He Bingkun
Mount Shu: The Earth Immortal Who Guards the World
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | He Bingkun (贺炳锟) |
| Alias(es) | Old He; King of Clamor 10 |
| Gender | Male |
| Affiliation | Three Pure Ones Mountain; Nine Heavens Responding Origin Palace on Pivot Mountain, one of the Lotus Blessed Land’s eight lineages 5 |
| Occupation/Role | Cultivator; introduced as a registered disciple of the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Palace 5 |
| Residence | West room of Bingchen Courtyard, Lantern Street 4 5 |
| Cultivation | Qi Refinement; three abodes completed and Water Palace opened 5 19 |
| First Appearance | Named in the lodging arrangements in Chapter 4; appears in person in Chapter 5 4 5 |
Power Progression
| Stage / Realm / Level | Chapter | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Thunder Abode opened | 19 | Recounted retrospectively: opened three months after beginning qi consumption. He was the first of his intake to open an abode and received a gold reward from the All-Teachings Institute. |
| Wind and Cloud Abodes completed; three abodes linked | 5 19 | Completed before his first palace-opening. His lineage requires the thunder, wind, and cloud abodes to form a single current before opening any palace; he recalled cultivating even in his sleep. |
| Water Palace opened | 19 | Deliberately summoned heavenly lightning during the second year’s summer solstice. The breakthrough came after eight years of cultivation and completed the rain aspect of his “heavenly will four aspects.” |
Background / History
He Bingkun entered Three Pure Ones Mountain alongside Feng Ji Hu, who was the same age as him. They shared Bingchen Courtyard for seven years. Several years before meeting Cheng Yunqi, Bingkun obtained a Thunderbird through a fortunate encounter outside the mountains 5.
When Feng Ji Hu arranged for Yunqi to occupy the courtyard’s vacant room, Bingkun welcomed the newcomer with food and wine. The three drank until dawn while explaining the sect’s lineages and internal-alchemy system. Bingkun subsequently helped Yunqi settle in, giving him a lamp and lending him money for food 5 6 7.
Bingkun escorted Yunqi to Bright Governance Mountain for instruction. Upon learning that Yunqi had consumed qi only six breaths after receiving the method, he immediately took him to claim an All-Teachings Institute reward. His noisy celebration attracted the Lantern Street residents, whose procession became a playful spell battle with Ancient Vine Street. Both groups later celebrated together in Qilin Hall 8 10 11.
After his Water Palace breakthrough, Bingkun embraced Yunqi and cried while recounting his years of effort. When Yunqi announced his departure, Bingkun offered to obtain leave and accompany him. Yunqi declined, urging him to consolidate his newly acquired magical power instead 19 20.
Appearance
- Tall and broad: His body fills the doorway of Bingchen Courtyard; even the already-tall Feng Ji Hu looks small when Bingkun hugs him 5.
- Imposing build: Described through the imagery of a tiger’s back and a bear’s waist, with an eagle’s stare and a wolf’s watchfulness when alert 10.
- Guardian-like presence: At their first meeting, the setting sun makes him resemble a guardian deity 5.
Personality
Bingkun is exuberant, affectionate, and conspicuously loud. His booming laughter is familiar enough that Lantern Street residents immediately emerge to investigate it, earning him the nickname “King of Clamor.” He readily hugs his friends and celebrates their achievements as enthusiastically as his own 5 10 19.
His generosity is practical: he notices Yunqi’s neglected meals, insists that he eat nourishing medicinal food, and lends him a Snowflake Coin despite his protests. He also watches over Yunqi’s prolonged reading and offers guidance without interrupting his concentration unnecessarily 6 7.
Bingkun takes pride in his sect’s heritage and guards against discouraging a beginner. When Feng Ji Hu dwells on the difficulty of attaining immortality, Bingkun interrupts him with a thunderous snort. His own breakthrough exposes the strain beneath his confidence: after eight years of effort, his triumphant laughter turns into tears 5 19.
Abilities & Skills
Thunder Methods
Bingkun uses incantations and hand seals associated with the Lightning Mother, as well as deliberately summoned heavenly lightning 10 11 19.
- Golden Lightning Flash: Produces fierce white light that illuminates Ancient Vine Street, exposes concealed attackers, and makes them squint and slow their steps 10.
- Thunderous snort: Startles Feng Ji Hu when he begins questioning the difficulty of the immortal path 5.
- Heavenly-lightning summoning: Uses thunder to open his Water Palace; the strike blasts a hole through his dwelling’s roof 19.
Movement and Close Combat
- Exceptional footwork: Evades the animated vines that bind many other Lantern Street residents 10.
- Lightning-granted speed: Surrounds himself with silver light and darts through the vines to attack Tian Lingzhi 11.
- Close-range attacks: Lands several kicks on Tian Lingzhi during their spell exchange, although Tian still delays him long enough for Yunqi to be carried away 11.
Water Control
After opening his Water Palace, Bingkun demonstrates precise control over surrounding rainwater 19.
- Removes water from Yunqi’s clothes, his own body, and the flooded room.
- Collects the water into a ball at his fingertip and throws it outside.
- Quietly dries the tears he has shed onto Yunqi’s shoulder and arm.
Cultivation Knowledge
- Explains Qi Refinement, the three abodes and five palaces, and the crimson palace formed through “five qi returning to the origin” 5.
- Teaches Yunqi about sect employment, currencies, cultivation rewards, and Bright Governance Mountain’s unusual recruitment rules 7.
- Explains the Southern Dipper Ranking and the division between Eastern and Western Daoist traditions 11.
- Sets a practical meditation benchmark: remaining seated steadily on a speeding Thunderbird 24.
Celestial-Phenomena Cultivation Path
Bingkun’s approach develops celestial phenomena into the five elements. Opening the Water Palace completes his wind, cloud, thunder, and rain aspects, with the three abodes above and the Water Palace below linking heaven and earth 19 42.
- Planned development: Water nourishes wood; wood receives thunder and produces fire; charred wood falls into water; rotten wood becomes mud that nurtures true gold.
- Documented limit: This sequence describes his intended path, not further palace-openings shown in the supplied chapters 19.
Equipment / Mounts / Gifts
- Thunderbird — An extremely fast mount acquired outside the mountains. It has purple plumage, silvery-white feather shafts, silver claws, dark-gold eyes and beak, and a thirty-to-forty-foot wingspan. Bingkun uses it to attend lessons and transport Yunqi 5 6 8.
- Crane-shaped stone lamp — Given to Yunqi as a welcoming gift, together with refining instructions. It is made from Poyang Lake stone 6 24.
- Snowflake Coin — Lent to Yunqi to settle food debts and purchase nourishing meals; Bingkun explicitly expects eventual repayment 7.
Relationships
- Feng Ji Hu — Longtime friend and former roommate. They entered the mountains together, shared Bingchen Courtyard for seven years, and exchange affectionate teasing 5.
- Cheng Yunqi — Roommate and younger cultivation companion. Bingkun helps him navigate sect life, transports him to lessons, and celebrates his achievements; Yunqi waits to witness Bingkun’s breakthrough before leaving the sect 5 7 8 10 19 20.
- Tian Lingzhi — Leader of Ancient Vine Street and opponent in the neighborhood’s friendly rivalry. Their spell battle gives way to a shared feast celebrating Yunqi 10 11.
Trivia
- Uses an alchemy furnace to smoke mountain-boar meat over pepperwood, prompting Feng Ji Hu to remark that only Bingkun would do such a thing 5.
- His thunderous, wind-like snoring developed because he continued cultivating during sleep; he had previously been a quiet sleeper 6 19.
- Teases Yunqi for wanting to roam the world as a swordsman without owning a sword—a remark Yunqi remembers after leaving the mountain 20 22.