Scarlet Cloud County

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Scarlet Cloud County
Original Name	赤霞县
Type	County; includes a county town and surrounding villages 1 79
Region	Qu River region, Cloud Prefecture 95 180 181
Affiliation	Great Zhou Dynasty 81 95
County Commandant	Zhou Lingfeng 79 95
Nearby Landmark	Scarlet Cloud Mountain, directly beside the county 180
First Appearance	Chapter 1, as the location of Lu Family Village 1

Geography and Townscape

• Scale: A small county town, less wealthy and smaller than neighboring Gaolin County 32 79 101.
• Surrounding settlements: Young martial artists travel from nearby villages and towns to take the county’s Martial Examination. Lu Family Village is within the county 1 79.
• Mountain access: A convoy departing the town at dawn travels north and reaches a Scarlet Cloud Mountain herb garden near dusk 26.
• Streets: The town has bluestone paving, roadside willows, and low storefronts. Tang Yuqi considers it rustic compared with prosperous Bend River City 65 79.
• Mountain view: Scarlet Cloud Mountain’s distant, rosy-lit ridges are visible from Fragrance Gathering Tower 79.

Government and Court Institutions

County Government Office

• Location: In the northern part of the county town 95.
• Entrance: Heavy vermilion gates, two stone lions, armed constables, and a black signboard bearing gold characters 95.
• Administration: Clerks handle files, while the registrar records military appointments. Lu Chen signs and fingerprints his Scarlet Valorous Guard registration here 95 98.
• Regional duties: The county supplies reinforcements to neighboring jurisdictions. Lu Chen’s transfer to Gaolin County bears the seals of both the county yamen and the Martial Temple 101.

Great Zhou Arsenal

• Facilities: An underground hall illuminated by wall-mounted pearls, with ironwood bookshelves and racks of weapons, armor, and protective gear 96.
• Collections: Cultivation techniques, fist and palm arts, leg and movement techniques, medicinal formulas, and miscellaneous studies 96.
• Institutional advantage: Its resources surpass those of the county’s martial halls. Lu Chen’s examination victory qualifies him for a Martial Temple legacy, subject to background checks and court service 95 96.
• Notable method: Zhou Lingfeng says that, during his tenure, he has seen no one in Scarlet Cloud County master the Gold-Thread Jade Vestment Technique 96.

Economy and Local Factions

Medicine Trade

• Huang Family: Based in East City; initially operates the county’s largest medicine shop and also trades in rice and meat. Its strength includes a great-completion Blood-Moving Realm martial artist 11.
• Wang Firm: Operates Wang’s Ginseng Shop and transports herbs from its mountain garden into the county town 49 77.
• Examination demand: Preparations sharply increase pill sales. Blood-Qi Powder and Bone-Strengthening Pills sell out daily at Wang’s Ginseng Shop, prompting the firm to hire two additional alchemists 77.
• Later market leadership: By Lu Chen’s return near the New Year, the Wang Firm has become the county’s leading medicine shop through his rise in status 163.
• Regional purchasing: County medicine businesses obtain supplies from Gaolin County, a wealthier medicinal-material distribution center with an annual post-harvest medicine fair 32.

Other Businesses and Households

• Farview Escort Agency: Offers Shi Hao ten taels of silver per month plus Blood-Qi Powder, illustrating the rewards available to promising martial artists 11.
• Han Family: Operates a restaurant but is considered much less influential than the Huang Family 11.
• Chen Family: Owns a small patch of land in southern Green Willow Alley. It sponsors Lu Chen early and later prospers through its connection to the Wang Firm 13 59 163.
• Village farming: Lu Chen’s parents come from generations of farmers in Lu Family Village. Mountain patrol extortion affects village residents, including Lu Shan, who is beaten when he cannot pay 1 11.

Martial Institutions and Standards

Five Major Martial Halls

The county’s five major halls jointly lead a gathering for young martial artists every spring 49.

Martial Hall	Documented Figures and Reputation
Hidden Dragon Martial Hall	Qin Wuhe’s hall; Shi Hao gains fame through the Gathering of Heroes 49 81 92.
Thousand Crane Martial Hall	Fang Henian attracts attention as a peak Blood-Moving Realm examination contender 80.
Mighty Far Hall	Led by Zhao Xuanfeng; secretly trains Li Huchen. Its disciples have a reputation for tyranny and vicious grappling techniques 80 81.
Rock-Solid Martial Hall	Named among the five major halls 49.
Thunderbolt Martial Hall	Named among the five major halls 49.

Local Martial Hierarchy

Cultivation Standing	Position in Scarlet Cloud County
Initial Blood-Moving Realm	Relatively common; wealthy lineages can cultivate household servants to this level for gate and courtyard protection 18.
Blood-Moving Minor Achievement	Commands substantially greater standing and can qualify a fighter as a minor faction leader 18 33.
Blood-Moving Major Mastery / Great Completion	Sufficient to be regarded as a local expert or skilled fighter 13 163.

• Regional comparison: Scarlet Cloud County’s examination champion, Lu Chen, is still in the Blood-Moving Realm when transferred to Gaolin County, whose examination top three are all at least Skin-Tempering Realm 101.
• Limits of local prestige: Bend River City’s young elites operate at a much higher level; news of nineteen-year-old Sinew-Piercing expert Meng Tingxue puts Lu Chen’s county championship into perspective 110.

Notable Locations

Location	Significance
Lu Family Village	Farming village within the county; home of Lu Chen’s parents 1.
Green Willow Alley	Southern neighborhood containing the Chen Family’s remaining property 59.
Wang’s Ginseng Shop	Wang Firm medicine shop, cultivation base for Lu Chen, and a focus of the conflict with the Huang Family 57 65 77.
Little Prosperity Tower	Dining establishment where patrons discuss factional conflict and examination contenders 59 80.
Fragrance Gathering Tower	Renowned restaurant with luxurious top-floor lodging; hosts Tang Yuqi and Qi Mengdie 79.
Eastern Drill Grounds	Site toward which crowds gather for the Martial Examination 81.
Lu Residence	Large town residence purchased for Lu Chen by the Wang Firm after his examination victory 95.

History and Major Events

Wang Firm–Huang Family Conflict

The rivalry becomes a county-wide disturbance after attacks leave the Wang Firm short of alchemists and powerful protection. Qiao Yuan dies from wounds sustained fighting three major-completion Blood-Moving warriors. Wang Shouyi conceals his death and disguises Lu Chen as him to preserve the deterrent of his reputation 57.

The struggle subsequently dominates public discussion. Liu Hui’s corpse is left at the Huang Family’s gate, while conflicting rumors circulate about whether Qiao Yuan is dead. Smaller households, including the Chen Family, are caught in the turmoil 59.

Gathering of Heroes and Martial Examination

At the spring Gathering of Heroes, Shi Hao defeats leading fighters from Thousand Crane Martial Hall and Mighty Far Hall, strengthening Hidden Dragon Martial Hall’s reputation 49 80.

An imperial proclamation announces the Martial Examination, scheduled for June. Training intensifies across the major halls, medicine sales surge, and candidates, merchants, and spectators crowd into town 65 77 79.

The examination begins on the sixth day of the sixth month. Successful candidates can gain official registration, tax exemption, imperial protection, and a route toward higher examinations and military office 81.

Lu Chen defeats and kills Li Huchen in the final, becoming county champion. Influential families immediately approach him with gifts, alliances, and marriage proposals. The published results name him a Martial Scholar, and the Wang Firm rewards him with a residence where his parents settle 92 95.

Court Service and Homecoming

Zhou Lingfeng sponsors Lu Chen’s entry into the Great Zhou Martial Temple. After receiving a cultivation method, Lu Chen is registered as a Scarlet Valorous Guard and subsequently transferred to assist Gaolin County during its cult crisis 95 98 101.

Near the New Year, Lu Chen returns as a celebrated Dragon-Tiger Guard and former examination champion. His reunion with Chen Chong reveals the wider economic effects of his success: the Wang Firm now leads the county’s medicine trade, and the Chen Family has prospered alongside it 163.

Crimson Tide Crisis

Scarlet Cloud County’s position beside Scarlet Cloud Mountain exposes it to the recurring Crimson Tide. The eruption releases valuable cultivation materials but also awakens Demon Wraiths; failure to contain them could devastate the lands within a hundred li. Concern for his parents and acquaintances motivates Lu Chen to return to Qu River and join the defense 180.

When the tide erupts, scarlet clouds and crimson light cover the county and neighboring settlements. The threat escalates into organized wraith attacks and a blood-sacrifice ritual capable of awakening Ghost Kings, endangering nearby towns 181 217.

The crisis ends after the Burial Thunder Ghost King falls. Its Thunder Corpses and Thunder Beasts collapse, the mountain’s clouds disperse, and Qin Yueshan receives confirmation that peace has returned to Scarlet Cloud Mountain 225 226.