Zhong Xiaokui

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Zhong Xiaokui (钟小葵)
Alias(es)	Zhong Kui; Xiao Kui
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Xuanming Cult; formerly subordinate to the Ghost King Zhu Youwen; personal bodyguard to Zhu Youning
Occupation/Role	Xuanming Cult operative; undercover agent; bodyguard
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 37

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Mid-Heaven Realm	44	Her cultivation is stated to surpass Miaocheng Tian and Xuanjing Tian’s; she is already a senior Xuanming Cult combatant.
Great Heavenly Rank	46 47	Zhu Youning transfers his Wedding Dress Divine Art cultivation to her, giving her decades’ worth of internal energy and raising her directly from Mid-Heaven to Great Heavenly Rank.

Appearance

Zhong Xiaokui is a petite, delicate young woman who wears red, form-fitting combat attire and a distinctive red hat. A large “Kui” character is printed on the back of her clothing. Her focused bearing is compared to that of a porcelain doll. 43 44

• Petite, exquisite build. 43
• Red combat outfit and uniquely shaped red hat. 43
• Delicate features and a cold, concentrated gaze. 44
• Her complexion and aura become noticeably more refined after receiving Zhu Youning’s internal energy. 47

Personality

Zhong Xiaokui is disciplined, formal, and strongly conscious of hierarchy. When Zhu Youning orders her into his carriage, she initially refuses on the grounds that she should not share his space due to their difference in status. 44

She is vigilant in her duties and suspicious of potential threats around Zhu Youning, particularly Miaocheng Tian and Xuanjing Tian. Her concern for his safety leads her to expose Miaocheng Tian’s concealed Great Star Realm cultivation after examining her pulse. 45

Originally loyal to Zhu Youwen, Zhong Xiaokui accepts her assignment to infiltrate Zhu Youning’s entourage despite worrying that the Ghost King will be left unguarded. After Zhu Youning raises her to the Great Heavenly Rank, her gratitude develops into a personal oath of loyalty to him. 38 46 47

Abilities & Skills

Martial Arts

Zhong Xiaokui is an accomplished Xuanming Cult fighter who can eliminate mounted attackers before they reach Zhu Youning’s carriage. During the ambush, she severs a horse’s legs and kills another assailant with an unseen thread-like attack. 43

• Defeated multiple disguised soldiers during the attack on Zhu Youning’s convoy. 43
• Possesses cultivation above the Great Star Realm prior to her later advancement. 44
• Reached the Great Heavenly Rank after receiving Zhu Youning’s Wedding Dress Divine Art cultivation. 46 47

Internal Energy Diagnosis

Zhong Xiaokui can assess another person’s condition and cultivation through their pulse. 45

• Identified Miaocheng Tian’s Innate Severed Meridians. 45
• Determined that Miaocheng Tian had concealed Great Star Realm cultivation. 45
• Can provide internal energy to manage Miaocheng Tian’s condition when ordered. 45

Protection and Assassination

As the Xuanming Cult’s Zhong Kui, Zhong Xiaokui is suited for close protection and covert killing. Zhu Youning specifically recognizes her value for personal security and assassination-related tasks. 43 44

• Intercepts threats targeting Zhu Youning directly. 43
• Serves as Zhu Youning’s personal bodyguard after joining his entourage. 44
• Swears to protect Zhu Youning even at the cost of her life. 44 46

Relationships

• Zhu Youwen — Former superior and the Ghost King of the Xuanming Cult. He assigns her to infiltrate Zhu Youning’s side and report any suspicious contact with Zhu Yougui. 37 38
• Zhu Youning — Initially her surveillance target; later her employer, benefactor, and the person to whom she swears personal loyalty after he elevates her to the Great Heavenly Rank. 43 44 46 47
• Miaocheng Tian — Fellow member of Zhu Youning’s entourage. Zhong Xiaokui discovers her hidden cultivation and remains wary of her motives. 44 45 47
• Xuanjing Tian — Fellow member of Zhu Youning’s entourage. Xuanjing Tian and Miaocheng Tian regard Zhong Xiaokui as a threatening and increasingly loyal presence. 44 47

Story Role / Major Arcs

Assignment to Monitor Zhu Youning

Zhong Xiaokui first serves Zhu Youwen as a trusted subordinate. After Zhu Youzhen’s death makes her original infiltration assignment impossible, Zhu Youwen orders her to go undercover beside Zhu Youning and monitor him for signs of an alliance with Zhu Yougui. 37 38

Ambush on the Road to Pinglu

During Zhu Youning’s relocation to Pinglu, Zhong Xiaokui appears amid an attack by troops disguised as horse bandits. She kills the assailants who break through toward his carriage, then identifies herself as the Xuanming Cult’s Zhong Kui and asks to follow him. 43

Zhu Youning suspects that her intervention may have been staged to gain his confidence, but recruits her anyway, recognizing her value as a bodyguard while remaining aware of her connection to Zhu Youwen. 44

Service Under Zhu Youning

Zhu Youning formally assigns Zhong Xiaokui as his personal guard. She accompanies him alongside Miaocheng Tian and Xuanjing Tian, monitors the two women, and proves able to detect their concealed martial status. 44 45

Bestowal of Merit

Expecting an intimate summons, Zhong Xiaokui enters Zhu Youning’s room prepared to submit in order to preserve her undercover position. Instead, Zhu Youning transfers his Wedding Dress Divine Art cultivation into her, raising her from the Mid-Heaven Realm to the Great Heavenly Rank. 46 47

Overwhelmed by the advancement, Zhong Xiaokui pledges to go through fire and water for him. Her allegiance becomes markedly more personal and resolute afterward. 46 47

Trivia

• “Zhong Kui” is a Xuanming Cult title or office rather than proof that its holder is male. 43
• Within the Xuanming Cult hierarchy, Zhong Kui ranks below the Underworld Emperor, Ghost King, Meng Po, and the Water and Fire Judges, but above the Five Great Yama Kings and Black and White Impermanence. 44
• She initially worries that Zhu Youning’s summons is for bed service, only to learn that he intends to transmit internal energy instead. 46