Xun'er

Biodata

Background / History

Xun’er is a young lady of the Gu Clan who has known Xiao Yan since childhood. She lives at the Xiao Clan compound, where she has her own courtyard and regularly joins Xiao Yan and Xiao Zhan for meals. Ling Ying attends her, addresses her as “young miss,” and carries out her requests discreetly 7 8 16.

Her Gu Clan backing means she does not lack cultivation resources. Nevertheless, her assistance to Xiao Yan is personal and practical: she lends him books, researches ingredient prices, brings meals, and offers money when she thinks his alchemy venture may leave him short 10 13 16.

Appearance

Xun’er is introduced wearing a pale blue-green dress, with long black hair falling behind her shoulders 7.

• Hair: Long and black 7.
• Expressions: Frequently conveys warmth through faint smiles; her eyes curve when she quietly shares Xiao Yan’s satisfaction over his father’s recovery 7 12.

Personality

Xun’er is attentive to changes that others might overlook. She notices Xiao Yan’s distraction after his Dou Zhe breakthrough and later recognizes the worry beneath his enthusiasm for cultivation. Rather than dismissing his anxiety, she encourages him to remember that the people beside him can help face difficulties 8 16.

Her protectiveness is tempered by respect for privacy. She asks Ling Ying to check whether Xiao Yan is safe without interrupting his training, then stops the surveillance once reassured. She likewise refrains from demanding the identity of his alchemy teacher 8 9 11.

Her gentle teasing often targets Xiao Yan’s absorption in medicine and cultivation. She catches his attempts to turn outings into herb-shopping trips, laughs when he smears ash across his nose, and reminds him not to neglect meals 9 10 11 19.

Abilities & Skills

Herbal Knowledge

Xun’er’s reading gives her practical knowledge of medicinal ingredients and their uses 10.

• Identifies Green-Joint Vine mistakenly supplied in place of Green-Bone Vine, explaining that Green-Bone Vine has fine white lines across its cut surface 10.
• Recognizes that Xiao Yan’s ingredient list is intended for a medicinal bath 10.
• Lends him an herbal guide to support his independent study 10.
• Detects two supplementary herbs that a steward has switched during the clan’s medicine preparations 17.

Research and Organization

She supports Xiao Yan’s medicine-making through preparation and recordkeeping rather than documented pill refinement.

• Compiles a handwritten guide to common herb prices at several shops, including notes on origins and quality 13.
• Helps inquire about ingredients for Xiao Yan 16.
• Labels portions with dosage slips for the Xiao Clan’s medicinal-bath program 17.

Cultivation

• Practices cultivation; Xiao Yan prepares a gentle medicine specifically to ease her post-cultivation fatigue and nourish her meridians 16.
• Is ready to respond when Jia Lie Ao harasses her, but Xiao Yan intervenes before she acts. No named combat technique or cultivation breakthrough is documented in the provided chapters 19.

Equipment / Items

• Herbal guide — A book she reads and later lends to Xiao Yan after his repeated questions about ingredients 10.
• Prepared money pouch — Embroidered with tiny flowers and offered as a financial fallback after Xiao Yan repays his father’s initial investment. He declines it but promises to ask if he needs help 16.
• Origin-Warming Dew — A mild medicinal liquid Xiao Yan makes specifically for her, presented in a white jade bottle with written instructions. She tries it that night and finds its effect gentle and soothing 16.
• Small wooden carving — Chosen during an evening outing with Xiao Yan 16.
• Sand Crystal lamp — A gift Xiao Yan selects in Stone Desert City and entrusts to Xiao Ding for delivery to her; her receipt of it is not shown 37.

Relationships

• Xiao Yan — Childhood companion whom she calls “Brother Xiao Yan.” Their bond develops through practical support, honest conversation, shared outings, and handmade gifts. She is quietly pleased by his decision to end his engagement to Nalan Yanran, though no formal romantic relationship is established in the provided chapters 8 16 23 37.
• Ling Ying — Attendant who follows her instructions and reports on Xiao Yan’s safety. His discreet investigations cannot uncover Xiao Yan’s hidden teacher 8 9 21 25.
• Xiao Zhan — Addresses him as “Uncle Xiao.” She notices his recovery and later discusses her concerns about Xiao Yan’s visit to the Misty Cloud Sect with him 12 25.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Xiao Yan’s Secret Training

• Notices that Xiao Yan has become unusually distracted and disappointedly accepts his refusal of a Marketplace outing 7.
• Sends Ling Ying to observe his late-night mountain training, specifying that he must neither interrupt nor reveal her involvement 8.
• Ends the investigation after learning that Xiao Yan is healthy. The next morning, she accepts his explanation that he has encountered an opportunity he cannot yet fully discuss 9.

Alchemy and Clan Support

• Prevents an incorrect herb purchase and helps Xiao Yan build his ingredient knowledge 10.
• Supports his first medicine sales with a price guide; after earning money, he fulfills his promise to treat her to a meal 13 14 15.
• Encourages him to share his burdens and receives Origin-Warming Dew as a personal gesture of thanks 16.
• Assists the clan’s medicinal-bath program by organizing dosages and reminding Xiao Yan to rest 17.

Conflict with the Jia Lie Family

• Firmly rejects Jia Lie Ao’s advances. When he tries to seize her wrist, Xiao Yan shields her and kills both him and the attacking Steward Luo. She remains calm and praises Xiao Yan’s sword afterward 19.
• Recognizes the danger behind Xiao Yan’s later departure and sends Ling Ying to follow him as he confronts the forces planning a raid on the Xiao Clan 21.

Xiao Yan’s Departure

• Overhears his intention to dissolve the Nalan Yanran engagement and shows an involuntary smile 23.
• Supplies dry rations for his journey and asks him to write upon reaching the Imperial Capital 24.
• Worries that the Misty Cloud Sect’s elders may resist the breakup. Although Xiao Zhan reassures her, she remains uncertain about the identity and motives of Xiao Yan’s mysterious teacher 25.

Notable Quotes

“Not for now. If he really has something he can't talk about, there's no need to keep following him.” 9

“Then when you move forward, Brother Xiao Yan, you can look at the people beside you, too.” 16

“At least, there are some things we can figure out together.” 16