Xie Guang

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Xie Guang (谢广)
Alias(es)	Elder Xie; Old Xie
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Veteran’s Trade House; Great River Gang; White Ape Martial Academy; Zhou family
Occupation/Role	Former guard; martial artist; Veteran’s Trade House guard; White Ape Martial Academy chief steward and internal-affairs manager; instructor
Status	Active
First Appearance	11

Background

Xie Guang was a direct retainer from Zhou Tianxiong’s generation and had served the Zhou family for decades. He was once an Eighth-Rank Dark Force Martial Warrior, but age, depleted qi and blood, and prior injuries greatly reduced his cultivation; after Veteran’s Trade House fell, he assessed his remaining combat strength as roughly Upper Ninth-Rank Bone Forging. 22

During the destruction of Veteran’s Trade House, Xie survived alongside Zhou Yingjun and a handful of others. He urged Zhou Yingjun to abandon unsustainable interests, preserve the Zhou family’s future through Zhou Hao, and prevent the survivors from losing faith after 151 people at the trade house were killed. 20

When Veteran’s Trade House and the Great River Gang were reorganized into White Ape Martial Academy, Xie Guang returned from retirement to manage internal affairs. He accepted the burden out of loyalty to his old master’s household despite his declining health and the academy’s lack of resources. 22

Appearance

Xie Guang is an elderly man with a full head of silver-white hair. Usually languid and unhurried, he can become imposing enough that opponents mistake him for an intact Eighth-Rank expert. 20 28

• Often sits brewing tea in the academy’s rear courtyard. 31 36
• Appeared disheveled and grief-stricken after the destruction of Veteran’s Trade House. 20
• His apparent frailty can be misleading; after driving off Fierce Tiger Martial Hall’s visitors, he collapsed pale and exhausted from his injuries. 29

Personality

Xie Guang is blunt, practical, and easily irritated by Su Xinghe’s shameless flattery, yet his harsh manner conceals a genuine willingness to nurture talent. He initially dismisses Su for beginning martial training at twenty-two, but quickly recognizes his extraordinary aptitude and begins investing scarce academy resources in him. 11 32

He is deeply loyal to the Zhou family and protective of White Ape Martial Academy. Even while privately acknowledging his own weakened state, he publicly projects strength to deter hostile factions and preserve morale. 22 28 29

Xie is also reform-minded. He argues that the academy cannot cling to the old Brokerage Guild’s rules while facing collapse, and advocates allocating instruction and resources to promising disciples rather than preserving outdated privileges. 30

Abilities & Skills

Former Eighth-Rank Dark Force Cultivation

Xie Guang was formerly an Eighth-Rank Dark Force Martial Warrior. His past cultivation gave him the ability to inspect others’ qi and blood through internal force, though his true qi has since dried up. 22

• Retains martial insight sufficient to identify Su Xinghe’s entry into Golden Ape Fist from the latter’s exhaustion and awakened qi and blood. 11
• His combat presence intimidated Fierce Tiger Martial Hall’s delegation, causing them to believe he might still possess Eighth-Rank strength. 28
• His actual strength is impaired by age and injury; he later collapses after exerting himself during the academy’s opening confrontation. 29

Martial Instruction

Xie Guang serves as an instructor and evaluator for White Ape Martial Academy’s disciples.

• Formally teaches Golden Ape Fist and explains its secrecy rules, cultivation deadline, and associated pill costs. 29
• Recognizes Su Xinghe’s near-mastery of Golden Ape Fist and arranges for Wu Yingcai to demonstrate the complete Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art. 31
• Grants Su Inner Disciple treatment in advance when selling Qi-Replenishing Pills, while limiting the quantity to protect Su’s foundation. 32
• Uses Su’s rapid advancement as an example to motivate newer disciples. 43

Organizational Management

As White Ape Martial Academy’s chief steward and internal-affairs manager, Xie handles personnel, instruction, enrollment, and scarce cultivation resources. 22 30 49

• Helped transform Veteran’s Trade House into White Ape Martial Academy after its destruction. 22
• Enforces the academy’s rules on its martial inheritance and disciple advancement. 29
• Advocates early access to advanced instruction for exceptional disciples. 30
• Registers Little Beggar as an outer disciple at Su Xinghe’s request, despite the irregular circumstances. 49

Equipment / Items

• Qi-Replenishing Pills — Uses pills to regulate his breath and recover after exertion; also controls their distribution within the academy. 29 32
• Tea set — Frequently brews and serves tea in the rear courtyard while handling academy matters. 31 36

Relationships

• Su Xinghe — Talent scout, mentor-like patron, and wagering partner. Xie first identifies Su’s exceptional aptitude, refuses to formally accept him due to his age and expected costs, then gradually invests instruction, discounts, and pills in his development. 11 12 32 44
• Zhou Tianxiong — Former master and elder-generation Zhou family figure. Xie’s return from retirement is tied to loyalty toward Zhou Tianxiong’s household. 22
• Zhou Yingjun — Trusted Zhou family leader. Xie advises him after the trade house’s destruction and becomes his internal-affairs manager in the reorganized academy. 20 22
• Zhou Hao — Zhou Yingjun’s son and a major hope for the Zhou family’s recovery; Xie urges that his survival be prioritized. 20
• Wu Yingcai — Academy instructor. Xie orders Wu to demonstrate Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art for Su Xinghe and works alongside him in academy instruction. 31 32
• Little Beggar — Admitted as an outer disciple through Su Xinghe’s request; Xie accepts the enrollment despite lacking authority to formally take disciples himself. 49

Story Role / Major Arcs

Discovery of Su Xinghe’s Talent

Xie Guang notices that Su Xinghe has entered the gate of Golden Ape Fist after only a day of training. Though impressed enough to call him an exceptional local prodigy, he initially refuses discipleship because Su’s late start and poverty would require years of costly support. 11

Su challenges Xie’s prediction with a wager: if he reaches Inner Tempering within three months, Xie will provide ten bottles of Qi-Replenishing Pills; if he fails, Su will serve Xie for twenty years. Xie accepts, intrigued by Su’s confidence. 12

Collapse of Veteran’s Trade House

After the trade house is annihilated, Xie helps Zhou Yingjun assess the losses and stabilize the surviving faction. He emphasizes that the Zhou family must surrender unsustainable holdings and retain its people before morale collapses. 20

Founding of White Ape Martial Academy

Xie becomes internal-affairs manager when Veteran’s Trade House is renamed White Ape Martial Academy. He helps establish its teaching structure, oversees disciples, and supports the shift toward distributing resources by merit and potential. 22

Protector and Reformer

At the academy’s opening, Xie confronts Fierce Tiger Martial Hall’s hostile visitors with enough force to drive them back, though the effort worsens his condition. 28 29

He later challenges conservative academy rules, arguing that Su Xinghe should receive advanced instruction before formally entering the inner sect. His intervention leads to Su learning Golden Ape Earth-Splitting Art and receiving preferential access to Qi-Replenishing Pills. 30 32

Investment in Su Xinghe

Xie becomes increasingly proud of Su’s growth after Su reaches Inner Tempering in roughly a month and a half. Unable to take him as a final disciple because of his weakened condition, Xie instead resolves to support him through resources and personal rewards. 44 45

Notable Quotes

“What a pity you began martial arts too late. Otherwise, I would have accepted you as my disciple.” 11

“Rules? Do you still intend to cling to the Brokerage Guild’s old rules while developing the martial academy?” 30

“Can’t I laugh because White Ape Martial Academy has found a treasure?” 44