Brother Piao

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Brother Piao
Alias(es)	Piao Ge; He Sheng (the name he adopted after becoming clan head) 16
Species/Race	Human cultivator
Gender	Male
Affiliation	He Family; formerly market master of Lower River Market 24
Occupation/Role	He Family clan head; formation master
Status	Deceased; his body was later revived and possessed by the transmigrator He Sheng 1
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Qi Refinement	Prior to Ch. 1	Began cultivating the intermediate Clear Billows Water Origin Art upon entering Qi Refinement.
Foundation Establishment	Prior to Ch. 1	Successfully established his foundation with protection from the Star-Backed Black Turtle against pressure from several Foundation Establishment families. 4
Foundation Establishment Middle Stage	Ch. 1	His realm at death. He had remained blocked at this stage for three years. Later breakthroughs achieved in his body belong to its possessor, He Sheng. 1 5 6

Background / History

Brother Piao was born into the second branch of the He Family’s main line. After becoming clan head, he discarded his generational name and used the single name He Sheng, a choice that emphasized both his status and his claimed connection to a previous life. 16

He possessed dual superior-grade water and earth spiritual roots. His water-root resonance was forty-three, while his earth-root resonance was thirty-eight; these corresponded to the fates [True Water] and [Maiden Earth]. He also bore an unexplained third fate, [Turbid Water]. 57

As a youth, he studied formation arts under Li Daoyun, the former formation master of Lower River Market, alongside his senior brother Wan Chaonian. Brother Piao greatly surpassed Wan in both spiritual-root aptitude and comprehension, though the two still formed a close friendship. 1

With the resources of the He Family behind him, Brother Piao cultivated for nearly thirty years and reached Foundation Establishment Middle Stage. He was notably diligent, meditating with the Clear Billows Water Origin Art for at least five hours daily, but became increasingly unstable after being unable to overcome his middle-stage bottleneck for three years. 2 7

His authority made the He Family dominant across the Silver Sand River region, but his conduct also shaped the clan into a bloodline-obsessed and tyrannical institution. Under his rule, the family monopolized the cooked-spirit-medicine trade and controlled more than half of Lower River Market’s spirit-medicine circulation. 4 14 24

Death and Legacy

Brother Piao traveled to Ten Thousand Stars Mountain to attend Wan Chaonian’s Foundation Establishment celebration. On his return journey, Ye Shaochen ambushed him from dozens of zhang away with a single azure sword light. 1 7 8

Brother Piao reacted with three defenses: the physical Rock Shield, the Water Armor Art, and a second-tier upper-grade Golden Bell Talisman. The sword light weakened after piercing the Rock Shield but bypassed the spiritual-power defenses of the Water Armor and Golden Bell Talisman, shredding his heart meridians and killing him instantly. 8

His corpse fell into the Muddy Dragon River, where it was revived and occupied by the transmigrator He Sheng. Brother Piao’s memories, cultivation, skills, enemies, wealth, and unfinished obligations became the foundation of He Sheng’s new life. 1 2

During He Sheng’s False Core breakthrough, Brother Piao appeared as an inner demon and accused him of stealing his body while neglecting the He Family. He Sheng answered that the family would have perished without him and promised that it would become a Core Formation family; the manifestation then faded in peace. 99

Appearance

Brother Piao’s only direct physical depiction occurs through his inner-demon manifestation during He Sheng’s False Core trial. 99

• Wore a water-blue Dharma robe.
• Had the same face as He Sheng’s possessed body.
• Carried an arrogant, scrutinizing expression.
• Was described as having wild conceit and deeply buried resentment beneath his pride. 99

Personality

Brother Piao was talented, disciplined, and highly ambitious. He devoted years to cultivation and formation study, and his obsessive adherence to routine was notable enough for He Sheng to characterize him as obsessive-compulsive. 2

His confidence hardened into arrogance after becoming the strongest cultivator in the Silver Sand River region. He ruled the He Family harshly, encouraged an atmosphere of inherited privilege, and once attempted to make the Star-Backed Black Turtle return as the family’s clan-guarding spirit beast. 4 14

Despite his domineering reputation, he rejected the Soul Imprint Art when he first encountered it because he considered its connection to the demonic-path Blood Soul Art too wicked. 16

Abilities & Skills

Water-Element Cultivation

Brother Piao cultivated the intermediate Clear Billows Water Origin Art from the beginning of his Qi Refinement career.

• Reached the fifth layer, recorded by the Time-Reversing Water Clock as Perfection after eleven years, seven months, and six days of total cultivation time. 2
• Possessed strong affinity for water-element spells. 2
• His water spiritual root was his strongest aptitude, with a resonance of forty-three. 57

Formation Arts

Brother Piao trained under formation master Li Daoyun and was an accomplished array master.

• Recorded as a First-Rank High-Grade Array Master. 2
• Had accumulated eight years, eleven months, and twenty-two days of recorded formation practice. 2
• Could recognize Li Daoyun’s formation work within Longevity Pool Water Mansion from a glance. 5

Defensive Techniques

Brother Piao had practical combat experience and layered defenses when confronted by Ye Shaochen.

• Water Armor Art — condensed spiritual power into protective pale-blue armor. 8
• Golden Bell Talisman — second-tier upper-grade defensive talisman activated immediately before the fatal strike. 8
• His defenses were ineffective against Ye Shaochen’s sword light because it bypassed spiritual-power constructs, though not physical artifacts. 8

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Rock Shield — top-grade physical defensive artifact; weakened Ye Shaochen’s sword light before being pierced. 8
• Golden Bell Talisman — second-tier upper-grade defensive talisman. 8
• Star Swirl Sand — rare second-grade high-grade spiritual material acquired at Wan Chaonian’s celebration; Brother Piao originally intended it for advancing to Foundation Establishment Late Stage. 5
• He Family secret treasury — held the majority of his accumulated cultivation resources, intended for prototype magic-treasure refinement and Core Formation preparations. 12

Relationships

• He Sheng (transmigrator) — Possessor of Brother Piao’s revived corpse, memories, cultivation, and identity; later confronted Brother Piao’s inner-demon manifestation during his False Core breakthrough. 1 99
• Li Daoyun — Formation-arts mentor and former formation master of Lower River Market. 1 5
• Wan Chaonian — Former fellow student under Li Daoyun and close senior brother; invited Brother Piao to his Foundation Establishment celebration at Ten Thousand Stars Mountain. 1
• Star-Backed Black Turtle — Former protector of the He Family who helped Brother Piao establish his foundation; their relationship deteriorated after Brother Piao tried to make it the He Family’s clan-guarding spirit beast. 4 5
• Ye Shaochen — Mysterious Heaven Sect sword cultivator who killed Brother Piao with one sword strike. 7 8 93
• Lin Wanrou — Lower River Branch chief who selected Brother Piao as the target of a scheme that culminated in the attempt on his life. 20 26
• He Yiyang — Brother Piao’s biological elder brother, elevated to the lucrative role of external procurement manager because of their blood relationship. 13

Notable Quotes

“By what right do you use my body?”

— Brother Piao’s inner-demon manifestation confronting He Sheng 99

“You stole the magpie's nest and occupied my body, took my spiritual root, and seized my cultivation, yet you have utterly ignored my He Family!”

— Brother Piao’s inner-demon manifestation 99