Old Man Sun

Biodata

Appearance

• Eyes and hands: Cloudy eyes, withered fingers, and callused hands 15 17 23.
• Face and voice: A weathered, deeply wrinkled face and a slightly hoarse voice 15 37.
• Clothing: Wears a tattered padded jacket when receiving Lin He at home 23.
• Temporary injury: His left cheek remains swollen for several chapters after Lin He slaps him out of a deadly trance 25 28 29.

Personality

Old Man Sun is quiet and rarely initiates conversation, but willingly shares his expertise once he recognizes Lin He's potential. He treats hunting as a learned craft rather than a contest of strength, emphasizing observation, technique, and practice 14 15.

His caution comes from experience with both the mountains and the cultivation world's violence. He warns that hunters drawn by spirit stones can be more dangerous than animals. After Lin He kills an attacker, he approves of the decision, covers the corpse, and matter-of-factly explains how little protection ordinary mortals receive 20 21.

He is proud and stubborn about accepting more than he believes he has earned. Despite his poverty, he insists that Lin He keep most of their hunting proceeds, especially after Lin He saves his life. His affection for his son is equally strong: he blames himself for the boy's lack of a spirit root and hopes spirit stones can ease his humiliating circumstances 15 21 27.

His caution is not absolute. The prospect of earning more spirit stones persuades him to venture farther toward the Immortals' Mass Grave despite his misgivings. He is also deeply attached to his home, initially refusing to leave Emerald Mountain Village even after narrowly escaping the graveyard 25 26.

Abilities & Skills

Tracking and Fieldcraft

His hunting ability is recognized throughout Emerald Mountain Village as exceptional 14.

• Identifies animals and recent activity from broken branches, footprints, droppings, and claw marks 15 17 25.
• Reads the depth and spacing of rabbit tracks to judge their size and condition 20.
• Uses terrain and scent to locate concealed burrows, including a fresh musky smell at an entrance 15 24.
• Teaches Lin He to move into the wind so his scent does not reach prey 15.

Archery Instruction

Old Man Sun immediately recognizes the approximately 120-jin draw weight of Lin He's black python sinew bow and notices stiffness in his shooting posture 15.

• Teaches shooting-position selection, breathing control, and mental composure 15.
• Guides Lin He through his first successful pheasant hunt and a subsequent Fanged Rabbit hunt 15 17.
• Advises avoiding vital areas when capturing rabbits for a bounty that rewards live specimens 20.

Mountain Travel and Burrow Hunting

• Moves lightly and quietly through woodland and traverses steep, unmarked slopes despite his age 15 24 25.
• Knows hunting grounds near the Immortals' Mass Grave that other hunters avoid 24 25.
• Finds burrow ventilation holes and uses smoke to drive rabbits toward Lin He 24.
• Prepares dry grass mixed with pungent herbs to produce acrid smoke for flushing burrows 25.

Limitations

• Supernatural influence: Falls into a murderous trance near the Immortals' Mass Grave and cannot respond to Lin He's attempts to shake him awake 25.
• Fishing: Begins with no practical knowledge of working on the water. His net fails to spread, and later practice repeatedly leaves it tangled 30 37.
• Fear of water: Trembles aboard boats and becomes especially anxious in Golden Lake's deep-water region 30 37 43.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Hunting bow and arrows — His regular hunting equipment; he continues maintaining his treasured bow after relocation 14 43.
• Woodcutting saber — Seen sharpening it in his courtyard before a hunt 20.
• Tobacco pipe — A worn, rusty pipe he frequently smokes while thinking or discussing danger 20 23 24.
• Fire striker and smoking grass — Used to ignite material for flushing rabbit burrows 25.
• Fishing net — A tattered net used while trying to learn a new livelihood at Golden Lake 37.

Relationships

• Lin He — Hunting pupil, partner, and later close friend. Their roles reverse at Golden Lake, where Lin He teaches him net casting and considers him practically one of his own 15 37.
• Unnamed son — Left the impoverished village years earlier to perform menial work for cultivation lineages. Old Man Sun intends to send him a spirit stone from the rabbit bounty 15 21.
• Shuigen — A Golden Lake boat owner who joins him and Lin He to learn Lin He's net-casting technique 37.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Teaching Lin He to Hunt

Old Man Sun first encounters Lin He on the mountain path outside Emerald Mountain Village. Impressed by his ability to draw a powerful bow, he invites him into Green Mountain and teaches him the fundamentals of hunting. Under his guidance, Lin He kills a pheasant with an arrow through its neck; they later hunt Fanged Rabbits together 14 15 17.

The Rabbit Bounty

Lin He recruits him to pursue the Li Household's bounty of one low-grade spirit stone per Fanged Spotted Rabbit. Old Man Sun provides tracking expertise while Lin He supplies the strength and shooting ability. Their expedition turns violent when a bearded hunter ambushes Lin He after they secure three rabbits 20.

After Lin He kills the attacker, Old Man Sun conceals the body and reassures him. He asks for only one low-grade spirit stone from the proceeds, intending to send it to his son. Lin He delivers the promised stone, and Old Man Sun warns him that outsiders are flooding the mountain 21 23.

The Immortals' Mass Grave

With the usual hunting grounds stripped of rabbits, Old Man Sun leads Lin He to the rocky slopes near the Immortals' Mass Grave. They catch six rabbits, but Lin He persuades him to continue farther despite his warnings 24 25.

A sinister gust and gray mist reveal a corpse-filled graveyard. Old Man Sun becomes unresponsive, mutters about killing, and aims his bow at Lin He. Lin He restores his senses with a forceful slap and pulls him out of the area 25.

Grateful rather than angry, Old Man Sun acknowledges that the blow saved his life. Nevertheless, he refuses Lin He's offer of a room in town, preferring to remain at home with his doors shut 26.

Evacuation and Resettlement

After a cultivator orders the villages near Green Mountain evacuated, Old Man Sun reaches town with other refugees and seeks out Lin He to warn him. He refuses most of Lin He's offered spirit stones, ultimately accepting one stone and two taels of silver 27.

He subsequently brings news that the refugees will be relocated to Golden Lake Village, where rented houses can become theirs after three years. He urges Lin He and Su Qiuran to join the departing villagers before the best houses are taken 28.

Adapting to Golden Lake

Old Man Sun attends the villagers' fishing lesson but struggles to translate the instruction into practice. Lin He takes him onto the lake and later offers further demonstrations after learning that he spent half the night unsuccessfully casting his net 29 30 37.

He accompanies Lin He into deep water, keeping watch from the boat during Lin He's prolonged dive. His alarm turns to relief when Lin He resurfaces with Golden-Backed Blue Claw Crabs. After Lin He's confrontation with village head Zhao Fugui, Old Man Sun worries about retaliation; Lin He entrusts him with selling the crabs in exchange for half the proceeds 43 44 45.

Notable Quotes

“Hunting is a craft. Strength alone won't do-you need to know the tricks of the trade.” 15

“Ordinary mortals like us aren't worth even a blade of grass in the cultivation world.” 21

“A golden nest or a silver nest is no match for your own straw nest.” 26