Uncle Zheng

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Uncle Zheng (郑伯)
Alias(es)	Master Zheng; Old Zheng
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Feng Clan
Occupation/Role	Senior retainer, household steward, martial adviser
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 3

Background / History

Uncle Zheng fought alongside Feng Ao during the Feng Clan's rise and remained one of its longest-serving retainers. In his youth, he cultivated without nourishing medicines, damaging his foundation; after twenty years of training, he reached Membrane Refining and Organ Clearing but concluded that his scattered, depleted blood and qi left him no prospect of entering Blood Burning. 3 6

By the time Feng Xiu begins taking charge of clan affairs, Uncle Zheng serves as his principal household adviser and executor. He investigates Feng Shouzhuo's movements, personally drives Feng Xiu to the younger brother's residence, and handles the implied warning sent to Liu Wenjun's father. 3

When Feng Xiu resolves to learn martial arts, Uncle Zheng explains the stages of Body Refining and supports his training through medicinal baths and martial resources. He initially attempts to stop Zhou Gang from forcing the novice Feng Xiu through the Five Force Fist, but ultimately respects the young master's determination. 4 5 6

Appearance

Uncle Zheng is a gaunt man of about fifty, with gray hair neatly arranged beneath an ordinary wooden hairpin. Though not built like a typical martial warrior, his movements are steady and his bearing reflects decades of managing the Feng Clan's affairs. 3

• Wears a faded indigo cotton robe. 3
• Has a calm, composed demeanor shaped by years of service. 3
• Possesses a hale body despite his age and damaged martial foundation. 3 6

Personality

Uncle Zheng is loyal, pragmatic, and deeply protective of the Feng Clan. He acts with formal restraint around Feng Xiu, initially refusing to sit until invited and addressing him with the deference due the eldest young master. 3

His concern can make him cautious: he objects to Feng Xiu's dangerously abrupt Five Force Fist training, warns against opening the hidden reservoir channels, and worries about risks surrounding Feng Shouzhuo and Su Wantang. 5 10 28

He nevertheless follows Feng Xiu's decisions once they are made. Whether arranging investigations, sourcing rare manuals, reorganizing clan personnel, or preparing against the Eastern Army, he carries out orders quickly and without public dissent. 27 44 60 83

Abilities & Skills

Martial Cultivation

Uncle Zheng is a veteran martial artist at the Membrane Refining and Organ Clearing stages. His own blood and qi are damaged and dispersed, preventing a Blood Burning breakthrough. 6

• Understands the Body Refining path, including the progression through sinews, bones, skin, and membranes. 6
• Recognizes the importance of the Internal Breath Method in guiding qi to drive blood. 11
• Can assess Feng Shouzhuo's pulse, bones, and abnormal qi-blood foundation. 26
• Emphasizes that practical combat ability cannot be judged by cultivation realm alone. 45

Martial Instruction

Although he is not Feng Xiu's primary teacher, Uncle Zheng provides foundational guidance and logistical support for the Feng brothers' training. 4 6 42

• Explains cultivation realms and the importance of martial resources to Feng Xiu. 6 11
• Helps Feng Xiu enter medicinal baths after strenuous training. 6
• Encourages Feng Shouzhuo to value his exceptional foundation without becoming arrogant. 42
• Plans to secure breakthrough resources when Feng Shouzhuo approaches Blood Burning. 42

Household Stewardship

Uncle Zheng oversees major Feng Clan operations and expenditures. His private office is the point through which significant household decisions and disbursements receive final approval. 11 44

• Verifies grain-store inventory against account records. 11
• Controls the concealed funds Feng Ao earmarked for Feng Xiu's martial cultivation. 11
• Handles invitations, gifts, intelligence gathering, and negotiations on Feng Xiu's behalf. 3 10 12 27
• Coordinates the Feng Clan's managers, shopkeepers, farm personnel, and street overseers. 44
• Is respected enough that Qian Fu, manager of the Drunken Flower Restaurant, seeks his personal intervention over serious trouble. 42

Procurement and Documentation

Uncle Zheng acquires and preserves resources essential to the Feng brothers' martial development.

• Commissioned Feng Xiu's silver mace, Ten Provinces, to better withstand the young master's overwhelming strength. 29
• Sketched Feng Xiu's Five Force Fist movements into a manual, recognizing their master's bearing. 25
• Purchased the Dragon Snake Martial Seal from the Pearl Radiance Chamber of Commerce for ten thousand taels of silver. 45 60
• Manages medicinal resources such as White Deer Pills and Blood Returning Pills. 11 24 29

Relationships

• Feng Xiu — Eldest young master and principal charge. Uncle Zheng advises him on clan affairs, supports his cultivation, and executes his orders throughout the Feng Clan's crises. 3 6 44 83
• Feng Ao — Longtime comrade and clan head; the two fought together during the Feng Clan's rise and continue coordinating its security and internal affairs. 3 21 24
• Feng Shouzhuo — Mentor and caretaker. He investigates Shouzhuo's condition, guides his martial training, and eventually explains Su Wantang's role in creating his abnormal qi-blood foundation. 3 42 63
• Zhou Gang — Fellow veteran and allied chief escort. Uncle Zheng clashes with Zhou Gang over Feng Xiu's harsh training, but respects his judgment and later works with him during the Su Wantang crisis. 5 20 21
• Han Che — Fellow Feng Clan martial retainer. The two jointly oversee Feng Shouzhuo's training and share concern for the brothers' cultivation and safety. 42 45 63
• Su Wantang — Initially investigated by Uncle Zheng due to her suspicious exclusive relationship with Feng Shouzhuo; he later reveals that she stole Zhou Gang's qi-blood power to establish Shouzhuo's foundation. 9 63

Story Role / Major Arcs

Feng Shouzhuo Investigation

Uncle Zheng provides Feng Xiu with the names of Feng Shouzhuo's Wenjin Society companions and identifies Liu Wenjun as the ringleader behind the trip to Fragrant Flower Pavilion. He later reports the suspicious terms of Su Wantang's contract: she accepted only Feng Shouzhuo as a client. 3 9

When Su Wantang's memory-erasing influence is exposed, Uncle Zheng immediately recognizes that Feng Shouzhuo may also have been targeted and rushes to check on him. 21

Tang Reservoir Crisis

Uncle Zheng cautions Feng Xiu against using the hidden channels beneath the Feng Clan farmlands and attempts to obtain information from Reservoir Supervisor Wang Yong through diplomacy and a discreet payment. 10

After Feng Xiu kills a strange fish creature, Uncle Zheng is shaken by the evidence but helps connect its appearance to the threat against Feng Shouzhuo. 24

Feng Shouzhuo's Cultivation

After witnessing Feng Shouzhuo's transformed physique, Uncle Zheng examines his body and recognizes that Su Wantang's methods had produced an unprecedented martial foundation. 26

He encourages Feng Shouzhuo's training, helps prepare him for Blood Burning, and presents the Dragon Snake Martial Seal as a powerful ambidextrous combat method. 42 45

Clan Consolidation and External Threats

As Feng Xiu reshapes the Feng Clan's business structure, Uncle Zheng is tasked with identifying aging managers for retirement, promoting capable young personnel, and divesting unprofitable properties outside Green Rock City. 44

When the Eastern Army enters Green Rock City, Uncle Zheng helps organize Feng Xiu's response by contacting the merchant association and summoning the leaders of the Gray Gang and horse gangs. 83