Zuo Dongxi

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Zuo Dongxi spent more than a decade in the Patrol Horse Gang, becoming a respected leader among the hired hands of the Capital City's South City. His influence over several streets and reputation for deterring petty criminals also made him a useful contact for the local carriage firm. 22 23

He reluctantly accepted the Feng Family's Luoyang escort commission because he owed one of its stewards a favor. Aware of rumors surrounding Feng Yanwu's conflict with the Feng Family's main branch, Zuo tried to keep his longtime gang brothers away from the job and instead recruited Chen Ye from the carriage firm. 23

Feng Yanwu's poisoning trapped Zuo, Chen Ye, and Su Guang in the Feng Family's private dungeon. Zuo endured torture without revealing Chen Ye's information and relied on his former wife Xing'er to carry a message to Feng Yanwu's widow. Chen Ye ultimately secured their release. 26 27 32

Afterward, Zuo was ashamed that he had initially treated Chen Ye as a disposable shield for the escort job. He pledged his future assistance to Chen Ye and began working alongside Chen Ye and Su Guang as part of a life-and-death alliance. 32 34

After the Feng Family's downfall, Xing'er was returned to Zuo. When Chen Ye invited him to join the campaign in Danfeng Prefecture, Zuo chose to stay in the Capital City to care for her and oversee the Patrol Horse Gang's newly secured territory. 120

During Chen Ye's absence, Zuo grew wealthy but became dissatisfied with his comfortable, stagnant life. When the Xie Family later tried to exploit his old friendship with Chen Ye, he chose to warn Su Guang rather than betray the man who had saved him. 231 232

Appearance

Zuo Dongxi is a tall, fierce-looking man in his early thirties. His appearance and manner are rougher than those of the noble families and retainers with whom he later becomes entangled. 22 85

• Described as having a leopard-like head and round eyes. 22
• Has a powerful, imposing build and a fearsome demeanor. 22
• Often appears unkempt and informal within the Patrol Horse Gang's headquarters. 85
• Carries and uses a thick-backed saber. 41
• By Su Guang's return to the Capital City, Zuo has grown markedly plump and wears a silk robe, a contrast with his formerly lean, capable appearance. 231

Personality

Zuo is steady, practical, and wary of aristocratic disputes. He prefers not to involve his own sworn brothers in the dangerous affairs of noble clans, though favors and obligations can force him to do so. 23

He is loyal once he accepts someone as an ally. Chen Ye's rescue from the Feng Family dungeon changes Zuo's view of him; thereafter, Zuo supports Chen Ye with manpower, intelligence, supplies, and personal risk. 32 33 37

Zuo is also candid about his limitations. He openly admits that his cultivation has stagnated at the third Mortal Shedding and later grows discouraged when Su Guang obtains information that he had promised to find. 34 51 As Chen Ye rises in social status, Zuo becomes more formal and deferential toward him, recognizing the widening difference between a gang leader and a Cui Family scholar. 79 100

Following the Feng Family affair, Zuo becomes less attentive to Chen Ye's requests: he forgets an intelligence assignment concerning Danfeng Prefecture and has to find a gang member for it when Chen Ye follows up in person. Later, he feels inferior to Su Guang, whose cultivation and bearing have developed through campaigning with Chen Ye. 111 112 231

Despite being tempted by the Xie Family's offer of a prestigious palace-guard position, Zuo remembers his debt to Chen Ye. He conceals his refusal from the Xie steward and secretly alerts Su Guang to the plot. 231 232

Abilities & Skills

Martial Arts

Zuo is a Mortal Shedding martial artist with extensive combat experience from the pugilistic world.

• Reached his second Mortal Shedding only after five years of cultivation. 34
• Has trained in martial arts for roughly a decade and reached the third Mortal Shedding. 34
• Believes his current stage may be his lifelong limit without exceptional fortune or resources. 34 51
• Uses a thick-backed saber during violent operations. 41

Gang Leadership and Intelligence Network

As Patrol Horse Gang leader, Zuo controls men and information across parts of the Capital City.

• Holds sway over several South City streets and deters local petty criminals. 22
• Uses gang members to investigate the Feng Mansion, Gao Yunheng, Danfeng Prefecture, and suspicious outsiders. 33 35 74 100
• Identified Liu Family-linked desperadoes through their spending of marked gold and official silver. 35
• Expanded into the former Green Wolf Gang's territory and maintained better arrangements with local yamen officials than the previous gang. 56 74
• Found Skinny Monkey for Chen Ye's Danfeng Prefecture assignment after admitting that he had forgotten the request. 111
• Orders the punishment of men associated with his gang after Su Guang catches them misusing Chen Ye's name. 231

Covert Operations

Zuo is particularly confident in underhanded methods, concealment, and criminal logistics.

• Arranged for men to infiltrate an inn and administer Mandala Flower Poison to the Liu Family's hired desperadoes. 37 38
• Organized corpse removal, lime treatment, and saltwater cleaning after Chen Ye killed Green Wolf Gang members. 56
• Took Feng Family horses to the black market after an assassination attempt. 91
• Used Xing'er to spread targeted false information to Madam Guo within the Feng Family. 85 86
• Had Su Guang brought discreetly through the gang headquarters' back entrance to warn him of the Xie Family's approach. 231 232

Equipment / Resources

• Thick-backed saber — Worn at his waist during the ambush near Shao Family Dyke. 41
• Patrol Horse Gang manpower — Provides scouts, infiltrators, cleaners, mounts, and street-level intelligence. 35 38 56
• Concealed crossbows and disguises — Supplies provided for the ambush on Madam Guo's carriage. 88

Relationships

• Chen Ye — Initially hired Chen for the Feng Family escort, partly because Chen's weak ties to the Patrol Horse Gang made him expendable. After Chen saves him from the Feng dungeon, Zuo becomes a committed ally and repeatedly supplies intelligence, men, and support. 23 32 33 Their contact diminishes after Chen leaves on campaign, but Zuo rejects the Xie Family's attempt to turn him against Chen and passes on a warning. 120 231 232
• Su Guang — Fellow survivor of the Feng Family dungeon and member of Chen Ye's alliance. The two cooperate on intelligence, ambushes, cleanup, and gang affairs. 32 35 56 After Su returns from campaigning, their conversation is more distant; Zuo feels the difference between Su's progress and his own stagnation. He nevertheless trusts Su with his warning about the Xie Family. 231 232
• Xing'er — His former wife. She risks visiting him in the Feng dungeon, carries his message to Feng Yanwu's widow, and later assists his deception of Madam Guo. 26 27 86 The Feng Family subsequently returns her to Zuo, and caring for her is one reason he declines to accompany Chen Ye to Danfeng Prefecture. 120
• Feng Yanwu — The Feng Family's Third Young Master, whose escort Zuo led. Feng Yanwu's murder causes Zuo's imprisonment and draws him into the Feng Family conflict. 23 24
• Feng Bainian — Feng Family head and the man associated with Xing'er's separation from Zuo. Zuo's staged appearance outside Feng Mansion is used to provoke and humiliate him. 99
• Bitao — A courtesan at Red Sleeve Pavilion who is familiar with Zuo and attends his gatherings there. 51 52
• Skinny Monkey (Chen Er) — A longtime gang subordinate whom Zuo calls in to assist Chen Ye with an intelligence mission after neglecting to arrange it earlier. 111 112
• Hu An — The Xie Family's chief steward of the outer residence. Hu offers to recommend Zuo for a Golden Guard position if he uses his connection with Chen Ye to deliver Chen to the Xie Family. Zuo outwardly agrees to try, then secretly warns Su Guang. 231 232

Story Role / Major Arcs

Feng Family Escort and Imprisonment

Zuo leads the escort transporting Feng Yanwu and a valuable shipment to Luoyang. When Feng Yanwu is poisoned, Zuo is arrested with the other escorts, tortured, and confined in the Feng Family dungeon. His connection to Xing'er enables Chen Ye's message to reach the widow Zhou Yun'e. 23 26 27

Alliance with Chen Ye and Su Guang

After his rescue, Zuo hosts Chen Ye and Su Guang at Fengqing Restaurant, offers Chen a high position in the Patrol Horse Gang, and pledges to help locate Gao Yunheng. The three agree to share both success and disaster. 32 33 34

Cui Family Ambush Scheme

Zuo's information about suspicious Liu Family-funded desperadoes helps Chen Ye deduce the plot against Cui Xijun. Zuo infiltrates the outlaws' inn through his gang and oversees the poisoning operation that weakens them before the ambush. 35 37 38 41

Green Wolf Gang Takeover

When the Green Wolf Gang learns dangerous information, Zuo helps erase evidence, remove bodies, and absorb the gang's territory into the Patrol Horse Gang. 56 57

Feng Family Retaliation

Zuo assists Chen Ye's campaign against the Feng Family by monitoring the mansion, tracing Du Wang's appointment to Feng Family connections, manipulating Madam Guo through Xing'er, and joining the ambush on Madam Guo's carriage. 74 76 85 86 88 89

Feng Bainian's Humiliation

Following Chen Ye's arrangement, Zuo rides past Feng Mansion at the crucial moment of Feng Bainian's return. His visible presence reminds Feng Bainian of Xing'er and contributes to the humiliation that drives the family head into a rage. 99

Danfeng Assignment and Parting

Chen Ye asks Zuo to send someone to investigate the worsening situation in Danfeng Prefecture. Zuo forgets the request until Chen visits the gang headquarters, then calls in Skinny Monkey to assist. When Chen later invites Zuo and Su Guang to accompany the Cui Family's expedition, Zuo stays in the Capital City to care for Xing'er and manage his gang's territory. 100 111 112 120

Xie Family's Approach

After Su Guang returns from the campaign, he confronts Zuo over men invoking Chen Ye's name to intimidate others. Soon afterward, Hu An offers Zuo a Golden Guard position in exchange for helping the Xie Family capture Chen. Zuo feigns willingness in front of Hu, then privately summons Su Guang and reveals the scheme so Chen can be warned. 231 232

Notable Quotes

“If there is ever anything you need of me in the future, even if it means crossing a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, just say the word.” 32

Trivia

• Zuo took five years to achieve his second Mortal Shedding and roughly ten years to reach the third. 34
• He considers the Capital City's noble families—particularly the Xie, Wang, and Cui families—to possess the most profound martial arts. 27
• The Patrol Horse Gang's headquarters is located in a chaotic South City horse market. 85