Yao Qing

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Yao Qing (姚青) 66
Alias(es)	Young Master Qing; City Lord Yao 33 79
Gender	Male
Orientation	Attracted to men; his lack of interest in women was used as grounds to exile him from Yongjing. 28 67
Affiliation	Yao Family; formerly the City Lord's Manor of Lin'an City. 33 67
Occupation / Role	Second legitimate son of Yao Jingyi; former City Lord of Lin'an City; manager of Yao Family businesses in Yongjing. 33 67 77
Status	Active 122
First Appearance	Chapter 28

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Foundation Establishment	28 33	Broke through after being stalled at the peak of Qi Refining Level Nine for over a decade. He publicly revealed his realm to force Wang Tiannan to surrender the Wang Family's mine shares.
Foundation Establishment, Third Layer	122	Reached the Third Layer after returning to Yongjing. His foundation was damaged because he had relied on the Blood-and-Flesh Pill to cross into Foundation Establishment.

Background / History

Yao Qing is the second legitimate son of Yao Jingyi, the Chancellery Secretariat. Frail and sickly as a child, he was subjected to severe discipline from his father and ridicule from other officials' sons. These experiences left him deeply starved for affection. 28

Unlike his elder brother Yao Ke, Yao Qing was quiet and disliked contention. When it became widely known that he favored men, the scandal damaged the Yao Family's standing; Yao Jingyi consequently sent him away as City Lord of Lin'an City. Before doing so, Yao Jingyi forced Yao Qing into a political marriage and required him to father a child. 28 67

Yao Qing's cultivation resources were initially sent to Lin'an, but Yao Ke intercepted them after the first year to prevent his younger brother from gaining the capital to return to Yongjing. Yao Qing eventually advanced through external aid, damaging his foundation, and concealed his breakthrough until he needed to protect Yang Zhenshan. 67 122

As City Lord, Yao Qing formed a close relationship with Yang Zhenshan. When the Wang Family resisted surrendering mine shares, he hosted a mediation banquet and exposed his Foundation Establishment cultivation, compelling Wang Tiannan to complete the handover within three days. 33

After ten years in Lin'an, Yao Qing returned to Yongjing. He found Yao Ke in control of the family's affairs and was given several businesses by Yao Jingyi—not as an expression of trust, but as a means of limiting Yao Ke's influence. 67

Appearance

Yao Qing is a handsome but increasingly worn-looking man. After returning to Yongjing, his face became thinner; during the Guiyuan Hall crisis, white hair appeared among what had previously been jet-black hair. 33 66 86

• Often wears refined green robes, including a green brocade robe when acting as City Lord. 33 66
• Was seen in moon-white sleepwear with an outer robe in his Lin'an residence. 33
• Maintains a straight-backed, formal posture before Yao Jingyi, reflecting years of strict upbringing. 77 101

Personality

Yao Qing is initially restrained, conflict-averse, and inclined to consider the consequences of every action before moving. His reluctance to oppose Yao Ke stems partly from his upbringing: he was taught to prioritize the Yao Family's interests even when his elder brother openly undermined him. 67 70 86

Despite this hesitation, he is compassionate and responsible toward those under his care. He allowed retired Yao servants at the South City Freight Station to remain or leave with full severance, retained Sun Zhonghe as Guiyuan Hall's shopkeeper, and personally took responsibility for the hall's faulty-elixir scandal. 79 80 82

His conflict with Yao Ke gradually makes him more decisive. After repeated humiliation, political isolation, and the arrest of Guiyuan Hall's employees, he accepts Zhou Qi's advice to retaliate directly rather than merely preserve his position. 84 86

“We will do it. I ask Mr. Zhou to help me.” 86

Abilities & Skills

Foundation Establishment Cultivation

Yao Qing can exert Foundation Establishment pressure strong enough to immobilize a Qi Refining cultivator and overturn a political negotiation. 33

• Revealed his cultivation to force Wang Tiannan to yield the Wang Family's mine stake. 33
• Reached Foundation Establishment, Third Layer by the time Zhou Qi later observed the Yao Family. 122
• His advancement damaged his foundation because it relied on the Blood-and-Flesh Pill. 122

Political Mediation

As Lin'an's City Lord and later as a Yao Family representative, Yao Qing is able to use rank, status, and controlled displays of power to influence disputes. 33 82

• Convened and led the mediation banquet between Yang Zhenshan and Wang Tiannan. 33
• Personally visited Liu Wenyuan with gifts and compensation during the Guiyuan Hall scandal. 82
• Reported Yao Ke's actions and supporting evidence directly to Yao Jingyi. 82

Business Administration

Yao Qing develops practical business judgment while taking over the Yao Family's properties in Yongjing. 77 79 116

• Audited Treasure Pavilion's five years of accounts and exposed embezzlement connected to Yao Ke. 77
• Took over Guiyuan Hall despite more than two thousand Spirit Stones in outstanding debts. 79 80
• Gradually assumed control of the Yao Family's businesses after the Champion Marquis rebellion. 116

Assets and Administration

• Treasure Pavilion — The largest spiritual-material shop in eastern Yongjing. Yao Qing reclaimed it from Shi Donglai and received Yao Jingyi's authority to manage it. 67 76 77
• South City Freight Station — A largely inactive freight station serving as a retirement place for elderly Yao servants. 79
• Guiyuan Hall — A debt-ridden elixir pharmacy handed over to Yao Qing; he cleared its old debts and retained Sun Zhonghe as shopkeeper. 79 80
• Additional properties — Following Yao Ke's punishment, Yao Qing received management of half of Yao Ke's properties, including a spirit-material shop and a medicinal garden outside the city. 93

Items Provided to Zhou Qi

• Dark Moon Saber — A Middle Profound Grade saber supplied after Zhou Qi requested a weapon. 86
• Wind-Thunder Saber Technique — An Upper Profound Grade saber technique. 86
• Nine-Heavens Step — An Upper Profound Grade movement technique. 86

Relationships

• Yao Jingyi — Father. Yao Jingyi initially treated Yao Qing as a counterweight to Yao Ke rather than a valued heir, but gradually recognized his ability and began treating him more warmly. 67 93 101 116
• Yao Ke — Elder brother and chief rival. Yao Ke intercepted Yao Qing's cultivation resources, controlled the family's businesses, and repeatedly attempted to ruin him through political and commercial schemes. 67 80 84 93
• Yang Zhenshan — Closest companion and romantic partner. Yang Zhenshan supports Yao Qing politically, advises him through crises, and was the reason Yao Qing first exposed his Foundation Establishment cultivation. 28 33 67 82
• Zhou Qi — Ally and powerful guest retainer. Zhou Qi helps Yao Qing seize Treasure Pavilion, expose Yao Ke's role in Liu Wenyuan's death, and secure greater standing in the Yao Family. 66 76 78 86 93
• Yao Shiyuan — Son. He rarely returns to the Yao Residence and lives separately in Yongjing due to dissatisfaction with the family. 33 66
• Unnamed wife — Political spouse imposed by Yao Jingyi before Yao Qing's exile to Lin'an; their marriage remained effectively empty for more than ten years. 28 33 66
• Sun Zhonghe — Guiyuan Hall's elderly shopkeeper. Yao Qing retained him after taking over the pharmacy and later tried to protect him after his arrest. 79 80 84 85

Story Role / Major Arcs

Lin'an City and the Mine Dispute

Yao Qing acts as City Lord of Lin'an and allies with Yang Zhenshan against the Wang Family. His public reveal of Foundation Establishment cultivation establishes him as a force capable of overruling the city's great families. 33

Return to Yongjing

Upon returning to the capital, Yao Qing is politically isolated and given difficult businesses to manage under Yao Jingyi's nominal “test.” He allies with Zhou Qi and Yang Zhenshan to challenge Yao Ke's control over Treasure Pavilion. 66 67 70

Treasure Pavilion Takeover

With Zhou Qi suppressing Shi Donglai, Yao Qing gains control of Treasure Pavilion and submits audited records that reveal Yao Ke's embezzlement. Yao Jingyi formally places the pavilion under his management. 74 76 77

Guiyuan Hall Crisis

Yao Qing inherits Guiyuan Hall and assumes its substantial debts to win Sun Zhonghe's cooperation. When poisoned pills damage the pharmacy's reputation, he publicly apologizes, compensates customers, recalls the pills, and destroys them to restore public trust. 79 82

Conflict with Yao Ke

Yao Ke escalates the conflict by arranging Liu Wenyuan's death and framing Guiyuan Hall. After Zhou Qi obtains Hu Zhong's confession, Yao Qing confronts Yao Jingyi and demands accountability, ultimately winning control of additional properties and forcing Yao Ke into confinement. 84 93

Rise within the Yao Family

Yao Jingyi's attitude changes after Zhou Qi defeats three Foundation Establishment Late Stage assassins. Yao Qing gains increasing authority over family affairs, and Zhou Qi later asks Yao Jingyi to name him heir; Yao Jingyi agrees. 101 116

Trivia

• Yao Qing kept his Foundation Establishment breakthrough hidden until protecting Yang Zhenshan required him to reveal it. 67
• His Yongjing side courtyard had fallen into visible disrepair because he had lost favor within the Yao Family. 66
• He is notably formal around Yao Jingyi, sitting rigidly upright even in private conversations. 77 101