Bai Qi

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

Bai Qi was the former Emperor Yao He's only known lover. After Yao He's death, he withdrew from public life and lived in seclusion at a private estate near the sea. His past and identity became obscure, though the people in his manor remain deeply devoted to him and speak highly of his generosity and medical ability 21.

Nearly ten years after Yao He's death, Bai Qi continues to play chess with an AI modeled on him. He treats the program as if it were Yao He himself, repeatedly seeking affection and asking why Yao He has not returned 26.

Bai Qi rescued Chi Li after the latter escaped his kidnappers and collapsed near the coast. He provided medical treatment and sanctuary without demanding an explanation, but Chi Li found the timing of the rescue suspicious 21. Bai Qi later admitted that members of his bloodline can sense a summons when one of their own is in danger; this was why he found Chi Li 26.

Bai Qi is a collateral descendant of the Mermaid Priesthood, the sole Merfolk clan whose members can retain foresight after reaching adulthood. Priesthood members are bound to serve the Mermaid Royal Family and forbidden from leaving their clan. Bai Qi abandoned that duty after Yao He's death in order to pursue revenge against Yao Di, accepting Divine Punishment in return 75 136.

The punishment severed the tail that marked his priestly identity and left his regrown tail permanently mutilated. It also caused lasting physical deterioration, which is worsened whenever he spends his vitality on prophecy or memory-related abilities 136.

Although Yao Di regarded Bai Qi as a useful court diviner, Bai Qi gradually manipulated him into creating the conditions for his own downfall. After Yao Di's death, Bai Qi acquires the throne and becomes the person effectively governing the Empire 39 124 129 136.

Appearance

Bai Qi has an elegant, almost otherworldly appearance that initially conceals his nonhuman nature. He is physically frail and suffers from a persistent illness, including bouts of coughing blood 21 26.

• Pale blue hair and a warm, gentle demeanor 21
• Usually wears white robes trimmed in gold 21
• Has an unusually striking, refined bearing that Chi Li compares to an elf in a secluded paradise 21
• Transforms below the waist into a blue, scaled fish tail 26
• His tail is malformed: rather than ending in fins, it narrows into a bare, snake-like fleshy point without scales 26
• The malformed tail is the result of Divine Punishment: its original tip was severed, and the regenerated portion can no longer grow scales or fins 136
• His complexion and vitality worsen noticeably as he continues using foresight despite its cost 123 136

Personality

Bai Qi presents himself as kind, private, and reluctant to interfere in other people's conflicts. He treats Chi Li's injuries, allows him to recover freely at the manor, and refuses to press him for information. His attendants view him as compassionate and harmless 21.

Behind this gentle image, Bai Qi is observant, secretive, and highly calculating. He investigates Chi Li's memories without permission, deduces the connection between Chi Li's Merfolk Core and Si Jinyan's royal bloodline, and uses Yao Di's ambition to direct the Emperor against Si Jinyan 26 39.

His grief over Yao He remains central to his behavior. Bai Qi knows the chess-playing AI is only an imitation, but continues recreating their former intimacy rather than letting go of the past 26.

Bai Qi believes that people caught in the “vortex” of fate have little genuine freedom of choice. He considers himself a strategist who merely pushes fate forward, framing his elaborate plans as moves on a chessboard rather than as direct coercion 74 124.

Though he remains devoted to Yao He, Bai Qi understands that Yao He's affection was intertwined with imperial calculation and the desire to control prophetic power. Even after avenging Yao He and gaining the throne, he remains emotionally dependent on the dead emperor's simulated voice and unable to release his grief 136.

Abilities & Skills

Healing and Medical Treatment

Bai Qi is an accomplished healer whose treatment saves Chi Li after severe blood loss, gunshot wounds, and pheromone extraction.

• His attendants describe his medical skills as exceptional 21
• He treats Chi Li's wounds and arranges continued dressing changes at his manor 21
• Chi Li's condition improves substantially under his care 21

Merfolk Transformation

Bai Qi can transform his lower body into a Merfolk tail.

• His tail is blue and scaled along most of its length 26
• The malformed, finless tail tip distinguishes him from an ordinary Merfolk 26
• The tail's mutilated condition was caused by Divine Punishment after he left the Mermaid Priesthood 136

Bloodline Sensing

Bai Qi claims that members of his people can sense a distress summons when a blood relative is endangered.

• He says this ability led him to Chi Li after Chi Li was wounded near the coast 26
• He suspects Chi Li has a connection to his people, though Chi Li cannot confirm it 26
• Bai Qi later determines that Chi Li is human but carries a Merfolk Core 39
• He eventually confirms that Chi Li bears a Scale associated with Mermaid Royal Family descendants, making Bai Qi unable to harm him without suffering backlash 75

Memory Exploration

Bai Qi can probe another person's memories, though doing so severely harms him.

• He secretly examines Chi Li's memories after inviting him to the manor 26
• Using this ability causes him to cough blood and requires his servant to intervene 26
• He can perceive that Chi Li's memories before the age of eight have been deliberately obscured rather than naturally forgotten 73
• Bai Qi can help remove such an obstruction and guide the recovery of suppressed memories, but the resulting emotional impact can incapacitate the subject and further exhaust Bai Qi himself 75 78

Foresight and Divination

As a descendant of the Mermaid Priesthood, Bai Qi can receive visions of possible future events.

• Yao Di retains Bai Qi within the Empire because he relies on Bai Qi's divinations concerning the Empire's future 73
• Bai Qi foresees war, scaled monsters, collapse, and the emergence of a “new god,” though he warns that such visions may not occur exactly as seen 73
• His foresight is not freely usable and consumes his vitality 73 136
• He occasionally supplements genuine foresight with calculated falsehoods, such as his fabricated prophecy that encouraged Yao Di to move against Si Jinyan 39

Mermaid Language and Ritual Knowledge

Bai Qi possesses knowledge of Mermaid Language and ancient Merfolk rites.

• He secretly communicates with Chi Li in Mermaid Language while outwardly speaking the Imperial Tongue 123
• He teaches Chi Li an emergency invocation involving a sacrifice from the heart and the summoning of an ancient Merfolk being 123
• His knowledge of royal Merfolk customs allows him to recognize the significance of Chi Li's heart Scale and Si Jinyan's concealed royal lineage 75 136

Political Manipulation

Bai Qi is capable of using limited knowledge and carefully framed lies to influence powerful figures.

• He presents Yao Di with fabricated “visions” about Chi Li, Si Jinyan, and a coming shift in imperial power 39
• He exploits Yao Di's fear of Si Jinyan and desire to control him 39
• He later reveals that his supposed prophecy was based on deduction rather than foresight 39
• He bargains with Si Jinyan for military support in exchange for helping Chi Li recover his memories, using Si Jinyan's love for Chi Li to secure support for his bid for the throne 78
• He lures Yao Di into a private divination meeting, allowing Si Jinyan's forces to infiltrate the Emperor's base and initiate Yao Di's downfall 124

Equipment / Items

• Chess-playing AI modeled on Yao He — An artificial intelligence with Yao He's voice and preprogrammed affectionate responses; Bai Qi uses it to reenact their past relationship 26.
• Black-and-white chessboard — Bai Qi frequently plays with the AI, ignoring the rules and moving pieces as he wishes 26.
• Mermaid-scale bullet plan — Bai Qi arranges for a scale bullet to graze Chi Li's heart and trigger resonance with the Merfolk Core embedded near it 40.
• Mermaid-language invocation — An ancient emergency ritual Bai Qi passes to Chi Li, intended to summon an ancient Merfolk entity in exchange for a sacrifice of what the user cherishes most 123.

Relationships

• Yao He — Bai Qi's deceased lover and the former Emperor. Bai Qi remains unable to let go of him, preserving an imitation of their companionship through an AI replica 21 26. Although Bai Qi recognizes that Yao He used prophetic power and shaped others for political ends, he continues to love him and pursues revenge against Yao Di in his name 136.
• Chi Li — Bai Qi rescues and heals Chi Li, then investigates his possible connection to Bai Qi's bloodline. He later treats Chi Li as a crucial piece in the struggle over the Merfolk Core 21 26 39 40. Bai Qi helps Chi Li recover his suppressed childhood memories, but does so partly to advance his own plans; priestly restrictions also prevent Bai Qi from directly harming Chi Li as a Scale-bearing royal descendant 75 78.
• Si Jinyan — Bai Qi identifies Si Jinyan as a royal Merfolk descendant who lacks a Core Scale. He manipulates surrounding events while observing Si Jinyan's increasing loss of control 39. Bai Qi later bargains for Si Jinyan's political and military support, suppresses information about Si Jinyan's past, and ultimately faces him after Yao Di's death 78 136.
• Yao Di — Bai Qi feeds the Emperor a fabricated prophecy to encourage him to move against Si Jinyan 39. He later betrays Yao Di, lures him into a trap through divination, and completes his long-held revenge as Yao Di dies amid mutation and collapse 124 125 136.
• Yuan Ru — Bai Qi's servant negotiates with Yuan Ru, ultimately persuading him to release Chi Li from Si Jinyan's residence 40.
• Manor attendants — Bai Qi's attendants admire him deeply, care for his health, and obey his instructions without question 21 26. His guard both engineers Chi Li's escape from the imperial arrest and shoots him with the Mermaid-scale bullet as part of Bai Qi's larger plan 37 40.
• Mermaid Priesthood — Bai Qi's ancestral clan and the source of his foresight. His decision to leave them cost him his tail, health, and formal place among the priestly descendants 136.

Story Role

Rescue of Chi Li

Bai Qi finds Chi Li gravely wounded near the shore and brings him to his coastal manor. He provides a safe place to recover while deliberately withholding his reasons for being there 21.

Investigation of Chi Li's Heritage

When Chi Li returns to thank him, Bai Qi reveals the bloodline-summons ability that led him to Chi Li. He secretly searches Chi Li's memories, confirming enough to deepen his suspicions despite the severe backlash 26.

Manipulation of the Imperial Conflict

Bai Qi uses Yao Di's trust in his supposed foresight to make the Emperor view Si Jinyan's instability as an opportunity. In private, he concludes that Chi Li carries a Merfolk Core while Si Jinyan possesses royal Merfolk blood without its corresponding Core Scale 39.

The Merfolk Core Plan

Bai Qi arranges the Mermaid-scale bullet that strikes Chi Li near the heart, intending to activate resonance with the Core Scale rather than kill him. He later has his servant secure Chi Li's release before Yao Di can seize the Core 40.

Restoration of Chi Li's Memories

Bai Qi reveals that Chi Li's childhood memories are obscured and offers to restore them. Though Chi Li distrusts him, he accepts after learning that Bai Qi cannot harm a royal descendant bearing the Scale 73 75.

The restoration exposes Chi Li's childhood bond with Si Jinyan, the deaths of Chi Li's fathers, and the trauma that caused his memories to be suppressed. The process leaves Chi Li unconscious for four days and nearly provokes Si Jinyan into killing Bai Qi 75 78.

Bargain for the Throne

Bai Qi offers to help Si Jinyan when Chi Li's situation leaves Si Jinyan desperate for a solution. In exchange, Bai Qi secures the military support necessary to challenge Yao Di, exploiting Si Jinyan's devotion to Chi Li while advancing his own revenge 78.

He later provides Chi Li with an ancient Mermaid-language ritual and covertly intervenes at Yao Di's base, warning Chi Li not to act rashly 123.

Betrayal of Yao Di

Bai Qi summons Yao Di to a private divination under the pretense of prophecy, deliberately creating an opening for Si Jinyan's forces to infiltrate the base. Yao Di realizes the betrayal and nearly strangles Bai Qi before Si Jinyan rescues him 124.

Bai Qi's scheme helps bring about Yao Di's defeat and death, though the destruction of the base and release of the Aberrant Forms inflict severe losses on everyone involved 124 125.

Rule of the Empire

After Yao Di's fall, Bai Qi becomes the Empire's effective ruler. When Si Jinyan confronts him, Bai Qi's deteriorated body, permanently ruined tail, and reliance on Yao He's artificial voice reveal the immense personal cost of his revenge 129 136.

Si Jinyan exposes Bai Qi's role in preserving distorted memories of Yao He and suppressing Si Jinyan's own past. Bai Qi does not deny the accusation, leaving Si Jinyan to demand that he protect the Empire Yao He once defended 136.