Thirteenth Son

Biodata

Background / History

Thirteenth Son comes from the Du family implicated in the Du He Case. His forebears had held high office, but the family was executed after becoming embroiled in a rebellion case. As an infant in swaddling clothes, he was exempted from punishment and sent to a monastery to be raised. He remembers neither his parents’ affection nor the family’s former wealth, and recounts its destruction without personal anguish 9.

He later became the youngest fellow disciple of Wei Xun under Chen Shigu, also known as Old Chen, the Mound-Raiding General. His master died before he completed his apprenticeship. Although he recognized Chen Shigu’s extensive knowledge, he feared the man’s terrible temper and admitted that the disciples felt relieved when he died 3 13 25.

When Chen Shigu’s mantle passed to the second disciple, Wei Xun left rather than contest the succession. Thirteenth Son caught up with him and insisted on following him, choosing to remain his lookout instead of joining the more profitable ventures of their other fellow disciples 3.

Chen Shigu taught him to read and write so that he could recite and copy Buddhist scriptures for an unnamed friend. Despite his involvement in tomb robbery and martial-world affairs, Thirteenth Son maintains a lifelong vegetarian diet 25 101.

His incomplete apprenticeship initially leaves him without the right to place a personal martial-world mark or sit at formal gatherings of his school. During the search for Baozhu in Luoyang, Tuoba Sanniang makes an exception for his severe injuries and permits him to sit in Pang Liangji’s place 13 151.

Appearance

• Small, shaven-headed novice: His youthful appearance and bald head are repeatedly noted 5 30.
• Dark eyes: Described when he sincerely reassures Baozhu during Wei Xun’s illness 25.
• Firm musculature: Despite his size, his muscles, sinews, and bones are noticeably more developed than those of ordinary boys 38.
• Monk’s robes: Usually travels in novice robes; his clothing is described as gray during Luo Chengye’s capture 8 32.
• Noticeable growth: By the Pang family wedding, Baozhu observes that he has grown considerably taller since their first meeting and may soon reach her height 52.
• Pleasing appearance: Baozhu calls him good-looking and predicts that he will become a handsome monk when grown 101.

Personality

Thirteenth Son is deeply loyal to Wei Xun, but his loyalty does not prevent him from criticizing his senior brother. He urges Wei Xun to apologize to Baozhu, points out her kindness to them, and challenges his attempts to avoid discussing the possible cure for his illness 3 34.

His concern for Baozhu develops beyond his initial resentment that rescuing her delayed Wei Xun’s urgent work. He helps nurse her despite that resentment, checks on her after her suicidal crisis, and later risks leaving a sealed temple to comfort her while she is confined 5 7 25.

Street experience makes him practical about money, food, bribery, and criminal dealings. He dislikes unnecessary lodging expenses and saves leftover food, yet loses his bearings when confronted with a major investigation involving powerful officials. His worldly knowledge coexists with youthful innocence and an incomplete understanding of court politics 13 18 19 47.

He is playful and sometimes indiscreet: he laughs uncontrollably at the accidental use of Wei Xun’s childhood nickname and teases Baozhu about blushing. He is also easily embarrassed by affection, retreating to dress after Baozhu embraces him following his rescue 12 13 38.

He does not share Wei Xun’s enthusiasm or exceptional aptitude for martial training. Discouraged by his limitations and the loss of his teacher, he considers becoming an ordinary temple monk. Baozhu’s promise to make him an abbot delights him, especially because he imagines that secure patronage will free him from arduous practice 85 101.

His protectiveness becomes increasingly assertive. After recognizing that Wei Xun has knocked Baozhu unconscious with pressure-point strikes, he confronts him, assumes he has retaliated against her, and angrily tells him not to strike back again. He even offers to teach Wei Xun Prajna Repentance so that he can endure a beating instead 142.

In emergencies, he demonstrates stubborn resolve and growing resourcefulness. Gravely injured while defending Baozhu, he still tries to say her name upon reviving, then persuades reluctant senior disciples to search for her through a mixture of truth and bluff. Later, he sets aside his hope of becoming an abbot to care for the incapacitated Wei Xun in secret 150 151 152 210.

Abilities & Skills

Prajna Repentance and Body-Hardening

Thirteenth Son practices the Prajna Repentance internal art alongside external body-hardening techniques. Huo Qilang describes his training as tempering the sinews and forging the bones 25 35.

• Withstands a blow from Baozhu’s wooden stick without apparent injury; the stick splits instead 25.
• Survives repeated prison whippings and remains capable of climbing walls and windows afterward 37 38.
• Can easily break a wooden cangue and forcibly snap his wrist shackles 36 37.
• Limit: He explicitly denies matching Fourth Senior Brother, who has more than ten additional years of training. His resistance does not prevent pain or visible wounds 25 37.
• His childhood training prevents a kidnapper’s devastating punch from immediately destroying his internal organs, although it shatters his chest bones and stops his breathing and heartbeat. He survives only after Wei Xun resuscitates him and sustains him with transferred qi 149 150 151.
• Qiu Ren explains that the art also accelerates healing and, at deeper levels, transforms the meridians, cleanses the marrow, and remakes the body. He urges Thirteenth Son to practice more diligently while injured; the boy’s chest injuries subsequently improve considerably during the search for Baozhu 151 168.
• Survives being trampled by cavalry horses with a broken rib; the cavalrymen mistake him for dead and discard him in a field 200.
• Withstands three heavy blows to his forehead from Baozhu’s bronze Khakkhara Mallet without blinking or receiving a visible mark. The impacts produce metallic ringing sounds 219.
• Further limits: At Chan’guang Temple, he recognizes that Guanchuan is much stronger than he is. Even late in the journey, his cultivation remains insufficient to transmit power to sustain another person’s qi 85 210.

Close-Quarters Combat

He can fight effectively at close range, particularly when protecting others or restraining a wounded opponent 20 32.

• Places himself between Baozhu and an unidentified intruder with his wooden staff ready 20.
• Subdues Luo Chengye after Baozhu shoots him in the thigh, using punches and kicks before dislocating both shoulders and binding him 32.
• Fights bandits at a rural inn while Wei Xun supervises and prevents attackers from entering Baozhu’s room. The remaining enemies provide him with practical combat experience; the two disciples finish dealing with more than a dozen bandits before returning to their meal 76.

Lightness Skills

Thirteenth Son has little talent for lightness techniques, unlike Wei Xun 25.

• Can climb through windows and over courtyard walls, sometimes using ladders or assisting Baozhu with his shoulder 25.
• Reaches a high roof beam by catching Wei Xun’s lowered belt and using it for an additional boost 30.
• Limit: He cannot keep pace with Wei Xun’s speed and openly acknowledges his poor lightness skills 4 30.

Lookout Work and Underworld Knowledge

Keeping watch is his established job, and he understands the methods used by thieves and martial-world travelers 13.

• Guards the entrance to Princess Wanshou’s tomb and helps remove excavated earth 4.
• Recognizes valuable coffin materials, including imported Kucha Wood and imperial golden-thread phoebe 13.
• Reads coded wall marks that identify travelers, party size, injuries, and direction of travel 13.
• Bribes gate officials and investigates local underworld leadership and checkpoint arrangements 13 16 18.
• Limit: His low standing prevents him from contacting Xiagui’s local outfit successfully. As an unfinished apprentice without an established reputation, he cannot leave his own martial-world mark 13 18.
• Persuades the Seven Supremes to assist in searching Luoyang by revealing the discovery of the Living Pearl and warning that Wei Xun’s apparent madness may make their refusal dangerous. His argument deliberately mixes fact with bluff 151 152.
• Locates Zhou Qingyang’s mountain refuge by following donkey droppings while carrying the incapacitated Wei Xun 210.

Buddhist Recitation

He uses Buddhist scripture both to comfort others and to confront frightening circumstances 7 12 49.

• Recites the Blood Bowl Repentance, associated with women in childbirth, while comforting Baozhu 7.
• Recites scripture for the dead discovered in Wealthy Master Fang’s storeroom 12.
• Silently chants the demon-banishing Shurangama Mantra when Tuoba Sanniang appears at the inn 49.
• Limit: Tuoba Sanniang’s shout destabilizes his qi despite his resistance; he admits that he is no match for her 50.
• Can read and copy sutras, having been taught literacy by Chen Shigu for that purpose 101.
• Asks for the Ksitigarbha Sutra after Wei Xun’s apparent death, hoping that his senior brother will be reborn into wealth and freedom from illness and calamity 200.

Acupoint Knowledge and Emergency Care

Thirteenth Son possesses practical knowledge of martial injuries, pressure-point techniques, and basic treatment, although he does not have the cultivation needed for qi-transfer healing 142 210.

• Identifies Wei Xun’s handiwork from the use of the Heavenly Tripod and Supporting Prominence points, his right-handed habits, and the short memory gap caused by his penetrating inner force 142.
• Helps Wei Xun give honey water to the badly injured Baozhu after her rescue in Luoyang 177.
• Recognizes fresh bleeding and an extremely faint pulse during Wei Xun’s wake, correctly determining that he is alive in suspended animation rather than dead 210.
• Revives Wei Xun through repeated chest massage and compression and stimulation of the Baihui, Neiguan, Hegu, Yongquan, and other acupoints 210.
• Teaches Wei Xun Prajna Repentance after the loss of his previous martial power makes it possible for him to begin a different foundational art. He also prepares medicine according to the Elixir Recipe and secretly nurses him through the wake 210.

Power Progression

Equipment / Items

• Iron begging bowl — His regular means of obtaining sustenance 8.
• Wooden staff — Kept beside his bedding while guarding Baozhu and used when confronting an intruder 20.
• Monastic registration and travel pass — His lawful monk’s identity provides cover for his work with Wei Xun. The pass initially permits travel throughout Jingzhao Prefecture’s twenty counties; travel farther requires additional authorization 7 16.
• Peach-branch pole — An eight-foot flagpole bearing a leafy, fruiting peach branch, prepared at Wei Xun’s instruction for “Peach Branch Evil-Repelling.” He carries it while remaining beside Baozhu during the Pang wedding procession 52.
• Sect Gathering Order — Entrusted to him by Wei Xun after the attack at Pang Liangji’s wedding, when Wei Xun summons the school to Lingbao Inn 55.
• Funerary items for Wei Xun — Places a Gold Tongbao in his senior brother’s mouth and lays the Fish-Intestine Sword beside his body, intending its killing aura to keep away flies and insects. These are used in his care of the presumed dead, rather than established as his personal equipment 200.

Relationships

• Wei Xun — Eldest senior brother and chosen traveling partner. Thirteenth Son admires his abilities, guards his secrets, and remains with him despite warnings that following him offers no future 3 6 25. Wei Xun sacrifices his immediate opportunity to pursue Baozhu’s kidnappers in order to resuscitate him, then carries him while continuously supplying life-sustaining qi. Thirteenth Son later reciprocates by discovering Wei Xun’s survival, teaching him Prajna Repentance, concealing him during the wake, and carrying him to Zhou Qingyang for treatment 150 210.
• Li Baozhu / Princess Wanshou — Traveling companion whom he calls “Ninth Lady.” Their relationship grows from reluctant assistance into mutual concern; she fears for his safety during his arrest and embraces him after his rescue 5 9 35 38. She promises to arrange his future appointment as abbot of a great monastery. He is gravely injured defending her from abduction, helps organize the search, and assists with her care after her rescue. At their later meeting, he submits without resistance when she strikes his forehead, knowing that he has done wrong 101 149 151 177 219.
• Chen Shigu — Deceased master. Thirteenth Son respects his knowledge but remembers him chiefly as frightening and ill-tempered 25. Chen Shigu also taught him literacy for scripture recitation and copying; Thirteenth Son later recalls the beatings that accompanied the disciples’ training 101 142.
• Fourth Senior Brother — Fellow practitioner of external body-hardening arts, substantially more advanced than Thirteenth Son. He warns Baozhu against provoking him 9 25.
• Huo Qilang / Huo Qi — Seventh senior fellow disciple. He recognizes her during her nighttime visit; she later helps Wei Xun free him from prison 20 37.
• Tuoba Sanniang — Third senior sister, known as the Pipa-Tone Demon. He is deeply afraid of her and cannot withstand her attack 49 50. During the Luoyang search, she recognizes the seriousness of his chest injury and allows him a seat at the school’s gathering despite his unfinished apprenticeship 151.
• Yang Xingjian — Initially mistaken for a threat to Baozhu. After his identity is established, Yang arranges for Thirteenth Son to return to Lotus Flower Temple and answer roll call 21. Thirteenth Son later seeks brush and ink from him to record Prajna Repentance for Wei Xun 210.
• Pang Liangji — Former Sixth Senior Brother, expelled before Thirteenth Son joined the school. Thirteenth Son first meets him during the Lingbao journey and accompanies the wedding procession; later, he speculates that Pang’s family attachments may have motivated Chen Shigu’s decision to expel him 44 52 70.
• Qiu Ren — Senior fellow disciple, physician, and fellow practitioner of Prajna Repentance. He examines Thirteenth Son’s crushed chest and advises him to use diligent practice to aid his recovery 151.
• Zhou Qingyang — Wei Xun’s senior martial aunt. Thirteenth Son accompanies the first visit to her and later brings the secretly surviving Wei Xun to her Taihang refuge, remaining through his recovery before the two disciples leave for Youzhou 185 210.
• Seven Supremes / Setting Sun Courtyard seniors — Powerful but divided fellow disciples whose assistance cannot be assumed. Thirteenth Son secures their cooperation in finding Baozhu by invoking the Living Pearl and the danger posed by Wei Xun’s unstable state; he understands that showing Wei Xun’s weakness could expose him to attack 151 152 170.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Princess Wanshou’s Rescue and Departure

• Keeps watch while Wei Xun enters the princess’s tomb, then remains behind to clean up the tunnel after her rescue 4.
• Helps bring broth and water during her recovery at Green Micro Temple 5.
• Follows her attempted return to Chang’an and joins Wei Xun in distracting her from suicide after she is turned away 6.
• Helps prepare for travel, explains why her recognizable jewelry must be melted before sale, and accompanies her departure toward Youzhou 8.

Eastward Journey and Fang Mansion

• Connects Baozhu’s personal name with the phrase “Living Pearl,” an early clue to the remedy sought for Wei Xun 9.
• Explains the staged haunting at Wealthy Master Fang’s mansion and identifies the supposedly missing treasure as the valuable coffin itself 12 13.
• Introduces Baozhu to the coded signs used by martial-world travelers 13.

Xiagui Pearl-Theft Case

• Scouts Xiagui’s underworld before Wei Xun disappears, then stays with Baozhu during the citywide search 18 20.
• Returns to Lotus Flower Temple because his name is on its register. When the confined monks run out of food, he secretly leaves to visit Baozhu 21 25.
• Reveals that Wei Xun is incapacitated by a recurring cold affliction, not fleeing with stolen treasure. After searching nearby hiding places, he leads Baozhu to Wei Xun’s concealed attic 25.
• Assists the murder-scene reconstruction and captures the disguised Luo Chengye 30 32.
• Tells Wei Xun that Baozhu may be the Phoenix Embryo, also called the Living Pearl, that Chen Shigu said could cure his fatal illness 34.

Arrest and Prison Break

• Is arrested by Bao Lang. Although capable of breaking his cangue, he avoids escaping by force because it might implicate Baozhu 35 36.
• Endures repeated whipping while chained in prison. Wei Xun cuts him free, after which he breaks his own wrist shackles 37.
• Escapes during Wei Xun and Huo Qi’s broader prison break and rejoins Baozhu with his mobility intact despite extensive lash wounds 37 38.

Lingbao and the Pipa-Tone Demon

• Continues east after the Xiagui case, joins Baozhu’s playful stream fight against Wei Xun, and later helps with her hair and hunting preparations 40 43 44 48.
• His sweating, silent recitation alerts Baozhu that the wandering pipa player is dangerous 49.
• After the confrontation, identifies the woman as Tuoba Sanniang and explains her recurring feud with Wei Xun 50.
• Obtains the peach-branch pole on Wei Xun’s instructions and stays close to Baozhu throughout the wedding procession to the Xiao residence 52.
• Receives the Sect Gathering Order after the attack at Pang Liangji’s wedding, as Wei Xun calls the school to Lingbao Inn 55.
• Attends Pang Liangji and Xiao Ran’s renewed wedding celebration with the Setting Sun Courtyard disciples 70.

Chan’guang Temple and the Prospect of an Abbotship

• Fights bandits at a rural inn with Wei Xun before the group continues toward Chan’guang Temple, where Yang Xingjian proposes lodging 76.
• Visits the Hall of Returning to Impermanence with his companions and witnesses the temple’s corpse-contemplation practices 79.
• Admits that Guanchuan’s martial strength exceeds his own and considers abandoning martial-world life for a stable position in a monastery 85.
• Leaves the festival entertainments to perform Buddhist devotions during Ullambana 86.
• Runs errands and performs heavy work for Baozhu while Wei Xun is injured. Pleased with his quick wit and obedience, she promises to make him abbot of a monastery as grand as Chan’guang Temple when he is grown 101.
• Joyfully announces that he is now “the Princess’s monk,” only for Wei Xun to frighten him with a warning that such patronage makes stronger body-hardening training more necessary, not less 101.

Luoyang Abduction and Search

• Recognizes that Wei Xun has used pressure-point strikes to render Baozhu unconscious and privately confronts him, demanding that he not strike her again 142.
• Attempts to stop the masked men who abduct Baozhu after Wei Xun is lured away. A powerful punch crushes his chest, leaving him without a detectable pulse or breath 149 150 151.
• Is resuscitated by Wei Xun using Mirror Flower, Water Moon palm strikes to stimulate his heart. Wei Xun then carries him through the pursuit while feeding him qi to keep him alive 150.
• Summons the senior disciples and requests their help searching Luoyang. When they initially refuse, he reveals that Wei Xun has found the Phoenix Embryo and warns that his apparent descent into madness may have dangerous consequences for them 151 152.
• Recuperates while continuing to assist the gathered disciples. His attempt to feed the agitated donkey precedes Wei Xun’s realization that the animal is reacting to evidence left from the abduction 168.
• Remains concerned about Wei Xun’s exhaustion and understands the need to conceal weakness from the other Setting Sun Courtyard members 170.
• Helps administer honey water to Baozhu after Wei Xun rescues her. Upon waking, she confirms that Thirteenth Son is safe before turning to punishment of the Prince of Qi’s surviving accomplices 177.

Journey to Youzhou and Wei Xun’s Apparent Death

• Observes Wei Xun training through the night as his illness worsens, then accompanies the visit to Zhou Qingyang near Ye County 185.
• Offers a characteristically extreme suggestion that Wei Xun demonstrate his loyalty by disemboweling himself while the latter worries about explaining the Phoenix Embryo secret to Baozhu 188.
• Survives trampling by cavalry horses with a broken rib after being discarded as dead. Having seen Wei Xun struck by a bed crossbow, he believes his senior brother has been killed 200.
• Reunites with Baozhu and Yang Xingjian after the rescue from Fenglong Temple, returns Baozhu’s damaged jade comb, and helps prepare Wei Xun’s body for burial 200.
• Seeks scripture for Wei Xun’s rebirth, places a funerary coin in his mouth, and sets the Fish-Intestine Sword beside the body 200.
• Remains with the body during the seven-day wake while Baozhu pursues revenge against Wang Chengwu 201 210.

Secret Revival and Taihang Recovery

• Notices unusual changes in Wei Xun’s body while cleaning it on the first day of the wake. On the fourth day, fresh blood and a barely perceptible pulse reveal that Wei Xun is in suspended animation 210.
• Revives him through chest compression, massage, and acupoint stimulation. At Wei Xun’s request, conceals his survival from Baozhu 210.
• Supplies the Prajna Repentance method so that Wei Xun, whose previous martial power has been lost, can begin rebuilding his foundation and healing his injuries. He also brews medicine and secretly tends him through the remainder of the wake 210.
• Gives up immediate thoughts of his promised abbotship in favor of caring for his injured senior brother 210.
• After the party reaches Youzhou and the coffin rests at Minzhong Temple, secretly removes Wei Xun and carries him in a wicker chair into the Taihang Mountains 210.
• Finds Zhou Qingyang’s refuge by following donkey droppings. Her treatment, combined with Prajna Repentance, restores Wei Xun’s injured bones and tendons; she also discovers that his longstanding cold illness has vanished 210.
• Attributes Wei Xun’s survival to the weight of Baozhu’s tears holding his soul in the mortal world, although the precise cause remains unresolved 210.
• Leaves the mountains with Wei Xun after two months of recovery, setting out toward Youzhou 210.

Later Appearance Before Baozhu

• Is specially summoned by Baozhu despite his poor novice’s clothing, drawing the curiosity of onlookers 219.
• Knowing that he has done wrong, stands motionless while she strikes his bald forehead three times with a bronze Khakkhara Mallet. He suffers no visible injury, astonishing the assembled witnesses 219.

Notable Quotes

“If I went with Second Brother, who would keep watch for you?” 3

“Keeping watch for Eldest Senior Brother is my job.” 13

“Did you hear that, Eldest Senior Brother? I’ll never have to toil away at martial arts again! From now on, I’m the Princess’s monk!” 101

“Don’t hit back next time!” 142

“Senior brother, if there is another life, better to be a cat in peaceful times than a man in a world at war.” 200

“Tears are heavy. Ninth Lady shed so many that she forcibly held your soul in the mortal world.” 210

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