Wang Chongyang
Towards the end of the novel, it is revealed that Zhou Botong had a secret affair with Duan Zhixing's concubine, Liu Ying, and had impregnated her. However, he broke up with her without knowing about her pregnancy after Wang Chongyang forced him to. Liu Ying gave birth to an unnamed son, who was murdered by a masked Qiu Qianren. When Zhou Botong finds out the truth from Liu Ying, he runs away and disappears to avoid dealing with this troubling matter.