Li Dingfang

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Li Dingfang (黎定方)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Six Gates
Occupation/Role	Green-Clad Officer; constable head; Six Gates commander and mentor to Chen Jing 12 76 102 139 196
Official Rank	Eighth-rank Green-Clad Head Constable 76
Primary Posting	Green Mountain City's Six Gates 43 76
First Appearance	12

Power Progression

Chapter(s)	Development / Demonstration
12–15	Arrives in Shuang'an Town as a Green-Clad Officer leading eight fellow Six Gates constables. He demonstrates exceptional lightness skill during the night raid and personally cuts through multiple bandits before beheading their leader. 12 13 15
76	Receives Yin Zhengping's token and commands Clove-Clad Officers and Blue-Clad Officers in the attempted reinforcement of River Temple Village. 76
108–110	Leads the covert arrest of the traitorous constable chief Xu Anyuan, displays movement speed superior to Shao Yunhe's, breaks a barred door with palm force, and battles Xu Anyuan with his saber. He later confirms that his own movement art is the Star-Chasing Moon-Catching Steps. 108 109 110
131	Is found injured alongside Duan Mu after Yin Zhengping's unsuccessful attempt to infiltrate and assassinate Clear Wind Stronghold's Chief, demonstrating that the campaign's setbacks affected even Green Mountain City's senior Six Gates officers. 131
137–139	Intervenes to prevent Chen Jing from delivering a potentially fatal public blow to Qin Sang, then helps handle Qin's imprisonment and personally shows Chen Jing the office residence assigned with his promotion to Green-Clad Officer. 137 138 139
142	Is identified as a practitioner of the Formation-Breaking Blade, a widely used Six Gates saber art. 142
145	Joins Yin Zijing's expedition against Clear Wind Stronghold, organizes veteran Six Gates personnel for the operation, and voices concerns over committing his men without knowing the full strategy. 145
160–161	Takes on extensive administrative responsibility for the assets, prisoners, weapons, and medicinal materials seized after the Clear Wind Stronghold campaign. He also joins Yin Zhengping in briefing Chen Jing on the plan to publicly arrest Shangchuan Sect Master Luo Congnan and provoke concealed enemies into acting. These duties appear to have reduced the time available for his cultivation. 160 161
167	Is tasked with secretly spreading the claim that Shang Youyan has betrayed Luo Congnan in exchange for a chance at survival, extending the psychological operation against Green Mountain City's concealed collaborators. 167
175–176	Leads the arrests of the four great North City clans and returns with captured bandits and implicated officials as the Clear Wind Stronghold case moves toward trial in Jin City. 175 176
196	Receives the personnel formerly under Chen Jing's command when Chen is transferred to Jin City, reflecting Li's continuing role in managing Green Mountain City's Six Gates manpower. 196

Li Dingfang's exact cultivation realm has not been disclosed.

Personality

Li Dingfang carries the commanding presence of a senior Six Gates officer. When he leads a group of nine officers to Shuang'an Town, even the veteran Wang Chong responds with instinctive obedience to his authority. 12

He is perceptive in judging both martial talent and operational danger. He recognizes that Chen Jing's tournament performance should not be dismissed because of his humble origins, later suspects an insider after hearing that bandits attacked immediately after Chen sent information back, and repeatedly warns Chen to remain cautious. 71 81 132

Li also displays patience and analytical restraint in investigations. After learning that two wanted criminals had specifically targeted Chen in Livestock Lane, he infers that an unseen intermediary may be involved and orders discreet surveillance rather than making unsupported accusations. 43

Li also acts as a practical mentor. He rewards Chen’s accomplishments, personally teaches him a movement technique, advises him on promotions and the handling of seized assets, and supports his advancement within Six Gates. 102 110 132 139 176

Li is disciplined and pragmatic in command. He plans operations from reconnaissance, mobilizes support promptly when Chen Jing sends intelligence, and is willing to challenge Yin Zijing's strategy when he believes his subordinates may be sent into an unwinnable battle. 13 76 145

Though he appreciates Chen's ability, Li remains concerned by the young man's ruthlessness. He directly warns Chen that his killing nature is too heavy after the River Temple Village incident, and later intervenes to stop Chen from potentially killing Qin Sang in public. 81 137

His concern is also part of his reason for recruiting Chen. Li believes that Chen's talent, meticulous thinking, and ruthlessness could make him either a great hero or someone no better than the Clear Wind Stronghold bandits, depending on whether he retains moral restraint. After River Temple Village, Li deliberately leaves him without an immediate assignment so that he can settle his murderous nature. 67 81 82

Li is also frank about setbacks. Rather than concealing the failed attempt on Clear Wind Stronghold's Chief, he informs Chen Jing that the operation failed, that both he and Duan Mu were injured, and that Yin Zhengping had sought reinforcements from Jin City. 131

He takes genuine pride in Chen's advancement rather than resenting it. When Chen is exceptionally promoted to Green-Clad Officer, Li regards the achievement as recognition of Chen's extraordinary progress and, in part, the result of his own efforts to cultivate the young officer. Nevertheless, Chen's defeat of Qin Sang also leaves Li unable to judge the full extent of his former subordinate's strength. 137 138

Abilities & Authority

Martial Arts Instruction

Li Dingfang personally instructs Chen Jing in the Star-Chasing Moon-Catching Steps after Chen is rewarded for helping uncover a Six Gates mole. 110

• Li explains that the art combines footwork with the circulation of True Qi, and that its full power requires opening the appropriate leg meridians. 110
• He personally breaks down its footwork, force-release principles, and qi-circulation method for Chen Jing before demonstrating the completed technique. 110
• During the demonstration, he crosses several zhang with rapid steps, moving quickly enough to leave a blurred shadow in the sunlight. 110
• Chen estimates that, even after reaching the Entering the Hall stage in the technique, his own leaping speed remains below Li Dingfang’s. 112
• Li uses the Star-Chasing Moon-Catching Steps himself, and his movement speed is stated to exceed Shao Yunhe's. 108 110
• Li practices the Formation-Breaking Blade, a Six Gates saber art that Manager Wen recommends Chen Jing consider studying. 142
• Li fights with a standard Six Gates horizontal saber and has demonstrated sufficient palm force to shatter a wooden door bolt. 108 109
• Li’s precise cultivation realm and the full extent of his saber arts remain undisclosed.

Six Gates Command

Li directs operations and manages rewards, ranks, and resources for Six Gates personnel.

• Leads the Shuang'an Town bandit-suppression operation after his men scout the surrounding bandits' positions and numbers. 13
• Promises to report the merits of Wang Chong's militia after the successful night raid. 15
• His early-year bandit-suppression force travels through three counties and two regions, commanding several hundred militia members and village braves. 42
• Identifies the possibility of a hidden organizer behind the attempted murder of Chen Jing and orders covert surveillance of Chen after the attack. 43
• Interrogates Bai Deyuan regarding White Horse Pharmacy's connection to Clear Wind Stronghold. 48
• Orders Bai Deyuan to cooperate with the pharmacy investigation, promises official rewards to Chen Jing and Cheng Qingshi, and warns Chen to report future leads to Six Gates rather than act independently. 48
• Takes Sun Ping into custody after Chen Jing exposes him as a Clear Wind Stronghold spy, then offers Chen a place as a Wind-Catching Scout. 67 70
• Explains the choice between regular constable work and secret-agent service, including the latter's freedom from routine roll calls and its danger of operating alone in enemy territory. 69 70
• Orders Chen Jing to investigate the Sun Ping case in West Mountain and later to intercept the fleeing mole Lu Xiucheng at Turbulent Cloud Ferry. 71 91
• Mobilizes support through Yin Zhengping after receiving Chen's urgent intelligence from River Temple Village. 76
• Sends the order to intercept Lu Xiucheng through a White-Feathered Falcon, requiring Chen to reach Turbulent Cloud Ferry within one day and capture the fugitive alive. 91
• Meets Chen at Green Bamboo Town after the pursuit and receives intelligence about escaped moles and the outflow of military arms. 101
• Leads the covert operation to arrest Xu Anyuan and summons only trusted officers to avoid alerting the enemy. 108
• Works with Duan Mu to investigate the outflow of military equipment and purge a group of armament officials connected to Clear Wind Stronghold's infiltration. 110
• Rewards Chen with a ninth-rank Secret Agent identity, stipend, Qi-Condensing Pill, introductory inner cultivation method, and future access to another martial skill. 102 103
• Receives Chen’s reports concerning attacks and cultivation progress. 106 132
• Directs Chen to continue investigating after Ding Yunzhou's capture exposes the Shangchuan Sect's medicinal-supply connection to Clear Wind Stronghold, assigning him to eliminate the bandit chief at Pine Forest Village. 119
• Supports Chen’s promotion to eighth-rank Green-Clad Officer and briefs him on the rank’s responsibilities and the coming campaign against Clear Wind Stronghold. 139 140
• Explains that a Green-Clad Officer may have four directly subordinate Blue-Clad Constables, each of whom can command nine Clove-Clad Constables. 145
• Helps arrange personnel for Yin Zijing's Clear Wind Stronghold campaign and accompanies the expedition as one of Green Mountain City's Green-Clad Officers. 145
• Oversees the subsequent registration and disposition of seized weapons, medicinal materials, captives, and other campaign assets. 160
• Works with Yin Zhengping to use the public arrest of Shangchuan Sect Master Luo Congnan as a means to draw out concealed enemies and collaborators. 161
• Strengthens Six Gates patrols in and around Green Mountain City, particularly around North City families, following later unrest. 167
• Is ordered to secretly circulate the claim that Shang Youyan named Luo Congnan and will be spared if he exposes every remaining mole, despite Shang having confessed nothing. 167
• Leads men to arrest the four great clans of North City. 175
• Advises Chen to keep a low profile while Jin City inspectors handle the aftermath of the Clear Wind Stronghold case. 132
• Receives Zhao Yi and Chen Jing's other former subordinates after Chen's transfer to Jin City. 196

Li is also one of the very few officials authorized to consult the sealed files of Six Gates secret agents in Green Mountain City. Before Xu Anyuan's exposure, that access is restricted to Yin Zhengping and the city's two Green-Clad Officers, Li and Xu. The restricted access becomes a crucial clue when Chen's secret identity reaches Clear Wind Stronghold. 107

Relationships

• Chen Jing — Superior, recruiter, mission commander, and mentor. Li recognizes Chen’s potential, recruits him as a Wind-Catching Scout, assigns him major investigations, rewards his service, and personally teaches him movement techniques. He is proud of Chen's exceptional promotion, but remains willing to restrain him when his violence could create public or political consequences. After Chen is transferred to Jin City, Chen's former personnel are transferred to Li's command. 67 70 91 102 110 132 137 139 196
• Duan Mu — Six Gates colleague and trusted subordinate who discusses Chen Jing’s abilities and the dangers of underestimating him with Li. Duan Mu previously accompanies Li on the bandit-suppression campaign that reaches Shuang'an Town. The two repeatedly coordinate investigations, reinforcements, arrests, and the post-campaign administration. 42 43 71 76 81 132 160
• Yin Zhengping — Senior Six Gates official. Li attends command meetings with Yin Zhengping and Chen Jing, operates within Yin’s command structure, and is increasingly entrusted with the management duties expected of a successor. The two later cooperate in using Luo Congnan's arrest to draw hidden enemies into the open. Li trusts Yin's loyalty, explaining that the Yin family's interests and fortunes are deeply tied to the imperial court. 76 110 140 160 161 181
• Yin Zijing — Jin City Copper-Badge Constable and inspector who leads the campaign against Clear Wind Stronghold. Li serves alongside him, questions the apparent risks of his initial plan, and later assists with the campaign's aftermath. He also introduces Yin Zijing to Chen and carries out his instructions concerning Qin Sang's imprisonment and the warning to Shangchuan Sect. 138 145 155
• Wang Chong — Shuang'an Town militia leader who defers to Li's authority and agrees to lead militia elites in Li's night raid against the surrounding bandits. 12 13 15
• Bai Deyuan — Bai Family patriarch whom Li interrogates concerning White Horse Pharmacy's suspected connection to Clear Wind Stronghold. Li requires Bai to cooperate with the investigation after Zhou Yunhan's activities threaten to implicate the family. 48
• Cheng Qingshi — Lianshan Martial Arts Hall disciple whom Li praises alongside Chen Jing for disrupting Clear Wind Stronghold's plot, promising both official rewards. 48
• Xu Anyuan — Fellow Green-Clad constable chief revealed to be a Clear Wind Stronghold mole. Li leads the covert operation to arrest him and engages him in a saber duel. 76 108 109
• Cheng Lianshan — Li knows the history of Cheng’s feud with the Shangchuan Sect and uses Cheng’s past as an example when explaining the power of qi-and-blood tempering. 71
• Clear Wind Stronghold — Opposing force whose infiltration of Green Mountain City and Six Gates becomes a central concern in Li’s investigations and planned campaign. Its bandits regard Li and Yin Zhengping as the city's principal Six Gates figures, although they credit Chen Jing with the sudden series of losses inflicted on the stronghold. 81 104 110 140
• Lu Xiucheng — Exposed Six Gates mole and Anti-Theft Bureau chief whose attempted escape prompts Li to assign Chen to an urgent interception at Turbulent Cloud Ferry. 91
• Qin Sang — Shangchuan Sect elder whose defeat by Chen Li witnesses. Li prevents a potentially fatal follow-up attack, rejects Qin's attempt to redirect suspicion onto Chen, and helps escort him into the Imperial Prison. 137 138
• Luo Congnan — Shangchuan Sect Master whom Li and Yin Zhengping designate as the target of a public arrest intended to pressure the Shangchuan Sect and expose hidden accomplices. 161
• Shang Youyan — Captured Clear Wind Stronghold strategist whose refusal to reveal the mole list leads Li and Yin Zhengping to adopt a bluffing strategy. Li is tasked with spreading a false account of Shang's cooperation to unsettle concealed collaborators. 161 167

Story Role / Major Arcs

Arrival in Shuang'an Town

Li Dingfang first appears leading a group of nine Six Gates officers to Shuang'an Town. His authority immediately dominates the local militia, including Wang Chong. 12

After scouting the bandits' three-sided encirclement of the town, Li presents their deployment map and directs a night raid against the bandit leader. During the attack, he cuts through the bandit ranks, kills the leader, and formally recognizes the militia's contribution. 13 15

Duan Mu later recalls that this early-year campaign took Li's group across three counties and two regions, where they commanded several hundred militia members and village braves. Chen Jing's performance in Shuang'an Town leaves a lasting impression on the officers. 42

Early Green Mountain City Investigations

After hearing that Chen Jing killed the wanted Du Hai and Du Shan in Livestock Lane, Li remembers the youth from Shuang'an Town and carefully reviews the case file. He concludes that the criminals' ability to target Chen so precisely suggests the involvement of an insider or intermediary, and he orders Chen watched in secret for further developments. 43

Li later personally interrogates Bai Deyuan over White Horse Pharmacy's connection to Clear Wind Stronghold, demonstrating that the stronghold's influence has become an active concern in Green Mountain City. 48

After Zhou Yunhan's plot is exposed, Li requires Bai to cooperate with the pharmacy investigation. He praises Chen Jing and Cheng Qingshi for thwarting the stronghold's scheme and promises rewards, but also instructs Chen to bring future intelligence to Six Gates instead of acting alone. 48

Recruitment and Advancement of Chen Jing

After Chen exposes Sun Ping as a Clear Wind Stronghold spy, Li takes Sun into custody and offers Chen a position in Six Gates. He warns Chen of the solitary dangers faced by Wind-Catching Scouts before arranging his entry into the organization. 67 70

Li's recruitment offer is also intended to guide Chen's character. He openly acknowledges the youth's intelligence and ruthless methods, arguing that moral restraint will determine whether Chen becomes a hero or falls into the same kind of wrongdoing as the bandits he fights. Li subsequently sends a written summons once approval arrives and explains the different obligations of regular constables and secret agents. 67 69 70

Li later assigns Chen to investigate the Sun Ping case and sends him to intercept Lu Xiucheng after the mole escapes. 71 91 Following Chen’s service, Li oversees rewards that elevate him to ninth-rank Secret Agent, then supports his promotion to eighth-rank Green-Clad Officer. 102 139

When Chen defeats Qin Sang at Lianshan Martial Arts Hall, Li arrives in time to stop Chen from striking again and potentially killing the Shangchuan Sect elder in public. He subsequently helps process Qin's imprisonment and personally introduces Chen to the office residence granted with his new rank. 137 138 139

The victory over Qin Sang, who has opened ten Primary Meridians, astonishes Li and leaves him unable to see through Chen's actual strength. After introducing Yin Zijing, Li witnesses Chen's exceptional promotion with pride rather than jealousy. He then briefs Chen on the need to organize his own subordinates and prepare for the coming campaign. 137 138 140

Clear Wind Stronghold Investigation

Li becomes increasingly alert to Clear Wind Stronghold’s infiltration after Chen reports that bandits attacked shortly after intelligence was sent back. 81 He continues receiving Chen’s reports during the investigation into the attempted attack on Lianshan Martial Arts Hall and prepares Chen for the campaign against the stronghold. 106 140

At River Temple Village, Li orders a search and then examines the concealed chamber beneath the River God Temple, only to find that the bandits have already abandoned it. He reasons that the leak arose during the broader mobilization of support, since the earlier Sun Ping investigation had remained confined to a much smaller circle. He decides to let Chen settle his killing intent while Six Gates pursues its internal investigation. 81 82

After Chen and Li infer that Xu Anyuan is a mole, Li leads a small force of trusted officers to arrest Xu in secret. He subsequently fights Xu during the traitor's capture and helps expose the wider extent of Clear Wind Stronghold's penetration into Six Gates, the yamen, and the government troops. 107 108 109

The inference rests partly on access to Chen's sealed secret-agent records. Li initially prepares to arrest Shao Yunhe, but Chen points out that only Yin Zhengping and the two Green-Clad Officers can consult those files. Li and Chen then report their suspicions concerning Xu Anyuan to Yin Zhengping in the middle of the night. 107

Li and Duan Mu also devote their efforts to tracing the leak of military equipment and purge a group of officials responsible for armaments, though they recognize that this may not have removed every concealed agent. 110

When Chen captures Ding Yunzhou and uncovers Shangchuan Sect's involvement in supplying medicinal herbs to Clear Wind Stronghold, Li sends instructions through the White-Feathered Falcon directing him to continue the investigation and deal with the bandit chief at Pine Forest Village. 119

Before the full campaign begins, Li and Duan Mu are both injured in the failed operation in which Yin Zhengping attempts to infiltrate Clear Wind Stronghold and assassinate its Chief. Li openly informs Chen of the setback and of Yin Zhengping's request for Jin City reinforcements. 131

Clear Wind Stronghold Campaign

Li participates in planning the assault on Clear Wind Stronghold and warns that a direct attack on its fortress-like position could cost Six Gates heavily. 123

When Yin Zijing summons Li and Chen to join the campaign, Li questions the urgency of committing their elite personnel without a clear advantage. Yin Zijing then reveals that he has already deployed eight hundred armored troops to encircle Ox-Crouching Mountain, with Li responsible for organizing the remaining Six Gates manpower. 145

Li's contingent includes Duan Mu and veteran officers who served with him in earlier bandit-suppression campaigns. Although he maintains a respectful tone, he insists that he does not want loyal elites sent to their deaths without understanding the plan. Yin Zijing's revelation that the armored troops have moved in disguised groups surprises both Li and Chen, neither of whom had detected the preparations. 145

Aftermath of the Campaign

After the Clear Wind Stronghold case progresses to Jin City for trial, Li advises Chen on the proper handling of seized assets and shows consideration for the officers under his command. 176 During the aftermath, he appears exhausted by his increased official responsibilities and joins Yin Zhengping and Chen Jing for an urgent meeting at the Chief Command Hall. 160

Li's workload includes coordinating the registration and disposition of weapons, medicinal ingredients, captives, and other assets seized during the campaign. Yin Zhengping appears to be deliberately giving him greater management responsibility as a possible successor. 160

Chen regards Li's administrative burden as a possible reason that his own martial cultivation has overtaken Li's. He distinguishes Li's emerging managerial role from his own desire to advance as a martial expert who solves difficult problems directly. 160

Li and Yin Zhengping later direct Chen Jing to publicly arrest Shangchuan Sect Master Luo Congnan during the sect's Grand Competition. Their plan is intended not only to detain Luo, but also to provoke concealed collaborators and moles into revealing themselves. 161

Shang Youyan's refusal to surrender the mole list makes this deception necessary. Li observes that the North City noble families are quietly watching Six Gates to determine whether their secrets have been exposed. After Luo's arrest, Li explains the Ba Alliance's origins and extensive influence to Chen, then receives Yin Zhengping's order to spread the false claim that Shang betrayed Luo in return for a chance to survive. 161 166 167

As the operation develops, Li leads the arrests of the four great North City clans while Chen handles Song Zhuoqun. Li subsequently returns with captured bandits and implicated officials, and the case involving the seventh-rank Song is sent to Jin City for trial. 175 176

Chen Jing's Transfer to Jin City

When Chen Jing is transferred to Jin City, Yin Zhengping's earlier decision to limit Chen's administrative obligations makes the personnel handover straightforward. Chen transfers Zhao Yi and his other subordinates to Li Dingfang, leaving Li to oversee their continued service in Green Mountain City. 196

Notable Quotes

“Although his background determined that his starting point wasn't high, if you use background to measure a person's strength, you'll suffer a great loss in the end.” 71

“You have outstanding talent, meticulous thoughts, and your hand is ruthless and your heart is black. A person like you, if restrained by righteousness in your heart, would become a great hero of your generation.” 67

“Sometimes there won't be any help at your side. The only one you can rely on will be yourself.” 70

“Those who have come here are the elite and loyal men of our Six Gates; I do not wish to see them act like moths flying into a flame or a mantis trying to stop a chariot.” 145

Trivia

• Li’s aura is strong enough that Wang Chong—an experienced former border-army soldier and militia leader—instinctively defers to him. 12
• When first meeting Cheng Lianshan, Chen judges Cheng's presence to be no less commanding than Li's, but describes Li's bearing as sharper and colder compared with Cheng's steady weight. 27
• Chen Jing later believes he may have a meaningful chance against Li, but explicitly allows that Li may have hidden strength during his prior battle with Xu Anyuan. 112
• Li's handwriting is described as thin, hard, and powerful. 69
• Li intends to frame the warning letter to Shangchuan Sect as a notice that Qin Sang has been invited to Six Gates “for tea,” leaving the sect to speculate about the authorities' next move. 140

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