death. In addition to his reunion with Yilan Zhu after she is rescued by Hamaya, he also learns a set of qinggong techniques from Lian Nichang. He marries Yilan Zhu at the end of the novel, and also joins the Wudang School as Gui Zhongming's junior, becoming a master of the "Bodhidharma Swordplay". Tongming () is nicknamed "Strange Monk" (). Chang Ying () is nicknamed "God of Death" (). Cheng Tong () is nicknamed "Iron Tower" (). The Prince of Lu () is the self-appointed regent of the Southern Ming. Prince of Lu's followers: Zhang Huangyan () Zhang Mingzhen () Liu Jingyi () Mount Changbai School Qi Zhenjun () is the founder of the Mount Changbai School (). In his younger days, he challenged Reverend Huiming to a duel but was refused, causing him to have a false impression that he was better than Huiming. He encountered Lian Nichang later and was defeated by her and driven away. After spending five decades honing his skills in the Changbai Mountains, he returns to assist the Qing government in dealing with the rebels. He is severely injured by Shi Tiancheng in a fight and is eventually slain by Xin Longzi. Qiu Dongluo () is Niuhuru's junior who wields a pair of blades in combat and uses a variety of combination attacks to confuse his opponents. Taking on a fake Han Chinese identity to gather news in the jianghu, he is responsible for disfiguring Ling Weifeng when the latter was bringing the baby Yilan Zhu to Mount Heaven. When he encounters Ling Weifeng again several years later, Ling Weifeng slices off his ears in revenge. He is killed by Yilan Zhu in a fight later. Niuhuru () was a Manchu martial artist and an apprentice of Qi Zhenjun. He was slain by Yang Yuncong in a fight but managed to mortally wound Yang Yuncong before dying. Liu Xiyan () is one of Qi Zhenjun's apprentices. He follows his master and Qiu Dongluo to help the Qing government fight the rebels. Qing Empire Imperial family The Shunzhi Emperor () was the former ruler of the Qing Empire. He disappeared mysteriously after Dong Xiaowan's death and became a monk in Qingliang Monastery on Mount Wutai to seek peace and redemption. He is murdered by Yan Zhongtian on his son's orders. The Kangxi Emperor () is the Shunzhi Emperor's son and the current ruler of the