Blind Zhao

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Blind Zhao (赵瞎子)
Species/Race	Human; later a lowest-level purple zombie
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Peach Haven Village
Occupation/Role	Funeral-rite practitioner and keeper of local ghost lore
Status	Deceased; killed by Ding Shi after becoming a zombie 33
First Appearance	Peach Haven Village (9) 11

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Lowest-level purple zombie	30	Zombie Third Lady bites his neck while he is fleeing with the Wordless Heavenly Scripture; he revives as a purple zombie and attacks Ding Shi. 30

Appearance

Blind Zhao is a man in his fifties who lives alone on the remote eastern side of Peach Haven Village. Despite his name, he is not actually blind; he is known for wearing sunglasses. 11

• Lives more than 300 meters from his nearest neighbor. 11
• Carries an old-fashioned canvas schoolbag while performing rites. 11
• Wears a cassock and Daoist cap during Grandma Wang's funeral rites. 16
• Is left bruised, bloodied, and eventually stripped naked while testing Ghost Granny's obsession. 14 15

Personality

Blind Zhao is secretive, opportunistic, and deeply distrustful of the villagers. He withholds crucial details about Third Lady's coffin, the talisman hand seal, and the risks attached to the “treasure” within, repeatedly bargaining with Ding Shi instead of sharing information outright. 14 15 18 19

His desire for karmic merit initially appears to motivate his efforts to resolve Grandma Wang's obsession. He believes that earning yin virtue may save him from rebirth as an animal, having supposedly revealed heavenly secrets in his youth and been left without descendants. 13 16

His later actions reveal a stronger motive: resentment over the villagers' failure to save his grandfather, who was beaten to death while protecting the secret of White Cloud Temple. He exploits the crisis surrounding Third Lady to pursue revenge and reclaim what he considers the Zhao family's inheritance. 29 41

Background

Blind Zhao retains a decades-old grudge against the Wang Family and initially refuses to assist with Grandma Wang's funeral. He ultimately agrees after Ding Shi relays the village chief's offer to arrange minimum living assistance for him. 11

His family possessed a feng shui book given to his father by the master who sealed Third Lady in thanks for the family's help constructing White Cloud Temple. The book's final page contained a talisman diagram; to avoid persecution after someone reported the family for promoting superstition, his father destroyed the book publicly while secretly preserving that page. 15

Blind Zhao's grandfather had served Master White Cloud as a menial disciple but lacked a spiritual root. The Wordless Heavenly Scripture was passed instead to White Cloud Daoist, a perceived injustice that later fuels Blind Zhao's claim that the scripture belongs to the Zhao family. 29

Abilities & Skills

Ghost Lore and Funeral Rites

Blind Zhao can interpret supernatural signs, identify lingering obsessions, and conduct rites for the dead.

• Correctly determines from the incense pattern that Grandma Wang's spirit retains an unresolved obsession. 11
• Explains that unresolved obsessions become more dangerous with each passing day and directs Zhao Liu to keep vigil. 11
• Warns Ding Shi that Ghost Granny may seek victims after eleven at night; living people knock three times, while ghosts knock four times. 12
• Conducts Grandma Wang's funeral rites after her obsession is resolved. 16
• Explains yin virtue as the merit gained by fulfilling a ghost's obsession and returning its soul to the underworld. 16

Ghost Investigation

Blind Zhao uses direct observation and bait to identify a ghost's obsession.

• Follows Ghost Granny at night while carrying objects that may be connected to her desire. 14
• Uses a brass bell to redirect Ghost Granny when she attacks. 14 15
• Determines that Ghost Granny seeks Thousand-Layer Sole insoles after she reacts to his shoes. 15
• Is physically unable to contend with Ghost Granny directly and is severely injured during the investigation. 13 14 15

Talisman Research

Blind Zhao has spent over twenty years studying an inherited talisman diagram but cannot complete it.

• Identifies part of the Five Thunder Talisman's pattern and reproduces half of it for Ding Shi. 19
• Cannot draw the talisman in one continuous stroke or activate it, as he does not know the required hand seal. 19
• Gives Ding Shi the inherited talisman paper, but conceals the fact that it requires a hand seal until later. 14 19
• Attempts to offer Ding Shi a fake Breath-Concealing Talisman before instead using information about Third Lady to secure his aid. 14

Knowledge of Third Lady and Evil Ghosts

Blind Zhao possesses inherited knowledge of Third Lady's century-long suppression ritual and the threats released by its failure.

• Warns that Third Lady shedding tears requires White Cloud Daoist's immediate attention, or the village will face irreparable ruin. 19
• Explains that a failed ritual will release an evil ghost capable of moving through houses and regaining physical form to kill. 26
• Knows one of Evil Ghost Third Lady's three killing conditions: making eye contact. 26
• Understands that zombies track prey through breathing and warns Ding Shi accordingly. 16 28
• Knows that Third Lady's true body is held in a coffin at White Cloud Temple, but deliberately exploits and obscures this knowledge while luring Ding Shi into the matter. 14 41

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Brass Bells — Family heirlooms that attract nearby ghosts when rung; their effective audible radius is approximately 15 meters, subject to noise and terrain. Blind Zhao gives one of the two bells to Ding Shi. 16
• Inherited talisman diagram — The preserved final page of his family's feng shui book, containing an incomplete Five Thunder Talisman method. 15 19
• Canvas bag — Used to carry his ritual items. 11
• Wordless Heavenly Scripture — Bamboo scroll stolen from White Cloud Daoist; Blind Zhao claims it was originally the Zhao family's property. Ding Shi recovers it after Blind Zhao's transformation. 29 30

Relationships

• Ding Shi — An uneasy ally whom Blind Zhao recruits to investigate Ghost Granny. He rewards Ding Shi with information and a brass bell, but repeatedly deceives him about Third Lady's coffin and talismans. 14 16 18 19
• Grandma Wang / Ghost Granny — Blind Zhao investigates her lingering obsession, identifies her need for Thousand-Layer Sole insoles, and performs rites after her soul departs. 11 15 16
• White Cloud Daoist — A hereditary rival tied to the Wordless Heavenly Scripture. Blind Zhao murders him and steals the scripture. 29
• Zombie Third Lady — Blind Zhao's scheme contributes to her release; she bites him while he flees, transforming him into a purple zombie. 29 30
• Wang Family — He retains resentment over an incident thirty years earlier and initially refuses to help with Grandma Wang's funeral. 11
• Peach Haven Villagers — He holds them responsible for standing by while his grandfather was beaten to death protecting White Cloud Temple's secret. 29

Story Role / Major Arcs

Grandma Wang's Funeral

Blind Zhao is brought in to address Grandma Wang's unresolved obsession. His interpretation of the incense and warnings to Zhao Liu establish the supernatural danger threatening the Wang Family. 11

He and Ding Shi investigate Ghost Granny's movements, narrowly survive her attacks, and identify the missing Thousand-Layer Sole insoles as the source of her obsession. Ghost Granny's soul later disperses into Blind Zhao's body as yin virtue. 14 15 16

Third Lady's Ritual

Blind Zhao draws Ding Shi into the mystery of Third Lady by offering information about a treasure beneath her coffin lid. He withholds key facts, including the coffin's sealing talismans and the hand seal needed for the inherited talisman diagram. 14 18 19 23

After Ding Shi reports seeing Third Lady cry, Blind Zhao realizes the century-long ritual may have been sabotaged and helps direct the village toward White Cloud Daoist. 18 19

Betrayal and Death

During White Cloud Daoist's attempt to suppress Third Lady, Blind Zhao murders him from behind and steals the Wordless Heavenly Scripture. He admits to manipulating Ding Shi into opening Third Lady's coffin and frames the act as revenge for his grandfather. 29

While escaping with the scripture, Blind Zhao is bitten by Zombie Third Lady and becomes a lowest-level purple zombie. Ding Shi later kills him during the village's collapse. 30 33

Notable Quotes

“When I was young, I revealed heavenly secrets, leaving me without descendants for life. I hope to earn some karmic merit, so I won't be reborn as an animal after I die.” 13

“The Wordless Heavenly Scripture belonged to the Zhao Family in the first place.” 29

“So what? My grandfather was beaten to death, yet he would rather die than reveal the location of White Cloud Temple. The villagers stood nearby and watched coldly.” 29