Xiao He

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Childhood with Song Yan

Xiao He lived in the mountains near Shiliang Town before meeting Song Yan and his grandfather, Song Ying, while they were gathering herbs. Song Yan was the first human she encountered after awakening her intelligence. She grew up with them, accepted Song Ying as her grandfather, and received the surname Xu from him. She never knew her biological parents and does not regard those strangers as her family 10 251 337 560.

Song Yan initially left her behind when he entered the Dongyuan Sect because he feared the sect would not tolerate a demon. After learning that immortal sects kept spirit beasts and spirit demons, he returned for her. Xiao He’s anger at another impending separation turned to delight when he invited her to accompany him 9 10.

Bai Qi’s Guidance

Bai Qi used two Jade-Stone Balls to draw Xiao He into a meeting. Discovering that she could take human form without ever having cultivated, Bai Qi suspected an exceptional bloodline and invited her to Shangtong Mountain. Xiao He refused to leave Song Yan, but accepted the Black Chi Dragon Transformation Chapter after Bai Qi warned that neglecting cultivation could cause her spiritual awareness to fade 79.

Bai Qi continued teaching and nourishing her in secret. Xiao He initially let Song Yan believe that she had inherited her cultivation method naturally, hoping he would consider her an extraordinary demon who could learn without instruction. She admitted the deception after his apparent death at Dragon Pool Mountain 107 251 269.

Departure for Between Mountains and Seas

Finding Song Yan’s frozen corpse forced Xiao He to confront how little she could do when he faced overwhelming danger. Even before his revival, she refused to abandon him or let anyone approach against his instructions. Afterward, she began seriously considering Bai Qi’s invitation so that she could become strong enough to help him 269 273.

Song Yan supported her freedom to choose, though he asked her to wait until reaching the second tier before leaving. They eventually parted in the Yanran Mountain Range, where she gave him a clay figure of himself. Xiao He asked him to become famous enough that she could find him again; she intended to become a powerful Great Yao so they could share thousands of years together 273 337.

In Between Mountains and Seas, she maintained a small cave decorated with handmade trinkets and clay figures of Song Yan at different ages. She told Feng Xiao that she wanted to return able to protect him, rather than hide helplessly whenever he was injured 434.

Reunion in the Central Region

After molting, Xiao He’s appearance changed enough that Song Yan failed to recognize her when she passed nearby. She was deeply hurt, although Ying Yu reassured her that he had previously asked about his snake yao friend and Between Mountains and Seas 486 496.

At the Daoyuan Mountain Gathering, Xiao He felt proud of Song Yan’s growing reputation, then became jealous when spectators described him and Zhong Ali as an immortal couple. She challenged Zhong Ali while disguising her Demon Power as human Spiritual Power, but withdrew after discovering Zhong Ali’s kindness. Song Yan subsequently recognized her and embraced her 504.

The pair resumed traveling together. During their visit to Moon-Worship River Valley, Xiao He described their existing lifelong bond as the marriage Little Butterfly was explaining to her 505.

Eastern Sea and the Sea Kingdom

Xiao He accompanied Song Yan through the Imperial Mausoleum and into the Eastern Sea. In the mausoleum, she shielded him from Jiang Jin, only to be pinned beneath a Great Hand Seal. She survived, but described the encounter as painful; it was the most dangerous battle she had experienced since gaining intelligence 574 576.

After Song Yan disappeared, Xiao He concluded that the Mirage Dragon had taken him and organized a rescue expedition toward Yu Abyss. She and Idle-Fishing Boy sold the pavilion’s stored goods to purchase supplies and protective items, while Zhang Chao and Li Cheng joined them. On Fenglin Island, she gathered information about the Sea Kingdom and studied maps 678 682 683.

During Song Yan’s Sea Kingdom wedding, Xiao He changed into bridal clothes and waited to exchange places with Lingsi. An impostor persuaded her not to enter the bridal chamber; the real Lingsi’s return exposed the deception. Tushan Yu had taken the bride’s place instead 703.

When Tushan Yu later invited her back to Between Mountains and Seas, Xiao He chose to remain with Song Yan. She rejected the idea that pursuing longevity required postponing the life she actually wanted to live with him 711.

Appearance

Xiao He has both a small green snake form and a human form that changes as she grows and molts 9 10 486.

• Early human form: A small, chubby-faced girl with short limbs and sharp little canine teeth 9 251.
• Eyes: Distinctive blue-gold or azure-gold slit pupils 9 337 496.
• After molting: A slender, straight nose and fine azure-gold scales across its bridge and the corners of her eyes; her features retain a youthful innocence 486 496.
• Later appearance: Often wears jade-green clothing; has long black hair and is also shown traveling barefoot 496 504 670.

Personality

Xiao He is playful, affectionate, and quick to express displeasure. She collects toys, burrows beneath quilts, and frequently bites Song Yan when embarrassed, jealous, or annoyed. Her threats are often part of their familiar teasing, rather than a reliable indication of hostility 9 39 197 576.

Her poor memory frustrates her desire to share experiences with Song Yan. While guarding his seclusion, she arranged grass-cord creations as reminders of each day’s events. She also loves green mountains, clear water, flowers, and trees, and dislikes Changping’s contrasting landscape 29 137.

She is naturally gifted but impatient with formal study. Mechanical puzzles can hold her attention for long periods, whereas sustained training does not always do so: after reaching the late first tier, she briefly treated cultivation as a holiday of eating and playing. Song Yan believes her creativity is best preserved through freedom rather than forced instruction 214 550.

Her devotion becomes increasingly deliberate as she matures. She accepts separation to gain the strength to protect Song Yan, then later decides that remaining beside him need not conflict with cultivation. For her, longevity matters because it provides time to do what she loves—not because it should replace those things 337 434 711.

Abilities & Skills

Transformation and Concealment

Xiao He could assume human form before beginning formal cultivation, an ability that led both Song Yan and Bai Qi to suspect unusual ancestry. Neither identifies her bloodline conclusively 60 79 363.

• Changes readily between snake and human forms, often riding in Song Yan’s sleeve or around his neck 12 36 308.
• Conceals her presence well enough to escape Song Yan’s Divine Sense after reaching the early first tier 107.
• Suppresses her Demon Power and imitates human Spiritual Power at the Daoyuan Mountain Gathering, though she briefly leaks Demon Qi when leaving the platform 504.

Demonic Cultivation and Combat

Her first documented cultivation method is the Black Chi Dragon Transformation Chapter, taught by Bai Qi 79.

• Possessed strength comparable to Qi Refining cultivators before formal cultivation and served as Song Yan’s hidden trump card 28 31.
• Can hold the Flawless Sword Qi in her mouth without injury and let it circle her tail 60.
• Manifests a huge black snake phantom that exhales emerald demonic mist 517.
• Uses vigorous green light carrying plant vitality to block Zhong Ali’s icy attacks 504.
• Has considerable physical toughness, but Jiang Jin’s hand seal can still injure and immobilize her 574 576.
• Suffers strong bloodline suppression from Xianyang Palace’s imperial might 582.

Thunder-Ming Marsh-Traveling Method

Dragon Maiden Ao Gui taught Xiao He the Thunder-Ming Marsh-Traveling Method and provided a Dragon Pearl that she uses in cultivation and combat 613 670.

• Directs powerful lightning arcs through the Dragon Pearl while pursuing Green Sparrow Daoist 668.
• Combines the pearl’s lightning with blue-black demon clouds when unleashing her third-tier power 670.
• Keeps the pearl concealed during cultivation at Song Yan’s insistence 613.

Mechanisms and Artistic Talent

Xiao He shows intuitive talent for mechanical puzzles, drawing, and clay modeling 328 434 550.

• Manipulates a cube to align an enormous mechanical passage across an abyss, earning a golden “Yan, Nine” assessment in the Mohist trials 550.
• Draws a recognizable face with a brush held in her tail, using clean, confident lines despite an immature style 328.
• Models Song Yan at different ages and makes clay wedding gifts of Lu Ziye and Nangong Ling 434 540.
• Recognizes some common written characters but initially cannot write them; Song Yan later begins teaching her reading and writing systematically 584.

Go

Song Yan teaches Xiao He Go, though her later success does not come from demonstrated mastery 219 656.

• An apparently careless move inspires Ding Jingsheng and Hall Master Lianjie to solve an ancient endgame by sacrificing stones to free Black’s great dragon 656.
• Receives the Peach Blossom Spring manual and a set of formation flags after the two acknowledge her contribution 656.

Equipment / Items

• Glutton Tail Flute (“Tail”) — An antique flute Song Yan gives her as a keepsake before their anticipated separation. She later insists that he took it back, although he does not remember doing so 274 306.
• Dragon Pearl — Associated with Dragon Maiden Ao Gui; supports Xiao He’s cultivation and Thunder Method 613 668 670.
• Mechanical toys — Includes a mechanism box, a mechanical figure, a puzzle cube, and an intricate ringed ball that she suspects contains something still hidden 214 306 550 664.
• Peach Blossom Spring Go manual — Awarded for her contribution to the ancient endgame’s solution 656.
• Formation flags — Awarded alongside the Go manual after she asks for the six-win prize Song Yan wanted 656.

Relationships

• Song Yan (“Yanyan”) — Childhood companion, closest loved one, and traveling partner. Their bond develops romantic implications, but both hesitate to discuss marriage directly; Song Yan privately wishes she had been his bride at the Sea Kingdom ceremony 10 273 505 711 714.
• Song Ying / Grandpa — Raised her alongside Song Yan, gave her the surname Xu, and taught her to value honesty. She considers him family regardless of species 251 542 560.
• Bai Qi — Snake yao mentor who introduces her to cultivation, repeatedly offers her a place at Shangtong Mountain, and escorts her toward Between Mountains and Seas 79 251 337.
• Feng Xiao (“Manman”) — Close friend in Between Mountains and Seas. Xiao He regards Feng Xiao and Song Yan as the two people she trusts most 434 507.
• Ying Yu / Little Butterfly — Friend who comforts her after Song Yan fails to recognize her and helps prepare her appearance for their river-valley meeting 496 505.
• Xiao Ju / Ju Luyi — Affectionate friend whom she calls “Sister Xiao Ju.” They exchange toys and confidences; Xiao He looks after her during recovery 306 540.
• Zhang Chao and Li Cheng — Octopus demon brothers she defeats and recruits to the pavilion. Both volunteer to help rescue Song Yan 596 678.
• Idle-Fishing Boy — Companion in organizing and undertaking the Yu Abyss rescue expedition 678 682.
• Lingsi — Sea Kingdom princess involved in the intended bridal exchange during Song Yan’s wedding 605 703.
• Tushan Yu — Complicates the bridal exchange and later urges Xiao He to reconsider remaining with Song Yan. Xiao He refuses to leave and is troubled by her hints about his desired bride 703 711 712.

Notable Quotes

“We’re going to live forever and never grow old.”

“We’re going to live together for a thousand years, ten thousand years.” 337

“Compared with that…”

“Being apart for a little while is nothing.” 337

“Ever since we were little, Grandpa taught us to be honest and never lie, but he told such a huge lie himself.” 542