Li Jing

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Li Jing (李靖)
Species/Race	Human; trained in Daoist cultivation but initially failed to attain immortality 34.
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Great Shang; Ministry of Punishments; temporary command of the Dark Phoenix Guard 357.
Occupation/Role	Former Chief Commander of Chentang Pass; Minister of Punishments; architect and enforcer of the New Law 310 357.
Family	Husband of Lady Yin and father of Nezha 68 71.
Status	Alive; undergoes an enlightenment experience in Chaoge 614.
First Appearance	Chapter 34, “The Xuanyuan Arrow, Drawn to Full Bow” 34.

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Enlightenment; whole-being sublimation, realm unnamed	614	After struggling to reconcile legal principle, human feeling, and King Zhou’s instruction to defy public opinion, Li Jing begins glowing throughout his body. Zhang Youren recognizes the event as a possible enlightenment; no named cultivation realm is confirmed.

Background / History

Li Jing studied under Du’e Zhenren for many years without becoming an immortal. Shi Ji, a friend of his teacher, persuaded Du’e to let him leave the mountain and pursue wealth and honor in the mortal world. He subsequently became the commander of Chentang Pass, a position comparable in rank to that of a feudal lord 34 137.

Before his departure, Du’e foretold that Li Jing would prosper and have a son born according to Heaven’s mandate. Nezha’s birth fulfilled that prediction, but Li Jing’s later divinations convinced him that his son’s entire life had been arranged in advance. Taiyi Zhenren confirmed that Nezha was Lingzhuzi reincarnated, destined to serve as Western Zhou’s vanguard against Shang. Li Jing rejected the idea that his flesh-and-blood child should be treated as another person’s magical tool 68.

Appearance

Li Jing is repeatedly identified by his thick eyebrows and large eyes. His appearance changes conspicuously after he sacrifices his hair and beard during the controversy surrounding his imprisonment 73 264 416.

• Thick, bushy eyebrows and large eyes — distinctive enough that Zi Shou unconsciously sketches his eyebrows while thinking about legal reform 264.
• White robes — worn during his public declaration before cutting off his hair 415.
• Bald head and shaved beard — the result of his symbolic sacrifice, which prompts friendly teasing when he returns to court 415 416.
• Whole-body radiance — appears during his late enlightenment experience 614.

Personality

Li Jing is earnest, dutiful, and reluctant to claim credit. His praise of King Zhou is sincere rather than calculated flattery: he believes the king’s teachings inspired his agricultural work and interprets royal tolerance of criticism as magnanimity. This loyalty sometimes prevents him from recognizing the difference between Zi Shou’s intentions and their apparent meaning 66 68.

His affection for Nezha initially undermines his discipline. He admits that he is poor at expressing his feelings, while official duties keep both parents from spending much time with their son. Even when angry at Nezha’s wrongdoing, he softens because Nezha is his child. Later, he recognizes that his own indulgence resembles the way noble families excuse their relatives’ abuses 34 68 411.

Li Jing’s commitment to justice becomes increasingly self-sacrificing. He offers to die to protect Chentang Pass, accepts that his own son deserves punishment, and later places himself in prison to absorb opposition to the reforms. His convictions also evolve: an early emphasis on harsh enforcement gives way to greater attention to intent, circumstances, and the people affected by the law 72 74 322 411.

Abilities & Skills

Mortal Martial Arts

Li Jing’s mortal combat skills are exceptional despite his difficulty attaining immortality 302.

• Kills Yue Sheng with a single sword draw, deliberately reproducing the technique King Zhou used against Marquis Li 302.
• Defeats Yue Sheng’s ten guards in less than three seconds 302.
• Shaves his head with a longsword, demonstrating precise blade control 415.
• Personally leads the assault that destroys the Eastern Yi rearguard 143.

Daoist Arts

Li Jing retains practical supernatural abilities from his training, although no early immortal attainment is documented 34 68.

• Travels to Skull Mountain with Nezha by earth escape 34.
• Performs divinations to investigate Nezha’s predetermined destiny 68.
• Projects his voice into the clouds through magical power during the confrontation with the Dragon Kings 73.
• Cannot overcome the immortal backing that allows Taiyi Zhenren to use Nezha as a shield against tribulation 121.

Administration and Agriculture

Li Jing develops alternatives to Chentang Pass’s unreliable fishing economy and unsuitable grain-growing conditions 68.

• Oversees trials of rice and wheat with Wan Nian’s assistance 68.
• Digs irrigation channels, reinforces riverbanks, and converts land into paddy fields 68.
• Plans a reservoir if the trial harvest succeeds 68.
• Recognizes the limits of his resources: he knows the downstream settlement is impoverished and disorderly but cannot comprehensively reform it 69.

Legal Drafting and Investigation

Li Jing combines lawmaking with direct investigation and enforcement 137 357.

• Advocates clear, current laws, equal punishment across social ranks, consistent enforcement, and rewards based on merit 137.
• Uses informants and the Dark Phoenix Guard to investigate noble households and verify population and land figures 408 416.
• Notices that Xiao Yin’s claimed military farming output does not fit Lintong Pass’s limited cultivable land; initially withholds an accusation because he lacks evidence 357.
• Reports hundreds of resolved noble cases without a demonstrable miscarriage of justice, crediting junior officials and the Guard for the results 416.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Personal sword — worn at his waist; he places it against his neck when offering his life in Nezha’s place 73.
• Imperial Sword — bestowed by Zi Shou and modeled on Tai’a. It authorizes Li Jing to execute nobles resisting the reforms; Li Jing calls it a sword for upholding the law 411 415.
• Xuanyuan Arrow — a treasure of Chentang Pass bearing the inscription “Li Jing, Garrison Commander of Chentang Pass.” Nezha fires it without permission, causing Shi Ji to initially accuse Li Jing of Biyun Boy’s death 34.
• Long halberd — used to raise E Chongyu’s corpse where the assembled crowd can see it during the book-burning confrontation 316.

Relationships

• Zi Shou / King Zhou — Sovereign and patron. Li Jing credits him with inspiring practical government and legal reform. The king’s willingness to protect him during the prison controversy deepens his loyalty 68 137 411 416.
• Lady Yin — Wife and partner in grief. She supports his legal work, urges him to rest, and shares his belief that the state needs consistent laws 121.
• Nezha — Son. Li Jing seeks to free him from divine arrangements but comes to accept personal accountability for his crimes. His grief persists after Nezha’s apparent death 68 74 121.
• Du’e Zhenren — Cultivation teacher. Predicts Li Jing’s mortal prosperity and the birth of a son tied to Heaven’s mandate 34 68.
• Shi Ji — Old acquaintance and benefactor. Her intervention enables his departure from cultivation; she later distinguishes Nezha’s offenses from Li Jing’s responsibility and releases him 34.
• Taiyi Zhenren — Nezha’s teacher. Li Jing rejects his use of Heaven’s mandate to justify making Nezha a shield against tribulation 121.
• Xuandu / Wang Chan — Senior martial uncle through Xuandu’s friendship with Du’e. Helps Li Jing present portions of the New Law as recovered ancient supplements 302.
• Wan Nian — Agricultural collaborator and defender of the reforms at court 68 308.
• Chao Lei — Naval commander involved in Chentang Pass’s defense. His raid on the Eastern Yi homeland creates the opening for Li Jing’s decisive pursuit 121 143.
• Ao Guang — Former acquaintance turned aggrieved father. His demands for justice against Nezha escalate into the threatened flooding of Chentang Pass 71 72.
• Ao Bing / Li Bing — Li Jing rescues him from abuse and recommends him for royal service, unaware that he is the dragon prince Nezha maimed 69 70.
• Chong Yingbiao — Fellow royal servant whose removal leaves Li Jing temporarily commanding the Dark Phoenix Guard. Li Jing earlier supports him physically after his public self-wounding 311 357.
• Marquis of Yue — Political opponent who attacks the hardship and severity of Li Jing’s reforms after Li Jing kills his son, Yue Sheng 302 308.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Nezha’s Violence and Chentang Pass

Li Jing first becomes involved in Shi Ji’s grievance when the Xuanyuan Arrow identifies him as Biyun Boy’s apparent killer. He denies firing it, discovers Nezha’s responsibility, and brings his son to White Bone Cave to answer for the death. Nezha instead injures Caiyun Boy and attacks Shi Ji. Shi Ji absolves Li Jing and pursues the matter with Taiyi Zhenren 34.

When King Zhou visits Chentang Pass, Li Jing initially arrests people criticizing the Fengshan Sacrifice. He accompanies the disguised king to hear public discussion, mistakenly reading Zi Shou’s pleasure at criticism as restrained anger. During the subsequent inspection, his agricultural projects reveal a more practical side of his service 66 68.

The conflict with the Dragon Tribe exposes the consequences of Nezha’s unchecked behavior. After Nezha admits killing the Sea Patrol Yaksha and tearing out Ao Bing’s tendon, Li Jing fears for both his household and the pass. When the Four Seas Dragon Kings threaten a flood, he ensures the residents have reached higher ground and offers to die in his son’s place 71 72 73.

Zi Shou kills Nezha before the boy can cut away his flesh and bones to sever his family ties. Li Jing moves from shock and anger to the conviction that the offender—not a parent or sovereign—must answer for wrongdoing. He gathers Nezha’s body while grieving the punishment he now accepts as deserved 74.

Drafting the New Law and Defending the Eastern Border

Taiyi removes Nezha’s body less than a day after his death, saying that incense offerings on Qianyuan Mountain can revive him. Li Jing sees this as the continuation of Nezha’s exploitation and channels his helplessness into drafting laws to strengthen Shang 121.

An Eastern Yi invasion interrupts this work. Chao Lei’s navy raids the invaders’ homeland, forcing their main army to turn back. Li Jing pursues, personally spearheads the destruction of the rearguard, and reports more than ten thousand enemy heads and nearly ten thousand prisoners. The navy returns with treasure and no combat losses 121 143.

At court, Li Jing counters Ji Chang’s condemnation of King Zhou by defending Marquis Li’s execution for human sacrifice, defiance of the sovereign, and collusion with the Rong. He volunteers to lead comprehensive legal reform. His argument carries unusual weight because the king had already enforced punishment against his own son 137.

Challenging Noble Privilege

Chentang Pass implements its reforms ahead of the wider realm. To help secure court approval, Li Jing gives portions of the New Law to Xuandu, who ages and buries them as supposed lost supplements to the Tang Punishments 302.

Yue Sheng tests whether those reforms will truly apply to nobles by invoking the old law’s failure to punish his violence against commoners. Although the relevant new statutes are not yet officially in force, Li Jing asks the witnesses to judge the act. After a wounded young man condemns it, Li Jing kills Yue Sheng, defeats his guards, orders the victims buried, and has Yue Sheng’s head displayed as a warning 301 302.

The reforms provoke both real hardship and political resistance. The Marquis of Yue cites falling crop yields and severe penalties, including forty strokes for stealing half a dou of millet. Wan Nian and Bo Yi defend the resulting order and elimination of theft, but Zi Shou ends the debate by punishing both camps with fifty strokes 308.

Li Jing also presides over the collection and burning of prohibited shamanic texts. The confrontation becomes entangled with accusations against Chong Yingbiao and opposition from the southern nobles 310 311 316.

Reconsidering Harsh Enforcement

During an inspection of the North Market, Zi Shou destroys law slabs glorifying royal authority and prescribing collective punishment. Li Jing initially objects, then interprets the destruction as guidance to distinguish intent and circumstances. Remembering Nezha’s accidental killing of Biyun Boy, he recognizes that indiscriminate severity can punish people who lack knowledge or merely have a family connection to an offender 322.

After becoming Minister of Punishments and temporary commander of the Dark Phoenix Guard, Li Jing investigates Xiao Yin’s military farming claims. An anonymous letter prompts him to prepare troops at the West Gate and confront Xiao Yin publicly during the royal inspection 357.

Land Reform, Imprisonment, and Public Accountability

Li Jing supports changing a land system in which wealthy households hold extensive fields while the poor bear heavier burdens. He uses household information supplied by Yao Zhong and seeks help from Bi’an, Xiezhi, and Ouyang Tianlu to make reform workable 408.

After ordering noble relatives beaten during the registration campaign, he confines himself in Yuan Prison. He intends to absorb aristocratic anger and provide a place for complaints about wrongful judgments. Zi Shou refuses to leave him bearing the political consequences alone and gives him the Imperial Sword 411.

Public accusations that Li Jing punished nobles without legal authorization make his release contentious. He cuts off his hair in place of his head to uphold his promise to the commoners. After a petition secures his release, he returns to court and reports that hundreds of noble cases withstand scrutiny; the investigations also establish population and land figures needed for taxation 415 416.

Late Enlightenment

Li Jing continues to interpret King Zhou’s policies as deliberate statecraft, explaining the comfortable detention of idle nobles as a way to keep them divided and eventually extract resources 443.

Near the end of the story, he struggles with the king’s instruction to defy public opinion because it appears to contradict his developing understanding of law, feeling, and reason. During an encounter with Zhang Youren and the New Chaoge People, his entire body begins to shine, marking an enlightenment experience without a stated realm 614.

Notable Quotes

“If we left everything to Heaven’s mandate—refusing to farm because the land could not be cultivated, letting the river run unchecked when it flooded—then what use would there be for us?” 68

“A feudal lord who breaks the law must bear the same guilt as a commoner.” 137

“Reform will bring pain for a time. Refusing to reform will bring pain for ten thousand generations!” 408

Trivia

• Lady Yin models steamed buns on Nezha’s hair buns. Li Jing eats them as the staple of all three meals after the Chentang Pass disaster so that their appearance will remind him of his son 121.
• His execution of Yue Sheng is a deliberate imitation of King Zhou’s execution of Marquis Li: he remembers the stance, angle, force, gaze, and breathing 302.
• Fu Yu mistakes Li Jing’s precise knowledge of her household for an extraordinary immortal art. His figures actually come from the informant Yao Zhong 408.