Contents
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Master Wu (邬大师) |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation/Role | Artifact-refining grandmaster; seller of Treasure Artifacts; owner of Pine Crane Restaurant 38 |
| Cultivation | Seventh-grade martial artist and Seventh-grade Corpse Puppet Path cultivator 40 41 |
| Residence | A large mansion in Jiaqing County, populated by silent, expressionless servants 44 |
| Status | Alive; monitoring Lin Yi through multiple apparent incarnations 45 |
| First Appearance | Mentioned in connection with a replica crossbow 22; encountered at the West Market through a servant acting as him 38 44 |
Background / History
Master Wu has lived in Jiaqing County for many years, keeping track of both established Seventh-rank experts and exceptionally talented young cultivators. Rumors describe his ancestors as a noble family that refined artifacts for the Great Yan imperial household, but this lineage is not independently confirmed 38 41.
His reputation rests on rare Treasure Artifacts that enhance martial artists’ abilities. The End of the World Pavilion announces his sales and has reportedly offered thousands of taels for weapons he made casually, hoping to analyze their craftsmanship. Despite this demand, he sells his treasures cheaply to selected “fated” buyers rather than openly auctioning them 38.
West Market Wager
Lin Yi finds Master Wu at a Nuo Mask stall after following a divination. Wu initially offers him a Town Sha Mask for thirty-five wen, refusing to sell the rusty saber Lin Yi actually wants. Intrigued by Lin Yi’s insistence on letting fate decide ownership, he accepts a wager: Wu must throw three stones onto the ground inside a marked circle, with the saber against Lin Yi’s life as the stakes 38 39 40.
Wu intends to use Lin Yi as a sacrifice in an experimental Treasure Artifact refinement if he wins. Lin Yi’s Strong Luck instead produces a chain of disruptions, culminating in an earthquake that swallows the stones through a crack in the ground. Wu loses despite intervening with Seventh-grade True Qi 40 41.
When Liu Qingnu arrives, Wu encourages the two youths to settle the saber’s ownership, testing Lin Yi’s unusual fortune against Liu Qingnu’s exceptional talent. Lin Yi ultimately obtains the blade after risking his arm beneath it. Wu then offers Liu Qingnu the Town Sha Mask 41 42 43.
Surveillance of Lin Yi
Wu had researched the saber for more than ten years without results. Unable to perceive its nearly dissipated remnant spirit, he wonders how Lin Yi supposedly recognized it and decides to watch him for a breakthrough 43.
The blade’s spirit, Lu Chengyi, subsequently exposes Wu’s household and sales practices to Lin Yi. She also reveals that she removed the secret traces placed on the blade. Soon afterward, Lin Yi identifies more than ten passersby as Wu’s apparent incarnations because they carry fortune auras of identical intensity 44 45.
Appearance
- True appearance unknown: Accounts describe him as an old man, child, woman, or handsome youth; no reliable public description exists 38 44.
- West Market guise: A stooped old man with a deeply wrinkled, weathered face and a gray-and-white cloth hat 38.
- Identity of the stall owner: Lu Chengyi identifies the person who sold Lin Yi the saber as one of Wu’s servants, not necessarily his original body 44.
Personality
Wu is amused by audacity but ruthless when challenged. He praises Lin Yi’s perceptiveness and laughs at his seemingly impossible wager, then demands his life as the opposing stake and discusses sacrificing him for artifact refinement without hesitation 39 40.
His dealings are calculated rather than charitable. Cheap artifact sales support his fortune-borrowing scheme, while his private records and surveillance help him select promising targets. Lin Yi’s unexpected abilities provoke both suspicion and curiosity, particularly when they appear capable of solving the saber’s mystery 41 43 44.
Abilities & Skills
Artifact Refinement
- Produces Treasure Artifacts reputed to significantly amplify martial artists’ abilities 38.
- His craftsmanship attracts the End of the World Pavilion’s interest and inspires replicas 22 38.
- Knows an experimental refinement method requiring a True Person sacrifice to produce an Artifact Spirit; he proposes using Lin Yi, but does not carry out the procedure 40.
- Cannot perceive the saber’s nearly dissipated remnant spirit despite years of research 43 44.
Seventh-grade Martial Arts
- Condenses True Qi into a projectile fired from his mouth, killing a hawk during the wager 40.
- Extends seven True Qi threads to retrieve scattered stone fragments and reassemble them into their original three stones 40.
- Releases oppressive True Qi that prevents Lin Yi from casually approaching the stall 41.
- Fails to overcome the sequence of events caused by Lin Yi’s Strong Luck 40 41.
Luck Borrowing Technique
- Attaches secret arts to Treasure Artifacts sold to selected buyers, borrowing their aura of fortune 43 44.
- Borrowed fortune lasts for at most three months before gradually returning to its owner 43.
- The method is gentler than forcibly plundering fortune, but still costs lifespan 43.
- Lu Chengyi removes the traces on Lin Yi’s blade, undermining that part of Wu’s scheme 44.
Corpse Puppet Incarnations
- Lu Chengyi describes a mansion full of silent, expressionless servants whom Wu sends out to sell artifacts 44.
- Lin Yi infers that these servants are Wu’s incarnations, explaining the contradictory accounts of his appearance 44.
- Uses multiple apparent incarnations to monitor Lin Yi around Jiaqing County 45.
- Their identical fortune auras allow Lin Yi to recognize the surveillance 45.
Equipment / Weapons / Items
- Rusty long saber — An extraordinary blade containing Lu Chengyi’s remnant spirit. Wu studies it for over ten years before relinquishing it to Lin Yi 41 43 44.
- Town Sha Mask — A red-and-black Nuo Mask with bulging eyes, fangs, and a single horn. Offered to Lin Yi for thirty-five wen, then to Liu Qingnu after the saber contest 39 43.
- Crossbow designs — A hand crossbow pledged by Zhang Mingxi is described as a replica of Wu’s work, valued at twenty taels and claimed to guarantee a kill against a non-martial artist within five meters 22.
- Private intelligence records — A secret room contains information on numerous people, with Liu Qingnu’s file prominently displayed 44.
Relationships
- Lin Yi — Unexpected buyer and surveillance target. His fortune defeats Wu’s wager, and his acquisition of the saber gives Wu hope of uncovering its secrets 40 41 43 45.
- Liu Qingnu — A carefully researched prodigy and intended recipient of Wu’s Treasure Artifact sale. Wu offers him the Town Sha Mask after he loses the saber to Lin Yi 41 43 44.
- Lu Chengyi — The spirit within Wu’s research saber. She can observe him although he cannot perceive her, and later reveals his schemes to Lin Yi 43 44.
- End of the World Pavilion — Publicizes his artifact sales and seeks examples of his weapons to study their manufacture 38.
Notable Quotes
“In that case, I'll take your life!” 40
“Until then, my eyes will be fixed on you!” 43