Liu Zheheng

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Liu Zheheng (刘哲桁)
Alias(es)	Young General Liu 314 375; Zhang Heng, an undercover identity 472
Gender	Male
Age	Twenty when introduced; twenty-one during discussions of Song Qingling’s marriage prospects 73 381
Affiliation	Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom’s army; Song Yaoyao’s expedition group 73 472 807
Occupation/Role	Flying Cavalry Commandant of the Subordinate Sixth Rank; later described as a general 73 369
Family	Son of Liu Qingfeng and Madam Liu; younger brother of Noble Consort Liu 73 310 382
First Appearance	Introduced through Guagua’s account and a projected image 73; first meets Song Yaoyao in person at a palace banquet 310

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Ordinary soldier	73	Entered the army while concealing his family identity, starting at the bottom rather than relying on his father’s position.
Flying Cavalry Commandant — Subordinate Sixth Rank	73	Reached this rank through his own efforts by age twenty.
General — exact rank unspecified	369	Described as a general by the coming-of-age ceremony. The timing and circumstances of any intervening promotion are not given.

Background / History

Liu Zheheng comes from a prominent military family. His father, Liu Qingfeng, holds the second-rank position of Grand General Who Guards the State, while his elder sister is Noble Consort Liu. He followed his father into the army but concealed his identity, earning his position through service. Even his closest comrades believed he came from an ordinary family in the Capital 73 310.

His friendships developed through repeated life-or-death battles. He lived and ate alongside his brothers-in-arms and devoted himself to daily training. At twenty, he had not considered marriage, prompting his mother to ask Noble Consort Liu to look for suitable brides 73.

Appearance

Liu Zheheng is depicted as exceptionally handsome, with a fierce, authoritative bearing that accompanies his sharply defined features 73.

• Clothing: A fitted black martial outfit in his introductory image 73.
• Face: Brows compared to strokes of ink and eyes compared to stars 73.
• Disguises: Adopts a plainer appearance while operating undercover in Illusion City. Tian Shuyan is attracted to this disguised face rather than his original appearance 520.

Personality

Liu Zheheng is disciplined and values achievement earned through service. His early lack of interest in marriage comes from enjoying military life and keeping busy with training, not from the attraction to men that Song Yaoyao briefly imagines 73.

He prefers evidence to accusation. Although his father warns him about Cao Xiaolan, he verifies the physician’s account and waits to catch her drugging his food before informing his comrades. His discretion also extends to Song Yaoyao: he eagerly questions her about unfamiliar weapons but avoids asking how her firearm can change shape, recognizing that she has trusted him with something private 310 470.

He is direct with unwanted admirers, refusing invitations rather than encouraging false hopes. He is also willing to make his own marriage decisions, while accepting that Song Qingling’s family needs time to discuss his proposal 374 375 382.

Despite his military seriousness, Liu Zheheng enjoys gossip. He attends a coming-of-age ceremony partly because Song Yaoyao will be there, and the prospect of hearing her revelations more often contributes to his decision to pursue Qingling 369 374.

Abilities & Skills

Military Experience

• Earned his sixth-rank command through personal effort after enlisting as an ordinary soldier 73.
• Has battlefield and anti-bandit experience; he recognizes the contrast between difficult conventional fighting and Song Yaoyao’s overwhelming rocket-launcher assault 480.
• Identifies the Dragon Abyss Kingdom’s training routines and compares them with those of the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom 807.
• Song Yaoyao chooses him to deliver sensitive intelligence because he handles matters steadily and responds well to unexpected situations 603.

Perception of Song Yaoyao’s Revelations

• Can hear Song Yaoyao’s unspoken exchanges with Guagua and see the projected images above her head 310 311.
• Deduces that only some people can perceive the phenomenon by observing the banquet guests 311.
• Uses the revelations to warn Wan Zunrui about Zu Yaoming 314 315.
• Cannot openly identify “inner thoughts” as his source: trying to say the words causes a suffocating sensation, which ends when he stops 314 315.
• Learns from his father that the emperor has forbidden discussion of the phenomenon 323.

Undercover Work

• Uses the identity Zhang Heng, posing as the eldest brother of Song Qinghui and Song Yaoyao during their infiltration 472.
• Maintains cover during government searches, supplying explanations for the group’s activities 494 514.
• Convincingly claims they abandoned a visit to their maternal grandfather because the advancing Heavenly Phoenix army made the journey unsafe 514.

Modern Weapons and Devices

• Examines Song Yaoyao’s sniper rifle and learns about its scope and components; this scene does not establish that he fires it 470.
• Receives step-by-step drone-operation instruction from Song Yaoyao 518.
• Learns to operate a Gatling gun before the assault on Illusion City’s palace 535.
• Uses telescopes for reconnaissance and appreciates the military value of night-vision equipment 807.
• Attempts to fire Song Yaoyao’s rocket launcher, but it does not respond to him 480.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Combat boots — Admits that he had wanted an opportunity to wear them throughout the journey 480.
• Poison-miasma protection — Sealed clothing, a damp face covering, and gloves used during the forest crossing 472.
• Drone — Song Yaoyao promises drones to the group and subsequently teaches him how to operate them 517 518.
• Gatling gun — Supplied by Song Yaoyao, who trains him before the palace intervention 535.
• Telescope — Used while observing a Dragon Abyss military camp from concealment 807.

Relationships

• Liu Qingfeng / General Liu — Father. Sends the warning that prompts Liu Zheheng’s investigation of Cao Xiaolan. Later prevents him from questioning Song Yaoyao publicly and explains the emperor’s secrecy order 310 311 323.
• Madam Liu — Mother. Worries about his lack of interest in marriage, but ultimately supports his right to decide how to proceed with Song Qingling 73 382.
• Noble Consort Liu — Elder sister. Proud of his military achievements; passes Song Yaoyao’s warning to their family, enabling their father to intervene 73 310.
• Cao Dashan — Close brother-in-arms. Introduces Liu to Cao Xiaolan. Liu later uncovers the circumstances of Dashan’s death and helps bring his murderer to justice 73 310 311.
• Cao Xiaolan — Cao Dashan’s younger sister and an obsessive admirer. Liu tactfully rejects her confession; she later murders her brother for opposing her pursuit and attempts to drug Liu 74 75 310 311.
• Wan Zunrui — Close military comrade who returns from the Border with him. Liu privately urges him to investigate Zu Yaoming despite being unable to disclose his source 314 315.
• Song Yaoyao / Princess Jiahe — Trusted companion and source of extraordinary intelligence. Her admiration for his looks is explicitly nonromantic. They later cooperate in reconnaissance, infiltration, and military operations 73 374 470 807.
• Song Qingling — Romantic interest. Liu invites her on a spring outing, and their families agree that they should get to know each other before considering a betrothal 374 382.
• Song Qinghui — Frequent operational partner. They accompany Yaoyao through the Poison Miasma Forest, maintain cover, guard Bai Jue, and help take control of a military camp 472 514 552 807.
• Tian Shuyan — Wealthy merchant’s daughter who secretly admires him in Illusion City. She visits their usual teahouse to see him and investigates his background without uncovering the group’s identities 520.
• Ji Bai — Recipient of sensitive intelligence delivered by Liu on Song Yaoyao’s behalf 603 604.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Cao Xiaolan’s Obsession and Cao Dashan’s Murder

Cao Xiaolan falls for Liu Zheheng after her brother brings his comrades to visit. Cao Dashan opposes her marrying a soldier and stops arranging visits, but relents when she becomes ill with lovesickness. When Liu returns, Xiaolan confesses her feelings; he turns her down tactfully 73 74.

Xiaolan later deliberately worsens Dashan’s infected wound and withholds timely help. Liu and the other men hear the news only after their comrade has died 75 311.

After receiving his father’s warning, Liu locates the physician who treated Dashan and verifies the accusation. He then catches Xiaolan adding a drug to his soup. Confronted with the evidence, she confesses that she killed her brother because he opposed her relationship with Liu. The men take her to the Government Office, where she is sentenced to public beheading in three days 310 311.

Discovering Princess Jiahe’s Secret

At the palace banquet, Liu sees his own experiences reproduced above Song Yaoyao’s head and realizes she possesses knowledge of events she never witnessed. His father stops him from confronting her in front of the court 310 311.

Liu subsequently warns Wan Zunrui about Zu Yaoming, but discovers that an unexplained force prevents him from naming Song Yaoyao’s thoughts as the source. At home, General Liu confirms that he also hears the revelations, has known about them for months, and has found them reliable 314 315 323.

Courtship of Song Qingling

Liu attracts matchmaking attention because of his own military standing and his sister’s favored position in the imperial harem. At the coming-of-age ceremony, however, he is interested in hearing more gossip rather than simply finding a bride 369.

After rejecting numerous invitations, he considers Qingling as a potential wife and unexpectedly asks her to join him on a spring outing. He finds her suitable in her own right, while also imagining the benefit of having Song Yaoyao as his gossip-sharing sister-in-law 374.

Madam Song’s shortlist identifies him as the strongest of five remaining candidates. Yaoyao raises concerns about the six-year age gap: Liu is twenty-one and Qingling fifteen. The families ultimately agree to let the pair become acquainted first, with a betrothal dependent on their compatibility 381 382.

Night Central Kingdom Operations

Liu accompanies Song Yaoyao and Song Qinghui across the Poison Miasma Forest, assumes the group’s eldest-brother identity, and helps clear the enemy garrison they occupy overnight. The siblings’ practiced disposal of bodies unsettles him 472.

At Feiye’s valley stronghold, he witnesses the destructive power of Yaoyao’s rocket launcher and unsuccessfully tries it himself. Later, he shares Qinghui’s anger at learning that the respected enemy commander Lu Changfeng and his sons were murdered through their own ruler’s schemes and refined into puppets 480 496.

In Illusion City, Liu helps maintain the group’s cover and takes part in planning an intervention after Prince Cheng and Qi Yanzhen weaken each other. During the palace assault, he offers surviving soldiers a chance to surrender. When Qi Yanzhen’s soul is discovered inside Bai Jue, Liu and Qinghui take turns guarding the shared body until Master Liaoran arrives 514 517 535 545 552.

Dragon Abyss Kingdom Operations

Liu promptly delivers Yaoyao’s letter informing Ji Bai’s group that Liu Xin betrayed them and that Emperor Nian Cenyi has been murdered. He confirms the letter’s information without explaining how it was obtained 603 604.

When the group encounters Liu Xin on patrol, Liu wants revenge but follows Yaoyao’s plan. He watches her kill the traitor with a suppressed pistol and conceal her involvement through an innocent performance 605 606.

Later, Liu helps observe a Dragon Abyss military camp. After Yaoyao incapacitates its personnel with drone-delivered powder, he and Qinghui assemble the guards and officers at the training grounds while she presents a military tally and announces their takeover 807.

Interest in Vehicles

Liu and Song Qinghui look forward to obtaining vehicles. Liu signals Qinghui to approach Song Yaoyao, and both are pleased when she agrees; they expect Baga Cars to become popular throughout the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom 869.

Notable Quotes

“If you trust me, look into it. As for how I know, I can't disclose that.” 315

“I'm not free then either. I'm never free.” 374

“This is my own affair. I can decide for myself!” 382

“As long as you lay down your weapons and surrender, we won't kill you...” 535