Xiao Yu

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Xiao Yu (萧彧)
Courtesy Name	Qi’an; also addressed as Xiao Qi’an 87 102
Alias(es)	Youyou, his childhood name; An An, Qi Yunheng’s affectionate name for him 7 98
Titles	Young Lord Xiao; briefly Emperor Jinyuan’s fourth prince; later Prince Yu and Little Imperial Uncle; subsequently Queen of Southern Zhao 2 7 11 103
Species/Race	Human cultivator 2 101
Gender	Male 36 138
Age	Twelve upon entering the capital; fifteen during his first request to establish a separate household; eighteen when he renews that request. The later side story describes him as having spent more than a hundred years in the Mortal Realm 1 36 48 153
Family	Legitimate son and heir of the Prince and Princess Consort of Zhennan; younger brother of Xiao Zhiyu, Princess Ning’an 7 99 103
Affiliation	Spirit Mountain; the Zhennan household; Jin’s imperial court; Southern Zhao’s royal court 11 48 103
Occupation/Role	Cultivator, imperial prince, protector of the Crown Prince, and Queen authorized to govern alongside Southern Zhao’s king 11 103 130
Partner	Qi Yunheng, also named Dantai Yunheng and Tan Tai Heng in later chapters 61 130 153
Status	Alive; reunited with Tan Tai Heng after returning to Spirit Mountain in the later side story 153
First Appearance	Chapter 1, “The Incompetent Emperor” 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Middle Nascent Soul	102	In a cultivation-world flashback, enters seclusion for a month and survives a lightning tribulation to complete the breakthrough. This precedes his weakened condition in the main mortal-world storyline.
Partial cultivation recovery; realm unspecified	6	Recovers some cultivation during his first days in the palace. His restored strength allows him to restrain Qi Yunheng during an assassination attempt.
Divine Sense available; realm unspecified	82	Prepares to use Divine Sense to search for the missing Crown Prince. Earlier, he had stated that further cultivation recovery was necessary before he could activate it 29.

Background / History

An immortal master descended from the Spirit Realm to accept Xiao Yu as a disciple when he was born. He trained on Spirit Mountain, learning swordsmanship and divination. Although younger than Lin Feng, Zhao Liang, and Yu Qing, he entered the sect earlier and possessed greater cultivation, making him their senior brother 11 28 101.

During a training expedition, Xiao Yu and those junior sectmates entered Tan Tai Heng’s Secret Realm. Xiao Yu refused to loot its treasures, protected the small snake Little Eight, and apologized to the realm’s owner. Tan Tai Heng allowed the group to leave and introduced himself under the false name “Wang Xing.” Later, his concealed visits to Mist Snow Peak unsettled Xiao Yu’s sword practice. After advancing to middle Nascent Soul, Xiao Yu confronted him and began calling him “A-Heng” 101 102.

Xiao Yu remembers a previous life in which false accusations destroyed his family and the country later fell to invasion. Before his elder sister could be sent to the capital as a hostage, he returned from Spirit Mountain and volunteered to go in her place. Protecting his parents and preventing their deaths initially mattered more to him than saving the emperor 1 2 99.

In the capital, he entered the Eastern Palace in a weakened mortal body. His private thoughts exposed palace conspiracies to people who could hear them, even though he initially did not know they were listening. His interventions gradually changed his position from hostage to imperial relative, and his relationships with the Crown Prince, Consort Wan, and Qi Yunheng drew him more deeply into mortal life 1 3 11 99.

Appearance

Xiao Yu is initially a delicate, physically frail boy whose graceful appearance contrasts with his sharp private commentary. Six years later, Qi Yunheng sees him as a tall, slender young man with bright, starry eyes and exceptional good looks 1 2 47.

• Early mobility impairment: Uses a wheelchair upon arriving in the capital; his difficulty walking attracts both sympathy and insults 2 10.
• Later physical activity: Runs during a palace chase and later rides and spars, although he again uses a wheelchair in the reversed timeline 13 57 99 141.
• Family resemblance: Su Yan recognizes traces of Xiao Yu’s mother in him; Princess Ning’an strongly resembles him 5 63.
• Dress: His fitted riding clothes draw attention at the autumn hunt. He later wears Southern Zhao’s clothing when presented at its court 57 103.

Personality

Xiao Yu combines outward composure with an irreverent, theatrical inner voice. He privately calls Jinyuan a foolish emperor or tyrant, boasts about his own talent, and borrows dramatic lines from his master. His pranks can be elaborate: he uses grape juice to fake coughing blood and then exploits the resulting concern to negotiate a higher position in the imperial family 1 9 11.

His loyalty to his family is fierce and sometimes openly vengeful. He admits that exposing Li Zhong serves both public justice and a personal grudge, and he targets Cao Lin partly because of the commandant’s suspected role in his family’s previous destruction. Nevertheless, he repeatedly protects people outside his original circle, including an enemy kingdom’s hostage prince, kidnapped children, and the politically vulnerable Yun’er 6 8 70.

He understands that imperial favor can be a political tool rather than unconditional protection. Beneath his casual behavior, he recognizes that Jinyuan uses him to weaken obstructive ministers. He also persistently seeks independence, refusing to remain in the palace merely because the emperor finds his presence reassuring 12 36 48.

Xiao Yu values freely chosen, exclusive relationships. He supports Shen Yuzhu’s right to refuse an unwanted marriage and rejects Wei Zhiyan’s offer to become his concubine because it would wrong the person he loves. His sister observes that his mortal relationships have made him warmer, livelier, and less detached from the world 42 99.

Abilities & Skills

Heaven and Earth Mirror

• Past and future knowledge: The Mirror can see the past and know the future. Xiao Yu states that it has become his heart 28.
• Exposure of hidden truths: Its knowledge supports revelations about corrupt officials, concealed parentage, dangerous spirits, and future betrayals 28 61 68.
• Time reversal: After Xiao Yu suffers an ambush and instability of his Divine Soul, the Mirror rejects Yunheng’s attempt to intervene. The ensuing reversal sends Yunheng and Jinyuan six years into the past 142.
• Limits: Xiao Yu cannot send them forward again while his spiritual energy and cultivation remain weak. He identifies the legendary Divine Herb Ganzha as a possible alternative, not an established solution 142.

Cultivation and Spiritual Perception

• Divine Sense: Xiao Yu explains that activating it would allow him to understand the thoughts and language of spiritually aware beings. He later prepares to use it in the search for the Crown Prince 29 82.
• Aura concealment: Hides his cultivator’s aura from the mountain ghost Zi Ying, preventing her from immediately fleeing 68.
• Defensive barriers: Raises a barrier when Little Seven attacks his training party 101.
• Poison purging: Uses regulated breathing and Sourgrass to recover from poison hidden in Qi Yunheng’s teeth 9.
• Vulnerability: An unsettled sword heart risks cultivation deviation. He is also susceptible to poison specifically supplied to harm cultivators 102 137.

Swordsmanship, Archery, and Close Combat

• Sword training: Practices on Mist Snow Peak, demonstrates forms for junior disciples, and spars with Lin Feng 102.
• Close combat: Restrains Qi Yunheng, disarms and kicks down Shen Zhuocheng, and forces Zi Ying into her monstrous form with a palm strike 6 25 68.
• Precision archery: Shoots through the Sixth Prince’s collar to pin him to a tree, then similarly restrains the Second Prince without seriously injuring either 143.
• Protection: Kills a hostile dancer before she can strike Qi Yunheng with a hairpin 109.

Talismans and Magical Tools

• Stealth: Uses invisibility talismans to evade Cao Lin’s guards 8.
• Tracking: Secretly places a Tracking Talisman on Qi Yunheng before following him to resolve an argument 59.
• Long-distance communication: Uses voice and written-message talismans to communicate across kingdoms 72 98.
• Transformation: Accidentally turns Southern Zhao’s First Prince into a bull while trying to immobilize him and rescue Yun Cheng 118.

Political Judgment and Investigation

• Financial evidence: Produces account books documenting Li Zhong’s bribery, embezzlement, and sale of offices 6.
• Protection of military supplies: Reserves one million of the three million recovered taels for Southern Border winter provisions 6.
• Court argument: Turns officials’ demand for a virtuous imperial marriage back on their own households 27.
• Governing authority: Receives full responsibility for investigating Wang Liang’s alleged embezzlement after his thoughts expose a framing conspiracy 130.

Audible Inner Thoughts

• Unintentional revelations: Jinyuan, the Crown Prince, Consort Wan, and other listeners hear thoughts Xiao Yu has not spoken aloud 1 2 3 61.
• Changing outcomes: These revelations help expose Consort Cui’s poisoning scheme, reunite mother and son, and warn the Crown Prince about Consort Liu and Shen Zhuocheng 1 3 9.
• Not consistently private: His thoughts also reveal embarrassing opinions and romantic circumstances in formal settings 9 61.
• Hearing another person’s thoughts: Xiao Yu can hear Xiyue’s inner commentary, including her speculation about the Crown Prince’s feelings for him 54.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Mechanized wheelchair — Its mechanism allows Xiao Yu to propel himself away at speed 17.
• Storage ring — Holds stolen wealth, weapons, and supplies. During the raid on Cao Lin’s residence, his unrecovered cultivation prevents its storage space from holding living creatures 5 8.
• Sealing Scroll — Shelters all thirteen rescued boys and later conceals Qinggeng and Xiao Ba from Cao Lin 8 34.
• Golden discipline ruler — An imperial grant authorizing him to punish treacherous ministers and discipline the princes on Jinyuan’s behalf 11.
• Imperial gold token — Allows him to act in the emperor’s place in the reversed timeline; he gives it to the Crown Prince as a first-meeting gift 143.
• Sword, bow, and dagger — Used in cultivation training, archery, and the attempted cutting of the weeds trapping the Crown Prince 12 102 143.
• Medicinal supplies — Include Sourgrass for poison, a heart-protecting pill, and a Sand Tang used to prevent drowning 9 12.
• Talismans — Include invisibility, tracking, voice-transmission, message-transmission, immobility, and transformation talismans 8 59 72 98 118.

Relationships

• Qi Yunheng / Dantai Yunheng / Tan Tai Heng — His lover and intended Dao companion. Their relationship develops from hostile encounters and correspondence into a publicly acknowledged partnership. Xiao Yu becomes his Queen, insists on facing danger together, and later reunites with him in Azure Dragon form despite Tan Tai Heng’s lost mortal-world memories 2 50 62 103 111 153.
• Emperor Jinyuan — Initially his suspicious sovereign and captor; briefly his adoptive father; later his sworn elder brother. Their bond combines affection, teasing, political usefulness, and disputes over Xiao Yu’s independence 1 7 11 36 48.
• The Crown Prince — His first friend in the palace and subsequently his nephew by sworn kinship. Xiao Yu protects him from bullying, conspiracies, and supernatural danger, while the prince fears losing his companionship. The prince also develops romantic longing that Xiao Yu finds difficult to address 9 12 48 54.
• Consort Wan / the Empress — A maternal source of comfort who cares for him alongside her son. Xiao Yu’s thoughts reveal that the Crown Prince is her living child; her resemblance to his mother explains his attachment 2 12 17.
• Prince of Zhennan — His father, whose loyalty and life Xiao Yu is determined to protect. Xiao Yu rejects claims that his father would rebel, even while being threatened as a hostage 2 25.
• Princess Consort of Zhennan — His mother. She initially hopes imperial adoption will protect him from bullying; Xiao Yu repeatedly longs to return home to his parents 7 48.
• Xiao Zhiyu / Princess Ning’an — His elder sister, whose place as a hostage he takes. She supports his love for Qi Yunheng and promises military retaliation if the king mistreats him 99.
• Immortal Venerable Yuheng — His affectionate, protective master. Yuheng warns him about loving a mortal but ultimately grants his blessing; he later confronts Tan Tai Heng over Xiao Yu 62 63 153.
• Immortal Venerable Wuli — A protective cultivation elder, identified as Martial Uncle Wu Li during the expedition and as Xiao Yu’s master in the following flashback. He attacks Tan Tai Heng for secretly pursuing Xiao Yu 101 102.
• Qinggeng — His loyal spirit companion, scout, and protector. Helps recover corrupt officials’ wealth, rescue the Crown Prince, conceal fugitives, and deliver messages 5 8 12 34 72.
• Xiao Ba — A companion who cultivates alongside him and gains speech after three years. Identifies the Southern Zhao gu poison affecting the Crown Prince 49.
• Su Yan — His maternal uncle and the Crown Prince’s teacher. Opposes imperial adoption and later the use of Xiao Yu as a diplomatic bargaining piece 5 7 97.
• Su Xun — His maternal cousin and frequent teasing companion. Consults him about his future on their grandfather’s behalf and worries about the consequences of his relationship with Southern Zhao’s king 7 48 97.
• Shen Zhijie and Shen Yuzhu — Friends whom he assists against Xie Guifan’s coercion. Zhijie also helps protect the Crown Prince, while Yuzhu appreciates Xiao Yu’s support for her freedom to choose marriage 42 59.
• Princess Xiyue — His niece, whom he regards as a daughter or younger sister rather than a possible bride. Her unfiltered thoughts repeatedly embarrass him 36 48 54.
• Yun’er, the “Seventh Prince” — A girl forced to conceal her identity and drawn into succession politics by her grandfather. Xiao Yu offers shelter, warns her against trusting him, and promises protection 70 71.
• Yun Cheng — Qi Yunheng’s younger brother, who addresses Xiao Yu as sister-in-law. Xiao Yu comforts him and rescues him from the First Prince 100 118.
• Second Uncle Xiao — A relative Xiao Yu distrusts for helping frame his family in the previous life. Xiao Yu resists his attempt to obtain support for Yun’er’s claim to the throne 70.
• The Sixth Prince — A hostile imperial nephew who resents Xiao Yu’s favor and support of the Crown Prince. Xiao Yu disciplines him and refuses to excuse attempts to harm his elder brother 11 87 143.
• Marquis Yongchang, Gongsun Yi — A court critic who becomes extravagantly grateful after Xiao Yu offers him refuge at Prince Yu’s Residence 61 62.
• Wei Zhiyan — A woman who pursues him and offers to become his concubine. Xiao Yu rejects her to preserve his exclusive commitment to Qi Yunheng 76 99.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Arrival in the Capital

• His thoughts expose Consort Cui’s attempt to poison Jinyuan, leading the emperor to stop drinking her soup and have it examined 1.
• He intervenes when palace guards beat Qi Yunheng, then unintentionally reveals the Crown Prince’s parentage to Consort Wan 2 3.
• His recollection of a previous assassination warns Jinyuan in time to survive an attack during court 4.

Corrupt Officials and Imperial Promotion

• With Qinggeng, he recovers three million taels from Li Zhong and supplies the account books that establish the official’s crimes 5 6.
• He prevents Qi Yunheng from assassinating the sleeping emperor, arguing that the country cannot yet afford to lose its ruler 6.
• Jinyuan adopts him as the fourth prince. Soon afterward, Xiao Yu obtains his father’s consent to become the emperor’s sworn younger brother instead, receiving the title Prince Yu and the golden discipline ruler 7 11.
• He raids Cao Lin’s wealth and underground armory, then rescues thirteen captive boys rather than escaping alone 8.

Protector of the Eastern Palace

• Warns the Crown Prince through his thoughts that Consort Liu and Shen Zhuocheng previously conspired to kill him 9.
• Punishes the princes for bullying and disrespect, prompting impeachment demands and a nominal month of confinement 11 12.
• Rescues the Crown Prince from malicious black waterweed with medicine, a dagger, and Qinggeng’s help 12 13.
• Escapes an attempted silencing, is poisoned and buried by Qi Yunheng during their chaotic encounter, and returns to the palace covered in mud 13 15.
• Breaks free when Consort Liu and Shen Zhuocheng take him hostage, defending his father’s loyalty while turning the confrontation against them 25.

Independence and Public Romance

• At fifteen, refuses Jinyuan’s proposed betrothal to the infant Xiyue. His invented story about pursuing Qi Yunheng subsequently becomes damaging gossip 36 40.
• Protects Shen Yuzhu from Xie Guifan; accidentally tearing Xie’s robe creates another scandal and brings fresh confinement 42 43.
• At eighteen, obtains permission to leave the Eastern Palace after the autumn hunt and later holds a housewarming banquet at Prince Yu’s Residence 48 70.
• Identifies the masked Yuchu as Qi Yunheng, confronts their unresolved history, and eventually introduces him publicly as his consort 50 60 61.
• Chooses the relationship despite Yuheng’s warning about mortal lifespan, then imagines bringing Qi Yunheng to Spirit Mountain so they can cultivate together 63 91.

Queen of Southern Zhao

• Refuses to treat his visit to Qi Yunheng as diplomacy and returns urgently to Jin when the Crown Prince disappears 82.
• Faces Southern Zhao’s proposal to become Jin’s vassal state in exchange for his becoming Queen. Jinyuan leaves the decision to him 97.
• Remains torn between Qi Yunheng and his life in Jin, but gains his sister’s support and prepares to reunite with him 98 99.
• Qi Yunheng takes him to Southern Zhao without waiting for his answer or farewells. Xiao Yu questions the abduction but reassures him and returns his embrace 100.
• Is formally appointed Queen and declared a joint ruler. Later, Yunheng explicitly affirms his equal status and gives him authority over the Wang Liang investigation 103 130.
• Protects Qi Yunheng during an attack at the Zhennan household and insists on accompanying him when Yun Cheng goes missing 109 111.

Time Reversal

• Poison supplied to harm cultivators takes effect during the confrontation with the Prince of Pingxi 137.
• In the earlier timeline, Xiao Yu initially rejects Yunheng’s claim that they will become lovers and that he will be Southern Zhao’s Queen 138.
• Learns that the Heaven and Earth Mirror reacted to his future injury and Yunheng’s attempt to stabilize his soul. His younger self questions why the future Xiao Yu has not appeared alongside the returned men 142.
• Jinyuan sends him to ordinary lessons and appoints Yunheng as his study companion. Xiao Yu again protects the Crown Prince, this time using precise archery and the emperor’s gold token 142 143.

Return to Spirit Mountain

• After more than a hundred years in the Mortal Realm, returns to Spirit Mountain and spends over a month searching for A-Heng. Without him, Xiao Yu cannot sleep 153.
• Finds unexpected comfort beside an Azure Dragon and falls asleep against it. The dragon becomes Tan Tai Heng, who has forgotten their mortal-world life but remains attached to him 153.
• When Yuheng confronts Tan Tai Heng, the sleeping Xiao Yu embraces him. Tan Tai Heng takes the gesture as an answer and leaves with him 153.

Notable Quotes

“The only people I ever wanted to save were Father, Mother, and the others. Saving that wretched emperor was merely incidental.” 2

“To tell you the truth, I also intend to follow my father's example: marry one princess consort and never take a concubine!” 18

“My beloved consort, come back with me.” 60

“Whatever happens, you have me.” 70

Trivia

• His master’s advice for speaking to women includes the line “Woman, you’re playing with fire.” Xiao Yu considers it effective after Consort Cui flees 1.
• Despite accepting osmanthus cakes from the Crown Prince, he is not particularly fond of sweets 5.
• Popular storybooks pair him with men and give him fictional wives and concubines. Titles include Prince Yu’s Handsome Little Wife and Prince Yu and His One Hundred and Eight Concubines; Xiao Yu insists they are entertainment, not reliable accounts 51.
• Qi Yunheng’s two personally planted persimmon trees become an image of their relationship in his affectionate messages 98.