Lang Yue

Lang Yue is the daughter of General Tai Hua, Lang Qianqiu, and during his nineteen-month confinement during the events of So Dull the Knife, ascended as the Interim Martial God of the East at an impressive five years of age. After his return to the heavens, she opted to stay as a Middle Court official, despite having ascended of her own merit. She is well-known for her ability to blackmail almost anyone into agreeing to her ideas of how the world should work, although her grasp on grammar isn't as advanced as one would expect: she speaks as a child, with the frequent addition of various expletives that no one can get her to stop staying. She is also known for her relation to her older half-brother, Qi Guzi.

Personality

• No one can say this is an innocent little girl, because she swears exactly as much as Guzi and Qi Rong, and everyone hates it. She does understand how to be polite: she most likely just doesn't tihnk you're worth it. The only people who consistently get manners out of her are Lang Qianqiu, Shi Qingxuan, and oddly enough, Quan Yizhen.
• She loves making deals. You give her something, she gives you something, everyone walks away happy. The deals are always extremely biased in her favour, but she thinks they're fair. No one's sure what happens if they break a deal to her, but given that she ascended at five years old, no one really wants to know.
• Generally gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. She doesn't know stuff sometimes, so she figures other people don't know stuff sometimes, too. Except her fathers, they know everything, and the moment she finds out that they don't, the world better be prepared for a Jun Wu-level of childish tantrum, because that will shatter her whole worldview.
• Hasn't quite grasped sarcasm yet, and tends to be extremely direct, taking things at face value. She inherited this from Lang Qianqiu, but hasn't gotten the Fangxin teachings that moderate this a little.
• Utterly unafraid of weird things, like strange yao or men whose heads fall off sometimes. Also utterly unafraid of seeing people in pain, although it isn't clear if she actually understands what she's looking at. No one's going to know for at least a decade how bothered she actually is by it.
• Deeply protective of her family, once she figures out that they're in trouble. Doesn't really think they can be defeated, and isn't a big fan of helping. When she starts beating people up, it's because she has the impulse to do violence on them, not because of anything they did. Correlation is still a bit over her head.
• Like her brother, completely immune to Xie Lian's cooking, although no one is sure why. She thinks it's spicy, but fun.

History

• She was concieved shortly after Xie Lian's wedding to Hua Cheng, because Jian Lan thought it would be funny to spike Qi Rong's drink with Ghost City mpreg pills. He was in labour for three full days, swearing nigh-constantly. The first person who saw her that wasn't Qi Rong or the midwife was Shi Qingxuan, because before seeing absolutely anyone else, Qi Rong wanted Shi Qingxuan to fix his eyeliner, because he thought he looked horrible. He was right.
• It was agreed upon before she was born that when her existence became known to the heavens, she would be introduced only as Lang Qianqiu's daughter. Guzi already had issues as a Middle Court official due to being known as Qi Rong's son, and so efforts were made to avoid subjecting Yue to the same vitriol. Thus, her true parentage is a closely-guarded secret.
• She spent most of her early childhood either with one or both of her fathers, or occasionally being watched over by one of the other Ghost Kings and their consort. Qi Rong made a point of sending her to Ghost City more often than Nether Water Manor, because although he trusted He Xuan and Shi Qingxuan more, he picked up fairly quickly that He Xuan was being weirdly favouritistic towards his daughter, and wanted no part of that.
• When she was four and a half, during the events of So Dull the Knife, Lang Qianqiu was kidnapped by her grandfather, Qi Zhuwei. A week later, while searching for him with her immediate family, Qi Rong was dragged into the Kiln, leaving Guzi and Yue alone. With the help of Shi Wudu, who found them, they returned to Nether Water Manor, and then spent the next nineteen months cultivating and searching for him.
• Most of Yue's training took place during the events of the novel: General Tai Hua was well-liked among the heavens even if he could be a bit direct, and everyone liked his daughter. She ended up being trained by nearly everyone in the Upper Court as well as the courts of the two remaining Ghost Kings, and learned quickly.
• Seven months into the disappearance of both her parents, and not long after her fifth birthday, she ascended to godhood in the very same palace ruins where Lang Qianqiu's life was ruined, and where he also ascended. This awarded her the position of Martial God of the East, although she was very firm to make it clear she was only going to stay there until her father came back. She was the youngest ascendant by several years that anyone had ever known: the running hypothesis is that delaying such prodigal ascendancies was likely one of the tasks of the Heavenly Emperor, and without one, she was able to ascend long before she probably should have.
• Lang Qianqiu did return, and she voluntarily gave up her position to be a Middle Court official under him instead. This was widely regarded as a good move, because at least then he could control her, and several other Martial Gods would be able to heal the nigh-constant bruises on their shins.

Abilities

• She is so, so powerful. She is comically overpowered. You expect to be able to win against a six-year-old, you expect to have to pull your punches, and then you can't, because you're already on the floor and she's beating up your internal organs. The only way to win is through speed, and that's assuming you have the stomach to beat up a six-year-old. Picking her up does not help. Neither does getting behind her.
• Her techniques are all over the board, thanks to her diverse range of teachers, none of whom were actually equipped to train her properly. There's no telling what she's going to do at any given moment.
• Despite being known for her martial prowess, she is also capable of several ghostly tactics, like Qi Rong's signature fire techniques. She doesn't train them as much, but she does train them, and will use them if the battle turns against her.
• Her main usage of fire is tracking, much like Qi Rong: she can follow a fire anywhere, using the smoke to travel instead of proper Distance-Shortening Arrays. She isn't good at arrays, unfortunately.
• She can eat anything, and will, and doesn't get the taboo about eating human meat. So long as she has something to eat, she's happy.
• Her qi is all over the place, being both god and ghost, which means she's very difficult to ensnare in magical traps. Most of them don't know what to do with her, error out, and she's out in seconds.

Relationships

• While Qi Rong is her mother, biologically speaking, she recognizes him as her father, habitually calling him A-Die (presumably Baba in Mandarin) and following him around and demanding stuff from him. He's only a little bit gentler with her than he was with her brother, although he insists that it's because she's smaller and needs to fatten up before he eats her. She clearly isn't bothered by the constant threats of cannibalism, and unlike her brother, would totally eat human flesh if Lang Qianqiu wasn't fast enough to put a stop to that. Qi Rong habitually calls her his discount daugher, a moniker she wears with pride. She's well aware that no one can know they're related, at least for now, although she doesn't really see the point of such secrets. She'll just hit anyone who disses her A-Die. It's fine.
• Conversely, Lang Qianqiu actually does parent his daughter, as much as he knows how to - which is to say, he does an okay enough job and then asks Xie Lian for advice when he admits he has no idea what he's doing. To him, she is his beloved daughter, and to her, he is her Fu Qin, who should always be listened to and who makes good deals. It is suspected that he taught her to make deals, although he would be fairer than she is. She respects him greatly, and he is the one person who she can't beat in a sparring match, even as he's actively going easy on her. She likes training with him more than anyone else, and also enjoys falling asleep on him more than anyone else. She does sort of think he's a bit strict, at least compared to everyone else who tries to help parent her (to her irritation), but she figures he has a reason.
• She has an excellent relationship with her older brother, Guzi, who is viciously protective of her even as she can totally kick his ass. They fight, and they fight a lot, and it was unclear to almost everyone if they actually liked each other before their fathers were both taken from them: they proved they were capable of both working and colluding together, and made a point of looking out for each other. They disliked spending much time away from each other. This has eased a little bit since the return of both of their fathers, but not much: questions have been raised about Yue's other parent, given how much she looks like Guzi.
• She has a pretty good relationship with her cousin, Xie Hao, who was born four days before she was. (Xie Lian took a sip of Qi Rong's drink at his wedding to be a snot. This backfired.) They look a lot alike, although Xie Hao looks much more like Hua Cheng. Xie Lian and Qi Rong are in a silent-but-endless competition over who has the better child, mostly because Qi Rong started it and he can always get under Xie Lian's skin when he actively tries to. Yue and Hao aren't actually aware of this, and she refers to him exclusively as her dog-fucked cousin with pride. She was the first to figure out how to get him to calm down, and they can often be seen playing together when she's in Ghost City.
• She loves her Jiujiu Lian, and is constantly annoyed by the fact she isn't faster than Ruoye, who can and will bundle her up if she's being naughty. He's a pretty chill uncle to have, although he insists on more manners than she's entirely happy to give anyone. Still, they get along quite well, and she'll bother him for training if she thinks he'll do it, especially if it's weapons training: they share a love for Cool Swords, and she'll spend hours listening to him talk about them.
• She has a different relationship with her Jiufu Cheng, whose hair exists solely for her to climb (much to his chagrin), and who won't let her train with E-Ming. Despite the fact she can't come close to him in speed, she still bothers him for training of a different sort - she can tell he's the smartest gambler she'll ever meet, and therefore the best deals-maker, and she should learn from his tactics. He really doesn't know what to do with her, but he indulges her for Xie Lian's sake.
• She has a decidedly interesting relationship with her Shenshen Qingxuan, who is the one person she'll do manners for always. Shi Qingxuan is determined to make it possible for Yue to comport herself properly in the heavens, even if she isn't really the type to do so naturally. She's not trying to change who Yue is, but give her the skillset she'll need in the future, lest she be completely incapable of making a good first impression when she's trying to. Yue can tell Qingxuan is trying to teach her something, but hasn't quite grasped it: she says her pleases and thank yous, and can tell that everyone loves Qingxuan, and sorta wants to make her proud, in that undefinable child way.
• On the contrary, she has an extremely strained relationship with her Shushu Xuan. He spoils her more than anyone else does, for her or for any of the children around her age, and actively makes a point of being around her, despite being markedly unfriendly to almost everyone. She doesn't get what his deal is, and thinks this is extremely suspicious. Her full immediate family has picked up on his behaviour, and they don't like it either. In reality, what's going on is that Qi Rong accidentally named his daughter after He Xuan's late younger sisterm whose death he still has nightmares about, and He Xuan has no idea how this is coming across to everyone but Qingxuan and Hua Cheng, who figured out what his problem is.
• Yin Yu is one of the few people allowed to pick her up. This is mostly because Yue has always stood out, her entire life, and when Yin Yu is carrying her around, she disappears into the shadows just as he does. It's a novelty and a cool trick, and she loves cool tricks. Also, no one's given her training on a yueyachan, despite it Literally Being Named After Her, Guys, and so she clearly has to get him to make a deal to teach her.
• Quan Yizhen doesn't really want kids, but he'll make an exception if Yue decides she wants new parents. They're actually quite evenly-matched, and she reminds him a lot of his younger self, although she's been able to pick up on subtleties in social settings more than he does. He also deeply regrets not saving Lang Qianqiu from Qi Zhuwei, and has been making a point of training her to pay back his guilt.
• Qi Rong's father, Qi Zhuwei, is her least favourite person ever, and she would love to kill him twice, once she figures out what death is. Death to the evil grandpa.

Design Notes

• Looks like a pretty solid mix of both of her fathers. They both insist she looks identical to the other, although Qi Rong will concede that Yue has his eyes. Does bear a striking resemblance to Xie Lian as well.
• Has two thin braids to either side, habitually done by Xie Lian.
• Keeps her hair halfway up in two buns. She'll likely switch to a single, or to a ponytail, as she grows up.
• Habitually dresses in the robes of a Tai Hua Middle Court official. In her father's place, she wore his crown as a vambrace for her right hand, because she didn't have thick enough hair to wear it properly.
• Her eyes glow in the dark, especially when using spiritual power. This creeps everyone out.

Trivia

• Yue's private communication array password is "Only if you get the hammer for it, cheap brother". This is explicitly a call-and-response with Qi Rong ("When in doubt, shove a cactus up your ass.") and Guzi ("Discount sister, I think this guy's gonna need a second cactus"). So far, Lang Qianqiu has refused to change his from "A tiger with wings can ascend to heaven", but he has granted Yue a specific version ("Tiger blah go fly") as she isn't currently able to say the full phrase.
• Her deals-making was inspired by Penny the Deals Warlock, who is an actual real child, because children are hard to write without at least some reference.
• Guzi and Yue's shared theme is Cry, Little Sister by Gerard McMann, which was also the inspiration behind Yue and the entire novel So Dull the Knife.

Gallery