Song Hechuan

Biodata

Background / History

Song Hechuan owns the Song Clan Pill Workshop, Blood Dragon City's largest pill marketplace. His alchemical reputation ranks below academy dean Zhou Wan'en and the chief pill master Attendants of the three great Lineages. He openly acknowledges their superior techniques while maintaining that his workshop surpasses both the academy and the Lineages in production volume and sales profits 24 27.

According to Song, the workshop's commercial advantage comes from serving a broader market: Zhou rarely refines pills and generally produces expensive high-grade medicines, while the Lineages retain most of their production for internal use 27.

Meeting Bu Wuchen

Xia Nuoyi brings Bu Wuchen to the workshop to demonstrate his pill-refining ability. Song welcomes her with elaborate deference, calls her his “little grandaunt,” and reveals that she possesses Divine Communion Realm cultivation 23.

Song initially pays little attention to Bu Wuchen, assuming that the junior-class academy student is Xia Nuoyi's attendant. His doubts deepen when Bu cannot estimate the cauldron's capacity and then loads fifteen sets of unsorted ingredients into it at once. Nevertheless, Song lends his cauldron and provides the ingredients out of consideration for Xia Nuoyi 24.

His assessment changes completely when Bu divides ordinary charcoal fire into fifteen separately controlled portions and produces fifteen Healing Pills—a full yield. Song admits that even his own Seventh-Layer alchemical skills would ordinarily achieve only an exceptional eighty-percent yield under comparable conditions 25 26.

Recruiting Bu Wuchen

Recognizing Bu's talent, Song apologizes for his earlier discourtesy and invites him to become a pill master Attendant. He also hopes that cooperation might introduce him to the accomplished teacher he assumes must stand behind Bu 26.

Song subsequently provides a private refining chamber, extensive medicinal supplies, five jin of pill-fire tinder, and elite guards to prevent interruptions during Bu's seclusion 27.

Repeated requests for additional supplies make him fear that he has mistaken a lucky success for genuine mastery. He briefly suspects that Bu and Xia Nuoyi are exploiting him, but continues providing materials after Xia warns him against that suspicion 28.

When Bu emerges, Song identifies perfect-quality middle- and upper-grade Qi Recovery Pills. His anxiety turns to shame and excitement: the completed pills are worth far more than the ingredients and fire tinder consumed 28 29.

Exposing Lin Taoshu

Bu asks Song to help him retaliate against Pill Hall master Lin Taoshu, offering to halve his own share of the pill-sale profits in return. Song refuses compensation for helping someone he now calls a friend and agrees to the plan. He judges that it requires little effort and does not amount to a direct, all-out confrontation with the Lin Lineage 29.

Song brings samples of Bu's perfect-quality pills to Zhou Wan'en and asks for an introduction to their supposedly elusive student creator. He then leads Zhou to the Pill Hall at the planned moment, allowing the dean to hear Lin openly obstruct Bu's admission. Song reinforces the deception by publicly greeting Bu as “Master Bu” and rebuking Lin for disparaging him 30 31.

The exposure leads to Lin's dismissal and an alchemy duel against Bu. Song watches the contest and visibly relaxes when Bu demonstrates his skill. Later, while hurriedly leaving to avoid Xia Nuoyi's teasing, he calls out that the workshop will welcome Bu at any time 32 35 40.

Appearance

• Build: Lean, muscular, and vigorous 23 24.
• Hair: Close-cropped 23.
• Eyebrows: Broad and blade-like 28.

Personality

Song is commercially shrewd and quick to recognize an opportunity. Once convinced of Bu Wuchen's talent, he offers unprecedented terms and prioritizes securing his cooperation even over appeasing Xia Nuoyi. He is also candid about the limits of his own alchemical skill when explaining the city's pill trade 26 27.

His outward courtesy frequently conceals anxiety. He initially dismisses Bu because of his youth and academy rank, then privately doubts him again as supply costs mount. Both times, concrete results overturn his judgment and leave him embarrassed by his assumptions 24 28 29.

Song is particularly wary of Xia Nuoyi's temper and influence. He tries to smooth over potentially embarrassing situations and repeatedly apologizes when she threatens the workshop 25 28.

Abilities & Skills

Pill Refinement

• Holds the Seventh Layer of the Mortal Realm in alchemy 25 28.
• Considers an eighty-percent yield of low-grade mortal-tier Healing Pills an exceptional performance when using a full allocation of ingredients 26.
• Despite having reached his rank some time earlier, has never successfully refined a perfect-quality middle-grade mortal-tier pill when he examines Bu's work 28.

Pill Appraisal

• Identifies the grade and perfect quality of Bu's Qi Recovery Pills through close inspection, including examining their fragrance 28.
• Recognizes the considerable market value of perfect-quality upper-grade pills and distinguishes ordinary formulas from rarer medicines capable of commanding much higher prices 29.

Commercial Knowledge

• Understands the production practices, market limitations, and relative alchemical standing of Blood Dragon City's major pill-producing institutions 27.
• Knows the city's prominent pill refiners well enough that Zhou Wan'en considers his identification of an unfamiliar talent credible 31.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Orchid Flame Nettle Flower Cauldron — Song's blue-green, middle-grade mortal-tier utility artifact, lent to Bu Wuchen. It increases mortal-tier pill-refining success by eight percent, reduces flame-control difficulty by fifteen percent, and holds up to fifteen sets of Healing Pill or Qi Recovery Pill ingredients 24.

Relationships

• Bu Wuchen — Recruited pill master, business partner, and acknowledged friend. Song supplies his refining operation, handles pill sales, and helps expose Lin Taoshu's misconduct 26 27 29 31.
• Xia Nuoyi — Powerful patron whom he addresses as “little grandaunt.” Her introduction enables his partnership with Bu, but her threats and unpredictable temper keep him cautious 23 26 28.
• Zhou Wan'en — Academy dean whose alchemical superiority Song acknowledges. Song uses a plausible business visit to bring him into Bu's plan against Lin 27 31.
• Lin Taoshu — Superior-ranked fellow pill refiner whom Song publicly confronts for belittling Bu and obstructing his entry into the Pill Hall 27 31.

Notable Quotes

“What friend would hold out his hand for benefits just for helping another friend?” 29

“Our Song Clan Pill Workshop awaits your honored visit at any time, Master Bu!” 40