Zhongli Chun

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Childhood and Rescue

Zhongli Chun was born lacking four of the Seven Po: joy, fear, love, and desire. Her father, a Qi general, treated her affectionately before dying in battle. Hua then remarried a scholar-official who hated Zhongli Chun and subjected her to prolonged abuse, including an attempted sexual assault that she resisted 22 23.

By age ten, she had spent five years living in a pigsty, eating rotten scraps and defending her food like an animal. Du Yu entered her legend as the servant A-Wu, earned her trust despite her attacks, and carried her out of the household. He helped her bathe, gave her candy and proper food, and repeatedly reminded her that she was a person rather than a “pig girl” 22 23.

After defeating a restaurant’s gang of thugs together, Du Yu gave her their knife coins and instructed her to seek Guiguzi. He and Dong Qianqiu impersonated the Queen Mother of the West to frighten Hua into arranging the journey 24 25.

Ghost Valley Mountain

Guiguzi initially refused to accept Zhongli Chun because she could not explain what she wanted to achieve. After six months of reflection, she answered that she wanted to see the man who had rescued her. Although this differed from Guiguzi’s divination that she would bring peace to Qi, Sun Bin maneuvered him into acknowledging her as his disciple 25.

Twenty years after their first meeting, Du Yu returned to find that her longing for him had shaped her cultivation. She had preserved his last piece of candy throughout their separation. To prove she was ready to leave the mountain, she defeated Sun Bin in twelve strategy games—eleven decisively and one narrowly—then overcame Su Qin and Zhang Yi’s combined strategy by placing herself at the head of an assassination unit 26 27.

Return Home and Marriage

Returning to Wuyan City with Du Yu, Zhongli Chun stopped the abused maid Xiao Xia from killing herself. She claimed the maid as her personal attendant and protected her from the household. Renamed Xia Yingchun, Xiao Xia pledged her life to Zhongli Chun 28.

After learning about marriage from Xia Yingchun, Zhongli Chun dressed as a bride and proposed to Du Yu. He explained that more than two thousand years separated them and asked her instead to marry King Xuan of Qi at forty, defend the kingdom, and fulfill her legend. She accepted because she trusted his promise that they would meet again 29 30.

To deter other suitors, she deliberately spread grotesque rumors about her appearance. At forty, she entered the Qi palace, defeated its guards, and privately revealed her true beauty to King Xuan. He agreed to make her queen and reform the kingdom 30 31.

Queen and General of Qi

As queen, Zhongli Chun removed corrupt officials, revised laws, and trained soldiers. Xia Yingchun became a royal consort and diverted King Xuan’s attention away from her, allowing Zhongli Chun to concentrate on governing 31 32.

When Qin and Zhao invaded, Zhongli Chun led Qi’s army without the support her father had provided in earlier versions of the legend. After assassinating Zhao’s deputy commander, she became surrounded and fought for three days. Du Yu reached her, but Bai Qi’s reinforcements prevented their escape; Zhongli Chun shielded Du Yu from an arrow volley and continued fighting despite severe wounds 30 32 33 34.

A ghost-powered transformation allowed Du Yu to fight in perfect synchronization with her and break through the Qin forces. They then reorganized Qi’s scattered troops, and Du Yu’s counterattack forced Bai Qi and Lian Po to withdraw. Before leaving, he renewed his promise to meet her again 35 36.

Underworld Waiting and the Ghost Record

Zhongli Chun remained in the Underworld for approximately 2,300 years rather than reincarnating. During that wait, she endured the Hell of the Mountain of Blades; Dong Qianqiu intervened with Horse-Face to obtain her release roughly a thousand years before Du Yu’s arrival 21 35.

She became notorious as the foremost of the Underworld’s ten great villains. Homeless, she slept in the streets, robbed wandering ghosts for food and money, and bathed in the River of Forgetfulness. When sadness overwhelmed her, she sought sweets; her violent outburst at Bitter Wait ended immediately when Du Yu addressed her 19 20 36.

Her obedience left her vulnerable to constables, who beat her while she followed Du Yu’s instruction not to move. Du Yu intervened, carried her away for treatment, and subsequently chose to investigate her Saltless Woman legend before other urgent Bureau assignments 18 19 20 21.

While Du Yu was endangered during his final descent, her present-day Underworld self signed the Ghost Record at its Death Gate position. She disappeared from the external world, but Du Yu found her within his inner realm, where they embraced and promised to remain together 34 35 37.

Her account of waiting reveals that she feared Du Yu had forgotten her when he initially addressed her formally. She also believed that showing her sadness had caused him to arrive three hundred years late, making her especially determined to obey his instruction to remain still while he bought mandarins 30 36.

Inner Yellow Springs and Ruonü

An Underworld side story recounts Zhongli Chun accidentally entering the Inner Yellow Springs while pursuing a wealthy-looking evil ghost to rob. There, she drove off a mob beating a girl who appeared seven or eight years old. The sight reminded her of Xiao Xia and prompted her intervention 486.

The girl, Ruonü, explained that the district housed ghosts who had crossed the Bridge of Helplessness but did not want reincarnation. After hearing about the girl’s mistreatment and hopelessness, Zhongli Chun urged her to gather the suffering women of the street into a force capable of defending itself. She refused an invitation to become their leader because she was still searching for someone, gave her name, and offered to replace Ruonü’s name because it sounded too weak 486.

Zhongli Chun also becomes an idol for Strong Woman and her female followers in the Inner Yellow Springs. Strong Woman attributes her exclusive focus on close-combat training, rather than spells, to admiration for Zhongli Chun 387.

Possession, Demonic Corruption, and Awakening

During Du Yu’s confrontation with Zhong Kui, Zhongli Chun supported him as he caught the Demon-Slaying Sword with his fists, evaded its nine-sword transformation, and delivered a punch using all her power. Zhong Kui countered with the Ghost-Slaying Pouch, draining Du Yu’s strength and threatening to pull her out. She refused to retreat into the Record because Du Yu’s unprotected mortal body and soul would not survive 63 64.

Later, she took control of Du Yu, attacked Zhan Qisheng, and stopped when Yingning begged him to spare Zhan Qisheng. The intervention prevented Yingning from sacrificing herself. Du Yu subsequently found Zhongli Chun exhausted and asleep within his inner world 79.

Her sleep continued, and Du Yu discovered that her body was icy cold. He recalled that the possession had produced swirling black energy and a strength unlike her usual abilities. Wraith explained that she had temporarily succumbed to demonic corruption and warned that repeated berserk episodes could make it irreversible; a Demon occupying one of her already abnormal po could turn her fully into a Demon. She remained unconscious during Du Yu’s later recruitment work at the Bureau 89 99 113.

After ten days, she awoke and fought Chada inside Du Yu’s inner world. Chada had put aside his Translation Talisman, leaving the two unable to understand each other. Their exchanges nearly scattered Du Yu’s soul before he stopped them. Once Chada retrieved the talisman and explained his agreement with Du Yu, Zhongli Chun apologized 147.

Du Yu then warned her against using the strength born from anger. Although she objected because she remembered his danger and Zhan Qisheng’s abandonment of Yingning, the prospect of forgetting Du Yu persuaded her to accept his warning. He formally introduced her to Chada as the most important person in his heart 147.

Later Assistance and Release

Zhongli Chun continued to protect Du Yu through the Ghost Record. When he slept at the City God Temple, she detected faint killing intent from Xiao Nian and took over his body, leaving him to wake with his hand around Xiao Nian’s throat. Du Yu released Xiao Nian and instructed Zhongli Chun to wait for more evidence before acting on future suspicions 204.

During the search for Xingtian among thousands of ghosts, she recognized a possible use for the Su Qin soul in Du Yu’s Crossing Starter Pack. She recalled her senior brother’s “Galloping Horse Reading Monuments” and “Recognizing Sheep at a Glance” skills as potentially useful for identifying the missing warrior 279.

When Du Yu proposed giving the Eight Directions Ghost Record to Lady Houtu and facing He Suoyi alone, Zhongli Chun rejected separation from him and declared that she would remain or perish with him. Weaver Girl suggested combining the strength of the seven beings in his inner world into one strike against Great Dark Heaven, but Du Yu refused to gamble their lives on the plan 334 335.

Du Yu ultimately relinquished his claim to the Record and freed its souls before throwing it to Lady Houtu and entering the merged Portals with He Suoyi. Zhongli Chun was thereby released from her place within the Record 395.

Temporal Paradox Clarification

The early explanation presents Zhongli Chun’s wait and Du Yu’s rescue as mutually determining events: her devotion draws him into her legend, and his intervention gives her reason to wait 37.

A later timeline explanation clarifies that the person she remembered before the protagonist entered her legend was the previous-generation Operator, the “Sage,” rather than the current Du Yu. Across successive generations, the Operators had become similar in their methods and the legends they experienced, allowing Du Yu to inherit and resolve circumstances left by his predecessor 456.

Appearance

• Exceptionally tall and powerfully built: At ten, she already resembled a girl of fifteen or sixteen; as an adult, she towered over Guiguzi 23 24 26.
• Youthful beauty: At thirty and forty, she still looked approximately seventeen or eighteen. Her qi cultivation preserves her appearance 26 29 31.
• Fair skin and clear eyes: Her true face is described as delicate and flawless, with eyes resembling pools of clear water 31.
• Warring States armor: Wears period armor during her first Underworld appearance 17.
• Concealed face: Uses black gauze or a cloak to maintain her public reputation for ugliness 30 31.
• Demonic possession manifestations: Her unusually powerful possession of Du Yu is associated with swirling black energy and an earth-shaking aura. During the ensuing sleep, her body within his inner world becomes icy cold like stone 89.

Personality

Zhongli Chun is blunt, frequently expressionless, and difficult for others to approach. Her missing emotional po affect how she understands and expresses feelings: even a long-awaited reunion leaves her struggling to produce a smile. Her lack of desire also makes it difficult for her to identify a purpose beyond seeing Du Yu 25 26.

Her devotion to Du Yu is exceptionally literal. She remains motionless under a beating because he told her to stay put, and accepts decades of separation and an unwanted royal marriage because she believes his promises. Nevertheless, her own safety matters far less to her than his, and threats against him can provoke overwhelming murderous intent 18 30 34.

Despite her violent reputation, she recognizes suffering like her own. She saves Xia Yingchun because the maid’s abuse reminds her of her childhood, rejects distinctions of worth between them, and calls her a sister rather than a servant. Guiguzi also regards her as truthful, and she follows his instruction not to kill unless necessary 27 28 29 30.

Her concern for abused women extends beyond Xia Yingchun. She rescues Ruonü and insists that being female does not prevent someone from leading troops or assisting kings, encouraging collective self-defense rather than resignation to bullying 486.

Her possessiveness and protective instincts can lead to premature violence, as shown by her clash with Chada and her intervention against Xiao Nian. However, she can apologize when a misunderstanding is resolved and accepts Du Yu’s request for restraint. The possibility of losing her memories of him matters more to her than the attraction of her demonic strength 147 204.

When Du Yu attempts to sacrifice himself, her commitment remains absolute: she refuses to preserve herself at the cost of abandoning him 334.

Abilities & Skills

Innate Strength and Martial Arts

Her physical strength predates her cultivation; she states that she has chopped firewood with her bare hands since childhood 26.

• Sends Du Yu flying with a punch at age ten 22.
• Shatters Dong Qianqiu’s immortal Round Shield through repeated barehanded blows 18.
• Breaks a guard’s club and throws him backward with a two-finger flick 28.
• Uses improvised staffs and spears with exceptional speed and force 31 34.
• Remains vulnerable to exhaustion, accumulated wounds, elite soldiers, and massed arrows 32 33 34.
• Deflects Chada’s rapier with her bare hands and exchanges repeated, shock-wave-producing attacks with him inside Du Yu’s inner world 147.
• Drives off a group of evil ghosts with a fierce sweep of her hand while rescuing Ruonü 486.

Qi Cultivation and Resilience

Guiguzi considers her aptitude extraordinary: she turns a heart-nourishing technique into a path of immortal cultivation without intending to do so 26.

• Can go more than thirty days without eating and withstand bitter winters and scorching summers 26.
• Preserves youthful looks and has a longer lifespan than an ordinary person 26 29.
• Possesses an unusually tenacious ghostly soul that even harsh Underworld torture cannot scatter 19.
• Cannot attain immortality because developing seven po did not restore the missing emotional types 26.
• Dong Qianqiu describes her unusual condition as wielding immortal power through a mortal body despite lacking systematic immortal training 21.
• Her abnormal emotional po leave her vulnerable to demonic corruption; repeated berserk episodes risk an irreversible transformation 99.

Military Strategy and Governance

Zhongli Chun masters Guiguzi’s military, political, and alliance teachings, combining sophisticated strategy with her own overwhelming combat ability 22 27.

• Defeats Sun Bin in all twelve of their documented strategy games 27.
• Personally leads assassination units to strike enemy commanders 27 32.
• Reorganizes scattered soldiers and restores battlefield formations 36.
• Removes corrupt officials, revises laws, and drills Qi’s troops 32.
• Acknowledges that she needs another skilled general to counter Bai Qi and Lian Po simultaneously 32.
• Retains knowledge of her fellow disciples’ specialized talents, suggesting Su Qin’s recognition skills as an aid in finding Xingtian 279.

Heightened Hearing

• Detects a disturbance inside her former home before Du Yu hears it 28.
• Can distinguish a false player among a hundred musicians and hear officials’ whispered conversations 31.

Guardian Ghost Powers

Through the Eight Directions Ghost Record, Zhongli Chun lends her strength and techniques to Du Yu 35 38.

• Ghostly Movement Technique: Allows Du Yu to flash behind an opponent almost instantly 38.
• Power borrowing: Their mutual trust allows him to draw on her strength without being possessed, although he initially cannot access all of it 38.
• Retained memories: Guides Du Yu to a hidden grotto on Cloud Dream Mountain using her recollections of the area 42.
• Full-power combat support: Enables Du Yu to catch Zhong Kui’s Demon-Slaying Sword with his fists, dodge its nine flying blades, and concentrate all her power into a punch 63.
• Direct possession: Can take control of Du Yu’s body, including while he sleeps. She uses this ability against Zhan Qisheng and to intercept Xiao Nian’s suspected threat 79 204.
• Killing-intent detection: Notices faint killing intent from Xiao Nian even while Du Yu is asleep 204.
• Recognizable Underworld reputation: Du Yu’s intervention against An Lushan while presenting himself as Zhongli Chun frightens An Lushan into fleeing 196.
• Vulnerability to ghost-targeting treasures: Zhong Kui’s Ghost-Slaying Pouch can drain the strength she supplies and threatens to extract her from Du Yu 64.
• Dependence on access to the Record: When fog cuts Du Yu off from the Eight Directions Ghost Record, his attempt to use her movement technique fails 286.
• Inner-world combat danger: Fighting another resident soul within Du Yu can damage him severely; her battle with Chada nearly causes his soul to scatter 147.

Her connection to the Record ends when Du Yu frees its resident souls. Continued power borrowing after that release is not established 395.

Demonic Strength

Zhongli Chun’s anger can awaken power far beyond her usual abilities. During her possession of Du Yu in the confrontation with Zhan Qisheng, she displays methods that Du Yu later judges capable of contending with a True Immortal. This is an unstable, dangerous state rather than a confirmed attainment of the True Immortal Realm 79 89 99.

• Produces an overwhelming aura and swirling black energy 89.
• Leaves her exhausted and unconscious for ten days 79 147.
• Risks allowing a Demon to occupy one of her po, making the corruption permanent 99.
• Is forbidden by Du Yu because full demonic transformation could make her lose herself and forget him 147.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Candy from Du Yu — Keeps the final piece for twenty years, preserving it as a reminder of him rather than eating it 26.
• White flower — Du Yu’s second gift; Guiguzi interprets the flower from another age as a sign of a benefactor and an unchanging heart 27.
• Black veil and cloak — Conceal her beauty from suitors and the Qi court 30 31.
• Bridal gown and phoenix crown — Wears deep-red brocade wedding clothes supplied through Xia Yingchun when proposing to Du Yu 29.
• Spears and improvised staff — Uses battlefield spears and a palace guard’s spear with its head snapped off 31 34 35.
• Du Yu’s jacket — Holds it for comfort while fearing that he will die during his final descent 34.

Relationships

• Du Yu — Childhood rescuer, beloved, and eventual partner within his inner realm. Her long wait prompts him to enter her legend, while his interventions renew the bond behind that wait 23 29 37. He calls her the most important person in his heart, forbids her dangerous demonic power out of concern for her identity, and ultimately frees her with the Record’s other souls 147 395. She refuses to abandon him when he proposes sacrificing himself 334.
• Guiguzi — Teacher who gives her the Tranquil Heart Formula, recognizes her cultivation talent, and approves her departure after testing her strategy 25 26 27.
• Sun Bin — Senior brother who helps secure her acceptance as a disciple; later acknowledges her superiority in military strategy 25 27.
• Pang Juan, Su Qin, and Zhang Yi — Fellow disciples and senior brothers. Su Qin and Zhang Yi jointly test her strategy before she leaves Ghost Valley Mountain 25 27. She later recalls Su Qin’s specialized recognition skills to help Du Yu search for Xingtian 279.
• Xia Yingchun / Xiao Xia — Rescued maid whom Zhongli Chun regards as her only sister. Becomes King Xuan’s consort to protect Zhongli Chun’s freedom and aims 28 30 31 32. The memory of Xiao Xia later motivates Zhongli Chun to rescue Ruonü 486.
• King Xuan of Qi — Husband and ruler whom she marries to fulfill her legend and preserve Qi; she handles government while Xia Yingchun occupies his attention 30 31 32.
• Dong Qianqiu — Acquaintance of roughly a thousand years who helps release her from Underworld punishment, later fights her, and assists Du Yu in restoring her legend 18 21 35.
• Hua — Birth mother who remarries after her husband’s death and permits Zhongli Chun’s abuse; sends her to Guiguzi only after the fabricated divine warning 22 24 25.
• Her father — Deceased Qi general remembered for his warmth, gifts of persimmons, and interest in teaching her riding and weapons 22 23.
• Her stepfather — Abusive scholar-official who later attempts to exploit her beauty and connection to Guiguzi through marriage arrangements 22 30.
• Chada Schwann — Fellow resident of Du Yu’s inner world. They initially fight because they cannot understand each other without his Translation Talisman, but reconcile after Du Yu explains that Chada is a trusted friend. Chada offers friendship, and she corrects his mistaken use of “Zhong” rather than her compound surname 147.
• Yingning — Her plea persuades Zhongli Chun, while possessing Du Yu, to spare Zhan Qisheng. The intervention also helps prevent Yingning from taking her own life 79.
• Zhan Qisheng — Target of her anger-driven possession attack; his abandonment of Yingning is among the circumstances she cites when questioning Du Yu’s prohibition on demonic strength. He later joins her in rejecting Du Yu’s proposed solitary sacrifice 79 147 334.
• Ruonü — Abused young ghost whom she rescues in the Inner Yellow Springs. She encourages the girl to organize suffering women into a protective force, declines to become their boss, and offers to give her a stronger name 486.
• Strong Woman — Inner Yellow Springs gang leader who idolizes Zhongli Chun and trains exclusively in close combat in imitation of her 387.
• Previous-generation Operator / Sage — The later timeline explanation identifies him as the person in Zhongli Chun’s memories before the current Du Yu entered her legend. The resemblance between successive Operators accounts for her initial recognition of Du Yu 456.

Notable Quotes

“I have never regretted it.” 30

“I won't fall before you leave this place alive.” 34

“Why would you be? I'm in your heart now. We'll always be together. In over two thousand years, this is the closest I've ever been to you.” 37

“Du Yu, if you remain, I remain. If you scatter, I scatter.” 334

“Women can go to war. Women can assist kings. If you have the will, gather all the suffering women on this street and build a force of your own. Then no one will be able to bully you.” 486

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