He An

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

As an infant, He An was rescued from the river alongside He Kui by Miao Liu-shi. He Kui had been struggling to stay afloat while holding the baby above the water. After recovering, he identified He An as his nephew and said they had encountered mountain robbers. He settled in Watermill Head Village and raised the child through horse care, horseshoeing, and odd jobs; Miao Liu-shi regularly helped with food and clothing 6.

He An grew up in poverty without ever seeing his parents. He Kui taught him classical learning, qi cultivation, and martial arts, while the village private school brought him together with his closest friend, Fan Dazhi. He also grew up alongside Miao Feifei, his childhood sweetheart 1 2 15 30.

After witnessing a killing in the woods, He An questioned He Kui about his crippled leg and his missing parents. He Kui refused to explain, warning that He An’s origins were complicated and that learning too much at his current strength would endanger him. He promised to reveal everything once He An reached the dao integration realm, then gave him a protective jade pendant before leaving to investigate the past 3.

Fang Yizhi recommended He An for admission to the institute in Luoyang and escorted him there with Fan Dazhi. During the journey, Fang taught them about the landscapes, historical figures, and customs they encountered 3 6 13.

Appearance

He An is repeatedly described as handsome and refined, with a tall, poised bearing 1 30 45.

• Facial features: Delicate features and swordlike brows 1 18 30.
• Eyes: Described as star-bright; Han Chanjuan also notices their resolute expression 30.
• Hair: Wears a topknot 21.

Personality

He An is courteous, diligent, and thoughtful. He answers his village teacher calmly, maintains regular reading and calligraphy practice, and continues cultivating outside lessons. Lu Zhengqing praises his eagerness to learn, humility, quick wit, and good manners 1 15 33 48.

His affection is often expressed through practical care: he saves food for He Kui, brings roasted fish to Miao Feifei, and stands up for Fan Dazhi when other children bully him. Despite his difficult upbringing, he recounts his poverty without resentment or indignation 1 2 30.

He follows He Kui’s teaching that martial strength must not be used to bully the weak. He initially ignores Cui Mengshu’s insults, but responds decisively when Cui attempts to kill him. His stated reason for becoming stronger is to resist oppression and protect the people he cares about 18 19 40.

He is resistant to public pressure rather than eager to defend his reputation at any cost. He repeatedly refuses Sun Biao’s challenge while preparing, despite classmates calling him a coward. He also recognizes his limitations, admitting uncertainty about winning and acknowledging that superior practical experience can overcome his technical skill 35 36.

Abilities & Skills

He Kui’s Cultivation Method

An unnamed inner cultivation method taught to He An from childhood. Chen Sangyu finds that it resembles institute techniques while incorporating strengths from numerous sects, distilling complex principles into an unusually refined system 15 34.

• Absorbs Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy into his body and dantian 32 33 34.
• Supports bursts of speed, injury recovery, and resistance to extreme cold 16 17 23.
• Gives him a strong dan foundation and a faster primordial-energy absorption rate than Fan Dazhi 34.
• Following his Spirit Refinement breakthrough, his true qi responds readily to his will instead of surging uncontrollably 42.

Cloud-Riding Hand

A hand-to-hand technique combining the strengths of many schools, with both offensive and defensive applications 47.

• Improves bodily coordination and enables movements ordinary people could not perform 47.
• Includes close-range counters, knife-hand attacks, and lethal combinations 13 19 41.
• Becomes more deeply understood as his Spirit Refinement cultivation stabilizes 47.
• Cannot overcome Huang Daogong’s overwhelming cultivation advantage during their early encounters 19 38 39.

Startling Swan Sword Art

A sword art selected from the Library Tower’s inner repository, also rendered as the Startled Swan Sword Art 34 36.

• Produces flashing sword light and sounds of wind and thunder when powered by true qi 36.
• Breaks an ordinary practice sword during an early powered trial, prompting He An to rehearse subsequent movements without mobilizing true qi 36.
• Intensive training makes him proficient, but he still lacks the practical experience of his swordsmanship teacher 36.

Spirit-Shocking Finger

A rare combat art preserved in an incomplete manual. The Library Tower teacher warns that no one has successfully cultivated it in several hundred years 34.

• First form — Spirit-Shocking: Releases a fierce projection of force after true qi is directed through the Pool at the Bend Acupoint. He first succeeds while handling the excessive energy of a healing pill 39.
• Demonstrated power: Snaps a forearm-thick birch before continuing into another tree; later breaks ink bamboo that withstands his full-strength knife-hand strike 41 49.
• Energy requirement: Earlier attempts fail because his available true qi cannot pass the Pool at the Bend Acupoint; the first form requires unusually abundant reserves 39.
• Second form — Immortal-Slaying Finger: Remains unusable even after his realm breakthrough because his true qi stalls at the Heavenly Well Acupoint 41 47.

Scholarship and Calligraphy

He Kui’s broad instruction gives He An substantial insight into classical texts rather than merely rote knowledge 15.

• Answers entrance-examination questions on classics, histories, philosophical writings, and literary collections with confidence 15.
• Receives an A-plus in Qiu Qingxi’s practical entrance assessment 17.
• Impresses Ding Feiyong with calligraphy that blends the strengths of masters from successive dynasties while retaining a distinctive style 30 31.
• Is not equally accomplished in mathematics: he cannot solve the problem Han Chanjuan asks him about in class 45.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• He Kui’s jade pendant — Contains thirty percent of He Kui’s power. He Kui says it can kill an expert at the peak of dao integration in an emergency, but only once 3.
• Practice swords — Uses weapons from the training hall’s rack while learning Startling Swan Sword Art; one breaks under his true qi 36.
• Incomplete Spirit-Shocking Finger manual — Contains the Spirit-Shocking and Immortal-Slaying forms. Its writing and illustrations are gradually fading, and Fan Dazhi discovers a divine-sense imprint within it 34 47.
• Golden Summit Spirit-Storehouse Pill — Given to him by Han Chanjuan after Huang Daogong’s ambush. It rapidly heals his wounds but initially threatens to destroy his meridians through excessive energy 39 40.
• Calligraphy model books — Borrows the Great Liang Regular and Clerical Script Collection from Ding Wenruo, then receives the Dragon Gate Model Calligraphy on her father’s recommendation 45.
• Ink-bamboo writing brush — Obtains rare ink bamboo following Lu Zhengqing’s directions. Fan Dazhi fashions a cat-whisker brush tip and attaches it to the jet-black bamboo shaft 49 50.

Relationships

• He Kui / Bai Xiang Shou — Uncle, guardian, and first teacher. Conceals He An’s origins until he becomes strong enough to hear them. He Kui is later revealed to be Li Xingzhi’s second disciple, Bai Xiang Shou 3 27.
• Fan Dazhi — Closest childhood friend, fellow student, and roommate. Their years of shared training make them familiar with each other’s movements. Fan saves He An from a fatal Spirit Sword strike and deliberately joins him in confinement 1 15 18 23.
• Miao Feifei — Childhood sweetheart. Gives him a new robe before he leaves for Luoyang. After his departure, she is abducted, and her captors order her memories erased and her transfer to the Assassin Camp 2 6.
• Miao Liu-shi — Rescuer and longtime caretaker who supplies food and clothing during his childhood. Killed after refusing to disclose He Kui’s whereabouts 6.
• Fang Yizhi — Teacher and sponsor for institute admission. Protects him during the investigation into Tan Song’s murder and guides him to Luoyang 3 4 6 13.
• Han Chanjuan — Initially an opponent over a butterfly hairpin; later apologizes and becomes a close companion. They protect one another during the ambush, and she supplies the pill that enables his first Spirit-Shocking Finger success 13 16 30 37 39.
• Ding Wenruo — Fellow student who introduces him to her father, offers help against Sun Biao, and lends him calligraphy books. Her opinion develops into admiration 30 35 45.
• Ding Feiyong — Senior scholar who tests his learning and calligraphy, then praises his character, ambition, and artistic promise 30 31.
• Cheng Zi Ya — Academy head who supports his training, arranges private quarters for him and Fan Dazhi, and rescues him from Huang Daogong 35 36 39.
• Gu Qingzhou — Fellow student who drives away Cui Mengshu, encourages He An to duel Sun Biao, and supports him at the arena 33 35 40 42.
• Bi Yunfei — Fellow student who promises solidarity, though He An remains wary of him. He later resents the cultivation talent He An and Fan Dazhi possess 33 34.
• Cui Mengshu — Antagonist whose attack initiates a continuing feud. He An badly injures him after Cui uses a Spirit Sword with lethal intent 18 19 21.
• Huang Daogong — Powerful enemy who abducts He An and Fan Dazhi, then later attempts to kill He An in revenge for Wei Zhilin’s punishment 19 21 38.
• Sun Biao — Challenger acting on Cui Mengshu’s behalf. He An ultimately defeats him after breaking through during their duel 35 42.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Notable Quotes

“Teacher, my aspiration is... to become someone like National Preceptor Li!” 5

“I believe calligraphy expresses only one's state of mind at a particular moment. Character... I truly cannot see that in it.” 30

“Only by making yourself strong can you keep others from bullying you and protect... the people you want to protect!” 40