Forbidden Guard

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Forbidden Guard
Original Name	禁卒
Alias(es)	Jailers; Jailer Hall members 68 116
Affiliation	Associated with the Jailer Hall; maintains a mutually beneficial rather than subordinate relationship with the Yamen 53
Occupation/Role	Investigation, containment, sealing, and disposal of Forbidden Zones and Eerie Objects 6 40 69
First Appearance	The Prison of the Forbidden Zone 6

Background

The Forbidden Guards were first deployed to the East District Prison after it became a Forbidden Zone following mass, inexplicable deaths. While the Guards handled the anomaly itself, yamen lictors were assigned to enter afterward and clear the prison. Their presence intimidated Clerk Zhao and the ordinary lictors, who regarded them as far beyond normal law-enforcement personnel 6 8.

Although commonly associated with the Yamen, the Forbidden Guards are not directly subordinate to it. The Yamen instead treats them cautiously because a Guard may leave behind an Eerie Object upon death. Their assignments are described as voluntary and confirmed to be non-lethal where possible, while the organization provides uncommon cultivation resources and access to Eerie Objects 53.

Their work frequently involves isolating rather than destroying Forbidden Zones. During the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone incident, they excavated and planned to collapse part of Camel Peak Mountain to seal the zone instead of directly confronting it 40. The Secret Pavilion maintains records of known Eerie Object-derived Forbidden Zones and possible containment methods, though the records are not always reliable 69.

Organization

Recruitment and Reserves

• Annual Forbidden Guard positions are limited and allocated across different towns 53.
• Reserve positions exist to replace Guards who die; candidates related to existing Guards by blood or marriage receive priority 56.
• Gangs often avoid seriously competing for reserve vacancies, fearing the loss of their cultivators to the better-resourced Forbidden Guard 56.
• A reserve who reaches the Ghost Envoy Realm and completes one full year becomes a full Jailer 68.
• Reserve assignments involving Eerie Objects are selected partly according to the cultivator's Art 68.

Resources and Facilities

• Secret Pavilion — Holds records on Forbidden Zones, Eerie Objects, and advancement to the Ghost Envoy Realm 68 69.
• Ghost Market — A periodic trading venue accessed through the Jailer Hall, where reserves and Jailers exchange resources and commission artifacts 68 101.
• Eerie Objects — The Forbidden Guard possesses a considerable number of Eerie Objects, making membership particularly valuable to cultivators who advance through them 53.

Appearance

Forbidden Guards do not share a uniform appearance. They are often seen in light armor and bamboo hats, while loose clothing may conceal the physical aberrations caused by their Arts 6 39.

• Many Guards display permanent non-human traits caused by Eerie Object influence, including animalistic limbs, altered skin, abnormal eyes, or plant-like bodies 26 40 43.
• Their appearances and techniques are often frightening enough that ordinary yamen runners avoid looking directly at them outside the city 40.
• Some Guards can still appear outwardly ordinary, such as Miss Bai, making them conspicuous among more visibly altered members 15.

Capabilities and Methods

Forbidden Zone Containment

Forbidden Guards investigate anomalous deaths, identify the Eerie Objects behind Forbidden Zones, and choose containment methods based on the threat. Sealing is generally preferred because Forbidden Zones can devour other Eerie Objects and expand 40 69.

• They may station Guards outside a sealed zone while yamen runners perform supporting work such as transporting soil and debris 39 40.
• They use techniques to block entry routes and isolate dangerous areas temporarily 40.
• Higher-realm Forbidden Zones can distort surroundings into incomprehensible environments, making direct exploration exceptionally dangerous 40.

Eerie Object Handling

Individual Guards possess specialized Arts suited to tracking, combat, excavation, sealing, or surveillance. Their methods can be highly abnormal, including summoning insects, corroding rock with venom, transforming into vegetation, and projecting nets from the mouth 8 15 40 42.

• Eerie Objects are subdued and sealed through coordinated efforts when necessary 178.
• Guards may use their own aberrations to resist a Forbidden Zone with similar properties 69.
• Cultivation carries the risk of permanent mutation, with some Guards becoming increasingly beast-like or otherwise inhuman 43.

Combat Authority

The Forbidden Guard's reputation alone can cause gangs, peddlers, yamen staff, and civilians to withdraw or submit. Their anti-anomaly operations can also be ruthless, prioritizing containment over the safety of ordinary people 16 87.

• During the hunt for the Hundred-Eyed, their purge of Sanxiang City left hundreds dead or wounded without locating the target 17.
• Guards may eliminate or incapacitate other Guards during disputes over Eerie Objects and remnant souls 142 144.
• Their internal hierarchy is strongly shaped by cultivation level and demonstrated strength 142 155.

Notable Members

Member	Known Arts / Traits	Notes
Song Zongwu	Asura Method; Diting Art; Four-Armed Yama and Six-Eyed Prison Breaker forms	Veteran Guard who intervened in the East District Prison, mentored Ren Qing, and later led major containment operations 8 26 53
Miss Bai	Flying sword; outwardly normal appearance	Participated in the East District Prison operation and later retrieved Wang Bingquan's Human Head 15 476
Li Yaoyang	Centipede-based detection method	Helped assess the Human Skin Book-derived Dungeon Forbidden Zone 8
Mu Yi	Puppet body; vegetation-based Art	Assisted with the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone and briefed Ren Qing on reserve duties 40 68
Huang Ziwang	Frogman physique; corrosive venom	Excavated mine shafts near the Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone and later accompanied Ren Qing in the Immortal Devouring Forbidden Zone 42 153
“Earth”	Beast claws; soil-rat-like mutation	Used claws to excavate rock; his Art caused permanent half-beast aberration 43
Xu Shilin	Mist manipulation	An elusive Guard whose Art reportedly leaves little trace 43
Water Gourd	Soul collection; Yin Messenger Realm cultivation	Killed a Forbidden Guard during the Night of a Hundred Ghosts and collected lingering souls 142
Yu Dachuan	Flesh-and-blood gourd form; remnant-soul storage	Competed with Ren Qing for Beast Ghosts and remnant souls during the Night of a Hundred Ghosts 142 147
Zeng Lin	Ghost Envoy Realm	Led Heshantown reserves in examining unexplained deaths during the Mountain God sacrifice 121

Major Operations

East District Prison

The Guards investigated the Dungeon Forbidden Zone created by the Human Skin Book. They initially withheld intervention while waiting for the Human Face to appear, despite fire workers being killed by living human skins. Song Zongwu ultimately saved Ren Qing from possession by the Human Face 8.

Disaster Aversion Forbidden Zone

The Guards established a camp near Camel Peak Mountain, excavated mine shafts, and prepared to seal the Forbidden Zone by collapsing the mountain. Their methods included mining through rock with claws, venom, fists, and other Arts 38 40 42 43.

Night of a Hundred Ghosts

Forbidden Guards gathered in Annan Town to harvest Beast Ghosts and remnant souls. Competition escalated into open hostility: Water Gourd killed a Guard, and several Guards attempted to pressure Ren Qing into surrendering his gains before being defeated through his Dream Entry ability 142 144.

Immortal Devouring Forbidden Zone

Multiple Guards were trapped when their souls were forcibly separated from their bodies inside the Forbidden Zone. The Jailer Hall later dispatched a Yin Messenger Realm expert and continued its response despite heavy casualties 147 157.

Ksitigarbha King Soul Summoning

Song Zongwu led Jailers to the Jailer Hall after helping subdue the Skin Peeling Sheepman and seal a black-goat Eerie Object with Li Tiangang's assistance 178.

Relationships

• Yamen — Cooperates with the Forbidden Guard but does not command it directly; the Yamen provides support and avoids treating Guards as expendable because of the Eerie Objects they may leave behind 53.
• Jailer Hall — The Guards operate through its facilities, reserve system, Ghost Market, Secret Pavilion, and containment network 68 69 164.
• Local gangs — A source of prospective cultivators, but gangs often resist losing useful members to Forbidden Guard recruitment 16 56.
• Yamen runners and lictors — Frequently used as support personnel during operations, though their safety is not the Guards' primary concern 6 40.
• Ren Qing — Initially observed as an unusually capable yamen runner, later recruited as a reserve and recognized as a Jailer 29 56 68.