Qingzhou

Biodata

Geography

Qingzhou occupies a remote part of Cuiyun Circuit. Lady Musk chooses it as a hiding place because no major powers are stationed there and it attracts comparatively little attention 220.

• Northwestern approaches: Yellow Wind Mountain overlooks Qingzhou’s northwestern outskirts and poses a persistent threat to the province 201.
• Canglan River: Territory of powerful flood dragons and Waterfolk; neighboring settlements include Tangkou Township 142 150 192.
• Guanlan River: Site of a major Demon Suppression Division campaign against water demons and officials collaborating with them 52 67.
• Treasure Grounds: Li Hanguang directs cultivation-seekers beyond Yellow Wind Mountain, explaining that most Treasure Grounds lie outside Qingzhou 140.

Known Commanderies

Qingzhou City

• Fortifications: Its walls tower several times higher than those of Xiangyun County, and its gates are heavily guarded 37.
• Streets and commerce: Broad, smooth streets are lined with shops and hawkers. Shen Qingyang describes its commerce as thriving 37.
• Living standards: Yang Xiao notices well-dressed, healthy-looking pedestrians, contrasting sharply with Xiangyun County’s sallow commoners 37.
• Cost of living: Expenses considerably exceed those in Xiangyun County. Hu Kai’s patrol-soldier stipend cannot comfortably cover cultivation expenses and accommodation, forcing Hu Qingqing to work 67.
• Public news: Teahouses, taverns, and storytellers rapidly circulate accounts of military campaigns. Clan stewards frequent these venues to learn which relatives and officers have earned distinction 67.
• Riding restriction: Horse riding within the city is normally prohibited, with an exception for processions returning after major military victories 67.

Notable Locations

Government and Defense

Provincial Leadership

Demon Suppression Division

Each commandery’s general is responsible for both local demons and incursions from outside Qingzhou. Core Illumination is the minimum cultivation threshold for becoming a Demon Suppression General 109 198.

• Recruitment: Newcomers undergo assessments before receiving ranks, assignments, tokens, and living quarters 37.
• Entry ranks: Recruits below Qi Gathering begin as Patrol Soldiers, Brawny Guards, or Scouts, handling patrols, support work, and miscellaneous duties 37.
• Captain examination: Qi Gathering cultivators may qualify for outside missions by passing a practical combat assessment 37.
• Merit system: Cultivation manuals, pills, and weapons must be purchased with Merit rather than granted freely 37.
• Demon-Slaying Battalion: An elite force of deputy generals who usually operate independently. They assemble for large demonic calamities or Demon King hunts 86.

Balance of Power

Demons vastly outnumber Qingzhou’s human cultivators. The sects, great clans, and Demon Suppression Division together maintain only a precarious balance 86.

Pei Xuance’s movements deter many nearby Demon Kings, which retreat into their lairs when he approaches. Nevertheless, they continually probe the borders, looking for an undefended opening 153.

Society and Cultivation Resources

Great Clans

Qingzhou’s clans closely monitor military merit and access to influential generals. Following the Guanlan River campaign, their agents investigate commendations, promotions, and the achievements of their own descendants 67.

• Xu Family: A major Qingzhou clan with numerous branch descendants. Xu Qingshan joins the Division partly to distinguish himself outside the family’s hierarchy 40.
• Marriage alliances: The Xu elders seek an alliance with Yang Xiao, offering marriageable women and three city properties. Xu Mingting excludes Xu Qinglan when pressed, despite initially claiming the offer includes the main branch 84.
• Xu Qinglan: Celebrated among Qingzhou’s great families as the Sword-Hiding Fairy and described as its greatest sword talent in five hundred years 121.

Resource Shortages

Qingzhou City’s commercial prosperity does not translate into abundant high-level cultivation resources. Provincial military funding and access to breakthrough materials deteriorate as the imperial court increasingly sidelines Qingzhou 37 134 202.

• Repeated requests for assistance go unanswered, the inspector does not visit, and pay and provisions are substantially reduced 134.
• Allocations of materials needed to reach Dao-Infant cease entirely. Qin Lie states that Qingzhou can no longer gather even one of the necessary precious materials and spiritual treasures 202.
• These shortages constrain Pei Xuance’s attempted breakthrough; forcing advancement risks damaging his foundations 202.
• Chu Qingtian considers the province too limited to accommodate Yang Xiao’s continued growth 179.

History

Political Isolation and Qin Lie’s Decline

Pei Xuance’s killing of a Buddhist Buddha’s Son creates a lasting conflict with Lotus Flower Temple. Qingzhou subsequently experiences growing neglect from the imperial court, including unanswered appeals and reduced military support 134 201 222.

Qin Lie suffers severe soul damage and becomes intermittently confused. As his cultivation declines, he can no longer provide the province-wide deterrence he once maintained. Pei Xuance takes on the burden of suppressing powerful demons throughout Qingzhou 137 151.

Guanlan River Campaign

The Guanlan River campaign exposes River Patrol Envoy Jiang Chen’s collaboration with water demons, including the transport of corpses to feed a black flood dragon. Accounts of Pei Xuance’s intervention spread through Qingzhou City before the troops return 67.

The returning contingent passes through crowded streets with blood and river silt still on its armor. Pei deliberately places Yang Xiao prominently in the procession so that his battlefield merit becomes publicly recognized before the rewards are settled 67 68.

Border Breaches and Regional Calamities

The appearance of the outsider Rock Rhino Demon King at Azure Mist City raises concerns about Qingzhou’s border defenses. An investigation into Longwind Commandery exposes deputy general Han Dingshan’s poisoning and his agreement with the Nine-Poison Scorpion Lord 109 111.

Elsewhere, prolonged demonic outbreaks strain the Division. Xunjiang’s plague resists repeated deployments, while Baisha’s sandstorms swallow watchtowers and leave large numbers of guards missing 140 159.

Canglan River and the Fourteenth General

The Old Flood Dragon offers ten years of peace in Qingzhou if Pei Xuance hands over Yang Xiao, who has killed its descendants. Pei refuses and shields his soldiers when the dragon attacks 192.

After the old flood dragon’s death, the regional generals gather at headquarters. Pei proposes adding another general, and Yang Xiao is formally installed as Qingzhou’s fourteenth—the first addition beyond its thirteen commandery generals 198 200 202.

Confrontation with Yellow Wind Mountain

With the Canglan River threat removed, Pei renews plans to attack Yellow Wind Mountain. Qin Lie reveals that its Dao-Infant Realm Demon King possesses a Soul-Seizing Bell that aggravated his injuries. He suspects Lotus Flower Temple cultivated the mountain’s forces and encouraged Qingzhou’s recurring incursions in retaliation for its Buddha’s Son’s death 201.

Pei watches Yellow Wind Mountain while Yang Xiao hunts Demon Kings across the commanderies. After learning that Yang Xiao has killed or caused the disappearance of several powerful demons, the Yellow Wind Demon King orders all Demon Kings to withdraw from Qingzhou, remain in communication, and stop operating alone 209 221.