Minister Qi

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Qi Tianxia 23
Alias(es)	Minister Qi (齐尚书); Qi Dayan, his porter identity; “Big-Eyed Qi”; “Uncle Qi,” used by Lin Ke 7 8 9 23
Gender	Male 4
Affiliation	Great Wei Sacred Dynasty; War Department; Giant Sword Army 130 181
Occupation/Role	Minister of War; military commander; Lin Ke’s patron and mentor 130 181 193
Cultivation	Gentleman Realm; originally followed the Martial Path and also possesses a powerful Confucian literary heart 58 59 92
Age	Centuries old; his eldest daughter is already several hundred years old 146 173
Family	Five wives and six children; Qi Ye is his only son, and Qi Kaishan is his eldest daughter 146
First Appearance	Appears as the black-clad man playing a board game with Lin Xuanji 4

Background / History

Wager with Lin Xuanji

Minister Qi and Lin Xuanji arrange a wager in which each trains the other man’s son. Qi chooses Lin Ke, while Lin Xuanji chooses Qi Ye; the youths are to compete in three matches within a year, with their victories determining which minister wins the wager 5.

Qi accepts Lin Ke’s three conditions: revoking his servile registration if he wins all three contests, allowing him to continue chopping firewood daily with the necessary supplies, and moving the plum tree planted by his deceased mother. He also has two sets of clothes made for Lin Ke overnight 6 7.

He relocates Lin Ke to Chaoyang Street, where he adopts the identity of the porter Qi Dayan. Although he provides a courtyard, he leaves Lin Ke to clear its weeds and earn his own living. The first contest’s subjects are poetry, physical coordination, and painting 7 8. He later personally delivers and transplants the promised plum tree 23.

Protection on Chaoyang Street

Qi’s mentorship includes direct intervention when Lin Ke endangers himself. He knocks Lin Ke away from Li Chungang’s well and warns that its extraordinary contents could have cost him his arms 8.

During the confrontation with Lord Qiu’s household, Qi demands legal punishment for those responsible for street violence. The Punishments and Personnel ministers resist him, shielding the officials involved. Qi then explains that Lin Ke’s Bamboo Staff carries the Sage Emperor’s authority and can be used against injustice—even among the ministers themselves 57.

After Lin Ke kills Lord Qiu’s son, Qi stops him from expending another stored manifestation and stands between him and Lord Qiu. The activation of his literary heart causes the other ministers to withdraw rather than join the confrontation 59.

Military Duties and the Second Contest

Qi is away suppressing a rebellion during Lin Ke and Qi Ye’s first public contest. General Li Pozhu conveys his instruction that Lin Ke must not lose 130.

Following Lin Ke’s victory, Qi asks him to defeat Qi Ye decisively in their next contest. His aim is not revenge against his son: he hopes defeat will break the influence of the rigid Confucian education he regrets arranging. He explicitly forbids Lin Ke from killing Qi Ye 145 146.

Qi prepares Lin Ke for wilderness training, supplies rare resources, and secures Jingang as his protector for three months. He keeps Lin Ke’s destination confidential and warns that noble status offers little safety in Cloud Dream Marsh and the Ten Thousand Mountains 146 149 150 152.

He sends Lin Xuanji the next contest’s fields—fiction, beast taming, and musical instruments—before transporting Lin Ke and Jingang away from the capital 153. Qi also sends Qi Ye to Northern Changbai Mountain; Qi Ye later returns from the Northern Frontier ahead of their rematch 329.

Support for Reform

Qi leads the forces inside and outside the court that oppose Lin Xuanji. Lin Ke identifies him as a central figure resisting the division between the Noble Registry and Servile Status 269.

At court, Qi’s faction praises Lin Ke’s achievements across poetry, painting, biology, beast mastery, dance, and fiction. Qi personally argues that Lin Ke deserves Confucian noble registration 183 193.

After Lin Xuanji’s removal, the Sage Emperor assigns educational affairs to Minister Xun, with Qi and Lin Ke’s Great Wilderness Council assisting. Qi subsequently urges Lin Ke’s companions to work steadily and prompts Wang Lin to provide him with a better doppelganger 197. When Wang Lin goes to confront Lin Xuanji, Qi warns that their cultivation difference may put her at a disadvantage and hurries after her 198.

Appearance

• Usual appearance: A middle-aged man in fitted black clothing or close-fitting martial attire 4 23 144.
• Expression and bearing: Fierce-looking, with a casual, unrestrained posture that contrasts with Lin Xuanji’s stern formality 4.
• Facial hair: Has a beard, which he strokes while preparing to seek a bodyguard for Lin Ke 151.
• Porter disguise: Coarse hemp clothes, mud stains, and a white cloth wrapped around his head 23.
• Official dress: Wears court robes when appearing with the other ministers 57.

Personality

Qi is blunt, impatient, boastful, and irreverent. He interrupts Lin Xuanji’s lengthy explanation of the wager to give a concise version himself, freely curses, and enjoys provoking his fellow ministers. His humor can become elaborate: he impersonates Lin Xuanji while encouraging a near-fight among the ministers 5 57 58.

His treatment of Lin Ke combines teasing with substantial care. He makes Lin Ke fend for himself on Chaoyang Street, but provides clothing, housing, protection, and expensive cultivation resources. He is impressed by Lin Ke’s courtesy and discipline, and tells him not to underestimate people merely because they hold servile status 5 6 7 146 149.

Qi regards power and money as means of protecting life and loved ones, rather than goals worth pursuing for their own sake. He values ordinary work and teaches that advancement comes from following one’s true nature, not simply studying sages or obsessing over rank 62.

His harsh words toward Qi Ye conceal deep paternal concern. He regrets entrusting his only son to a Great Confucian while occupied with warfare, and believes that education turned Qi Ye against the path he had hoped for him. Even when demanding a crushing defeat, he insists that his son survive 145 146.

Abilities & Skills

Cultivation and Literary Heart

• Possesses Gentleman Realm cultivation. Other ministers speculate that his growing literary mastery may soon bring him to its second step, but no such breakthrough is confirmed in the supplied account 58.
• Activates a luminous, beating Confucian literary heart that evokes visions of humanity fighting demons and other races 59.
• Uses its pressure to protect Lin Ke from Lord Qiu and intimidate the Golden Crow Matriarch 59 152.
• Effortlessly dispels the cauldron manifestation accidentally directed at him during Lin Ke’s experiments 144.

Military Command

• Commands Great Wei’s troops and warfare as Minister of War, with authority over the survival and destruction of numerous races 181.
• Has the Giant Sword Army under his command; its field commander, Li Pozhu, is a Fifth Realm Martial King 130.
• Maintains a political following that includes partisans, students, and powerful military figures 193.

Supernatural Movement and Restoration

• Moves Lin Ke between locations through a gesture or sweep of his sleeve 6 7 151.
• Uses Grand Translocation to transport himself, Lin Ke, and Jingang together 153.
• Restores Lin Ke’s door after breaking it down while responding to a suspected assassin 144.

Concealment and External Incarnation

• Uses mirage essence and the stratagem “Concealing Heaven to Cross the Sea” to conceal Lin Ke 146.
• Helps create Lin Ke’s External Incarnation using a Thousand-Illusion Sea Mirage and a flower from the Seven-Treasure Exquisite Tower 153.
• Produces a magical double capable of impersonating Lin Xuanji 58.
• Took thirty-five days to master the multitasking ability that Lin Ke later learns overnight 149.

Guidance and Treasure Enhancement

• Uses Daoic Voice to clear Lin Ke’s thoughts during their discussion of ambition and cultivation 62.
• Recognizes and explains the imperial authority sustaining Lin Ke’s Bamboo Staff 57.
• Enhances Sunrise with rare Solar Essence from the Golden Crow Clan, advancing the painting to the second stage of rare treasures 153.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

Resources Supplied to Lin Ke

• Seven-Colored Exquisite Tower / Seven-Treasure Exquisite Tower flower — Precious resource that enables divided attention; Lin Ke’s absorption also improves his flexibility and sensitivity to water 146 149 153.
• Thousand-Illusion Sea Mirage — Used in preparing Lin Ke’s External Incarnation 153.
• Mount Sumeru in a Mustard Seed bracelet — Costly, jade-green storage treasure that can change shape and color when supplied with Lin Ke’s power of reform 149 150.
• Solar Essence — Golden Crow Clan resource used to strengthen Sunrise 153.

Relationships

• Lin Ke — Protégé and wager representative. Lin Ke calls him “Uncle Qi”; Qi treats him with increasing affection, protects him, and supplies resources for his development 7 59 145 146.
• Qi Ye — Only son. Their conflicting paths strain a loving relationship; Qi hopes a decisive defeat by Lin Ke will force Qi Ye to reconsider his beliefs 145 146.
• Qi Kaishan — Eldest daughter, several hundred years old and accomplished in the qin and se 146 153.
• Lin Xuanji — Political opponent and wagering counterpart. Qi opposes his status-based policies and openly challenges the officials protecting his faction 5 57 92 269.
• Wang Lin / Princess Tian — Fellow protector of Lin Ke. Qi encourages her to equip him more effectively and follows her when she risks confronting the stronger Lin Xuanji 197 198.
• Li Pozhu — Commander of Qi’s Giant Sword Army; delivers Qi’s instruction to Lin Ke during his absence 130.
• Jingang — Recruited to escort and protect Lin Ke during wilderness training 152 153.
• Dao Venerable — Close associate; Jingang remarks on their relationship after learning which rare materials Qi obtained for Lin Ke 153.
• Minister Xun — Collaborator in the educational reforms assigned by the Sage Emperor 197.

Notable Quotes

“Don't look down on people with servile status. Everyone here may seem ordinary, but they all have at least one skill of their own...” 7

“Don't waste this. It could save your life.”
— Stopping Lin Ke from expending another Bamboo Staff manifestation 59

“If only you were my son, kid.” 145

Trivia

• Despite his middle-aged appearance, Qi says he watched the Golden Crow Emperor’s grandfather grow up 152.
• He names his daughter Kaishan after resolving to “cleave a mountain when a mountain blocks the way.” According to the account discussed during the contest, he bound that decision with Threefold Silence despite objections from his wife and concubines 135.
• Gossip in the capital claims that Lin Ke is Qi’s illegitimate son and Qi Ye is Lin Xuanji’s. These are rumors arising from the contrast between the sons’ loyalties and their fathers’ politics 92.