Ji Family

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Ji Family (纪家)
Alias(es)	Ji Clan; Ji Clan Commerce Guild
Affiliation	One of Longcloud County's Five Great Families
Occupation/Role	Merchant family operating fleets, waterway trade, medicine pavilions, and a martial establishment
Status	Active
First Appearance	39

Background / History

The Ji Family has maintained its position in Longcloud County for over a century. Its commerce guild operates waterway trade across Cangzhou, with connections reportedly extending through every prefecture and county; this trade made the family exceptionally wealthy. 39 44

The family maintains merchant fleets that travel between prefectures and uses Cloud Ripple Island, a waterway chokepoint on Cloudwater Lake, to protect its shipping from water bandits. Patrol envoys and guards are permanently stationed there; the island had twenty-five personnel when Shen Xiuhan arrived. 43 58

The death of Ji Guannan, a direct-line prodigy, during a siege by Sunken Sword Dock created a lasting blood feud. The family subsequently recruited stronger patrol envoys for Cloud Ripple Island and offered selected martial artists access to its Library Pavilion as an incentive. 44 58 72

Ji Guannan was Ji Shuying's eldest son and had been regarded as the family's future patriarch. His death occurred during a joint attack by Sunken Sword Dock, the Giant Whale Gang, and Water Dragon Stockade. Later revelations connected his death to the White Family's use of human medicinal ingredients: Bai Fufeng stated that the White Family ancestor had consumed him, while Blood Ascetic described him as having been refined into a Blood Pill. 59 94 107 220

The family protected Shen Xiuhan after he killed Qu Bushi of Sunken Sword Dock, accepted the bandit's head rather than allowing it to go to the county yamen, and arranged for Ji Wen to erase evidence at the killing site. Ji Shuying rewarded Shen with silver and Jadeblood Pills, strengthening his connection to the family. 72 73 74

After the defense of Cloud Ripple Island, the Ji Family continued rewarding Shen Xiuhan with cultivation resources, the Flowing Cloud Sword manual, the treasured sword Cold Vault, and financial support. Before his departure for the prefectural city, Ji Shuying gave him one hundred taels and a token permitting him to draw funds from Ji Family trading houses there if needed. 110 112 118 184 220

Despite its wealth, the family lacked a Transformation Force expert of its own during these conflicts, leaving it dependent on retainers and outside patrons. Luo Changming coveted its merchant houses and fleets and attempted to kill Ji Ning during the turmoil surrounding the White Estate. Shen Xiuhan's intervention saved Ji Ning, further deepening the family's gratitude toward him. 108 170 177 184

Its association with Shen later became a source of protection for its businesses in South Township Prefecture. After He Tunan turned against the family, Ji Shuying committed to sending one hundred taels monthly to the Star-Picking Sect as an offering to Shen, using his standing as a true disciple to deter those targeting Ji Family commerce. 210 211 220

The family also assisted Shen Xiuhan's household. When Shen returned to Longcloud County, Madam Zheng had adapted to improved living conditions with help from Mei Shuangfeng and the Ji Family and had hired assistance for the family restaurant. 347

By the time Shen Xiuhan returned to Longcloud County, Ji Shuying had taken up permanent residence in the prefectural city, while Ji Zhong handled county affairs. Recognizing Shen's growing influence, Ji Zhong sent Ji Ning to the Shen Residence with two hundred taels and sought Shen's assistance in helping Ji Ning enter one of the Four Great Sects. 352

After Shen became chief disciple of the Star-Picking Sect, Ji Shuying sent Ji Yao to congratulate him. The family also acted as an intermediary for Duan Muqing, conveying a sealed letter from Nanhua County concerning her elder sister's case and sheltering her at a newly opened Ji Family shop. Shen instructed the family to protect the letter's bearer while the sect investigated. 369

Organization

Leadership and Household

• Ji Shuying — Family Head. She oversees the family's rewards, strategic decisions, martial resources, and business interests; she later resides permanently in the prefectural city. She is the mother of Ji Guannan, Ji Xue, and Ji Yao. 74 110 220 352 234 369
• Ji Zhong — Steward with unusually high standing and unrestricted access to the family library; father of Ji Ning. He later manages the family's Longcloud County affairs. His loyalty, including placing his own son in the dangerous Cloud Ripple Island post, helped explain the family's trust in him and its granting of the Ji surname. 49 58 352
• Ji Wen — Ji Shuying's brother, Ji Yao's uncle, Martial Hall master, and later described as the family's second-ranking figure. He secretly protected the Five-Element Qi Refining Pill operation and was later killed while escorting a caravan. At the time of the pill operation, he had reached minor completion in Hidden Force and was the only Hidden Force practitioner of the Ji bloodline apart from the family head; by his death, he was described as a middle-stage Dark Force practitioner. 65 231 235
• Ji Guannan — Ji Shuying's eldest son, a direct-line prodigy, and the intended future patriarch. He died defending Cloud Ripple Island, and his loss remained a central grievance against Sunken Sword Dock. 58 59 107 220
• Ji Ning — Ji Zhong's son and garrison commander of Cloud Ripple Island. He later intends to pursue cultivation at one of the Four Great Sects and seeks Shen Xiuhan's support in doing so. He became a young Hidden Force practitioner capable of unleashing Sword Aura and placed among the Dark Force top three at the Dragon Cavalry Martial Banquet. 58 220 352 106 110 131
• Ji Xue — Second Miss; studies at Limitless Academy and later manages efforts to preserve the family's prefectural-city businesses. She opened her Blood Gate and entered Bright Force by the time Ji Ning wrote to Shen Xiuhan after his departure. 65 211 195
• Ji Yao — Third Miss; Ji Xue's younger sister and Ji Wen's niece. She also studies at Limitless Academy and later serves as a messenger between the family and Shen Xiuhan, both during the caravan crisis and after his promotion to chief disciple. 69 231 64 66 230 369
• Ji Yuande — A collateral relative who served as a patrol envoy before suffering a permanently crippling spinal injury. 92 102 113

Commerce and Defenses

• Ji Clan Commerce Guild — The family's central trading concern, with fleets active throughout Cangzhou. 39 43
• Farfortune Fleet — A Ji Family fleet that offers assistant-steward positions. 43
• Cloud Ripple Island garrison — Patrol envoys and guards assigned to protect the family's commercial water route from Sunken Sword Dock and other threats. When Shen arrived, Ji Ning personally commanded the main pavilion's defense, while four patrol envoys and sixteen patrol guards rotated through waterway patrol duties. 43 58
• Martial Hall — Overseen by Ji Wen; responsible for the family's martial affairs. 65
• Medicine pavilions / Elixir Pavilion — Businesses operating in South Township Prefecture that later became targets of commercial pressure and supply disruptions. Ji Shuying also offered Shen a safer position at the family's Elixir Pavilion in Guangwu Prefecture after the Cloud Ripple Island battle. 210 211 110
• Prefectural-city manor — The family's South Township Prefecture residence and operational base during the caravan crisis. 234 235
• Newly opened shop — A Ji Family business where Ji Shuying sheltered Duan Muqing while awaiting the Star-Picking Sect's handling of her elder sister's case. 369
• Beast garden — Holds Azure Awl Chickens; the family closely guards both the animals and the refinement method for Jadeblood Pills. 74

Martial Strength and Retainers

The family's martial defenses included members of its own household, hired Hidden Force experts, and lower-ranked patrol personnel. During the Five-Element Qi Refining Pill operation, Ji Wen and the family head were the only Hidden Force practitioners of the Ji bloodline. Ji Ning's subsequent advancement added a particularly promising young swordsman to its forces, but the family still lacked its own Transformation Force expert during the ensuing struggle with the Luo Family. 65 106 108 110 170

• Two Hidden Force retainers — Identified as potential reinforcements for Cloud Ripple Island; Ji Shuying later sent two Dark Force consecrated experts, together with island patrol personnel, to the prefectural city to reinforce the family's businesses. 108 211
• Wang Jindao — Team B's patrol envoy. He confronted the invading Sunken Sword Dock force and later rallied the guards to pursue the fleeing bandits. 100 106
• Geng Weizhi — Patrol guard who accompanied Shen Xiuhan to escort the Ji sisters. After he was gravely injured on family business, Ji Xue promised that the family would arrange treatment. 64 69
• Offering Master Yuan — Accompanied Ji Wen on the caravan seized at Ten-Thousand Grotto Marsh. After escaping, he secretly returned and witnessed the killing of Ji Wen and the escort personnel. 231
• Luo Feng — A patrol guard whose Blood Tempering cultivation became apparent during Ji Yuande's defeat. Shen later recommended him as his replacement for Team C's patrol envoy post. 102 112
• Lu Ya — A Team A inspector who secretly served the White Family. Shen reported his suspicions about Lu Ya's role in the escort mission's intelligence leak to Ji Shuying. 73 74

Resources

Library Pavilion and Scripture Repository

The Ji Family uses access to martial manuals to recruit capable martial artists. A Cloud Ripple Island patrol envoy approved by Ji Zhong may choose one martial skill or stance art from the first floor of the Library Pavilion. 44

The publicly accessible shelves mostly contain basic or flawed techniques that the family has already selected through. Its superior inheritances are held in a separate Scripture Repository. 50 112

The first-floor collection also includes weapon arts and incomplete manuscripts. Shen Xiuhan selected The Remnant of the Creekside Old Man's Divine Ability, a fragment connected to Sea-Fishing Tower that had been taken from a dead river bandit. Ji Zhong warned that no Ji Family member had succeeded in cultivating the incomplete arts, but accepted Shen's choice and permitted him to use a covered boat for fishing after taking up his island post. 50

Known manuals in the true repository include:

• Flowing Cloud Sword — An introductory chapter of Azure Radiance Manor's supreme sword art. 112
• Jade Maiden Yin Essence Art — Cultivated by Ji Xue and Ji Yao. 94 112
• Jadewater Ice-Condensation Art. 112
• Mountain-Shattering Peak-Breaking Palm. 112
• Vajra Great Adept's Indestructible Buddha Body. 112

Ji Shuying described the repository's techniques as the foundation accumulated through more than a century of expenditure and sacrifice. She also explained that the Four Great Sects distribute non-core arts to attract talented grassroots martial artists, accounting for the presence of an Azure Radiance Manor introductory sword art in the family's holdings. 112

Jadeblood Pills

• Refined from second-rank treasure beasts and effective for Bright Force and Dark Force martial artists. 74
• Included in the compensation package for Farfortune Fleet and Cloud Ripple Island positions. 43
• Supplied to Shen Xiuhan after Qu Bushi's death in a package of six pills: five mission rewards and one monthly allowance. He later received five more pills after Tu Xiaotian's death. 74 112
• Even the lowest-quality finished pills were sought after on the black market and could sell for six or seven taels each. 74
• The family's Azure Awl Chickens and pill formula were closely guarded, though Mei Shuangfeng knew the formula and refinement method through her close relationship with Ji Shuying. 74

Five-Element Qi Refining Pill

The family purchased a Five-Element Qi Refining Pill at great cost, apparently to support a breakthrough into Transforming Force. To conceal its transport, it publicly guarded a caravan while secretly sending the pill with Ji Xue under covert protection. 65

The pill is a secret Force Transformation medicine of the Five-Element Sect in the imperial capital, Linzi. Its leaked transport attracted the interest of Qu Wu, a true disciple of Azure Radiance Manor, and contributed to the danger surrounding the escort mission. 65 123

Ji Shuying later gave the pill to Mei Shuangfeng to improve her chance of entering Qi Refining. 123

Relationships

• Mei Shuangfeng — Ji Shuying has known Shen Xiuhan's master for over four years and shares a close relationship with her. This relationship gave Mei familiarity with the family's library and Jadeblood Pill refinement, and Ji Shuying later supplied her with the Five-Element Qi Refining Pill. 74 123
• Shen Xiuhan — Retainer, protector, and trusted ally. The family employed him as a Cloud Ripple Island patrol envoy, rewarded his services repeatedly, granted him access to its prefectural-city funds, and later relied on his name to deter threats to its businesses. Ji Shuying treats him affectionately as “Little Six,” and he addresses her as “Aunt Ji.” The family later sought his help with Ji Ning's sect admission and conveyed Duan Muqing's appeal to him. 43 74 184 220 352 369
• Sunken Sword Dock — Bitter enemy responsible for Ji Guannan's death and repeated attacks on Ji Family personnel, ships, and trade routes. 44 72 231
• Luo Family — Rival Longcloud County great family. Their conflict includes public hostility between their stewards and competition over influence around Cloudwater Lake. Luo Changming coveted the Ji Family's commercial assets, contemplated destroying the family, and pursued the injured Ji Ning with the intention of killing him away from witnesses. 44 119 130 177
• White Family — Connected to the spy Lu Ya and Sunken Sword Dock; its agents targeted the Ji sisters and sought the family's Five-Element Qi Refining Pill. Bai Fufeng also revealed that the family's ancestor had consumed Ji Guannan and intended to exploit the sisters' accumulated yin essence for further advancement. 73 94
• He Family / He Tunan — Former protectors receiving annual tribute from the Ji Family. After the family cut off this tribute, He Tunan used his influence to pressure its businesses and obstruct its efforts to find new support. His earlier protection had helped Ji Xue and Ji Yao study safely at Limitless Academy, but his failure to intervene when Ji Ning was endangered contributed to the break between the families. 195 211 170
• Gale Cloud Pavilion — Demanded seventy percent of the family's profits in exchange for intervention during its prefectural-city crisis. 234
• Zeng Family — A prefectural-city family that sought to exploit the Ji Family's caravan crisis and commercial vulnerability. 234 235
• Baleful Yin Sect / Nine Balefuls of Anhuai — The force behind the caravan ambush that killed Ji Wen. The attackers' actions were connected to revenge and a broader plan to assassinate Governor Jiang Qiliang. 231
• Duan Muqing — Sheltered by Ji Shuying at a newly opened family shop. The Ji Family conveyed her appeal concerning her elder sister to Shen Xiuhan and received instructions to protect the letter's bearer while the Star-Picking Sect investigated. 369

Major Arcs

Cloud Ripple Island Conflict

The Ji Family recruited Shen Xiuhan as a patrol envoy despite the danger of the post, offering eight taels of silver monthly, medicinal food, Jadeblood Pills, a covered boat, and library access. 43 44

Sunken Sword Dock's prior killing of Ji Guannan made the island both strategically important and personally significant to the family. Ji Ning commanded the garrison, while Ji Guannan's death remained a central grievance in the conflict. 58 59

Following Qu Bushi's death, the Ji Family honored its promise to protect Shen Xiuhan from retaliation, took possession of the bandit's head, and removed evidence that could identify Shen as the killer. 72 73

Sunken Sword Dock later invaded Ji Family territory in retaliation, with Tang Jin and other chiefs seeking Shen's head as an offering to Qu Bushi. After Ji Yuande's defeat, Shen stepped forward to fight Tu Xiaotian. Ji Ning then revealed his newly attained Hidden Force cultivation and Sword Aura, severing Tang Jin's arm and forcing him to flee. The Ji Family guards pursued the remaining bandits. 100 103 106

Ji Shuying praised Shen and Ji Ning for turning the tide and killing three notorious bandits. Concerned that their success had made them priority targets, she arranged cultivation resources for Ji Ning and offered Shen a safer Elixir Pavilion posting away from the island. 110

Defense of the Ji Sisters and the Five-Element Pill

To protect the Five-Element Qi Refining Pill from interested parties, the family used Ji Xue as a covert courier while presenting a guarded caravan as a decoy. Ji Wen concealed himself nearby to protect the operation. 65

The plan was compromised by hostile forces, and Shen Xiuhan ultimately protected Ji Xue and Ji Yao from the ambush and killed Qu Bushi. 69 72

Geng Weizhi suffered broken bones and tendons during the attack. Ji Xue promised that the family would make every effort to heal him, recognizing that he had been injured while carrying out its business. 69

The leaked intelligence was linked to Lu Ya, a White Family spy stationed among the island inspectors. Shen reported his suspicions to Ji Shuying after accepting his reward. Bai Fufeng and Tang Jin later attributed Qu Bushi's death to Ji Wen's covert involvement, rather than recognizing Shen as the killer. 73 74 94

Ji Yuande's Fall

Ji Yuande, a collateral relative who resented Shen Xiuhan's status, was severely injured by Tu Xiaotian of Sunken Sword Dock. His spine was broken, ending his martial path. After catching him, Luo Feng secretly pressed his spine while appearing to administer aid, after which Ji Yuande vomited blood and collapsed; Luo Feng then announced that he was crippled. 92 102 113

The Ji Family paid for treatment and supplied medicine, but Ji Yuande became increasingly unstable, demanded marriage to Ji Xue and Ji Yao, and insulted Ji Shuying. Ji Shuying expelled him to a country estate after violently subduing him. 112 113

Dragon Cavalry Martial Banquet

The Ji Family supported Shen Xiuhan's participation by delivering his draw token and Cold Vault. Ji Zhong also encouraged him to punish Luo Family opponents in the arena, reflecting the families' worsening rivalry. 118 119

Before the competition, Luo Wancheng harassed Ji Xue and Ji Yao near Cloudwater Lake. Shen intervened to protect them, and both sisters formally thanked him afterward. 120 122

Ji Ning defeated Zhang Lingxiao and finished among the Dark Force top three, qualifying for the Dragonblood Essence-Infusion Pool opportunity. Shen likewise finished among the Bright Force top three, reinforcing the prominence of the family's young swordsman and its allied patrol envoy. 131

Luo Family Threat and Ji Ning's Rescue

As the conflict with the Luo Family intensified, Wang Xuanyang tried to recruit Shen Xiuhan away from the Ji Family, implying that its position had become untenable. Ji Shuying mobilized expert retainers and sent a secret appeal to He Tunan in the prefectural city, though Shen doubted whether a tribute-based alliance would withstand a life-threatening confrontation. 169 170

During the chaos at the White Estate, Luo Changming abandoned an intended attack on the entire Ji Family and instead pursued Ji Ning. Already severely wounded, Ji Ning fled toward the city's southern outskirts while Luo delayed the killing to avoid witnesses. Shen's intervention prevented his death. 177 184

Ji Ning later thanked Shen in a letter and reported that most of his injuries had healed. Nevertheless, the assault had scattered his recently condensed Listening Palace aperture and caused his cultivation to drop a level. The He Family's failure to provide meaningful protection became a major reason for discontinuing its annual tribute. 195 211

Prefectural-City Business Crisis

After Shen Xiuhan left Longcloud County, the family's businesses in South Township Prefecture faced supply interruptions, blocked waterways, and political isolation. Ji Xue determined that He Tunan's resentment over the family's discontinued annual tribute was behind the pressure. 210 211

The harassment included cargo ships being detained under fabricated pretexts and boats blocking routes to demand passage payments. Ji Shuying transferred island patrol personnel and two Dark Force consecrated experts to the prefectural city, but their presence did little to overcome the influence directing the pressure. He Tunan's side sought to force the family to surrender fifty percent of its profits. 210 211

Ji Shuying decided to send Shen Xiuhan one hundred taels monthly through the Star-Picking Sect, using his status as a true disciple to shield the family's trade and medicine businesses. 220

Shen had already promised to protect the businesses, and Ji Shuying framed the payments as proper reciprocation for his support. Ji Ning estimated that the annual offering represented approximately thirty percent of the profits from the family's shops and fleet. 220

Ji Wen's Death and the Recovered Caravan

Bandits seized a Ji Family caravan at Ten-Thousand Grotto Marsh, demanded a ransom, and killed Ji Wen along with the escort team. Intelligence later identified Yan Xiao, Song Yanrong, and Feng Xiaobao of the former Through-the-Back Martial Hall as the direct killers. 231

The attackers demanded thirty thousand taels within two days while secretly killing the hostages. Offering Master Yuan escaped and witnessed the murders on returning covertly. Ji Yao personally sought Shen Xiuhan's help at the sect, and his intelligence connected the attack to the Nine Balefuls of Anhuai and their planned assassination of Governor Jiang Qiliang. 230 231

Shen Xiuhan destroyed the bandits and returned nearly all of the goods to the family's prefectural-city manor. The return of the caravan halted other factions' attempts to exploit the crisis, though Ji Wen's body confirmed the family's loss. 234 235

Ji Zhong identified the recovered goods as the shipment intended for Qingyuan Prefecture; apart from one lost mule, the cargo was almost entirely intact. Shen had also cremated and laid to rest the slain guards. Ji Shuying regarded the bandits' deaths as vengeance for her brother, while the watching factions withdrew their spies after learning that Shen had personally resolved the crisis. 235

Ji Ning's Sect Aspirations

Following Shen Xiuhan's return to Longcloud County, Ji Zhong sent Ji Ning to the Shen Residence bearing two hundred taels of silver. The visit sought Shen Xiuhan's aid in securing Ji Ning's entry into one of the Four Great Sects, reflecting the Ji Family's continued reliance on Shen's influence and standing. 352

Ji Ning had earlier expressed an intention to join the Star-Picking Sect the following year, seeking the cultivation opportunities needed to protect the family rather than leave it permanently dependent on outside patrons. 220

Duan Muqing's Appeal

After Shen Xiuhan became chief disciple, Ji Yao visited on Ji Shuying's behalf to congratulate him and delivered a sealed letter from Nanhua County. The letter concerned the seizure or misuse of silver and an old connection of Shen's, prompting him to promise a thorough Star-Picking Sect investigation and a result within three days. 369

Shen instructed Ji Yao to relay his assurance and told the family to protect the person who had delivered the letter. At the family's newly opened shop, Ji Shuying reassured Duan Muqing that Shen and the sect would handle her elder sister's case. Muqing's resemblance to Duan Hongling established the appeal's connection to Shen's past. 369

Trivia

• The Ji Family's wealth was described as being sufficient to “bleed oil.” 39
• Its main Longcloud County residence, Ji Manor, contains deep courtyards and a concealed library filled with rosewood bookshelves, books, and bamboo slips. 49
• The family’s rewards to Shen Xiuhan included Cold Vault, a mid-grade treasured sword forged from Cold Iron Essencegold. 118
• After Qu Bushi's death, Ji Shuying supplied sixty taels and six Jadeblood Pills in total; fifty taels and five pills were mission rewards, while the remainder settled Shen's monthly wages and pill allowance. 74
• After Tu Xiaotian's death, Shen received another sixty taels, five Jadeblood Pills, and access to the true Scripture Repository. 112
• Ji Yuande attempted to recruit Shen Xiuhan into his personal service and offered the possibility of granting him the Ji surname. Shen ignored the offer. 100