Ning Dazhuang

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Ning Dazhuang (宁大壮)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Ning family
Occupation/Role	Carpenter; medicinal-field worker; father of Ning Chuan and Ning Xiaohe
Status	Alive
First Appearance	1

Background / History

Ning Dazhuang lived with his wife, Liu Lan, and their children Ning Chuan and Ning Xiaohe in Holy Soul Village. He treated the children's martial soul awakening as an important family matter; although stern and burly, he was affectionate toward them. 1 2

He supported the family as a skilled carpenter, crafting hardwood furniture such as tables, chairs, and wardrobes for sale in Nuoding City. A furniture-shop owner there knew him, readily bought his work, and praised its craftsmanship. 21 22

When Ning Chuan asked to accompany him to Nuoding City to appraise an unusual metal fragment, Ning Dazhuang initially refused because of the city's dangers. He relented after considering his son's recent setback and insisted that Ning Chuan remain close. 22 The fragment sold for forty gold soul coins at the Seven Treasures Pavilion; overwhelmed by the sum, he nonetheless used part of it to buy meat, bones, durable cloth for himself and Ning Chuan, floral cloth for Liu Lan and Xiaohe, and maltose candy for Xiaohe. 23 24

After Ning Chuan secretly ventured into the mountains, Ning Dazhuang angrily confronted him out of fear for his safety. His anger faded when Ning Chuan claimed he had been gathering medicinal herbs, and he became interested in the possibility of improving the family's situation through mountain resources. 35

Following the family's relocation, he shifted from carpentry toward cultivating and harvesting medicinal herbs with Ning Chuan. He learned to handle Polygonatum and Solomon's Seal carefully under his son's guidance, then helped maintain the family’s secrecy when neighbors investigated their unusually vigorous herb seedlings. 123 149

Appearance

Ning Dazhuang is a burly, dark-faced, weathered man with a stern bearing. 1 23 68

• A man of few words who takes long strides. 2 22
• Has a dark, weathered face associated with a farmer's steadfastness. 68
• Carries carpenter's tools and works in the family carpentry shed. 21 45
• Keeps a hunting bow and arrows as a means of family defense after leaving Holy Soul Village. 77

Personality

Ning Dazhuang is practical, cautious, and deeply family-oriented. He worries about danger, money, and the future, but consistently places Liu Lan and the children ahead of material comfort. He is initially hesitant about spending their windfall, yet agrees to purchase better food once convinced that the children need nutrition for training. 35 47

His gruffness masks strong paternal affection. He scolds Ning Chuan for taking risks, buys supplies before dawn for the children’s nourishment, and is proud of both Ning Chuan's cultivation achievements and Ning Xiaohe's martial progress. 35 51 96 121

He trusts Ning Chuan’s judgment even when faced with matters beyond his understanding, including the family's relocation, Ning Chuan’s cultivation path, and the Child Bell's emergency-teleportation function. 68 116 140

Skills

Carpentry

Ning Dazhuang is an experienced furniture maker whose work provides the family's original livelihood.

• Crafts hardwood tables, chairs, wardrobes, and other furniture. 22
• His work is polished smooth and recognized by a Nuoding City furniture-shop owner. 22
• Works with Ning Chuan in the carpentry shed. 21

Medicinal Herb Cultivation

After the family began developing medicinal fields, he adapted to farm work and followed Ning Chuan’s methods.

• Harvests Polygonatum and Solomon's Seal with Ning Chuan. 123
• Learns to dig and handle herbs cautiously to preserve their quality. 123
• Helps apply bone-powder fertilizer and plan the family’s spring planting. 143
• Maintains a vague “luck and earth energy” explanation when neighbors probe into the family’s cultivation methods. 149

Equipment / Items

• Carpentry tools — used in his work shed. 45
• Wooden cart and mule — used to transport furniture to Nuoding City. 22
• Hunting bow and arrows — checked carefully for travel and self-defense. 72 77
• Child Bell — an emergency family item that can teleport its holder to Ning Chuan once daily within a fifty-mile radius. 140

Relationships

• Liu Lan — wife; they make family decisions together and jointly protect the household's secrets. 47 149
• Ning Chuan — elder son; Ning Dazhuang is protective of him, increasingly trusts his judgment, and entrusts him with greater responsibility for the medicinal fields. 35 96 116 146
• Ning Xiaohe — daughter; he supports her training and education, praises her martial progress, and hopes to send her to school when the family prospers. 121 146
• Manager Qian — Ji Shi Tang manager; dealt with the Ning family’s herb harvest and later explained that pressure from the Seven Treasures Pavilion prevented further purchases. 123 134
• Zhang Cuihua — neighbor who questioned the family's unusually successful herb cultivation; Ning Dazhuang deflected her inquiries. 149

Story Role / Major Arcs

Holy Soul Village and Nuoding City

• Accompanies the family to the martial soul awakening ceremony. 2
• Works with Ning Chuan in the carpentry shed and reports the suspicious back-mountain destruction later identified by Ning Chuan as Tang Hao's doing. 21
• Takes Ning Chuan to Nuoding City, sells their furniture, and supports the appraisal and sale of the alloy fragment. 22 23
• Uses part of the sale proceeds to improve the family's clothing and food. 24

Family Relocation and New Livelihood

• Supports leaving their village, believing safety matters more than remaining in one place. 68
• Travels with the family while carrying their bow for protection and follows Ning Chuan’s cautious lead. 72 74 77
• Becomes involved in the family's medicinal-herb business, harvesting crops and managing deliveries. 123 142
• Is devastated when Ji Shi Tang stops accepting their herbs under pressure from the Seven Treasures Pavilion, but relies on Ning Chuan's calm response. 134

Protection and Family Aspirations

• Accepts Ning Chuan's emergency-safety arrangements and agrees to keep the Child Bell secret. 140
• Helps conceal the family’s fertilizer method from increasingly curious neighbors. 149
• Expresses hopes of renovating their home, educating Xiaohe, and building a better future around Ning Chuan’s success. 146