Lian Household

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Lian Household
Original Name	连家
Organization Type	Second-Tier Noble House and merchant lineage 19
Location	Qingtian District, Black City’s Outer City 5
Leadership	Patriarch Lian Yuanhong; business and martial-retainer affairs handled by Lian Yunhe and Lian Yunfeng 15 58
Affiliation	Neutral in the struggle between the new City Lord and the Four-Family Alliance 44 58
Occupation/Role	Operates trading firms and warehouses; sponsors martial trainees and employs Martial Warrior attendants 15 27 58
Status	Still operating, but suffering financial pressure and widespread retainer defections; warned of possible destruction 68 71
First Appearance	Introduced through Lian Taoze’s reference to his family in Qingtian District 5

Organization and Leadership

The household has two branches. Lian Yunhe oversees business and accounts, while his elder brother, Lian Yunfeng, manages the trading houses’ Martial Warrior attendants and controls sponsorship allocations. Above both stands Lian Yuanhong, the patriarch and true authority, who normally withdraws from public affairs because of age and declining Blood Vitality 15 33 58.

Member	Position	Responsibilities and standing
Lian Yuanhong	Patriarch; Lian Taoze’s grandfather	Nearly reached the Third Rank in his younger years. Returns for major family crises and determines the household’s political policy 58.
Lian Yunfeng	Elder of the two Lian brothers; Taoze’s eldest uncle	Oversees martial attendants, sponsorships, and cultivation-resource spending. Balances individual requests against the household’s survival 15 27.
Lian Yunhe	Taoze’s father	Handles commerce and accounts. Favors Taoze eventually concentrating on management of the family’s trading houses 15 33.
Lian Taoze	Second young master	Recruits fellow disciples, recommends guards, and advocates additional support for them. Later becomes heavily involved in household affairs 26 27 68.
Lian Taofei	Taoze’s cousin; favored martial prospect	Receives greater investment because of his superior aptitude and the Plum Rain Martial Hall master’s favor 33.

Sponsorship Policy

• The household provides more than ten sponsorship slots annually. Eight go to Taoze’s cousins studying at Plum Rain Martial Hall; Taoze receives only two to distribute 15.
• Taoze habitually gives his slots to needy newcomers, but cannot independently expand the allocation 15.
• Sponsorship establishes an expectation of future service, such as lending a Martial Warrior’s name or protecting a merchant business 15.
• Yunfeng prioritizes aptitude and likely returns. He considers Zhou Chen’s diligence admirable but insufficient grounds for unlimited investment 27 33.

Assets and Employment

Trading Firms and Warehouses

• Trading firms — The household’s commercial foundation. Its largest firm supports several hundred household members, making its closure a threat to their livelihoods 58.
• Warehouse No. 2 — A core storage facility in Qingtian District containing valuable medicinal materials 27 33.
• Warehouse residence — Zhou Chen receives a small residence beside Warehouse No. 2, allowing him to live near his post and cultivate between duties 28.
• Household estate — Hosts Taoze’s lavish wedding banquet, attended by guests from numerous trades and social backgrounds 40.

Guard Duties

• Martial guards lead two irregular patrols each day, watching for theft and fire. Ordinary guards handle much of the remaining routine work 27 28.
• Warehouse protection also involves phosphorus lamps and burning wormwood against mutated medicine rats and the Mist Monster Seven-Step Fragrance 29.
• The original shared-duty arrangement gives Zhou Chen considerable cultivation time. Later defections force Qin Feng’s transfer and leave Zhou responsible for Warehouse No. 2 without a replacement Martial Warrior 27 45.
• Registered attendants receive a datewood waist token carved with the character “Lian” 27.

Compensation and Rewards

Occasion	Chapter	Terms
Initial warehouse offer to Zhou Chen	27	Five taels of silver and ten jin of white meat monthly.
Additional cultivation support	27	Yunfeng approves three monthly doses of Blood-Boiling Powder after Taoze requests five.
Reward for exposing warehouse theft	33	Twenty taels of silver and three additional monthly packets of Blood-Boiling Powder, doubling Zhou’s existing medicine allotment.
Household-wide compensation increase	45	Monthly allowance rises to six taels, with fifteen jin of white meat. The Shen Clan and Four-Family Alliance offer ten taels instead.
Recognition of Zhou’s Major Accomplishment Wild Bull Fist	52	Taoze adds three taels and three portions of Blood-Boiling Powder to Zhou’s monthly support.
Payments during financial hardship	56 61 68	Stipends become delayed, but overdue pay is subsequently settled. Taoze guarantees continued stipends, and Zhou confirms that promised medicinal powder has continued to arrive.

Martial Strength

Member or retainer	Documented strength	Significance
Lian Yuanhong	Formerly approached the Third Rank; now weakened by age 58	An experienced patriarch, but no longer at his youthful strength.
Lian Taoze	Second-Rank Martial Artist; later achieves Copper Sinew-Flesh 5 41	A native family Martial Warrior who also recruits and supports attendants.
Lian Taofei	Considered a promising candidate to challenge the Second-Rank barrier 33	The family invests more in him than in Taoze because of his aptitude.
Zhou Chen	Joins as a First-Rank guard and later reaches Second-Rank Flesh Tempering 27 71	His unexpected combat ability earns repeated rewards and increased support.
Ye Lingtian	First-Rank affiliate with perfected Blood Vitality 67 68	One of the retainers who remains loyal during the household’s decline.

• The household’s Second-Tier standing distinguishes it from the Outer City’s major powers, which have Third-Rank Martial Artists overseeing them 19.
• Yunfeng describes the family as wealthy but lacking truly top-tier Martial Warriors capable of securing its position during political upheaval 34.
• By Chapter 68, only four First-Rank affiliates remain, including Zhou Chen and Ye Lingtian. Meanwhile, the Shen Clan has recruited several Second-Rank fighters and grown substantially stronger 68.

History

Recruitment of Zhou Chen

After Zhou Chen becomes a First-Rank Martial Artist, Taoze offers him warehouse employment while encouraging him to compare other opportunities first. Zhou chooses the Lian post over cargo escort and gambling-house work because it offers better terms, lower apparent risk, and time to cultivate 27.

Taoze also persuades Yunfeng to grant Zhou additional medicine. Although Yunfeng doubts Zhou’s long-term potential, he compromises with three monthly doses of Blood-Boiling Powder 27.

Warehouse No. 2 Theft

Du Ruming and his accomplices divert medicinal materials, substitute inferior goods, and attempt to place responsibility for shortages under Zhou’s name. An overnight audit eventually identifies losses exceeding one thousand taels 31 33.

The confrontation also exposes a Flesh Lingzhi hidden in the warehouse. Du intended to offer it to Shen Ao for protection. Zhou kills Du, takes the Lingzhi, eliminates other witnesses, and presents the incident as the suppression of warehouse theft. His report portrays Chen He as having died protecting the medicinal herbs, concealing Chen’s involvement and the treasure’s existence 32.

The household accepts Zhou’s account and rewards him. Yunfeng particularly values the preservation of the family’s dignity, while the elders remain divided between admiration for Zhou’s comprehension and doubts about his innate aptitude 33.

Neutrality and Commercial Suppression

As Azure City’s surviving forces enter Black City, Yunfeng and Yunhe anticipate a struggle between the incoming City Lord and the established Four-Family Alliance. They refuse to pledge allegiance prematurely, fearing that supporting a defeated faction could bring a purge upon the household 34.

The cost of neutrality becomes increasingly severe. Rival factions offer higher salaries, drawing away attendants, while the household’s industries are repeatedly divided or pressured. Taoze reports that Shen Ao’s actions have cost the family nearly thirty percent of its profits 45 56.

The Shen Clan then closes the Lians’ largest trading firm under the pretext of account and tax inspections. At the resulting family meeting, Yuanhong rejects allegiance to either faction. He reveals that Master Zheng had privately predicted the crisis months earlier and advised him to endure rather than choose a side 58.

Retainer Crisis and Threats

Despite revenues falling until daily earnings barely cover expenses, Taoze promises to maintain Zhou Chen’s and Ye Lingtian’s stipends. Both reaffirm their loyalty out of gratitude for the household’s earlier support 68.

Zhang Shaojiu later attempts to force Zhou into the Azure Guard and warns that the Lian Household may be wiped out. He withdraws rather than openly seize a retainer on Lian territory. Zhou sends the household an overnight warning detailing the encounter; the threat has not become a confirmed attack in the provided account 71.

Relationships

• Zheng Family Martial Arts Hall / Master Zheng — Supplies the household with recruits through Taoze’s fellow disciples. Zheng’s longstanding acquaintance with Yuanhong directly influences the family’s neutrality policy 27 36 58.
• Plum Rain Martial Hall — Trains several Lian relatives and receives most of the family’s sponsorship allocations. Its master particularly favors Lian Taofei 15 33.
• Zhou Chen — Warehouse guard and rewarded retainer. Refuses repeated recruitment attempts and alerts the household to Zhang Shaojiu’s threat 27 33 44 71.
• Ye Lingtian — Loyal affiliate who rejects factional recruitment alongside Zhou and promises to remain despite the household’s financial difficulties 44 68.
• Shen Clan / Shen Ao — Longstanding commercial rivals. City Lord backing enables them to recruit away Lian attendants, suppress profits, and close the household’s largest trading firm 7 45 56 58.
• City Lord Tian Xuanwu’s faction — A competing power whose political and economic support strengthens the Shen Clan. The Lians decline to join it 45 58.
• Four-Family Alliance — The other major faction seeking retainers and allies. The household also refuses this alignment, doubting the Alliance’s willingness to protect subordinate houses 44 58.