Lu Guangyi

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Lu Guangyi (卢广义)
Alias(es)	County Magistrate Lu; Lord Lu
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Qingfeng County yamen; secretly allied with Flying Cloud Stronghold; disciple of the Black Qi Mountain lineage 9 30
Occupation/Role	County Magistrate of Qingfeng County
Status	Deceased; killed by Zhao Zhi, then reanimated as a Malevolent Entity and destroyed 37 38
First Appearance	Mentioned in Chapter 2 2

Background & History

Lu Guangyi governed Qingfeng County as a corrupt magistrate who prioritized personal profit, influence, and cultivation over justice. Li Qingchang, a notorious street thug, acted with impunity because his sister was Lu’s favored ninth concubine; after Zhao Zhi killed Li, Lu treated the death as both a personal loss and an insult to his authority. 2 4

Unable to kill Zhao openly, Lu arranged for Zhao to confront Flying Cloud Stronghold’s Fifth Chief, Wu Jiu, while assigning Qi Daqu and Liu Guang to prevent Zhao’s escape. Wu Jiu’s death instead exposed Zhao’s hidden strength, prompting Lu to send the Fourth Chief, Ge Zhou, as a second assassin. 3 4 5

Lu had secretly maintained a long-running arrangement with Flying Cloud Stronghold. Earlier “bandit-suppression” campaigns were staged operations through which both sides profited; after Zhao became a threat, Lu offered the stronghold a share of campaign funds and Zhao’s life in exchange for its cooperation. 9 22 He also intended to exploit Zhao’s death by collecting money from civilians under the pretext of compensating for a fallen constable. 4

His conspiracy extended to Iron Horse Manor, several local powers, and the refinement of Human Elixirs. Lu used evidence of Su Qingyou, Tao Ran, and Lei Juechen’s involvement in Human Elixir production to blackmail them into joining an assassination plot against Zhao. 19 33

At the Mysterious Maiden Temple, Lu joined Luo Yun and five local martial artists in an ambush. After Zhao defeated the other conspirators, Lu attempted to poison him with Soul-Tethering Silk before interrogating and refining him into a Human Elixir. The poison failed, and Zhao snapped Lu’s neck. 35 36 37

Dark-red blood and black mist from the fallen conspirators subsequently entered Lu’s corpse, forming a cocoon that revived it as a Malevolent Entity. Zhao destroyed the entity by using the Little Netherworld Sword and overwhelming inner qi. 38

Appearance

Lu Guangyi appeared to be a plump, wealthy-looking man in his mid-thirties rather than a formidable martial artist or calculating official. 35

• Short and corpulent, with a round, swollen face. 35
• Possessed small, “mung-bean-sized” eyes that often reflected calculation or malice. 4 19
• His outwardly indulgent, landlord-like appearance concealed Innate Perfection cultivation. 35 36

Personality

Lu was calculating, vindictive, and intensely status-conscious. He regarded Zhao as a disposable low-ranking constable even while exploiting Zhao’s public reputation to rally support for the campaign against Flying Cloud Stronghold. He also dismissed Qingfeng County’s common people as “ant-like” and treated their approval as politically irrelevant. 20 33

His ambition outweighed any moral restraint. Lu justified Human Elixirs as a necessary path for ordinary martial artists competing against powerful clans and sects, despite their creation through human sacrifice. 35 He sought Zhao’s death not only to preserve his authority and conceal his crimes, but also to seize Zhao’s cultivation secret or refine Zhao into an exceptionally valuable Human Elixir. 33

Lu was adept at coercion and indirect schemes, but repeatedly underestimated Zhao’s growth. His plans relied on assassins, political pressure, poisoned incense, criminal alliances, and blackmail rather than a direct confrontation. 3 33 37

Abilities & Skills

Innate Perfection Cultivation

Lu concealed martial strength far beyond that expected of a county magistrate.

• Revealed himself as an Innate Perfection martial artist during the Mysterious Maiden Temple ambush. 36
• Was considered close to the Meridian Opening Realm and received a Meridian Opening Pill from his master. 30
• Did not directly test his strength against Zhao after witnessing Zhao overwhelm the other conspirators. 36 37

Political Manipulation

Lu used his office, local alliances, and confidential knowledge to control Qingfeng County.

• Secretly coordinated with Flying Cloud Stronghold while publicly organizing campaigns against it. 9 22
• Used Zhao’s popularity and commitment to justice to provoke conflicts with the Fan Family and other local powers. 9 10
• Blackmailed the Su Family, Tao Family, and Evergreen Gang through evidence of their Human Elixir crimes. 33
• Planned to frame Luo Yun for Zhao’s murder to avoid public backlash. 35

Soul-Tethering Silk

Lu possessed a poison refined by his second senior brother.

• Had previously used it to poison Su Changlin, Tao Jiuyi, and Lei Juechen, helping him seize control over Qingfeng County. 37
• Used poisoned temple incense against Zhao before attempting to capture him. 37
• The poison, which could affect even Meridian Opening Realm martial artists, had no effect on Zhao. 37

Equipment / Items

• Soul-Tethering Silk — A potent poison obtained from Lu’s second senior brother and used to manipulate powerful local martial artists. 37
• Meridian Opening Pill — Delivered by Xue Lihuai on their master’s behalf; Lu kept it as a contingency while nearing a breakthrough. 30 33
• Black wooden tablet — A sinister tablet bearing incomprehensible writing, recovered from Lu after the Malevolent Entity’s destruction. 38 39
• Unidentified medicinal pill — Found on Lu’s body by Zhao after his death. 37 39
• Beast hide — Carried writing later identified as the incomplete Little Spring Technique. 37 39

Relationships

• Zhao Zhi — Enemy and intended Human Elixir material; Lu repeatedly arranged assassinations and eventually led an ambush against him. Zhao killed Lu after resisting his poison. 3 33 37
• Li Qingchang — Brother-in-law and favored associate; Lu’s desire to avenge Li’s death began his direct conflict with Zhao. 2 4
• Lu’s ninth concubine — Li Qingchang’s sister and Lu’s favored concubine; her connection allowed Li to act without restraint. 2 4
• Chen Qingzhi — Constable chief and confidant who carried out Lu’s orders and monitored Zhao. 9 13
• Qi Daqu and Liu Guang — Constables aligned with Lu’s faction; Qi assisted the attempted setup against Zhao, while Liu later acted as Lu’s subordinate and messenger. 3 4 33
• Flying Cloud Stronghold — Secret criminal partner in staged suppression campaigns, assassination attempts, and profit-sharing arrangements. 9 22
• Luo Yun — Flying Cloud Stronghold’s Second Chief; Lu promised him a Human Elixir and ten thousand taels of silver for killing Zhao. 35
• Su Qingyou, Tao Ran, and Lei Juechen — Local leaders forced into Lu’s final assassination conspiracy through blackmail over Human Elixir refining. 33 36
• Xue Lihuai — Senior fellow disciple from Black Qi Mountain who delivered the Meridian Opening Pill and warned Lu about the Profound Nether Platform. 30

Notable Quotes

“A Human Elixir is merely one method of advancement.” 35

“Once you are refined into a Human Elixir, you will know.” 37

Trivia

• Lu and Zhao Zhi did not meet directly until the Mysterious Maiden Temple ambush, despite Lu having targeted Zhao since Li Qingchang’s death. 35
• Zhao gained 355 Merit for killing Lu, his largest reward from a single human target at that point. 37
• Lu’s posthumous transformation into a Malevolent Entity yielded 1,235 Merit—far more than his death as a human did. 38