Chu Nan

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Childhood and Loss of His Arm

Chu Nan and Chu He depended on each other for survival from childhood. When they first arrived in Green Mountain Commandery, they had neither money nor anyone to turn to and competed with dogs for food. Within three years, Chu He established the wealthy Chu household, complete with hundreds of servants; he was thirteen at the time 12 18.

Chu Nan lost his right arm in exchange for the life of someone dearest to him, declaring that he had no regrets. Chu He later promised to restore it within a year and warned him against cultivation methods that caused lasting harm. Although Chu Nan reassured his brother that he had adapted, seeing a servant carry something with both hands briefly revealed his longing 18.

Obtaining Elder Meng’s Jade Pendant

Chu Nan originally preferred reading to martial practice, declining to train in the Heavenly Cripple Technique that Chu He found for him. About ten days before his conversation with Elder Meng in the study, he obtained a jade pendant while worshipping at a temple. It contained Elder Meng’s remnant soul 12 13.

Promises of overwhelming power did not interest him. He reconsidered cultivation only when Elder Meng asked whether he had someone he wished to protect: Chu He’s instructions before leaving for the Demon Suppression Bureau had sounded disturbingly like final wishes 13.

Torn between keeping Elder Meng’s secret and being honest with his brother, Chu Nan ultimately chose to reveal the pendant. Chu He stopped him before he finished, acknowledged his opportunity, and advised him to remain true to himself. He also threatened to destroy the pendant’s inhabitant if it mistreated Chu Nan 13.

White Lotus Cult Attack

After the failure of its altar scheme, the White Lotus Cult targeted Chu He’s family in retaliation. At the estate, Chu Nan recognized a demon impersonating the steward through its foul smell and uncharacteristic smile, then attacked with a sword hidden beneath his dining table 45.

He blinded the Second Rank Middle Stage demon with chili powder and killed it with a weasel-hair brush infused with Vast Righteous Qi. This was his second direct encounter with a demon and his first kill, helping him overcome his psychological fear 46.

While checking the unnaturally silent estate, he encountered a Late Third Rank ghost-faced demon. His poisoned fan injured its hand but could not stop it. Before Elder Meng could carry out his plan to burn part of his soul to save him, Hai Pig arrived and intervened 46.

After Hai Pig killed the attacker, Chu Nan ordered the guards to keep the incident secret and restore the courtyard before dawn. Following Hai Pig’s suggestion to plant a fruit tree over the remains, he specifically ordered a peach tree with surrounding flower beds 47.

Provincial Examination and Banquet Dispute

Chu Nan passed the provincial examination, qualifying him to travel to the capital for the next examination. The household arranged a celebration at Chushan Restaurant, but the Qinghai Gang scheduled a rival banquet directly opposite it and invited the same guests 50.

With rumors of Chu He’s death circulating, the steward proposed changing venues to avoid an empty banquet. Chu Nan rejected the suggestion and ordered the original arrangements to proceed. Meanwhile, Qinghai Gang leader Wang Long declared that anyone attending the Chu household’s banquet would become the gang’s enemy 50.

Appearance

Chu Nan is a handsome youth with a scholarly bearing 12.

• Missing right arm: Only his left arm remains; the right side of his clothing hangs empty 12.
• Jade pendant: Wears the pendant containing Elder Meng’s remnant soul against his chest 12.

Personality

Chu Nan’s desire to cultivate comes from protecting his brother rather than pursuing power for its own sake. His loyalty also outweighs his discomfort about revealing Elder Meng’s secret: he reasons that cultivation undertaken for Chu He should not be hidden from him 13.

He uses humor to ease his brother’s concern over his disability, joking that frequent use of his left arm explains his intelligence. He is also fastidious about cleanliness, hurriedly avoiding the disguised demon’s saliva 18 45.

Under pressure, he is observant and resourceful. He notices inconsistencies in the false steward’s behavior, uses concealed weapons and poison, and maintains a casual appearance while investigating the silent estate. After Hai Pig’s rescue, he reasons that Chu He is probably alive because Hai Pig remains respectful and shows no grief 45 46 47.

Abilities & Skills

Vast Righteous Qi

Chu Nan can wield Vast Righteous Qi with Elder Meng’s assistance, but his Confucian cultivation is not yet sufficient to use it independently 46.

• Protects his body during Elder Meng’s accelerated cultivation method 45.
• Infused into a writing brush, kills a Second Rank Middle Stage demon despite Chu Nan’s lower cultivation 46.
• Elder Meng recommends cultivating both the Confucian and martial paths 46.
• As of the estate attack, he has not opened his Confucian Palace. Elder Meng identifies this as the necessary first step toward becoming a true Confucian cultivator; the Lip Spear and Tongue Sword Technique remains a prospective ability, not a demonstrated one 46.

Evasive Footwork

Chu Nan uses an unnamed, unusual footwork technique to evade attacks 46.

• Repeatedly avoids the disguised steward’s lunges while it restrains its demonic Qi to avoid detection 46.
• Helps him retreat from the ghost-faced demon’s ambush, though it does not overcome the strength gap against a Late Third Rank opponent 46.

Observation and Improvised Combat

• Detects the steward impersonator through its smell and smile rather than relying on cultivation alone 45.
• Uses chili powder to blind an opponent before delivering a killing strike 46.
• Recognizes that the estate’s silence suggests either mass casualties or a means of isolating his courtyard 46.
• Conceals poison on a folding fan, injuring an enemy that catches it 46.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Jade pendant — Houses Elder Meng’s remnant soul and allows him to communicate with Chu Nan mentally 13.
• Hidden longsword — Kept beneath the dining table and used against the disguised steward 45.
• Weasel-hair brush — Channels Vast Righteous Qi for his first demon kill 46.
• Poisoned folding fan — Burns and damages the ghost-faced demon’s hand on contact 46.
• Chili powder — Used to blind the Second Rank demon 46.

Relationships

• Chu He — Elder brother and the main reason Chu Nan pursues cultivation. Chu Nan deeply admires him; Chu He supports his choices and promises to restore his arm 12 13 18.
• Elder Meng — Remnant-soul mentor who guides his cultivation, enables his early use of Vast Righteous Qi, and prepares to sacrifice part of his soul to rescue him 13 45 46.
• Hai Pig — Rescuer who addresses him as “Second Master.” Chu Nan infers that he is Chu He’s subordinate, though he is surprised by his strength 46 47.
• White Lotus Cult — Targets him as retaliation for Chu He’s opposition to the cult 45 46.
• Qinghai Gang — Attempts to undermine his examination celebration and use the Chu household as a stepping stone to local dominance 50.

Notable Quotes

“For the person dearest to me, I traded an arm for a life. No regrets.” 18

“Hold it at Chushan Restaurant. Everything proceeds as planned.” 50