He Tianxiong

Biodata

Power Progression

Appearance

He Tianxiong wears a suit and white shirt, concealing extensive supernatural decay 31 32.

• Decaying body: Much of his skin is blackened, rotten, and foul-smelling; exposed areas reveal blackened bones studded with tiny gold nails 32.
• Relatively intact shoulders: The skin around both shoulders remains largely normal despite the deterioration elsewhere 32.
• Shoulder indentations: The invisible Person-Treading Ghost leaves depressions where it stands. These become shallower when it steps away to attack 33.
• Wrinkled eyes: His eyes narrow into slits when he discovers that Liu Qingqing survived his attack 34.

Personality

He Tianxiong is boastful, theatrical, and highly sensitive to disrespect. He greets Jiang Li by suggesting that containing an S-class ghost has brought Jiang Li’s strength “infinitely close” to his own, then secretly tries to provoke him into triggering the Person-Treading Ghost. When Liu Qingqing insults him, he responds with a potentially lethal attack 31 33.

His pride coexists with a strong instinct for self-preservation. After Jiang Li saves him and displays a third supernatural power, He abandons his ambition to recruit him and instead considers investing in his growth. He volunteers to act as bait, but later tries to let the Ghost Crow accompanying him take the lead 43 44.

He resents being controlled by Fang Shiming, describing himself as an expendable pawn rather than a loyal subordinate. Nevertheless, he understands that changing masters may offer little real freedom: swallowing Jiang Li’s Ghost Crow means exchanging one controller for another. He accepts because refusal would leave him unable to survive the cave 47.

Despite his diminished sense of taste, He still enjoys elaborate meals as a reminder of ordinary human life 32.

Abilities & Skills

Person-Treading Ghost

An ordinarily invisible ghost stands on He Tianxiong’s shoulders and attacks people who look above his head 31 33.

• Killing condition: Looking above He Tianxiong’s head triggers the attack, whether or not the observer can see the ghost 31.
• Attack method: It steps down from his shoulders and places its feet over the victim’s face. Liu Qingqing’s head is forced upward during the attack 33.
• Deliberate triggering: He climbs onto a dining table to encourage Liu Qingqing to look upward 33.
• Defensive resistance: Liu Qingqing’s supernatural qipao withstands the attack, though its colors begin to fade 33 34.
• Containment risk: He must support the ghost on his body; both of its feet touching the ground would cause an unspecified terrifying consequence 33.
• Vulnerability: The Corpse-Dragging Ghost immobilizes it by grabbing its neck and drags it away 42.

Ghost Flesh and Blood

Rotting supernatural flesh gives He Tianxiong substantial defensive endurance, but also places his life under Fang Shiming’s control 32 47.

• Survivability: He claims that almost no one can kill him and that even a real ghost cannot kill him in a single attack. Jiang Li nevertheless states that continuing their fight could have killed him 32.
• Recovery: After the Person-Hiding Ghost nearly suffocates him, He vomits a writhing mass of rotten flesh and blood and regains his composure 31 32.
• Dependence on Fang Shiming: The flesh is a portion of Fang Shiming’s ghost power implanted in his body, not an independent source of freedom 47.
• Transferred revival burden: When Fang Shiming’s ghost approaches revival, the implanted flesh transfers that pressure to its hosts, sacrificing them to extend Fang Shiming’s life 47.
• Balance requirement: Losing the Person-Treading Ghost allows the flesh to become restless and threatens the balance within his body 43.

Business Resources and Recruitment

He Tianxiong uses his wealth, property, and supernatural connections to organize expeditions and secure cooperation 31 32 33.

• Owns the exclusive Cloud Summit Club near Dayi City 31.
• Recruits cave explorers online under the username “I Have a Plan” 32.
• Uses gold bars to persuade reluctant participants to remain with the expedition 33.
• Orders a transfer of two billion to Jiang Li or his agent as compensation while preparing to leave Nut Cave 42.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Golden handgun and gold bullets: Fires at the cave entrance after his ghost is captured and later at a Ghost Crow impersonating Jiang Li. Neither attempt stops the supernatural threat 42 43.
• White Ghost Candle: Produces a black flame and attracts ghosts. He carries it while acting as bait for Jiang Li 43.
• Three Purities Bell — borrowed: Receives Daoist Priest Simu’s bloodstained bell from Jiang Li and rings it while searching the darkness 43.
• Implanted Ghost Crow: Swallowed as proof of allegiance to Jiang Li; intended to counter Fang Shiming’s flesh if necessary 47.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Evaluating Jiang Li

Wang Shan introduces He Tianxiong as the Friend Circle representative who will evaluate Jiang Li. At the Cloud Summit Club, He disguises a dangerous provocation as hospitality, massaging Jiang Li’s shoulders while trying to make him look back and upward. Jiang Li retaliates with the Person-Hiding Ghost’s icy, foul breath, leaving He choking and collapsing onto the table 26 31.

After recovering, He acknowledges Jiang Li’s qualifications to join the Friend Circle. He then proposes that Jiang Li work directly for him instead, arguing that two tamers with two ghosts each could handle any supernatural incident. He reveals a plan to retrieve a dormant ghost from Nut Cave as an opportunity to escape Fang Shiming’s control 32.

Nut Cave Expedition

He organizes a mixed party of amateur cavers, supernatural practitioners, and Ghost Post Office messengers. Before departure, his dispute with Liu Qingqing escalates into an attack by the Person-Treading Ghost; her qipao protects her, and the expedition proceeds under continuing hostility 32 33 34.

Inside Nut Cave, the Corpse-Dragging Ghost follows close behind him without immediately killing him. After He reaches the outside, a figure resembling Jiang Li deliberately looks above his head, drawing the Person-Treading Ghost into the cave. A black, calloused hand seizes it and drags it away 39 40 42.

Unable to abandon the ghost without risking his life, He returns. A Ghost Crow disguised as Jiang Li nearly extracts the flesh from his chest before the real Jiang Li intervenes. Recognizing Jiang Li’s superior strength, He offers his white candle and serves as bait, accompanied by a protective Ghost Crow double 43 44.

Becoming Jiang Li’s Informant

When Jiang Li begins collecting the scattered ghosts, He begs him not to take the Person-Treading Ghost. Jiang Li initially names a price of 1.5 billion. Before He can recover it, however, the Corpse-Dragging Ghost captures it again 45 46.

Jiang Li changes his demand to intelligence on the Friend Circle, particularly Fang Shiming and Jiang Shangbai. He explains why Fang Shiming’s flesh prevents him from freely betraying his superior, but Jiang Li forces the decision by offering a Ghost Crow capable of countering it. He swallows the crow and agrees to remain third-in-command publicly while reporting to Jiang Li in secret 47.

Later, Jiang Li orders Wang Shan to summon He to Dachang City. When Black Crow suggests killing He and taking his ghost, Jiang Li declines to act against him for the time being 50.

Relationships

• Jiang Li — Initially an evaluation subject and prospective recruit; later his rescuer and secret superior. Jiang Li coerces him into becoming an informant by threatening his life and offering a countermeasure to Fang Shiming’s flesh 26 32 43 47.
• Fang Shiming — Public superior and supernatural controller. He denies personal loyalty to Fang and describes their arrangement as business cooperation enforced through implanted ghost flesh 47.
• Liu Qingqing — Hostile expedition companion. He attacks her for insulting him; she survives and promises to settle their dispute later 33 34.
• Wang Shan — Friend Circle contact who introduces He to Jiang Li and later receives instructions to summon him to Dachang City 26 50.
• Zhang Mao — Gatekeeper at He’s club. Jiang Li brings Zhang into the cave expedition and assumes responsibility for him 38.

Notable Quotes

“Even if I can't taste much, I'm still more than happy to eat these exquisite foods. After all, this is the flavor of a normal person's life.” 32

“Even as the Friend Circle's third-in-command, I'm just a pawn he's enslaved, one he can replace at any time.” 47