Elder Shi

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Earlier Life

Elder Shi traveled with warriors in his youth. He also learned an earlier version of the Savage Elephant Great Strength Art: the diagram he later teaches Chen Xiuyuan contains additional strokes absent from his childhood copy. By old age, his legs can no longer manage his former journeys 5 8.

Escape from the Fang Wolf

Elder Shi and Chen Xiuyuan escape a gray wolf by uncovering concealed stone steps and retreating to an old hunting shelter. There, he introduces himself, shares dried meat, and encourages Chen to rest his injured hands 2.

When a Fang Wolf presses into the shelter, Elder Shi holds the doorway and identifies an old falling-slab defense. He draws the beast’s forelegs beneath the slab while Chen cuts its supporting rope. They escape through a narrow opening in the rear wall, after which Elder Shi teaches Chen to secure his wound dressing despite his own exhaustion and aggravated leg condition 3.

Taking in Chen Xiuyuan

Upon returning to Bloodstone, Elder Shi immediately treats a hunter’s wounded wrist and has Chen assist under supervision. Shi Qiren permits Chen to lodge in Elder Shi’s house and initially receive food from his share 4.

Elder Shi helps Chen obtain suitable work through Shi Yuan, teaches him knife maintenance, and comforts him after learning that he has lost contact with his family. Rather than promising a way home, he advises Chen to recover, learn, and eventually seek guidance from people who have traveled farther 4 5 6.

Teacher and Fellow Learner

Elder Shi introduces Chen to the Savage Elephant Great Strength Art and later oversees his saber training alongside Shi Lei. He supervises Chen’s first two Heavenly Meridian openings, repeatedly adjusting training to accommodate injuries 8 16 19 32.

After Chen develops a saber path beyond the original Bloodstone Saber Technique, Elder Shi asks to learn it himself. He practices a seated version, acknowledges that the addition was not part of his own training, and insists that Chen take credit for his work 33 34.

Following Chen’s first paid escort journey, Elder Shi examines his injuries and damaged borrowed saber. He subsequently begins teaching him medicinal-food preparation, including ingredient inspection, compatibility, and the limits of simply following a written formula 39 40.

Appearance

• Aged face: His face becomes visibly pale while he braces the shelter door against the Fang Wolf 3.
• Impaired right leg: After the escape, his leg stiffens until he can barely bend it; prolonged activity continues to aggravate it 4 34.
• Wooden staff: Uses it for support, practical tasks, and correcting students’ movements 3 4 24.
• Worn clothing: His sleeves become shiny with use, and he asks Chen to obtain durable coarse cloth for repairs 35 39.

Personality

Elder Shi expresses care through practical help: softening tough meat, sharing food, checking bandages, and preparing clean cloth for journeys. His concern often takes the form of blunt instructions rather than reassurance, especially when Chen tries to dismiss an injury or continue training while exhausted 2 3 5 15 35 39.

As a teacher, he values accuracy and restraint. He makes Chen redo a loose bandage himself, warns him against identifying damaged herbs without sufficient evidence, and refuses to let enthusiasm substitute for recovery or nourishment. His corrections emphasize understanding what a movement accomplishes rather than merely repeating it 3 9 17 24.

He is frank about his own limits and willing to become a student. He admits that he cannot describe distant places he has never visited, asks detailed questions when learning Chen’s revised cut, and does not claim ownership of his pupil’s innovation 5 34.

Abilities & Skills

Wound Treatment and Recovery

Elder Shi treats injured tribespeople and manages Chen’s recovery throughout his early training 4 15 30 32.

• Applies wound medicine and teaches bandaging that neither slips nor constricts circulation 3 4.
• Rejects cloth that has fallen on the ground when preparing a dressing 4.
• Checks wounds before permitting travel, weight-bearing, sharp turns, or saber practice 9 16 17 31 32.
• Treats Chen’s forearm and shoulder after the fight protecting the witnesses 30.

Herb Identification and Medicinal Food

He teaches the distinction between medicinal materials that look alike and supervises their preparation 9 40.

• Distinguishes scarlet whisker root from brown thread root by crowns and rootlets rather than color alone 9.
• Confirms Chen’s sorting of an adulterated root bundle and supplies a whole plant for drawing 9.
• Inspects beast blood and prescribes gradual use alongside ordinary meals and regular practice 18.
• Examines poorly decocted ingredients and identifies pieces left soft outside but dry and hard inside 17.
• Questions ingredient compatibility, intended users, and old injuries before allowing medicinal-food preparation to proceed 40.
• Stops further preparation when Chen’s swollen shoulder and tired hands make continued work inadvisable 40.

Cultivation Instruction

Elder Shi teaches the Savage Elephant Great Strength Art using a beast-hide diagram 8.

• Explains that the body has 108 Heavenly Meridians and that opening the first marks entry into the Meridian Opening Realm 8.
• Corrects posture, breathing, foot placement, and the circulation of Qi and blood 8 17.
• Distinguishes merely mobilizing Qi and blood from actually opening a meridian 8.
• Supervises Chen’s first breakthrough and confirms the opened meridian by examining him 19.
• Teaches later pathways, including two points on the third meridian’s route where Qi can rush ahead 32.

Saber Technique and Instruction

Elder Shi teaches blade control, footwork, and recovery within the Bloodstone Saber Technique 24 26.

• Uses his staff to expose overextension and strike beside Chen’s wrist when he reaches too greedily 24.
• Corrects the relationship between stance, waist movement, and the blade’s returning path 24.
• Demonstrates a heavy-saber grip in which the front hand guides and the rear hand supports 26.
• Designs a full-sequence test requiring controlled cuts, safe transitions, and refusal to pursue unreachable targets 26.
• Helps Chen distinguish problems of strength, blade path, and weapon suitability when testing hard armor 27.
• Can practice and teach while seated, but cannot freely move around the training ground because of his legs 24 34.

Wilderness Survival

• Holds off the Fang Wolf with a staff and a burning stick while organizing an escape 2 3.
• Recognizes the shelter’s falling-slab trap and times its use so the wolf cannot simply circle around to the rear exit 3.
• Checks travel equipment for hazards, including basket straps that chafe and scabbards that obstruct movement 10 28 35.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Wooden staff — Walking support, defensive implement, and teaching aid 3 24 26.
• Old short saber — Lent to Chen for survival, training, and escort work. Elder Shi maintains its wrapping and scabbard strap and checks damage after use 3 24 35 39.
• Fine whetstone — Used to teach Chen how to remove burrs without needlessly grinding away the blade 5 6.
• Beast-hide cultivation diagram — Depicts the Savage Elephant Great Strength Art and Heavenly Meridian pathways 8 19.
• Herb basket and medical supplies — Carries gathered roots, wound medicine, and bandaging cloth 2 3 4.
• Armor and hide samples — Obtains curved and thick pieces from Shi Yuan to support Chen’s saber experiments 31 33.

Relationships

• Chen Xiuyuan — Rescued companion, housemate, patient, and pupil. Their support becomes reciprocal: Chen contributes food and household purchases, then teaches Elder Shi his revised saber path 3 4 7 31 34 39.
• Shi Lei — Fellow instructor in Chen’s training. Shi Lei demonstrates movements Elder Shi’s legs make difficult, while Elder Shi directs corrections and restrains both students from overpractice 8 16 24 34.
• Shi Qiren — Bloodstone authority who allows Chen to stay with Elder Shi and learn in the medicine shed 4.
• Shi Yuan — Helps provide suitable work for Chen and supplies the armor scraps Elder Shi brings for study 4 31.
• Auntie Sang — Fellow source of herbal instruction; both help Chen distinguish medicinal plants before preparing medicinal food 40.

Notable Quotes

“Being able to practice is a skill. Knowing when to rest is a skill too.” 8

“When you teach someone, don't assume he has your hands and feet.” 34

“Remember whoever taught you the old method. What you changed was your own work. Don't push that onto me either.” 34