Lu Kunlun

Biodata

Background / History

During his childhood, Lu Kunlun’s hometown suffered a devastating drought and famine. He survived partly through his skill at climbing trees, retrieving eggs from two birds’ nests on a sheer cliff. When an apparently starving old beggar offered a shriveled peach in exchange, Lu agreed: he could gather more eggs, whereas the old man could not return from death 31.

The peach was actually a jade flat peach, a middle-tier fifth-grade natural treasure. The old beggar was the former Beggar Gang leader and the master of Lu Kunlun’s eventual master. Having eaten the fruit as a child, Lu could later recognize its blossoms in Peach Blossom Brew 31.

By his introduction, Lu had learned several of the gang’s finest martial arts. His possession of the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms identifies him as a disciple of the current leader and a prospective successor 28 29.

Appearance

Lu Kunlun initially appears as a young beggar sitting in a tree, wearing ragged but clean clothing 27.

• Build: Described as a young man of about twenty-five or twenty-six 27.
• Expression: Broad smile showing neat white teeth 27.
• Distinctive accessory: A red wine gourd worn at his waist 27.
• Disguise: At the Red Sleeve House, adopts a wealthy wastrel’s clothes, slicked-back hair, powdered face, and folding fan 37.

Personality

Lu Kunlun is outgoing, irreverent, and fond of wine. He readily shares his gourd with Cao Jinxing and openly admits to stealing thirty-year-old huadiao from the Heavenly Fragrance Tower, despite knowing that Cao is an Embroidered Uniform Guard 27 28.

His hostility toward the Yan Family is outspoken. He eagerly volunteers to fight their assassins and deliberately chooses a restaurant partly owned by Zhao Wenhua so that defeating the attackers will also damage a Yan-aligned business. His plan exploits Cao’s official status to discourage the restaurant’s people from openly assisting the assassins 28.

Although proud of his talent and sect techniques, Lu can acknowledge another fighter’s superiority. His contempt for the Chess and Sword Music House leads him to underestimate opponents concealing Bright Sect techniques. After being wounded and rescued, he accepts the lesson without brooding and sincerely recognizes Cao’s greater skill 38 39 40 41.

His pursuit of treasure has limits: although he could have summoned gang experts to seize Old Zhou and the peaches by force, he instead follows the supply trail. Wei Wuyan explicitly contrasts this restraint with the captors’ coercion 41.

Abilities & Skills

Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms

An ultimate Beggar Gang art ranked at the middle tier of the fifth grade. Lu’s palm force is overwhelming enough to crush opponents relying on softer, more intricate techniques 29 39.

• Simultaneously attacks Flesh-Eating Rabbit, Boneless Goat, and Drought Dragon, incapacitating the first two and nearly breaking the third’s arm 29.
• Uses Regretful Dragon against Drought Dragon 30.
• Applies the Yangtze Threefold Wave method to successive Regretful Dragon strikes, layering their force to cripple three Water-Questioning Sword practitioners 39.
• Cannot match the older masters in raw strength despite possessing the supreme technique 29.

Movement and Concealment

Lu combines advanced sect movement with effective stealth 27 28.

• Hundred-Mile Moon-Gazing: The Beggar Gang’s supreme movement technique, used to lead Cao toward the Sun-Moon Prosperity Restaurant 28.
• Breath Concealment Technique: Conceals his presence from both assassins in the woods; Cao detects him only through intuition and a faint trace of aura 27.
• Grass-Skimming Flight: Used to escape the Red Sleeve House without revealing his sect’s signature movement art 38.

Unarmed Combat and Improvised Defense

Lu can make commonplace techniques effective through his own skill, allowing him to fight without exposing his affiliation 38.

• Uses the eighth-grade Six Harmonies Fist to send three Red Sleeve House attackers flying 38.
• Parries hidden weapons from multiple directions with a chopstick 38.
• Uses true qi and acupoint manipulation to relieve his cramped legs, and later releases Old Zhou’s and Wei Wuyan’s sealed acupoints and governing vessels 36 41.

Investigation and Deception

Lu investigates the Peach Blossom Brew supply chain through surveillance, purchased information, and the Beggar Gang’s intelligence network 32 36 37.

• Secretly marks Old Zhou’s back with luminous powder made from Dongting Pearls, overcoming his earlier tracking failures 32.
• Continues trailing Old Zhou undetected after daylight makes the powder ineffective 36.
• Pays a messenger for information connecting the wine supplier to the Red Sleeve House 36.
• Poses as Zhao Wenhua’s cousin to create a distraction for Cao; the claim is false and eventually exposed 37 38.
• Knows the Chess and Sword Music House’s techniques well, but this familiarity fails against enemies secretly using Bright Sect arts 38 39.

Equipment / Items

• Red wine gourd — Carries Junshan’s specialty Do Not Laugh wine, which he shares with Cao at their first meeting 27.
• Primordial Chaos Pill — Beggar Gang medicine that regenerates flesh, mends bones, and has detoxifying properties. With Cao’s assistance, it heals his shoulder wounds and weakens the Power-Dissolving Powder’s effects 41.
• Dongting Pearl luminous powder — Expensive tracking material used to mark Old Zhou; its glow is useful in darkness but not daylight 32 36.
• Peach Blossom Brew — Buys a small jar for ten taels of gold. Made from jade flat peach blossoms, the wine increases cultivation and cleanses meridians and marrow 31.
• Jade flat peach — Receives one of the tree’s three remaining fruits and leaves Black Mud Marsh to absorb it. No resulting realm advancement is documented in the supplied passages 41.

Relationships

• Cao Jinxing — Friend, drinking companion, and partner against the Yan Family and in the search for Peach Blossom Spring. Cao saves his life and helps treat his wounds; Lu agrees to repay the favor by saving Cao someday 27 28 31 41.
• Current Beggar Gang leader — His unnamed master. Lu describes him as loving wine more than life; Cao remarks that the medicine Lu carries shows his master’s care for him 29 41.
• Former Beggar Gang leader — His master’s master; gave him a jade flat peach in exchange for bird eggs during the childhood famine 31.
• Old Zhou — Wine seller and key lead in the treasure investigation. Lu tracks him without initially provoking his formidable poison arts, then helps free him from captivity 31 32 41.
• Wei Wuyan — Peach Blossom Brew supplier and keeper of the hidden grove. After being rescued, Wei honors his promise to share the peaches with Lu and Cao 37 41.
• Yan Family — Political enemies whose operatives and business interests Lu actively targets 27 28.
• Wu Feng and Han Rong — Bright Sect enemies whose concealed scimitar techniques seriously wound him 39.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Alliance Against the Yan Family

Lu introduces himself after Cao kills Soul-Seeking Dog and Burrowing Rat, offering help against the Yan Family. He proposes drawing the remaining attackers to the Sun-Moon Prosperity Restaurant, where the pair eat and drink while waiting for the ambush 27 28.

During the attack, Lu handles three opponents and then occupies Drought Dragon, leaving Cao to fight the others. When Five-Step Snake escapes with the tribute box, Lu initially fears that their plan has ruined Cao’s mission; Cao reveals that the stolen box was a decoy 29 30.

Search for Peach Blossom Spring

Lu brings Cao to the Ghost Market and demonstrates the effects of Peach Blossom Brew. He has already spent almost a month investigating and failed to trace its source four times. Cao agrees to join the search, and Lu’s luminous-powder scheme finally lets him follow Old Zhou 31 32 36.

When Old Zhou and the supplier disappear into the Red Sleeve House, Lu stages a loud confrontation under a false Yan-family connection. This allows Cao to investigate upstairs. After escaping the brothel, they pursue Su Miaoyun’s group to Black Mud Marsh 37 38.

Battle in the Hidden Grove

Lu rushes into Peach Blossom Spring to secure the peaches before the intruders can consume them. He defeats three swordsmen, but Wu Feng and Han Rong surprise him with Bright Sect scimitars, cutting both shoulder blades and leaving him unable to lift his arms 39.

Cao protects him and defeats the attackers. After recovering with a Primordial Chaos Pill, Lu helps free the captives and receives one jade flat peach. He and Cao discover that Su Miaoyun’s body has vanished, but prioritize leaving the marsh to absorb their treasures rather than pursuing her 40 41.

Notable Quotes

“You must be joking, brother. What decent person anywhere under heaven doesn't have a grudge against them?” 28

“You saved my life. A thank-you won't do it justice.” 41