Xie An

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

Xie An transmigrated into the body of the sixteen-year-old legitimate eldest son of Xie Zhengtang, a Qingwu County salt merchant. The original Xie An had been heavily sheltered, accustomed to brothels, gambling houses, and a life of comfort while expecting to inherit the family estate. 1 2

His investigation of Li Family Village exposed him to the Grain-Collecting Ghost, mass death, and the hidden supernatural order of Qingwu County. Realizing that wealth and family protection could not guarantee his survival, he activated the Ten-Thousand Questions Martial Arts Model and began pursuing martial strength. 1 2 3

Xie An’s rapid growth drew Uncle Shui’s attention. To conceal the true source of his abilities, he accepted the explanation that he had undergone a rare “Awakening Enlightenment,” earning formal instruction and access to the Xie Household’s medicinal resources. 8

After Zhao Hu’s death and the discovery of a Yin Cloth Doll hidden beneath his bed, Xie An became directly involved in investigating the plot against the Xie Household. His elder sister Xie Yu later began guiding him under the identity of Daoist Master Yusu, though he initially did not know their familial connection. 30 33 34

Xie An learned that his father, Uncle Shui, and Xie Yu had spent thirteen years preparing to establish the Xie Household as a provider of rites against evil spirits. After the public ceremony at Li Family Village, he learned more about his family’s long-standing support of Dragon King Stronghold and traveled there with Chen Mo. 65 66 83

Appearance

Xie An is described as tall and straight, with long limbs suited to heavy weapons. He presents himself as a wealthy young master, usually appearing in fine robes and jade ornaments. 1 3 39

• Often wears blue or azure cloud-patterned brocade robes.
• Keeps his hair in a topknot secured with a mutton-fat jade hairpin.
• Wears a jade Buddha pendant, rosewood prayer beads, and ornate belts.
• Commonly wears fox-fur cloaks and cloud-patterned boots during winter. 1 3

Personality

Xie An is pragmatic, observant, and highly adaptive. He uses legal procedure and personal connections to enter Qingwu County after curfew, investigates inconsistencies in his father’s explanations, and treats frightening supernatural events as problems to be understood rather than merely feared. 2 13 31

His pursuit of strength is driven primarily by survival. Though he initially sought an effortless path through the Ten-Thousand Questions Model, he later embraced punishing sparring, medicinal tempering, and disciplined training when he learned that the system could not directly advance his cultivation realm. 3 9 19

He is generous toward people who serve him loyally, supporting Zhao Hu’s family, treating Zhou Ji’s father, and supplying his guards with costly medicine. However, he can become calculating and ruthless when confronting threats to himself or the Xie Household, as shown during his capture and interrogation of A Shan. 9 16 19 37 38

Xie An increasingly applies that calculation to family affairs. He concealed his spiritual exhaustion to continue training, secured Chen Mo’s personal loyalty through cultivation support, and demanded that the Canal Gang prove its allegiance through action rather than promises. He nevertheless remains wary of powers he cannot assess, including the Dragon Queen and the presence behind the Red-Cloth Statue. 46 73 84 94

Abilities & Skills

Ten-Thousand Questions Martial Arts Model

An AI-like martial arts system that appeared after Xie An’s transmigration. It can analyze, deconstruct, modify, fuse, evolve, and implant martial arts and supernatural talents. 1 3

• Directly implants perfected knowledge, movement, intent, and muscle memory into Xie An’s body.
• Can acquire talents after he comes into contact with a being or object possessing a special ability.
• Consumes Xie An’s Qi and Blood as computational power; excessive use causes collapse, nausea, bleeding, or unconsciousness.
• Cannot directly transplant another person’s cultivation realm; Xie An must temper his own body through training and medicine. 3 9 14
• Can synthesize a new martial art from techniques it has examined, but requires relevant martial principles as source material. Xie An used it to develop the Great Sun Baleful Force Art. 61 62
• Implanting a mental martial art can instead severely deplete his mental energy, which recovers more slowly than Qi and Blood. 45 46

Taishan Fist

A fist art derived from the stonecutters’ Shattered Rock Hammer Method and transformed by Zhao Tieshan. Xie An perfected its three layers through transplantation. 4 5 20

• Mountain-Suppressing Stance — establishes a stable body structure, footwork, and mountain-like intent.
• Mountain-Taming Fist — includes suppression, force-redirection, blocking, attack-defense transitions, and a killing blow.
• Five Mountains Collapse — stacks five layers of force into one devastating strike; powerful enough to shatter a massive Taihu ornamental rock. 7 20
• The final technique places immense strain on the user’s muscles and bones. 20

Five Animal True Form Diagram

A conceptual martial art created by frontier hunters through imitation of primordial beasts. It lacks a conventional cultivation method, but the Ten-Thousand Questions Model allowed Xie An to implant and master all five forms. 18 19

• White Tiger Sky-Roar — Metal-aligned destructive force and slaughter intent.
• Azure Deer Life-Attraction — Wood-aligned vitality and recovery.
• Black Bear Mountain-Tamer — strengthens bone density, defense, and power.
• Scarlet Ape Heaven-Stealer — explosive movement and lethal attacks.
• Mystic Crane Shadow-Scour — agility, lightness, speed, and evasive movement. 18 19
• The forms’ conflicting artistic conceptions must be gradually harmonized after implantation. 19

Spirit Sight: Qi-Gazing and Truth-Listening

A supernatural talent apparently triggered by Li Yunfeng’s corpse reopening its eyes and staring at Xie An. After Xie An killed the transformed Hua Qianxiong, he evolved Qi-Gazing into Truth-Listening. 13 78 79

• Sees the qi of living beings, dead objects, plants, animals, and martial artists.
• Distinguishes living qi, which rises, from still death qi.
• Estimates a target’s vitality and approximate martial threat by qi density.
• Reveals details beyond the Vital Breath perception of Dark Force martial artists, including the direction in which qi flows. 14 16
• Could not clearly perceive Daoist Master Yusu, whose presence appeared as impenetrable darkness. 31
• Revealed an abnormal strand of descending qi within Xie An himself. 14 15
• At Red Sleeve House, exposed motionless death qi among the apparent guests and servants, as well as descending qi around Su Hongxiu. 53
• Truth-Listening allows Xie An to hear Specters’ whispers within roughly 200 meters. He used it to locate and capture two small wooden messengers, but could not understand or speak their language. 79

Withered Abyss

A destructive talent acquired after Xie An touched the clothes left behind by Zhao Hu and Liu Fu. 26

• Causes touched matter to rapidly rot, wither, and decay.
• Reduced furniture and wood to deadwood, killed an evergreen plant, and desiccated a rooster with only a fraction of its power. 29
• Can injure Manifest Force martial artists; Chen Mo’s Inner Force could only suppress and dilute its effects. 41
• Destroyed A Shan’s poisoned metal nail and withered her hand during their fight. 37
• Working alongside Great Sun True Force, its full power rotted and killed Hua Qianxiong after his transformation into a Specter. 78

Red Sun Saber Technique

A powerful saber art recommended and transcribed by Chen Mo after Xie An recognized his weakness against armed opponents. Xie An subsequently implanted all four of its forms. 39 48

• Tiger-Subduing Stance — uses righteous, suppressive intent to overwhelm an opponent like a blazing sun descending upon the earth.
• Sinking Pressure Stance — concentrates force downward while tempering the body’s muscles, tendons, bones, qi, blood, and Inner Force.
• Pushing Mountain Form — commits the body’s strength to a relentless forward strike; Xie An combined it with the force of his 485 opened tendons. 48
• Red Sun Form — delivers an exceptionally forceful saber strike that nearly drove Chen Mo backward during sparring. 48
• Requires substantial Qi and Blood to implant, reflecting its advanced nature. 40 41

Spirit Preservation Method

A mental cultivation method taught to Xie An through the Xie Household’s shrine. He perfected its initial Spirit Preservation practice in one day, though the effort left him disoriented, vomiting blood, and nearly depleted of mental energy. 43 45 46

• Allows him to visualize the shrine’s red-veiled statue with unusual clarity and maintain mental stability against frightening supernatural influence. 45 59
• Helped him resist Su Hongxiu’s influence at Red Sleeve House and see through her Cocoon Force during their later confrontation. 59 75
• Mental energy replenishes slowly, making careless use dangerous even when his body remains strong. 45
• While cultivating in Dragon King Stronghold’s Sacrificial Hall, Xie An found the statue’s spiritual ripples and the method’s apparent effectiveness more than doubled. The cause remains unknown. 94

Great Sun Baleful Force Art

An external martial art Xie An devised with Ten-Thousand Questions to fight Specters before reaching the Inner Martial Realm. Originally generated as the Great Sun Five-Venom Astral Baleful Force True Treatise, it synthesizes the Five-Venom Blazing Sun Hand with principles from Windfire Palm, Thunderfire Fist, Taishan Fist, the Five Animal True Form Diagram, and the Red Sun Saber Technique. 61 62

• Draws upon the Five-Elemental Poisons to produce poisonous, yang-charged Astral Baleful Force. Its three stages are Baleful Seed, Astral Flame, and Great Sun True Force, all perfected by Xie An. 62 63 65
• Has no fixed fighting style: Xie An can add its force to his fists, animal forms, or saber techniques. It substantially increases his attacking power and aided his Bone Opening and Organ Tempering. 63
• Its force does not replenish naturally and must be restored with Five-Elemental Poisons or refined Five-Poison Essence. 65 76
• Its yang poison threatens both martial artists and Specters. Xie An used its burning force to break the control over Su Hongxiu and to help destroy the transformed Hua Qianxiong. 75 76 78

Equipment / Items

• Heavy straight saber / broadsword — his chosen weapon type for the Red Sun Saber Technique. He initially borrowed Li Dao’s saber before obtaining a heavier one. 39 40 48
• Five-Venom Blood Saber — a dangerous weapon that resonated with his Great Sun Baleful Force Art; Xie An wielded it without the backlash Chen Lutang had warned of. 61 63
• Vital Blood Pills — rapidly restore his depleted Qi and Blood after system use. 14 20
• Tiger-Skin, Tiger-Tendon, and Tiger-Bone Essence Decoctions — medicinal baths used for bodily tempering. 8 19 22
• Spirit-Restoring Dew — helped restore his spirit after the strain of learning Spirit Preservation. 48
• Dragon King’s Blessing lantern — a lantern hung by the red-clad figure he encountered at Li Family Village; he brought it to Xie Yu, who confirmed its unusual nature. Lanterns of this kind can also convey information to Dragon King Stronghold. 66 67 84
• Ten-Thousand Questions Martial Arts Model — his defining system ability. 1 3

Relationships

• Xie Zhengtang — father; a protective but secretive salt merchant who initially concealed the existence of ghosts from him. He later granted Xie An extensive training resources and helped prepare his future with Dragon King Stronghold. 2 6 34 83
• Xie Yu / Daoist Master Yusu — elder sister and supernatural mentor; initially concealed her identity while guiding him through ghost-related dangers. Xie An eventually recognized her, and they reunited before his departure for Dragon King Stronghold. 30 34 43 83
• Uncle Shui / Su Shuibo — household steward, head guard, and martial mentor; a formidable Dark Force expert who formally supported Xie An’s training. His true identity and former reputation as the “Iron-Armed Copper Gong” emerged during the festival. He survived his battle but sustained injuries that threatened his martial future. 2 8 16 70 79
• Xie Xiaoyu — younger half-sister; affectionate toward Xie An and wants to learn martial arts to protect him. 6
• Qiu Lan — personal maid who has served him for eight years; manages his care, clothing, meals, and medicinal recovery. 3 5
• Zhao Hu — longtime personal guard and early sparring partner; Xie An supported his family before Zhao Hu was killed in the supernatural disaster. 9 16 28
• Zhou Ji — guard, sparring partner, and informant; became deeply loyal after Xie An aided his injured father. 19 21
• Li Dao — Organ Tempering guard and regular sparring partner; a former constable recruited for his strength and integrity. 22
• Chen Mo — Manifest Force martial artist from Yongsheng Martial Arts Hall; became his instructor, high-level sparring partner, and personally loyal subordinate after he offered to fund her cultivation. Xie An chose her to accompany him to Dragon King Stronghold. 18 39 41 46 82 83
• A Shan — assassin responsible for placing the Yin Cloth Doll; captured by Xie An. Xu Zhengyang subsequently took her from Cloudwater Residence, and she was reported dead. 37 38 58 59
• Xu Zhengyang — county registrar and A Shan’s adoptive father. Xie An used A Shan’s sword to draw him into a rescue attempt; Xu later publicly took responsibility for the Yin Cloth Doll plot and killed himself. 49 52 58
• Hua Qianxiong — Returning Dragon Abbey abbot whom Xie An and Xie Yu identified as a principal enemy behind the attacks on their household. Xie An killed him after Hua transformed into a Specter. 59 75 78
• Su Hongxiu — Red Sleeve House courtesan connected to the original Xie An. Under supernatural control, she threatened him as a Specter; after Xie An freed her, she said she had hoped to marry him. She died shortly afterward. 13 53 60 75 76
• Mai Qiuyun — daughter of Canal Gang leader Mai Wenshan and the subject of a proposed marriage alliance with Xie An. Their relationship deteriorated as she drew closer to Li Wenyu and later attacked Xie An. 49 63 73
• Lingxi — Dragon King Stronghold’s Young Priestess, who welcomed Xie An and accompanied him to meet the Dragon Queen. She suggested that he might one day become the stronghold’s Holy Son. 84
• Dragon Queen — the powerful figure worshipped by Dragon King Stronghold. She took notice of Xie An’s rapid Spirit Preservation progress and appeared before him when Lingxi intercepted Granny Gu. Xie An later questioned whether she and the Red-Cloth Statue he visualizes are the same being. 84 94

Story Role / Major Arcs

Li Family Village Investigation

Xie An investigates fleeing tenant farmers at Li Family Village and encounters the Grain-Collecting Ghost, initiating his awareness of ghosts, ritual sacrifice, and the dangers concealed by Qingwu County’s institutions. 1 2

Martial Cultivation

After activating Ten-Thousand Questions, Xie An masters Taishan Fist, develops the Five Animal True Form Diagram, and tempers his body through medicinal baths and increasingly difficult sparring sessions. 3 9 19 22

He subsequently perfects the Spirit Preservation Method, completes the Red Sun Saber Technique, advances through Bone Tempering into Organ Tempering, and creates the Great Sun Baleful Force Art to give himself a means of fighting Specters. 45 48 50 62 65

Zhao Residence and Yin Cloth Doll Plot

Zhao Hu’s death, the Monster Strain’s appearance, and Xie An’s recurring nightmares reveal that he has been targeted by a Yin Cloth Doll connected to Li Family Village’s curses. With Yusu’s help, he discovers the doll beneath his bed. 28 31 33

Confrontation with A Shan

After learning that Zhou Yun’s wife arranged the assassination attempt, Xie An faces A Shan in his first direct life-or-death battle. He defeats and captures her using environmental tactics, Taishan Fist, and Withered Abyss. 36 37

He later uses her soft sword as bait at Red Sleeve House, prompting Xu Zhengyang to locate and retrieve her from Cloudwater Residence. Xu’s ensuing confession and suicide fail to resolve Xie An’s suspicions about the larger conspiracy. 38 52 58 59

Inheritance of the Xie Household’s Secret

Seeking martial arts capable of dealing with ghosts and wraiths, Xie An learns of the Illuminating Spirit Scripture and the three great powers of Qingwu County. He ultimately accepts responsibility for the Xie Household’s hidden supernatural legacy and enters the Xie White Goddess Shrine. 42 43

The family’s public festival at Li Family Village reveals the scale of its ambition to provide rites independently of the established powers. During the ensuing conflict, Xie An presses the Canal Gang to choose a side, fights the forces opposing the ritual, and kills Hua Qianxiong after his transformation. 65 66 73 75 78

Dragon King Stronghold

After recognizing Yusu as Xie Yu, Xie An learns of his family’s extensive support for Dragon King Stronghold and travels there with Chen Mo. Lingxi welcomes him as an important prospective member and brings him before the Dragon Queen. 82 83 84

While staying in the stronghold’s Sacrificial Hall, Xie An notices that his Spirit Preservation Method becomes markedly more effective there. This prompts him to investigate whether the Red-Cloth Statue in his visualization is truly the Dragon Queen or a different being. 94

Notable Quotes

“I don't want to work hard or suffer, but I still dream of becoming a martial arts master. You get it, right?” 3

“Kneel for your master!” 36

“I am a son of the Xie Household, with Xie blood flowing through my veins. I should naturally shoulder the Xie Residence's glory, disgrace, rise, and fall.” 43

Trivia

• Xie An’s courtesy name, Mingxi, is commonly used by friends, guards, and household staff. 2
• He was initially regarded as an idle young master incapable of enduring martial training. 2 3
• Uncle Shui compares his sudden martial aptitude to the reincarnation of a Martial Saint. 8
• His system-assisted martial arts mastery is often mistaken by others for Awakening Enlightenment or exceptional innate fortune. 8 40 46
• His family’s contributions to Dragon King Stronghold helped prepare a possible future role for him there, though his appointment as Holy Son has not been confirmed. 83 84