Hong Shao

*This article is about **Hong Shao**. For the sword, please see **Hong Shao Sword**.*
**Hong Shao** (红芍, *Hóng Sháo*) is a girl who Li Qingqian saves and later lives with. She dies as a sacrifice on Maiden's Lament Mountain.

## Appearance

She looks to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, with slender eyebrows and a beauty mark at the outer corner of her eye.

## Personality

Hong Shao is loud, playful, and rambunctious. She likes to pester Li Qingqian, often trying to gain his praise, and also often competing with him in many aspects such as strength. Despite this, she is a pure girl who is inexperienced when it comes to romance, and so she does not dare to tell Li Qingqian about her feelings for him.

## History

### Youth

Not much is known about Hong Shao's life prior to meeting Li Qingqian. Before she met him, she was a slave trying to escape famine. She was passed through three households, having been a child bride and someone's future daughter-in-law, a servant girl in a big household, and a farmer family's adopted daughter. She was prepared to sell herself for the sake of burying her deceased godfather.

Once, when Hong Shao was fifteen years old, she collapsed on the side of the road, severely sick. She was later saved by Li Qingqian, who was eighteen years old at the time, and was taken to a doctor. Although the doctor at the healer's hall she was taken to was willing to take her as a disciple, Hong Shao decided to chase after Li Qingqian instead, as she wanted to stay with him. After begging and chasing after him, Li Qingqian relented, and they began to live together.

### Life with Li Qingqian

Hong Shao and Li Qingqian lived a calm and peaceful life together. They traveled through small countries like Lichun, doing acts of kindness where they could, and also cultivating the sword.

Three years after their first meeting, the pair passed through a small village near the Liao Kingdom, and as the Liao Kingdom's territories were constantly permeated with demonic miasma, Hong Shao fell sick by accident and was rendered bedridden. Li Qingqian sought out doctors everywhere, but the ailment that they needed was expensive, and so the doctors refused to see him. Li Qingqian opted to sell off what little he had to extend their time together.

One night, Li Qingqian came home, gave Hong Shao a red peony, and styled her hair for her, using the red peony as a pin. Having already done this in the past, Hong Shao did not question his behavior. Eventually, she noticed that there was something on his mind, and so she found out about what he heard earlier that day: That the Liao Kingdom's Guoshi was seeking priestesses, and she fit the requirements.

Hearing this, Hong Shao was left devastated, however even after she begged Li Qingqian not to send her away, in the end, she still went to the Guoshi.

### Death

Hong Shao was given to the Guoshi that night. While she was being led up the stage, Hong Shao saw Li Qingqian for the last time, who was receiving his one thousand gold cowries for handing her in. She wished for him to turn around so that they can properly say goodbye, but in the end, they were unable to. Unbeknownst to them, Hong Shao will soon face her death.

The Guoshi later took over a several hundred women dressed in wedding attire over to Phoenix Feather Mountain to sacrifice them. The women consisted of the maidens that he gathered and claimed to be turned into priestesses, including Hong Shao.

Eventually, she became a vengeful ghost, and haunted the mountain together with the other women's vengeful ghosts, turning Phoenix Feather Mountain into Maiden's Lament Mountain. Later, Li Qingqian would come by to seal the vengeful ghosts with the Water-Parting Sword, and assist each ghost in passing on to the next life. Hong Shao turned out to be the last ghost that Li Qingqian helped, and after listening to her final words, he let her pass on.

## Relationships

### Li Qingqian

Hong Shao considers Li Qingqian as her savior. She often tries to gain his attention and praise, but despite this, she does not confess her romantic feelings towards him at all, and did not know that Li Qingqian felt the same way for her. The best end that she can imagine for the both of them was for them to grow old together, never daring to be greedy and dream for riches. Her final wish was for Li Qingqian to turn around so that she can bid him a proper goodbye.

## Trivia

* Because of her personality, Mo Xi can count her as one of the ten great nightmares in his life.
* 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. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Novel, Chapter 37: Why Did Fate Have To Come Between Them
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Novel, Chapter 38: Mountain Sacrifices
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Novel, Chapter 39: Guoshi
5. ↑ Novel, Chapter 39: Guoshi (Author's Notes)