He Xuan

* True form
* As Ming Yi (masc)
* As Ming Yi (fem)

* Manhua
* Donghua

Donghua

* Manhua
* Donghua
* Novel

**He Xuan** *(*贺玄, *Hè Xuán*) is a ghost of Supreme rank and one of the Four Great Calamities. He bears the title **Black Water Submerging Boats** (黑水沉舟, *Hēi Shuǐ Chén Zhōu*) and his domain is the Black Water Demon Lair.

## Appearance

Disguised as Ming Yi, he has snow-white skin, is completely clad in black and has eyes that are said to be like burning ice. In female form, she is also dressed in black with a delicate, slender and elegant appearance. Her raven hair is long and free, eyebrows sharp and beautiful. Her voice is frosty and cold.

In his true form, he appears to be a demon with extremely pale skin, a sharp forehead and deep brows. His black robes have thin, silver waves weaved into them that shimmer and glow.

## Personality

While pretending to be Ming Yi, he is quiet and rarely makes his presence known. He is a loner who prefers to be by himself, Shi Qingxuan being the only one that is close with him, so He Xuan is almost always seen beside him in his disguise as Ming Yi. While he was neither social nor friendly, he managed to act well enough and keep a good reputation as a god so that people couldn't tell his real identity. However, even while acting as Ming Yi, he would occasionally slip into a habit of over or under eating, due to the negative effects his starvation in prison during his human years had on him.

While his persona as a human is largely unknown, he seems to have been a kind, devoted filial man who worked hard and cared greatly for his loved ones. He was also honest, as he refused to bribe the officials when he took the national exam, despite the fact he desperately needed to pass in the hopes of escaping poverty. His ability to adapt to every horrible outcome that happened to him and try to overcome them with his abilities, talents, and hard work shows a dedicated man who did his best to persevere in the face of tragedy, including the loss of his loved ones.

However, eventually, he changed as he did ultimately seek to murder those that wronged him. Later, he would devour the Reverend of Empty Words that had cursed him to such a fate. Upon finding out that it was Shi Wudu's doing by switching his fate with Shi Qingxuan's fate, he decided to pay them back for what they had done. He would go so far as to fake his identity as the god Ming Yi in order to get close to the brothers and exact his vengeance.

His revenge reveals a patient man capable of masking his hatred while waiting for the right time to strike and also someone who is capable of holding deep grudges, albeit only to those who have wronged him. Despite his seemingly cold, merciless behavior towards the brothers, he does understand their involvement in it was different and granted Shi Qingxuan chances to escape misfortune.

Aside from his strong will and intelligence, not too much is known of his current personality. He seems to prefer being alone and doesn't interact with others often, being under the radar and avoiding attention. Notably, despite being considered one of the Four Calamities, the Heavens rarely paid attention to him as he never caused much harm or damage, implying that while not a benevolent person, he is not evil and doesn't go out of his way to harm others, including those who have done him no wrong.

He Xuan is also the type to pay back what is owed, as helped out the gods and the human array during the final battle because he owed Hua Cheng a massive debt.

## Trivia

* He is neck-deep in debt to Hua Cheng, to the point where he would just remain quiet if suddenly Hua Cheng decided to bring a destructive fight to his turf and break a lot of things. 40% of his debt is attributed to bribes to Heavenly Officials, 30% is attributed to territory maintenance and pet care, and the remaining 30% is attributed to eating.
* Despite being a calamity, he's said to be very low-key and has rarely ever been seen by anyone.
* He spent 12 years inside Tonglu Mountain before becoming a Ghost King.
* He hibernates to resist the provocation caused by Tonglu Mountain reopening.
* The author, Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, called him the best actor in the book.

## Reference

2. ↑ Novel, Book 3, Chapter 121: Combined Spirit; Coffin Boat Enters the Demon Sea II
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Novel, Book 3, Chapter 102: Stage Stew of the Crown Prince to Welcome Unexpected Guests
4. ↑ Novel, Book 1, Chapter 44: Paradise to Ashes; The Second Coming of Fangxin
5. ↑ Novel, Book 1, Chapter 22: Shortened Distance; Adrift in Sandstorms III
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Novel, Book 1, Chapter 124: Unravel the Dead Knot; Water Master Battles Demon Xuan
7. ↑ Novel, Book 1, Chapter 29: Wind Master in White; Bellowing Sandstorms from Nothing
8. ↑ Novel, Book 3, Chapter 91: Temple of a Thousand Lights Endlessly Illuminating the Lingering Nights
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Novel, Book 3, Chapter 136: My Puqi Shrine Will Collapse Supremely II
10. ↑ Novel, Book 3, Chapter 107: Gods and Ghost Hear the Tale of the Blood-Soaked Fire Social
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Novel, Book 5, Chapter 228: Burning Flames of Karma; Demonic God Descends Upon Royal Capital III (Author's Note)
12. ↑ Novel, Book 3, Chapter 123: The Nether Water Manor; Black Robes White Bones II