Celebration Hall

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Celebration Hall
Alias(es)	同庆堂
Location	Everjoy County 1
Affiliation	Connected to the True Yang Martial Sect through Hall Master Li Dashan, an outer disciple of that sect 52
Occupation/Role	Martial arts hall that trains disciples, assigns security and escort work, and supports local suppression efforts 6 10 39
Status	Active; being prepared for Zhang Yan’s management after Li Dashan’s eventual return to the True Yang Martial Sect 52
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Background

Celebration Hall accepts impoverished and well-connected applicants alike, initially issuing them apprentice plaques in exchange for an entry fee. Its front courtyard serves as the site of formal admission, instruction, examinations, and major announcements. Hall Master Li Dashan personally demonstrates the Tiger-Subduing Fist to new entrants, while senior disciples oversee their training. 1

Its apprenticeship system is deliberately severe: apprentices have three months to gain entry into the Tiger-Subduing Fist, develop strength in their skin and flesh, and approach Skin Tempering First Layer. Only those who succeed can be entered into the hall’s register and recognized publicly as disciples. 1

The hall offers its registered disciples basic food, clothing, cultivation methods, and access to assignments, but it cannot shield them from the cost and danger of martial advancement. Disciples take work as guards, escorts, and yamen agents; failed assignments can leave them maimed or dead. 6

As regional disorder worsens, Celebration Hall’s resources become strained. Its meal provisions for Skin Tempering First Layer disciples are discontinued, and its limited Attendant positions are heavily influenced by local connections. 14 20

Li Dashan’s service in the Battle of Liangshan earns him the court rank of Ninth-Rank Commandant, substantially strengthening Celebration Hall’s local standing. 38 39

Premises & Insignia

Celebration Hall is built around a broad, blue-brick front courtyard lined with wooden training stakes and covered corridors. Its entrance bears stone lions, while an inner courtyard contains a dining hall and administrative rooms. 1 7

The hall also maintains Earthfire facilities and a subterranean refining chamber with a medicinal pool, used to prepare medicinal baths and cultivation resources. 13 54

• Apprentice plaque — Wooden badge bearing “Celebration” on the front and “Apprentice” on the back. 1
• Registered-disciple plaque — Recarved wooden badge marked “Registered” and inscribed with the disciple’s name. 6
• White robes — Worn by registered disciples. 39
• Black robes — Worn by Initiation disciples; Fan Sheng’s black robe marks his promotion to official disciple. 12 39
• Purple robes — Exclusive robes of Personal Disciples, embroidered with black mountain patterns. 52

Rules

Li Dashan establishes three capital prohibitions for all who bear Celebration Hall’s plaque:

“Those who betray their master and forsake their ancestors—kill.” 1

“Those who rape, plunder, and abduct—kill.” 1

“Those who use Celebration Hall's name to run wild outside—kill.” 1

The hall also expects its members to defend its reputation if wrongfully bullied, while forbidding them from exploiting its name for personal intimidation or fraud. 1 2

Hierarchy

Position	Qualifications / Function	Benefits or Authority
Apprentice	New entrant holding an apprentice plaque; must reach the threshold of Skin Tempering First Layer within three months. 1	May receive instruction in Tiger-Subduing Fist but is not yet recognized as a full disciple. 1
Registered Disciple	Apprentice who reaches Skin Tempering First Layer and is entered into the hall register. 5 6	Receives a registered plaque, white robes, meals, and one cultivation method; protected from ordinary labor conscription. 5 6
Attendant	A limited post available to registered disciples after selection. 20 25	Carries provisions and improved standing, though many positions are effectively reserved through connections. 20
Initiation Disciple	Selected by Li Dashan based on performance, cultivation, and character. 40 51	Receives a monthly allowance of five taels of silver and superior benefits. 40
Personal Disciple	Direct inheritor personally accepted by Li Dashan. 51 52	Ranks above Initiation Disciples; receives direct instruction, superior methods, resources, status, purple robes, and access to Li Dashan’s cultivation support. 51 53 54

Training & Resources

Tiger-Subduing Fist

Tiger-Subduing Fist is Celebration Hall’s foundational external martial art. Li Dashan teaches its complete form to new apprentices, and Fan Sheng later breaks it into individual movements for instruction. 1 2

• Advancement in the fist art is tied to nourishment, qi and blood, physical conditioning, and repeated correct practice. 2 4
• It is regarded by some as common or crude, but Zhang Yan credits Deng Qing’s victory over Song Que to persistent refinement of the same technique. 19
• Reaching its entry threshold is required before an apprentice can become a registered disciple. 1

Violet Palace Method

The Violet Palace Method is the internal cultivation technique available to Deng Qing after he becomes a registered disciple. Fan Sheng introduces him to Tu Wei, a senior practitioner, for initial guidance. 6

• It develops digestion, qi-and-blood refinement, recovery, and the ability to process nourishment and medicinal resources. 13
• The method is difficult to learn from its diagrams and instructions on internal circulation, organs, and energy centers. 6
• It allows medicinal-bath power to be refined rather than wasted or allowed to injure the practitioner. 19

Medicinal Baths

Celebration Hall provides medicinal-bath opportunities as rewards and as part of Personal Disciple treatment. The baths require Earthfire and medicinal ingredients, and can be intensely painful. 13 19 54

• Deng Qing receives a bath quota for his North Warehouse merit. 13
• Zhang Yan promises another medicinal bath as the reward for defeating Song Que at Blackwind Ravine. 17 19
• Personal Disciples receive a monthly medicinal bath with herbs supplied by the hall. 54
• Li Dashan later promises Deng Qing access to high-value medicinal resources after his own cultivation sessions. 53

Operations

Celebration Hall sends disciples on assignments that range from routine guard work to high-risk combat operations.

• North Warehouse defense — Deng Qing, Li Cheng, Zhou Tie, and Wang Wei guard Redwood Powder during a Donghuang Cult-instigated refugee riot. Fan Sheng later arrives with reinforcements and confirms that the hall helped suppress the unrest. 8 10
• Blackwind Ravine expedition — Celebration Hall joins Tianshun Apothecary’s convoy to recover a fallen shipment of medicinal supplies. The mission escalates into a contest with the Golden Saber Sect over ownership of the cargo. 14 15 18
• City patrols and defense — During growing instability, disciples serve in patrol squads and answer county orders to assist with Everjoy County’s defense. 26 30 33
• Bandit suppression — Li Dashan and his disciples deal with bandits while traveling to Dongting County, though Li refuses to pursue the scattered survivors unnecessarily. 45

Relationships

• Li Dashan — Hall Master and founder figure; establishes the hall’s rules, trains disciples, and holds authority over all promotions. He is a True Yang Martial Sect outer disciple and Ninth-Rank Commandant. 1 39 52
• Zhang Yan — Personal Disciple entrusted with Celebration Hall’s future administration once Li Dashan departs. 52
• Deng Qing — Personal Disciple selected for exceptional martial talent; intended to become the hall’s future martial pillar and support Zhang Yan. 52 53
• Fan Sheng — Senior instructor and mentor who teaches apprentices, registers disciples, assigns missions, and advocates for Deng Qing. 1 6 13
• Tu Wei — Senior disciple and Violet Palace Method practitioner who is introduced as a possible guide for Deng Qing. 6
• Tianshun Apothecary — Commercial partner whose medicinal shipment Celebration Hall attempts to recover from Blackwind Ravine. 13 14 15
• Golden Saber Sect — Rival martial organization that contests Celebration Hall’s claim to the Blackwind Ravine medicine shipment. 15 18
• Everjoy County yamen — Local authority that recognizes the hall’s disciples, works with them during unrest, and grants merit for successful operations. 5 12 39

Story Role / Major Arcs

Apprentice Intake

Deng Qing spends his final three taels to enter Celebration Hall as an apprentice. His determination during Tiger-Subduing Fist training earns Li Dashan’s notice, and the hall permits him to remain by sweeping grounds and tending horses in exchange for meals. 1

Registration of Deng Qing

After nourishing himself with pig offal and breaking through to Skin Tempering First Layer, Deng Qing is formally recorded as a registered disciple. His new status protects him from forced labor conscription. 5 6

North Warehouse Incident

Celebration Hall assigns Deng Qing and three fellow disciples to guard Redwood Powder during an organized uprising. Their successful defense and the shared merit from Mountain-Crossing Wind’s death strengthen several disciples’ positions within the hall and local government. 10 12

Blackwind Ravine Conflict

The hall’s medicine-recovery expedition becomes a public confrontation with the Golden Saber Sect. Deng Qing’s victory over Song Que secures the medicinal supplies, earns him rewards from Celebration Hall, and enhances the hall’s reputation. 15 17 18 19

Succession Preparations

After Li Dashan receives the rank of Ninth-Rank Commandant, Celebration Hall expands its Initiation Disciples and unexpectedly appoints Zhang Yan and Deng Qing as Personal Disciples. Li later reveals that Zhang Yan is to manage the hall while Deng Qing is to uphold its martial strength after Li’s departure. 39 51 52