Jade City

Biodata

Background

According to legend, Jade City was once a mountain refuge established by a branch of the Remnants of Ancient Xiao fleeing war and calamity. Over many dynasties, that refuge became the wealthy and heavily fortified city known as Jade City. 570

It occupies a commercially crucial location where three circuits meet. Its position draws nobles, merchants, sects, martial artists, scholars, and rare goods from across the region, while its surrounding terrain and engineered defenses keep it independent without leaving it isolated. 378 397

The city does not expand its territory, instead preserving its own wealth, trade, culture, and defenses. This makes it difficult for Great Wu to attack directly; Commandery Princess Anyang’s faction consequently attempts to undermine it through infiltration. 380 443

Jiang Tianming’s Rule

Jiang Tianming held the position of city lord for over a hundred years. During his rule, both the Blue and Red factions obeyed him, the great clans offered him countless treasures each year, and the Thirty-Two True Guards served under his command. His personal wealth ranked among the greatest beneath heaven, and even a stronger Great Wu had to treat Jade City with considerable respect. 632

Jiang recruited numerous powerful martial artists as household guests, granting them residences, gold, and silver. These guests were often unwilling to submit to discipline, and their disputes with established clans disrupted local livelihoods. Jiang repeatedly favored his guests, while the Thirty-Two True Guards increasingly functioned as his private guards rather than maintaining order throughout the city. 632

Martial Uprising

The accumulated conflicts culminated in a martial uprising that swept through Jade City. According to Zhao Yingqiong, its precise cause could no longer be traced. Jiang Tianming died during the unrest, many martial artists were expelled, and the Heavenly Secret Lotus disappeared. 632

Afterward, the Blue faction, Red faction, and Heavenly Pivot jointly governed the city, and stricter rules were established. Although Jade City initially lost many martial experts, it became more peaceful and prosperous. Visiting experts later returned in substantial numbers, partially restoring its strength without recreating the concentration of powerful guests that had existed under Jiang. 632

Geography and Cityscape

Jade City’s architecture is lavish and unconventional: inverted towers, stacked building complexes, jade palaces, broad avenues, white-jade bridges, gardens, lakes, and entertainment districts fill its wards. Even nearby Jade Fringe Town cannot successfully reproduce its style or atmosphere. 384 392

West Wind Avenue is exceptionally broad, with splendid mansions, jade towers, shops, performers, and festive decorations. The city’s scale is such that Li Xian spends hours exploring without leaving a single ward. 392

The city’s water network connects with rivers beyond its territory. During the cold-rain crisis, Li Xian traces unusual yellow-eyed fish to the Foothill River and helps establish the connection among the Chu River, Foothill River, Forbidden River, and Dream River. These links make distant river disturbances relevant to Jade City despite its favorable terrain. 527

Government and Social Hierarchy

Jade City recognizes neither outside titles nor former status. Its social order is determined by Body—social standing—and Face—official authority. Each has five ranks: clay, copper, silver, gold, and jade. 384

• Jade Guards — frontier soldiers. Their individually forged silver armor, Cloud-Turning Swords, and Cold-Flame Spears symbolize Jade City’s wealth. 384
• Ward chiefs — local authorities overseeing individual wards; a Mud Face without Body can still rule a district as a local power. 392
• Clear Peace Tower bailiffs — jade citizens without Body or Face who escort and manage debt slaves; even such positions are fiercely contested. 385
• Gold-Seeking Guard — a city force whose higher offices, such as Gold Steward and lieutenant general, carry military authority and citywide reach. 427 481

Higher rank requires visible roots in the city. Residences, businesses, family, and the employment of Jade citizens are treated as proof that an official is integrated into Jade City’s order. 481

Bronze Body status carries implicit expectations of a four-courtyard estate and prominent enterprises. Even a powerful wandering martial artist cannot secure high office merely through personal strength: property and family interests bind officials to the city and discourage them from abandoning their posts. 481

Administrative Structure

The Heavenly Pivot, the Blue faction, and the Red faction balance one another in the absence of a city lord. Heavenly Pivot positions are mostly held by established clans, including the Yao, Han, Su, Bai, and Xu families, while the two factions maintain their own power bases. 632

Jade City has thirty-two towers, neighborhood offices, county offices, and the Thirty-Two True Guards. The guards are directly subordinate to Heavenly Pivot, but their authority has expanded over time. Their duties frequently overlap or conflict with those of the civilian offices and towers; in such disputes, the other institutions are expected to yield to the guards. 546

The Thirty-Two True Guards compete with and look down on one another. Their generalships do not automatically guarantee the highest standing: according to Tao Xiangrong, only twelve generals firmly hold Golden Body positions. 463 577

Citizenship

A Jade citizen is entered in the household registry and protected by Jade City’s laws. Registration is handled at Ten-Thousand House Tower. 397

• Ordinary applicants must demonstrate thirty years of diligent labor, obtain documentary proof from their workplace, maintain a stable long-term residence, and secure testimony from neighbors. 397
• A route described for martial artists requires buying a residence, establishing a business, employing Jade citizens, and obtaining recommendation letters from at least twenty Jade citizens. 397
• Sponsorship provides another opportunity: after attaining Mud Body, Yao Yin guarantees Li Xian’s registration in Tongji Ward. 398
• Jade citizens may wear jade plaques. Their identity tokens contain a drop of essence blood, allowing their identity to be verified even when their faces are concealed. 398 400

The common-citizen category includes unregistered people who lack recognized identity and are relegated to low-paid work such as carrying goods, manual labor, and canal maintenance. Wealthy outside visitors are not automatically reduced to this condition; they can arrange travel permits to enjoy the city. 394

Public Order

Martial artists entering or leaving Jade City must register their identities truthfully. If an individual becomes involved in violence, officials can compare their stated identity with the entry and exit records; false information exposes them to punishment. Truthfully registered visitors otherwise face relatively few restrictions. 411

Masks are accepted because the city gathers people with longstanding martial-world grudges. Even Silver Face guards wear them, and officials do not forcibly remove a mask when the wearer has a justified reason for concealment. 400

Weapons are strictly controlled, and shops openly selling martial-world arms require substantial backing. The Gold-Seeking Guard also intervenes in commercial violence, as when Li Xian stops fighting between the Mount Yang Sword Sect and Liuli Sect in Bright Birch Ward and imposes fines and restrictions on their forging houses. 552 607

Economy and Trade

Jade City is renowned as one of the richest places beneath heaven. It serves as a reliable market for martial arts, Essence Treasures, rare objects, precious materials, and goods arriving from the three circuits and beyond. 272 397

• Rare treasures or hidden stores unavailable elsewhere can often be found in Jade City. 272
• Great sects maintain temples, residences, or commercial interests in the city; Profound Dao Mountain alone has three incense-burning Daoist temples and eastern-mountain properties. 397
• Commerce is deeply tied to social status: merchant establishments display graded Gold-Swallowing Toad statues, while crane imagery marks owners of exceptional standing. 431
• Silk is a major luxury commodity; top-grade silkworm silk is sold by the inch for thousands of taels and has martial applications. 431
• Its books, gazetteers, travel accounts, music, miscellanies, and even basic martial manuals are widely available, while literacy and leisure reading are common. 379 524
• Armor-making and shipbuilding are among the city’s outstanding industries. 392
• Ancient vessels, porcelain, and tripods from Great Yu, Nanyang, and Great Xiao circulate in its markets, although genuine articles can be difficult to distinguish from imitations. 570
• Its treasure pavilions gather materials rare enough to support projects such as the Old Heaven-and-Earth Garment and Heaven-and-Earth New Garment; cost can be a greater obstacle than availability. 576

Sect Commerce

Sects and lineages seek property and businesses in Jade City to profit from its wealth and relative stability. The Nature Sect explores a trade route and long-term foothold through cooperation with the Yao Family after warfare disrupts its surrounding region. 431

The secure market also has an exploitative underside. The Pei Clan operates gambling houses, brothels, gangs, and other gray businesses, deceiving outside martial artists and using city authority and connections to settle disputes or dispose of their victims. 509

Heavenly Crafted Wonders

Jade City excels in mechanism arts and uses Heavenly Crafted Wonders to support agriculture, commerce, transport, and defense. Its devices are built from components fitted with Jade Cores; ordinary cores come in sixty-four types corresponding to the sixty-four hexagrams. 272 387

Some mechanisms depend on local Jade Cores and terrain, most explicitly the Cage Bracelet’s resonance with Jade City’s surroundings. This does not apply uniformly to all devices: Su Tiexin states that many Heavenly Crafted Wonders remain useful when taken outside the city. 384 385 387 390

Quality is broadly distinguished by the number of equipped Jade Cores, with a single core considered inferior and nine cores the pinnacle. Devices without cores are essentially mechanical shells rather than possessing the full capabilities of core-equipped wonders. Mechanism City is another center of mechanism arts comparable to, and possibly slightly superior to, Jade City. 464 465

Despite its distinctive mechanisms, Jade City still places great importance on martial arts. Its military forces possess coveted techniques, and mechanisms supplement rather than replace trained martial strength. 385 404

Debt System

Jade City’s debt system is designed to absorb outsiders into long-term labor. The saying, “Better owe the emperor ten thousand taels of gold than owe Jade City a single copper coin,” reflects its reputation. 354

Clear Peace Tower

All debt slaves are processed through Clear Peace Tower, whose water prison is called the Face-Washing Pool. The pool’s Qi-Severing Freezing Water suppresses inner strength, exhausts prisoners, and symbolically erases their former identity. 384 385

Repayment Labor

• Debts compound severely; Li Xian’s elder brother’s original 14,000-tael debt became 92,000 taels after four years. 385
• Labor assignments can include dangerous jade mining in the Western Vein mountains and beneath the sea. 385
• Mining teams may receive interest relief for discovering rare jade, creating hope while keeping debtors tied to the system. 385
• Escape is discouraged through city defenses, Cage Bracelets, and debt penalties that worsen if a fugitive is recaptured. 385
• Deathwish Valley offers another route: debt slaves may fight lethal matches to repay debts rapidly, turning desperation into public spectacle. 389 391
• Judicial officers determine repayment work rather than allowing debtors to choose freely. Li Xian’s mining assignment offsets four hundred taels per month, while another martial artist’s boat-labor assignment offsets only two hundred. 385
• A judicial officer explicitly explains that the city does not seek rapid repayment: its debts are intended to be repaid slowly without being readily cleared. 385
• Debt can be imposed on relatives; Li Xian is made responsible for the debt attributed to his elder brother, Li Gui. 385

Mining also employs free common citizens and Jade citizens. Their ordinary pay is only one tael of silver per month, rising to two when rare jade is found, with food and lodging included. Jade’s practical role in the city’s mechanisms makes this low-status labor essential to its prosperity. 386

Notable Locations

Political Tensions

Jade City appears prosperous and peaceful, but its lack of a single acknowledged master leaves it vulnerable to internal conflict. The once-lost Heavenly Secret Lotus is regarded as a symbol of legitimate authority; whoever obtains it may become Jade City’s master. Its disappearance dates to the martial uprising that killed Jiang Tianming. 491 632

• The Blue-Clothed and Red-Clothed factions contend for the Heavenly Secret Lotus. 491
• The abolished Candle Cult seeks to recover the lotus and restore itself. 491 509
• Commandery Princess Anyang seeks to infiltrate and eventually break Jade City from within rather than assault its natural defenses directly. 380 443
• Anyang’s influence already reaches into city offices, including her nephew Wei Chu’s Clay-Bodied, Clay-Faced appointment as Sea Affairs Officer; he later leaves that post to join the Sea-Calming Guard. 462
• The Gold-Seeking Guard belongs to the Red faction’s side under Zhao Yingqiong. 506
• The Blood Pool and Flesh Grove seeks to replace the extinguished Candle Cult and develops ties with the Pei Clan. 509
• The Yao Family splits between Azure and Red allegiances. Yao Baishun plans to leave as a wandering physician and asks Li Xian to protect its younger generation if the struggle becomes violent. 554
• Li Bohou warns that a Great Wu Imperial Ship disappeared near Jade City and that the incident may be connected to a concealed upheaval among its martial artists. 567

Zhao Yingqiong uses public service and hospitality to advance the Red faction’s standing. She orders lavish farewell banquets for the dragon-slaying heroes and approves Li Xian’s proposal to aid surrounding counties threatened by flooding. Jade City’s reputation gives its warnings particular weight among neighboring communities. 520 527 528

Renewed Struggle for the Lotus

Li Hengfeng reports that the Heavenly Secret Lotus, also referred to as the Heavenly Mechanism Lotus in his report, is in the Flower Cage Sect. As sect members gather in Jade City’s north district, Zhao Yingqiong places Li Xian in charge of the matter. 601

The Flower Cage Sect seeks to return to the Candle Cult and announces a gathering at Bluehorn Ferry involving a precious treasure. Li Xian treats the gathering as a lead in his search for the lotus and prepares to attend with Zhao Yingqiong. 617

During these investigations, Zhao Yingqiong reveals the history of Jiang Tianming’s rule and the martial uprising. By the time Li Xian prepares his Mad Snake Mountain ambush, he possesses the Heavenly Secret Lotus and buries it there as part of his plan involving Wei Qinghuang and the Nine Ghosts of the Heroic Dragon. This possession is not accompanied by a confirmed accession as Jade City’s lord in the available events. 631 632 645

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Reputation and foreshadowing — Jade City is introduced as a peerlessly wealthy center of mechanisms, trade, and rare treasures before Li Xian reaches it. 272 354
• Anyang’s infiltration scheme — Li Xian is coerced into entering Jade City as a prospective sleeper agent after promising to become a Silver-Faced Lang within three years. 380 381 383
• Debt-slave arc — Li Xian arrives aboard a prison ship, survives Clear Peace Tower, mines jade, and learns the city’s exploitative hierarchy. 384 385 386
• Deathwish Valley arc — Fighting as “Guilt Sword,” Li Xian wins hundreds of matches, refuses blood-money killings, repays his debt, and gains freedom. 389 391 392
• Citizenship and official rise — Yao Yin helps Li Xian become a Jade citizen; he later joins the Gold-Seeking Guard and rises through its ranks. 397 398 417 481
• Azure-Red Conflict — The struggle for the Heavenly Secret Lotus and the city’s future increasingly draws Li Xian into factional intrigue, cult activity, and clashes among Jade City’s powers. 491 509 549
• Song Ya investigation — The disappearance of a celebrated examination student draws public pressure onto the Gold-Seeking Guard. Li Xian rescues the real Song Ya, while Anyang uses the affair to test her control over the city and his loyalty. 436 443
• Sea Tomb expedition — The Truth-Inspecting, Gold-Seeking, and Sea-Calming Guards cooperate in a dangerous investigation, with Li Xian tasked by Wei Qinghuang to protect Wei Chu. 462 463
• Dragon-slaying hospitality and flood response — Jade City hosts farewell banquets for the dragon-slaying heroes. Subsequent river disturbances lead Li Xian and Zhao Yingqiong to investigate the waterways and prepare aid and warnings for surrounding counties. 520 527 528
• Commercial and civic consolidation — Li Xian establishes Sun-Hiding Residence, supports Xinfeng Shipping Guild through a guaranteed investment, and exercises guard authority over violent sect commerce. 481 536 552
• Preparations for factional unrest — While the city remains outwardly peaceful, Li Xian secretly shifts his shops into trusted hands and behind-the-scenes holdings in anticipation of the struggle over the lotus. 583
• Gold-Seeking Guard hostage crisis — After the Mad Slaughter Pirate Alliance captures guard soldiers, Zhao Yingqiong prioritizes their rescue over the lotus. She enters the pirates’ territory as a bound guest, leaving Li Xian to command the fleet. 591
• Silver Body banquet — Li Xian’s advancement to Silver Body is celebrated at Dragon-Slaying Tower, where the Nine Dragon Ghosts attempt to enlist him through a fabricated Dragon Register quest. 601
• Flower Cage Sect gathering and historical revelations — The renewed search for the lotus leads through the Flower Cage Sect’s gathering and concealed terrain, culminating in Zhao Yingqiong’s account of the former city lord and martial uprising. 617 631 632
• Mad Snake Mountain scheme — Li Xian buries the Heavenly Secret Lotus on the mountain while preparing to lure Wei Qinghuang into an ambush with the Nine Ghosts of the Heroic Dragon. 645

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