Shi Qin

Biodata

Background / History

Training under Xu Chunliang’s father

After joining the Demon-Slaying Bureau, Shi Qin became the disciple of Xu Chunliang’s father. His master taught him saber handling, advised him to value an ordinary domestic life, and told him to shelter behind him when facing eerie beings. On one occasion, his master pushed him aside to protect him—a gesture Shi Qin later repeated for Chunliang 8.

Shi Qin initially understated this connection, telling Chunliang only that his father had looked after him and treated him like a disciple. He later openly acknowledged that the older man had been his master 8 12.

Conflict with Liu Jie

When Xu Chunliang refused to surrender credit for killing a paper ghost, the other officers avoided him. Shi Qin privately urged him to apologize to Liu Jie, hand over the Paper Ghost Face, and offer money rather than risk his life. He supplied a pouch containing broken silver, copper coins, and a small gold earring to help pay for the apology 7 8.

Yu Ming subsequently scolded Shi Qin, prompting Chunliang to confront the squad leader. When Liu Jie launched a copper coin at Chunliang, Shi Qin shoved him aside and took the attack between his eyebrows. He died promising his master that he would not let anyone bully Chunliang. Chunliang then killed himself to reset time, undoing Shi Qin’s death 8.

Guo Family Village

Shi Qin voluntarily joined Chunliang, Liu Yong, and Head Constable Liu on an investigation at Guo Family Village. He repeatedly told Chunliang to stay behind him and stepped forward protectively when the constable’s prolonged absence suggested danger 10.

At the Guo estate, Shi Qin recognized the offered payment as eighty-eight taels of Life Silver. He returned Chunliang’s packet along with his own, explaining that spending it would cause a powerful anomaly to pursue and kill them 11.

The refusal did not keep the silver from appearing among their belongings. In one timeline, Shi Qin collected both packets and offered to return them himself, only to be pierced through the chest by a scale hook. His disappearance also began erasing Chunliang’s memories of him. In another attempt, both men were killed while charging toward the Guo family’s main courtyard 12 13.

Chunliang’s rollbacks ultimately allowed them to leave alive. Shi Qin retained a feeling that he had forgotten something, and the two reported that the village appeared normal. Chunliang warned him never to spend the Life Silver 14.

Quiet support at the Bureau

When Chunliang disappeared during the Buddhist Ruin Realm incident, Shi Qin visited his home and requested leave on his behalf. He did not tell Chunliang what he had done or press him about his secrets, instead asking him to send word if he became ill again 33.

During the quieter period afterward, Chunliang sometimes accompanied Shi Qin home for simple meals. Following Zhou Dafu’s murder, the two spent an otherwise idle workday drinking tea together at the Bureau 33 37.

Fan City crisis and Madam Bamboo

During the supernatural crisis in Fan City, Shi Qin hid his wife and child in their cellar. At the Bureau, he remained beside Chunliang when everyone else moved away after a living military treatise demanded Chunliang’s left hand 47 48.

Learning that the emperor intended to use the city’s people as ingredients for a life-prolonging pill shook Shi Qin’s habitual caution. Imagining his family and loved ones being slaughtered, he angrily questioned why their lives should be sacrificed for the emperor 48.

He joined Chunliang, Chen Ge, Li Jun, and Du Qiang in the search for the Human Cook. Their route led into Madam Bamboo’s grove, where Shi Qin read the invitation formed by falling leaves. During the second trial, he was caught in an illusion, clutching a bamboo stalk while insisting that he was not someone’s husband and already had a child. Chunliang shook him awake before the group confronted Madam Bamboo 49 50.

Personality

Shi Qin is regarded as the squad’s “nice guy” and an elder-brother figure. Normally timid and self-effacing, he describes himself as incapable and favors surviving over confronting powerful people. He treats Bureau service as a livelihood rather than a calling to perform heroic feats, a philosophy he attributes to his master 7 8 12.

His caution does not prevent personal courage. He protects Chunliang at the cost of his life, quietly handles practical problems for him, and respects his privacy. Threats to his wife and child also provoke anger strong enough to challenge his fear of imperial authority 8 33 48.

Abilities & Skills

Saber Training

• Trained directly under Chunliang’s father, including instruction on keeping a loose grip so the saber can move freely 8.
• Carries a saber and readies it when he senses danger; later enters Madam Bamboo’s grove in formation with his colleagues 10 49.

Knowledge of Eerie Threats

• Recognizes Life Silver and understands the danger of spending it 11.
• Notices suspicious behavior during the village investigation, including Head Constable Liu taking unusually long to question residents 10 11.
• Remains vulnerable to supernatural memory alteration and illusions; Chunliang must wake him during Madam Bamboo’s second trial 12 14 50.

Relationships

• Xu Chunliang — His master’s son and a younger colleague he protects. Chunliang considers him trustworthy after witnessing his sacrifice in a discarded timeline 8 10.
• Xu Chunliang’s father — His deceased master, whose practical teachings and protective example shape his conduct 8 12.
• Wife and child — His immediate family. He shelters them during Fan City’s crisis, and the prospect of their deaths fuels his rejection of the emperor’s scheme 47 48.
• Liu Jie — Kills him with a copper coin intended for Chunliang in a timeline subsequently erased by rollback 8.
• Yu Ming — Squad leader who harshly reprimands him after he helps Chunliang 8.

Notable Quotes

“Master, rest assured. Even if I die, I won’t let anyone bully Xiaoliang...” 8

“Why should my wife’s and child’s lives be used to make medicine for the emperor?” 48