Shen Qing

Biodata

Appearance

• Face: Small, youthful, and doll-like, with round almond-shaped eyes and a soft lip line 10 16.
• Hair: Worn in a high ponytail; a lock over her forehead turns silver-white after she uses the Moon-Destroying Slash 10 17.
• Clothing: Black robes, repeatedly bloodstained during the fighting at Black Wind Mountain and Ping'an County 16 27.
• Voice: Distinctly mature, contrasting sharply with her youthful face 10.
• Height: Roughly half a head shorter than Lin Yuan 19.

Personality

Shen Qing is direct, confident, and willing to act on dangerous leads. During her first meeting with Lin Yuan, she reads his dossier aloud and labels his apparent Body Tempering Perfection cultivation at eighteen merely “average talent.” His breakthrough two days later forces her to reconsider that assessment 10 18.

She places her companions' safety above her own. At Black Wind Mountain, she tries to create an escape route for Uncle Fu, then sacrifices years of her lifespan to attack Xiong Ba. She also urges Lin Yuan to flee rather than die attempting to rescue her 17 18.

Her loyalty to the imperial court coexists with considerable pragmatism. She disregards Lin Yuan's killing of men she considers scum, uses her family name to secure Wu Wei's cooperation, and accepts Lin Yuan into the Dragon Guard when Wang Ruogu attempts to arrest him. She has little patience for frightened civil officials and openly favors decisive action over their hesitation 10 20 35.

Away from immediate danger, she is playful and expressive. She teases Lin Yuan as his “big sister” and proudly announces her promotion before leaving him in charge of Ping'an County's Dragon Guard affairs 35.

Abilities & Skills

Cultivation and Saber Combat

• Realm: A Second Rank Qi Gathering Realm martial artist, specifically identified as early stage during her fight with Song Mo 16 26.
• Saber Qi: Projects silver-white cutting attacks capable of dismembering multiple bandits or intercepting an opponent's Sword Qi 16 21 30.
• Close combat: Exploits distractions and openings; she kills Zhao Meng's Second Rank swordsman from behind after Lin Yuan forces him into a head-on exchange 22.
• Limits: Exhaustion and military crossbows prevent her escape from Black Wind Mountain. Song Mo's late-stage Second Rank cultivation also gives him a decisive advantage over her in direct combat 16 26.

Moon-Destroying Slash

The Shen Clan's inherited Earth Rank secret art converts lifespan into a powerful saber strike 17.

• Produces a crescent of Saber Qi five zhang wide, grievously wounds Xiong Ba, and kills nearby bandits in the resulting blast 17.
• Costs Shen Qing several years of life, turns a lock of her hair silver-white, and leaves her coughing blood and unable to remain standing 17.
• Fails to kill Xiong Ba, who survives and breaks through into the Second Rank immediately afterward 17.

Lightness and Movement Skills

• Crosses courtyard walls and rooftops through successive leaps 10 35.
• Uses evasive footwork against Xiong Ba and circles Song Mo to compensate for her disadvantage in strength 16 26.
• Catches Lin Yuan after his clash with Song Mo and redirects his momentum to bring him safely to the ground 27.

Archery and Reflexes

• Catches an incoming messenger arrow with her left hand despite exhaustion and an injured right arm 29.
• Shoots her reply accurately into the ground before Zhao Wuya's command tent 29.
• Later delivers another message by arrow to the bandit camp, prompting the bandits to turn against the abandoned rebel camp before fleeing 33.

Investigation and Command

• Maintains dossiers on members of the Lin household and investigates its purchases of court-controlled grain and iron 10.
• Uncovers Zhao Meng's private soldiers and the supplies hidden at Black Wind Stronghold 16.
• Directs local officials, constables, and Dragon Guards during the suppression of Zhao Meng's faction and the defense of Ping'an County 19 22 29.
• Holds authority to recruit Lin Yuan and appoint him directly as Dragon Guard commandant in recognition of his service 35.

Equipment & Items

• Embroidered spring saber: Her principal weapon, used against Song Mo and the Shadow Guard assassins 26 30.
• Dragon Guard token: Given to Lin Yuan so he can contact her through Wang's Tea House; later serves as his token after he joins the organization 10 35.
• Black-bound dossier booklet and charcoal pencil: Used to consult and update intelligence on Lin Yuan 10.
• Qi and Blood Pills: Gives Lin Yuan a white jade porcelain bottle containing five pills when he requests one 22.

History

Investigation of the Lin Household

As the Dragon Guard captain inspecting Ping'an County, Shen Qing investigates the Lin household's large purchases of grain and iron and the unexplained disappearance of those goods. She approaches Lin Yuan after he kills the north city captain and eight soldiers, but makes clear that she is not targeting him. He tells her that hardened soldiers participated in the bandit ambush that killed Lin Dafu, directing her attention to Black Wind Mountain 10.

Shen Qing leaves him a token and instructions to contact her through Wang's Tea House. After she remains missing for two days, Lin Yuan's suggestion that she went to Black Wind Mountain sends the teahouse proprietor, Uncle Fu, searching for her 10 15.

Entrapment at Black Wind Mountain

Her infiltration exposes stockpiles of provisions and refined iron, along with private troops belonging to County Commandant Zhao Meng. Recognizing preparations for rebellion, she attempts to escape with the information. Military crossbowmen seal her escape routes while Xiong Ba wears her down through prolonged fighting 16.

Uncle Fu reaches her, but the crossbowmen kill several accompanying Dragon Guards and wound him. Cornered at a cliff, Shen Qing attempts to draw Xiong Ba into the surrounding bandits so Uncle Fu can escape. When that fails, she unleashes the Moon-Destroying Slash at the cost of several years of life. Xiong Ba survives and advances into the Second Rank 16 17.

Lin Yuan arrives and ultimately kills Xiong Ba and the remaining bandits. Shen Qing believes his extraordinary attack has exacted a severe personal cost and privately resolves to remember her debt to him 18 19.

Suppression of Zhao Meng's Faction

Shen Qing orders the stronghold's provisions burned and its refined iron buried. On learning that Zhao Wuya is approaching with thirty thousand troops, she chooses to hold Ping'an County rather than withdraw. She sends Uncle Fu to Qingshan Commandery for reinforcements and works with Lin Yuan to remove the rebels within the county 19.

She secures Wu Wei and Wang Ruogu's cooperation and attempts to ambush Zhao Meng at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. His Second Rank swordsman blocks her initial attack, but she and Lin Yuan pursue the pair into the street. Lin Yuan kills Zhao Meng; Shen Qing delivers the fatal strike to his swordsman. She then orders secrecy and directs the officials to purge Zhao Meng's loyalists 20 21 22.

Lin Estate and the Siege

After discovering that the Zhao Clan has moved into the Lin residence, Shen Qing accompanies Lin Yuan there. She intercepts Song Mo's attack and keeps him occupied while Lin Yuan kills Zhao Yan. The cultivation gap leaves her badly wounded in the right arm, but she continues fighting to create an opening for Lin Yuan's decisive attack 24 26 27.

Shen Qing subsequently returns to defend the city despite her injury. She attempts to delay Zhao Wuya with a written reply to his demand for the Zhao Clan's release, then fights his Shadow Guard on the walls. When seven assassins combine their power into a massive dagger phantom, she prepares to risk a desperate attack before Lin Yuan intervenes and destroys it 28 29 30 31.

After Lin Yuan discovers that Zhao Wuya has withdrawn his army, Shen Qing sends a message into the bandit camp that triggers its collapse. Uncle Fu arrives with five thousand cavalry, who pursue the fleeing bandits through the night 33.

Recruitment and Promotion

Shen Qing formally invites Lin Yuan to join the Dragon Guard after the siege, but he initially refuses. He accepts after killing the Treasure Pavilion attendant implicated in Xiao He's murder, when Wang Ruogu orders his arrest 33 34 35.

She appoints him directly as Ping'an County's Dragon Guard commandant, Subordinate Eighth Rank, citing his contribution to the city's defense. Having received her own promotion to company commander of Qingshan Commandery, Principal Sixth Rank, she immediately departs and leaves the county's Dragon Guard affairs to him 35.

Relationships

• Lin Yuan — Investigative contact, rescuer, and trusted combat partner whom she eventually recruits as her successor in Ping'an County. Their cooperation develops through repeated efforts to protect one another 10 18 19 26 27 35.
• Uncle Fu — Loyal servant and subordinate who calls her “young miss.” He risks his life to rescue her and later brings the reinforcements she requests 16 17 19 33.
• Wu Wei — County magistrate whose cooperation she obtains by promising to preserve his post. Her surname leads him to suspect a connection to a powerful Shen commander in the capital 20.
• Wang Ruogu — Deputy magistrate who assists her against Zhao Meng, but objects to Lin Yuan's extrajudicial killing before she recruits him into the Dragon Guard 20 22 35.
• Xiong Ba — Bandit chief who traps and threatens her at Black Wind Mountain. Her lifespan-burning attack nearly kills him, but Lin Yuan ultimately finishes him 16 17 19.
• Song Mo — Rebel-aligned late-stage Second Rank swordsman who seriously wounds her during the confrontation at the Lin estate 25 26 27.

Notable Quotes

“Just a few years of life. As long as I could slaughter that beast, it was worth it...” 17

“Has no one ever told you not to turn your back on an enemy?” 22

“Do a good job. Your big sister will be waiting in the commandery city.” 35