Li Qingqian

**Li Qingqian** (李清浅, *Lǐ Qīngqiǎn*) is a famous cultivator who is well renowned for the Water-Parting Sword technique. He later turns into a sword spirit.

## Appearance

### Youth

During his youth, Li Qingqian is described as a young cultivator clad in green, with a green ribbon in his hair and a sword always present by his side. His appearance is notably similar to his savior.

### Sword Spirit

As a sword spirit, Li Qingqian appears as a mangled corpse covered in bandages. His eyes are bloodshot.

## Personality

### Youth

Many storytellers recount Li Qingqian's austere strength of a character. He is described as lofty master who is distinguished and righteous. He treats people equally and with respect, even if they wronged or disrespected him, and is described as being *"poor in coin, and kind of heart"*. He would frequently risk his life to exorcise demons, but ill-intentioned cultivators always stole his glory in the end. His kind and optimistic personality slowly began to wear out that even as he did righteous deeds, he still did not have enough money to help the one he loved.

## History

### Youth

Li Qingqian was born to a human father and a Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feast mother and had a younger brother, Li Houde. He lived peacefully with his family in Lichun until one day, when he was less than ten-years-old, his village was ravaged by Liao Kingdom cultivators who were collecting Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feasts to resurrect the Demonblood Beast. While protecting Li Houde, he watched his father was killed and his mother raped and murdered. Soon after he is saved by a man wearing green robes and a golden mask.

Li Qingqian and his brother begged the man to take them with him but were rejected. The man instead gave Li Qingqian the Water-Parting Sword manual in hopes that he would learn it well enough to use it for self-defense.

## Relationships

### Hong Shao

Li Qingqian treated Hong Shao with love and care after rescuing her poverty. He first decided to take her in due to sympathy because she resembled him the way he frantically begged his savior to take him in. Later, as he traveled with her and would often spar and play with her, his feelings for her grew to that of love; A love that he did not know was ever reciprocated. However, he never confessed his feelings for her because he believed that he was too stuffy and did not want a clever and pretty girl like Hong Shao to suffer in poverty with him.

After Hong Shao begins suffering from demonic miasma, Li Qingqian hardens his heart and forcibly sends Hong Shao to become a priestess so she can have a better life. After seeing Hong Shao's ghost and realizing that he had in indirectly sent her off to her death, in grief he confesses to her and begs for her forgiveness as he tearfully sends her off. Her death served as the catalyst for Li Qingqian's desire of vengeance on the Goushi which in turn led to his eventual demise following Hong Shao.

## Abilities

* **Water-Parting Sword** (断水剑, *Duànshuǐ Jiàn*):

* **Cultivation**:

* **Dream of Longing**:

## Trivia

* Li Qingqian and Hong Shao's story is based off a Northern Song dynasty musician who adapted it from the tale of "Maiden Little Red", a tale about Jiang Kuiyu and Xiao Hong (Little Red).

## References

2. ↑ Novel, Chapter 21: Have Mercy
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Novel, Chapter 32: Sword Spirit
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Novel, Chapter 37: Why Did Fate Have To Come Between Them
5. ↑ Novel, Chapter 190: Before the Flower Broke the Darkness
6. ↑ Novel, Chapter 36: They Were in Love
7. ↑ Novel, Chapter 38: Mountain Sacrifices
8. ↑ Novel, Chapter 39: Guoshi (Author's Notes)