Huo Xiangu

**Huo Xiangu (霍仙姑)** was a member of Changsha's Mystic Nine and is the grandmother of Huo Xiuxiu. She first appeared in *Volume 7* when Wu Xie tried to get information on the Yangshi Lei drawings. Xiangu is not her real name but a nickname that means immortal or sorceress. She was the only woman in the Mystic Nine.

The Mystic Nine adaptation took place at an earlier time than the novels. Therefore, Huo Xiangu was taken out of the Mystic Nine lineup and was changed to a child. Her aunt in the drama, Huo Jinxi, was made the head of the Huo family.

## History

### Early Life

Huo Xiangu's exact birth year is unknown. Wu Xie had said that she was in her 90s when she went into the Zhang Jialou in 2004. Thus, she likely would have been born sometime between 1905 to 1914. Huo Xiangu was the third daughter of the Huo Family. She was childhood friends with Wu Xie's grandmother.

Huo Xiangu fought fiercely to become the head of the Huo family. In order to become the head, the Huo family girls would have to gain favor with other powerful people in the field. Huo Xiangu aligned herself with Wu Laogou, the most likable and one of the most powerful members in the Mystic Nine.

She had an ambiguous relationship with Wu Laogou. Wu Xie didn't know whether she and Wu Laogou dated. However, once Wu Laogou married her friend, she became extremely resentful towards both of them. This lasted even after Wu Laogou had passed away when she met Wu Xie at the Crescent Hotel.

### Marriage and Family

When she was in her thirties, she married a high-ranking military officer. She had at least two sons and a daughter. One of her sons went to Taiwan with Chiang Kaishek, while the other joined the revolution led by Mao Zedong.

### End of the Mystic Nine

From 1963 to 1965, along with the other Mystic Nine members, Huo Xiangu participated in the largest grave robbery at Sichuan's Siguniang Mountain. The operation was done quickly and the Mystic Nine experienced significant losses. After this, the Mystic Nine fell out of power and Huo Xiangu wanted to sweep it under the rug. Some of the Mystic Nine, like Huo Xiangu and Wu Laogou, sided with Zhang Qiling after the loss in Sichuan. The Huo family supported Zhang Qiling because of their marriage relations with top officials.

During the Cultural Revolution, the Huo family's old grave-robbing background was revealed and the Huo family disappeared as a result. But rumor had it that they went behind the scenes and were protected by powerful people.

### Videotapes

Around 1985, Huo Xiangu's daughter Huo Ling disappeared during the Xisha Archeological Expedition. Around the end of the eighties, she gave up and accepted that her daughter had died at the bottom of the sea. She became tired of things and wanted to leave China and immigrate to Canada. But at this time, someone suddenly sent her some video tapes.

Huo Xiangu always thought that someone was blackmailing her by threatening her daughter in order to keep her in the country. As a result, she continued to look for the ancient Zhang Jialou.

### Cursed Female Corpse

In order to square things off with a local official she offended, she once called upon a favor from Hei Xiazi to remove a cursed female corpse from a well that caused many people to die.

### Yangshi Lei Drawings

Huo Xiangu continued looking for the Zhang Jialou and began buying Yangshi Lei drawings. She managed to acquire seven of the drawings and wanted to meet with Wu Xie at the Crescent Hotel to buy another. When she met with Wu Xie, she offered to tell him about the drawings if he could get his grandmother to come and ask her. Huo Xiangu was still upset about what had occurred between her friend and Wu Laogou.

Wu Xie refused and caused complete chaos at the Crescent Hotel by stealing one of items being auctioned. After Wu Xie, Wang Pangzi, and Zhang Qiling attempted to get away, she eventually met up with them again to discuss the drawings.

While discussing things with Wu Xie, she learned about the secret forces behind the scenes and the truth about her daughter Huo Ling. She decided to find Zhang Jialou first, get the contents, and then force the people behind the scenes to show themselves.

### Death

Huo Xiangu, Zhang Qiling, Pangzi, and some others went into the Zhang Jialou. Wu Xie and Xie Yuchen would solve the puzzle in Sichuan's Siguniang Mountains and would then relay that information to her and the team so they could move through the Zhang Jialou safely. However, Wu Xie and Xie Yuchen inadvertently sent her team the wrong information.

Huo Xiangu and the others became trapped in the Zhang Jialou and soon encountered a poisonous gas. Wang Pangzi was able to escape and tell others what had happened while Huo Xiangu went ahead with Zhang Qiling. She eventually perished inside. When Wu Xie found her later, he cut off her head to let the Huo family know she was dead.

## References

1. ↑ Wu Xie's Private Notes, Chapter 9
2. ↑ Volume 8, Chapter 82
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Volume 7, Chapter 5
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Wu Xie's Private Notes, Chapter 9
5. ↑ Volume 8, Chapter 22 ("He and Granny Huo had a lot of memories I knew nothing about. Moreover, the old woman still chose to come here even though she was in her nineties.")
6. ↑ Volume 7, Chapter 7
7. ↑ Sand Sea, Chapter 167; Volume 8 Chapter 4 ("Old Granny Huo had several sons")
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Volume 7, Chapter 56
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Volume 8, Chapter 81
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Volume 7, Chapter 56
11. ↑ Volume 7, Chapter 14
12. ↑ Volume 8, Chapter 56