Song Xiaotian

Biodata

Background / History

Song Xiaotian comes from a military family: both his grandfather and father served in the military, and his father's former army comrades became influential figures. Those connections remain available to him after his apparent dismissal from the police force 39 88.

He worked as a police officer for years and handled numerous cases. By his first meeting with Chen Mo, he claims to have been fired, but neither Fang Man nor his father knows. He asks Fang Man to keep the dismissal secret because he fears his father's reaction. He initially refuses to explain the reason; when Chen Mo later asks, he answers only, “Guess” 38 39 49.

The apparent dismissal is later revealed to have been arranged as cover for an unauthorized undercover operation. His mentor and former superior lost his son in the Serial Murder Case fifteen years earlier. About a year before Song Xiaotian reveals his identity, the mentor transferred him to another unit, where he deliberately associated with petty criminals and engineered his dismissal so he could infiltrate Lin Zhifeng's circle. Song Xiaotian insists that he remained a police officer throughout this operation. After his cover is exposed, however, he is arrested and ultimately does lose his police career 88 95 102.

Family and Upbringing

His father, Song Qing, operates a teahouse. The family is considerably wealthier than Chen Mo initially realizes, living in an expansive suburban courtyard residence. Despite their wealth, Song Xiaotian's parents and grandfather receive his friends warmly, employ no housekeeper, and maintain a family tradition of neither giving nor accepting gifts 95 322 324.

Song Xiaotian began stance training at five, learned staff techniques from his grandfather at ten, and was required to spar with his father from fifteen. His father beat him when he failed to knock him down, and the household routinely kept bandages and medicine for training injuries. His father otherwise placed relatively few demands on his grades or comparisons with other children 451 513.

His great-grandfather, Song Qingshan, was a wandering occult practitioner who adopted Old Master Song late in life. Song Xiaotian originally dismissed his grandfather's accounts of Song Qingshan as stories about a charlatan. He learns otherwise when Chen Mo's group identifies Song Qingshan as the Daoist who established the Three Powers Formation at the former Luo Residence. Old Master Song named Song Qing in his adoptive father's memory 287.

Inherited Violent Condition

Song Xiaotian's extreme violence is not merely a bad temper. During an overseas military rescue mission, Song Qing was possessed by the Evil Buddha. Old Master Song eventually obtained help from his sworn brother Xiang Long, a descendant of the Mohist School, to force the spirit out. The spirit escaped, and Song Qing retained an uncontrollable urge to kill when sufficiently angered. Song Xiaotian inherited the lingering condition 323 324.

The symptoms appeared in childhood, when he nearly beat a classmate to death and his family paid almost a million in compensation. His father and grandfather barred him from joining the military partly out of concern for their only child, but chiefly because military killing intent might trigger his condition. They devoted particular attention to his moral upbringing to prevent his violent impulses from turning him into a criminal 323 324.

Old Master Song privately asks Chen Mo and Seventh Master to restrain Song Xiaotian when necessary. Chen Mo promises that their friendship includes preventing him from crossing the line, even if that requires knocking him unconscious 324.

Appearance

Chen Mo initially mistakes Song Xiaotian for a street punk rather than a police officer 38.

• Long hair, with a deliberately loose lock hanging over his forehead 38.
• Habitual hair-flicking and head-tossing, including during serious conversations 38 40 41.
• Consistent hairstyle and mannerisms — when they reunite after roughly seven months apart, Chen Mo immediately recognizes the same hairstyle and roguish appearance 706.

Personality

Song Xiaotian is informal, blunt, and loyal. He treats Chen Mo as prospective family because of Chen Mo's relationship with Fang Man, refuses a ten-thousand-yuan payment for helping him, and agrees to accompany him to Qin Island out of respect for his loyalty and concern for Fang Man 39 41.

His bravado does not make him fearless. Although he initially claims that little could scare him, Chen Mo's urn frightens him immediately. In Li Family Village, he repeatedly suspects that unsettling figures might be ghosts. Nevertheless, he protects Chen Mo from a cleaver attack and acts decisively against the possessed Li Liang 39 42 43 44 46.

His fear of ghosts persists despite extensive exposure to supernatural cases. Hearing that Du Yuwei has appeared in the bar sends him tumbling from his bunk, and he prefers checking security footage to confronting her directly. During the Rat investigation, he runs barefoot from a ghost boy while shouting for Seventh Master, although he subsequently disarms the possessed hotel owner 52 231 232. He explains that he grew up with a materialist education rather than belief in his family's occult history 287.

He is deeply angered by the persecution of criminals' innocent relatives. A past case involving a condemned murderer's parents and young son dying by suicide shaped this outlook. His sympathy also has a troubling limit: he refuses to report the suspected well-poisoning in Li Family Village, arguing that he is no longer professionally obligated to intervene and that the villagers brought retaliation upon themselves 49.

Song Xiaotian's sense of justice frequently overrides legal boundaries. He admits to wiping fingerprints from a brick so that Xiao Hai's father would avoid imprisonment after killing someone during a violent forced-demolition dispute. He later tortures Wang Guofu into identifying victims and repeatedly has to be stopped from inflicting potentially fatal violence 51 201 296 451. His father describes him as impulsive, troublesome, and resistant to advice, while his grandfather distinguishes his inherited violent impulses from his fundamentally sound character 102 323 324.

Pride and Emotional Maturation

His confidence is accompanied by pride and high expectations of himself. He earns commendations and medals as an officer and believes himself more capable than his colleagues, while wanting to prove himself to his father and grandfather. His dismissal from the force leaves him unusually subdued despite his attempts to cover the disappointment with jokes about becoming an underworld boss 102 512 513.

His initial treatment of Pan Xiaorou exposes a prejudice against marrying a previously married woman. He avoids her pursuit despite becoming emotionally attached, then refuses marriage when she claims to be pregnant. After his family expels him, he acknowledges that age has not automatically made him responsible and apologizes for letting arrogance override the values his family taught him 179 206 273 326 331 332.

Marriage and impending fatherhood bring a marked change in his priorities. He takes up photography to document everyday life and becomes less preoccupied with surpassing his elders. During the mountain rescue, he deliberately incapacitates enemies without killing them, explaining that he wants to become gentler before raising a child. Chen Mo later observes that he has become much more ordinary and restrained, though still fond of having fun 512 643 706 739.

He also encourages Chen Mo to value his present life rather than be consumed by past lives or revenge. After learning of Chen Mo's reincarnation, he argues that a person should live for the current lifetime. Later, he urges Chen Mo to consider his family and withdraw from dangerous conflicts 564 732 739.

Abilities & Skills

Criminal Investigation

His police experience makes him a useful counterweight to Chen Mo's speculation 40 41.

• Recalls an unsolved series of seven suffocation murders and recognizes its similarity to the massacre committed by Lü Zhengxian and Li Xiumei 40.
• Suggests that the ninety-thousand-yuan payment to Li Xiumei's family may have been money for hiring the killers 40.
• Warns that matching methods do not establish a legal connection between cases without direct evidence 40.
• Identifies practical weaknesses in Chen Mo's plans, including the danger of alerting Lü Zhengxian through visits to his family 41.
• Explains that evidence of soul possession is unlikely to persuade police or a judge, even if it accounts for Du Ruhai's identity 50.
• Investigates the suspicious payment surrounding Fang Man's death, learning that the terminally ill driver possessed two hundred thousand yuan but that investigators could not trace its source. He restrains Chen Mo and Meng Yifan from immediately killing Du Ruhai before the inconsistencies are resolved 62.
• Collects evidence against Lin Zhifeng and his associates while undercover, eventually reporting that his cover has been exposed 88.
• Adapts his account to Pan Xiaorou's reactions, reconstructs clues, and uses plausible lies and surveillance footage to secure her cooperation in obtaining Meng Yifan's release 174 175.
• Finds information about Xu Family Village and proposes questioning Xu Xiu or Xu Changming's relatives about the Luo Residence 273.

Grappling and Close Combat

Song Xiaotian demonstrates unexpectedly professional combat skills when Li Liang attacks while possessed by his father 46.

• Evades a knife strike, locks the weapon arm, and knocks the knife away 46.
• Follows with a knockdown and flying kick that sends Li Liang into a grave mound 46.
• Uses the opening to escape with Chen Mo rather than continue fighting 46.
• Cannot prevent a subsequent supernatural choking attack; Chen Mo saves him by applying blood to the spirit handprint on his neck. Chen Mo later recalls this incident as an early demonstration of Song Xiaotian's blood suppressing evil 46 178.
• Uses a guillotine submission hold against Chen Mo while Xiang Kai possesses him. The hold would normally immobilize Chen Mo, but the possessing spirit's strength allows him to lift and slam Song Xiaotian instead 177.
• Disarms and pins a cleaver-wielding, possessed hotel owner while still groggy from sleep 232.
• Overwhelms more than twenty armed loan-shark employees bare-handed. Chen Mo describes his reflexes and bodily control as exceeding top-class standards and connects his abilities to lifelong martial training 451.

Staff Fighting and Group Combat

His principal weapons are two short batons concealed in his sleeves, which connect into a long staff. He combines staff work with grappling, kicks, knee strikes, and rapid changes of direction 86 147 295.

• Intimidates a group of bodyguards and sweeps two men off their feet in quick succession at Du Ruhai's club 86.
• Charges through the crowd during Chen Mo's rescue attempt, knocking several opponents down in one continuous sequence. Chen Mo initially sees him holding his own against at least a hundred people, though he later reaches the rooftop badly wounded 147 150.
• Fights more than fifty knife-armed men after freeing Pan Xiaorou, keeping them from closing in around him 295.
• Breaks an attacker's arm with a staff strike once the man's invisibility is neutralized inside the Ghost Wall 308.
• Rapidly incapacitates the attackers surrounding Chen Mo in the mountains without killing any of them 705 706.

Connections and Improvisation

Despite his apparent loss of position, Song Xiaotian retains access to influential contacts and knows how to present himself convincingly 39 40 44 88.

• Obtains detailed electronic case files in about an hour after making two calls 40.
• Asks a contact to seek Meng Yifan and Seventh Master's release, though the contact cannot guarantee success 39.
• Uses a police ID he claims to have secretly retained after dismissal to secure lodging and cooperation from the village chief 44 88.
• Pretends to film while Chen Mo poses as an interviewer in Lü Family Gully 49.
• Arranges airport uniforms and access to a staff exit through Xiao Hai, allowing Chen Mo to evade police identity checks 51.
• Shelters Chen Mo at the bar in which he owns a fifty-percent stake and instructs the staff not to charge him for food or drinks 51 52.
• Pressures Brother Liu to cooperate by threatening to expose his improper handling of police files and claiming to possess evidence that he accepted cigarettes 73.

Spirit-Suppressing Blood

Song Xiaotian's blood can suppress evil spirits. Chen Mo connects this property both to Seventh Master's explanation about officers who have killed and to the principle in Six Lines Mysteries that righteousness can intimidate evil 178.

When Xiang Kai possesses Chen Mo and attacks Pan Xiaorou, Song Xiaotian cuts his own palm and throws blood onto Chen Mo's face. The contact causes Xiang Kai to shriek and forces him out of Chen Mo's body 177 178.

Limitations

• Supernatural perception: He does not consistently perceive weak spirits unaided. During the Rat investigation, Chen Mo uses a Yin-Gathering Talisman and an incantation to reveal the ghost 234.
• Invisible opponents: Xiuzhu's directions allow him to strike an invisible attacker once, but the delay between detection and attack lets the enemy evade subsequent blows. Repeated missed attacks exhaust him until Seventh Master changes their surroundings with Yin-Gathering Talismans 307 308.
• Illusions and mental interference: His physical skill does not protect him from illusion techniques. The organization's ambush leaves him trapped in an illusion and causes him to stab Chen Mo when Chen Mo approaches to help 502 503.
• Violent impulses: Anger can overwhelm his restraint, requiring his friends to intervene before he kills someone 296 323 324 451.

Power Progression

Equipment / Items

• Police ID — presented as secretly retained after his dismissal and used to pass himself off as an active officer; his later revelation establishes that the original dismissal was undercover cover 44 88.
• Mobile phone — used as a flashlight and to support the staged interview in Lü Family Gully 42 49.
• Paired short batons / staff — normally concealed in his sleeves and connected into a long staff for serious confrontations 86 147.
• Knife — carried at his waist; used to cut his palm when expelling Xiang Kai. He also carries a knife rather than his usual baton on the night of the organization's ambush 177 502.
• Yin-Gathering Talismans — produces three talismans he found after the group is rescued from Feng Gang's ghost walls; this does not itself establish independent mastery of talisman arts 197.
• Camera — costs more than ten thousand yuan; he begins carrying it daily to photograph and document life before his wedding 512.
• Satellite phone — used to maintain contact with Chen Mo when they split up to search for their companions in the mountains 706.

Relationships

• Fang Man — Sworn younger sister and childhood companion. He asks her to conceal his apparent dismissal and helps protect her from involvement in Chen Mo's dangerous investigation 39 88. After her death, he investigates the driver and prevents Chen Mo and Meng Yifan from rushing into an immediate revenge killing 62. He later explicitly blames Du Yunting for having her killed and refuses to forget that grievance 382.
• Chen Mo — Investigative partner and initially a potential future brother-in-law. Their relationship develops from Chen Mo's initial distrust into mutual assistance; Song Xiaotian protects him physically, while Chen Mo saves him from a spirit's attack 38 39 44 46. They repeatedly rescue one another, and Chen Mo promises Old Master Song to restrain Song Xiaotian's violent impulses 117 147 324. Song Xiaotian gravely wounds him while trapped in an enemy illusion, but Chen Mo recognizes that he is not acting freely 502 503. Chen Mo serves as a groomsman at his wedding and becomes Song Xinglin's godfather 512 732.
• Meng Yifan — Initially Chen Mo's detained friend, whose release Song Xiaotian attempts to arrange through his contacts 39 50. He becomes a close friend and business associate; Song Xiaotian helps secure his release again through Pan Xiaorou, confronts Tao Xiaoyu over her infidelity, and repeatedly protects him in fights. Meng Yifan is also one of his groomsmen 147 160 175 295 512.
• Seventh Master — Initially another detainee he tries to help. His contacts later discover that Seventh Master has implicated Chen Mo, complicating Meng Yifan's release 39 50. In later arcs, Seventh Master becomes a trusted companion who rescues the group from ghost walls, helps investigate Song Xiaotian's family history, chooses his wedding date, and names his son Song Xinglin 197 287 512 732.
• Li Liang and his mother — Initially hostile witnesses. Despite Li Liang's attacks, Song Xiaotian becomes sympathetic to their persecution and declines to report their suspected poisoning of the village wells 43 44 46 49.
• Pan Xiaorou — Initially an ally recruited through psychological pressure and leverage against Du Yunting, later his wife. He protects her from Xiang Kai's spirit but repeatedly avoids her romantic pursuit because of his prejudice against her previous marriage 175 177 206 331. Her kidnapping makes him recognize his feelings, and he eventually apologizes and proposes even after she admits that her pregnancy report was forged 295 331 332. They later register their marriage, hold a wedding, and have a son 512 515 612 732.
• Song Qing — His father, a former soldier and teahouse owner. Song Xiaotian is visibly intimidated by him despite his usual bravado. Song Qing helps after his arrest, trained him in combat, and later acknowledges that he has rarely praised his son 95 102 451 513.
• Old Master Song — His grandfather and staff instructor. He strictly opposes Song Xiaotian's refusal to take responsibility for Pan Xiaorou, expelling him from the family until he marries her, while privately recognizing that Song Xiaotian genuinely loves her. He also entrusts Chen Mo and Seventh Master with helping control his grandson's violent condition 324 326 328 451.
• Song Qingshan — His adoptive great-grandfather, a genuine occult master whom Song Xiaotian once mistakenly regarded as a charlatan 287.
• Song Xinglin — His son with Pan Xiaorou, named by Seventh Master. Anticipation of fatherhood motivates Song Xiaotian to become gentler and avoid setting a violent example 612 706 732.
• His mentor / former superior — A police officer whose son died in the Serial Murder Case. Together they pursue an unauthorized undercover investigation, accepting the risk of prosecution 88.
• Xiao Hai — An airport worker grateful because Song Xiaotian suppressed evidence that would have incriminated his father. He helps Song Xiaotian and Chen Mo leave the airport through a staff exit 51.
• Lin Zhifeng — The target around whom Song Xiaotian builds his undercover identity. Song Xiaotian ultimately gathers evidence against him and refuses to let him escape in their car 88.
• An Ning — A companion whose bond with Chen Mo he actively supports. He tricks Chen Mo into believing she has resigned and left, provoking the reaction that makes Chen Mo acknowledge he cannot bear losing her 565.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Detention and Case-File Investigation

• Fang Man introduces Song Xiaotian to Chen Mo, who needs help freeing Meng Yifan and Seventh Master after their entry into Du Ruhai's home 38 39.
• After hearing Chen Mo's account and seeing the urn, he contacts an influential acquaintance. The initial estimate is two to three days to attempt their release 39.
• He obtains the old massacre files and helps identify a possible hired-killer arrangement behind the ninety-thousand-yuan payment to Li Xiumei's family 40.

Li Family Village

• Accompanies Chen Mo to Qin Island to investigate the killers' hometowns 41.
• Helps an apparently trapped old man, witnesses Li Liang dumping powder into a well, and escapes an attack ordered by Li Liang's mother 42 43 44.
• Pursues Li Liang into a burial ground, fights him after his father's spirit possesses him, and nearly dies from supernatural strangulation 45 46.
• Recognizes the old man in a funeral portrait, revealing that the person they helped was already dead 47.
• Compares evidence with Chen Mo and suspects prolonged well-poisoning, though they lack concrete proof. Their visit also uncovers the mother's account of a city benefactor and Li Xiumei's dream-message naming her killers 48.

Lü Family Gully and Return to Lanjiang City

• Helps interview Lü Zhengxian's former friend, uncovering Du Ruhai's financial support for the village and repeated stays with Lü Jun's family 49 50.
• Advises against questioning Lü Jun because it risks alerting Du Ruhai without producing evidence that can bring him down 50.
• Upon returning to Lanjiang City, receives confirmation that Seventh Master was released the next morning and accused Chen Mo of planning the theft. He warns Chen Mo that the police are looking for him and that Meng Yifan's release is now uncertain 50.
• Calls Xiao Hai to bring airport work uniforms and escorts Chen Mo out through the staff exit, then hides him in a room at his bar 51.
• Reveals that he holds a fifty-percent stake in the bar without contributing capital because its owner is his sworn brother 51.
• Investigates Chen Mo's report of Du Yuwei appearing there, although his fear makes him choose the security room over a direct search 52.

Fang Man's Death and the Undercover Revelation

• Stops Chen Mo and Meng Yifan from immediately killing Du Ruhai after Fang Man's death and explains the unresolved evidence surrounding the terminally ill driver and the cash payment 62.
• Forces his way into Weihai Group after the receptionist refuses them entry, striking the security chief and producing a baton when surrounded 62.
• Helps pursue a plan to have Li Xiumei's ghost steal Du Ruhai's ashes. Brother Liu reveals that her remains have already been cremated after causing hauntings and a death 73.
• Defends Chen Mo and Meng Yifan against Du Ruhai's bodyguards, then helps them escape down the emergency stairs after Li Xiumei intervenes 86 88.
• Reveals that his dismissal was undercover cover and explains the unauthorized investigation he and his mentor have conducted into the old Serial Murder Case and Lin Zhifeng's network 88.
• Is subsequently arrested. Chen Mo and Meng Yifan approach Song Qing for help, and Song Xiaotian is released on bail after two days. This time, the loss of his police career is genuine 95 102.
• Later rescues Chen Mo and Zhao Laoqi from a cage at Du Ruhai's clubhouse, cuts Meng Yifan free, and helps keep the severely injured Chen Mo awake on the way to the hospital 117.

Haunted-House Business and Pan Xiaorou

• Supports Meng Yifan's haunted-house business. While investigating He Tao's girlfriend as a possible target of Du Yuwei, he temporarily becomes unreachable, alarming the others 135.
• Comes to Chen Mo's aid during another confrontation with Du Ruhai's forces and holds off the crowd while Chen Mo proceeds with the rescue. He reaches the rooftop covered in wounds and, with reddened eyes, fights Zhao Laoqi without responding to Chen Mo's calls 147 150.
• Helps confront Tao Xiaoyu over her affair and threatens to expose her unless she leaves Meng Yifan. Their attempt to protect Meng Yifan backfires when she instead accuses Chen Mo of harassing her 160.
• Uses surveillance footage, leverage, and improvised psychological manipulation to obtain Pan Xiaorou's assistance in releasing Meng Yifan and keeping Du Yunting away from a bidding event 174 175.
• Protects Pan Xiaorou from Xiang Kai while the spirit possesses Chen Mo, using his own blood to force the spirit out 177 178.
• Becomes the object of Pan Xiaorou's persistent pursuit, repeatedly trying to avoid her despite their increasing intimacy 181 206 273.

Feng Gang, Wang Guofu, and Rat

• Is trapped with Meng Yifan by Feng Gang after they refuse to help reunite Feng Gang's family through their deaths. Seventh Master rescues the group after Xie Peng raises the alarm, and Song Xiaotian produces three talismans connected with the investigation into the strengthened ghost walls 197.
• Helps An Ning distract Du Yunting while Seventh Master and Meng Yifan take Wang Guofu away from the teahouse 201.
• Fights off Du Yunting's bodyguards outside Seventh Master's home, then strikes Wang Guofu with a stool and breaks his hand with a hammer until he agrees to identify five additional victims and give their addresses 201.
• Helps Chen Mo defend Xiao Xuan from bullying vagrants. Their later investigation connects a drowned vagrant to Xiao Xuan's missing older brother, Rat 231 232.
• Interviews Xiao Xuan and learns that the two boys were unrelated street children taken in by a blind old man. He and Chen Mo are deeply affected by Xiao Xuan's abandonment and Rat's sacrifices for him 233 234.
• Stakes out Xiao Xuan's neighborhood with Chen Mo and witnesses Rat giving the child money after Chen Mo reveals the ghost with a talisman 234.

Luo Residence and Family Revelations

• Helps research Xu Family Village as a possible source of answers about the Luo Residence 273.
• Discovers that the historical Daoist Song Qingshan was his own adoptive great-grandfather and calls Old Master Song, whose recollections help the group understand the earlier attempt to suppress the wronged souls 287 288.
• Frees Pan Xiaorou after her kidnapping and fights the men holding the group captive. Chen Mo and Meng Yifan stop him from killing Four-Eyed Kid, and he later receives hospital treatment for his injuries 295 296.
• Struggles against an invisible attacker until Seventh Master's Yin-Gathering Talismans take the group into the Ghost Wall. Once the attacker becomes visible, Song Xiaotian breaks his arm and beats him; Chen Mo then kills the man 307 308.
• Brings his friends to his family home, revealing the Song family's wealth and introducing them to his grandfather 322.
• His grandfather privately explains to Chen Mo and Seventh Master that Song Xiaotian's violent impulses are inherited consequences of Song Qing's possession by the Evil Buddha 323 324.

Expulsion, Confession, and Engagement

• At Old Master Song's eightieth birthday gathering, his family confronts him for refusing to marry Pan Xiaorou after she claims to be pregnant 324 326.
• Insists that he does not love her and refuses marriage. Old Master Song expels him and tells him to stop using the Song surname; his mother refuses to leave with him 326.
• Old Master Song subsequently explains that Song Xiaotian may return once he marries Pan Xiaorou and that he recognizes his grandson's affection despite his denials 328.
• Apologizes to Pan Xiaorou for his prejudice, arrogance, and lack of adult responsibility 331.
• Confesses that her kidnapping made him realize he loved her. When she reveals that the pregnancy report was forged, he still proposes, carries her to his car, and leaves with her 332.

Later Confrontations and the Organization's Ambush

• Receives fifteen days' detention after going to Liang Yi's school and attempting to assault her in public following Chen Mo's disappearance 374.
• Warns Chen Mo not to forget Du Yunting's responsibility for Fang Man's death, despite Du Yunting having helped Chen Mo and An Ning 382.
• Intervenes with Seventh Master when Qingyuan confronts Chen Mo during his birthday dinner, slapping Qingyuan and his companions and forcing him to offer birthday wishes before driving him away 390.
• Helps assess whether Du Yunting's crash and disappearance from the hospital are attacks by the organization 433.
• Confronts Wu Tong's loan-shark company over Xu Hui, defeats more than twenty men, and continues attacking the boss until Chen Mo kneels in front of him to stop him 451.
• Publicly accuses Lu Jie of responsibility for Xu Hui's death at the Lu family's birthday banquet, then knocks down both Lu Jie and Lu Tianxing. Anticipating arrest, he asks Chen Mo to seek Song Qing's help 460.
• His arrest prompts Old Master Song to send Song Qing to negotiate with Lu Tianxing, while discouraging Pan Xiaorou from indebting herself to questionable business contacts 461.
• Becomes the target of an ambush predicted by Chen Mo's divination. Jiang Yuan and four accomplices trap him in an illusion, but retreat when Chen Mo pretends that Li Fuguang has awakened 501 502.
• Still trapped in the illusion, he stabs Chen Mo in the abdomen. Unable to dispel the original technique, Chen Mo uses the Bewildering Soul Formation to trap him in a deeper illusion and make him release the knife 502 503.

Marriage and Fatherhood

• Registers his marriage with Pan Xiaorou and visits Seventh Master with Chen Mo to choose an auspicious wedding date. Chen Mo and Meng Yifan serve as groomsmen 512.
• Reflects on his desire for his father's approval and the responsibilities of marriage. Song Qing acknowledges his own shortcomings as a parent and the fact that he has rarely praised his son 512 513.
• Rebukes Pan Lijuan for insulting the wedding, his work, and Xiang Kai. Song Qing also intervenes, and Pan Lijuan leaves 515.
• Takes marriage leave and leaves with Pan Xiaorou for a half-month honeymoon 515.
• Helps Chen Mo confront his feelings for An Ning by falsely telling him that she has resigned and left, then admits the deception after Chen Mo panics 565.
• Announces that Pan Xiaorou is genuinely pregnant before Chen Mo leaves for extended training 612.
• Becomes increasingly focused on earning money and family life, a contrast Chen Mo notices while training away from home 643.
• His son is named Song Xinglin by Seventh Master, and Chen Mo is the child's godfather 732.

Mountain Rescue and the Fortune-Teller

• Arrives with his connected staff as Chen Mo faces death in the mountains and rapidly incapacitates the surrounding attackers 705 706.
• Explains that a traitor exposed Qingyang Temple's two squads to the Tang Family and that Grandmaster used the betrayal to lure the enemy into the mountains. He identifies the enemy force as sixty-two people, including a fugitive with a Level A Wanted Notice 706.
• Refuses to kill the defeated men because he wants to become gentler before fatherhood, backing away while Chen Mo kills them 706.
• Splits up with Chen Mo to search for Zhuge Ming and their other companions, maintaining contact by satellite phone. He hints that another ally has accompanied him but does not reveal the person's identity 706.
• Later shares grief with Chen Mo and urges him to prioritize survival, caution, and the life ahead of him 732.
• Recalls his grandfather's story about the fortune-teller Wang Jun and drives Chen Mo to the Wang family Plain in Heng'an County to find him 739.
• Accompanies Chen Mo in questioning Wang Jun about a predicted plane crash and whether Tang Tianming's threatened sacrifice can be prevented, while continuing to urge Chen Mo to consider his family rather than pursue revenge at any cost 739.

Notable Quotes

“You're Fang Man's boyfriend, which makes you family. Why would I lie to you? But your friend has to have genuinely been framed. If he really committed a crime, I'm afraid I won't be able to help.” 39

“Loyalty is what counts when you're out in the world. I respect that. I'll go with you. If anything happens to you, I won't know what to tell Xiaoman.” 41

“But they don't criticize us because we've done something wrong. They criticize us so they can look blameless themselves.” 49

“I'm a cop. I always have been. I was never fired from the force. I'm undercover, and I've been investigating the Serial Murder Case that happened in Lanjiang City fifteen years ago.” 88

“I'm already here! Why the hell would I leave now?” 147

“Time has made me older, but it hasn't made me a proper adult. I haven't shown the responsibility an adult should have. I'm very sorry for my earlier behavior and attitude.” 331

“In this life, I'm just me. I only live for this life, not my previous life or my next one.” 564

“Not me. I'm going to be a father. I have to be gentler, or I'll end up raising a little bastard exactly like me.” 706

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