Yan Lao Wu

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Yan Lao Wu (燕老五)
Alias(es)	Fifth Uncle; Fifth Grandpa; Old Man; Old Master
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Lower Yan Village; Yan clan
Occupation/Role	Clan Elder; former jade worker and hunter; keeper of the Yan clan’s jade reserve
Status	Alive
First Appearance	7

Background / History

Yan Lao Wu helped Zi Jian and Zi Bofeng register and settle in Lower Yan Village when they first arrived. He subsequently viewed Zi Bofeng’s education and later appointment as Village Head as a challenge to the authority he had held in the village for decades. 7

In his youth, Yan Lao Wu was renowned across the Meng City region as a jade seeker and hunter. His three greatest boasts were tearing apart a tiger bare-handed, capturing a water python alive, and fathering five sons. He also led hunters against mountain wolves, leaving them too fearful to menace the village for many years. 7 25

As jade became scarce, his physical strength declined and his sons failed to live up to his expectations. His remaining source of pride was his long stewardship of Lower Yan Village and its relative harmony. 7

Yan Lao Wu retains knowledge inherited from the Yan ancestors, including passages from the Jade Sutra. As clan elder, he helped preserve a hidden reserve of jade beneath the Ancestral Hall, adding portions of the village’s finds—and even jade saved from his own youth—to it over the years. 46

Appearance

Despite his advanced age, Yan Lao Wu retains traces of the imposing physique and bearing that made him famous in his youth. 7

• Meticulously combed white hair. 7
• Withered face, but a broad, thick chest. 7
• Rough, work-worn hands. 30
• Still capable of delivering a forceful kick. 45

Personality

Yan Lao Wu is proud, authority-conscious, and deeply invested in Lower Yan Village’s traditions. He initially treats Zi Bofeng as a political rival, staging a harsh display of family discipline to establish dominance and later evading responsibility for the village’s tax arrears by passing the matter to the new Village Head. 7 8 13

Beneath this bluster, he is conscientious and protective of the village. Guilt over Zi Bofeng being attacked while handling the tax issue drives him to seek the young Village Head out and offer his understanding of each household’s circumstances. He eventually supports Zi Bofeng’s refusal to collect taxes from impoverished villagers. 16 19

His relationship with Zi Bofeng develops into trust and cooperation. He organizes patrols against the livestock-killing creature, supports the children’s education, joins village-development discussions, publicly defends Zi Bofeng against hostile rumors, and entrusts him with the secret jade chest. 25 27 31 45 46

Skills

Jade Hunting and Appraisal

Yan Lao Wu was once one of Meng City’s finest jade workers and remains an experienced jade hunter. 7

• Guides younger villagers in mountain jade hunting. 48
• Retains practical knowledge of the village’s former jade-hunting sites. 31
• Knows and recites teachings from the Yan clan’s Jade Sutra. 46

Hunting and Village Defense

His reputation was built partly on dangerous hunting and combat feats. 7

• Claimed to have torn apart a tiger with his bare hands. 7
• Claimed to have captured a water python alive. 7
• Previously led hunters to drive mountain wolves nearly to extinction. 25
• Organizes able-bodied villagers into patrols when an unknown creature attacks livestock. 25 27

Family Discipline

Yan Lao Wu is highly skilled with a horsewhip, able to strike exactly where intended. 8

• Uses corporal punishment to assert authority over sons, grandsons, and other relatives. 8
• His staged punishment of his family becomes genuine when Zi Bofeng refuses to intervene immediately. 8

Basic Medicine

Yan Lao Wu possesses and knows how to use wound medicine, including snake medicine. 40

• Cleans, trims, medicates, and bandages the White Fox’s festering wounds. 40
• Gives Zi Bofeng snake medicine and explains its use. 40

Equipment / Items

• Horsewhip — used for family discipline. 8
• Pipe — frequently carried and used. 13
• Mountain gear — prepared for trips into the mountains. 40
• Medicinal powder and snake medicine — used to treat injuries and bites. 40
• Hidden jade chest — clan reserve concealed beneath the Ancestral Hall; Yan Lao Wu serves as its keeper. 46

Relationships

• Zi Bofeng — Initially regards him as a threat to his village authority; later becomes a trusted ally, supports his leadership, and entrusts him with the Yan clan’s jade reserve. 7 19 45 46
• Yan Er — Son; Yan Er looks to him for direction during the family-discipline incident and shares his serious demeanor. 8 47
• Yan Xiaoliu — Grandson; becomes one of Zi Bofeng’s students and passes the academy examination. 26 47
• Si Gou — Younger clansman whom Yan Lao Wu disciplines; later directs him to punish a villager spreading ungrateful rumors about Zi Bofeng. 17 45
• Lao Si — Yan clansman of a younger generation and a Meng City tax clerk; his arrival with a tax writ alarms Yan Lao Wu. 13
• White Fox — Treats its wounds at Zi Bofeng’s request, though he cautions Zi Bofeng against associating too closely with such creatures. 40
• Lower Yan Villagers — Longstanding elder and organizer who remains invested in their security, livelihoods, and children’s future. 7 25 27

Story Role / Major Arcs

Conflict with the New Village Head

Upon Zi Bofeng’s return to Lower Yan Village, Yan Lao Wu attempts to reinforce his own prestige by publicly disciplining his descendants. Zi Bofeng’s intervention prevents the display from escalating further, while establishing the tension between the old clan elder and the newly appointed Village Head. 7 8

Tax-Arrears Crisis

When a tax clerk brings a demand for three years of back taxes, Yan Lao Wu initially avoids the problem by feigning drunkenness and leaving Zi Bofeng to handle it. Guilt and concern later push him to discuss the village’s actual finances with Zi Bofeng, after which he reluctantly stands beside him in refusing to collect from destitute villagers. 13 16 19

Acceptance of Zi Bofeng’s Authority

Yan Lao Wu witnesses the Yan ancestor statue move after Zi Bofeng’s intervention, suspects that Zi Bofeng is connected to the manifestation, and gradually develops deep trust in him. 17 26

Village Protection and Development

He presses Zi Bofeng into teaching the village children, arranges patrols against the mountain creature, escorts academy candidates, assists with plans to restore mountain huts, and supports jade-hunting efforts. 25 27 31 48

Guardian of the Jade Reserve

After publicly defending Zi Bofeng from village rumors, Yan Lao Wu reveals the hidden jade chest beneath the Ancestral Hall. He entrusts its protection to Zi Bofeng, recognizing their shared responsibility for Lower Yan Village’s future. 45 46

Trivia

• Yan Lao Wu knows only a limited number of written characters, yet has memorized passages of the Jade Sutra. 9 46
• He labels snake medicine with a drawing of a snake rather than the written character. 40
• His name is associated with the fifth position in his generation; villagers and relatives address him as Fifth Uncle or Fifth Grandpa. 13 17