He Lingchuan

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	He Lingchuan (贺灵川)
Alias(es)	Young Master He; Eldest Young Master He; “Young Tyrant of Blackwater City”
Species/Race	Human; a person from another world inhabiting the original He Lingchuan’s body 1
Gender	Male
Affiliation	He family of Blackwater City; Qiansong Prefecture expedition force 4 22
Occupation/Role	Eldest son of Prefect He Chunhua; martial practitioner; expedition member
Status	Alive; exploring an anomalous manifestation of Coiling Dragon City 50
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background / History

He Lingchuan was originally an ordinary worker from another world. After a flowerpot struck him on the head, he awoke in the body of the sixteen-year-old eldest son of He Chunhua, Prefect of Qiansong Prefecture. He believes the original He Lingchuan is gone and conceals his replacement identity from everyone around him. 1 2

Shortly before or around his awakening, the body was mauled by a wounded Sand Leopard on Gourd Mountain and dragged over a cliff. He survived with severe injuries, including four fang marks near his carotid artery; the wounds later healed into fresh scars. 1 18

The Sand Leopard incident entangled him with Donglai Manor, Grand Marshal Dong Haoming, and the search for the Great Square Pot. He used the Red and White Path to detain and interrogate two of Donglai Manor’s guards, then worked with his father to conceal the leopard’s remains and the items hidden in its extracted canines. 3 5

When State Preceptor Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu arrived seeking the Commander’s Token and assistance entering the Coiling Dragon Desert, He Lingchuan initially resisted the mission. He ultimately accompanied his father’s expedition after He Chunhua insisted on taking him along. 13 22

During the expedition, He Lingchuan survived Three-Corpse Insect possession attempts, killed a possessed soldier to protect the group, and helped fight the Great Wind Army’s heroic spirits. He intercepted a spear aimed at his father, but the impact broke his blade and sent him into a blood pool that transported him into another version of Coiling Dragon City. 32 33 47 50

Appearance

He Lingchuan is a robustly built sixteen-year-old whose physique has been trained through years of martial practice. His body bears numerous recently healed injuries from the Sand Leopard attack. 1 7 22

• Four healed fang marks were left on his neck, narrowly missing his carotid artery. 1
• He has at least a dozen other new scars across his body. 1
• His physical training can produce a faint white mist around his body under moonlight. 7
• He habitually wears a mysterious necklace that he refuses to reveal to others. 1 6

Personality

He Lingchuan is outwardly flippant, hedonistic, and prone to acting like the original young master, but he is inwardly wary of the world’s dangers and political hierarchy. He deliberately maintains the appearance of a reckless heir when it benefits him, while privately analyzing threats such as Donglai Manor, Nian Songyu, and State Preceptor Sun. 18 24

He is decisive when threatened. He ordered the detention of the Donglai guards, argued that their ignorance of the leopard’s location gave the He family leverage, and repeatedly pressed Nian Songyu to identify the person who leaked details of his injury. 3 16 20

Despite his ruthlessness, he is not indifferent to death. He felt remorse after killing the possessed Zhao Shaogang, whom he had known personally, and he protected his father and younger brother when they were targeted. 19 33 47

Abilities & Skills

Traction Technique

The He family’s ancestral supernatural body-tempering method. He Lingchuan combines physical exercise with controlled breathing to expel impurities, draw his internal energy into contact with ambient spiritual energy, and reabsorb its refined essence. 7

• Uses body-tempering punches before meditation to improve the purification cycle. 7
• Produces a faint white mist during peak practice conditions. 7
• Can circulate his true energy through a full cycle to check for harmful effects on his body. 39
• His martial devotion has cost him ordinary romantic companionship; He Chunhua keeps women out of his courtyard to avoid testing his resolve. 7

Martial Combat

He Lingchuan has trained in martial arts since childhood and is physically capable in close combat, though he recognizes that his cultivation is low compared with major practitioners such as Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu. 7 49

• His fists were tempered with iron sand and flint and can snap a wooden blade as thick as a bowl. 19
• Improved his throwing-knife use during the expedition. 33
• Resisted the Three-Corpse Insects’ vocal temptation by refusing to turn around. 32
• Used the Soul-Fixing Banner to render Great Wind Army spirits physically touchable. 47
• Intercepted a lethal spear throw aimed at He Chunhua, though the force broke his weapon and severely injured him. 47

Political and Tactical Judgment

He Lingchuan is adept at reading unequal power dynamics and exploiting uncertainty.

• Detained the Donglai Manor guards to identify what they knew before their organization could learn the Sand Leopard was in He family hands. 3 5
• Concluded that Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu lacked enough information to openly attack the He family, allowing the family to negotiate rather than panic. 16
• Recognized the political danger in removing the Coiling Dragon Desert, which served as a natural safeguard for Yuan Kingdom’s border. 40 41
• Quickly understood that blood-pool water could make the Great Wind Army’s heroic spirits vulnerable to physical attacks. 47

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Mysterious necklace — Worn since his awakening; an intense instinct warns him never to show it to anyone. 1 6
• Soul-Fixing Banner — Used against the Great Wind Army’s spirits, allowing them to be physically struck. 47
• Hundred-Refined Blade — Used to block the commander’s thrown spear; shattered during the interception. 47
• Soul-Suppressing Powder — Its lingering effect provided resistance against Three-Corpse Insects. 32 39

Relationships

• He Chunhua — Father and Prefect of Qiansong Prefecture. He Lingchuan relies on his experience, debates strategy with him, and repeatedly protects him during the expedition. 4 27 32 47
• He Yue — Younger brother. He Lingchuan is protective of He Yue, especially when Nian Songyu harasses him, while He Yue often acts as the family’s steadier diplomatic voice. 15 19
• Madam Ying — Mother. Their relationship is strained by her view that he is irresponsible, though she urges him to become more sensible and help bear the family’s burdens. 7 14
• Uncle Hao — Retainer and trusted companion. He Lingchuan works closely with him in investigations, apologizes for Little Gray’s death, and supports his desire to identify the killer. 3 16
• Nian Songyu — Hostile political rival and expedition companion. Their mutual dislike escalates through threats, manipulation, and conflicts over He Yue and the Great Square Pot mission. 17 19 37 42
• Sun Fuping — State Preceptor who draws the He family into the Coiling Dragon Desert expedition. He Lingchuan distrusts Sun’s motives and believes Sun intends to use the expedition force as expendable manpower. 13 37 49
• Situ Han — Sand-bandit leader conscripted into the expedition. He Lingchuan reassures him that he will provide protection beyond Red Cliff Road. 27 28
• Mao Tao — Sand bandit who encounters He Lingchuan after both are transported through the blood pool; they temporarily cooperate in the abandoned city. 49 50
• Liu Baobao — Local acquaintance who hosts and accommodates He Lingchuan at Blackwater City’s entertainment venues. 1 8

Story Role / Major Arcs

Sand Leopard Incident

He Lingchuan’s near-fatal encounter with the wounded Sand Leopard begins his involvement in the hidden search for the Commander’s Token. He captures the pursuing Donglai Manor guards through the Red and White Path, discovers their connection to Grand Marshal Dong Haoming, and helps his father conceal the leopard’s remains and contents. 1 3 5

Blackwater City Political Conflict

After Nian Songyu and Sun Fuping arrive, He Lingchuan navigates the He family’s inferior political position while obstructing their investigation. He and He Yue stall their guests, manipulate the recovered leopard evidence, and protect the family from Nian Songyu’s growing interest in He Yue. 17 18 19

Coiling Dragon Desert Expedition

Forced to accompany He Chunhua, He Lingchuan enters the Coiling Dragon Desert in search of the Great Square Pot. He questions Sun Fuping’s plan, opposes entering the Furious Sand Season, and learns that the expedition is shaped by competing political interests rather than simple loyalty to the throne. 22 27 37 40

Great Wind Army and the Blood Pool

He Lingchuan survives the Three-Corpse Insects and the Great Wind Army’s heroic spirits, discovers how to make the spirits vulnerable, and sacrifices himself to block an attack on his father. His fall through the blood pool transports him to a strange, apparently earlier version of Coiling Dragon City. 32 47 49 50

Trivia

• Before transmigrating, He Lingchuan worked a mediocre job for a company that had withheld three months of pay. 1
• He intentionally spends lavishly to preserve the original He Lingchuan’s reputation, yet struggles to spend even 200 taels in a month. 7
• His appetite is unusually large due to martial training; he considers meat and staple food essential at every meal. 37
• He has consciously adopted the original He Lingchuan’s habits and mannerisms to avoid exposing that he is an outsider in the body. 1 18