Old Li

Biodata

Background / History

Five Years of Beast Hunting

Old Li was already working with an elderly scout known as Old Woman when Jiang Mi joined their team under the false name Rong Mi. He initially regarded the newcomer, another Houtian Fourth Stage fist fighter, as competition for his livelihood. After a successful Ironback Bear hunt at Severed Dragon Ridge, he and Old Woman invited her to work with them again 15.

The trio hunted together for five years and became known in the Gathering Worthies Hall. Their quarry included Ironback Bears and Gale Wolves, and they encountered a Houtian Fifth Layer Red-Striped Tiger 15 16.

In their third year together, a Gale Wolf slashed open Old Li’s abdomen, nearly spilling his intestines. Old Woman carried him through the night while Jiang Mi covered their retreat. After three months bedridden, he treated both rescuers to roadside noodles with an egg added to each bowl 16.

Warning About the Evergreen Art

When Old Li found Jiang Mi reading the Evergreen Art, he urged her not to practice it. He recounted a local rogue cultivator whose cultivation accelerated after obtaining the art, only for him to disappear without leaving a corpse. His lodgings were reportedly covered in blood and smelled of cooked meat 16.

Old Li did not know the art’s origin, saying it had circulated since his youth. His warning helped persuade Jiang Mi to return to the Qi Guiding Formula and Qi-Nourishing Art 16.

Azure-Patterned Leopard Job

Zuo Yunchi offered the trio eight thousand taels to hunt an entire den of Azure-Patterned Leopards for their pelts. Despite the danger of fighting these agile, pack-dwelling beasts, Old Li accepted the commission. He also explained the Capital Zuo Household’s influence over Great Xia’s spirit-stone trade 17.

Following Jiang Mi’s plan, the hunters located a den containing four adults and six newborn cubs. Old Woman stole the cubs, which the team used to lure the adults into separate ambushes 18.

During the final fight, Old Li turned his Mountain-Suppressing Fist on Jiang Mi immediately after she evaded the leopard’s counterattack. She survived through Cloud-Treading Crossing and feigned death. Believing he had killed her, Old Li proposed dividing the payment and cub-sale proceeds between himself and Old Woman, dismissing Jiang Mi’s contribution 18.

Jiang Mi then stabbed him through the back with the Azure Frost Sword, piercing his chest. Old Woman rejected his offer, explaining that she would not work with someone capable of betraying a teammate. After his death, the two women divided the fourteen-thousand-tael proceeds equally 19.

Appearance

• Burly build: Introduced as the team’s large male fist fighter 15.
• Simple, honest-looking expression: Retains this familiar expression even after his attempted murder of Jiang Mi 18.

Personality

Old Li was generally quiet but quick to charge into combat. His temper surfaced when Zuo Yunchi mocked the trio’s meal: he slapped the table, stood up, and threatened to beat him 16 17.

He could show gratitude and concern. He bought his teammates a meal after recovering from his near-fatal injury and warned Jiang Mi against a potentially deadly cultivation art. His concern during that warning appeared familial to her 16.

The leopard commission exposed his willingness to sacrifice a companion for financial security. He spoke of the windfall as a way to escape life-threatening hunting work, then attempted to remove Jiang Mi from the division of the proceeds. Jiang Mi had already taken precautions after noticing his eagerness for the job and his fixation on its rewards 18 19.

Abilities & Skills

Mountain-Suppressing Fist

Old Li’s named fist technique produces a visible streak of fist-light 18.

• Used against the final Azure-Patterned Leopard, initially aimed at its eyes 18.
• Used to ambush Jiang Mi while she was recovering her balance; she evaded the strike with Cloud-Treading Crossing 18.

Demonic-Beast Hunting

• Frontline combat: Specialized in fist techniques and was notably quick to enter fights 15 16.
• Coordinated ambushes: Helped trap and kill the four adult Azure-Patterned Leopards 18.
• Local terrain knowledge: Volunteered to locate the leopard den, claiming familiarity with the surrounding hills from years at Gathered Worthies Manor 18.

Other Skills and Knowledge

• Local cultivation lore: Knew the Evergreen Art’s dangerous reputation and the rumors surrounding its practitioners 16.
• Knowledge of powerful households: Explained the Zuo Household’s origins and spirit-stone business to Jiang Mi 17.
• Cooking: Jiang Mi specifically praised his cooking during preparations for the leopard hunt 18.

Equipment / Items

• Smoking pipe — Smokes while recounting the Evergreen Art’s history 16.
• Skinning knife — Taken from his body by Old Woman to process the leopard carcasses 19.

Relationships

• Jiang Mi / Rong Mi — Hunting companion for five years and one of his rescuers after the Gale Wolf attack. He later attempted to kill her for a larger share of their earnings; she killed him in retaliation 15 16 18 19.
• Old Woman — Longtime teammate who carried him to safety after his abdominal injury. He offered her half the leopard commission’s proceeds, but she refused to continue working with a betrayer 16 18 19.
• Zuo Yunchi — Client whose eight-thousand-tael commission prompted the team’s final hunt together 17 18.