Chen Pi A Si

Biodata

Background / History

Chen Pi A Si has entered countless tombs over nearly a century. He previously raided a tomb with Poker-Face and had heard rumors about his abilities. Although he sometimes robs tombs for money, his principal motivation is an undisclosed purpose 22 27 29.

He identifies the Cloud Palace as the burial place of an Eastern Xia emperor and joins the journey north to excavate the Nine-Dragon Corpse-Lifting Coffin 22 30.

Appearance

Chen Pi A Si is introduced as an oddly dressed old man, though he does not look as old as his ninety-plus years 20 24.

• Voice: Raspy 22.
• Physical limitations: Prolonged exposure to Changbai Mountain’s cold exhausts him; during the blizzard, his eyes become unfocused and he approaches shock 24 25.
• Recovery: The warmth inside the mountain fissure helps restore his condition 27.

Personality

Chen Pi A Si is proud of his experience and dismissive of less knowledgeable tomb robbers. He looks down on Wu Xie, Fatty, and Pan Zi as latecomers to the trade, while valuing Monk Hua’s unusually extensive knowledge. Even after recognizing Cao Ya’s strength, he privately regards him as an ignorant robber interested only in selling burial goods 31.

His arrogance gives way to caution when his safety is threatened. Cao Ya’s unnoticed approach makes him realize that the younger man could kill him easily. He restrains his objections, intervenes when Monk Hua risks provoking Cao Ya, and warns his men to be more careful 22 30 31.

He remains composed under pressure and conceals his judgments well. When someone unexpectedly touches his shoulder in the park, he responds politely rather than panicking; later, he hides his contempt for Cao Ya behind outward accommodation 21 31.

Abilities & Skills

Tomb-Raiding Experience

His long career informs both his expedition decisions and his assessment of other robbers 22 27.

• Knows of the Eastern Xia emperor’s coffin and its connection to the Cloud Palace 22 30.
• Treats A Ning’s rival expedition as confirmation that his group is on the right route rather than a reason to confront them 24.
• Initially plans to leave a subordinate outside the fissure as backup, abandoning that precaution after Ye Cheng argues that Cao Ya can handle any danger 26.

Antiquities and Mural Analysis

Chen Pi A Si recognizes technical irregularities in the murals covering the fissure walls 28 29.

• Notices that the outer celestial-maiden mural lacks the protective finishing layer expected of such paintings 28.
• Questions why a painting intended to conceal another mural was left unfinished 28.
• Connects the underlying narrative mural to the Heavenly Palace and orders the entire wall uncovered 29.
• Delegates Jurchen inscription study to Monk Hua, with Lang Feng assisting in copying the writing 27 28.

Awareness and Threat Assessment

Watching his surroundings is second nature to him, but his vigilance cannot detect Cao Ya’s approach 21 22.

• Initially mistakes Cao Ya for Fatty’s unremarkable lackey 21.
• Regards Poker-Face and Cao Ya as the only two members of the accompanying group he cannot see through 22.
• After witnessing Cao Ya pulverize rock, concludes that everyone else together would be unable to defeat him 27.
• Earlier assumes that several guns could overcome even a formidable fighter; this is his judgment, not a demonstrated limit on Cao Ya’s power 23.

Equipment / Items

• Snake-Browed Bronze Fish: His party possesses one, carried and demonstrated by Monk Hua. Its scales project forty-seven hidden Jurchen characters used to explain Eastern Xia’s secret survival and the nature of successive King Wannus 30.
• Expedition supplies: His men provide rope, ordinary tools, chocolate, chili peppers, washbasins, and sanitary pads. The shipment contains neither a Luoyang Shovel nor a Black Donkey Hoof; he tells the others they will understand the supplies’ purpose when they use them 23.
• Transport: His local personnel arrange a Jiefang truck to take the party toward Erdaobaihe after the railway escape 23.

Relationships

• Cao Ya — Expedition companion whose hidden strength overturns Chen Pi A Si’s initial judgment. Fear of Cao Ya increasingly limits his authority; he later regrets leaving Cao Ya’s group 21 27 31 38.
• Monk Hua — Highly valued subordinate and scholarly specialist. Chen Pi A Si intervenes when Cao Ya’s intimidating response leaves Monk Hua terrified 27 31.
• Lang Feng and Ye Cheng — Accompanying subordinates; Lang Feng drives and assists Monk Hua, while Ye Cheng argues that Cao Ya’s presence makes an outside guard unnecessary. Both die before Chen Pi A Si reaches the Rift Valley 23 26 27 38.
• Poker-Face — Former tomb-raiding companion whose abilities make him wary 22.
• Pan Zi — Reluctant expedition companion who suspects him of betraying Wu Sansheng’s contacts to force the group to follow him. The accusation is not confirmed 22.
• Wu Sansheng — Fellow veteran whom he describes as exceptionally crafty, arguing that capture by Jude Kao’s team likely serves a plan of his own 31.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Railway Escape and Expedition Takeover

• Travels north with Wu Xie, Pan Zi, Fatty, Poker-Face, and Cao Ya. Pan Zi warns the others that careless insults could provoke him into killing them 20.
• At Shanhai Pass, leads the fleeing party into the crowd with assistance from his nearby men, helping them escape the railway station 21.
• Offers transport to anyone continuing toward the mountain. Pan Zi suspects that the conveniently prepared escape reflects a deliberate betrayal of Baldy and the Dunhua contact 22.
• Takes the party toward Erdaobaihe, where they obtain supplies and hire Shunzi as their mountain guide 23.

Changbai Mountain and the Fissure

• Orders the group to bypass A Ning’s larger caravan and continue climbing 24.
• Nearly collapses in the blizzard, but follows Cao Ya into the warm fissure after the stone Hundred-Footed Dragon is destroyed 25 26 27.
• Prioritizes examining the murals before proceeding, then has Monk Hua explain the bronze fish’s evidence concerning Eastern Xia 28 29 30.
• After hours underground, concludes with his three men that they have taken the wrong route. They return toward the slope to enter the Cloud Palace from the front; Shunzi remains with Cao Ya’s party 31.

Rift Valley and Departure

• Reaches the Rift Valley alive, but without any of his three subordinates. Their deaths are reported without an explanation of how they occurred 38.
• Finds the Bronze Gate shattered and the cavern empty. After Wu Xie and Fatty explain Cao Ya’s actions, he expresses regret over splitting from the group 38.
• Rejoins Cao Ya’s party alongside Wu Sansheng and descends the mountain with them 38.