Ji City

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Ji City (季城)
Location	Southern Cloud Province, near Dalian Mountain and the Cloud Ridge Mountains 1 30
Affiliation	Occupied by Great Liang for most of the story; reclaimed for Great Jing after the decisive battle 1 110
Status	Liberated from Great Liang; rebuilding under Great Jing and Cloud Mist Sect oversight 110 120 125
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Geography & Districts

• Inner City — Originally reserved for Liang people and powerful early collaborators. Grey People required registered permission to enter; it contained major estates, the City Lord Estate, and military defenses. 3 72
• Outer City — Poorer and less developed than the Inner City, with pitted roads and limited security during the occupation. 3
• South City — Site of the South City Patrol Station, the martial arts tournament arena, the Green Ghost Sect’s stronghold, and the largest demon-beast crisis. 40 51 100
• West City — Ji City’s poorest district, populated by destitute Grey People. Cloud-Striding Martial Hall had formerly distributed porridge there; after liberation, the district began reviving as martial halls and shops returned. 13 116
• Dalian Mountain — A branch of the Cloud Ridge Mountains near the city. Before the occupation it supplied hunters and gatherers; Great Liang later established enclosures there, and demon beasts from the region became central to the battle for Ji City. 30 93 102

History

Great Liang Occupation

Ji City had already fallen to Great Liang by the beginning of the story. Jing residents were classified as Grey People, ranked beneath Liang slaves; their movement, taxes, and access to martial training were tightly controlled. Jing people needed a Liang martial artist’s recommendation, identity checks, loyalty tests, and substantial payment to obtain a Martial Registry. 1 2

The occupation divided the city physically and socially. Liang people and collaborators occupied the Inner City, while much of the Outer City—especially West City—fell into poverty and neglect. Great Liang forces also suppressed Jing martial halls, including Cloud-Striding Martial Hall, which had aided civilians and resisted the occupiers. 3 13

Resistance and Repression

The Jiguang Society operated through underground strongholds and concealed routes, uniting survivors from destroyed martial halls and other resistance groups. Its objective was not merely survival, but the eventual restoration of Ji City. 63 101

An open uprising erupted during the Wolf God Festival period, with the resistance attempting to overthrow Liang rule amid citywide chaos. Great Liang initially treated the revolt as manageable, relying on its martial masters and garrison forces to suppress it. 34

After the Green Ghost killed Shan Lie, City Lord Wei Yan ordered a purge of the Inner City’s martial factions. The Ji Family, Hu Family, and Chengfeng Martial Academy were surrounded as Great Liang moved to eliminate suspected opposition. 72

Demon-Beast Crisis

As Great Liang prepared to abandon the surrounding region and withdraw toward Changlin City, its leadership intended to “clean” Ji City and leave little behind for Great Jing’s Northern Expedition. 96

Demon beasts breached the South City gates, while Great Liang martial masters drove further beast hordes toward the Green Ghost Sect’s civilian stronghold. South City became a battlefield marked by mass civilian casualties, collapsing buildings, and overwhelmed shelters. 100 102 104

Yun Xu’s plan brought the Jiguang Society aboveground to defend civilians, organize resistance, and establish outer-city fortresses. The Society transferred vulnerable residents underground while using its accumulated resources to arm and reward civilians willing to fight. 100 101

Liberation

Su Yuan, acting as the Green Ghost, tamed high-ranking ferocious beasts and turned the beast horde against Great Liang. He led the final assault on the Inner City alongside the Jiguang Society, Green Ghost Sect, and Ji City’s civilians. 107 108

Lin Ben breached the Inner City’s South Gate, allowing the beast horde to enter. After Su Yuan defeated the remaining Great Liang leadership and subdued City Lord Wei Yan, the Liang garrison collapsed. 108 109 110

Su Yuan personally tore down the Wolf and Horse banners above the City Lord Estate, marking the end of Great Liang’s rule in Ji City. 110

Government & Social Order

Under Great Liang

• City Lord Wei Yan governed Ji City under Great Liang and commanded its defenses, martial masters, and garrison forces. 51 96
• Household rank determined a resident’s legal position, movement rights, taxes, and treatment. Jing Grey People occupied the lowest status. 2
• Martial Registries restricted Jing access to martial arts and martial resources. Becoming a Martial Warrior could raise a person’s household rank, though Jing martial artists still ranked below Liang counterparts. 1 2
• The Fierce Horse Army maintained patrols and hunted resistance members, particularly in South City. 40

After Liberation

• The Jiguang Society assumed responsibility for sorting Inner City property and pursuing remaining Great Liang forces. 110
• The former divide between Inner City and Outer City was slated for removal; the Jiguang Society decided the Inner City walls would eventually be torn down. 110
• Cloud Mist Sect personnel arrived to assess Ji City’s liberation and oversee Great Jing’s transition into the city. 120 121
• The Five Clouds Army later established camps around Ji City, while Cloud Mist Sect forces displayed their own banner alongside Great Jing’s military standard. 125

Organizations

• Jiguang Society — Underground resistance organization formed from surviving martial halls and Jing loyalists. It coordinated the city’s liberation and later took part in reconstruction. 63 65 110
• Green Ghost Sect — Popular movement built around the Green Ghost’s reputation. It organized civilians, sheltered refugees, and fought alongside the Jiguang Society. 73 101 108
• Cloud-Striding Martial Hall — Jing martial hall known for helping civilians and opposing Great Liang. Destroyed and forced underground during the occupation, it began rebuilding after liberation. 1 13 113
• Fierce Horse Army — Great Liang military force responsible for patrols, city security, and the cultivation of ferocious beasts. Its Ji City forces were destroyed during the liberation battle. 40 107 110
• Cloud Mist Sect — Great Jing sect that sent Jiang Sui and later Yun Kaiming to support, assess, and stabilize liberated Ji City. 92 120

Major Events

Event	Chapter(s)	Outcome
Cloud-Striding Martial Hall’s young mistress is publicly tortured and displayed	1	Demonstrates the brutality of Great Liang’s occupation and the city’s suppressed resentment.
Jiguang Society uprising	34	Ji City descends into unrest as the resistance attempts to challenge Liang rule.
Martial arts tournament	51	Wei Yan uses the event to display Great Liang’s martial superiority and demoralize Jing residents.
Inner City purge	72	Wei Yan orders major martial factions surrounded after Shan Lie’s death.
Demon-beast invasion	100–104	South City is devastated as Great Liang drives beasts toward civilian resistance positions.
Final assault on the Inner City	107–110	Su Yuan, the beast horde, the Jiguang Society, and Ji City’s civilians overthrow Great Liang rule.
Arrival of Great Jing and Cloud Mist Sect forces	120–125	Ji City enters a period of military protection, assessment, and reconstruction.

Relationships

• Great Liang — Occupying power that imposed the Grey People system, controlled martial training, and divided the Inner and Outer Cities. 1 2 3
• Great Jing — Ji City’s former homeland and the power restored after the liberation; its Northern Expedition and Five Clouds Army later moved into the region. 45 110 125
• Dalian Mountain — Nearby resource-rich mountain region whose demon beasts became weapons in Great Liang’s attempt to destroy the city. 30 102
• Jiguang Society — Ji City’s principal underground resistance and a central force in its liberation and reconstruction. 63 101 110
• Green Ghost / Su Yuan — The city’s liberator and widely revered hero, whose actions rallied civilians and broke Great Liang’s hold over Ji City. 94 108 110
• Cloud Mist Sect — Great Jing sect that became involved after liberation through Jiang Sui, Yun Kaiming, and its military presence. 92 120 125

Trivia

• Ji City’s Great Liang lineages historically belonged to the Horse Division, reflected in the city’s horse-themed military and cultivation traditions. 6
• Great Liang’s conquest of Ji City was remembered as having begun with a beast legion smashing through its gates. 107
• During the occupation, the city’s gates were guarded heavily enough that leaving without special documents was extremely difficult. 4
• The liberation ended with Su Yuan declaring that the Inner City and Outer City were finally the same, foreshadowing the planned demolition of the separating walls. 110