Jia Xichun/Story
Prior to Limbus Company
Jia Xichun shared much of her youth with her older sibling Jia Baoyu, the two bonding closely. As many children of Daguanyuan were born in secrecy, few, if any, had known and celebrated birthdays besides Baoyu. Feeling for his beloved younger sister, Baoyu held these birthday parties in honor of Xichun, taking her to feasts and playing with her all day long. While Xichun ultimately was too young to remember the majority of these birthdays, they were a sign of Baoyu's deep care for his younger sister. However, after the massacre of the Kong Family, Baoyu became empty and subdued, no longer fostering the same bond with his sister.
Xichun spent the rest of her youth at an arm's length from her brother and the rest of her family. At age thirteen, she first killed another person, and at age sixteen, she received the leashes of her Heishou Pack, the Wu Branch. Later on, Xichun would relinquish control of her leashes to free the Adept of the Branch, Wei, who would remain at her side as her personal servant, and guard her from many assassination attempts.
In time, Xichun watched as her brother Baoyu grew more and more distant, with their relationship ultimately severing after Baoyu declared that Xichun may as well kill him while she had the chance, fully given up on his own life. Enraged at this, Xichun would fester in this rage, and refuse to see him again.
At some point before the beginning of the story, Jia Xichun, together with Wei and a small clan, would leave Daguanyuan in preparation for the upcoming Family Hierarch Evaluation. Xichun planned to discover the whereabouts of the River of Immortality by searching for traces of the Fixer Bari. Her quest would lead her to District 16.
Canto VII: The Dream Ending
Jia Xichun was first noticed as she stared down the Sinners, particularly Hong Lu, within the Backstreets of P Corp. She and her men had been previously commissioned to assist in the eradication of the Bloodfiend den known as La Manchaland, where she did not expect to find her older brother participating likewise. She ignored the trio of Meursault, Heathcliff and Sinclair attempting to intimidate her faction as she approached Hong Lu, using this as an opportunity to catch up with him, as well as condescendingly reminding him that she was hired first. Hong Lu would question her intent on joining such a job, though she dodged the question. Agreeing to go their separate ways, she left with her group to prepare for the briefing on their job.
Assigned to Area 2 of La Manchaland, Jia Xichun later returned, having killed off the majority of Bloodbags and Bloodfiends within the area while searching for the area's button. They gravely injured The Priest due to his status as overseer, only for him to retreat to his confessional, leaving Xichun to search for him. They accomplished the primary goal of pushing the area's button, before encountering the Sinners outside the confession booth, with Xichun hoping to kill The Priest. As The Priest confronted Don Quixote, Xichun grew tired of his actions and attempt to slay the Bloodfiend, only to be stopped by Sansón saving him. Suddenly stuck in Sansón's play, she became annoyed by the inability of everybody to break the magician's abilities, though it would soon come to an end by Sansón's own hand. Worried about what the state of Area 3 must be and knowing it went wrong, Xichun joined the Sinners in combat against the enemies of The Parade, taking part in the battle against Dulcinea. At the conclusion of this battle, Sansón similarly saved the Second Kindred, before beginning another tale of Don Quixote, where she would witness the reveals involving the Sinner's past.
In the fathoms of ego created by the Golden Bough, Xichun revealed her own mission involves the search for one of the Rivers that flow beneath the City. In particular, she searches for one that could grant immortality of the mind, something the elders of the Jia family have been desperately seeking. She separated from the Sinners partway through the Canto VII dungeon for this reason, predicting that they will soon meet again.
Intervallo V: Nocturnal Sweeping
Jia Xichun met the Sinners again in Qingtao's kezhan in the District 8 Backstreets, being also thrown off course by the unexpected construction at H Corp.'s entrance. After her initial surprise at seeing Don Quixote back with the Sinners, she retired for the night. Dante ran into her while looking for Hong Lu, and she would point out his location after much trial-and-error.
She saved Dante during the Heishou Pack - Mao Branch's attack during the night before retreating with Wei to the lobby of the kezhan. She remained exempt from the skirmishes between the Sinners and The Middle, though she would still be forced to participate in defending against the Sweepers during the Night of the Backstreets. After the last wave of Sweepers were past, she proposed an alliance for the Sinners to become part of her faction during the upcoming Family Hierarch Evaluations as Hong Lu was showing no intention to compete in said event. Dante accepted the proposal, and she held a banquet for the Sinners to seal the deal. However, the alliance came to a short end immediately after the meal as the LCCB appeared to announce orders from the LCA that Hong Lu shall participate in the Evaluations as a candidate.
Canto VIII: The Surrendered Witnessing
Annoyed by her brother's sudden change in answer, she travelled to Daguanyuan via the first arriving palanquin, forcing the Sinners to take their own. During the banquet welcoming her and Hong Lu back, she sat away from the group, annoyed over their failure to accompany her.
During the first round of the Family Hierarch Evaluations, Xichun passed by pleasing the judging family members via an unseen answer to immortality. Following this round, she visited the Sinners again in Hong Lu's residence, attempting to goad an answer of her brother's participation. Finally addressing their soon-to-be status as enemies, she departed back to her room.
In the midst of the Family Hierarch Evaluation's second round, she encountered both Jia Qiu and Jia Huan; the former simply ignoring her and the latter viciously attacking her faction. By the end of the confrontation, all that remained of Jia Xichun's faction was herself and Wei who were grievously injured. In a short encounter with Hong Lu, she questioned him again, realizing he is truly hopeless after what he had said in their youth. As her brother marches onwards to the final confrontation, she remains in the battleground injured.
At the summit of the second round, Hong Lu was given the winning position that would lead him to become hierarch of H Corp., though he chose to bestow this role upon Jia Xichun instead. Baffled, she spent a celebration dedicated to the end of the evaluations completely disoriented over her newfound role. This celebration would be shortlived, as Xichun was required to approach the Tiekan Temple deep within Daguanyuan, where the venerated Xianren and Jia Mu will welcome her to the role of H Corp. Hierarch. This task is a dangerous one, as both internal and external factions sought to kill Jia Xichun prior to her acquisition of the role, causing a fall of H Corp. and possible war of the Wings. Xichun did not travel without protection, accompanied by a small legion of soldiers and her personal servant Wei, though the majority were ultimately killed by Lei Heng who intercepted the army as they awaited Xichun's return from the temple, with only Wei surviving due to Zilu taking a hit for Wei's safety. The Capo awaited Xichun's exit, though was held off by Jia Qiu.
Inside the temple, the Sinners found an incapacitated Jia Xichun together with Jia Mu. After returning to her senses, Xichun was told by Jia Mu that she would have to inherit the Xuanhuang Anamnaworm and continue their search for immortality. As Xichun listened and looked upon the elders around her, she recognized one of them as her great-great-grandfather, and she was shocked at the horrible transformations that the obsession with immortality could bring. Hong Lu, worrying about her happiness, asked Xichun if she wanted to become Family Hierarch like this; upon Xichun's denial, he decided to defend her against the elders. The insubordination angers the New League of Nine Littérateurs, the Xianren, and Jia Mu alike, causing the Sinners to be forced into a sequence of dangerous battles.
After the flooding of the temple, Xichun fled alongside the Sinners. As the group escaped, she worried of her inability to lead Hongyuan, to which Hong Lu gives acknowledgement of her confidence. Attempting to convince herself of her capabilities, she held onto this thread of his belief in her abilities. She was able to make it to the Hierarch's throne in Daguanyuan, where she assumed the role of Hierarch officially.
Days later, peace was largely restored to the District, although Xichun and Wei began dealing with the newfound difficulties of the role, such as recording the information previously documented entirely by the Xianhuang Anamnaworm. Intent on reforming the District from its previous rule, Xichun remarked that she felt as though she'd aged a decade in mere days. While Kong Qiu recognized the possible danger of the allure of immortality, he honored Jia Xichun's new role as Hierarch, expressing interest in keeping up with her rule.
With the Sinners soon to leave, Jia Xichun held a farewell feast for them as a memorable end. This was interrupted by Saude, who began LCB's next plan: a total makeover to turn Jia Xichun into the perfect ally of the faction. Despite Xichun's protests, she was ultimately outnumbered by Saude, Outis and Meursault, with Wei himself agreeing that she should undergo a training regimen with the Sinners during their stay in Hongyuan.
Intervallo VI: Spring Cultivation
During the initiation meeting to discuss the standings of the new Hierarch and the effects she will have on the board of directors, Xichun was mocked and disregarded by Jia Yuanchun, who aimed to gradually weaken Xichun to take control of Daguanyuan herself. While Xichun attempted to stand up for herself, Yuanchun motioned for a vote of no confidence against the woman. Before the vote could be passed, Sinclair objected, supported by Zigong. After Yuanchun and Zigong discussed the matter, Xichun's elder sister eventually agreed giving Xichun a one month period to prove her worth, after which the vote of no confidence would be held.
Wasting no time, Zilu began planning a regimen based on what the Sinners excelled at and could teach the Hierarch, to train their Zhi, Yong, and Ren, the three facets that make up the qualities of a proper Hierarch. Sinclair was told to train alongside Xichun, assigned as her "bestie" to recreate a normal school experience. Wei was then quickly taken from her side, to instead join Zigong in grueling paperwork. Despite this, he took the time to send a message of encouragement to his master, who reacted with shock over the events. This began her thirty days of training.
As their first instructor, Yi Sang told the duo of the Mirror and its multitudes, making the first time Xichun has examined herself in a mirror in years. Her lessons give her an insight into the "angle" used to view things, spurring the memory of a time she discussed the matters of Shi Sunzhen, a Shi family member aiming to assassinate her. While the assassination failed, it stuck with Xichun due to the brutality the man later experienced in return. She began to feel stuck in the motions of life in Daguanyuan, where routine and expectations rarely changed. Thanks to this lesson, Xichun mentioned she believes it helped her begin to uncover parts of herself she kept hidden. Sinclair, meanwhile, merely saw his own reflection.
Following this lesson, Don Quixote took the mantle of instructor. This lesson focused on the boisterous history of Fixers, fashioned as a quiz show aiming to test Don Quixote's summaries. While the two expected minimal excitement and little gain, they ultimately enjoyed their time greatly, battling ferociously in answering questions, such as Xichun recreating the esteemed Fixer Lysander's famous pose.
For her third lesson, Faust acted as her instructor. Utilizing a past H Corp.'s Singularity as an example, she taught the duo in regards to the City, engineering, and its practices. Though a plan for a more distant future, Xichun commented on the information as a beneficial aspect to dismantling Hongyuan's restructuring days, creating a District where people no longer need to live in obsessive fear of inequity. Sinclair agreed with her dedication to the cause, while a mechanism Faust worked with blew up in her face, cutting their discussion short.
On her fourth day, Gregor acted as the group's instructor. Here, he discussed the dangers of war, pushing himself to a point of deep stress to inform them of his past experiences, the trench warfare of the Smoke War still haunting him. Xichun picked up on his discomfort, reminding him not to go to any lengths he could not handle, which Gregor was thankful for. While he apologized for being distracted, Xichun comforted him and thanked him for what he'd been able to convey to her, before progressing to her next class.
Hong Lu, accompanied by Lin Daiyu, was the next instructor. Supplied with a noxious poison, bowls, and a set of unique spoons used for deducing if a drink has been poisoned or not, the two taught the students how to immediately pick up on assassination attempts through reflex.
On the sixth day of training, Jia Xichun was assigned her first of five exams, a sparring match with Shi Huazhen. While she attempted to remain amicable, the man spoke with a grudge, bothered by the questioning of and possible danger his family was currently experiencing. As Jia Xichun assured him that her rule would be kind and fair to the family, she offhandedly revealed she remembered the man's name, which Huazhen was struck by. After the sparring match, Huazhen began to view Xichun's rule as compassionate.
Passing the exam, Xichun returned to her lessons with Ishmael teaching the two through "Jianghu Journeys"(江湖遊覽記), a tabletop roleplaying game where Xichun and Sinclair must use their amazing talents to save a city through the following of a prophecy of the Tianya Sword. In good fun, the two became engrossed in the story, losing track of the lesson within time. Despite the focus on the story over teaching, the duo grew experienced through practicing compassion, such as Xichun saving Sinclair's character who had been nearly killed by a yaoguai.
The next instructor, Meursault, presented a new and unique challenge: to refrain from unnecessary emotions and sentiments that misguide actions. After recounting a time where Sinclair attempted to tell Dante of the group's failings, Meursault commanded the two to refrain from any comments to him for the next five minutes, before immediately feigning his own death, to Sinclair's astonishment. Again goading the student into failing his assignment, the two students power through the unique task.
Outis, the eight instructor, plainly taught the group of the methods of effective torture for information gathering. While Xichun had previously spoken of her ability to do so, she finds herself now looking down upon the idea, to Outis's disapproval. Commanding the two to listen, she taught them of torture through speechcraft.
On the twelfth day of training, Jia Xichun was assigned her second of five exams, a sparring match with Shi Sijing. Toying with the man, Xichun managed to goad Sijing into revealing the location of his family, who he kept hidden to avoid possible wrath from the Shi family's misdeeds. The two sparred, resulting in Shi Sijing's loss, to which Xichun comforted him; though she tricked him into revealing his family's location, she already knew thanks to the Heishou Branches she controlled. While she knew, she had no plans to attack or mistreat them, promising a positive result if the family were honest with their actions. The two leave, with Sijing beginning to view Xichun's rule as fair.
Beginning the thirteenth day, Ryōshū was assigned as the next instructor, where she taught the students the importance of childcare, using a Wang family child. While the boy was generally shy, raised to fear and mistrust everything within the District, Ryōshū manages to comfort him with minimal effort. Though her instructions, spoken largely in SANGRIA, were lost upon Jia Xichun initially, Sinclair helped translate.
Rodion marks the tenth instructor, who aimed to teach the duo the importance of to "what your eyes are saying," in terms of giving information away during a game of mahjong. While Wei appeared only to drop off some papers, he is goaded into joining the event due to the game requiring four players. In the game, the students are read without challenge by Rodion, while Wei puts up a challenge. In the heat of the moment, Wei quickly realizes his ability to win the game and declares a Qing Yao Jiu(清幺九) hand, winning him the game. Both Xichun and Wei himself are caught up in his excitement, leading to him quietly excusing himself to make some tea and ending the lesson.
On the eighteenth day of training, Jia Xichun was assigned her third of five exams, a sparring match with Wang Qingshan. At the beginning of the match, Xichun briefly discusses the matters of the Family Hierarch Evaluations with Wang Zhao, who defends his actions of assisting in removing the foreign powers alongside the rest of the Wang family. Reminding her that silent votes do not mean support, Wang Zhao departs so that his cousin may begin her sparring match with the Hierarch. After the short battle, Qingshan threatens Xichun to not teach her little brother things that would endanger him, in reference to the boy used in Ryōshū's lesson. Despite her cold exterior, Xichun mentions she knows that Qingshan was relieved to know her brother had so much fun, to which Xichun further comforts her with the knowledge they will undo Daguanyuan's dangerous lifestyle. The two leave, with Qingshan beginning to view Xichun's rule as gentle.
Heathcliff, armed wiith a high-tech rubber mallet that says "boop" when it hits people, was the following instructor. With the goal of defeating opponents before the battle even starts, Heathcliff teaches the duo the technique of intimidation, even when armed with a rubber mallet.
A guest instructor, the enigmatic Night Drifter who once assassinated Hong Lu, was invited to teach the two in the art of empty-formed martial arts. While the Hierarch has a physical prowess, the Night Drifter draws attention her keenness to attack, making her attacks obvious and predictable. With an intense lesson of dodging her attacks, and Xichun being reminded of her childhood, the Night Drifter's teaching of Anattā pay off, with Xichun's form relaxing further than typical. Proud of her growth, the instructor turned his attention to Sinclair, who he viewed as quietly cocky. Questioning the Sinner's reasoning for being assigned to the student group, he brushes off Sinclair's long line of excuses, before repeating his lesson with the Sinner.
While the Night Drifter acted casually as a guest instructor, Jia Yuanchun truly aimed to have the man assassinate the fledgling Hierarch to create a power vacuum. However, the assassin grew fond of the two, seeing his deceased daughter in the new pupils, and promised himself to secretly teach them to completion, before later battling Xichun fairly.
On the twenty-fourth day of training, Jia Xichun was assigned her fourth of five exams, a sparring match with Xue Pan, recently revived from his death in the Family Hierarch Evaluations. Unbothered with the state of Hongyuan, he purely cared for the idea of witnessing the chaos. Without anything further to say, the two quickly spar, before Xichun defeats him. Confused by her choice to not kill him, Xue Pan goads Xichun into attempting to take his life, explaining that she can make an example of him through brutality, to which she denied the very concept of. The two leave, with Pan unchanged in his opinion of Xichun, considering her a fool doomed to break as everyone in Hongyuan inevitably does. Xue Pan's successfully unnerve Xichun, who began to spiral into a bad mood.
Xichun's classes come to a momentary halt, with her unable to continue out of annoyance that she, like Xue Pan said, will simply live an unfulfilled life of paranoia. In a moment of misplaced brilliance, Sinclair discussed the possibility of playing hooky with Wei, who comes to the idea of putting classes on hold while they visit a nearby pond within the backyard of the
During a session of training with instructor Heathcliff, the duo are taught the art of demoralization, with Heathcliff mentioning their inabilities to stand up for themselves verbally. When prompted to, Sinclair fires back at Heathcliff, immediately impressing the instructor who shows his own growth. Moving forward, Xichun is told to spar with her bestie, Sinclair. In a battle where the two give it their all, Xichun managed to hedge out a win against a Sign-empowered Sinclair. The two take the time to discuss their relations to their homes, with Xichun curious if Sinclair ever tried to run away from his. While the two discuss this, Sinclair briefly references Wuthering Heights, unknowingly upsetting Heathcliff, who dismisses the class.
During another lesson with the Night Drifter, the students are taught he further intricacies of emptiness in their forms, where Zilu begins to recognize the man as a former member of the Ten Blades of the East, which the Night Drifter pushes past. When questioned of the name for the form, the Night Drifter titles it the "Plastered Sleep, Unrestrained Ripples(醉睡浪浪)," with Xichun stating her distaste for the name.
On the 29th, Dante acted as a supplementary instructor, who, without any better ideas, employs Wei's suggestion of a box containing "Messages from the Heart," where Sinners are able to anonymously deposit messages that will shield them from a feeling of judgment. Through these anonymous letters, Xichun is made aware of a recent happening where Dante was knocked upon the head with an alarm clock by somebody among the Sinners, with conflicting reports of who did it. Ultimately, the culprits are revealed to be Sinclair and Yi Sang, much to Xichun's surprise.
On the final day of training, Xichun departs from Daguanyuan on a palanquin that, against anybody's knowledge, had been trapped by Jia Yuanchun, taking her to an execution ground. Following Xue Baochai's sudden appearance and revealing of this plan, Wei raced after his master, rampaging in his past Heishou form. While the Sinners battle the Si Branch members, as well as taming the rampaging Wei, Jia Xichun faced Yuanchun's assassin in the Pingan Residential Support Zone, who is revealed to be the Night Drifter. While it's explained he was meant to kill her earlier, utilizing wolfsbane poison, he found himself growing fond of his disciples, pushing him to delay the moment until it no longer could be put off. The two begin a dangerous battle, interrupted only when the Sinners arrive. In the midst of the confusion, a Shadestriker of the Si Branch tried to take Xichun's life, only for them to be deflected by her master taking the blow, poisoning him. As the group returned to battle, the Night Drifter discussed his past, and his loss of his daughter alongside his hope for Hongyuan. However, seeing a glimmer of hope in his disciple, he finishes his final lesson, which Xichun understands what to do, wordlessly. Striking the Night Drifter with four concise blows, she dealt a death blow to her master, who would later be buried in an unnamed grave.
As the situation is obscured, Xichun returned to Daguanyuan's Dahuating Banquet Hall, where she presented her new strengths to the District's board of executives. Despite Yuanchun's constant meddling, and attempts to push back against her younger sibling, the vote of no confidence revealed the past midterm opponents, who give their support to the rising Hierarch, even securing the vote of Xue Pan. Flaunting her success, Xichun wishes her sister well in her way home.
Following the vote, the Sinners speak again to Xichun, who acts befittingly calloused for her newfound Hierarch position. While the Sinners believed they'd be leaving Hongyuan, they are told they must remain for the time being, to which Xichun offers a spot in Yihongyuan to wait for Mephistopheles to return. In a brief moment, Xichun's stoic nature is dropped as she tells Wei that she will always remember the lessons of the Sinners.
Relations
Hong Lu
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–Hong Lu, reflecting on Xichun's future | ||
During their childhood, Xichun enjoyed a close bond with Hong Lu, the only member of the family with whom she had any kind of rapport. Hong Lu would visit Xichun often, at times taking her along to play with his friends, and styling her hair. As Xichun, like the other children of Daguanyuan, did not have a birthday, Hong Lu would dedicate his own to Xichun, bringing her along for the banquet and celebrating her instead.
After the fall of the Kong family, Hong Lu began shutting himself in his room and stopped visiting Xichun. While she was still very young, Xichun had immediately noticed something was wrong with her brother, although she was never able to understand what had motivated his sudden distance from her. As the years went by, the two still maintained some form of relationship, with Xichun visiting and keeping tabs on Hong Lu somewhat regularly, although they grew much more distant than they had been in their early childhood.
During one of Xichun's visits, Hong Lu informed her that he'd been told he would be leaving Daguanyuan in a few years' time, and told her that he would let her hurt and even kill him if she so wished, as he had given up on life. Xichun was shocked at this behavior: she rebuked Hong Lu, and promised to never visit him again. The exchange would haunt her, and Xichun would look back on it with regret both for what Hong Lu had said, and for the fact that she hadn't tried to ask him what had led him to speak in such a way.
While the two siblings would meet again during the mission at La Manchaland in P Corp., their road to reconciling would not truly begin until their return in Hongyuan.
Wei
Wei has been Xichun's vassal since she received the control of the Wu Branch of the Heishou Packs upon turning sixteen. As Xichun wished to free Wei, the Adept of Wu, she relinquished the leashes of the rest of the Branch; despite this, Wei remained by her side, becoming her personal servant. Xichun began supplying him repression Boluses to suppress the Heishou mutations, allowing him to lead a normal life.
Wei became Xichun's most trusted guard and advisor, protecting her from several assassination attempts and escorting her during her journey out of Daguanyuan.
Jia Yuanchun
Common of Daguanyuan's culture, Jia Yuanchun and Xichun do not see eye-to-eye in regards to their lives in the District. Prior to the latter's ascension to Hierarch of Hongyuan, Yuanchun largely disregarded her younger sibling, who fell outside of her own plans of domination. However, when thrusted into the direct scrutiny of her sibling and her plan of power, Yuanchun frequently attempted to take the fledgling Hierarch's life and position. While Xichun was not blind to these actions, the two frequently scuffled through official channels, pretending to simply be caring for one another as siblings.
Sinclair
Assigned as her classmate during the Hierarch training, Sinclair and Xichun grew close through their classes, experiencing their trainings together. Having somebody of similar age and experience to act as her 'bestie' allowed Xichun to feel more comfortable doing the task.
With a 'bestie' status forged in fire, having dueled eachother, the two grew close among their training, frequently playfully teasing one another.