Meng Changxi

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Meng Changxi (孟常喜)
Species/Race	Human; later possessed by the Headless Corpse Buddha 20 28
Gender	Male 18
Affiliation	Grave-robbing lineage; described as an heir to its traditions 24
Occupation/Role	Grave robber and Copper Skin Realm martial artist posing as a scholar 20 24
Status	Deceased; his possessed body is destroyed by Zhang Xuan 29 33
First Appearance	Chapter 18, “Nether Candle Mystic Eyes” 18

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Copper Skin Realm martial artist	20	Identified by Zhang Xuan’s Nether Candle Mystic Eyes. Already marked “Parasitized”; no earlier training or realm advancement is documented.
Vessel of a Netherworld Ghost King	28 30	The Headless Corpse Buddha takes possession of his body, embedding the Two-Faced Buddha Head in his torso. The ninth-rank Ghost King power belongs to the possessing creature, not to Meng’s own martial cultivation.

Background / History

Arrival at the Mountain God Temple

Meng enters the ruined temple on Phoenix-Cry Mountain during a downpour, introducing himself as a scholar from Kangyang Town. He claims his family sent him to find his second uncle, a hunter who had not returned from the mountains. Sanjie tests his local knowledge, but Meng answers without an obvious inconsistency 18.

His appearance nevertheless undermines his story: Kangyang Town has suffered drought and famine, yet Meng is fair-skinned and plump. His concealed dagger and practiced movements also contradict the impression of an ordinary scholar 21 22 24.

Zhang Xuan later suspects Meng belonged to a three-man grave-robbing party that disturbed two apparent cenotaphs for Great Zhou soldiers. In this reconstruction, the other two robbers were killed, Meng escaped, and the Corpse Buddha’s pursuit of him drew Zhang and Sanjie into danger. These connections remain Zhang’s deductions rather than a directly narrated account 25.

Betrayal and Theft

Meng removes the Two-Faced Buddha Head from its shrine, unknowingly disturbing the Headless Corpse Buddha. He returns it when Zhang urgently orders him to do so, but black fluid continues dripping from his right hand. Zhang’s mystic sight reveals that he has become parasitized 19 20.

When the temple’s supernatural nature becomes unmistakable, Meng attacks its doors despite Zhang’s warning. Flesh tendrils seize him and begin swallowing his body. Zhang burns the tendrils with lightning, and Sanjie pulls him free, leaving him with a badly injured thigh 21 22.

After learning the Buddha Head’s value, Meng volunteers to destroy its shrine while the others break out. He presents this as repayment for saving his life, but leaves the shrine intact and waits for the Corpse Buddha to pursue his rescuers. He intends to sell the treasure to powerful figures in West Ridge City or offer it to the Demon Suppression Bureau in exchange for a secure future 22 23.

Once Zhang and Sanjie escape, Meng steals the Buddha Head and breaks through the temple roof using his grave-robbing equipment and a rare talisman. The Corpse Buddha does not stop him; shortly after he leaves, it vanishes, and the treasure’s eyes open with a crimson glow 24.

Possession and Death

Meng reappears during the confrontation with Xu Ming, but the creature wearing his body is now the Corpse Buddha. It uses a red thread to behead Xu Ming, whose final blood-colored sword freezes much of the monster’s body 27 28.

Zhang exploits that opening, attacks the Buddha Treasure embedded in its chest, and kills the possessing creature. Meng’s body is destroyed in the process 29 33.

Zhang later explains that Meng had been marked as the Corpse Buddha’s spare vessel. Knowing this, he deliberately encouraged Meng’s greed so that Meng would carry the otherwise inaccessible treasure out of the temple 30.

Appearance

• Human form: Round-faced, fair-skinned, and plump, with pale, flabby flesh and a habitual warm smile. He wears a scholar’s robe 18 20.
• Signs of parasitism: His right hand remains coated in slick black fluid after handling the Buddha Head 20.
• Possessed form: His face becomes contorted, his lips are sewn into a crescent with pine needles, and a grotesque fleshy mass containing the Two-Faced Buddha Head occupies his chest and abdomen. His torn robe is smeared with mud and blood 28 29.

Personality

Meng initially acts cheerful, sociable, and considerate, readily striking up conversation and offering to keep quiet while Zhang rests. Under pressure, that friendliness gives way to agitation and rash action, most notably when he attacks the temple entrance 18 21.

His betrayal reveals a calculating pursuit of wealth and influence. He dismisses his rescuers’ help as something he obtained through performance and privately admits that he could abandon even his fellow disciples. Despite his fear and injuries, he remains decisive enough to gamble a precious sect talisman on stealing the Buddha Treasure 23 24.

Abilities & Skills

Martial Training

• Possesses Copper Skin Realm martial cultivation 20.
• Wields a dagger with practiced speed and strength 21.
• Despite his build, uses a grappling claw and agile jumps to reach the temple’s roof beams 24.

Grave-Robbing Techniques

• Trained in opening burial chambers and breaking formations 24.
• Combines specialized tools with a talisman to breach the temple’s supernatural roof 24.

Deception

• Maintains a scholar disguise and answers Sanjie’s probing questions without an obvious factual error 18 24.
• Uses claims of gratitude and scholarly moral education to secure responsibility for destroying the shrine 22.
• His healthy physique, hidden weapon, and martial movements expose weaknesses in the disguise 21 22 24.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Dagger — Concealed in his boot and used against the temple doors. Zhang later lends it to Ji Anning for preparing food 21 45.
• Yin-Seeking Claw — A grappling tool associated with the Grave-Robbing Commanders’ lineage; used to reach a roof beam 24.
• Three Mountains Shatter Peaks Talisman — Stolen from a sect elder. Only three exist in his lineage; Meng expends it during his escape 24.
• Baleful-Breaking Nail — Pierces the temple roof to create an escape opening 24.
• Two-Faced Buddha Head — A corrupted mid-grade Treasure Artifact he steals for its cultivation and financial value. It instead becomes embedded in his possessed body 20 23 24 28.

Relationships

• Zhang Xuan — Rescuer and intended victim of Meng’s betrayal. Zhang anticipates his greed and uses him to remove the Buddha Treasure from the temple 21 23 30.
• Monk Sanjie — Suspicious temporary companion who helps save Meng, then angrily confronts him for abandoning their agreement 18 21 22 23.
• Headless Corpse Buddha — Parasitic possessor that marks Meng as a spare vessel and ultimately takes over his body 28 30.
• Fellow grave robbers — Zhang suspects Meng accompanied the two men found dead in the black coffins 25.
• Sect elder — Unnamed owner of the rare talisman Meng steals 24.