Ning Luowei

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Ning Luowei (宁洛薇)
Alias(es)	Scalp-Cutter; Tofu Beauty; Master Ning
Gender	Female
Affiliation	An unnamed sect and master
Occupation/Role	Assassin; proprietor of a tofu shop in Caishikou
Status	At large; publicly concealed by the execution of a scapegoat 27
First Appearance	Chapter 11

Background / History

Ning Luowei was sold by her parents to her master at the age of three and raised on a mountain to train in martial arts. Despite this upbringing, she dislikes martial arts and prefers pretty clothes, rouge, needlework, and romance stories. She regards the jianghu as cruel and speaks longingly of an ordinary, peaceful life. 12

Acting under her master’s orders, Ning Luowei killed twelve lower-level dealers involved in smuggling Fortune-Longevity Paste. The killings earned her the “Scalp-Cutter” notoriety, though the court later executed a hairy-moled man whose portrait had been used in the wanted notice despite his inability to have committed the crimes. 11 27

After being badly wounded by Xue Ning of the Four Great Constables, Ning Luowei sought Lin Shou’s corpse-stitching expertise to repair more than a hundred wounds without scarring. Lin spent the entire night stitching her wounds closed, making 23,900 stitches. 11 12

Rather than leave Caishikou after recovering, Ning Luowei opened a tofu shop directly opposite Lin Shou’s Corpse-Stitching Shop. Her beauty drew large crowds, while she used the business as a quiet public life and continued visiting Lin daily with tofu. 13 20

Appearance

Ning Luowei is a strikingly beautiful woman whose appearance is central to both her self-image and her public reputation as the Tofu Beauty. Her looks are described as refined and alluring, contrasting sharply with her identity as a feared assassin. 11 20

• Pale, long legs often concealed by a thin black veil. 11
• Delicate oval face compared to soft jade and fragrant ice. 11
• Cat-like, peach-blossom eyes. 11 13
• Pink rouge-touched lips and a vermilion beauty mole at the corner of her mouth. 11
• Keeps her skin and appearance meticulously unmarred; her fear of scars motivated her visit to Lin Shou. 11 12

Personality

Ning Luowei is bold, flirtatious, and highly self-assured about her beauty. She repeatedly teases Lin Shou, calls him “husband,” and makes herself at home in his shop despite his persistent attempts to send her away. 13 15 20

Behind her theatrical confidence, she is sensitive about pain and deeply afraid of being disfigured. Although she is notorious for killing twelve people, she panics at the prospect of stitching without anesthetic, screams at the first needle, and bites and pinches Lin Shou throughout the treatment. 12

Her desire to abandon violence appears genuine. She says she never liked martial arts and, after Lin tells her to put down the sword if she no longer wants to hold it, chooses to run a tofu shop rather than immediately resume assassin work. 12 13

Abilities & Skills

Martial Arts and Assassination

Ning Luowei is a master-trained martial artist and assassin capable of carrying out lethal assignments for her sect.

• Killed twelve people identified by her master as lower-level Fortune-Longevity Paste dealers. 27
• Escaped pursuit after fighting Xue Ning, though she suffered over a hundred sword and blade wounds from the encounter. 11
• Was considered a dangerous enough criminal for the court to issue a thousand-tael wanted reward for the Scalp-Cutter. 27
• Her precise martial-art realm and named techniques are not stated.

Concealment and Deception

Ning Luowei avoids immediate capture despite being a high-profile wanted criminal.

• Approached Lin Shou while posing as a woman in distress, attempting to gain entry to his shop. 10
• Remained openly active in Caishikou as the Tofu Beauty even while the authorities pursued the Scalp-Cutter. 13
• Benefited from a false official case that blamed her crimes on another prisoner. 27

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Willow Leaf Blade — carried when threatening Lin Shou not to expose her identity. 13
• Tofu shop — her public-facing business opposite Lin Shou’s shop. 13

Relationships

• Lin Shou — Her wound-stitcher, neighbor, and primary target of affection. She brings him tofu daily, flirts with him, and persists despite his irritation; he chose not to report her to the authorities. 11 13 20 37
• Unnamed master — Her childhood master, who bought her from her parents, trained her in martial arts, and provided the list of targets she later killed. 12 27
• Xue Ning — One of the Four Great Constables and the opponent who inflicted Ning Luowei’s extensive wounds with the Thousand Cuts sword technique. 11
• Hairy-moled Scalp-Cutter — A criminal falsely presented and executed as the Scalp-Cutter in her place. 27

Story Role / Major Arcs

Scalp-Cutter Pursuit

Ning Luowei first appears around Lin Shou’s shop while being pursued by night patrol officers. After sustaining severe injuries in her confrontation with Xue Ning, she secretly enters Lin’s shop to request scarless treatment. 10 11

The Night of 23,900 Stitches

Lin Shou agrees to stitch her only after establishing that he will not be held responsible for the result. He restores her skin through 23,900 stitches over a single night, exhausting himself while Ning Luowei endures the procedure with considerable panic and dramatics. 11 12

Tofu Beauty of Caishikou

After recovering, Ning Luowei opens a tofu shop across from Lin Shou. Her shop attracts admirers from surrounding streets, but she focuses much of her attention on Lin, delivering tofu and sitting with him during the night market. 13 20

The False Capture

When news announces the Scalp-Cutter’s execution, Ning Luowei and Lin discover that the condemned man is not her. Lin later confirms through the Record of Selling Corpses that the executed man was framed, while Ning admits that her twelve victims were connected to Fortune-Longevity Paste smuggling. 27

Notable Quotes

“I'm just an assassin carrying out my master's orders to slay vile villains.” 11

“When I was three, my parents sold me to my master. From then on, I've been training in martial arts with him on the mountain.” 12

“Actually, I don't like martial arts. I like pretty clothes, rouge and powder, needlework, and reading romance novels about men and women falling in love and becoming husband and wife.” 12

“Husband, if you ever really plan to make a run for it, remember to come carry me away. I'll leave the door unlocked.” 37