Sun Qin

Biodata

Power Progression

Background and History

Family and Widowhood

Sun Qin was not originally from Clear Creek Village. Her husband married her after traveling to the capital for the imperial examinations, in which he became a successful candidate. He was later reduced to commoner status and returned home seriously ill. His parents died during his prolonged illness, followed by her husband, leaving Sun Qin to raise Zhao Wan alone 30.

The deaths damaged Sun Qin’s reputation in the village. Members of the Zhao household took her family’s property, treating Zhao Wan as a daughter who would eventually marry outside the clan rather than as someone entitled to retain its assets. Other villagers offered little protection 30 52.

Sacrifice and Conversion

During the drought, Spirit Medium Wang and Village Chief Song Zhao helped seize Zhao Wan as an offering to the Fox Immortal. Sun Qin fiercely resisted, denounced the supposed blessing, and was struck on the head with Song Zhao’s cane 1 25.

Her hostility initially extended to Yin Yunze, whom she repeatedly called a “wild fox.” After he provided food and promised protection, she pledged lifelong worship in exchange for Zhao Wan’s safety. She became his second believer, producing stronger Incense of Faith than her daughter 4 5.

Yin Yunze subsequently supplied the mother and daughter with meals, clothing, and water. Their prayers also helped him test the water-transfer method that allowed him to relieve the village without immediately producing rain 6 7.

Becoming Yin Yunze’s Representative

Sun Qin wanted work rather than remaining wholly dependent on Yin Yunze’s generosity. He tested her by lending her five hundred jin of rice to sell in the county town. She returned two days later with two taels and five qian of gold after paying her helper, then offered the entire proceeds to him 19 20.

Satisfied with her judgment, Yin Yunze placed ordinary village requests under her authority. She could resolve minor matters herself and report afterward, reserving major decisions for him. As temple keeper, she also publicly distinguished Green Hill Yi Yun from the temple’s former occupant, Fox Seventh Aunt 21 23.

Her control over grain distribution brought her into direct conflict with Song Zhao. When he insulted her, she reduced the rice available to his group; Yin Yunze visibly supported her by removing a thousand jin from their allocation. She then offered to seek grain on credit for impoverished households, strengthening her influence among the villagers 25.

Sun Qin admitted that she had promised credit without permission. Yin Yunze treated her fault and service separately: he denied her dinner as punishment but granted her a five-thousand-jin grain credit allowance. Song Zhao subsequently handed the village chief’s position to Song Ran, with whom Sun Qin maintained a more cooperative relationship 25 26.

Rainfall, Illness, and Protection

Sun Qin helped stage Yin Yunze’s public rainfall ceremony, performing a rehearsed dance with recorded music and a solar-powered lamp. She led the villagers’ prayers and later warned them against breaking promises made before a god 34 35 36.

After remaining in wet clothes, she developed a severe fever and became delirious. She refused to consult a doctor because she feared damaging Yin Yunze’s prestige. Zhao Wan sought his help, prompting him to acquire healing techniques; he treated Sun Qin and woke her with a second application 37 38 39.

Concerned about Zhao Wan serving as Yin Yunze’s vessel, Sun Qin volunteered to take her place. Repeated Spirit Descent incantations produced no result. Yin Yunze determined that the obstacle lay with his technique rather than with Sun Qin, and later supplied her with protective talismans 47 48 51.

Expansion of the Temple’s Affairs

Sun Qin arranged repairs to the old Fox Immortal Temple and later undertook to secure a lakeside site for its replacement. Yin Yunze rewarded her assistance but warned her against misusing his authority 26 52.

As his following expanded, she contacted neighboring villages, distributed Fox Rice, and assessed Qi Rongrong as a prospective assistant. She was also placed in charge of two newly created residential buildings and ordered, alongside Song Ran and Qi Siyuan, to select and arm two hundred men for the takeover of Upper Creek Village 90 91 113.

Sun Qin received the official decree and accompanying documents recognizing Lady Qingnü on Yin Yunze’s behalf. Later, he enabled her breakthrough to the Innate Realm and formally appointed her Incense Distribution Envoy 122 145 153.

Her later assignments included announcing the suspension of Fox Rice supplies in response to the City God’s ban and rebuilding the City God Temple after Guo Jing was chosen as its replacement master. She declined the City God position herself 180 199.

When Zhao Yuanlang returned, he found his sister-in-law widely known as a divine envoy. Sun Qin tearfully welcomed him but corrected his claim that she ranked first among the four envoys, explaining that they had never been ranked 209.

Appearance

• Features: Described as having a beautiful, alluring face, delicate brows, and a graceful figure 23 26 30.
• Shrine attire: Wears red-and-white shrine maiden robes while carrying out temple duties 33 51.
• Ceremonial accessories: Carries a horsetail fly whisk and wears a fox mask that she can lower over her face 23 33.
• Change in presentation: Her new clothing and composed manner make Song Zhao struggle to address her with his former arrogance 22 23.

Personality

Sun Qin’s strongest motive is protecting Zhao Wan. She openly defies the villagers during her daughter’s attempted sacrifice and later bases her pledge to Yin Yunze on securing the child’s safety. Her willingness to replace Zhao Wan as a Spirit Descent vessel reflects the same concern 1 5 47.

She is practical, perceptive, and eager to repay assistance. Her first grain-selling assignment demonstrates both careful accounting and a willingness to compensate helpers. She understands that Yin Yunze’s backing—not money alone—protects her position, and she places particular value on opportunities to gain strength 19 20 52 153.

Her public severity is partly deliberate. She maintains ceremonial distance, enforces respect toward Yin Yunze, and accepts blame for decisions he does not wish to explain personally. That loyalty can become excessive, as when she refuses medical care to protect his reputation 25 37 54.

Sun Qin remembers mistreatment and retaliates against Song Zhao, but she is not uniformly vindictive. She employs relatives who previously bullied her when circumstances make their help useful, avoids pursuing Song Zhao to the bitter end, and welcomes capable assistants. The narration describes her as generally good-tempered, kind toward her own people, and not especially hungry for power 21 26 32 91.

Abilities and Skills

Administration and Trade

• Sells grain, pays helpers, converts proceeds between currencies, and gives detailed accounts of transactions 20.
• Screens requests to Yin Yunze and independently handles routine village affairs 21 26.
• Oversees grain exchanges, credit distribution, and Fox Rice supplies 25 90.
• Delegates errands and enforcement to members of her late husband’s clan 32.
• Manages temple residences and serves as an intermediary with village leaders and official visitors 113 122 209.
• Limit: Her influence does not give her the Song family’s depth of knowledge about local secrets and history 109.

Literacy and Calligraphy

• Teaches Zhao Wan to read and write 30.
• Produces practiced, delicate calligraphy for Yin Yunze’s talismans 51.
• Writes the talisman characters, while Yin Yunze seals the supernatural skills into them; she is not shown independently enchanting them 51.

Martial Cultivation

• Practices the Frost Instruction and possesses Innate-level icy internal force 145.
• Initially struggles to contain that force, causing cold energy to spill outward and frost to form on the ground 145.
• Receives the Vajra Rope cultivation method upon becoming an envoy; no demonstrated use is provided 153.
• Initial limitations: Her age, poor Root Bone, and depleted Essence Blood make conventional martial training difficult. Her breakthrough depends on Yin Yunze’s direct intervention 144 145.

Talisman Use

• Can activate supplied talismans by calling, “Lord Fox Immortal, aid me!” and throwing them at a target 51.
• Available effects include illusions, flames, healing wounds and illness, and expelling evil spirits 51.
• Uses Fox Fire during the water-thief incident, greatly increasing the villagers’ awe of her 57.
• Limit: These powers initially come from Yin Yunze’s prepared talismans rather than her own cultivation 51.

Equipment and Items

• Fox mask — Used while exercising her authority. During her confrontation with Song Zhao, lowering it accompanies the appearance of a towering nine-tailed white fox phantom behind her 23 24.
• Horsetail fly whisk — A ceremonial implement used to direct crowds and reinforce her shrine-maiden presentation 33 54 90.
• Protective talismans — Initially receives two of each of four types from Yin Yunze 51.
• Solar-powered lamp and audio device — Used to create the lighting and music for the public rain-prayer performance 22 34.
• Divine tablet — Bears the inscription “Incense Distribution Envoy · Sun Qin” 153.
• Armored chariot — A vehicle refined by Yin Yunze using the Bright Incense Artifact Forging Method, granted to her for protection and travel 153.
• Vajra Rope jade slip — Contains the cultivation method bestowed with her envoy appointment 153.

Relationships

• Zhao Wan — Daughter and foremost concern. Sun Qin’s initial pledge of worship asks only for her protection and a life free from worry 5.
• Yin Yunze / Green Hill Yi Yun / Lady Qingnü — Patron, deity, and superior. He protects her household, delegates secular affairs to her, enables her cultivation, and appoints her an envoy 5 21 145 153.
• Unnamed husband — Deceased imperial-examination graduate whose illness and death left her widowed 30.
• Zhao Yuanlang — Brother-in-law. Their reunion after years apart is emotional; she also corrects his misunderstanding of her rank 209.
• Song Zhao — Former village chief and principal early rival. He helped seize Zhao Wan and struck Sun Qin; she later undermines his authority through grain distribution 21 25.
• Song Ran — Village chief who succeeds Song Zhao. He makes friendly overtures, and Sun Qin works with him despite her grievances against his father 26 57 113.
• Spirit Medium Wang — Early antagonist involved in Zhao Wan’s sacrifice and an attempt to take money entrusted to Sun Qin 1 14.
• Zhao Cheng — Relative of her late husband and former subordinate. She disciplines him for speaking out of turn; he later exploits Zhao Wan’s trust to abduct her 32 40.
• Qi Rongrong — Prospective assistant placed under her assessment. Sun Qin responds kindly despite the girl’s initial provocation and hopes she can share the workload 91.
• Zhang Yufei — Fellow servant of Yin Yunze. Sun Qin previously seeks martial instruction from her, and Yin Yunze later assigns Zhang Yufei to protect her 113 144.

Notable Quotes

“Lord Fox Immortal, please forgive this ignorant village woman for having eyes but failing to see! I, Sun Qin, am willing to worship you for the rest of my life. I ask only that you protect my daughter Zhao Wan and grant her a life free from worry!” 5

“From now on, you can come to me for mundane matters. I'll receive you for all of them. You must not go and bother him!” 23

“The four divine envoys have never been ranked. If one were to lead them, it should be the Envoy of Punitive Expedition or the Spirit-Attending Envoy.” 209