Wu Xie

Biodata

Background / History

Wu Xie entered the tomb-robbing trade partway through his life. Before the Changbai Mountain expedition, he had visited the Seven-Star Lu Palace, the Xisha Undersea Tomb, and the Qinling Sacred Tree. His involvement in the Seven-Star Lu Palace began through his third uncle’s team 26 31 36.

Unknown to Wu Xie, his identity carries significance beyond his work with antiques and tombs. Cao Ya identifies him as the Nine Gates’ only successful Medicine Man and knows that both “It” and the Wang Family have their eyes on him in their pursuit of immortality. Wu Xie remains unaware of his own identity and mission during the expedition 20 29.

Appearance

Wu Xie is introduced as a handsome young man with a strongly scholarly air 20.

• His face is likened to polished jade 20.
• On Changbai Mountain, he wears four or five layers beneath a leather coat, yet still struggles with the cold 24.

Personality

Wu Xie is curious and analytical, especially when examining historical evidence. He questions whether the small, short-lived Eastern Xia Kingdom could have constructed the enormous Cloud Palace and repeatedly wants to stop to study murals. His curiosity coexists with caution: he worries about volcanic activity, armed rivals, and the Bronze Gate’s alleged karmic fire 27 30 31 33 35.

He is considerate of his companions and deeply concerned for his third uncle. After escaping the railway police, he worries that Cao Ya might have been caught in trouble caused by himself and Pan Zi. He also stops Fatty’s insults against Wu Sansheng before they provoke a fight with Pan Zi. His party would not agree to harming an uninvolved person such as Shunzi 21 22 24.

Wu Xie banters freely with Fatty, but the supernatural can overwhelm him. Witnessing the Yin Soldiers leaves him dizzy with helplessness and briefly regretting his entry into tomb robbing. At the Bronze Gate, he also reflects on the craftsmen who must have died constructing it 26 33 36.

Abilities & Skills

Antiques Appraisal

• Recognizes that the Snake-Browed Bronze Fish retain substantial monetary value even if their information proves unimportant 33.

Historical Investigation and Mural Interpretation

• Recognizes the concealed painting beneath the celestial-maiden mural as a narrative mural 29.
• Compares accounts of Eastern Xia’s history against the scale of the Cloud Palace, identifying a discrepancy that requires explanation 30.
• Interprets the murals inside the Bronze Gate as depicting an ancient ruler’s journey to build the gate and seek immortality; Poker-Face identifies the ruler as King Mu of Zhou 37.
• Has limited knowledge of Eastern Xia and cannot read Jurchen Script, requiring help to understand the bronze fishes’ inscriptions 29 31.

Interest in Martial Arts

• Asks Cao Ya to teach him simple moves after the expedition, hoping to become capable of handling seven or eight opponents 26.
• Admits that prolonged daily practice would not suit him. No completed training or cultivation advancement is documented in the supplied chapters 26.

Equipment / Items

• Two Snake-Browed Bronze Fish — Carries both in his pocket and brings them out after Chen Pi A Si’s group leaves. They contain concealed Jurchen inscriptions associated with Wang Canghai’s account of King Wannu 30 31 32.
• Binoculars — Uses them to inspect A Ning’s caravan from the mountainside 24.
• Flashlight — Examines the fissure’s narrowing passage with it 28.

Relationships

• Wu Sansheng — His third uncle. Concern for Wu Sansheng, who is in A Ning’s team’s hands, motivates Wu Xie’s journey and his decision to wait rather than leave immediately 30 31 37.
• Fatty — Fellow Iron Triangle member and frequent bantering partner. Fatty calls him “Naive” and “Comrade Innocent”; the two also share an interest in learning from Cao Ya 18 21 26.
• Poker-Face — Fellow Iron Triangle member. Wu Xie knows that he enters tombs to recover lost memories and notices his troubled behavior on Changbai Mountain 18 24 32.
• Pan Zi — Expedition companion who addresses him as “Third Young Master.” Both are committed to finding Wu Sansheng 31 37.
• Cao Ya — Meets him aboard the train and comes to admire his strength. Wu Xie accepts his information despite its unexplained source; Cao Ya also secretly helps him escape the railway police 20 21 26 32.
• Chen Pi A Si — Temporary expedition leader. Wu Xie resents his indirect insults but follows his prepared route after the group loses its original arrangements 22 23.
• A Ning — Leader of the rival expedition. Wu Xie is wary of her team’s firearms and concerned about its control over his third uncle 23 31.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Journey to Changbai Mountain

• Joins Fatty, Poker-Face, Cao Ya, Pan Zi, and Chen Pi A Si aboard the northbound train 20.
• Flees railway police at Shanhai Pass after one of Wu Sansheng’s associates identifies him and Pan Zi. Neither realizes that Cao Ya’s invisible assistance enables their escape 21.
• Initially hesitates after Chen Pi A Si offers the group a choice, then decides with Fatty to catch up and continue the expedition 22 23.

Cloud Palace Investigation

• Helps uncover the concealed mural and questions the accepted history of Eastern Xia 28 29 30.
• Remains with Cao Ya when Chen Pi A Si and his men turn back. His attempt to examine the two bronze fish stalls because nobody remaining can read Jurchen Script 31.
• Learns Cao Ya’s account of Wang Canghai and the Bronze Gate, then follows him to King Wannu’s coffin 32 33 34.

Beyond the Bronze Gate

• Witnesses the Yin Soldiers’ procession before Cao Ya smashes open the Bronze Gate 36.
• Studies the interior murals while Cao Ya destroys King Mu of Zhou and the ghost soldiers within the Meteorite Jade 37.
• Waits with the group for Wu Sansheng and A Ning’s expedition. When they arrive, he and Fatty explain the shattered gate and emptied cavern 37 38.

Notable Quotes

“I suppose this is what a peerless master from a martial arts novel would look like.” 26

“What was that? Yin Soldiers claiming passage? Ghosts and monsters really exist?” 36