Jinghui

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Life at Clear Wind Temple

Jinghui entered the temple alongside Qingyi fifteen years before Shen Hui’s arrival. She welcomes Shen Hui enthusiastically, immediately asking whether he really pretended to be a monk. Her early care for him includes a quilt that Shen Hui attributes to her and two warm eggs for his first journey down the mountain 3 6 39.

She helps Qingyi tend struggling Spirit Nourishing Grass and accompanies him and Shen Hui to transplant it beside the Back Mountain Hot Spring. During the outing, she kills a returning giant tiger to protect Shen Hui. Although proud of her sword technique, she accepts Qingyi’s reminder that it is meant for protection rather than showing off 7 8 9.

Her fondness for food and excursions repeatedly clashes with stricter cultivation expectations. Ji Chen forbids her proposed trip to catch a Spirit Cat cub, criticizing her habit of wandering instead of cultivating 12 18.

Stories and the Butterfly Promise

Jinghui develops a strong interest in Shen Hui’s stories, particularly romances. She becomes tearful over Bai Suzhen’s imprisonment and defends the lovers in Butterfly Lovers. Wanting more, she follows Shen Hui around and brings pickles or wild fruit to his room while requesting another tale 27 28.

When she asks how the lovers became butterflies, Shen Hui gives a deliberately unpleasant account of caterpillar metamorphosis. Disgusted, she runs away and accuses him of lying. The conversation later becomes part of their exchange during the temple’s calamity 28 146.

The Temple Calamity

When Ji Chen returns in a terrifying, altered state, Jinghui tearfully tries to approach him. Shen Hui subsequently finds her in the well with a hole through her chest and shattered internal organs. While dying, she asks how to become a caterpillar and warns him to be careful of their master and flee 146.

Shen Hui recites a verse about transformation and promises to explain Zhuang Sheng when she emerges from her cocoon as a butterfly. Black veins spread across her face, and her movements become unnatural before she lunges at his throat. Shen Hui later tells Jingming that he killed her 146 147 148.

Survival and Restoration

Jinghui’s soul survives inside the Soul-Searching Gourd with the other deceased disciples. She asks whether Shen Hui is truly dead and later eagerly identifies their martial elders for him. She also embraces his dice game as entertainment during their confinement 152 153 157 182.

When brought out of the gourd, she is more concerned about Shen Hui’s well-being than immediately recovering a physical body. She remains optimistic and resumes playful banter with Lu Huan 206.

Much later, she finally hears Shen Hui’s explanation of Zhuang Zhou’s butterfly dream. Before her body is reconstructed, she considers asking for an oval face like Jingming’s, but Shen Hui assures her that she is lovely as she is. She ultimately keeps her familiar appearance, though she regrets losing her temporary ability to become a tiny person or fish 433 434.

After restoration, she enjoys Hu Cheng’s respectful greetings, teases Lu Huan, and laughs at their unsuccessful movement practice. She also joins Ji Chen in matching couplet lines during the construction of the mountain gate 436 439.

Appearance

Jinghui has a round, slightly chubby, baby-faced appearance, large bright eyes, and long eyelashes. Her reconstructed body retains her familiar features 4 5 434.

• Face: Round rather than the slimmer, pointed-chin shape she admires in Jingming 433.
• Eyes: Described as large and, in the water mirror, almond-shaped 4 434.
• Clothing: Gray-cloth Daoist robes; carries a long sword at her waist on mountain outings 4 16.

Personality

Jinghui is lively, talkative, curious, and easily distracted. She enjoys wild fruit, good meals, pets, stories, and games, and readily abandons tedious work for something more entertaining. She likes displaying her seniority and swordsmanship, but becomes obedient when Jingming, Qingyi, or Ji Chen reprimands her 4 9 18 182 436.

Her carefree behavior does not prevent her from taking moral boundaries seriously. She explains that harmless, intelligent demons must not be killed arbitrarily and regards eating spiritually awakened creatures as equivalent to eating people. Her concern for Shen Hui persists through both her dying warning and her later existence as a soul 16 146 206.

Abilities & Skills

Gengjin Sword Sha

• Practices the Gengjin Sword Sha, also called “Sword Fiend,” from the Lesser Five Elements Art 9.
• Has her strongest aptitude in sharp metal arts; Ji Chen describes its combination with Sword Wielding Art as making every strike a killing move 10.
• Uses the technique to kill the giant tiger threatening Shen Hui 9.
• Claims Ji Chen assessed her mastery as one-third of his own 9.
• The art’s stated higher-level applications include cutting metal and jade and slaying demons and ghosts; these are not demonstrated feats of Jinghui’s in the supplied passages 9.

Sword Wielding Art

• Pairs sword wielding with Gengjin Sword Sha, giving the technique a blade through which to act 10.
• Handles and sheathes her sword with practiced movements 9.
• Ji Chen explains that Sword Sha loses much of its power without the accompanying Sword Wielding Art 10.

Physical Strength and Hunting

• Moves quickly enough to catch a wild rabbit and dodge a large snake’s attempted bite 16.
• Kills the snake with a single punch 16.
• Knows the back-mountain area well and gathers wild fruit and game there 4 9 16.

Temporary Transformation

• Before bodily restoration, can take the form of a tiny person or a little fish 434.
• Loses these transformations when Shen Hui restores her human body 434.

Equipment / Items

• Long sword and scabbard — Her regular weapon, carried on mountain excursions and used with Gengjin Sword Sha 8 9 16.
• Clear Wind Token — Included in Shen Hui’s distribution of new sect tokens to everyone; bears a Thunder Talisman intended for emergency protection and repelling enemies 435.
• Persimmon from Shen Hui — One of his last two, which she saves for after her body is reconstructed; she discovers it missing after stepping through the water mirror 433 434.

Relationships

• Shen Hui / Qingxuan — Junior brother whom she protects, feeds, teases, and persistently asks for stories. He comforts her while she is dying and later reconstructs her body 9 28 39 146 434.
• Ji Chen — Master whose abilities she proudly praises. He reprimands her neglect of cultivation; during the calamity, she warns Shen Hui to flee from him 6 18 146.
• Jingming — Second senior sister whose disapproval quickly curbs her behavior. Jinghui admires her oval face 4 6 433.
• Qingyi — Entered the temple alongside her and helped tend the Spirit Nourishing Grass. He cautions her against boasting and misusing sword arts; she later learns in the gourd that he was never truly a Clear Wind Temple disciple 7 9 434 435.
• Lu Huan — Junior fellow disciple and playful companion. Jinghui ruffles her hair and enjoys teasing her 206 436.
• Hu Cheng — Martial nephew who addresses her as Fourth Senior Aunt. She delights in his respectful manners and teases him over Shen Hui personally pouring his wine 436 440.

Notable Quotes

“Once a creature has gained intelligence, it's one of us.” 16

“Be careful... of Master. Run.” 146

“I'll eat it after you reconstruct my body.” 433