fish 7 15.

Destruction of the Golden Fish Gang

During escalating conflict with the Green Tiger Gang, Han Qi spent nights guarding the Golden Fish Gang headquarters. When his gang was destroyed, he fled with Hall Master Feng Sheng to the Changle Gang's territory, fearing retaliation for the earlier capture 14 15.

Han Qi hired a young beggar to deliver a message confirming his safety. Zhu Kai killed the messenger and threatened Han Qi, but Liu Chu intervened and killed the ranked hall master. Han Qi subsequently promised to care for the beggar's sick sister 15 16.

He declined Liu Chu's invitation to move into his rented courtyard, initially unwilling to abandon years spent building gang prestige. Liu Chu reminded him that joining a gang had originally been a means of funding cultivation, not an end in itself 17.

Joining the Black Dragon Gang

After Liu Chu killed the Green Tiger Gang leader and took over his faction, Han Qi received a summons using his childhood nickname. He suspected Liu Chu might be the mysterious new leader, but remained astonished when his friend removed the Black Dragon Mask 24.

Han Qi agreed to help manage the Black Dragon Gang but refused the offered position of fourth hall master. Still unranked, he believed the other members would not accept his authority. He instead accepted hall-master benefits privately and helped recruit displaced Golden Fish Gang members, including Feng Sheng 25.

Alongside cultivation, Han Qi shared roughly half of Liu Chu's administrative workload. He reported conflicts, gathered intelligence, coordinated messages, and helped locate Gu Hualong 28 37 53.

Liu Chu later gave him two hundred taels specifically to support his breakthrough. By Chapter 75, Han Qi had entered the Skin Refining Realm and accumulated enough resources to live comfortably. His experiences beside Liu Chu increasingly displaced his old ambitions for gang office; by Chapter 141, he regarded cultivation as his priority 71 75 141.

Appearance

• Introduced as a sturdy youth carrying a black saber 1.

Personality

Han Qi is generous and loyal, supporting Liu Chu long before his friend's rise to power. His assistance includes money, food, protection from gang interference, and practical help concealing a Treasure Fish. He is genuinely delighted by Liu Chu's successes rather than resentful of them 1 3 6 16.

His ambition changes as his understanding of the martial world broadens. Initially attached to gang prestige, he later refuses an unearned hall-master appointment and recognizes that personal strength matters more than office. After hearing about Xu Haoran's cultivation injury, he promises not to train recklessly out of competitiveness 17 25 71 141.

Despite finally entering the ranks, Han Qi feels embarrassed to announce his breakthrough beside Liu Chu's much faster progress. This comparison also tempers his desire to celebrate or become complacent 75.

Abilities & Skills

Martial Training and Close Combat

• His martial-hall training and years of gang brawls gave him a solid foundation before entering the ranks 17 19.
• Dislocated a captured opponent's arm in a single motion 7.
• Eventually reached the Skin Refining Realm 75.
• Found medicinal meals more cost-effective than Treasure Fish: half a fish produced little noticeable benefit beyond warmth 8.

Fishing and Swimming

• Could detect an unusual catch by lifting and weighing a fish basket 1.
• Knew a proven Treasure Fish fishing location and shared it privately with Liu Chu 1.
• Was the strongest swimmer among his childhood companions 24.
• Used his knowledge of Heilu Bay to identify the reported Treasure Fish King sighting near Luoyan Island 75.

Gang Management and Intelligence

• Helped manage the Black Dragon Gang without substantially disrupting his or Liu Chu's cultivation 28.
• Used his reputation among former Golden Fish Gang members to aid recruitment 25.
• Reported Feng Sheng's injuries and arranged for him to be carried to the main hall 28.
• Helped locate Gu Hualong through the gang's expanded network 37.
• Gathered information on the Li Family investigation and relayed Chen He's urgent message from the martial arts hall 53.
• Announced visiting dignitaries, including Xing Butou and Zhao Changpeng 49 97 120.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Black saber — Carried when first introduced 1.
• Private hall-master benefits — Accepted from Liu Chu to secure additional cultivation resources despite declining the title 25.
• Gifted silver and techniques — Liu Chu's support accumulated into substantial personal wealth and helped fund further training 71 75.

Relationships

• Liu Chu — Childhood friend and sworn-in-practice brotherly companion; Han Qi supports his early training, while Liu Chu later protects him and funds his cultivation. Liu Chu asks him to use “A-Chu” privately and “Gang Leader” around outsiders, though Han Qi eventually defaults to the formal address out of habit 1 3 16 25 37 75.
• Feng Sheng — Golden Fish Gang hall master and fellow former martial-hall trainee. They flee to Changle Gang territory together, and Han Qi later helps bring him into the Black Dragon Gang 15 24 25.
• Young beggar and his sister — Pays the boy one hundred copper coins for delivering a message. After Zhu Kai murders him, Han Qi pledges to handle his sick sister's care 16.
• Zhu Kai — Enemy Green Tiger Gang hall master who threatens Han Qi during his flight from the destroyed Golden Fish Gang; killed by Liu Chu 16.

Notable Quotes

“If you become rich and honored, don't forget me!” 3

“In the past, I put the cart before the horse and didn't truly realize that only martial strength is the foundation.” 25