Gan

Biodata

History

Examining Xu Le

Gan administered Xu Le’s Psyche Test after his survival outside Lighthouse’s safe zone. A Psyche Worm withered and died when placed on Xu Le’s chest, prompting Gan to question him about the previous night and review his and Zhou Ke’s records. Gan judged Xu Le psychologically normal and suggested that his unusual psyche might be an innate ability, but made clear that further examinations remained 13 14.

During the examination, Gan also stopped a guard from shooting a black cat, citing the approaching Black Tide 13.

Guidance Before the Black Tide

When a bridge guard refused Xu Le entry to the Upper City because of his Night Dweller’s mark, Gan presented his credentials and escorted him across. He offered to share responsibility with the external inspector if anything went wrong 18.

Gan subsequently inspected Xu Le’s Disaster Warlock Ascension manual and confirmed that its advancement method was genuine. He identified faith, ritual, and sacrifice as the three advancement paths, warning that sacrifice was difficult. He declined to explain further, saying that Warlock guidance was expensive and that he had already received the goodwill he needed that day 19.

His cryptic reference to an answer recorded along Xu Le’s “path to knowledge” later prompted Xu Le to recheck the manual. After discovering the Medium ritual’s conveniently available requirements, Xu Le wondered whether Gan had arranged the circumstances; this remained an unconfirmed suspicion 25 26.

Training a Fellow Medium

After Xu Le joined the Night Watchers, Gan welcomed him as a colleague and offered a month of basic Warlock training. He took Xu Le to Headquarters to use its archives, beginning with supernatural power systems and the Red Moon Spirit 44.

Gan reported that Xu Le was motivated, intelligent, and quick to apply new knowledge. Although Bai Jing teased him about taking an apprentice, Gan rejected the distinction because they were both level-one Red Moon Warlocks. Bai Jing clarified that she wanted Xu Le trained to perform the same work as Gan 45.

Gan then introduced the Guyinduo Secret Language deck and taught Xu Le divination. When Xu Le became dangerously absorbed in a card, Gan physically roused him and warned that Mediums must guard against the very power they use 46 47.

Xu Le’s First Divination

Gan lent Xu Le his old Fate Deck and volunteered as a practice subject. He drew the Puppet on Strings, recognizing it as an unfavorable omen 47.

Using Guyinduo Spirit Energy, Xu Le saw a thread connecting the card to Gan’s brow, where a pitch-black mark had appeared. The vision showed Gan suspended like a puppet by threads labeled money, power, knowledge, and bonds, among others. Their countdowns ranged from less than a year to a little over four years; the vision did not establish a specific future event 47.

Xu Le hesitated to explain what he had seen. Gan did not press him, instead questioning the value of knowing a fate that might be unchangeable. He then left to meet his spouse, leaving Xu Le wondering how to save someone controlled by fate 48.

Appearance

• Black-framed glasses — Gan frequently adjusts or removes them while speaking and teaching 19 44 46.
• Rich, resonant voice — heard when Wang Shu brings Xu Le to his consultation room 44.

Personality

Gan is courteous, teasing, and frank about the benefits he receives from helping others. His recurring creed—doing a good deed each day to avert a calamity each month—frames both his assistance at the bridge and his instruction of Xu Le. His generosity nevertheless has limits: before Xu Le becomes a colleague, Gan refuses to provide unlimited guidance for free 18 19 44.

As an instructor, Gan is attentive to both talent and danger. He encourages Xu Le’s independent exploration of the cards, admits envy when Xu Le immediately sees secrets that took him years to discern, and openly acknowledges gaps in his own knowledge. He also takes responsibility for interrupting Xu Le’s dangerous absorption in Guyinduo power 46 47.

Abilities & Skills

Mediumship

Gan describes communication as a Medium’s primary ability, with summoning merely a by-product 46.

• Mediumship encompasses communication with humans, Oddities, Shikigami, and fate 46.
• Gan is an experienced Medium despite remaining a level-one Warlock 45 46.

Psyche Examination and Heart-Energy Guidance

Gan performs psychological screening and is the specialist his teammates seek when someone needs heart-energy guidance 13 48.

• Uses Psyche Worms during examinations 13.
• Keeps a Psyche Worm in his cabinet; Xu Le later uses it while treating Li Shunliu’s fear pollution 48.
• His clearance of Xu Le’s psyche does not replace the Guard Hall’s remaining physical and soul examinations 13 14.

Fate Divination

Gan uses the Guyinduo Secret Language, also called the Guyinduo Deck or Fate Deck, to communicate with and observe fate 46.

• Teaches card interpretation, divination procedures, and the associated Spell Formula 47.
• Interprets the Black Sheep and the Girl as a sign of darkness, disaster, and death 47.
• Associates the Puppet on Strings with control and, through his own interpretation, fate 47.
• Warns that revealing fate outright can cause drastic changes; it should only be hinted at 48.
• Has mastered only a superficial portion of the cards’ effects and has not learned their additional powers 46 47.

Warlock Knowledge

Gan teaches supernatural classifications, Red Moon Spirit, incantations, and Spell Formulas 44.

• Identifies Guyinduo, the Red Moon, gods, ancient gods, and outer gods as supernatural systems 44.
• Explains faith, ritual, and sacrifice advancement paths 19.
• Describes his own liquefied Red Moon Spirit as forming a pool approximately the size of a washbasin 47.

Equipment & Items

• Guyinduo Fate Deck — Fourteen cards: seven black, four red, and three white. Gan lends the deck he used when younger to Xu Le until Xu Le can purchase his own 46 47.
• Gemstone-topped wooden box — Holds the deck and opens when Gan taps its white gemstone 46.
• Psyche Worms — Used for screening and emotional absorption 13 48.
• Official credentials — Presented to secure Xu Le’s passage into the Upper City 18.

Relationships

• Xu Le — Initially his examinee, later his colleague and student. Gan assists his entry into the Upper City, verifies his advancement manual, and teaches him Warlock fundamentals and divination 13 18 19 44 47.
• Bai Jing — His captain and longtime colleague. She assigns him to prepare Xu Le for the same work he performs 45.
• Wang Shu and Gu Beichen — Night Watcher colleagues who seek Gan’s help when Li Shunliu returns with fear pollution 48.
• Unnamed spouse — Gan leaves work to return home because his spouse is waiting for him 48.

Notable Quotes

“It's all right. A good deed each day averts a calamity each month. That is the medium's creed.” 18

“For a Warlock, luck is a kind of strength in its own right.” 44