Yan Ruyu

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Yan Ruyu (颜如玉)
Alias(es)	Little Medical Immortal; Sister Xiaoyu
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Benevolent World Hall; Yan Family
Occupation/Role	Fifth-realm medical cultivator; physician and secret-medicine refiner
Status	Alive
First Appearance	11

Background / History

Yan Ruyu belongs to the Yan Family, a prosperous medical lineage that owns Benevolent World Hall, one of Shen City's four established medicine shops. She lives at the Yan Family Mansion in the Upper District, a three-story Chinese-style residence. Her grandfather is a renowned physician of the previous dynasty, and the family’s medical tradition spans three generations. 13 16 30

She inherited her grandfather’s teachings, studied both traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and became a fifth-realm medical cultivator known as the Little Medical Immortal. She believes Benevolent World Hall’s true foundation is medical expertise rather than its shareholders or commercial assets. 11 17 31

Her ability and prominence make her a target within the Yan Family’s inheritance struggle. Several relatives fear that her grandfather may eventually transfer his shares in Benevolent World Hall to her, and they exploit her assistance to Jiang Wangzu as a pretext to undermine her. 14 30

Yan Ruyu has known Han Qiao since childhood. She initially seeks to introduce Jiang Wangzu to Han Qiao, hoping his abundant yang energy can help treat Han Qiao’s Three Yin Severed Pulse condition. 15 16 24

Appearance

Yan Ruyu is a dignified, pretty young woman with snow-white skin, a scholarly demeanor, and a faint medicinal fragrance.

• Wears modern-style attire, including a pale-blue short jacket and dark long skirt. 11
• Has two glossy braided pigtails. 11 48
• Her red lips and melodious voice are noted during her consultations. 11
• Her appearance is described as less voluptuous than Xu Zhenzhen’s and less bewitching than Ru Meng’s, but distinguished by a unique scholarly air. 11

Personality

Yan Ruyu is lively and teasing in casual conversation, once attempting to arrange a marriage introduction for Jiang Wangzu and later inviting him to call her “Sister Xiaoyu.” 11 17 When working, however, she becomes intensely serious, methodical, and professional—especially when compounding dangerous secret medicines. 12

She is compassionate but not naïve. Yan Ruyu repeatedly warns Jiang Wangzu about the risks of excessive medicinal use, urges him to cultivate patiently, and remains concerned about his safety and moral direction. 12 34 48

Although ordinarily gentle, she is forceful when challenged. During the dispute with Yan Zhengli and Yan Rulan, she openly dismisses her relatives’ shortsightedness and refuses to be intimidated by family pressure. 31 33

Abilities & Skills

Fifth-Realm Medical Cultivation

Yan Ruyu is a fifth-realm medical cultivator, a famous physician, with expertise sufficient to establish her reputation throughout Shen City. 17 31

• Combines traditional Chinese medicine with Western medical arts. 11 31
• Can diagnose a patient’s physical condition through pulse examination and acupuncture. 11 13
• Uses medicine and poison as related disciplines; as a healer, she is also capable of defending herself lethally if necessary. 13
• Treated Yan Rulan’s severe facial injuries without leaving scars, reduced swelling and pain, stopped bleeding, and reset her teeth. 31

Secret-Medicine Refinement

Yan Ruyu compounds and enhances medicinal formulas for martial cultivation.

• Evaluated the Black Tiger Powder formula as bold, innovative, and without flaws. 11
• Prepared Black Tiger Powder for Jiang Wangzu despite the financial loss involved in offering it at cost. 12 14
• Monitored Jiang Wangzu’s exceptional absorption of Black Tiger Powder and recognized his unusual compatibility with secret medicines. 13 24
• Assessed the Mysterious Altar Nine-Turn Secret Medicine formula but noted the rarity and expense of its ingredients. 33 34
• Enhanced Jiang Wangzu’s Mysterious Altar Nine-Turn Secret Medicine with an Exotic Beast Black Tiger hind-leg bone. 39
• Prepared Dragon Tiger Golden Body Paste and Dragon Tiger Medicinal Bath Powder with Jiang Wangzu’s assistance. 48

Five Animal Frolics

Yan Ruyu practices Five Animal Frolics as supplementary martial training while following medical cultivation as her primary path. 11

• Her probing hand strike was fast enough to surprise Jiang Wangzu. 11
• She considers the art primarily a means of cultivating body and mind, strengthening the body, and preserving health. 11

Relationships

• Jiang Wangzu — Friend, patient, and increasingly close companion. She refines his cultivation medicines, introduces him to Chen Liujia and Han Qiao, defends him against her relatives, and develops romantic reluctance about pairing him with Han Qiao. 11 15 16 31 34 48
• Han Qiao — Childhood friend. Yan Ruyu originally tries to arrange a match between Han Qiao and Jiang Wangzu to address Han Qiao’s Three Yin Severed Pulse. 15 16 24
• Chen Liujia — Longstanding connection through her grandfather; she brings Jiang Wangzu to meet him and trusts his standing as a martial authority. 15 16
• Yan Rulan — Younger cousin. Yan Ruyu treats Rulan’s injuries after Jiang Wangzu strikes her, but does not excuse Rulan’s conduct. 30 31
• Yan Zhengli — Third uncle. Their relationship deteriorates openly when he confronts Jiang Wangzu and attempts to use family status to pressure her. 31 33
• Steward Sun (Sun Desheng) — Benevolent World Hall steward who becomes personally loyal to Yan Ruyu after witnessing her confidence and authority. 30 31

Story Role / Major Arcs

Black Tiger Powder

Jiang Wangzu first visits Yan Ruyu at Benevolent World Hall to commission Black Tiger Powder. After testing his martial ability and reviewing the formula, she agrees to make it while cautioning him that it is an exceptionally potent medicine. 11 12

She monitors his use of the medicine and is astonished when he completely absorbs a dose in under two hours. She recognizes that his constitution may allow daily consumption that would poison ordinary martial artists. 13

Connection to Chen Liujia and Han Qiao

To help Jiang Wangzu obtain resources and opportunities, Yan Ruyu brings him to Chen Liujia’s residence. She reveals Chen Liujia’s identity as the former dynasty’s strongest martial zhuangyuan and explains that Han Qiao is his sole true disciple. 15 16

She also teaches Jiang Wangzu that both martial cultivation and medical cultivation are complete Nine-Rank Paths to Divinity, expanding his understanding of the world’s cultivation system. 16 17

Yan Family Conflict

Yan Ruyu’s relatives attempt to use her low-profit support of Jiang Wangzu as evidence against her. Yan Rulan is sent to provoke Jiang Wangzu at Benevolent World Hall, resulting in a confrontation. 30

Yan Ruyu publicly supports Jiang Wangzu, asserts that her medical ability is no weaker than her grandfather’s, and treats Yan Rulan’s injuries despite the family conflict. She later prevents Jiang Wangzu from killing Yan Zhengli, allowing the incident to end as a warning instead. 31 32 33

Deepening Bond with Jiang Wangzu

Yan Ruyu’s professional concern gradually becomes personal attachment. She worries over Jiang Wangzu’s desperation to gain strength, comforts him when he fears the Water Ghoul, and privately admits reluctance to let him be with Han Qiao. 13 24 34

After helping him refine stronger medicines, she shares breakfast with him and discusses East-West cultural differences. Later, she approves when she learns his dance-hall work avoids the Canal Gang’s most harmful businesses. 40 48

Trivia

• Yan Ruyu likes osmanthus cakes from Liu’s Shop in Shen City’s south. 13 30
• She studied abroad on the Western Continent. 17
• She prefers songs to the atmosphere of dance halls and declines Jiang Wangzu’s invitation to Never-Night City Dance Hall. 48
• Her medical reputation is strong enough that Steward Sun considers her the Yan Family’s only truly worthy successor. 31