Yaoqin

Biodata

Background / History

Yaoqin performs at the Bamboo Jade Court, where access depends on literary accomplishment rather than money alone. Its courtesans sell their art, not their bodies. Chu Xingchen initially heard her play without seeing her; he spent half a month matching couplets before he could glimpse her silhouette through a gauze window. His poetry led her to regard him as a talented, ambitious man, though their conversation soon revealed his roguish temperament 27 35.

She was already a Golden Core cultivator during their early acquaintance, when Chu Xingchen was still at Foundation Establishment Peak. She repeatedly served him her sect’s Clear Tea, whose beneficial effects he failed to recognize. By his return roughly a year later, she knew him well enough to question his sudden rise in cultivation 27 28 35.

Yaoqin’s stay in Yuzhou City is part of a sect trial overseen by an elder. She can consult her sect’s books, but its name is not disclosed in the provided chapters. Zhao Wanqing knows which sect supports her and trusts her position accordingly 32 36.

Appearance

• Beauty and bearing: Described as exceptionally beautiful, with an elegant but icy presence 33 46.
• Hair: Smooth black hair, worn with a white jade hairpin at the temple fair 46.
• Clothing: Wears a veil during her private meeting with Chu Xingchen and a white lotus-patterned dress at the fair 27 46.
• Hands: Slender and fair 32.
• Accessories: Carries a round white fan painted with fireflies, with a white jade handle 46.
• Expressions: Her cold demeanor can give way to unexpectedly endearing habits; while enjoying Chu Xingchen’s cooking, she chews slowly with puffed cheeks 35.

Personality

Yaoqin is reserved, sharp-tongued, and accustomed to keeping others at a distance. She dismisses unwanted interruptions and expects her maid to obey without repeated explanation. Her exchanges with Chu Xingchen are especially barbed: she calls him a scourge and responds to an apparent romantic overture by accusing him of toying with her 27 32.

Her aloofness conceals considerable dedication. She repeatedly attempts to purify Chu Xingchen’s Blood Qi Spirit Stone, neglecting rest despite failed experiments and damaged equipment. Although she complains that others always bring their problems to her, she agrees to examine Zhao Wanqing’s evidence once she recognizes its blood qi 32.

Chu Xingchen’s principles matter deeply to her. She fears that his rapid advancement means he has adopted evil cultivation and feels relieved after confirming otherwise. She admires that he has preserved his character despite the hardships of being a rogue cultivator 34 35.

Her fondness does not amount to a confirmed romantic relationship. Xiao Ling worries that Chu Xingchen can manipulate her, while Li Yingling interprets her behavior as romantic interest. Yaoqin herself denies coming to the temple fair specifically to find him 27 35 46 47.

Abilities & Skills

Golden Core Cultivation

Yaoqin possesses Golden Core cultivation, a realm sufficient to qualify someone for an elder’s position in the surrounding region 28.

• No longer needs ordinary food 35.
• Moves before Chu Xingchen in a flash when confronting him 34.
• Uses her Golden Core abilities to clear a path through the crowded temple fair 48.

Zither and Sonic Attacks

Yaoqin is a zither performer who can unleash a piercing sonic wave while at her instrument 27.

• Uses the wave against Chu Xingchen after his verse angers her, leaving him rubbing his ears 27.
• No named sonic technique or full combat limit is established in the provided chapters.

Divine Sense and Spiritual Examination

She uses divine sense to inspect both objects and cultivators 27 34.

• Detects vicious baleful intent and blood qi inside a Blood Qi Spirit Stone 27.
• Identifies the essential similarity between the stone’s blood qi and the aggressive blood qi sealed in Zhao Wanqing’s talisman 32 33.
• Examines Chu Xingchen’s spiritual energy and confirms that it contains none of the suspect blood qi 34.
• Cannot penetrate his body-protecting divine sense or Golden Core defenses until he permits the examination 27 34.

Concealment and Illusion

At the temple fair, passing crowds fail to notice Yaoqin despite her conspicuous beauty. Yuankong later reveals that he can see through her illusion 46 49.

• Allows her to move among ordinary visitors without attracting their attention 46 47.
• Does not conceal her from Yuankong 49.

Formation Research

Yaoqin combines reference books with a formation apparatus to investigate blood-qi corrosion 32.

• Attempts to reverse the process that transformed an ordinary spirit stone into a Blood Qi Spirit Stone 32.
• Repeated failures shatter the apparatus; although she makes some headway, she has not solved the purification problem when Chu Xingchen asks for results 32 34.

Knowledge of Wish Power

Yaoqin understands the Waterwood Dharma Assembly’s role in gathering wish power and the obligations associated with using it 47.

• Explains that users become dependent on wish power and must fulfill their believers’ wishes 47.
• Suspects the assembly is testing newly discovered applications rather than merely collecting it 48.
• Knows that a recognized Buddhist Child can undertake a Zen Pilgrimage through Central Province’s Buddhist temples, making dependence on wish power a threat to Yuankong’s future 50.

Equipment / Items

• Zither — Her performance instrument, present during her sonic attack on Chu Xingchen 26 27.
• White jade-handled fan — Decorated with fireflies; she also uses it to strike Chu Xingchen during their banter 46 47.
• Formation apparatus and sect books — Research tools used in her attempted purification of the Blood Qi Spirit Stone 32.
• Clear Tea — Sect-supplied tea with beneficial effects that Chu Xingchen repeatedly fails to recognize 27 35.
• Rabbit mask — Worn during the group’s temple-fair outing 48.

Relationships

• Chu Xingchen — Longstanding acquaintance who repeatedly seeks her help. She admires his literary talent and integrity, enjoys his cooking, and worries that his need for spirit stones will draw him into danger 27 35 45.
• Xiao Ling / A Ling — Her maid and protective attendant. Xiao Ling urges her to rest and distrusts Chu Xingchen’s influence over her mistress 27 32 35.
• Zhao Wanqing — An acquaintance through a few meetings and shared cups of tea. Yaoqin helps her obtain assistance but explicitly requires a favor in return 36.
• Li Yingling — Chu Xingchen’s eldest disciple, who calls her “Big Sister Yaoqin,” takes her arm, and encourages her to challenge Chu Xingchen’s confidence 47 50.
• Li Xingtian — Chu Xingchen’s second disciple; accompanies her during the shared meal and temple-fair visit 35 48.
• Yuankong — Chanwood Temple’s Buddhist Child. He recognizes her illusion, receives her group as honored guests, and becomes the subject of her wager with Chu Xingchen 49 50.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Blood Qi Spirit Stone Investigation

• Initial commission: Chu Xingchen asks her to find a way to purify a Blood Qi Spirit Stone obtained at the Clearwind Sect’s mine. She agrees to investigate without guaranteeing success and keeps his address so she can send a reply 27.
• Linked evidence: Zhao Wanqing brings blood qi collected from her injured younger brother. Yaoqin recognizes its similarity to the stone and begins suspecting that Chu Xingchen is concealing something 32 33.
• Confrontation: She visits his residence and demands to inspect him. After finding no blood qi in his body, she learns that he rescued the injured Demon-Suppression Bureau man from the Yuzhou River 34.
• Recruiting assistance: Following Zhao Wanqing’s own encounter with evil cultivators, Yaoqin supplies a letter and Chu Xingchen’s address. Her recommendation leads him to accept the investigation and send Li Xingtian with Zhao Wanqing 36 37.
• Withdrawal warning: After another Blood Qi Spirit Stone is recovered, Yaoqin says the matter has been reported to Central Province and specialists should arrive in about half a month. She tells both investigators to stop and promises to cover Zhao Wanqing’s spirit-stone debt to Chu Xingchen 45.

Temple Fair and Waterwood Dharma Assembly

• Reunion at the fair: Yaoqin finds Chu Xingchen surrounded by women, drives them away, and questions his claim that he was visiting with his disciples 46 47.
• Assembly visit: She explains wish power and helps the group enter Chanwood Temple, where they witness the abbot’s humiliating paid plaque display 47 48 49.
• Meeting Yuankong: She recognizes the novice’s reputation as a Buddhist Child and asks why he has not begun practicing the temple’s Dharma Method 50.
• Wager: She disputes Chu Xingchen’s prediction that the assembly’s wish power is intended for Yuankong. They agree that if Chu Xingchen loses, her promised payment is waived; if she loses, she pays double. The wager’s outcome is not shown in the provided context 50.

Notable Quotes

“When have you ever come to see me without asking for help?” 27

“I simply happened not to dislike rogues quite that much.” 35

“Whether he agrees or not, you owe me a favor.” 36