White Cloud Daoist

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	White Cloud Daoist (白云道长)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	White Cloud Temple; Peach Haven Village
Occupation/Role	Daoist priest, talisman instructor, and guardian against Third Lady's calamity
Status	Deceased; murdered by Blind Zhao while suppressing Third Lady's soul 29
First Appearance	Chapter 21

Power Progression

Chapter	Advancement / Demonstrated Capability	Details
Chapter 21	Talisman instruction	Demonstrated the lotus hand gesture and two-finger sword seal, identified the Five Thunder Talisman, and imparted his Five Elements theory to Ding Shi. 21
Chapter 25	Life-draining divination	Used the Wordless Heavenly Scripture and six copper coins to determine that the great calamity had formed and was connected to Haitang, at the cost of rapidly aging. 25
Chapter 27	Temple suppression formation	Prepared Third Lady Temple with talismans, scriptures, and a Bagua mirror formation to imprison Third Lady's soul within her statue. 27
Chapter 29	Direct soul suppression	Used hand seals, incantations, talismanic light, and the Wordless Heavenly Scripture to temporarily calm Third Lady's resisting statue before Blind Zhao murdered him. 29

Background / History

White Cloud Daoist was the disciple of the Daoist who originally sealed the black zombie Third Lady, separated her soul from her body, and established the means by which Peach Haven Village could continue its annual sacrifice. After his master's death, White Cloud Daoist remained at White Cloud Temple on Peach Garden Mountain and inherited responsibility for the village's supernatural crisis. He was said to be around seventy years old. 19 27

White Cloud Daoist's master had arrived in Peach Haven Village while searching for his deceased disciple. After suppressing Third Lady and petitioning for her to be recognized as an Earth God, the master established Third Lady Temple and the sacrificial method intended to dissolve her resentment over a century. The severe injury to his primordial spirit during the suppression was also the origin of White Cloud Temple on Peach Garden Mountain. 5

The Wordless Heavenly Scripture was passed from his master to White Cloud Daoist. Blind Zhao's grandfather had served the master as a menial disciple but lacked a spiritual root, becoming the basis for Blind Zhao's belief that the scripture rightfully belonged to the Zhao family. 29

He lived alone in the sparse White Cloud Temple, regularly carrying supplies up the mountain from Peach Haven Village. Despite his age, he could make the demanding trip while bearing heavy loads, leading Ding Shi to conclude that he possessed a lightness skill. 20 21

When Third Lady's statue began shedding tears before the final sacrifice, the village chief sent Ding Shi to fetch him. White Cloud Daoist immediately returned to the village after learning that the ritual had changed. 19 22

Appearance

White Cloud Daoist was a black-bearded elderly Daoist whose initially dark hair and smooth complexion concealed his advanced age. 21 25

• Black beard and sharp, gleaming eyes. 21
• Initially possessed a composed, refined, almost immortal bearing. 21 25
• Rapidly aged after performing divination: his hair turned white, age spots appeared, and his skin became sallow and wrinkled. 25

Personality

White Cloud Daoist was gentle, patient, and exceptionally even-tempered. He spent hours answering Ding Shi's unconventional questions about talismans and the Five Elements without losing his composure. 21 22

He treated Third Lady with formal respect, performing an ancient kowtow salute and asking her to forgive Ding Shi's possible offense when her statue shed tears. 25

He took his duty to Peach Haven Village seriously. Although he warned the villagers to evacuate when he recognized that the calamity had already formed, he agreed to attempt a dangerous suppression ritual rather than abandon the village. 25 27

He was also candid about his limitations. He admitted that he did not know whether he could contain Third Lady's soul and declined to promise safety from the evil ghost if its killing taboos were violated. 28

Abilities & Skills

Talisman Crafting and Five Elements Theory

White Cloud Daoist could identify, explain, and teach the construction of talismans based on the generating cycle of the Five Elements. 21

• Taught Ding Shi the opening lotus hand gesture and two-finger sword seal used for talismans and incantations. 21
• Identified Blind Zhao's inherited diagram as a Five Thunder Talisman. 21
• Explained that the talisman could take metal, wood, water, fire, or earth as its primary element. 21
• Emphasized that a talisman's effectiveness depended on the maker's understanding of the Five Elements, not merely copying its strokes. 21
• Recommended cinnabar and yellow paper for practitioners with limited understanding of talisman materials. 21

Divine Incantations

White Cloud Daoist knew the Eight Great Divine Incantations and taught Ding Shi the principles for studying them. 27

• Demonstrated the Clean Mouth Divine Incantation while writing scripture in Third Lady Temple. 27
• Described the Heaven-and-Earth Purification Divine Incantation as the strongest of the Eight Great Divine Incantations. 27
• Recommended the Golden Light Divine Incantation to Ding Shi, stating that its strength depended on the user's comprehension and reflection. 27
• Suggested that deep mastery could lead to insight into Golden Light Divine Thunder. 27

Divination

White Cloud Daoist used the Wordless Heavenly Scripture and six copper coins to divine the cause of Third Lady's tears. 25

• Determined that a great calamity had already taken shape and linked Third Lady's resentment to Haitang. 25
• Paid a severe physical price for peering into heavenly secrets, aging dramatically within moments. 25
• Possessed the knowledge to identify Third Lady's ritual failure as the potential birth of an evil ghost. 24 25
• Deduced that Ghost Third Lady was bound by three killing rules, including a prohibition against making eye contact with her. 30

Ghost Suppression and Formation Setting

White Cloud Daoist specialized in suppressing ghosts and evil influences rather than destroying zombies. 27

• Planned to imprison Third Lady's soul within her wooden statue until the next annual sacrifice. 27
• Drew talismans on Third Lady's statue and wrote scriptures across the walls of Third Lady Temple. 27
• Used a Bagua mirror as the focal point of a formation, allowing force directed at one wall to be distributed across the entire temple. 27
• Used hand seals, incantations, talismanic light, and the Wordless Heavenly Scripture to temporarily quiet the resisting statue. 29
• Admitted uncertainty over whether he could successfully restrain Third Lady's soul. 28
• Was more a theorist than a direct ritual diagnostician, relying on tracing possible causes of failure rather than being able to determine with certainty whether the sacrifice had succeeded. 24

Lightness Skill

White Cloud Daoist could travel swiftly across Peach Garden Mountain with unusually light steps. 21 22

• Descended the mountain path so lightly that he soon vanished into the darkness. 22
• Leapt onto Third Lady Temple's altar table during the suppression attempt. 29

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Wordless Heavenly Scripture — A unique bamboo scroll used for divination and suppressing Third Lady's soul. Blind Zhao stole it after White Cloud Daoist's murder, but Ding Shi recovered it during his pursuit of Blind Zhao. 25 29 30
  • Ding Shi later found the scripture unreadable due to insufficient Wisdom, though it subsequently manifested a bamboo slip ability called Nothing Can Hide. 65 141
• Six copper coins — Used alongside the Wordless Heavenly Scripture for divination. 25
• Bagua mirror — Used as the focal point of his suppression formation in Third Lady Temple. 27
• Cinnabar and brush — Used to draw talismans and write divine scriptures. 27

Relationships

• Ding Shi — Brief teacher and student relationship. White Cloud Daoist taught Ding Shi hand seals, Five Thunder Talisman theory, and the basics of divine incantations. After White Cloud Daoist's death, Ding Shi recovered and retained the Wordless Heavenly Scripture. 21 27 30 65
• Third Lady — Guardian and suppressor of her soul; he attempted to preserve the sacrificial ritual and contain her resentment within the temple statue. 24 27 29
• Blind Zhao — Fellow inheritor of knowledge connected to White Cloud Temple, but ultimately his murderer. Blind Zhao killed him to seize the Wordless Heavenly Scripture, believing it had been unjustly withheld from the Zhao family after his grandfather had served White Cloud Daoist's master as a menial disciple. 19 29
• Village Chief — The village chief summoned him from White Cloud Temple when Third Lady's tears threatened the sacrifice. 19 24
• Unnamed Master — His deceased master sealed Third Lady's zombie body, separated her soul, established the village's sacrificial method, and passed the Wordless Heavenly Scripture to White Cloud Daoist. 5 19 27 29

Story Role / Major Arcs

Invitation from White Cloud Temple

Ding Shi reaches White Cloud Temple after being sent to summon White Cloud Daoist over Third Lady's tears. The Daoist initially refuses to accept Ding Shi as a disciple but teaches him talisman hand seals and Five Thunder Talisman theory. 19 21

Third Lady's Ritual Crisis

After returning to Peach Haven Village, White Cloud Daoist explains that Third Lady's tears signify overwhelming resentment and that a failed sacrifice could release an evil ghost. He performs life-draining divination and identifies Haitang as connected to the developing calamity. 24 25

Suppression Attempt and Death

White Cloud Daoist prepares Third Lady Temple as a sealing formation, covering its walls with scriptures and attempting to bind Third Lady's soul within her wooden statue. While he is briefly successful in calming the statue, Blind Zhao stabs him through the heart and steals the Wordless Heavenly Scripture, causing the situation to spiral out of control. 27 29 30

Posthumous Legacy

Ding Shi later recovers the Wordless Heavenly Scripture from Blind Zhao. Although he initially cannot read it because of insufficient Wisdom, the unique scripture remains a valuable legacy of White Cloud Daoist and later provides Ding Shi with the Nothing Can Hide bamboo-slip ability. 30 65 141

Notable Quotes

“Read it, then memorize it. Memorize it, then comprehend it. Comprehend it, then reflect on it. Only after reflection can you use it.” 27

“Peering into the secrets of heaven naturally comes at a price.” 25

“The great calamity has already taken shape.” 25

“Isn't the Wordless Heavenly Scripture supposed to be wordless?” 29