Qi Wu

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Qi Wu (祁芜)
Alias(es)	Wu Qi, an alternate player identity used to enter easier instances 1 27 33
Species/Race	Human; later becomes Chu Qingjiu’s Empathic Puppet 47 48
Gender	Male
Birth Date	February 5, 2003, as stated to Chu Qingjiu 13
Age	Celebrates his twenty-first birthday in the birthday extra; previously claims to be twenty-five during his courtship 12 103
Affiliation	Mutual Aid Society; Qi family; Xie family’s Talisman Master lineage 33 103
Occupation/Role	Talisman master; number-one player on the Player Rankings 1 103
Status	Dies at the end of his hundredth instance, remains with Chu Qingjiu, and gains freedom to move between instances and reality 96 97 103
First Appearance	Chapter 1, “From Big Boss to Player,” under the alias Wu Qi 1

Power Progression

Qi Wu’s documented progression is measured by instance clears and entry restrictions rather than named cultivation realms.

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
First instance cleared	33	Enters the game at eighteen, immediately before a near-fatal traffic accident. Clearing the instance returns him safely beyond the threatened collision.
Number-one player; 79 recorded clears	1 6	Leads the rankings by number of cleared instances. The seventy-nine clears do not include runs completed under aliases.
Restricted to four-star-or-higher instances	33	After approximately a year of playing, his main identity can no longer enter easier instances; “Wu Qi” allows him to bypass this restriction.
95 instances cleared	87	Following his separation from Chu Qingjiu, he continues toward the hundredth instance in hopes of reuniting with him.
99 instances cleared	87	Reaches this count after another six months and receives the five-star zombie instance “Corpse Driver” as his final assignment.
100th instance cleared	96	Helps complete “Corpse Driver,” but dies during the exit countdown before he can leave with the survivors.

Background / History

Qi Wu comes from a prominent family with roots in the Celestial Master Lineage. As supernatural activity declined, much of the family shifted toward business. Although Qi Wu possessed the necessary talent, the Xie family’s patriarch took him as a disciple at an early age, and he became a talisman master instead 103.

His mother died when he and his younger sister, Qi Yue, were young. With their father largely absent, Qi Wu became the person responsible for caring for her 103.

At eleven, he attended his grandfather Old Master Qi’s funeral. There, he saw a long-haired youth with purple eyes perform a puppet ritual for the deceased. The youth was Chu Qingjiu, although Qi Wu did not learn his name or speak to him. The encounter left him fascinated by Chu’s appearance and high ponytail 99 103.

Qi Wu entered his first instance at eighteen, just before being struck by a car. His first clearance allowed him to avoid the accident. By the opening of the main story, he had become the highest-ranked player and was entering lower-difficulty instances under an alternate identity 1 6 33.

Appearance

• Build: Tall, straight-backed, and well-built; large enough to shield Chu Qingjiu completely from nearby players 1 30 36.
• Eyes: Clear amber eyes, often described as innocent or harmless despite his concealed intentions 1 43 66.
• Smile: A small cheek dimple and pointed canine teeth give him a youthful, disarming appearance 1 83.
• Clothing: Often wears tracksuits. For his family visit, he wears a black-and-red modern Chinese-style outfit matching Chu Qingjiu’s 33 103.

Personality

Qi Wu presents himself as relaxed, sociable, and easygoing. He uses jokes and an unconcerned manner to calm frightened players, including Zhang Yaoyao after her mistake with the spirit tablets. This friendliness does not necessarily reflect deep attachment: he tells Chu Qingjiu that fitting in with others is different from considering them important 6 36.

With Chu, he is energetic, clingy, flirtatious, and attentive. He provides clothing, food, shelter, warmth, and blood to relieve Chu’s symptoms. He also studies Chu’s reactions closely, learning both that he dislikes deception and that apparent vulnerability can persuade him more effectively than force 27 28 32 52 68.

His devotion is intensely possessive. He secretly tracks Chu, restricts his opportunities to be alone with other Society members, and fuses a Soul Puppet Thread into his own body to make separation costly. His fear of abandonment can become threatening, even while his love and willingness to sacrifice himself remain genuine 23 52 59 85 97.

Abilities & Skills

Talisman Mastery

Trained under the Xie family’s patriarch, Qi Wu uses talismans for offense, defense, tracking, and practical household purposes 103.

• Flames and exorcism: Burns talisman paper to repel gu insects and restrains a Fiend Ghost with talisman fire 21 46.
• Protective barriers: Combines paper talismans, incantations, and hand seals into a shield. Talismans left around Chu also ignite when enemies approach 21 25.
• Tracking: Secretly places a talisman on Chu and uses it to locate him in Ghost City and later at his apartment 23 27.
• Vision obstruction: Produces fog to conceal Chu’s actions, though he admits he cannot reliably prevent it from blocking everyone’s sight 25.
• Calming: Uses a Calming Talisman without telling Chu, helping him fall asleep during their drive to the Society 28.
• Misdirection and privacy: Can make Qi Yue lose her way inside the house; later places talismans around the home to prevent interruption and sound from escaping 103.

Extreme Yang Body

Qi Wu possesses an exceptionally strong yang constitution. Yi Zhongzhou identifies it as a rare pure yang physique suited to either Daoist or Buddhist practice 13 20 89.

• His blood dispels invading yin energy and eases Chu Qingjiu’s pain and illness-related symptoms 13 16 32.
• He transfers yang energy to Chu through blood and intimate contact; he admits that mouth-to-mouth transfer is not required when blood alone is available 22.
• His body gradually consumes foreign yin energy, undermining attempts to conceal his yang nature 20.
• The constitution is not universally protective: it attracts the Ghost Courtesan’s hunger and exposes him to a Fiend Ghost in Ghost City 16 21.

Combat and Instance Analysis

Qi Wu combines physical combat with supernatural knowledge and observation.

• Uses a dungeon-provided sword to sever the Puppeteer’s ten Puppet Threads 3.
• Recognizes the danger of killing gu-planters before obtaining an antidote 34.
• Severs the Gu Miao chief’s hand with a blade, though her insect-filled body immediately repairs the injury 46.
• Defends against a duplicate possessing his abilities and memories; the copy’s lack of fatigue gives it an increasing advantage 65.
• Restrains a transforming corpse and repeatedly keeps the funeral procession in order despite developing corpse poisoning 96.

Empathic Puppet Bond

Chu Qingjiu turns Qi Wu into an Empathic Puppet through a wooden doll. This bond is a power exercised over Qi Wu, not an ability he independently controls 33 47 48.

• Allows Chu to share his sensations and experience his pain 47.
• Lets Chu control his movements and temporarily prevent him from perceiving the outside world 48 67.
• Enables Chu to distinguish the real Qi Wu from his duplicate 66.
• Places Qi Wu’s life and death under Chu’s authority; the finale reveals that Chu caused his death in “Corpse Driver” 52 97.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Paper talismans — His principal supernatural tools, used for barriers, fire, tracking, calming, and concealment 21 25 27 28.
• Anti-Puppeteer sword — An instance item designed to counter the Puppeteer; used to cut all ten of Chu’s Puppet Threads 3.
• Blade — Used during his attack on the Gu Miao chief 46.
• Soul Puppet Thread fused into his body — Obtained through solo instance runs. Removing it would kill him, preventing Chu from recovering his final Thread without sacrificing him 85.
• Glutinous rice and peachwood sword — Prepared with Zhang Qunsheng before entering “Corpse Driver” 87.
• Corpse-driving staff — Used to restrain and redirect the corpses during the final procession 96.

Relationships

• Chu Qingjiu / The Puppeteer — Initially the boss whose Threads he severed; later his lover and puppet master. Their relationship progresses from concealed hostility to mutual love, coercive attachment, separation, and reunion after Qi Wu’s death 3 48 50 85 97.
• Qi Yue — Younger sister, two years his junior. He cares for her in their parents’ absence; she recognizes Chu from childhood and enthusiastically supports their relationship 99 103.
• Old Master Qi — Grandfather. His funeral provides the setting for Qi Wu’s childhood encounter with Chu 99.
• Xie family patriarch — His unnamed master, who takes him as a disciple and trains him as a talisman master 103.
• Zhang Yaoyao — A teammate’s younger sister. Qi Wu joins her instance to protect her, reassures her after the tablet incident, and later confronts a pursuing ghost for her safety 6 18 27.
• The Fortune Teller — Zhang Yaoyao’s older brother. His predictions influence Qi Wu’s first pursuit of Chu, secret five-star run, and decision to accompany Chu into “Happy Community” 27 53.
• Zhang Qunsheng — Advises Qi Wu that the hundredth instance will resolve his separation from Chu and helps prepare supplies for “Corpse Driver” 87 89.
• Yi Zhongzhou — Recognizes Qi Wu’s rare constitution and approaching death tribulation. Trusts him to lead the corpse procession while retrieving a missing corpse 89 96.
• Han Mo — His assigned partner in “Corpse Driver”; both initially remain apart from the other players 89.
• The Person in Charge — Oversees the wager determining Qi Wu and Chu’s freedom. Offers Qi Wu rebirth without his memories, which he refuses 97.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Hundred Ghosts Night Parade

• Enters as “Wu Qi,” claiming to be on his fourth dungeon. Chu immediately recognizes him as the top-ranked player responsible for severing his Threads 1.
• Supports Chu physically, conceals that the fallen spirit tablet bears Chu’s name, and openly asks permission to pursue him 2 6 12.
• Supplies blood against yin-energy attacks and protects Chu with talismans in Ghost City 13 16 21 22.
• Is attacked and wounded by Chu’s controlled Red-Robed Vengeful Ghost after his secret tracking talisman worsens Chu’s suspicions 23 24.
• Helps clear the instance by gathering the remaining players and Xu Zhijie, then obscuring the final confrontation with a talisman 25.

Life at the Mutual Aid Society

• Finds Chu’s apartment through the tracking talisman, admits his real name, and offers him accommodation 27.
• Secures Chu’s place at the Society by calling him family and supplies everyday necessities 31 32.
• Wins Chu’s agreement to try a relationship, although Chu remains suspicious and secretly prepares an Empathic Puppet bearing his birth details 32 33.

Xiangxi: Heart-Losing Gu

• Reassures Chu that he is his first priority. Chu eventually accepts his sincerity despite the affection score continuing to read zero 36 38.
• Attempts to rescue Chu from the chief, but is infected, captured, and used as bait 46 47.
• Offers his own skin in exchange for Chu’s safety. Chu kills the chief and secretly establishes control over Qi Wu as his puppet 48.
• Receives Chu’s explicit confession of love after their return 50.

Happy Community

• Accompanies Chu following the Fortune Teller’s warning that staying behind would cause lifelong regret 53.
• Fights his own duplicate and experiences sudden anger and murderous impulses toward Chu. Both men subsequently suspect the instance is interfering with their emotions 65 66 67 68.
• Protects other players from the night’s attacks while remaining increasingly focused on Chu and their possible separation 71 81.
• Reveals that he knows Chu is the Puppeteer and has fused the final missing Thread into himself to prevent Chu from leaving. When Chu explains their powerlessness before the Person in Charge, Qi Wu promises to find him 85.

Corpse Driver and the Finale

• Pursues his remaining clears over six months and enters “Corpse Driver” knowing that his reunion may require his death 87 89.
• Continues protecting the procession after a corpse scratches and poisons him. The mission succeeds, but a corpse fatally attacks him during the exit countdown 96.
• Learns that Chu caused his death as part of a wager. He rejects memory-erasing rebirth and chooses to remain with Chu, allowing the Puppeteer to win freedom for them both 97.
• Reunites with Chu on the Throne. The birthday extra confirms that they can freely return to reality, where Qi Wu introduces Chu to his family and friends 97 103.

Side Stories

Story	Qi Wu’s role
Past-life extras	An orphan abandoned during war and famine, rescued by the seventeen-year-old Chu Qingjiu. Earns a place as his attendant through martial skill, becomes a younger-brother figure, and gives him a handmade plum-blossom hairpin 104 105.
Valentine’s Day extra	Transformed into a golden retriever and imprisoned by the Person in Charge in a beastfolk world. Chu finds him before nightfall, after which they return to beastfolk forms 106.
Colorblindness side story	Born seeing only black, white, and gray. Meeting puppeteer Chu brings color into his vision; they exchange a bracelet and miniature puppet and promise to meet again 107.

Notable Quotes

“Just stick with me, big brother. I’ll protect you.” 1

“Before I met you, I didn’t care. After meeting you, you became my first priority.” 36

“I’ll find you.” 85

“We’ll be together in every lifetime.” 103

Trivia

• “Wu Qi” reverses the order of his real name while concealing his ranked-player identity 1 27.
• His supposedly harmless, puppy-like manner becomes literal in the Valentine’s Day extra, where he appears as a golden retriever 28 106.
• Chu’s affection display usually reports Qi Wu’s score as zero. An early passage briefly shows it rising before Qi Wu suppresses his feelings; Chu later learns not to treat the score as proof that his love is false 8 38.
• He buys Chu a cat-ear headband during their first shopping trip. Chu later returns it as part of his twenty-first birthday gift 32 103.