Mr. He

Biodata

Appearance

• Facial features: Long, narrow eyes, also described as alluring “phoenix eyes” 38 39.
• Hands: Slender fingers 38.
• Everyday clothing: Wears a suit and carries important documents in its breast pocket 39.
• Female opera role: Applies eyebrow makeup and lip rouge while dressed as a qingyi, a dignified female role in Peking opera 27.
• Combat costume: Appears as Zhao Zilong in a white opera costume, with four small flags mounted on his back and an opera spear in hand 41.
• Injuries after defeat: Both knees are split open, his left flank is torn apart, and his left forearm is severed by the Hunter’s remote attack 44.

Personality

Mr. He regards himself as an artist and insists on being addressed accordingly. He frequently sings his thoughts in an operatic voice, uses theatrical gestures in ordinary conversation, and admires himself in a small bronze mirror. His attachment to performance persists during planning, mourning, and combat 27 28 37 38.

He is calculating and ruthless in pursuit of the Bell Society’s goals. He tells Xing Tao that obtaining Qingliang Prefecture’s rare inheritance matters more than either participant’s life, arranges attacks on an information seller, and orders the killing of ordinary witnesses. When targeting Ren Qingning, he also instructs his subordinates not to leave her three companions alive 27 28 30.

His treatment of selected companions contrasts with this brutality. He genuinely mourns Old Yin despite their brief acquaintance, burning paper offerings in his memory. During his escape from the Hunter, he takes the wounded Dwarf with him rather than abandoning him; Dwarf subsequently risks his own resources to seek treatment for Mr. He 38 44.

Abilities & Skills

Theater Stage

Mr. He expands a miniature Theater Stage Model into a supernatural opera stage that envelops almost the entire fifth floor of an apartment building 41.

• Transports nearby combatants onto a stage furnished with curtains, lights, flowers, and self-playing opera instruments 41.
• Prevents opponents from leaving under normal conditions; Xu Peng’s testing suggests they must wait until the opera finishes 42.
• Enhances Mr. He’s speed, attacks, and execution of supernatural abilities while he performs 42.
• Allows him to withstand concentrated attacks from Huang Wei and several first-stage players without serious injury 42.
• Is not indestructible: Huang Wei’s Blood Sacrifice—Annihilation severely damages it, disrupting Mr. He’s concentration and causing fatigue 43.

Fearless Courage

Fearless Courage heightens Mr. He’s focus and removes fear while he performs 43.

• Prevents illusion-based attacks from distracting him 43.
• Makes Ren Ye’s Spring Breeze Wish-Fulfilling Painting largely ineffective against him 43.

Seven In, Seven Out

Seven In, Seven Out provides immunity to control effects 43.

• Most first-tier restraint abilities have no effect on him 43.
• He breaks Gu Nian’s Binding Cage twice with flicks of his spear, without being slowed 43.
• This protection does not prevent the Hunter from marking his body and detonating those marks after his escape 44.

Curtain Call—Enter the Role

Mr. He uses a supernatural Performers’ Entrance, also described as an Actor’s Passage, to leave his stage and travel to a prepared theater 43 44.

• Must first remove the “Enter the Role” door from his stage model and affix it at the destination 44.
• The destination must be a theater with a regular audience, and the distance cannot be too great 44.
• Can take another person with him; he brings Dwarf to the Minhuang Grand Theater 44.
• Closing the performance returns the remaining participants to the apartment corridor 44.

Supernatural Perception

Mr. He surveys a battle from concealment before committing himself 41.

• Distinguishes nearby players’ stages and detects spellcasting and soul presences 41.
• Notices Little War Wolf’s soul approaching and then abruptly fleeing the apartment 41.
• Detects Ren Ye and redirects the operation from abducting Ren Daguo to capturing his son 41.

Spear Combat

His Theater Fiend abilities support an agile, spear-based fighting style performed through the role of Zhao Zilong 41 43.

• Evades Huang Wei’s heavy sword and wounds his lower back with a spear strike 43.
• Locks Ren Ye in place with his threatening aura before attempting a fatal thrust at his throat 43.
• Exchanges rapid attacks with the Hunter’s imitation of him, though he ultimately admits that he cannot defeat her 43 44.

Equipment / Items

• Theater Stage Model — Miniature stage used to establish his supernatural battlefield; also contains the removable door needed for his escape ability 41 44.
• Opera spear — Weapon used while portraying Zhao Zilong 41 43.
• Small bronze mirror — Used to admire his appearance during the meeting with Little War Wolf 28.
• Opera makeup and costumes — Includes an eyebrow pencil, lip rouge, a qingyi costume, and his white martial-role costume 27 41.
• Princess’s tomb dossier — Information purchased from Little War Wolf for ten white crystals. He sends copies to Guo Caier and Xing Tao but retains the envelope for the Bell Society’s higher-level organization. It falls from his costume during battle, after which its recorded contents mysteriously change 28 39 42.

Relationships

• Guo Caier — Bell Society subordinate and Qingliang Prefecture participant. Mr. He intends to capture Prince Huai for her to kill, allowing the Society to secure his entry token 27.
• Xing Tao — Copper Bell member whom Mr. He directs to prioritize clearing Qingliang Prefecture and obtaining its rare inheritance 27.
• Ren Ye / Prince Huai — Principal target. Mr. He seeks his role and token but does not know that Ren Ye is the Heavenly Pardon-Blessed One 27 41 44.
• Ren Qingning — Abduction target selected because Mr. He considers her easier to reach than her brother or missing father 30.
• Ren Daguo — Target of the apartment raid; Mr. He orders his extraction even after shifting his primary attention to Ren Ye 40 41.
• Old Yin / Yin Hai — Information broker and brief paid sexual partner. Their dealings develop some affection, and Mr. He mourns him after his death 29 30 38.
• Limp — Shanghai ally who provides concealment and investigative support through his network 30 35 39.
• Dwarf — Combat subordinate whom Mr. He saves during his retreat. Dwarf reciprocates by carrying him away and offering forty-five pieces of Star Source and more than a dozen items to obtain medical help 42 44.
• Little War Wolf — Information seller whom Mr. He’s team ambushes after their transaction. The destroyed body is only a corpse vessel, allowing Little War Wolf’s ghost to escape 28.
• The Hunter — Fraud Merchants’ Association adversary who hunts his group, interrupts his attempted killing of Ren Ye, and leaves him critically wounded 35 43 44.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Pursuit of Prince Huai

After learning of Wang Hong’s death, Mr. He receives Guo Caier and Xing Tao at the theater. He concludes that Prince Huai’s privileged access to information threatens their control of Qingliang Prefecture. His plan is to capture Prince Huai alive and let Guo Caier kill him, avoiding uncertainty over whether an outsider could obtain the entry token 26 27.

He takes eight Copper Bells to Shanghai and buys information about the Former Dynasty Princess’s Tomb from Little War Wolf. His attendants then attack the seller, discovering that his body is already a corpse. Mr. He orders the disposal of witnesses, leading the New Year’s Watchers to investigate the murdered couple 27 28 29.

Attacks on Ren Ye’s Family

Old Yin’s investigation connects Huang Wei’s prison extraction to Ren Ye and supplies information about his family. Mr. He chooses Ren Qingning as the easiest target and dispatches Fat Dragon and Skinny Monkey to abduct her. The attempt fails after New Year’s Watcher intervention; a mysterious shadow subsequently kills both attackers 29 30 31.

With Limp’s support, Mr. He hides and continues searching for Ren Daguo through the writer Li Feng. He suspects the Hunter’s hostility may stem from his pursuit of Ren Ye, but cannot fully explain why she also targets Limp 35 37 38 39.

Apartment Raid and Opera Battle

Following Li Feng leads the Bell Society to Ren Daguo in apartment 501. Mr. He remains concealed while his subordinates begin the raid, then deploys his supernatural stage when reinforcements approach. Performing as Zhao Zilong, he withstands the Watchers’ combined attacks and nearly kills Ren Ye 40 41 42 43.

The Hunter intervenes with a shadow that duplicates his appearance and attacks, then transforms it into Sun Wukong and produces numerous copies. Mr. He abandons the performance and escapes with Dwarf through his prepared door 43 44.

Critical Injury and Aftermath

At the Minhuang Grand Theater, the Hunter remotely detonates five marks left in Mr. He’s body. Near death, he urges Dwarf to continue investigating two missing Qingliang Prefecture players because of their importance to the Bell Society. Dwarf carries him away and contacts someone for emergency treatment 44.

Later, Zhou offers to have Mr. He returned to Shanghai for trial in exchange for sparing Limp. Yan Duoduo rejects the proposed protection of Limp and proceeds with the arrest operation; the provided account does not confirm Mr. He’s return or trial 47.

Notable Quotes

“Your and Caier’s top priority is to clear Qingliang Prefecture successfully and obtain its exceptionally rare inheritance. That matters more than your lives.” 27

“Ordinary people aren’t worthy of witnessing the uncanny...” 28

“We hadn’t known each other long, but we were still... friends. You liked money, so I’ll send you some extra.” 38

“I’m done with this fucking opera!” 43