One of the junior disciples who was rescued by Wei Wuxian as they found themselves lost in Yi City’s fog. He is described by Wei Wuxian as having a sentimental outlook on the world. Ouyang Zizhen does not forget the kind deeds others have done for him, and he will not hesitate to stand up to defend a friend even in the face of an army.
Wang Lingjiao
BIRTH NAME: Wang Lingjiao (王灵娇 / “King” or “Monarch”, “Spirit” or “Clever”, “Delicate”)
Wen Chao’s (current) paramour. She is arrogant, cruel, and quick to take offense at any perceived slights—truly, she and Wen Chao would be a match made in heaven if Wen Chao could ever manage to remain faithful to a woman for longer than six months. She was originally a servant girl who attended Wen Chao’s lawful wife, but her beauty caught Wen Chao’s ever-wandering eye. Being his mistress comes with perks, such as being permitted to form her own sect—the Wang Clan of Yingchuan—and being given free reign to terrorize the members of other more legitimate sects.
Wen Chao
COURTESY NAME: Wen Chao (温晁 / “Mild” or “Warm,” Surname Chao [being used as a given name] or “Morning”)
WEAPON: Bigger, stronger people to hide behind
The youngest son of Wen Ruohan. Wen Chao is a greasy, sadistic coward whose arrogance is only exceeded by his lack of any qualifying talents. Although he has a lawful wife, that hardly stops him from taking on a new mistress every six months and harassing every attractive woman he comes across. Wang Lingjiao is his current paramour, and their wretched personalities are well suited for each other. He is heavily reliant on Wen Zhuliu’s abilities as a bodyguard to keep himself alive but often abuses the man’s loyalty to his father by ordering him to inflict senseless acts of cruelty.
Wen Ning
BIRTH NAME: Wen Ning (温宁 / “Mild” or “Warm,” “Peaceful”)
COURTESY NAME: Wen Qionglin (温琼林 / “Mild” or “Warm,” “Beautiful” or “Fine jade,” “Forest”)
SOBRIQUET: Ghost General (鬼将军)
WEAPON: Fists, feet, and metal chains
A fierce corpse known as the Ghost General. One of the Yiling Patriarch’s finest creations, Wen Ning retains his mind and personality. Coupled with the strength to crush steel to dust with his bare fists, it is no wonder that he was once Wei Wuxian’s right-hand man.
Wen Ning wasn’t always so powerful, nor always so dead. In life, he served under the Wen Clan as the leader of a minor squadron. His compassion and meekness were always at odds with the orders passed down from on high, and he also suffered from a minor stutter. Despite the lack of respect from his peers, he maintained his position in the Wen Clan due to family ties. He is the beloved younger brother of the Wen Clan’s most famous doctor, Wen Qing, and the son of Wen Ruohan’s cousin.
Wen Qing
COURTESY NAME: Wen Qing (温情 / “Mild” or “Warm,” “Sentiment”; 温情 taken as a single word means “Tenderness”)
WEAPON: A steady hand and an endless supply of acupuncture needles
A famous and highly decorated doctor and a member of the Wen Clan. She has a no-nonsense personality and a decided lack of bedside manner. Although she can come across as arrogant, no one in the cultivation world could deny that her abilities are truly exceptional. Wen Qing is the daughter of Wen Ruohan’s maternal cousin and is a personal favorite of the mad tyrant himself. While she does not share her relative’s taste for cruelty, she doesn’t consider it something she needs to personally concern herself with—after all, her prime directive is to ensure the survival of her beloved younger brother, Wen Ning, at all costs.
Wen Ruohan
COURTESY NAME: Wen Ruohan (温若寒 / “Mild” or “Warm,” “As though,” “Cold” or “Tremble”)
The leader of the Wen Clan of Qishan and an immensely powerful cultivator. He is cruel and power-hungry, and will stop at nothing to ensure that the Wen Clan crushes all other clans beneath its heel. He has an extensive collection of torture devices and does not hesitate to use them to toy with his victims until death releases them.
Wen Zhuliu
BIRTH NAME: Zhao Zhuliu (赵逐流 / Surname Zhao, “To pursue/chase,” “Flow” or “Current”)
COURTESY NAME: Wen Zhuliu (温逐流 / “Mild” or “Warm,” “To pursue/chase,” “Flow” or “Current”)
SOBRIQUET: Core-Melting Hand (化丹手)
WEAPON: His core-melting hand
A powerful cultivator in the Wen Clan and the bodyguard of Wen Chao. He is devotedly loyal to Wen Ruohan and adopted the Wen family name as a show of fealty. He is a stoic man who speaks little and rarely, and does not exhibit the gleeful sadism that Wen Ruohan and his children possess. He clearly dislikes Wen Chao and his vile, arrogant personality but carries out his bodyguarding duties out of debt to Wen Ruohan.
Wen Zhuliu has the terrifying ability to destroy a cultivator’s golden core with his bare hands. Once their golden core is destroyed, a cultivator can cultivate no more.
Fairy
WEAPON: Claws, jaws, and the only brain in the room (usually)
INSTRUMENT: Woof!
Jin Ling’s loyal spirit dog. As a spirit dog, Fairy possesses intelligence of a level above the average canine and can detect supernatural beings. Regarding the pup’s name, “Fairy” could refer to the Chinese xianzi (仙子), a female celestial being, but it is also a common way to describe a woman with ethereal, otherworldly beauty. That being said, Fairy’s gender is never specified in the text.
Little Apple
WEAPON: Hooves, teeth, and raw fury
A spotted donkey that Wei Wuxian stole from Mo Manor as he made his escape after the ghost arm incident. Little Apple is imperious, hard to please, and very temperamental; however, it possesses a strong sense of justice and a heart brave enough to put even the most renown cultivators to shame. It also really loves apples. Little Apple’s gender is never specified in the text.