Liaochen

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Liaochen (了尘) 121
Secular Name	Zhou Qichuan 145
Alias(es)	Master Liaochen; Uncle Liaochen, as addressed by Jiang Yingcheng 121 158
Gender	Male 121
Age	Nearly forty when recruited by Jiang Yingcheng 121
Affiliation	Buddhist order; Great Rui imperial service; Jiang Yingcheng’s protectors 122 444
Occupation/Role	Monk; imperial guard assigned to protect Jiang Yingcheng 122
Martial Rank	Martial Arts Grandmaster—one of fewer than ten in Great Rui at the time of his introduction 121
Status	Alive in the extra chapters 554
First Appearance	Chapter 121 in the supplied context 121

Background / History

Before becoming a monk, Zhou Qichuan was married through an arrangement between his family and his wife’s. Their affection was not especially deep, and his obsession with martial arts often led him to neglect her feelings. He later secretly killed a man he believed to be his enemy and entered the Buddhist order 122 123.

Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts overturn his understanding of that revenge. The man he killed was a criminal scapegoat put forward by his actual rival. His supposedly deceased wife was alive, had fallen in love with that rival, and had been carrying the rival’s child 122.

Liaochen leaves to confront the people involved and subsequently returns to the capital. The rival is later identified as Ke Ren; Liaochen’s retaliation ruined his reputation and left his wife and children scattered. Ke Ren eventually strikes back during the struggle to protect Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu 123 145 443.

Appearance

• Bald head and unremarkable appearance: His outward appearance gives little indication of his Grandmaster status 122 232.
• Broad, strong shoulders: He frequently carries Yingcheng in his arms, on his back, or on his shoulders 121 469 522.
• Controlled breathing and steady stance: Emperor Mingze notices his exceptionally light breathing and firm footing even though he cannot determine Liaochen’s martial level 122.
• Monastic clothing: He wears a kasaya before Wu Leyong steals it; Yingcheng later promises to buy him more clothes 121.

Personality

Liaochen is proud of his standing in the martial world but susceptible to practical incentives. He initially refuses Yingcheng’s offer to provide for him, citing an earlier offer of a thousand taels a year that failed to persuade him. After prolonged hunger and cold, however, he immediately pockets her gold beans and claims that he simply feels a special affinity with her 121.

His formidable combat ability contrasts with his anxiety around imperial authority. On first approaching Emperor Mingze, he trembles so badly that Yingcheng complains about being shaken on his back, and his legs eventually give way. He is also relieved to learn that palace service will not require him to become a eunuch 122.

He becomes deeply indulgent toward Yingcheng, often yielding to her pleading despite recognizing her schemes. Nevertheless, he tries to teach her caution, protects children from obscene language, and treats the dead reverently. His sympathy is less polished than his fighting: when Guan Zhili cries over his parentage, Liaochen’s stiff instruction to stop crying only makes the boy sob harder 231 442 488 530.

Liaochen also enjoys gossip and is sensitive to comparisons with other martial experts. He eagerly listens to Yingcheng expose Prince Jing’s secrets, while her suggestion that Yu Xingmian could threaten his standing draws him into another of her plans 158 173.

Abilities & Skills

Grandmaster Martial Arts

• Outclasses Wu Leyong when properly nourished; Wu’s earlier success against him occurred only after Liaochen unexpectedly lost his strength from hunger 121.
• Fights a group of bandits barehanded while holding Yingcheng in one arm, using precise, ruthless blows 401.
• Restrains Wu Leyong during an emotionally violent outburst, tightening his grip around Wu’s neck and shoulders 149.
• Intervenes against Jiang San, whose dagger flies from his hand with part of his index finger, then places himself between the attacker and Yingcheng 496.
• Limit: His Grandmaster status does not make him inexhaustible. He warns that continuous pursuit by hired fighters could overwhelm the group through lack of rest 444.

Swordsmanship

• Effortlessly neutralizes Scarface’s signature killing move with a slight movement of his sword 316.
• Releases razor-sharp sword qi through broad sword movements, forcing Scarface into a desperate evasive roll 316.

Heightened Senses and Recognition

• Recognizes Wu Leyong through a Human-Skin Mask by examining his bone alignment and the flow of his aura 121.
• Distinguishes an unusually urgent hoofbeat amid the party’s horses and immediately warns everyone to prepare 309.
• Hears voices and the absence of footsteps outside a sealed chamber, allowing him to assess what is happening beyond the door 231.
• Detects an approaching person before announcing, “She’s here!” 536.

Lightness Skills

• Pursues a highly skilled fugitive while ordering his companions to continue ahead 429.
• Limit: He has no confidence that his own lightness skills surpass those of the fugitive, whose movement appears to leave no trace 429.

Hearing Jiang Yingcheng’s Thoughts

• Begins hearing Yingcheng’s thoughts after entering imperial service and is warned not to reveal this to her 122.
• Uses her unspoken information to locate an escape mechanism, disguising his deliberate actions as accidents 234.
• Recognizes her intention to warn Emperor Mingze about Prince Xin’s plot and redirects the group toward Beiming 444.
• Limit: Concealing this ability complicates navigation and decision-making whenever Yingcheng knows something she has not said aloud 234.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Sword — Used against Scarface, including to produce sword qi 316.
• Kasaya and outer robes — His kasaya is stolen by Wu Leyong; he later uses an outer robe to help block smoke entering a sealed chamber 121 234.
• Gold beans — Yingcheng’s gift persuades him to leave his impoverished temple and accompany her 121.
• Veiled hats — Supplies large and small hats to conceal Zhong Chengwang’s and Yingcheng’s identities during an outing 146.

Relationships

• Jiang Yingcheng — His charge and affectionate benefactor. She recruits him with gold beans and promises of support; he becomes one of her most indulgent protectors, though he frequently regrets being drawn into her schemes 121 152 488.
• Jiang Yanchuan / Emperor Mingze — Appoints him as Yingcheng’s imperial guard and repeatedly entrusts him with the children’s safety. Liaochen fears his displeasure but supports his recruitment efforts in Beiming 122 460 469.
• Jiang Tinghuai — Stops him from pursuing Wu Leyong while carrying Yingcheng and explains that he must conceal his ability to hear her thoughts 121 122.
• Yu Xingmian — Fellow protector and competitive companion. Liaochen initially defends Yu against the “fiend” label; they later cooperate in emergencies despite comic friction, including Yu apparently tripping him during their underground escape 158 234.
• Wu Leyong — Initially an enemy who stole his kasaya. Liaochen later ambushes and restrains him; Wu subsequently works alongside the princess’s protectors 121 148 149 471.
• Zhong Chengwang — Fellow companion who recognizes the danger of opposing Zhou Qichuan. They work together on Yingcheng’s outings and jointly ambush Wu Leyong 145 146 148.
• Lu Yao — Court colleague with whom he coordinates while listening to Yingcheng’s thoughts. Their cooperation includes the Inner Palace Bureau confrontation and efforts to manage Guan Zhili’s identity crisis 201 531.
• Guan Zhili — Protects him from discovery during his panic over his parentage and reassures him that the court already knew. Zhili later seeks him out to propose a deal 530 531.
• Ke Ren — Rival involved in his wife’s betrayal. Liaochen devastates his household and reputation, but Ke Ren later retaliates 443.
• Si Ming — Recruits him with a promise to locate a lost treasure, offering to let Si Ming hack at him if he fails. Later stops Si Ming from coaxing Yingcheng into calling him “Grandpa” 442 444.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Recruitment into Imperial Service

• Yingcheng’s group discovers that the destitute monk is a Grandmaster who has not eaten a full meal in half a month. Gold beans persuade him to accompany them 121.
• Although Yingcheng initially wants him to protect her father, Emperor Mingze assigns him to guard her instead 121 122.
• His appointment brings him into the circle of people who can hear her thoughts—and immediately exposes the truth behind his mistaken revenge 122.

Capital Outings and Investigations

• Returns to the capital and reveals his secular identity to Zhong Chengwang, ending Zhong’s hopes of escaping him 145.
• Helps Yingcheng and Zhong with work at the refugee camp after learning the importance of her Merit Points 146.
• Participates in the Heavenly Fragrance House trap for Wu Leyong, having Lin Yin rendered unconscious and hidden before the ambush 148 149.
• Handles the Inner Palace Bureau conversation while Lu Yao listens for clues about Wan Pu’s bribery and drug-smuggling 201.
• Supports an outing involving disguised foreign rulers, bringing food and then a brazier under the excuse that Yingcheng cannot tolerate cold 222 223.

Underground Palace Escape

• Checks the secret chambers for danger alongside Yu Xingmian and tries to curb Yingcheng’s reckless exploration 230 231.
• Helps block an attempted smoke suffocation, activates a concealed exit using her mental clues, and carries her through the underground maze 234.
• Later volunteers with Yu to investigate Xing Hengyi, a vanished Grandmaster who disguises himself as a child 239.

Travel and Armed Encounters

• Protects Yingcheng during the inn attack in Xian Town and easily counters Scarface’s strongest sword technique 316.
• Helps publicly credit Yu Xingmian for exposing Xun Xing’s impersonation of Ao Qi, supporting a performance intended to protect their companions 324.
• Accompanies Yingcheng’s departure from home, defeats bandits, and gives a captive writer a black eye when she demands a threatening letter to her father 400 401 402.

Rescue and Flight toward Beiming

• Recruits three Grandmasters as reinforcements during the rescue of Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu from Prince Jing’s side 442.
• Rejects hiding routes that would leave the group exposed to prolonged pursuit, then chooses Beiming after hearing Yingcheng’s reason for wanting to reach her father 444.
• Reports the children’s abduction and rescue to Emperor Mingze 450.
• Helps promote Great Rui as a new home for Spring Renewal Valley’s skilled residents 460.

Campaign Protection Duties

• Receives responsibility for guarding Yingcheng and her companions while Emperor Mingze leads the army 469.
• Creates an opening for Yingcheng to leave her tent after Dong Kangsheng explains that her movements are needed for an operation. The protectors are instructed to follow secretly and keep her unharmed 471 472.
• Accompanies her unauthorized visit to Jiayu’s gate tower and stages a cry of pain to interrupt her revealing thoughts 474.
• Later intervenes decisively when Jiang San threatens her and Guan Zhili has been injured 496.

Guan Zhili and the Rebellion

• Removes the distraught Zhili from the courtyard before he can be discovered and urges him to investigate what the emperor already knows 530.
• Meets Zhili when the boy proposes a deal; its terms are not supplied in the context 531.
• Takes Yingcheng into the palace during the rebellion, with companions disabling rebels along the route. At Lingxi Palace, they find the empress and consorts unharmed and prepared for battle 535.

Notable Quotes

“Mostly, I just feel a special affinity with you, little one.”
— After pocketing Yingcheng’s gold beans 121

“But calling him a fiend is somewhat unfair.”
— Defending Yu Xingmian’s reputation 158

“They already knew your true identity long before you could hear the Little Highness’s thoughts.”
— Reassuring Guan Zhili 530