Cheng Cheng

Biodata

Background / History

Cheng Cheng began learning spells from Grandma while attending a village primary school. At ten years old, he found a muddy, underfed tabby kitten in her courtyard and carefully cleaned it with warm water. Grandma explained that the kitten was a spirit cat capable of cultivation. Cheng Cheng named him Lu Mi, reversing the sounds of mi lu, meaning “lost,” in the hope that he would never forget his way home or the people important to him 84.

Born with an unusual constitution, Cheng Cheng gained a close companion in Lu Mi; his schoolwork often carried the cat’s paw prints. They learned alongside one another: Cheng Cheng practiced drawing talismans while Lu Mi learned to control flames. Cheng Cheng and Grandma also taught Lu Mi to read 65 84 85.

Five years after their first meeting, Cheng Cheng argued with his parents over whether to begin working or attend high school. Lu Mi, newly able to take human form, interrupted an encounter with two thugs and urged him to continue his education. The two later made a promise in Grandma’s courtyard: if Cheng Cheng entered his dream university three years later, Lu Mi would buy him three roast ducks. Cheng Cheng eventually confirmed that he had been accepted, and Lu Mi fulfilled the promise during their reunion in the game 84 85.

Appearance

Cheng Cheng is a young man with yellow-dyed highlights near his ears and a brightly colored belt distinctive enough for Lu Mi to identify him immediately 44 77.

• Hair: Yellow or golden streaks beside his ears 44 106.
• Clothing: A conspicuous belt, described as bright orange during Bo’ai Academy 58 77.
• Expression: A sunny, boyish smile that can conceal an icy, threatening gaze 165.

Personality

Cheng Cheng is theatrical, talkative, and deliberately provocative. He convincingly poses as a frightened newcomer despite being an expert, invents an elaborate family history, and habitually greets Lu Mi with exaggerated romantic declarations. His mock breakup with Lu Mi is convincing enough to attract a crowd and spread accusations that Lu Mi betrayed him 47 48 64.

His confidence frequently borders on recklessness. He flirts with a hostile ghost instead of answering its question, cheerfully counts the thirty-five talismans he has burned to survive his antics, and treats severe damage to his hand with remarkably little alarm. Nevertheless, he becomes serious when he learns that Shen Yiwen and Zhong Zixian have been turned into sculptures 51 77.

His helpfulness is selective rather than unconditional. He rescues endangered players at Bo’ai Academy and accepts a dangerous bargain that gives the group access to a Mental Value recovery method. Later, however, he bluntly rejects the assumption that being the strongest player obliges him to protect everyone. He takes additional precautions specifically when Lu Mi’s safety is challenged 55 56 109 112.

His cheerful manner can obscure harsher intentions. Youyou suspects that he is holding something back beneath his apparent high spirits. In his latest documented appearance, he coaxes information from a captive ghost with a promise of release, then impales it after Lu Mi leaves, still wearing his deceptive smile 109 165.

Abilities & Skills

Taoist Talismans

Cheng Cheng draws and controls Yellow Talismans capable of restraining supernatural entities 48 50.

• Immobilizes the ghostly boy at Bo’ai Academy and removes the controlling talisman when Lu Mi wants to question him 50.
• Stops Little Ma, an enormous stuffed doll, with a talisman attached to the back of its head 81.
• Unleashes his Yellow Talismans alongside numerous immortal swords to surround Zheng Sinian and give Lu Mi an opening to escape 80.
• His talismans are not universally effective: one placed on Zheng Sinian fails to prevent the boss from pursuing him 77.
• A removed talisman burns to ash when it falls into Lu Mi’s flames 50.

Swordsmanship and Sword Flight

Cheng Cheng uses swords both for combat and airborne travel 52 56.

• Rides a longsword to reach the dormitory before midnight 52.
• Fights the Knife Stabbers and rescues trapped players, though their health bars cannot be completely depleted 55 56.
• Burns a dark mark into Zeng Deming’s neck with a peachwood sword 118.
• Summons his sword while falling after returning from Jian Di’s past 141.
• Uses a peachwood sword to impale the captive ghost after questioning it 165.

Time Reversal Spell

Cheng Cheng uses a Time Reversal Spell to uncover evidence that is no longer visible 59.

• Reveals cruel insults carved into Xie Ping’an’s desk during the search of Dormitory 404 59.

False Death Technique

The False Death Technique makes Cheng Cheng appear convincingly dead 77.

• Allows him to conceal himself in Yu Qingchen’s grave after discovering that the roaming corpses fear it 77.
• Produces a deathly pale appearance that convinces Lu Mi he has lost another friend 77.

Yang Energy and Mental Value

Zeng Deming identifies Cheng Cheng as a Taoist priest with a strong aura of yang energy, stating that ordinary evil spirits would not dare approach him 108.

• Participates in transferring Mental Value to Kang Caijun and Jin Bi 116.
• Inspects the neighbors’ values with Jin Bi and reports that none exceeds 120 at that point 112.
• This protection is not absolute: Zeng Deming can still trap him in a coffin and displace his soul into a past experience 118.

Ghost Containment

Cheng Cheng possesses a bottle-shaped magical artifact capable of holding a ghost 164.

• Forcibly captures a ghost from the Human-Ghost Showdown and keeps it confined inside the artifact 164.
• Attempts to use the captive in the ritual involving the Formation Diagram and thirty keys 164.
• Extracts information about Roman through intimidation followed by a false assurance of release 165.

Investigation and Deception

Cheng Cheng combines knowledge of instance mechanics with misdirection and information gathering 47 50 58.

• Explains that instance NPCs cannot be killed without advancing the plot and meeting the required conditions 50.
• Distracts the Bo’ai Academy gatekeeper to protect his companions’ investigation and overhears the gatekeeper’s conversation with Teacher Zhao 58.
• Helps interpret the coffin experiences and reconstruct Zeng Deming’s involvement in the Red-Haired Girl’s death 115 116.
• Brings Zhong Zixian to Zeng Deming’s cabin in Lu Mi’s place and brazenly deflects objections by claiming the two are identical twins 117.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Yellow Talismans — Drawn Taoist implements used to restrain ghosts and other supernatural enemies 50 81.
• Longsword — Used in combat and as a flying platform 52 55 56.
• Peachwood Sword — Damages Zeng Deming and pierces the captive ghost 118 165.
• Bottle-shaped magical artifact — Contains the ghost captured during the Human-Ghost Showdown 164.
• Wristband — Provides access to game functions and purchases 58.
• Panel Mall healing medicine — Purchased to restore his severely injured left hand; the damaged flesh regrows rapidly 51 52.

Relationships

• Lu Mi — Childhood companion whom Cheng Cheng named and helped teach to read. Their friendship predates Lu Mi’s human transformation by five years. Cheng Cheng’s claims about romantic vows initially mislead the amnesiac Lu Mi, but the supposed vows concern roast ducks, not a romantic relationship; Lu Mi explicitly states that they are not romantically involved 65 84 85 104.
• Grandma — Cheng Cheng’s Taoist master, an elderly teacher who also found and raised Lu Mi 65 84.
• Shen Yiwen — Close friend and regular teammate. Cheng Cheng delivers her contact number to Lu Mi, and later expresses enthusiastic admiration for her research into the game’s origins 44 138.
• Zhong Zixian — Teammate whom Cheng Cheng teases but trusts. He carries Zhong Zixian’s sculpture out of the cemetery, jokes about kissing him awake, and later brings him along for the confrontation with Zeng Deming 77 117.
• Roman — Fellow companion whose jealousy Cheng Cheng repeatedly provokes through affectionate behavior toward Lu Mi. Despite their friction, Cheng Cheng calls on Roman when Lu Mi faces danger and questions the ghost that has encouraged Roman to offer himself as a sacrifice 44 81 124 165.
• Jin Bi — Companion stone house partner whom Cheng Cheng treats as a reluctant assistant, forcing her to accompany his inspection of the neighbors 106 112.
• Zeng Deming — Antagonist who seeks Cheng Cheng’s Taoist abilities to banish the Red-Haired Girl. Cheng Cheng exposes his motive, attacks him, and later restrains him when he tries to flee 118 121.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Introduction and Bo’ai Academy

• Ning Zhuangzhuang recommends Cheng Cheng to Lu Mi as another capable player before the two meet 6.
• His cafeteria appearance attracts crowds of fans. He approaches Lu Mi directly and passes along Shen Yiwen’s phone number 44.
• At Bo’ai Academy, he poses as a newcomer, assists Lu Mi’s group, and rescues players trapped with the Knife Stabbers 47 55 56.
• His surveillance of the gatekeeper exposes an effort to obstruct the Archive Room investigation. His Time Reversal Spell subsequently reveals evidence of Xie Ping’an’s abuse 58 59.

Public Rest Area and Shared Memories

• A staged breakup with Lu Mi becomes a public scandal and fuels interest in them as a supposed couple 64 83.
• Cheng Cheng reveals that he knew Lu Mi before his memory loss and explains his origins as a spirit cat raised by Grandma 65.
• During Dream Whale Night, he recounts their childhood and finally clarifies that their “solemn vows” were a promise of three roast ducks 84 85.

Artist

• After failing to escape Zheng Sinian with a talisman, Cheng Cheng shelters in Yu Qingchen’s grave using the False Death Technique 77.
• He retrieves Yu Qingchen’s doctoral dissertation and the doll Little Xun, then helps investigate the disappearance of Shen Yiwen’s sculpture 77 78.
• He holds off Zheng Sinian while Lu Mi searches for Yu Qingchen’s body, later restrains Little Ma, and opens the exit with the black key 80 81.
• After leaving, he gives the key to Lu Mi, remembering that his friend collects them 82.

Companion Grave

• Cheng Cheng accepts Zeng Deming’s full-moon invitation, securing instructions for restoring the players’ Mental Values 108 109.
• As the neighbors become stronger, he develops a plan with Lu Mi and visits Zeng Deming with Zhong Zixian while Lu Mi investigates the Number One Stone House 116 117 118.
• He confronts Zeng Deming over the Red-Haired Girl’s murder and the proposed banishment of her soul. Zeng retaliates by sending Cheng Cheng’s soul forty years into the past, making him believe he is a powerless younger Zeng Deming 118.
• Cheng Cheng later reappears and pins Zeng Deming down, preventing his escape before the final confrontation with the girl. He leaves the instance with Lu Mi, Zhong Zixian, and the injured Roman 121 122.

Five Thousand Vortices

• Cheng Cheng leads his companions through the concealed West Gate to escape the vortex-covered monster 127.
• He accompanies Lu Mi through the dangerous South Gate and helps investigate Jian Di’s past 136 141.
• When Jian Di prepares to kill herself and her baby, Cheng Cheng and Lu Mi enter the past as participants. Lu Mi persuades her to seek a future elsewhere, while Cheng Cheng opens the window through which she escapes 141.

Formation Diagram and Roman’s Sacrifice

• At Wonderful Dream, Cheng Cheng supplies his captive ghost for the group’s attempt to activate the Formation Diagram with thirty keys 164.
• The ghost reveals that it encouraged Roman to become the sacrifice because he possesses the required pure heart 165.
• After Lu Mi leaves to find Roman, Cheng Cheng releases the ghost from its bottle only to impale it with his peachwood sword 165.

Notable Quotes

“I'm under no obligation to care whether you live or die. Besides, I don't think I've ever claimed to be kind or selfless.” 112

“Because I don't have a pure soul.” 165

Trivia

• His fame produces crowds seeking photographs and autographs in both the cafeteria and the Central Plaza 44 62.
• Despite his expertise in dangerous instances, his cooking is described as “extraordinarily awful” 123.
• His late-night singing at Farewell Kiss keeps the group awake until Shen Yiwen ends the performance with a pillow 164.