Liu Laodao

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Liu Laodao (刘老道)
Alias(es)	Old Daoist Liu; Hunyuanzi
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Age	54 36
Affiliation	Dongxuan Sect; Dragon King Temple, Weicheng
Occupation/Role	Painter, temple keeper, self-styled sect headmaster
Status	Alive; remains alongside Li Yunxin 50
First Appearance	Chapter 8

Background

Liu Laodao was a working painter and the keeper of a small Dragon King Temple in Weicheng. The temple's sparse incense offerings and occasional painting commissions were enough to sustain him, if not comfortably; he supplemented his standing by presenting himself as the headmaster of the “Dongxuan Sect,” which in practice consisted only of his temple. 9

During his journey with the Hongfu Escort Agency, Liu met Li Yunxin and attempted to recruit the polite, painting-knowledgeable youth as a disciple. Li unexpectedly accepted, leaving Liu delighted that he had obtained a handsome and apparently obedient disciple. 9 10

The relationship reversed during the caravan's capture by the Six Ghosts. Liu witnessed Li's extraordinary command of painting and spiritual formations, then became the necessary conduit for completing The Night Journey in Splendid Robes formation. From then onward, he increasingly treated Li as the real master and followed his direction. 13 15 26

After reaching Weicheng, Liu allowed Li to reside at Dragon King Temple. He dismantled its Dragon King statue at Li's request, installed the painting of Crown Prince Jia Wen and Xiwana, and turned the once-unprofitable temple into a thriving center of incense offerings. 33 34

Appearance

Liu Laodao is a fifty-four-year-old painter usually seen in worn Daoist robes. Though often shabby and flustered, he can project the bearing of an austere Daoist master when performing for others. 13 36

• Grizzled beard and reasonably distinguished features. 13 41
• Commonly wears tattered or old Daoist robes. 13 30
• Of a similar height and build to Li Yunxin; Li can wear his robes. 36
• His nervousness is physically obvious in danger, including trembling legs, sweating, and fainting outright when faced with ghosts. 13 35

Personality

Liu is vain, theatrical, and deeply invested in the prestige of the Dongxuan Sect and his own reputation as a painter. He enjoys being addressed as a master, exaggerates his sect's importance, and adopts grand Daoist mannerisms when trying to impress strangers. The people of the Hongfu Escort Agency, who know his true circumstances, regularly mock these pretensions. 9 13

He is also notably cowardly. Faced with the Six Ghosts, demons, or the Faceless Ghost, Liu panics, laments his misfortune, attempts to flee, or faints. Yet he is not entirely incapable of courage: when survival requires it, he can force himself to approach enemies, maintain his Hunyuanzi persona, and carry out Li Yunxin's dangerous instructions. 11 13 26 35

Beneath his opportunism, Liu possesses loyalty and sentiment. He worries deeply for his imprisoned friend Meng E, assists the devastated Qiao Household after the escort massacre, brings food to Li during his cultivation crisis, and is fiercely attached to the Dragon King Temple courtyard he calls his “old companion.” 30 36 40 42

Abilities & Skills

Painting Cultivation

Liu is a genuine painter with limited cultivation, though his self-assessment and public claims are frequently inflated.

• Explains the secular painters' hierarchy of Intent, Void, and Transformation to Li Yunxin. 9
• Claims to be among Luo City's few Intent-realm painters, though his knowledge of higher realms is largely hearsay. 9
• Possesses enough spiritual power to perform an eye-opening stroke on Li's painting of Crown Prince Jia Wen, establishing its spiritual connection. 33
• His cultivation is far inferior to Li's; he recognizes Li's few improvised strokes for The Night Journey in Splendid Robes as work beyond his own level. 13 15

*The Night Journey in Splendid Robes*

Liu served as the finishing conduit for Li Yunxin's formation rather than its creator.

• Added—or was maneuvered into adding—the crucial final stroke needed to activate the formation. 13
• Guided ambient spiritual energy through the completed painting formation. 15
• Maintained the appearance of an unfathomable master while Li directed the actual strategy against the Six Ghosts. 14 15
• The hurried formation was weaker than its intended form and could not permanently suppress its targets. 15

Watercloud Force

Li Yunxin taught Liu the introductory cultivation art Watercloud Force after settling at Dragon King Temple. 33

• Cultivates both the body and spiritual power. 33
• Liu's previous experience as a painter allows him to make rapid initial progress. 34
• The method gives him a stronger foundation for sensing and handling spiritual power, though he remains far below Li's level. 33 34

Sect Persona and Social Performance

Liu's most consistent practical skill is maintaining an authoritative facade.

• Uses the title Hunyuanzi of the Dongxuan Sect to bluff martial-world figures. 13
• Can appear calm, aloof, and inscrutable when others expect a hidden master. 14 15
• Successfully promotes Li's invented Crown Prince and Dragon Maiden worship at the temple, converting public skepticism into widespread offerings. 34

Residence and Property

• Dragon King Temple — Liu's small temple and home in Weicheng. Its original Dragon King statue retained a trace of spiritual energy, but Liu allowed Li to replace it with a new painted shrine. 30 33
• Rear courtyard — A modest but elegant living space with mossy eaves, a lotus pond, cobbled paths, and covered corridors; Liu's attachment to it later motivates his fear of Prefect Li's seizure plot. 30 42
• Silver wine flask — A treasured personal possession that Liu rarely uses. 42

Relationships

• Li Yunxin — Initially Liu's newly recruited disciple, but the relationship swiftly reverses after Liu witnesses Li's painting mastery. Liu becomes Li's student, assistant, public front, and increasingly loyal companion; Li later refuses Yin Pingzhi's demand that he betray Liu for safety. 9 13 33 46
• Meng E — An old friend from the Qiao Household. Liu is distraught by Meng's arrest and torture, prompting him to beg Li Yunxin for help. 40
• Qiao Duanhong — Fellow captive during the Six Ghosts incident. Qiao initially dismisses Liu, then mistakes him for a hidden cultivator and submits to his apparent authority. 11 14 15
• Hongfu Escort Agency — Its members know Liu's humble circumstances and mock his claims to sect leadership, though their opinion changes after the formation incident. 9 15
• Yu Meng — Liu helps manage the aftermath at the Qiao Household while hoping to benefit from Yu's wealth and generosity. 30
• Qiao Household — Longtime neighbors and clients for festive paintings, but Qiao Jiaming and Qiao Wangshi later plot to frame Liu and seize Dragon King Temple. 31 32 39

Story Role

Recruitment of Li Yunxin

Liu encounters Li while traveling with the Hongfu Escort Agency and sees an opportunity to gain a talented disciple who may enhance his prestige. His enthusiastic recruitment succeeds through Li's deliberate misunderstanding of Liu's theatrical call to “seek the Dao.” 9

Six Ghosts Incident

Captured with the escort caravan, Liu begins as one of the most frightened prisoners. Li then reveals the unfinished Night Journey in Splendid Robes formation and pressures Liu into supplying its final stroke. Liu's performance as Hunyuanzi and his role in maintaining the formation convince the escorts that he is a concealed expert. 13 14 15

Alliance with Li Yunxin

After witnessing ghosts, demons, and the slaughter surrounding the Six Ghosts, Liu abandons any pretense of being Li's superior. He begs Li for protection, agrees to conceal the night's events, and accepts Li's promise to teach him painting cultivation. 26

Dragon King Temple Revival

Liu becomes Li's subordinate at the temple, learning Watercloud Force and helping replace Dragon King worship with Li's painted Crown Prince Jia Wen and Xiwana. He publicly presents the new shrine to Weicheng's residents and eagerly manages its sudden influx of worshippers and donations. 33 34

Qiao Household and Prefectural Conflict

Liu seeks Li's help when Meng E is imprisoned, only to learn that the Qiao Household is attempting to frame both of them in order to seize Dragon King Temple. As Li considers confronting—or killing—Prefect Li, Liu becomes increasingly unsettled by the ruthlessness behind Li's calm demeanor. 40 41 42 43

Trivia

• Liu's “Dongxuan Sect” is not a major sect; it is simply his small temple given an impressive name. 9
• He calls himself one of Luo City's “Five Great Masters” of painting, a claim he later admits is exaggerated. 13
• His fear of supernatural phenomena is so intense that a Faceless Ghost at Li's window causes him to faint immediately. 35
• Liu's simple gift of braised beef becomes one of the rare acts of kindness that affects Li Yunxin deeply. 36