Linghu Qingmo

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Childhood and Practical Training

Nangong Ye raised Qingmo from early childhood. At three or four, Qingmo was timid enough to hide behind his master at the sight of a white crane, asking whether the “long-legged goose” would bite. He later became an avid student who knew the cultivation classics by heart 117 212.

As the Purple Emblem Mountain sect leader’s personal disciple, Qingmo entered a nominal guard post at the Prince’s Manor to gain experience. He chose frontline investigations over office work and worked alongside ordinary soldiers and constables despite his privileged standing. His friendship with Commandery Princess Changning also dated back to their upbringing 2 8 74.

Demon Bandit Investigation

During the Dongcang Ward investigation, Qingmo saw Xie Jinhuan stabbing a Daoist and intervened without first understanding the situation. Xie’s returning mace strike shattered his breastplate and threw him across the alley. Qingmo later acknowledged his mistake and apologized 3 9.

Their subsequent spar ended when Xie combined a weak Thunder-Binding Sword with a claw strike. After losing, Qingmo began cleaning Xie’s courtyard, but immediately left when a new investigative lead appeared, promising to finish the work afterward 9 10.

The two became regular investigative partners. At the Lin clinic, Qingmo supported Xie against a powerful demonic attacker with thunder spells. He continued pursuing the Demon Bandits while injured and later warned Xie not to investigate dangerous leads alone 20 38.

Partnership with Xie Jinhuan

Qingmo’s concern for Xie gradually extended beyond their cases. He watched over Xie through the night after the Dao Progress Surge Pill incident and refused to release him from his restraints while he believed the drug still made him dangerous. He subsequently followed Xie to the capital and guarded him against the Nether God Sect and other enemies 66 73 95.

An illusion revealed Qingmo’s desire to become Xie’s Dao companion. Their relationship developed through teasing, kisses, and negotiated chances to call a halt, while Qingmo remained sensitive to Lin Wanyi’s earlier relationship with Xie 83 95 130 184.

He also continued participating in investigations: helping uncover the Blood Slaves beneath Ye Shirong’s residence, persuading Wei Yin to cooperate, and alerting Xie when Li Yanru failed to answer a message from the Directorate of Celestial Observation 123 321 644.

Body Exchange and Nangong Ye’s Feelings

Qingmo and Nangong Ye periodically exchanged bodies. Occupying his master’s body gave Qingmo access to greater cultivation, but also created difficulties when his habitual affection for Xie conflicted with his respect for Nangong Ye 350 351 352.

An unexpected return to their own bodies during a private encounter left Qingmo convinced that he had disgraced his master. Nangong Ye reassured him and rejected his suggestion that he no longer deserved to remain on Purple Emblem Mountain 373.

When Nangong Ye later admitted having feelings for Xie, Qingmo offered to withdraw and cultivate in seclusion. His master refused. They eventually agreed that Nangong Ye could address him as a junior sister publicly, while Qingmo would continue treating Nangong Ye as his master at home 466 635.

Sword Cultivation and Marriage

Xie obtained a flying sword for Qingmo and promised to supply the resources needed to nurture it. Qingmo sought instruction from Sect Master Lu, practiced diligently, and eventually reported that he had largely mastered its control, though he still lacked opportunities to test it in combat 470 513 534.

Ye Hongshang’s assistance enabled his Heavenly Pivot breakthrough. By the time he carried nine swords, his offensive power exceeded Nangong Ye’s, although his master warned that rapid advancement had left him short of high-level combat experience 584 592.

Qingmo and Xie formally became Dao companions at Purple Emblem Mountain. Before the sect elders and guests, they exchanged vows, sealed their marriage contract with blood, and exchanged Dao Companion Tokens. They then entered their cave abode and completed a private blood covenant 702.

Appearance

Qingmo is described as young, coldly beautiful, and possessed of an ethereal bearing resembling an immortal swordsman 2 8 17.

• Guard attire: Ink-black qilin armor with a sword at his waist 2.
• Usual clothing: Snow-white robes or skirts; he sometimes wears a veil 8 17.
• Features: Long eyelashes, slender brows, and fair, jade-like hands 10 66 115.
• Later equipment: A Daoist robe and a sword case carried on his back 628.
• Ceremonial dress: A wide-sleeved immortal gown, pearl hair ornaments, elaborate makeup, and flame-red lips for his Dual Cultivation Ceremony 702.

Personality

Qingmo is reserved rather than arrogant. Although his position commands considerable respect, he treats soldiers and constables as comrades, takes on dirty and exhausting work, and helps shoulder responsibility when things go wrong. He is loyal and righteous but uncomfortable with pleasantries 8.

His dedication can become workaholism. He investigates through the night, works while injured, and abandons leisure whenever a case remains unresolved. Even after gaining substantial power, he argues that catching petty thieves is worthwhile work when it falls within his present abilities 25 38 542.

He takes pride in being an “ice-cold beauty with an unwavering Dao heart,” but Xie’s attention repeatedly unsettles that self-image. Straightforward and initially inexperienced in romance, he becomes embarrassed by public affection and jealous of Xie’s other partners, particularly Lin Wanyi 25 51 85 137.

His respect for Nangong Ye is deeply filial. He regards his master as both teacher and parent, making the complications surrounding their shared affection for Xie especially difficult for him 466 635.

Abilities & Skills

Thunder Magic

Qingmo has practiced Thunder Magic since childhood and can explain its incantations and qi circulation to Xie Jinhuan 274.

• Palm Thunder: Releases ground-travelling lightning from a formed thunder seal 20.
• Five-Thunder Demon-Slaying Incantation: Produces converging lightning bolts and repeated thunderous detonations 20.
• Illumination: Brightens the surrounding woods for roughly a thousand feet with lightning gathered in his palm 133.
• Rapid casting: Uses repeated introductory spells when his strongest attack fails to seriously injure a superior opponent 134.
• Limits: His lightning does not seek targets automatically. During the fight with Wei Yunya, Ye Hongshang’s possession provides the perception needed for unusually accurate targeting 133 134.

Azure Dragon Divine Gift

The Azure Dragon opportunity nourishes Qingmo’s body and Divine Soul and gradually transforms his underlying constitution 212.

• Associated with lasting youth, abundant vitality, resistance to injury and illness, and Extreme Yang Divine Thunder 212.
• Strengthens his lightning enough to affect Xie’s soul as well as his body 222.
• Must be concealed: his grandmaster warns that weak cultivators displaying such opportunities risk being killed for them 212.

Swordsmanship and Flying-Sword Control

Qingmo combines conventional swordsmanship with Daoist lightning and later develops sword-control arts 9 20 592.

• Wields a lightning-wreathed Dharma Sword in close combat 20.
• Learns flying-sword techniques with guidance from Sect Master Lu 513.
• Can direct a small flying sword around himself with precise control 534.
• Commands nine swords, giving him greater killing power than Nangong Ye at that point 592.
• His practical fighting skill is judged superior to Zhao Ling’s during their clash, but he initially lacks experience against high-level cultivators 483 592.

Daoist Spells and Cultivation Knowledge

Qingmo knows the cultivation classics and several protective or cleansing techniques 90 133 212.

• Mind-clearing technique: States that he used one to escape a mind-disrupting illusion 90.
• Pure Heaven and Earth Spell: Attempts to dispel a ghost cultivator’s oppressive wailing; the cultivation disparity prevents success 133.
• Instruction: Demonstrates the Five-Thunder Demon-Slaying Incantation for Xie, on the condition that sect teachings are not passed to outsiders 274.

Investigation

Qingmo undertakes surveillance, searches, questioning, and coordinated operations with the yamen 2 38 106 123.

• Uses a Thousand-Li Telescope to inspect suspicious people at a distance 2.
• Works with Coal Ball to trace leads, including a secluded building associated with hiring assassins 106.
• Helps investigate Ye Shirong’s hidden tunnel and Blood Slaves 123.
• Has clear limits: he does not know how to examine corpses and initially cannot detect faint sinister energy across a densely built ward 2 17.

Body Exchange with Nangong Ye

Qingmo can occupy Nangong Ye’s body through their recurring exchanges, temporarily accessing capabilities beyond those of his own body 352 445.

• Gains firsthand experience of Transcendent Grade power, Wind Riding, and object control 352.
• Possessing the body does not supply Nangong Ye’s combat experience 389.
• The exchanges are not always under his control; sudden reversals can leave both participants disoriented 373.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Bamboo Shadow — A first-grade Dharma Sword carried as the sect leader’s direct disciple 19.
• Qilin armor — Protective armor supplied by the Pill King’s Residence. Xie’s mace damages its breastplate badly enough to require repairs 2 3 21.
• Thousand-Li Telescope — An extendable observation tool used during surveillance and later to spot Nangong Ye while flying above Yanjing 2 292.
• Flying sword — Obtained by Xie Jinhuan. Its inherent strength allows it to threaten exceptionally strong armor even in a lower-cultivation wielder’s hands, but nurturing it requires enormous resources 470.
• Nine-sword case — Holds seven ancestral Dharma Swords and the flying swords of Daoist Kongkong and his disciple 592.
• Hairpin and white jade bracelet — Gifts from Xie; Qingmo values the hairpin despite claiming that he normally has little use for jewelry 173 184.
• Dao Companion Token — Exchanged with Xie during their formal ceremony 702.

Relationships

• Xie Jinhuan — Investigative partner, lover, and eventual Dao companion. Their relationship begins with a mistaken confrontation and develops into mutual protection and a formal covenant 3 9 95 702.
• Nangong Ye — Master and parental figure who raised him. Their body exchanges and shared feelings for Xie complicate, but do not erase, Qingmo’s filial attachment 117 373 466 635.
• Zhao Ling / Commandery Princess Changning — Childhood friend with whom he shares a sisterly bond. She encourages his romance, later becomes a rival for Xie’s attention, and sometimes clashes with him over that rivalry 2 74 351 483.
• Lin Wanyi — Xie’s earlier lover and Qingmo’s persistent romantic rival. Their relationship alternates between concern, cooperation, teasing, and open competition 18 137 482 551.
• Qixia True Person — Grandmaster who dotes on him and supplies Heavenly Treasures that support his advancement 475 534.
• Ye Hongshang — Assists him through possession during the Wei Yunya battle and later supplies the Spiritual Charm that enables his Heavenly Pivot breakthrough 133 134 584.
• Sect Master Lu — Provides guidance in flying-sword cultivation 513.
• Coal Ball — Frequent companion in investigations and daily life; helps Qingmo locate people and follow leads 38 106 123.
• Liu Qingzhi and Yang Dabiao — Yamen colleagues who assist his investigations; Liu also carries out surveillance at his direction 8 38 159.

Notable Quotes

“I come from a distinguished, upright sect, and I keep my word. Once I'm done, I'll definitely clean this place until it's spotless.” 10

“A master for a day is a mother for life. How can I just change what I call you?” 635

“I, Linghu Qingmo, pledge this oath before the Dao: to enter a covenant with you, remain at your side upon the immortal path, hold no divided loyalties, support you through adversity, share honor and disgrace, never alter my Dao heart, and never waver in this love!” 702

Trivia

• Qingmo keeps written records titled “Jinhuan’s Quotations” 101.
• He repeatedly worries that Lin Wanyi will pull his hair over his closeness with Xie, imagining romantic rivalry in terms of quarrelling wives 51 85 106.
• He negotiates additional chances to make Xie stop as a condition for staying overnight. At their marriage, they adopt “Giving up already? Haven’t you eaten?” as a once-daily safeword 184 702.