Si Jinyan

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

Rise to Marshal

Si Jinyan is the Empire’s once-in-a-century “God of War.” His reputation was forged in the Empire–Loran war twenty years earlier, where he was said to have devastated much of Loran’s military strength before continuing a series of victories for the Empire 4 28.

His official history is conspicuously incomplete. Public biographies portray him as a savior who “appeared out of nowhere,” while records of his life, family, and military service before the war are scarce or suppressed 7. His public persona is approachable and grounded, but intelligence reports describe him in private as taciturn, ruthless, and decisive 2.

The official explanation that he came from a military family and rose naturally through the Empire’s ranks was constructed around an identity imposed on him after his childhood abduction. His later investigation into merfolk lore, the Humanoid Weapon Project, and the period surrounding his emergence in the Empire stemmed from his own doubts about whether he was human, an experiment, or a weapon 101 102.

Although he later withdrew from public life as a former marshal, Si Jinyan retains exceptional military influence. The former emperor entrusted him with a token granting authority over the elite Imperial Shadow Army, a force capable of operating independently from the Empire’s public military 122 131.

Childhood and Concealed Origins

Si Jinyan was born a merfolk rather than created through later humanoid-modification experiments. As a child, he was known as Jin and lived under observation at the Loran First Research Institute, where Chi Li’s father helped care for him and eventually regarded him as a son 75 120 137.

Jin was physically frail in human form and used a wheelchair, but he was unusually intelligent, emotionally reserved, and already capable of closely observing and manipulating others’ reactions. Chi Li, then living under his former identity of Luo Chi, repeatedly visited Jin and became his closest childhood companion 75 76 137.

Si Jinyan’s childhood examinations were not equivalent to the later inhumane experiments conducted against him. However, after he was abducted amid the scandal surrounding the Humanoid Weapon Project, he was exploited by the Empire as a specimen, source of genetic material, and military weapon 120 134 137.

His memories were later deliberately blurred. Bai Qi admits that he had the ability to restore Si Jinyan’s memories but instead helped preserve Yao He’s preferred image of Si Jinyan’s past, ensuring the latter’s loyalty to the Empire 136. Si Jinyan’s recovered memories and Chi Li’s testimony ultimately confirm that he had always been a merfolk 120 137.

Pheromone Deficiency Syndrome

Si Jinyan developed Pheromone Deficiency Syndrome, a condition that caused increasingly frequent and violent susceptible periods. Without relief, he feared either losing his sanity and becoming a mindless attacker or enduring high-intensity suppressants severe enough to damage his body 1.

The Empire’s medical team searched for a compatible omega to stabilize him. Chi Li, publicly identified as an omega with exceptional compatibility, was the first candidate whose pheromones immediately calmed Si Jinyan’s agitation 1. Chi’s presence later regularized Si Jinyan’s formerly unpredictable episodes, but also created a dangerous physiological dependence 24 25.

The syndrome worsened as Si Jinyan relied on substitute inhibitors, blood extraction, and forced restraint of his instincts. Lu Jiu later identifies the missing heart scales and years of experimentation as major causes of Si Jinyan’s unstable regenerative and pheromone functions 50 53 134.

After Si Jinyan’s missing heart scales regenerate, the loss-of-control symptoms caused by their absence are cured. His pheromone-related instability continues to improve, though he still experiences strong heats, desire, and an intense need for Chi Li’s proximity 136 137.

Concealed Merfolk Identity

Si Jinyan is a merfolk whose blood and abilities were destabilized by his pheromone disorder. His body heals at an abnormal speed, and silver-black scales emerge over healed injuries or during loss of control 12 13.

He originally lacked the protective Merfolk Core Scale that should rest near a merfolk’s heart, leaving him unusually vulnerable to heart injuries 13. The missing scale had been removed by the young Si Jinyan and implanted into Chi Li’s chest, creating a lasting connection between their hearts and contributing to Chi Li’s unusual physical resilience 74 121 130.

Bai Qi initially deduces that Si Jinyan may possess royal merfolk blood but no Core Scale 39. Si Jinyan’s royal lineage is later confirmed when his royal aura manifests through a spectral fish tail, overwhelming Bai Qi with its pressure 136.

His heart scales eventually regenerate, restoring the protection and stability he lacked for years 129 136.

Appearance

Si Jinyan usually presents as a tall, broad-shouldered man with sharply defined features, short black hair, and a stern, imposing expression. His pheromones carry a sandalwood scent that Chi Li finds calming 6 7.

• His eyes can shift from black to metallic gold with slit-like pupils as his control deteriorates 18 35.
• In severe feral states, his irises can turn entirely gold or red, with little visible human emotion remaining in his gaze 38 83.
• In merfolk form, his legs become a massive silver-black fish tail; scales can spread across his neck, torso, and limbs 31 38.
• During his most extreme transformation, his hair becomes long and silver-black, fins sharpen, and translucent wings emerge from his back 38.
• Scale-like dark patterns can appear beneath his skin before a major loss of control 22 50.
• He can shed scales naturally, allowing them to be fashioned into ammunition capable of suppressing and penetrating Aberrant Forms 113.
• His tears can condense into large pearls when he is emotionally overwhelmed 83 84.

Personality

Si Jinyan is controlled, strategic, and difficult to provoke in political or military affairs. Even when the Emperor’s faction moves against him, he insists on discipline and refuses to reveal weakness 6. He is also highly suspicious, ordering investigations into Chi Li’s background because the latter’s perfect compatibility appears too convenient 4.

In private, he can be attentive, teasing, and unexpectedly gentle. He monitors Chi Li’s condition, provides for his needs, and repeatedly attempts to soothe him with pheromones and physical closeness 3 8 12. His concern becomes especially clear when Chi Li is injured or disappears; Si Jinyan responds with guilt, anxiety, and extreme retaliation against perceived threats 22 23.

His attachment is inseparable from possessiveness. As his condition worsens, he increasingly treats Chi Li as someone who must remain at his side, even when that requires confinement, surveillance, threats, or forced marking 25 35 48 50. He recognizes some of the harm he causes, but his fear of losing Chi Li repeatedly overrides his restraint 25 49.

After Chi Li begins confronting him directly and helping with his treatment, Si Jinyan becomes more willing to restrain himself, obey Chi Li’s boundaries, and express vulnerability rather than force 84 88 89. His greatest fear remains abandonment; when he believes Chi Li has been harmed, removed, or emotionally withdrawing from him, he can become panicked, clingy, and reduced to tears 84 99.

Si Jinyan also possesses a strong moral commitment to protecting civilians and the Empire, even though much of that sense of duty was shaped by manipulation. When offered immense power and the possibility of transcending civilizations, he refuses because he values a life with Chi Li over godlike authority or immortality 102 135.

Abilities & Skills

Enigma Physiology

Si Jinyan is an Enigma, a rare classification outside the conventional alpha-beta-omega system.

• He is unaffected by alpha, beta, and omega pheromones, including pheromones intended to provoke or suppress him 18.
• He can release a unique pheromone pressure that induces fear, weakness, stiffness, and near-paralysis in those nearby 18.
• He used this pressure to immobilize Emperor Yao Di and Lu Jiu while warning the Emperor not to interfere with Chi Li 18.
• His Enigma pheromones can mark an alpha, though the process is unusually painful and unstable 35 49.
• The mark he left on Chi Li eventually permits unusually direct emotional resonance; during severe episodes, Si Jinyan can communicate panic, grief, guilt, and fear to Chi Li through pheromones and a voice only Chi can hear 84.
• Chi Li’s pheromones can soothe Si Jinyan despite Chi’s alpha status, and their post-marking bond removes the ordinary physiological rejection expected between two alphas 49 51.

Merfolk Physiology

Si Jinyan possesses powerful merfolk traits that exceed normal human or alpha capabilities.

• His injuries heal with exceptional speed; a gunshot wound to his thigh heals within days 12 13.
• He can transform his lower body into a powerful fish tail and use merfolk strength to reinforce his body, move rapidly, and withstand attacks 13 31.
• His blood can restore Chi Li’s strength and help sustain him after severe injury 39.
• He can remove a bullet from Chi Li’s chest while transformed 38.
• Until his heart scales regenerated, his missing Merfolk Core Scale left his heart less protected than that of a normal merfolk 13 136.
• A merfolk core is both a source of extraordinary strength and a critical weakness. Destroying it removes the merfolk’s abilities and regenerative power 113.
• His naturally shed scales can be made into specialized bullets that suppress Aberrant Forms and possess exceptional piercing power 113.
• His inherited merfolk genes can transmit vast biological knowledge across generations, rather than through written records or technology 135.

Royal Merfolk Heritage

Si Jinyan possesses concealed royal merfolk blood.

• Bai Qi first inferred that Si Jinyan carried royal blood despite lacking a Core Scale 39.
• His royal aura later manifests as a powerful spectral fish tail capable of suppressing Bai Qi, confirming his connection to merfolk royalty 136.
• The awakening of his inherited genes grants him access to the accumulated knowledge and history of merfolk civilization 135.
• As a young merfolk, he possessed limited precognitive ability and foresaw that he would eventually be separated from Chi Li, motivating him to give Chi Li his heart scale 130.

Military Leadership and Combat

Si Jinyan is the Empire’s highest military commander and a celebrated wartime strategist.

• He holds ultimate authority over Empire military affairs and commands influential subordinates including Qiu Rui and Geng Ji 4 6.
• His battlefield judgment is described as surpassing that of ordinary commanders 2.
• He personally intervenes in high-risk incidents, including the West City hostage crisis in which he shields Chi Li from gunfire 10 11.
• His political influence and public reputation are strong enough to rival Emperor Yao Di’s 39.
• He can mobilize the Imperial Shadow Army through a military token given to him by the former emperor 122.
• He uses infiltration, deception, divided forces, and precise timing rather than relying solely on his overwhelming personal strength 122.
• He studies Aberrant Form cores and attack patterns, teaching Chi Li how to identify and exploit their weaknesses 113.

Feral Evolution

When his pheromone disorder and emotional instability worsen, Si Jinyan can enter a beastlike state in which reason is severely impaired.

• Scales spread across his body, his pupils turn fully gold, and his predatory instincts intensify 35 38.
• During captivity at the research institute, he breaks restraints, develops sharper fins and wings, and kills a researcher while escaping 38.
• In this state, he remains strongly drawn to Chi Li and can react to Chi’s danger across distance 37 38.
• He may regain awareness when Chi Li calls his name, but repeated relapses initially make this increasingly unreliable 36.
• He voluntarily prepared restraints and a Destruction Protocol for the possibility that he would become an uncontrollable threat 83.
• The restoration of his heart scales later cures the loss-of-control symptoms specifically caused by their absence, substantially stabilizing this feral evolution 136 137.

Pheromone Deficiency Syndrome

Si Jinyan’s disorder is both his central weakness and the source of his dependence on Chi Li.

• Susceptible periods can last roughly a week and were once nearly constant and unpredictable 1 14 24.
• Chi Li’s pheromones substantially stabilize him, but prolonged reliance makes Si Jinyan’s symptoms rebound more severely when Chi Li is absent 25 50.
• Lu Jiu develops a substitute inhibitor, but confirms that no other omega can replace Chi Li’s stabilizing effect 50.
• Excessive blood extraction to create serum for mutants further worsens Si Jinyan’s instability 50.
• The substitute inhibitor later declines to roughly fifty percent effectiveness, accelerating the return of Si Jinyan’s scales, golden eyes, and compulsive instincts 53.
• The restoration of his heart scales resolves the instability caused by their loss, although his pheromone condition and intense heats remain under recovery 136 137.

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Compatibility treatment — Si Jinyan meets Chi Li during a clinical compatibility test. Chi’s pheromones abruptly relieve his susceptible-period agitation, leading Si Jinyan to bring him into the Marshal’s residence as his compatible omega 1 2.

• Growing attachment and suspicion — While Si Jinyan investigates Chi Li’s suspiciously convenient background, he grows increasingly attached to Chi’s presence, scent, and routines 4 6 7. He begins treating Chi with private tenderness while keeping confidential areas and military information inaccessible 3 7.

• Political rupture with the Emperor — The Emperor attempts to force Si Jinyan into a marriage alliance with a royal princess. After photographs of Si and Chi become public, Si Jinyan has Qiu Rui announce that he cannot honor the engagement, openly worsening his conflict with Emperor Yao Di 15 16.

• Enigma revelation — At the Emperor’s banquet, Si Jinyan nearly loses control and overwhelms Yao Di with pheromone pressure. Lu Jiu explains that Si Jinyan is an Enigma rather than an alpha, beta, or omega 18.

• Merfolk secrets and permanent marking — Si Jinyan’s merfolk traits become harder to conceal as Chi Li investigates his past and discovers evidence of his nonhuman identity 28 29 31. During a severe susceptible period, Si Jinyan permanently marks Chi without consent and initially conceals the act from him 24 25.

• Exposure and collapse of trust — After Chi Li’s true identity as an alpha spy is exposed, Si Jinyan confines him and withholds medical relief while deciding how to handle him 31 33. When Chi’s artificial omega cells fail and his natural alpha physiology returns, Si Jinyan unsuccessfully attempts to make him adapt through another marking 35.

• Capture and feral transformation — Emperor-aligned researchers capture Si Jinyan, restrain him in merfolk form, and extract his blood. Chi Li is shot near the heart during his own escape, triggering Si Jinyan’s violent transformation and escape from the institute 37 38.

• Separation and pursuit — Following the cave incident and Chi Li’s release from Si Jinyan’s control, Chi returns to Loran and resumes military and mercenary work while remaining psychologically preoccupied with Si Jinyan 40 42. Si Jinyan later infiltrates a guarded banquet to confront him again 46.

• Abduction and imprisonment — Si Jinyan reveals that he has marked Chi Li despite Chi’s alpha status, then abducts him after Chi refuses to return voluntarily 49. He confines Chi in a secured room under surveillance, despite warnings from Geng Ji and Lu Jiu that their continued proximity could destroy them both 50.

• Captivity and attempted restraint — Si Jinyan’s substitute inhibitor becomes progressively less effective after his reunion with Chi Li, worsening his scales, golden eyes, and compulsive need to control Chi 51 53. Although he continues confining Chi, he later begins promising greater restraint and rejects Lu Jiu’s proposal that Chi be drugged into an omega-like state for treatment 54 60.

• Childhood memories and the heart scale — Chi Li’s recovered memories reveal that he and Si Jinyan were childhood companions at the Loran First Research Institute 75 76. Chi later learns that the young Si Jinyan removed a scale from his own heart and implanted it into Chi’s chest, creating their long-standing bond 74 120 130.

• Treatment crisis and Eggy — As Si Jinyan’s transformation worsens, he enters a specially prepared containment chamber and nearly escapes in a feral state 80 83. Chi Li’s intervention helps stabilize him, while the developing merfolk entity linked to them becomes a central concern for both men 83 89.

• Mutual recovery and Aberrant Form investigations — Si Jinyan and Chi Li gradually develop a more reciprocal partnership. Si accepts Chi’s soothing pheromones and begins obeying his requests, while Chi assists in the investigation of Aberrant Form experiments derived from Si Jinyan’s genetic material 88 98 111.

• Aberrant Form campaign — Si Jinyan permits Chi Li to join the investigation into missing soldiers and mercenaries, though he remains intensely protective of him 111 113. He teaches Chi how to identify merfolk and Aberrant Form cores, prepares specialized scale ammunition for him, and helps uncover Yao Di’s continuing human experimentation 113 117 118.

• Negotiation and final confrontation — When Yao Di’s forces capture Chi Li as part of a trap, Si Jinyan mobilizes the Imperial Shadow Army and directs a covert rescue operation 122. The conflict ultimately ends Yao Di’s rule, though Si Jinyan and Chi Li both suffer severe consequences from the final battle and the exchange that preserves their lives 123 129 136.

• Restoration of identity — Si Jinyan learns that he was always a naturally born merfolk and that his supposed identity as an experimental weapon had been used to manipulate him 120 136. His inherited merfolk knowledge awakens, his heart scales regenerate, and he rejects an ancient being’s offer of godlike power in favor of returning to Chi Li 135 136.

• Healing and reconciliation — With his memories restored and loss-of-control symptoms improving, Si Jinyan confronts his guilt over Chi Li’s family and the consequences of his past 137. Chi Li refuses to blame him for the crimes committed by others, allowing their relationship to develop around shared grief, forgiveness, and mutual commitment 130 137.

Relationships

• Chi Li — Initially his supposedly compatible omega, later revealed as an alpha spy. Chi Li stabilizes Si Jinyan’s condition, but their bond devolves into secrecy, dependency, coercion, marking, separation, and captivity 1 25 33 50. Their relationship later becomes more mutual as Chi Li helps Si Jinyan recover, learns their shared childhood history, and promises to take Si Jinyan away with him once their conflict is resolved 84 102 120 130.

• Lu Jiu — His physician, research-institute associate, and one of the few people willing to confront him during a loss of control. Lu Jiu monitors Si Jinyan’s merfolk condition and repeatedly warns him that Chi Li has become a dangerous weakness 13 18 25. He later oversees Si Jinyan’s containment, treatment, and recovery, while recognizing that Chi Li’s presence is central to Si Jinyan’s stability 83 84 89.

• Geng Ji — A trusted subordinate and outspoken confidant. Geng Ji teases Si Jinyan about Chi Li but becomes openly alarmed when Si Jinyan’s obsession and instability escalate 6 23 50. Though he remains blunt and skeptical of Si’s decisions, he later supports Chi Li’s combat ability and participates in operations against the Aberrant Forms and Yao Di’s forces 111 122.

• Qiu Rui — One of Si Jinyan’s principal aides and his public spokesperson. Qiu Rui investigates threats, manages political fallout, and announces the end of Si Jinyan’s royal engagement 4 16 33. After Si Jinyan’s withdrawal from public life, Qiu Rui remains in the Empire as an influential adviser and helps monitor political developments with Yuan Ru 131.

• Yuan Ru — Butler of the Marshal’s residence. Yuan Ru is loyal to Si Jinyan’s orders, though he also shows concern for Chi Li and eventually cooperates in Chi’s escape from the cave confinement 31 40. His apparent punishment for assisting Chi strains their relationship, but he later remains stationed in the Empire alongside Qiu Rui 53 131.

• Emperor Yao Di — Political adversary. Yao Di fears Si Jinyan’s influence and independence, attempts to bind him through marriage, and later seeks opportunities to capture or control him 16 18 39. He uses Si Jinyan’s genetic material to create Aberrant Forms and exploits Si’s supposed status as an experimental weapon before dying during the final conflict 98 136.

• Bai Qi — A manipulative figure connected to merfolk mysteries and the Merfolk Core. Bai Qi exploits Yao Di’s fear of Si Jinyan while treating Chi Li as a strategic piece in a larger conflict 39 40. He is later revealed as a descendant of the merfolk priesthood who helped blur Si Jinyan’s memories in service of Yao He’s political designs 136.

• Yao He — A former emperor who offered Si Jinyan warmth and protection after his abduction, becoming a paternal figure in his life 61 136. However, Yao He also benefited from Si Jinyan’s distorted memories and loyalty, leaving Si with a cold and conflicted view of their relationship after learning the truth 136.

• Eggy / Fishy — The black merfolk egg and later child connected to Si Jinyan and Chi Li. Si Jinyan is intensely protective of him, refuses to let an ancient being force him into an inherited destiny, and later forms part of a domestic family life with Chi Li and Fishy 89 135 137.

• Chi Li’s fathers — Chi Li’s alpha and omega fathers were among the few adults who debated whether the young Si Jinyan should be treated as a dangerous specimen or a child deserving compassion 75. Chi Li’s father, director of the Loran First Research Institute, personally documented Si Jinyan’s growth and regarded him as family 137.

• Ancient merfolk being — A powerful merfolk-like entity tied to Eggy’s creation and Si Jinyan’s inherited civilization. He offers Si Jinyan immense power and influence over fate, but Si refuses to become his successor or let Eggy inherit that burden without choice 135.

Notable Quotes

“Let me hold you for a while.” 1

“Don't interfere in my affairs. Don't touch what's mine. There won't be a next time.” 18

“Come back with me. I won't do anything. I won't hurt them.” 49

“Not anymore. Now that I have you, I won't die.” 102

“I don't need it. I already have what I want. That's enough.” 135