Longcloud County

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Longcloud County
Original Name	长云县
Type	County and lakeside county seat
Location	Cangzhou, Qi Kingdom; described as being under Nanxiang Commandery and within the South Township region 1 183
Affiliation	Qi Kingdom
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Geography & Districts

Longcloud County is built beside Cloudwater Lake, and its inhabitants have traditionally depended on fishing for their livelihoods 1. Tributaries of the lake feed canals running through both the inner and outer cities; bridges, waterways, and frequent boat traffic once made the county notably scenic 3.

Location	Description
Inner City	Protected by lofty blue-brick walls and open gates. It contains major family estates, martial halls, markets, and commercial businesses. 9 39
Outer City	Poorer and more dangerous than the inner city, with districts divided sharply by wealth and status. 3 22
Xuanhua Ward	An outer-city slum of crowded mud-and-thatch shacks and foul, narrow alleys; gang violence occurs openly there. 14
Little Mirror Bay	An impoverished outer-city settlement. 14
West Market Wharf	A lakeside departure point for ships traveling through Cloudwater Lake. 57
Fish Market	A major commercial hub, especially busy during the peak fishing season. 183
Cloud Ripple Island	A small Ji Family-held island in Cloudwater Lake, reached from the county by supply ship and formerly guarded by patrol envoys. 57 59
Eastern Yi Island	A large, fortified island in the lake, once occupied by Sunken Sword Dock. 95 266

Cloudwater Lake is a vast marshland lake with deep-water merchant routes, shallows crowded by fishing craft, and waterways extending toward the territories of Qi, Wu, and Yue 57 59.

Society

The county's inner and outer cities are separated by severe inequality. Inner-city youths train in brocade clothing and form exclusive social circles, while outer-city disciples often wear patched garments and train quietly at the margins 22.

Fishing remains central to daily life. Fishermen work from skiffs, bamboo rafts, and black-canopied boats, while the fish market sells the lake's catch of fish, shrimp, clams, and other produce 57 183.

• Housing prices rise sharply closer to the wealthy northern districts. 40
• The county supports numerous martial halls, though only a small number possess genuine foundations or Dark Force experts. 65
• By August, the county is regarded as one of South Township Prefecture's most prosperous major counties. 183

Political & Martial Powers

Five Great Families

Longcloud County's principal local powers are traditionally known as the Five Great Families: the White, Ji, Luo, Han, and Wang Families 23 39.

Family	Position in Longcloud County
White Family	A dominant inner-city house with businesses across the county. Its head holds the County Commandant post, while Bai Qingcang is a longstanding Transformative Force expert. 21 39
Ji Family	Controls the Ji Clan Commerce Guild, whose waterway trade extends across Cangzhou. It maintains Cloud Ripple Island and deploys patrol envoys to protect its personnel, cargo, and routes. 39 44 64
Luo Family	The county magistrate's family. Luo Changming is both its patriarch and a Transformative Force martial artist. 39 60
Han Family	A Longcloud branch of the prominent Han Clan of Xinyi Prefecture. 39 266
Wang Family	A low-profile but heavily protected family tied to Eastern Suppression General Wang Zhifan. Its businesses include the Eastern Guard Martial Hall, Eastern Guard Escort Agency, arms shop, restaurant, and apothecary. 39

The county's balance of power is shaped by martial strength: at one point, only the Wang, Bai, and Luo Families are identified as having Transformative Force experts capable of decisively suppressing Plum Academy 65.

Martial Halls and Armed Groups

Faction	Role in the County
Through-the-Back Martial Hall	A major martial hall led by Yan Xiao. It operates gambling dens, a restaurant, and a weapons forge, and its Through-Back Stance originated from the Through-the-Arm Fist. 21 83
Plum Academy	Mei Shuangfeng's martial academy, which became one of the county's foremost martial institutions. Her breakthrough to Force Transformation and killing of Duan Xiao greatly raised its reputation. 179 183
Eastern Guard Martial Hall	A Wang Family-associated martial hall with privileged access to Dragon Cavalry recruitment. 39
Eastern Guard Escort Agency	A Wang Family-associated employer of martial artists seeking cultivation resources. 39
Turbulent Wave Gang	A force that destroyed the Golden Dragon Gang and became a dominant outer-city power. It was covertly connected to the Wang Family's designs against the White Family. 48 55
Golden Dragon Gang	An outer-city gang eliminated by the Turbulent Wave Gang. 55

Major Conflicts

White Family and Through-the-Back Martial Hall

The White Family's conflict with Through-the-Back Martial Hall escalated after the county's Fast Squad sealed the hall's gambling dens in South Market. Disciples from both sides later fought openly in outer-city streets and markets 21 23.

The dispute involved broader political interests: Through-the-Back Martial Hall was connected to the Eastern Guard Martial Hall and, by extension, the Wang Family, while the White Family benefited from its control of the County Commandant's office 21 48.

Child Abductions

Children between five and eight repeatedly disappeared from impoverished districts of Longcloud and Changshui Counties. The Bai clan was identified as the force directing the abductions from behind the scenes 16.

Later evidence revealed a wider arrangement:

• The White Family abducted children and sent victims for refinement into human pills. 146 170
• Luo Changming deliberately ignored the crimes in exchange for promised Furious Sea Sect support against the Ji and Han Families. 152
• Sunken Sword Dock participated in refining the kidnapped children into human elixirs. 146 182
• The White Estate ultimately fell, and its holdings disappeared overnight. 183
• Bai Qingcang's planned Baleful Yin Sect branch hall in Longcloud County failed after the White Family was exterminated. 307

Sunken Sword Dock and Cloud Ripple Island

Cloud Ripple Island was repeatedly targeted by water bandits operating on Cloudwater Lake. Ji Guannan died defending the island during a joint raid by Sunken Sword Dock, the Giant Whale Gang, and Water Dragon Stockade 59.

Sunken Sword Dock later mounted another major siege, prompting County Magistrate Luo Changming and Wang Zhidao to lead county forces against its leader, Duan Xiao 59. The dock eventually collapsed following Duan Xiao's death, after which Eastern Yi Island was abandoned and fell into ruin 180 220 266.

History

Twenty years before the main story, signs of the Fishing Sea Blessed Land appeared near Longcloud and Longwater Counties. A Child of Destiny cultivated beneath Cloudwater Lake and gave Bai Qingcang a cultivation method and a Treasure Fish after their chance meeting 82.

Bai Qingcang later joined Duan Wei, Luo Ao, and others in attacking the Child of Destiny at the lake. The battle killed or wounded nearly all participants, stained the lake's center with blood, and ended with the Child's apparent death; his body was never recovered 82.

In the aftermath, Bai Qingcang plundered the Child's cave dwelling and obtained the Yinkui Benevolent Sacrifice Illusory Demon Scripture. The White Family's later rise was tied to opportunities gained from this incident 83.

Longcloud County later became the focal point of the Dragon Cavalry Martial Banquet, which drew martial artists from local families, halls, and neighboring counties. The event was secretly intended to identify the Destiny Child connected to the Fishing Sea Blessed Land 118 127.

Economy

• Fishing and lake trade — The county's livelihood is rooted in Cloudwater Lake fishing, fish markets, and waterborne commerce. 1 57 183
• Ji Clan trade — The Ji Clan Commerce Guild operates waterway trade throughout Cangzhou. 39
• Martial businesses — Martial halls and families operate gambling dens, restaurants, weapons forges, escort agencies, arms shops, and apothecaries. 21 39
• Commercial traffic — Large merchant ships navigate the deep-water routes of Cloudwater Lake, while smaller craft work the shallows. 57

Trivia

• Longcloud County's local snack includes Grilled Fish Bones. 5
• The county's prosperity and dense martial population made it a natural site for the Dragon Cavalry Martial Banquet. 118
• Despite its importance, Shen Xiuhan ultimately considers Longcloud County too limited in resources and opportunities to support his further growth. 184