Old Man

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Old Man (老爹)
Alias(es)	Uncle; Mr. Cheng; Mage Cheng; Old Man Cheng 5 16 38 202
Gender	Male 5
Affiliation	Mr. Fang’s Qi Magic lineage; Old Man’s Antique Shop 6 12
Occupation/Role	Qi Magic master, exorcist, antique-shop owner, and Jiang Xiang’s instructor; retired archaeologist in his cover story 3 12 14
Origin	System-created character whose introductory backstory was designed by Jiang Xiang 3 12
Residence	Antique shop in Chinatown, New York 5
Status	Alive at his latest documented appearance 226
First Appearance	Chapter 3 3

Power Progression

Old Man’s early training is recounted retrospectively; no numbered cultivation realm or card rank is specified for him 6.

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Qi Magic apprentice	6	First encountered Qi Magic in his thirties and became Mr. Fang’s apprentice.
Matched his teacher	6	Became a match for Mr. Fang in less than three years.
Equaled his teacher’s learning	6	After five or six years of study, became as learned as his master.

Background / History

Jiang Xiang introduced Old Man as his father’s distant cousin: an archaeologist who had spent years in remote mountain regions. According to this cover story, he retired, learned that Jiang Xiang’s father had died, and moved to New York to open an antique shop. Jiang prepared the premises and supplied details explaining the origins of Qi Magic; Old Man brought the antiques and texts himself 3 5.

Old Man’s established history includes studying under Mr. Fang and developing unusually quickly. He considers Jiang Xiang’s aptitude comparable to his own and intends to pass on all his Qi Magic skills 6.

When he formally brings Jiang into the lineage, Old Man explains that relatives cannot become one another’s master and disciple. He therefore accepts Jiang on behalf of his deceased senior fellow apprentice. The initiation requires only lighting incense, and the lineage then has just two remaining members: Old Man and Jiang 12.

Appearance

• Build and bearing: Elderly and later described as gaunt, but capable of strong, vigorous movement 5 224.
• Facial features: Goatee and small round glasses 5.
• Clothing: Wears a yellow shirt when Jiang visits his shop 5.
• Field gear: Carries bags and a waist pouch; during the first Wraith investigation, wears a red cord with thin talismans around his neck 7.
• Physical complaints: Frequently rubs his lower back while preparing spells, despite retaining considerable agility 7.

Personality

Old Man combines an affectionate family manner with a demanding teacher’s temperament. He readily finds books for Jiang without requiring an explanation, praises his ability to detect inconsistencies, and initially keeps him away from dangerous supernatural work. Once Jiang begins training, he stresses physical conditioning alongside magic and approves his decision to establish a magical foundation first 5 6 14.

His confidence does not make him credulous. He refuses to trust an unidentified author’s supernatural account blindly, supplements reading with overnight preparations, and acknowledges that his knowledge is limited. When Frank treats him as an encyclopedia, he responds with a two-finger strike to the head and orders a library search instead 7 38 151.

He is commercially minded but maintains boundaries. He charges John $50,000 for a protective talisman and recruits Frank through a ten-year service bargain. Later, while selling information to Coulson, he prevents Frank from charging again for a question that merely extends the previous one 6 15 151.

Old Man is particularly unforgiving toward Wraiths that have killed people. Increased awareness does not persuade him to spare them. His hostility toward dangerous entities contrasts with his refusal to help S.H.I.E.L.D. suppress Pain when he judges the agency and military responsible for the conflict 20 110.

Abilities & Skills

Qi Magic and Exorcism

• Uses the recurring incantation “Demons and monsters, begone” to activate spells through prepared materials 6 8 24.
• Fires green magical beams and prepares a Dissolution Spell against a Wraith 8.
• Eliminates numerous Yinshenger during the New York Wraith crisis 14.
• Treats preparation and correct exorcism methods as essential; ordinary weapons and military training are insufficient against these entities 12 21.

Barriers, Formations, and Sealing

• Establishes a protective barrier around John’s home using a dried lizard 6.
• Places concealed magical measures around the property and drives the attacking entity into a prepared formation 7.
• Entrusts captured Wraiths to S.H.I.E.L.D. in Depletion Jars and senses when the jars are opened 16.
• Produces a Bagua Formation containing an immortal deity’s token, which gathers substantial magical energy and is especially suited to sealing demons 226.
• His preparations do not guarantee immediate destruction: he doubts he can destroy the strengthened entity after S.H.I.E.L.D.’s raid gives it additional victims 7.

Offensive Magic

• Channels power through a Dried Lizard and Dried Pufferfish while several jars float behind him 24.
• Against Tewal, unleashes his strongest attack available at that time: two tracking beams that pass through the Wraith, turn, and strike from behind 24.
• The attack tears through Tewal and restores some clarity, but the Wraith then attempts to survive by pouring its remaining soul power into a shield 24.

Potions, Healing, and Protective Talismans

• Makes protective talismans that Jiang trusts during gunfire; another warns Jiang of hostile intentions and dangerous actions 15 29.
• Can barely preserve Maria Castle and her children’s lives after apparently fatal injuries, offering to save them in exchange for Frank’s service 15.
• Supplies a healing potion that greatly eases Frank’s injuries 80.
• Prepares anti-Wraith potions, though these clear only small patches of Tewal’s enhanced black mist 22 24.

Concealment, Tracking, and Communication

• Applies a magical mark while shaking John’s hand, allowing him to locate the man’s home 6.
• Uses a spell that causes passersby to overlook him while he surveys New York’s streets 12.
• Sends messages to Ah Xing by burning a paper talisman 12 21.
• Places those present in an illusion while explaining the twelve talismans 202.

Supernatural Scholarship and Teaching

• Maintains a concealed library of genuine magic books, including the Record of Strange Creatures 6.
• Researches unfamiliar objects rather than claiming immediate answers, consulting an ancient account to investigate the fishing-village statue 38.
• Teaches Jiang Qi Magic, potion-making, and the importance of physical training 12 14.
• Organizes knowledge obtained from Asgard and plans to rewrite introductory Qi Magic books, hoping the art may regain its former glory as Blue Star changes 200.
• Identifies the Ox Talisman and explains that assembling all twelve talismans risks becoming—or being possessed by—the Fire Demon 202.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Dried Lizard — Casting implement used for protection and offensive spells; Jiang supplies a new one before the John investigation 6 24.
• Dried Pufferfish — Jiang’s high-quality gift; Old Man expects it to increase the power of certain spells and later uses it against Tewal 12 24.
• Paper talismans — Used for protection, magical preparations, and communication 7 15 21.
• Ritual ingredients — Include goat saliva, goat beard, lizard tail, and plant materials; Frank handles supplies during exorcisms 16 20.
• Depletion Jars — Containers entrusted to S.H.I.E.L.D. for holding Wraiths 16.
• Magic library — Hidden in a small basement room dug out with Jiang; contains his real magical texts 6.
• Ox Talisman — Temporarily demonstrates its immense physical power when identifying it for Coulson; later holds it during the fight with Shendu 202 224.
• Pig Talisman — Holds it alongside the Ox Talisman after climbing onto Shendu’s back 224.
• Divine token — An immortal deity’s token deployed within a Bagua Formation to gather magical energy 226.
• Mind Stone — His prize when preparing to leave the battlefield; a laser interrupts his departure. He has no intention of taking the Tesseract 226.

Relationships

• Jiang Xiang — Presented publicly as his nephew and treated affectionately. Old Man teaches him Qi Magic, protects him from premature involvement in dangerous cases, and formally admits him on behalf of a deceased senior fellow apprentice 3 5 6 12.
• Mr. Fang — His Qi Magic master, whom he matched in ability within three years and in learning after five or six 6.
• Deceased senior fellow apprentice — Jiang’s formal master under the lineage’s rule against relatives taking each other as disciples 12.
• Frank Castle — Employee, ritual assistant, and nominal disciple. Frank agrees to ten years of service to save his family; the entire family later moves into Old Man’s home 15 16 54.
• Phil Coulson — Recurring intermediary with S.H.I.E.L.D. Consults Old Man about Wraiths, extraterrestrial civilizations, and talismans, while frequently testing his patience 12 16 73 151 202.
• Nick Fury — An uneasy contact whose secrecy and supernatural research damage cooperation. Old Man dismisses him when he withholds the statue’s source, though Fury continues trying to cultivate the relationship 38 68 130.
• Ah Xing — Field ally contacted through magical messages; helps disrupt Tewal’s movements while Old Man prepares his decisive attack 21 24.
• John — Customer whose suspicious account prompts Old Man to investigate and protect his home 6.
• Huang Tu — Helps Frank under Old Man’s direction while he organizes Asgardian information 200.
• Shendu — Enemy confronted through a surprise attack during the Battle of New York 224.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Yinshenger Investigation

John’s request for protection draws Old Man into a case involving a woman resembling a Yinshenger. After secretly tracking John, he shields the house and researches the creature. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s intervention disrupts his preparations: the entity kills agents and grows stronger before Old Man attacks with spells and a prepared formation 6 7 8.

Discovering that New York contains many such Wraiths, Old Man begins training Jiang and meets S.H.I.E.L.D. representatives to discuss the wider threat. The agency asks him and Ah Xing to serve as consultants, and Old Man subsequently helps eliminate numerous Yinshenger 12 14.

Museum Wraith Incident

S.H.I.E.L.D. opens the Depletion Jars without specialist assistance while the Wraiths are becoming more humanlike and persuasive. Old Man had sensed the opening but assumed another supernatural group was responsible 16.

The museum confrontation culminates in Tewal absorbing some of the Rooster Talisman’s energy. Old Man’s strongest attack severely weakens it, but its attempt to escape into a shield precedes Freddy’s appearance. After the incident, Old Man essentially cuts off contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. 24 27.

Supernatural Consultation and Preservation of Qi Magic

Despite the strained relationship, Fury continues seeking Old Man’s expertise. Old Man investigates the fishing-village statue, later sells Coulson information about extraterrestrial civilizations, and compiles Asgardian knowledge for his library and revised teaching texts 38 151 200.

When Coulson brings the Ox Talisman for identification, Old Man demonstrates its power and warns that gathering the complete set may awaken the Fire Demon 202.

Battle of New York

During Frank’s group’s attack on Shendu, Old Man quietly climbs onto the demon’s back and emerges holding the Ox and Pig Talismans 224.

Later, while preparing to leave with the Mind Stone, he is interrupted by a laser attack. In the ensuing confrontation involving Freddy and Jason, he activates a Bagua Formation and divine token to gather magical energy 226.

Notable Quotes

“I am, not we. And of course I'll take the chance to make money. Xiang, go home first. This business with demons and monsters runs too deep for you. You can't handle it.” 6

“Who do you think Old Man is? An encyclopedia? No! So hurry up and get Xiang to help search the library.” 38

“Don't you know a lack of sleep shortens an elderly person's life?” 73

Trivia

• Frequently adds instructions with “One more thing”, including requests to put cups away, close doors, replenish ingredients, and bring hot tea 6 16.
• Jiang’s daily dealings with Old Man can generate Emotional Value even when Jiang is not directing an event himself 16.
• Old Man’s debut gives Jiang a small improvement in memory and some Qi Magic knowledge 3.
• Chinese investigators theorize that Old Man introduced Jiang to the magical world, enabling his eventual rise to Sorcerer Supreme 115.