Pei Xiangjun

Biodata

Background / History

Pei Xiangjun was the youngest disciple of Pei Cang, the former leader of Red Flower House and the Spear Chief ranked Seventh Under Heaven. As the junior martial sister of his son Pei Yuanfeng, she became the martial aunt of Yuanfeng’s adopted son, Ye Jingtang 2.

After Pei Cang died, his eldest son inherited leadership but was subsequently killed by an enemy. The Spear Chief title passed outside the family, leaving Xiangjun to lead Red Flower House. Although her martial skills were substantial, they fell well short of the Eight Great Beauties, weakening her ability to maintain the organization’s former standing 2.

Under her leadership, outside factions encroached on Red Flower House’s income while its hall masters pressured her to relinquish power. She secretly sent people to search for Pei Yuanfeng, hoping he could return and stabilize the organization. His death ended that possibility, but Ye Jingtang’s arrival offered her a prospective successor 2 8.

The Pei family’s own branch of Red Flower House, Azure Dragon Hall, operated from the Capital City under the cover of ordinary commercial businesses. Xiangjun maintained this separation between the family’s public merchant identity and its concealed martial-world affairs 34 43.

Appearance

• Features: Exceptionally beautiful, with almond-shaped eyes, red lips, and a gentle, mature appearance 2 6 43.
• Build: A pronounced hourglass figure, with a full bust, proportioned waist, and curved hips and legs 42.
• Everyday dress: Merchant-household clothing that conceals her martial-world identity; one described outfit is a pale yellow spring dress with a shawl and lightly applied rouge 2 40.
• Training attire: A close-fitting, lightweight martial outfit made of water-cloud brocade, worn beneath her outer clothing so that she can move freely 42.

Personality

Xiangjun values loyalty and character as much as martial talent. Ye Jingtang’s willingness to fulfill his adoptive father’s wishes impresses her, but she refuses to select Red Flower House’s future leader on that evidence alone. She insists on observing him before entrusting him with techniques intended for killing 2.

She frequently uses a soft, aggrieved manner to draw Ye Jingtang closer to the household or encourage him to help. This presentation contrasts sharply with her authoritative bearing as House Master and her sternness during spear lessons. She also respects his independence: when he refuses money or lodging, she does not force him to accept 6 34 35 36 42.

Her concern for Ye Jingtang is protective as well as practical. She tends his injuries, worries about his confrontations with the authorities, and warns the escorts against introducing him to the capital’s temptations. She initially resists suggestions of marrying him because he calls her Martial Aunt, though she later admits privately that they have no blood relationship and need not deliberately reject the possibility 8 15 40.

Despite years of maintaining outward composure, Ye Jingtang’s talent repeatedly astonishes her. During his first Overlord Spear lesson, she struggles to preserve her dignity as a teacher while inwardly becoming excited about what his abilities could mean for Red Flower House 43.

Abilities & Skills

Overlord Spear

Xiangjun practices and teaches the Pei family’s Overlord Spear, a martial art whose past achievements earned its wielder the rank of Seventh Under Heaven 35 42.

• Yellow Dragon Lies Across the Road: A powerful cleaving technique with principles distinct from an ordinary downward spear strike. Using a bamboo pole, she blasts away fallen leaves over an area more than ten feet across and produces an impact Ye Jingtang feels through his feet 42.
• Seven basic moves: The art’s seven foundational moves combine into numerous variations; their effectiveness depends on the wielder 43.
• Precision and control: She emphasizes force control, footwork, timing, and practical fighting experience rather than merely copying movements 43.
• Restricted transmission: She withholds the final two moves from Ye Jingtang because he has not formally become her disciple 43.
• Secrecy: She warns him not to reveal the recognizable technique casually, since exposure could bring the Pei family’s martial holdings under court scrutiny and taxation 43.

Strength and Lightness Skills

• Holds a nine-foot spear horizontally by its butt with one hand, demonstrating a strong martial foundation 4.
• Shatters cloth wrapped around the spear with a small shake of her wrist 4.
• Overwhelms Ye Jingtang during their early rooftop encounter, when he recognizes that he is outmatched 4.
• Leaves a carriage and crosses deserted houses in two bounds when she believes Ye Jingtang is in danger 40.
• Limit: Her strength is explicitly below the Eight Great Beauties. Pei Cang’s former Seventh Under Heaven ranking should not be attributed to her 2.

Martial Instruction and Assessment

• Recognizes Ye Jingtang’s exceptional internal power and physical foundation despite his initially unstructured punches and kicks 2.
• Identifies his saber stance as resembling the lost Eight-Step Mad Blade and warns that the authorities may investigate it 4.
• Diagnoses the pain in his arm as internal-force backlash caused by forcibly stopping a technique 15.
• Distinguishes rapid comprehension from combat proficiency, warning that learning spear forms does not mean knowing how to use them against an opponent 43.

Business and Political Judgment

• Oversees the Pei family’s managers, shops, escorts, and martial-world commercial interests 6 34 36.
• Refuses the Green Lotus Gang’s demands for tribute rather than accepting protection payments as a routine business expense 6 7.
• Recognizes the importance of Ye Jingtang’s token from Prince Jing’s Manor and arranges gifts in his name to cultivate the connection 15.
• Plans to negotiate personally with the Zhou family over Clear River Wharf when her subordinates are denied meaningful access to its leaders 34.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Nine-foot spear: Has a black-lacquered shaft and a silver spearhead; used during her masked visit to Ye Jingtang 4.
• Bamboo hat and grotesque mask: Conceal her identity while she presents herself as the Red God of Wealth 4.
• Water-cloud brocade martial outfit: Allows unrestricted movement beneath her everyday dress 42.
• Bamboo practice poles: Cut and trimmed for teaching the Overlord Spear 42 43.
• Secret passage beneath her bed: Connects her bedroom to the underground Azure Dragon Hall meeting chamber 34 35.

Relationships

• Ye Jingtang — Her martial nephew, paid young master, intended successor, and spear student. She places her hopes for Red Flower House’s revival on him; his formal discipleship remains unsettled in the supplied chapters 2 8 35 36 42 43.
• Pei Cang — Her deceased master and the former Spear Chief. His martial reputation established the standing she struggles to preserve 2.
• Pei Yuanfeng — Her deceased senior martial brother, whom she calls Second Brother. She had hoped he would return to support the house before learning of his death 2.
• Pei Yuanming — Her deceased eldest brother and predecessor in the family’s leadership 2 6 8.
• Zhang Yulian — Her elder sister-in-law and confidante. They discuss Red Flower House’s weakness, Ye Jingtang’s prospects, and ways to give him a lasting attachment to the household 13 40.
• Xiuhe — Her maid, accompanying her on visits and assisting with household arrangements. Their private conversations include teasing about Xiangjun’s attraction to Ye Jingtang 2 40 42.
• Luo Ning — Ye Jingtang’s sweetheart, whom Xiangjun initially mistakes for a dangerous intruder. She welcomes Luo Ning, then treats the apparent relationship as closing off her own marriage prospects with him 40 41 42.
• Niao Niao — Ye Jingtang’s affectionate but mischievous bird. Xiangjun holds and feeds it, and embroiders a picture of it playing in water 2 6 8 40.
• Azure Dragon Hall’s eight Incense Masters — Her subordinates, several of whom question her judgment and leadership. Ye Jingtang’s demonstration of strength makes them more receptive to her choice of successor 34 35.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Recruiting Ye Jingtang

• Recognizes Ye Jingtang after he defeats Chen Biao and identifies himself as Pei Yuanfeng’s son. She offers him the family’s silver and control of an escort agency, but he declines 2.
• Visits him in disguise as the Red God of Wealth, tests his ability, and uses the prospect of spear instruction to persuade him to work for the Pei family 4.
• Sends him to resolve the Green Lotus Gang’s harassment as the family’s young master rather than a hired escort. After his success, she offers him a salary of one hundred taels per month 6 8.

Supporting His Entry into the Martial World

• Rushes to assist after hearing about his clash with Black and White Impermanence, then treats his injured arm and questions his concealed saber technique 13 15.
• Advises him on handling Prince Jing’s favor and begins arranging introductions to the family’s wider businesses and managers 15.

Establishing a Successor

• Brings Ye Jingtang into the underground Azure Dragon Hall and nominates him as Young House Master 34 35.
• Secures the Incense Masters’ acceptance after he defeats Li Sanwen with a single saber strike. She plans to announce the appointment formally to the hall masters at West King Town 35.
• Identifies bringing the hall masters into line as his immediate priority, ahead of routine shop business 36.

Teaching the Overlord Spear

• After discovering his relationship with Luo Ning, turns toward an attentive teacher’s role as a way to strengthen his attachment to the family 40 41 42.
• Demonstrates the Overlord Spear and is astonished by how rapidly he grasps its principles, while still correcting his lack of force control 42 43.
• Revises her expectations for the upcoming Watercloud Sword Pool visit: instead of merely negotiating peace, she hopes his debut can demonstrate Red Flower House’s remaining strength 43.

Notable Quotes

“Martial arts are skills for killing, not something to pass on lightly.” 2

“The Red Flower House does business. Its leader's martial skills matter, but understanding human relationships and the ways of the world matters more.” 4

“But learning them is one thing, and knowing how to use them is another. Do you understand?” 43