Jin Si

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Jin Si (金四); chooses this name in Chapter 197 197.
Alias(es)	Black Snake; Black Flood Dragon 91 205.
Species/Race	Snake Beast Demon who develops into a half-flood dragon; not yet a true flood dragon 205 235.
Gender	Male
Age	Over five hundred years old 225.
Affiliation	Pillowstar Mountain; formerly associated with Azure Cloud Monastery 91 197 211.
Occupation/Role	Mountain-guarding spirit beast, Library Pavilion guardian, medicinal-herb grower, and village-school pupil 213 218 222 231.
Cultivation Affinity	Gui Water 197 242.
Residence	Cliffside lair at Pillowstar Mountain; also maintains a cave behind the Medicine King Temple 220 225.
Status	Alive; continuing his studies and preparing for winter cultivation in the latest supplied chapter 276.

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Developing human-shaped spirit	51	Repeated cultivation makes his human form more complete and increases his intelligence, though he remains far removed from human understanding.
Yin Spirit sword manifestation	56	Forms a faint blue, insubstantial sword from spiritual energy, overcoming his inability to hold a physical blade. Maintaining it is exhausting.
Spirit sword gains limited physical effect	79	His manifested sword cuts several strands of a spiderweb. Keeping it formed also serves as Yin Spirit training.
Yin Spirit can handle physical objects	100	Picks up and turns over medicinal herbs. He attributes this to a different cultivation method and says a Yang Spirit is still far off.
Four limbs begin developing	173	Feels soreness and swelling where his limbs will emerge; their bones and muscles require substantial energy to form.
Yang Spirit — attained by this point	202 209 224	The Abbot judges him stronger than an ordinary Yang Spirit, and Jin Si later explicitly recalls his Yin-to-Yang transformation. The breakthrough itself is not shown in the supplied material.
Accelerated limb growth	202	Growth speeds up after the Ghost King’s defeat. Absorbing sea-fog energy proves insufficient; he realizes thunderstorm force and rainwater are also necessary.
Half-flood-dragon transformation	205	Lightning clears obstructions in his new limbs’ meridians. Only the right forepaw develops properly; the other three remain weak and clumsy.
Four-clawed body alters his spirit	207	His humanlike primordial spirit now has four fingers on each hand, reflecting his transformed physical body.
Further growth through winter herbs	208	Awakens stronger and longer after absorbing the power of harvested medicinal herbs throughout winter.
Cloud-Riding and Mist-Driving	242	Begins learning formal flight methods from Wang Ying; his water affinity makes mist production straightforward.
Wind-Riding and Levitation	243	Learns principles better suited to combat, using wind for support and propulsion and levitation to turn in midair.
Fur growth; next breakthrough remains blocked	254	Fur begins growing along his back and tail, but an unnamed inner “gap” prevents his three weaker claws from completing their development and obstructs the next realm.

Background / History

Early mountain life

Before naming himself, Jin Si lives as Black Snake in the mountains behind Azure Cloud Monastery. His routine consists of hunting, cultivation, absorbing rain energy, and enduring lightning strikes. Without a lineage or senior cultivator to guide him, he relies heavily on observation and experimentation 51 91 173.

Watching a Daoist nun practice beneath the moon inspires him to learn swordsmanship. He repeatedly imitates her movements despite falls, poor footwork, and his spirit’s inability to hold ordinary objects. His desire to learn broadens into a recognition that demon cultivators are especially disadvantaged by their lack of knowledge and guidance 56 83.

He befriends the secluded cultivator Xu Jin and asks Little Feather to watch over him. More than fifty years later, Xu Jin dies beneath an apricot tree. Black Snake does not approach the young man who subsequently takes over the valley 91 156.

Choosing an identity

With Lin Wei’s guidance on naming customs and the five elements, he chooses Jin Si. “Jin” represents metal, which supports his Gui Water cultivation; “Si,” meaning four, comes from a hazy memory that he was fourth in a group 197.

He visits a grave near Azure Cloud Monastery and silently shares his new name with the woman buried there. Remembering her gives him an urgent desire to become stronger so he can find her. He later returns with two pine cones to tell her about his claws, his planned move, and his hopes of reading at Pillowstar Mountain 197 207.

Joining Pillowstar Mountain

Jin Si agrees to serve as Pillowstar Mountain’s guardian spirit beast and arranges for Xiao Yu to accompany him. He also invites Red Clothes, checking that her injuries have healed before proposing the move. The three depart after winter, carrying herb seeds, roots, money, and other useful possessions 197 207 208.

At Pillowstar Mountain, his portrait and aura-bearing name plaque are formally registered beside Xiao Yu’s. He establishes a cliffside home and medicinal field, finding that the mountain’s quiet, loosely governed routine permits considerable freedom 211 213.

Appearance

• Physical body: An enormous, pitch-black scaled half-flood dragon with a fearsome head, vertical pupils, a forked tongue, four clawed limbs, and a long tail 209 219 229.
• Head and back: Sharp spikes flank the crown of his head; soft spines run along his back and tail 211 226.
• Uneven development: His limbs look outwardly similar, but only the right forepaw initially has full strength and dexterity 205.
• Later changes: Fur begins growing along his back and tail during subsequent cultivation 254.
• Humanlike spirit: A short, skinny boy with a large head, wheat-brown skin, freckles beside his nose, and fluffy hair gathered into a makeshift topknot 213 253.
• Hands: Four fingers on each hand following his bodily transformation 207 221.
• Clothing: Usually coarse cloth and straw sandals; adopts a clean Daoist robe and cloud shoes for school 213 219 236.
• Unchanging childlike form: His classmates grow taller while he remains visibly the same size 253 276.

Personality

Jin Si is reserved, literal-minded, and wary. He speaks briefly, dislikes strangers behind him, and chooses a classroom seat where his back is protected. When Daoist Pang promises news in two days, he returns after exactly that interval rather than considering the social awkwardness of asking again 91 217 222.

His laziness coexists with remarkable persistence. He enjoys sleeping and avoids unnecessary adventures, but practices sword forms for centuries, continues cultivating through slow progress, and pursues schooling despite earlier rejection. Once enrolled, he is satisfied simply to keep pace with young children 214 223 254 263.

He values independence over office or prestige. He refuses Underworld recruitment, has no interest in cultivating through incense offerings, and often weighs dangerous work against its possible cultivation benefits. Nevertheless, he honors agreements and will not demand extra payment after discovering that he undersold a charm 206 225 234 265.

His compassion is selective and practical rather than openly sentimental. He rescues, warms, and feeds Huang Xing, saves food for her, and helps Red Clothes gain recognition at Pillowstar Mountain. He can also remain detached from widespread suffering and refuses responsibilities outside the terms of his promises 237 251 265 276.

Abilities & Skills

Gui Water Cultivation and Venomous Breath

Jin Si combines Gui Water Spirit Power with venom to produce forceful white-mist attacks 241.

• Corrodes flesh and injures powerful beasts; destroys Lion’s escaping Demonic Soul 241.
• Strips flesh and shatters the bones of a giant corpse puppet 261.
• Breaks formations by battering and destroying their anchoring implements 249.
• Rain increases the available Gui Water spiritual energy and improves his fighting prospects 229.
• Water-based breath is less effective against an Eerie with related water power 275.

Lightning and Thunder Force

Jin Si uses lightning both to cultivate his body and to attack supernatural threats 156 205 231.

• Repeated exposure strengthens his body and opens obstructed limb meridians 156 205.
• Releases thunder force to disrupt beings attempting to cross from the Underworld 231.
• Can spit a powerful lightning attack, but during the Lion hunt he can discharge it only once and conserves it for a greater threat 232 239.
• Is not immune to lightning: an uncontrolled Thunder-Calling Art injures him, though he recovers before his opponents 249.

Primordial Spirit and Manifestation

His spirit takes the appearance of a human boy and can operate separately from his dragon body 212 222.

• Manifests clothes, shoes, a sword, and a scabbard from spiritual energy 56 170 219.
• Uses his humanlike spirit to attend school and interact with mortals 221 222.
• Enters the Underworld and opens passages between the Mortal and Spirit Realms 220 231.
• Cannot eat while his spirit is outside his physical body 221 223.
• Realm-crossing has local restrictions: Pillowstar Mountain’s barrier prevents direct passage until he reaches its foot 220.
• Can project a weakened spirit fragment remotely to respond to a threat against the Wang family 267.

Swordsmanship

Jin Si develops swordsmanship through centuries of copying Daoist forms rather than formal instruction 56 214.

• His early spirit sword gains enough substance to cut spiderweb strands 79.
• Uses sword strikes to damage ritual flags and fight spirit practitioners 109.
• Eventually reproduces the copied forms almost perfectly, but still feels that his technique lacks something essential 214.
• Kills Sideburns with a rapid sword strike while Red Clothes distracts him 265.

Perception and Divination

Jin Si combines animal senses with supernatural perception 101 229 237.

• Thermal Sensing: Locates people through foliage and walls, finds warm caves, and checks whether enemies remain alive 101 217 248 250.
• Aura recognition: Remembers familiar cultivators by their aura even after centuries have changed their appearance 209.
• Spiritual-energy perception: Examines formations and traces their energy circulation 250.
• Rain sensitivity: Detects moisture and signs of approaching rain, though mountain weather remains uncertain 229.
• “Reading affairs”: Occasionally glimpses blurry images concerning another person’s circumstances, fate, or previous cultivation. These impressions are incomplete and cannot reliably reveal names or cultivation levels 237 262.

Movement and Combat Strategy

Jin Si favors speed, concealment, ambushes, and terrain knowledge over direct contests of strength 109 239.

• Conceals his aura and approaches through shadows, gullies, rain, or low ground 238 250.
• Uses venom to weaken prey while maintaining a distance that prevents counter-ambushes 239.
• Combines coils and claws to crush and tear powerful opponents, although growing limbs reduces his former coiling dexterity 241.
• Initially can only hover near the ground without rain or mist; studies flight to improve support, turning, and aerial leverage 242 243.
• Rejects sluggish cloud-riding as unsuitable for his fighting style 243.
• Readily retreats when outmatched and lays misleading trails after battle 229 275.

Herb Cultivation and Warding Objects

Jin Si grows medicinal herbs for cultivation and learns practical spiritual crafts through experimentation 213 235.

• Uses herbs to strengthen himself during winter hibernation 208.
• Carefully weeds seedlings, gathers seeds, and expands his medicinal field 225 274 276.
• Charges a peach pit with a faint trace of spirit power, believing it sufficient to repel an ordinary wandering soul 235.
• Initially lacks a formal charm-making method and discovers that his cultivation makes even a modest warding object more valuable than he expected 234 235.
• Attempts to store herbs for winter cultivation fail when the plants rot into compost 267.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Manifested longsword and scabbard — Spiritual constructs used in sword practice and primordial-spirit combat 79 170 265.
• Iron herb hoe — Bought from Daoist Pang for one tael of silver; used to tend his medicinal field 213 225.
• Illustrated spiritual-herb guide — Given by Daoist Pang in gratitude for avenging her family and descendants 213.
• Study books and cloth book bag — Purchased for his schooling; the clean, carefully stitched bag is made by Daoist Jiang 221.
• Paper-crane letters — Lin Wei’s invitations, directions, warnings, and assignments; he carefully preserves her early letters 207 208 254.
• Herb seeds, roots, and harvested plants — Supplies for new fields and winter cultivation; Wang Ying later gathers three carts of herbs for him 208 276.
• Gold, silver, and valuables — Kept for expenses among humans; he also earns copper coins through rat removal and warding objects 208 219 223 235.

Relationships

• Xiao Yu / Little Feather — Closest traveling companion and frequent combat partner. She helps protect Xu Jin, teaches Jin Si how to locate the Spirit Realm, scouts for him, and joins his move to Pillowstar Mountain. He gradually recognizes how much support she has given him 91 156 197 208 241.
• Red Clothes / Red Robe / Hongyi — Ghost companion whose revenge he helps accomplish. He invites her to share his new home and secures her registration so she can pursue knowledge at the Library Pavilion 202 207 265 266 267.
• Lin Wei — Naming adviser, Pillowstar Mountain contact, and mission dispatcher. She arranges his registration, warns him about enemies, and sends assignments by paper crane 197 211 224 228.
• Daoist Pang — Practical adviser and benefactor. Thanks him for avenging her family, gives him a herb guide, arranges his school recommendation, and explains warding-object customs 213 214 218 234.
• Daoist Jiang of Medicine King Temple — Host, advocate, and trusted adviser. Arranges his schooling, makes his book bag, warns him against harming mortals, and explains threats to the dragon vein 219 220 221 247 251.
• Teacher Jiang — Village-school teacher who accepts Jin Si’s four-fingered hands and instructs him in basic literacy. Jin Si remains nervous about his reprimands 221 222 276.
• Huang Xing / Apricot Yellow — Girl he rescues from kidnappers and brings to the Medicine King Temple. He gives her a protective short sword and saves classmates’ food for her 236 237 247 276.
• Wang Ying — Cultivator he helps protect during her tribulation. She subsequently teaches him flight methods and obtains medicinal herbs for him 231 234 242 243 276.
• Wang Ying’s family — Protected by a limited agreement covering supernatural threats, not attacks by mortal fighters. Jin Si enforces that boundary and intervenes when an evil presence later threatens the household 251 252 267.
• Xu Jin — Mortal cultivator and early friend who welcomes Black Snake without fear. Jin Si arranges protection for him; Xu Jin’s eventual death marks the passage of decades 91 100 156.
• Hu Changqing — Neighbor and knowledgeable contact who explains Underworld employment. He is visibly moved by Jin Si’s departure 206 208.
• Chu Hening / He Ning — Earlier source of learning and general cultivation guidance. Jin Si remembers her teaching efforts when resolving to continue his studies 79 80 236.
• The woman buried near Azure Cloud Monastery — A deeply missed figure whose grave Jin Si visits to share his name and transformation. Her identity is not explicitly established in the supplied passages 197 207.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Arc	Chapters	Major events
Ghost King’s defeat and transformation	202 205 206	Returns victorious from the Dry Well, helps Red Clothes obtain revenge, develops his limbs, and refuses recruitment into the Underworld Bureaucracy.
Relocation to Pillowstar Mountain	207 208 209 211 213	Moves with Xiao Yu and Red Clothes, learns that his concealment is not infallible, enters the mountain’s register, and establishes a cave and herb field.
Formal education	214 218 219 220 221 222 223	Secures a recommendation through Daoist Pang and Daoist Jiang, enters the village school, and discovers that ordinary lessons are difficult and less exhilarating than his long-held dream suggested.
Flood rumors and enemy schemes	223 224 225 247	Learns that flood-dragon rumors may be intended to lure him into traps. Enemies seek his blood, flesh, and presumed demon core and place Dragon-Suppressing Stakes in nearby rivers.
Escort and tribulation protection	228 229 231 232 233 234	Escorts an accomplished cultivator, disrupts Underworld intrusions, attacks a threatening Eerie, and waits until his charge safely enters Pillowstar Mountain.
Huang Xing’s rescue	236 237 238	Incapacitates would-be kidnappers, frees their captive, warms and feeds her, and brings her to Daoist Jiang’s care.
Lion hunt	238 239 241	Ambushes and poisons a man-killing exotic beast. With Xiao Yu and the Daoists’ assistance, destroys its body and soul, then secretly remains nearby to watch over the Daoists.
Dragon-vein sabotage	247 248 249 250 251	Hunts the people damaging the dragon vein and removes their iron nails. The damage is already done; Daoist Jiang says recovery may take ten or even a hundred years.
Schooling during war	252 253 254 256 257	Continues lessons and cultivation through siege, upheaval, rain, and drought, withdrawing for months to examine the inner deficiency blocking his advancement.
Hunting around Pillowstar Mountain	259 261 262 265	Hunts dangerous cultivators with his companions, investigates targets before attacking, and eventually stops because the rewards are too small for the risks.
Red Clothes’s recognition	265 266 267	Asks for her portrait and registration, accompanies her through the process, and introduces her to the Library Pavilion.
River Eerie and winter preparations	270 271 273 274 275 276	Secretly investigates an expedition he publicly declines, helps destroy the Eerie, receives a substantial cultivation reward, checks the river stakes himself, and arranges supplies for hibernation.

Notable Quotes

“I have a name. My name is Jin Si.”
— Correcting Red Clothes after she thanks him for helping her take revenge 202.

“What are you talking about? If we can't beat them, we run. Why get hurt?”
— Explaining his approach to dangerous opponents 229.

“There's no need for thanks between us.”
— Responding to Red Clothes’s gratitude for giving her an opportunity 264.

Trivia

• He explicitly distinguishes the Si in his name—“four”—from the similarly pronounced character associated with the snake branch 213.
• Despite dressing as a novice for school, he earnestly tells classmates that he is not a Daoist 235.
• He has a Dragon King Position but neither wants the role nor cultivates through incense offerings 225.
• His advice for achieving a Yang Spirit is to bask in the sun and spend more time worrying, leaving Lin Wei puzzled 224.
• He finds human judgments of beauty difficult to understand and thinks people look largely alike 266.
• After being punished for climbing the school wall, he begins consistently entering and leaving through the gate 276.