Yu Yan

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Yu Yan (俞彦)
Alias(es)	Brother Yu 25
Gender	Male
Aptitude	B-Lower Bone Structure 5
Affiliation	Gu Family; Changhong Martial Hall 25 29
Occupation/Role	Martial artist; Gu Family live-in son-in-law 29 70
Status	Deceased; killed by Chen Yuan in an ambush 74
First Appearance	Chapter 5

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Rock-Solid Stance Technique — Beginner Stage	13	Entered the technique in two and a half days, greatly exceeding Gu Ye's expectations. His monthly subsidy rose to eight taels. 13
Skin Realm	28	Broke through the barrier ahead of the monthly assessment; received a five-tael reward and an increase to ten taels in monthly funding. 28
Clear Force	29	Comprehended Clear Force shortly after entering the Skin Realm, becoming an entry-level martial artist. 29
Bone Realm	53	Broke through to the Bone Realm while serving the Gu Family and training at Huo Academy. 53
Bone Tempering — Minor Mastery	69	Had reached minor mastery less than a month before his New Year banquet. 69
Clear Force — Great Mastery	69	Reached great mastery in Clear Force shortly before the banquet. 69

Background

Gu Family Sponsorship

Yu Yan was the standout candidate in the Gu Family's martial-artist selection, possessing B-Lower Bone Structure and receiving resources valued at seven taels of silver per month. He trained at Changhong Martial Hall rather than Huo Academy alongside Gao Mingchang and Cao Yan. 5 25

His rapid progress distinguished him from the other sponsored disciples. He entered the Rock-Solid Stance Technique in two and a half days, later became the first of the group to reach the Skin Realm, and was rewarded with increased funding. 13 28

Marriage into the Gu Family

After comprehending Clear Force, Yu Yan agreed to marry Gu Wantong, the Gu Family head's third daughter, and become a live-in son-in-law. Gu Changfeng valued both Yu Yan's aptitude and his potential to become a future expert of Qingyuan County. 29

Yu Yan used his new standing to propose concentrating Gu Family resources on himself. He urged Gu Changfeng to cut the funding of one entry-level martial artist, targeted Chen Yuan, and described him as disrespectful and of “crooked character.” The Gu Family accepted the proposal, expelled Chen Yuan from its sponsorship, and raised Yu Yan's monthly stipend to twenty taels. 30 31

Conflict with Chen Yuan

Before becoming the Gu Family's son-in-law, Yu Yan had tried to force Chen Yuan to deliberately lose to Gao Mingchang and Cao Yan during a monthly assessment. Gao Mingchang and Cao Yan paid Yu Yan to apply this pressure; Yu Yan offered Chen Yuan only five mace of silver and threatened him when he refused. 25

Months later, Yu Yan and Gu Wantong hosted a banquet intended to reconcile with Chen Yuan. Yu Yan instead attempted to recruit Chen Yuan back into Gu Family service, became hostile when refused, and tried to attack him inside Osmanthus Pavilion. 69 70 71

Yu Yan subsequently slapped Cheng Xiaoyu twice, apparently using a trivial matter as a pretext to target someone close to Chen Yuan. He refused to offer a sincere apology or meaningful compensation. 72 73

Death and Investigation

After Chen Yuan settled the dispute with the Gu Family, he decided to kill Yu Yan despite the likelihood of suspicion. Yu Yan spent the evening drinking at Osmanthus Pavilion, then was ambushed while returning home. 74

Yu Yan fought with Fierce Tiger Fist but was overwhelmed by Chen Yuan's Twelve Forms Boxing and superior physical power. He recognized Chen Yuan shortly before his death. 74 75

Gu Changfeng suspected Chen Yuan due to their recent conflicts, and Constable Leng Rushuang investigated the case. However, the available information suggested Chen Yuan should not have possessed enough strength to reliably kill Yu Yan alone, leaving the case without conclusive proof. 76 77

Personality

Yu Yan initially presented himself as composed, steady, and neither servile nor overbearing. Beneath that exterior, he was entitled and deeply concerned with status; he expected Chen Yuan to obey because Yu Yan's superior aptitude and Gu Family backing gave him leverage. 13 25

He was politically ambitious and practical. His marriage into the Gu Family secured him resources and influence, which he immediately used to remove Chen Yuan as both a rival and a financial burden on the family. 29 30

Yu Yan reacted poorly to humiliation and refusal. After losing to Xu Heng, he became increasingly gloomy, moody, and negative toward training; when Chen Yuan rejected his recruitment offer, he abandoned the pretense of reconciliation and turned violent. 53 69 70 71

Abilities & Skills

Martial Cultivation

Yu Yan's B-Lower aptitude, substantial Gu Family funding, and rapid early breakthroughs made him one of Changhong Martial Hall's strongest young disciples. 5 28 29

• Reached the Skin Realm, Clear Force, and Bone Realm in rapid succession. 28 29 53
• Achieved minor mastery in Bone Tempering and great mastery in Clear Force. 69
• Lost to Xu Heng in fewer than ten moves despite already reaching the Bone Realm. 53
• Was physically suppressed by Chen Yuan, whose Elephant Bone cultivation gave Chen Yuan a decisive advantage in direct exchanges. 75

Fierce Tiger Fist

Yu Yan used Fierce Tiger Fist in his final battle with Chen Yuan. Its tiger-claw strikes were ferocious and aggressively oriented toward offense. 74

• Used clawing and raking attacks to contest Chen Yuan's Twelve Forms Boxing. 74
• Could not adapt to Chen Yuan's continuously changing Dragon, Monkey, Sparrowhawk, Swallow, and Snake Forms. 74
• His attacks were repeatedly neutralized, leaving him unable to reverse the fight. 74

Political Maneuvering

Yu Yan was capable of leveraging money, relationships, and Gu Family authority to pursue his interests.

• Accepted payment from Gao Mingchang and Cao Yan to pressure Chen Yuan into forfeiting a match. 25
• Used his engagement to Gu Wantong and his position as future son-in-law to influence Gu Family funding decisions. 29 30
• Attempted to recruit Chen Yuan back to the Gu Family by offering improved pay and benefits. 70

Relationships

• Chen Yuan — Rival and eventual killer. Yu Yan first tried to coerce Chen Yuan into throwing a match, later engineered his removal from Gu Family sponsorship, and was ultimately killed by him. 25 30 74
• Gu Wantong — Gu Family's third daughter and Yu Yan's wife; their marriage made Yu Yan the Gu Family's live-in son-in-law. 29 53 69
• Gu Changfeng — Gu Family head and father-in-law. He highly valued Yu Yan's potential, supported his marriage, and increased his monthly stipend to twenty taels. 29 30
• Gao Mingchang — Fellow Changhong Martial Hall disciple and associate. Gao paid Yu Yan to pressure Chen Yuan before the monthly assessment. 25
• Cao Yan — Fellow Changhong Martial Hall disciple who joined Gao's request for Yu Yan to influence Chen Yuan. 25
• Xu Heng — Superior martial rival. Yu Yan was defeated by Xu Heng in fewer than ten moves after reaching the Bone Realm. 53
• Cheng Xiaoyu — Gu Family servant and Chen Yuan's cousin. Yu Yan slapped her twice, escalating his conflict with Chen Yuan. 72 73
• Huang Yan — Gu Family head guard who regarded Yu Yan as petty and criticized his unstable temperament. 31 69

Notable Quotes

“The world is inherently unfair; just take it.” 25

“The Gu Family has to rely on me now.” 74