Peiwen

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

Peiwen came from a poor family. During his time in the royal city, he belonged to the same cohort as Kangna, who later recalled him as its most outstanding member in swordsmanship and tactics. They had also met at Emerald Hall 43 45.

By his introduction, Peiwen commanded Cloudmist Territory’s guards and accompanied Commandery Princess Liushuang on her journey south. Although Lady Linda and Master Locke held considerable authority over the household party, both relied heavily on his judgment in military matters 11 14 39.

Personality

Peiwen is usually mild-mannered and professionally courteous, but more comfortable solving problems through force than persuasion. His orthodox training favors direct combat rather than assassination or deception. On the battlefield, that restrained manner gives way to aggressive attacks in which he willingly exchanges injuries for opportunities to kill 11 25 39.

His loyalty to Liushuang includes concern for her emotional well-being. After the orc ambush, he deliberately credits her acceptance of Chen Mo’s gift with saving everyone, hoping that positive reassurance will help her recover from the ordeal 26.

That protectiveness is also ruthless. He dismisses people who would slow the escape, orders the party’s horses killed before crossing the Crystal River, and ultimately kills captured comrades because they know Liushuang’s location. His final decisions place her survival above his own life and those of his soldiers 39 43 46.

Marquis Valen identifies Peiwen’s eagerness to seize battlefield opportunities as an exploitable weakness. This is an enemy assessment rather than Peiwen’s own explanation of his conduct, but Valen successfully uses staged fighting to draw him into a trap 45.

Abilities & Skills

Golden Scale Swordsmanship

A fourth-tier foot swordsman whose attacks combine physical strength, battle qi, and orthodox military technique 11 25 39.

• Cleaves through an orc wolf rider and its mount with a two-handed greatsword 24.
• Cuts down six or seven wolf riders and their mounts while fighting through repeated injuries under Locke’s healing 25.
• Uses injury-for-injury exchanges to pressure similarly ranked opponents, particularly when supported by a healer 39.
• Cannot overcome the fourth-to-fifth-tier power gap: Gaoshi’s fifth knight breaks through his Psionic Energy defense, soft armor, and physical toughness in successive blows 46.

Charge

A swordsman-exclusive acceleration skill used to close distance, intercept enemies, and smash obstacles 39 41.

• Repeatedly intercepts Tikpot’s escape attempts 39.
• Destroys a wooden lookout tower during the nighttime camp assault 41.
• Places a heavy burden on the body when used repeatedly in quick succession; healing support allows Peiwen to take greater risks 39.

Furious Slash

A desperate leaping attack from Firmament standard military swordsmanship, delivered with a two-handed greatsword and pale golden battle qi 25.

• Commits Peiwen’s remaining strength to a powerful forward strike.
• Fails against Moglu, who deflects it with a battle-ax and sends him flying 25.

Strength & Endurance

Possesses superhuman strength sufficient to transport the entire surviving party across the Crystal River 43.

• Tows the group and six supply-laden logs using ropes fastened around his waist.
• Completes the crossing in one hour and thirty-eight minutes.
• Collapses from exhaustion afterward and requires Locke’s recovery magic and rest 43.

Military Command & Reconnaissance

Exercises the party’s effective battlefield command and combines local geographical knowledge with Chen Mo’s drone reconnaissance 39 42.

• Orders dispersed formations and full-draw volleys against armored wolf riders, reducing losses from incoming javelins 24.
• Prioritizes mobility over armor, supplies, and a large escort during the wartime retreat 39.
• Immediately recognizes the Skylark drone’s value as a long-range, mobile equivalent of a mage’s detection spell 40.
• Uses reconnaissance to avoid enemy forces, ambush patrols, and obtain enemy uniforms and equipment 42.
• Detects the inconsistency in Kangna’s apparent escape and orders his soldiers into formation before the betrayal is openly revealed 43.
• Communicates through unit hand signals visible to the Skylark, warning the hidden party from six kilometers away 46.

Modern Weapon Use

Adapts Chen Mo’s unfamiliar weapons to close combat despite initially lacking an understanding of their technology 14 25 36.

• Removes a thermite grenade’s pin one-handed and throws it into a gap in Moglu’s armor 25.
• Integrates grenade throws into Charge attacks against cavalry 43.
• Uses paired thermobaric grenades to open an attempted breakout 45.
• Initially underestimates firearms because their projectiles are small, while favoring grenades whose effectiveness he has witnessed firsthand 35 36.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Two-handed greatsword — His principal weapon during the orc ambush and the weapon used for Furious Slash 24 25.
• Armor — Wears plate armor with chain mail protecting his lower leg during the Longwind Hills battle. Later orders the retreating warriors to exchange plate for light armor; protective soft armor is documented in his final battle 25 39 46.
• Spare weapon pouch — Stores Chen Mo’s original thermite grenade and later carries additional modern weapons 14 45 46.
• Thermite grenade — Given by Chen Mo to Liushuang and accepted into Peiwen’s keeping. Its burning charge kills Moglu after Peiwen throws it inside his armor 14 25.
• Hand grenades — Receives instruction on offensive, defensive, and thermite variants; later employs grenades against pursuing cavalry and enemy knights 36 43 45.
• No. 4 thermobaric grenades — Uses two against Gaoshi’s fifth knight. Their impact-detonation capability prevents agile opponents from simply returning them 45.
• Gas mask — Wears one of the squad’s two available masks during the assault on the enemy camp 41.
• Adrenaline injectors — Uses three injections while mortally wounded to regain enough strength for his final attack 46.
• Adhesive bomb — Triggers the final explosion, detonating the modern weapons still on his body 46.

Relationships

• Commandery Princess Liushuang — His charge, who affectionately calls him “Uncle Peiwen.” He safeguards her during encounters with Little White, reassures her after the orc attack, and dies rather than reveal her hiding place 14 26 46.
• Chen Mo — Initially an unknown traveler whom Peiwen treats cautiously. After Chen Mo’s weapons save the party, Peiwen thanks him, supports his inclusion in leadership discussions, and promises a pioneering-knight certificate, independent territory, and a magic teacher if Liushuang returns safely. His final signals entrust Chen Mo with stopping Liushuang from attempting a suicidal rescue 12 34 39 46.
• Master Locke — Longtime colleague and crucial healing support. Their years of cooperation allow Locke to react reflexively when Peiwen calls for healing after Moglu’s death 25 26.
• Lady Linda — Fellow senior member of Liushuang’s escort. She and Locke defer heavily to Peiwen on military decisions 39.
• Kangna — Former cohort-mate and acquaintance who betrays the Emerald side after his own master submits to Green Pine. Peiwen confronts him during his final battle 43 46.
• Moglu — Bonecrusher Vanguard commander who captures and torments Peiwen. Peiwen kills him with the thermite grenade despite being gravely wounded 25.
• Gaoshi’s fifth knight — Attempts to recruit Peiwen with promises of resources, advancement, and high command. When Peiwen attacks instead, the knight defeats him and demands Liushuang’s location 45 46.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Early Encounters with Chen Mo

• Assesses Chen Mo’s arrow wound, arranges Locke’s involvement, and extracts the arrow before magical treatment 11.
• Refuses Chen Mo passage on the chartered airship because an unknown necromancer poses a risk to Liushuang. After permission is granted, confines Chen Mo and Little White to the stern area 12.
• Guards Liushuang while she examines Little White at White Stone Outpost and accepts Chen Mo’s thermite grenade on her behalf 14.

Longwind Hills Ambush

• Recognizes that the orc riders are deliberately avoiding the carriages and concludes that Liushuang is their target 24.
• Fights toward Moglu to exploit the orcs’ dependence on their leader, but is defeated and captured 24 25.
• Kills Moglu with the previously untested thermite grenade, survives with Locke’s healing, and attacks the collapsing enemy force 25 26.
• Orders supplies abandoned and leads the party to Boulder Fort, choosing it partly because its garrison commander has an existing connection to Cloudmist’s lord 26.

Wartime Retreat

• Helps protect Chen Mo from the Zircon Family’s demands. Once war begins, leads an ambush against the pursuing squad and kills Tikpot after Chen Mo’s gunfire and thermobaric grenade create an opening 37 38 39.
• Reorganizes the escort into a light, mobile force and leads twenty remaining warriors into the Dark Forest 39.
• Combines Chen Mo’s reconnaissance and summoned weapons with conventional assault tactics to break through the guarded mountain pass 40 41 42.
• Rejects the heavily defended Rainbow Stone Bridge as impassable and personally tows the party across the Crystal River into Emerald territory 42 43.

Final Stand

• Takes the bait in a staged pursuit involving Kangna, but recognizes the deception before accepting Kangna’s story. His attempted breakout fails when Gaoshi’s fifth knight survives the thermobaric attack through magical protection 43 45.
• After being beaten, repeatedly signals the hidden party to flee and specifically begs Chen Mo to restrain Liushuang 46.
• Uses adrenaline to launch a final Charge, kills captured Cloudmist warriors to prevent disclosure of the hideout, and detonates his remaining explosives at Kangna’s feet 46.
• His death leaves the survivors without a clear command structure. Chen Mo subsequently recognizes that the party’s earlier success depended heavily on Peiwen’s authority, judgment, and personal abilities 47 49.

Notable Quotes

“Your Highness, without that weapon, all of us would either be dead or have been carried off by the orcs.”

“You saved every one of our lives!” 26

“Even in full armor, we can't possibly defeat the enemy kingdom's regular army. We can only rely on mobility, so we must shed every burden!” 39

“Didn't... didn't you say... I was a dog...?”

“What dog... betrays... its master...?” 46