Ji Nanshu

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

Life in the Qiang Kingdom

Ji Nanshu grew up as an orphan, fighting for food before his master and his master's wife took him in and taught him the mystic arts. With his talent, he became the Qiang Kingdom's State Preceptor after only three years of instruction 99 122.

As a fifteen-year-old disciple, he met Chu Mo, whose mission was to keep him alive until he became a formidable fangshi. Ji Nanshu's premature death would have brought catastrophe to that small world. Although he knew Chu Mo would eventually leave, he chose to cherish their friendship; their relationship later became romantic, with Ji Nanshu confessing first 192 205.

After his master and his master's wife died, Ji Nanshu vowed revenge against the Nanze Kingdom's State Preceptor and the Blood God Cult. He spent the following year striking the cult's forces in Nanze, while the Qiang emperor and empress continued to care for him 206.

Ji Ya and the Second Life

While serving as State Preceptor, Ji Nanshu rescued Ji Ya after she accidentally entered the Qiang Kingdom from another world. She remained with him as a maidservant for five years. Before sending her home, he instructed her to take her son's adopted child into her care when she reached sixty-five and raise him until eighteen—arranging the protection of his own future incarnation 113.

Ji Nanshu sacrificed his life to send Ji Ya home and exchanged his merit for another chance to remain with Chu Mo. Interference left his second incarnation missing a soul and without the memories he should have retained. Chu Mo's attempts to approach him consequently met with rejection 178 193.

In that second life, the Bai family's mistreatment and Bai Nanyu's schemes were compounded by public abuse during Ideal Life. Jian Yuanjia and Cen Yan were the exceptions among guests who otherwise sided against him. After his fate was altered, Ji Nanshu died by suicide 191 193.

The Third Life

Chu Mo recovered Ji Nanshu's missing soul and spent his accumulated merit seeking a third life for him. The God of Fate also expended half his divine power and returned Chu Mo to their first meeting in that life 178 193.

Initially, Ji Nanshu believes he has borrowed another person's corpse. He distinguishes himself from the body's “original owner,” whose memories and lingering emotions he experiences. His later encounters with that apparent original self leave him questioning whether they were always the same person. The eventual explanation identifies his contradictory memories as disturbances caused by reliving his life 3 19 84 99 193.

Appearance

• Eyes and complexion: Glistening peach-blossom eyes, long fanlike lashes, and delicate, fair skin 7.
• Hair: Black in his later appearance 195.
• Former styling: His agency had imposed a heavily made-up, multicolored look that he compared to a “rainbow feather duster.” Removing it changes his appearance enough that Liang You initially fails to recognize him 2 5.
• Reputation for beauty: In the Qiang Kingdom, the emperor personally designated him its foremost beauty. His modern livestream appearance also sends his looks trending 11 205.

Personality

Ji Nanshu is proud, sharp-tongued, and unwilling to accept mistreatment for the sake of family appearances. He answers manipulation with pointed mockery and fights back when attacked. His stated principle is to leave others alone if they leave him alone, but eliminate the source of trouble when they cross him 1 3 31.

His confidence extends to his looks and mystical expertise, but not to every profession: he openly admits that he lacks acting ability and cannot sing or dance. He is also practical about payment, charging for divination and insisting on high-quality materials when they matter to a talisman's effectiveness 2 21 29 54.

Despite his combative manner, he is deeply attached to family and fearful of losing it. He initially struggles to accept the Ji family's affection, believing it belongs to someone else, and hesitates outside their home because of his earlier bereavements. With Chu Mo and his family, he becomes openly affectionate, playful, and willing to rely on others 84 99 100 186.

Abilities & Skills

Divination and Face Reading

Ji Nanshu reads fortunes through facial features and calculations performed on his fingers 21.

• Identifies recent misfortune, relationship outcomes, financial dangers, and the subject a client intends to ask about 8 21 149 153.
• Locates buried criminal evidence through divination, helping the police catch a murderer 23.
• Foresees Si Dai's need for a talisman five days before her mission 29.
• Commonly charges 2,000 yuan per reading; his street stall advertises no charge for an inaccurate result 21 149.
• Maintains that his readings are never wrong, while explicitly acknowledging that fate can change 21.

Talisman Arts

He can draw powerful paper talismans in minutes and create talismans in midair using spiritual power. During combat, he draws two different talismans simultaneously with separate hands 29 32 52.

Luck Manipulation and Feng Shui

• Detects concentrated yin energy and traces the Mei family's misfortune to wind chimes placed above the parents' bed 32.
• Breaks Luck Borrowing using blood, a paper figure, cinnabar, the cursed objects, and a spiritual-power talisman 31 32.
• Sends consequences back onto both the beneficiary and the Celestial Master responsible for stealing the family's luck 32.
• Warns online abusers about verbal karma. One troll apologizes after a traffic accident, prompting further apologies from other netizens 76.

Gu Removal and Poison Diagnosis

• Neutralizes poison and removes gu from Pei Huai, winning Pei Qi's confidence 50.
• Combats the Brain-Devouring Gu King and the insects controlling Ange Village's residents 52 53.
• Removes the Shared-Heart Gu from Chu Mo before it takes effect and preserves the offspring gu as evidence 157.
• Diagnoses Ji Xingyu with Soul Severing poison and identifies a one-month deadline for obtaining the required rare ingredients 133.
• Physically destroys an attacking snake gu without being harmed by it 132.

Spirit Perception and Incense Making

• Perceives the golden light and yin energy surrounding Chu Mo at their modern reunion 1.
• Recognizes spirits and weighs their conduct rather than treating all of them as enemies; Fu Yu's accumulated merit helps persuade him to negotiate with her 40.
• Makes top-grade God-Inviting Incense, a technique apparently lost among modern practitioners 38 44.
• Explains that making the incense requires a human Celestial Master with at least Innate Realm cultivation. He also warns that it can only temporarily sustain Fu Yu's companion and may damage her cultivation 40 44.

Combat and Soul Searching

• Trains in martial arts alongside the arcane arts during his Qiang Kingdom youth 205.
• Uses joint locks, kicks, talismans, and projected spiritual energy against attackers 34 132.
• Shoots and subdues Jia Peng, then searches his soul for information about Ji Xingyu's abduction; Jia Peng is left mindless 133.
• Injures Xia Hong with spiritual power severely enough to keep him housebound for weeks 138.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Snake-shaped jade ring — A clear jade ring carved as a snake biting its tail, with writing inside. Reclaimed from the Bai family; later identified as the Ji family's zodiac ring made for him before birth 3 84.
• High-grade talisman paper, top-grade cinnabar, and writing brush — Supplies obtained from Elder Zhang's shop for talisman work 29.
• Solid-black sword — A birthday gift from the Qiang emperor; gives off a chill and flashes silver in the moonlight 204.
• Tang sword and flashlight — Borrowed from Ji Xingyu for the mountain investigation behind Ange Village 54.
• Ring from Adonis's studio — Collected with Chu Mo, who had commissioned their rings on the day of their first modern meeting 96.
• Wooden hairpin — Recognizes it as something Chu Mo carved, prompting questions about their previous relationship 178.

Relationships

Family and Partner

• Chu Mo — Lover across lifetimes and eventual husband. Rescues him after the engagement-banquet framing, supports his reunion with the Ji family, and promises to accompany his trials toward godhood 1 84 193 196.
• Ji Xianzhi and Ming Yi — Biological parents who spend nineteen years searching for him and warmly welcome his return 78 83 99.
• Old Master Ji — Paternal grandfather; recognizes his resemblance to his grandmother and reassures him that the Ji residence is his home 78 99.
• Ji Xingchi — Eldest brother; supports his choices about revenge and delights in treating him to food and gifts 122 129.
• Ji Xingyu — Second brother and fellow mystical practitioner. First suspects his identity; Ji Nanshu later investigates his abduction and diagnoses his poisoning 56 133.
• Ji Ying — Elder sister, whom he initially meets after rescuing her daughter from a skateboard collision 11 83.
• Ji Xingyao and Ji Xingxu — Third and fourth brothers, respectively; welcome him into the family 83.
• Yu Niuniu — Niece who affectionately calls him her “pretty little uncle” 83.
• Ji Ya — Adoptive grandmother and former maidservant in the Qiang Kingdom. Raised his modern incarnation according to instructions he gave her in his earlier life 1 113.
• His master and master's wife — Teachers and parental figures whose deaths drive his campaign against the Blood God Cult 99 206.

Friends and Associates

• Liang You — Manager; protective of his safety and frequently exasperated by his unconventional behavior 5 24.
• Jian Yuanjia — Friend who defends him against Bai Nanyu; also one of the few guests who did not turn against him in the second life 16 191.
• Lin Kai'an — Close friend who accompanies him shopping and offers unconditional support during the fraud controversy 29 74.
• Si Dai — Celestial Master who recognizes his exceptional ability and publicly releases his certification to counter fraud allegations 29 32 76.
• Shu Cheng — Fellow investigator on supernatural cases, though Ji Nanshu does not always agree with his requests to intervene 55 62 87.
• Wang Qi — Police contact who trusts his mystical abilities and shares information about the compromised kidnapping investigation 23 107 114.
• Liang Ziqian — Filmmaker whose projects Ji Nanshu auditions for, promotes, and later finances 29 115 188.

Adversaries

• Bai Nanyu — Adoptive younger brother and repeated schemer against him, beginning with the drugging and false seduction accusation at the engagement banquet 1 15.
• Liu Yanshuang and Bai Lin — Adoptive parents whose hostility leads him to reject the Bai household. Liu Yanshuang later participates in schemes involving kidnapping and drugging 3 34 130 136.
• Bai Nanchen — Adoptive second brother who attacks and publicly antagonizes him; later pays him 600,000 yuan for two protection talismans 1 62.
• Bai Nanzheng — Adoptive eldest brother, whose courteous public manner conceals ruthlessness. Ji Nanshu repeatedly rejects his demands and blocks his calls 35 46 76.
• He Jingyi — Bai Nanyu's fiancé, involved in the original framing and a later attempted assault. Ji Nanshu retaliates and exposes his wrongdoing 1 130.
• Xia Hong / Xia Tao — Enemy connected to Ji Nanshu's earlier suffering and modern threats against his family. Ji Nanshu identifies him and severely injures him 133 138 178.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Breaking with the Bai Family

• Awakens during Bai Nanyu's engagement-banquet scheme, exposes the drugging accusation, and kicks Bai Nanchen when he attempts to strike him 1.
• Retrieves his jade ring rather than letting Bai Nanyu use it to obtain an influential patron's help 2 3.
• Publicly recounts the framing on Ideal Life, refusing Bai Nanyu's demand that he apologize to their adoptive father 15.
• Recognizes that moving his household registration did not dissolve the adoption and begins considering how to end the legal relationship 34.

Establishing His Mystical Reputation

• Introduces fortune-telling as his special talent on Ideal Life and helps solve a murder case during filming 8 23.
• Breaks the Mei family's Luck Borrowing and supplies information connecting such cases to the Blood God Cult 32 33 54.
• Intervenes in Ange Village's gu crisis and overcomes the Brain-Devouring Gu King 49 52 53.
• Survives a fraud controversy when the association publishes his certificate and police confirm that an impersonator committed the crime 76.

Reunion and Retaliation

• Is identified as the Ji family's missing youngest child. He gradually accepts their affection and the birthday gifts they preserved for every year of his absence 83 84 99 100.
• Investigates the interference surrounding his kidnapping case and later defeats the drugging scheme involving Liu Yanshuang and He Jingyi 104 114 130.
• Learns that both Liu Yanshuang and He Jingyi have been jailed following the latter incident 136.
• Rescues captives while pursuing Ji Xingyu's abductors and turns his attention to Xia Hong after diagnosing his brother's poisoning 131 132 133.

Marriage and Recovered Memories

• Agrees to register his marriage with Chu Mo on his birthday; the couple are subsequently described as husbands 130 184.
• Recovers the truth of his previous lives and confirms that he and Chu Mo can remain together 193.
• Commits an initial 200 million yuan investment to Liang Ziqian's film and participates in casting 188.
• Celebrates his wedding with Chu Mo at the end of the main story 196.

Notable Quotes

“So he's allowed to hit me, but I'm not allowed to fight back? What, am I a punching bag who has to let him beat me up?” 1

“As I said, my divinations are never wrong. Whether you believe me is up to you.” 21