Xie Yu

Biodata

Background

Xie Yu is Xie Zhengtang’s first child and Xie An’s full-blooded elder sister. Before her separation from the family, their mother entrusted Yu’er with caring for her younger brother. 30

People from Returning Dragon Abbey skinned her alive and used the Beast-Making Art on her, leaving her forced to hide in a jar for ten years. Her father blames himself for the decision that led to her suffering. 30

Despite this, Xie Yu studied methods for dealing with demons and evil spirits at Returning Dragon Abbey. When the Yin Cloth Doll plot and the Li Family Village crisis threaten Xie An, she dons an artificial skin and returns under the identity of the wandering female Daoist Yusu. 30

She conceals that she is Xie An’s sister because she expects to die soon and does not want him to suffer another loss. Instead, she intends to teach him everything she can during her remaining time. Xie An eventually recognizes her, and the siblings reunite openly before she leaves for the inner city. 30 82 83

Xie Yu was once a prodigy at Returning Dragon Abbey. According to Gao Hanwen, a disastrous conflict with the inner-city Xie Clan left her near death; Xie Zhengtang secured help from Dragon King Stronghold by pleading for her rescue and offering a million taels. She subsequently joined the stronghold and began cultivating the Dragon Queen’s Spirit Preservation Method. 83

Appearance

After receiving an artificial skin, Xie Yu presents herself as a valiant wandering Daoist in her mid-twenties. 30

• Previously existed as a grotesque, skinless woman concealed in a jar. 29 30
• Emerges with an artificial face, powder, and a black hooded cloak. 30
• Uses the identity and appearance of Daoist Master Yusu to move freely without exposing her connection to the Xie family. 30 34
• Her concealed supernatural presence appears as murky darkness to Xie An’s Qi-Gazing. 31

Personality

Xie Yu is fiercely protective of Xie An. Her first reaction after learning that he has been targeted is concern for his safety, and she willingly exposes herself to danger to protect and prepare him. 29 30

As Yusu, she is calm, aloof, and highly observant. She prefers to guide Xie An toward conclusions through questions rather than merely supply answers, especially when teaching him about ghosts, nightmares, and Cocoon Force. 31 32

She is also emotionally restrained but deeply sentimental. Being called “Sis” by Xie An moves her to tears, while her private approval of his judgment and growth reveals how proud she is of him. When he recognizes her as his sister, she embraces him and weeps. 34 38 82 83

Her resolve becomes particularly apparent when she proposes publicly confronting the people behind the hauntings rather than continuing to hide from them. 60

Abilities & Skills

Supernatural Investigation

Xie Yu possesses extensive practical knowledge of ghosts, fiends, cursed objects, and the methods used to manipulate them.

• Correctly concludes that Li Family Village’s deaths alone could not have produced the dream-killing threat, identifying signs of deliberate interference. 30
• Reconstructs the events at Zhao Hu’s residence by examining blood and drawing a talismanic mark. 31
• Identifies the Yin Cloth Dolls as vessels of the Malevolent Nightmare Suppression Art and explains their connection to the Monster Strain, nightmares, and Cocoon Force. 33
• Detects the danger of the doll immediately and suppresses it back into an inert object with a strike. 33
• Finds a Yin Cloth Doll at the massacred Xu Residence and determines that it acted as a locator, drawing the Specter associated with Red Sleeve House to the household. 60

Spiritual Perception

Xie Yu can perceive powers that evade Xie An’s Spirit Sight.

• Notices Xie An observing her with Qi-Gazing, despite no one else previously detecting his use of the talent. 31
• Her presence cannot be read by his Qi-Gazing; he sees only a mass of obscuring darkness. 31
• Explains that Cocoon Force distorts the six consciousnesses and creates a Six-Sense Cocoon Chamber that traps victims within fear and false perceptions. 32 42
• Senses Xie An’s Vital Breath after his encounter with Su Hongxiu and assesses whether he has fallen under her influence. 59

Martial and Supernatural Power

Her exact cultivation is undisclosed, but her strength vastly surpasses Uncle Shui’s Dark Force.

• Uncle Shui states that even ten versions of himself would not equal a single poke of her finger. 31
• Xie An regards her as exceptionally dangerous after witnessing her perception and investigating ability. 31
• She is capable of acting as Xie An’s safety net during his confrontation with A Shan, though she deliberately allows him to handle the battle himself. 36 39
• She states that she cannot be certain of killing Hua Qianxiong in the county seat but vows that he will die if he comes to Wuqiao Town. 60

Illuminating Spirit Scripture Knowledge

Xie Yu teaches Xie An the principles required to combat ghosts and specters.

• Explains that Manifest Force martial artists can extend Yang-based Inner Force beyond the body, while Dark Force can disperse Yin energy from possessed victims but cannot directly destroy the possessing entity. 42
• Introduces the Spirit Preservation Method, the foundational practice of the Illuminating Spirit Scripture. 42
• Explains that practitioners preserve the spiritual bearing of an enshrined entity in their minds to break Cocoon Force and see through supernatural illusions. 42
• Warns that even exceptional disciples generally require two or three years of continuous visualization, with a low success rate. 44
• Confirms Xie An’s mastery after only one day and judges his spiritual foundation unusually deep and stable, though she initially regrets allowing him to attempt the method so early. 45 46

Ritual Practice

Xie Yu conducts rites through her connection to the Dragon Queen.

• At Li Family Village, prepares an altar with burial earth, banners, yellow lanterns, rice, copper coins, and a veiled statue. Using the ritual, she hears the dead villagers’ grievances and questions them about their deaths. 68 81
• Publicly identifies Zhu Youcai’s role in the massacre, names Granny Gu as the Yin Cloth Doll’s maker, and accuses Hua Qianxiong of instigating the crime. 68
• Delivers all 314 resentful souls from Li Family Village, leaving it peaceful and free of its former ghostly atmosphere. 82

Power Progression

Relationships

• Xie An / Xie Mingxi — Her full-blooded younger brother. She protects him under the identity of Daoist Master Yusu and becomes his instructor while initially keeping their true relationship secret from him. He eventually recognizes her; they embrace, share a farewell drink, and part as siblings before she goes to the inner city. 30 34 42 82 83
• Xie Zhengtang — Her father. Both carry deep grief and guilt over her suffering, but Xie Yu reassures him that he remains the best father in her heart. She later goes to stand beside him during the confrontation over the Xie Household’s future. 30 34 82
• Uncle Shui / Su Shuibo — A trusted elder of the Xie Household who recognizes her as the Eldest Miss and assists her return to the family’s affairs. He, Xie Yu, and Xie Zhengtang have worked toward the household’s plans for thirteen years. 30 66 70
• Returning Dragon Abbey — The organization whose people subjected her to the Beast-Making Art; she nevertheless gained much of her supernatural knowledge through its teachings. 30 42
• Dragon Queen and Dragon King Stronghold — Xie Yu joined the stronghold after her rescue, cultivates the Dragon Queen’s Spirit Preservation Method, and serves as a steward. She has served the Dragon Queen for ten years without seeing her true face. 66 82 83
• A Shan — Xie Yu permits Xie An to confront A Shan independently, then praises his combat judgment and plan to use her sword as bait. 36 38
• Hua Qianxiong — She identifies him as the force behind the attack on Xie An and publicly accuses him of instigating the Li Family Village massacre. She plans the village ceremony knowing he may try to stop it. 59 60 68

Story Role

Return to the Xie Household

When Xie An becomes the target of the nightmare conspiracy, Xie Yu returns from seclusion with a new skin and adopts the name Daoist Master Yusu. She decides that investigating Zhao Hu’s death will serve as Xie An’s first practical lesson. 29 30

Li Family Village and Zhao Residence Investigation

At the Zhao Residence, Xie Yu reconstructs the Monster Strain’s birth and attack through blood evidence. She then explains that the Li Family Village entity itself could not have entered dreams and killed people, directing Xie An toward the hidden mechanism behind the murders. 31 32

She discovers the Yin Cloth Doll beneath Xie An’s bed and establishes that it would have activated during his next nightmare, likely killing him by tearing out his organs. 33

Mentor and Protector

Xie Yu supports Xie An’s proposal to expose Zhou Yun’s superior by frightening Zhou Yun into making contact. She persuades Xie Zhengtang to let Xie An participate in the investigation and accepts responsibility for teaching him. 34

During the confrontation with A Shan, she remains nearby but does not intervene, allowing Xie An to experience a genuine life-or-death battle. Afterward, she openly praises his composure, combat ability, and strategy. 36 38

She later follows Xu Zhengyang when he takes A Shan from Cloudwater Residence, tracing them to Returning Dragon Abbey’s Ten Directions Hall. After learning that Hua Qianxiong was present there, she confirms Xie An’s suspicion that Hua was involved in the conspiracy. 58 59

Spiritual Instruction

Xie Yu begins teaching Xie An why ordinary martial arts are insufficient against ghosts. She introduces the Illuminating Spirit Scripture, the Spirit Preservation Method, Cocoon Force, and the dangerous truth that Qingwu County’s great powers worship powerful evil entities as gods. 42 43

After Xie An accepts responsibility for the Xie Household’s secret, she brings him to the White Goddess Shrine and begins guiding him through the family’s method of cultivating the Spirit Preservation Method. When he collapses from its mental strain, she urges him to stop until his cultivation is higher; she subsequently confirms his unprecedented one-day mastery. 43 44 45 46

Public Ceremony and the Xie Household’s Plans

Following the Xu Household massacre, Xie Yu discovers a Yin Cloth Doll that had drawn a Specter to the residence. Concluding that the Xie Household cannot remain in hiding, she proposes a conspicuous ceremony at Li Family Village to eliminate the sources of the village and Red Sleeve House hauntings and draw out their human enemies. 60

The ceremony also advances a plan that Xie Yu, Xie Zhengtang, and Uncle Shui have pursued for thirteen years: establishing the Xie Household and the Dragon Queen as a fourth major religious power in Qingwu County. Xie Yu tells Xie An that the Dragon Queen is present and that only an Evil God of the established Big Three could disrupt the rite. 66

At the village altar, Xie Yu hears the testimony of the murdered villagers and publicly names those responsible. She ultimately delivers all 314 resentful souls. She then warns Xie An that the household’s position remains uncertain until the Dragon Queen withstands the Three Divine Spirits, and takes him and Chen Mo toward Dragon King Stronghold for safety. 68 81 82

Reunion with Xie An

Before leaving Xie An at Dragon King Stronghold, Xie Yu sets out for the inner city to support their father. Xie An recognizes that Yusu is his long-lost sister and calls out to her. They embrace, acknowledge their bond, and share a farewell drink beneath the moon before she departs. 82 83

Notable Quotes

“I only have this one brother. If anything were to happen to him, how could I explain myself to Mother when I met her in the underworld...?” 30

“Precisely because he is my only little brother, because the same blood flows through us, I do not want him to be sad.” 30