Li Peng

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Li Peng was born to Li Yuan, a Li Family steward. Though Li Yuan was secretly the illegitimate son of Third Elder Li Bao, he had never been recognized as part of the ancestral line; Li Yuan instead entered the estate as a servant. Li Yuan hoped that Li Peng could eventually restore the family’s standing and return to the Li Family genealogy. 56 57

When the Li Family selected servants for martial training, Li Yuan bribed the Third Steward to secure a place for Li Peng, temporarily displacing the qualified Chen Xun. Two new places were later added, reinstating Chen and rendering the bribe wasteful. Li Peng blamed Chen for the failed transaction and began treating him as a personal enemy. 1 2

He relied heavily on his steward’s-son status, mockingly calling poorer trainees peasants and cultivating a close association with Liu Feng. After Chen publicly exposed the bribery arrangement, Li Peng attempted to retaliate with Liu and several other trainees, but Chen easily defeated both him and Liu Feng. 2 4 5 Li Peng responded by spending heavily on additional Blood-Strengthening Soup and later a Blood-Strength Pill in an effort to surpass his rivals. 6 34

As a newly promoted Martial Artist, Li Peng was assigned alongside Chen Xun to the Medicine Escort Team. He expected his father’s acquaintance, Xie An, to favor him, but Xie instead treated Chen fairly and urged Li Peng to maintain a good relationship with him. Captain Luo Shan also judged Li Peng timid when he faltered under the captain’s pressure. 11 12 During the battle at A Thread of Sky, Luo Shan protected him at significant personal cost; Li Peng was badly injured but later resented Luo Shan for receiving less recognition than Chen. 23

Li Peng later betrayed an agreement to keep news of the Hunting Team’s disaster secret, reporting it to Li Yuan for his father’s approval. 33 After reaching the Qi-Blood Second Transformation, he joined the Hunting Team, apparently through influence connected to Li Yuan or Yang Feng. 47 He subsequently served in the Anti-Traitor Division, where Li Yuan manipulated him into trying to take over Chen’s interrogation of Li Zhanliang. His outburst after Chen refused provided the lead that exposed Li Yuan’s hidden connection to Li Zhanliang. 56 57

Li Yuan was confirmed as the Li Family’s mole and executed for colluding with the Huo Family. Although Li Peng did not know of his father’s treason, he had benefited from resources gained through it and had helped pressure Li Zhanliang; he was therefore arrested and sentenced to lifelong labor at the Li Family iron mine. 58 60

At the mine, Li Peng joined imprisoned bandits in planning an escape and agreed to kill another miner as proof of loyalty. Chen Xun later confronted him over the Wandering Dragon Bone-Transforming Force’s Bone Beads. After Chen seized the beads and extracted Li Yuan’s secrets from him, he revealed that Li Peng was Li Bao’s grandson and killed him with a silver needle. The Li Family attributed the murder to the imprisoned bandits. 68 69

Personality

Li Peng is entitled, class-conscious, and deeply insecure. He repeatedly derides Chen Xun as a “mud-legged peasant” while depending on his father’s wealth, connections, and cultivation resources to compensate for his own weaker progress. 2 6 9

He craves recognition from authority figures and reacts poorly when others receive praise, promotions, or rewards. His jealousy extends beyond Chen Xun to Liu Feng, Luo Shan, and fellow servants whose circumstances improve. 9 23 33 He often adopts a confident or smug manner, but backs down when directly confronted by stronger opponents. 5 9 56

Li Peng is also impulsive and indiscreet. He betrays confidences, attempts to weaponize family connections against Chen, and trusts Li Yuan’s schemes without questioning their risks. These actions ultimately help expose his father and destroy his own position. 33 56 57

Relationships

• Li Yuan — Father. Li Yuan used resources, connections, and manipulation to advance Li Peng, but involved him in the plot against Li Zhanliang without revealing his own treason. 56 58
• Li Bao — Secret paternal grandfather. Li Peng learned only shortly before his death that Li Yuan was Li Bao’s illegitimate son. 57 69
• Chen Xun — Long-standing rival and eventual killer. Li Peng blamed Chen for his father’s failed bribe, repeatedly targeted him, and later held him responsible for Li Yuan’s downfall. 2 68 69
• Liu Feng — Early ally and object of flattery; their relationship deteriorated after competition over status and advancement. 4 8 9
• Luo Shan — Former Medicine Escort captain. Luo Shan saved Li Peng during the battle at A Thread of Sky, but Li Peng resentfully believed he deserved the same commendation as Chen. 12 23
• Xie An — Li Yuan’s acquaintance. Li Peng expected Xie An to oppose Chen, but Xie rebuked him and advised cooperation instead. 12
• Li Tiangang — Fourth Master and superior in the Anti-Traitor Division. Li Tiangang criticized Li Peng’s ineffective interrogation work, rejected his attempt to take over Chen’s prisoner, and later oversaw the investigation that led to Li Yuan’s execution. 56 58
• Zhao Qing — Former fellow Martial Artist. Zhao Qing later acquired four Bone Beads from Li Peng while he was being escorted to the mines. 66 67

Notable Events

• Displaced Chen Xun from the initial martial-training selection through his father’s bribe, beginning their rivalry. 1
• Was publicly humiliated after Chen exposed the bribery and subsequently defeated him in a direct confrontation. 4 5
• Failed to use Xie An’s connection against Chen and was judged timid by Luo Shan. 12
• Survived the A Thread of Sky battle due to Luo Shan’s protection, then resented both Luo Shan and Chen over the aftermath. 23
• Reported confidential Hunting Team news to Li Yuan, contributing to the chain of events that exposed his father. 33 57
• Was rejected from the Hunting Team for weak cultivation, poor temperament, and betrayal during a prior mission, but later entered after reaching the Second Transformation. 35 47
• Helped Li Yuan pressure Li Zhanliang during the Anti-Traitor investigation, inadvertently enabling Chen to uncover the family’s hidden history. 56 57
• Was sentenced to mine labor after Li Yuan’s execution, then killed by Chen after revealing the location and history of the Bone Beads. 60 68 69