Huang Shan

Biodata

Background / History

The Black Wolf Soul Hunting Team

Huang Shan served alongside captain Gu San and Zhang Erjiang in the Black Wolf Soul Hunting Team. Because Huang Shan was nearly sixty, Gu San had tried to make his work easier by assigning him information gathering and dealings with clients. Despite continuing to hunt Soul Beasts at his age, Huang Shan claimed to possess fewer than one hundred Gold Soul Coins and feared being unable to support himself in old age 22 23.

When Su Tianyu joined under the false name Tang San, Huang Shan welcomed him with a smile. After the newcomer left, however, he questioned whether Gu San was comfortable accepting someone whose origins were unknown 22.

Betrayal in the Star Dou Great Forest

Three days later, the team entered the Star Dou Great Forest for an assignment offering six hundred Gold Soul Coins for a complete Fire Flame Lion pelt. Huang Shan secretly applied a lion-enraging substance to Gu San and Zhang Erjiang by patting their shoulders. He attempted the same trick on Su Tianyu, but the newcomer avoided his touch 22 23.

Huang Shan led the party into the territory of a Fire Flame Lion King with fifteen hundred years of cultivation. Zhang Erjiang accused him of conspiring with the client to monopolize the reward. Huang Shan justified his betrayal by citing his age and poverty, intending to collect the spoils after his teammates and the beast killed one another 22 23.

Gu San retaliated with Slaughtering Baleful Saber Qi, breaking Huang Shan’s defensive barrier and severing his left arm. Huang Shan briefly regretted his actions, then gloated that the drug would prevent Gu San from escaping the lion’s pursuit. While the others fought, he searched the surrounding forest for Su Tianyu, whom he had also intended to kill 23.

The Lion King and His Death

Gu San and Zhang Erjiang wounded the Fire Flame Lion King but were both killed. Huang Shan initially believed his investment had been wasted and tried to escape. When the beast pursued him, he noticed that blood loss was making it increasingly unsteady. He struck twice with Turtle Shell Shock, killing it but consuming eighty percent of his Soul Power 24 25.

Huang Shan estimated that the lion’s remains were worth fifteen hundred Gold Soul Coins. While skinning it, he discovered a multicolored, crystalline bone in its left leg and suspected it was a Thousand-Year Soul Bone. The glow also attracted Su Tianyu, who ambushed him with Mental Shock 25.

The attack knocked Huang Shan face-first onto the corpse, where a protruding rib tore flesh from his face. He survived the mental attack, but Su Tianyu followed it with an iron nail through the back of his head, killing him. Su Tianyu then took the Soul Bone and harvested the lion’s hide 26.

Appearance

• White hair and an elderly appearance: He looked nearly sixty when Su Tianyu first met him 22.
• Shrewd expression: His smiling manner carried an air of cunning that immediately made Su Tianyu wary 22.
• Later injuries: Gu San severed his left arm, and Su Tianyu’s ambush left his face torn by the lion’s rib 23 26.

Personality

Huang Shan was calculating and willing to sacrifice his teammates for financial security. He exploited his responsibility for client dealings to prepare the trap, used casual physical contact to apply the drug, and planned to wait safely while others fought. Even after his betrayal cost him an arm, his momentary regret gave way to vindictive mockery 22 23.

His concern for money outweighed any grief for his companions: after their deaths, he complained about the fifty Gold Soul Coins spent on the drug. Nevertheless, he remained observant enough to recognize the lion’s worsening blood loss and turn a seemingly hopeless pursuit into an opportunity. Su Tianyu acknowledged the effectiveness of his scheming after killing him 25 26.

Abilities & Skills

Black Tortoise Body Protection Barrier

His First Soul Skill creates a dark green tortoise-shell barrier over his chest and back 23.

• Drawn from his white First Soul Ring.
• Failed to withstand Gu San’s Slaughtering Baleful Saber Qi; the remaining attack severed his left arm 23.

Turtle Shell Shock

His Second Soul Skill releases visible ripples outward from his body 25.

• Drawn from a yellow Soul Ring over four hundred years old.
• Covers a radius of four meters.
• Knocked the blood-weakened Fire Flame Lion King down with its first use.
• A second use inflicted fatal internal injuries. Killing the already wounded beast consumed eighty percent of Huang Shan’s Soul Power 25.

Deception and Trap Preparation

• Purchased a substance that drives Fire Flame Lions into a frenzy against a marked target; even a small amount was effective 23.
• Applied it to teammates under the guise of friendly shoulder pats 23.
• Concealed his intentions successfully from the experienced Gu San, though Su Tianyu noticed his suspicious movements and escaped the trap 23 26.

Equipment / Items

• Poison Demon Powder — Purchased from an apothecary for fifty Gold Soul Coins and used to provoke Fire Flame Lions into attacking his teammates 23 25.
• Sharp dagger — Used to cut open and skin the Fire Flame Lion King 25.

Relationships

• Gu San — Team captain and betrayal victim. Gu San had given him lighter responsibilities out of consideration for his age; upon discovering the trap, he severed Huang Shan’s left arm 23.
• Zhang Erjiang — Teammate whom Huang Shan marked with the lion-enraging drug. Zhang Erjiang condemned his betrayal before dying against the Fire Flame Lion King 23 24 25.
• Su Tianyu / “Tang San” — New teammate and intended victim who avoided Huang Shan’s drugging attempt. Su Tianyu later killed him and claimed the Soul Bone he had discovered 22 23 26.