Song Lan
Song Lan, also called Song ZiChen, is a principled rogue cultivator and Xiao XingChen's closest companion in their ambition to create a sect founded on shared ideals rather than lineage.
Biography
Shared ideal and Baixue Temple
Song Lan and Xiao XingChen became like-minded friends and planned an independent cultivation tradition. In retaliation for Xiao XingChen's pursuit of Xue Yang, Xue Yang destroyed Baixue Temple and used poison to blind Song Lan. Xiao XingChen then gave Song Lan his eyes. (Chapter 30)
Return to Yi City
Years later, Song Lan found Xiao XingChen in Yi City and tried to warn him that his companion was Xue Yang. Xue Yang cut out Song Lan's tongue and exploited Xiao XingChen's blindness, causing Xiao XingChen to stab him with Shuanghua. Xue Yang turned Song Lan into a fierce corpse and controlled him with nails in his head. (Chapters 37 and 40–41)
After the nails were removed, Song Lan regained awareness. He left Yi City carrying both Fuxue and Shuanghua and preserving the surviving souls of Xiao XingChen and A-Qing. (Chapters 42–43)
Appearance and personality
Song Lan wears dark cultivation robes and carries a horsetail whisk. He has an upright posture and a proud, aloof air; the text characterizes him as righteous and determined, while his conduct toward A-Qing shows quiet consideration. (Chapters 30 and 40)
Abilities and cultivation
Song Lan is an accomplished wandering swordsman whose cultivation survives death in altered form. As a living cultivator he combines Fuxue with night-hunting knowledge and the sight Xiao XingChen gives him; as a fierce corpse he retains those techniques while no longer depending on an ordinary living body.
Fuxue and night-hunting
Fuxue is Song Lan's sword and the weapon associated with his work beside Xiao XingChen. He investigates massacres, tracks Xue Yang to Yi City, and can identify spiritual danger independently of a sect. His restored eyes allow ordinary sight after Xiao XingChen sacrifices his own, but that gift also becomes a source of guilt and estrangement between them. (Chapters 29–30 and 41)
Fierce-corpse body and restored agency
After Xue Yang kills and reanimates him, Song Lan can fight without pain, fatigue, or fear of wounds that would disable a living cultivator. Skull-piercing nails suppress his consciousness and make him obey external control. Once Wei WuXian removes them, awareness returns and Song Lan can choose targets, communicate in writing, and carry both Fuxue and Shuanghua. (Chapters 38 and 42–43)
His corpse body remains subject to spiritual suppression and physical destruction; freedom from pain is not invulnerability. His latest purpose is restorative rather than martial conquest: he travels to eliminate harmful beings while preserving the fragmented souls of Xiao XingChen and A-Qing until they can recover. (Chapter 43)
Power progression
| Stage / Realm / Ability | Chapter(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Xiao XingChen's transplanted eyes | 30 | After Xue Yang blinds him, Xiao XingChen gives him both eyes; this restores ordinary sight through a transferred bodily gift rather than Song Lan's own healing. |
| Controlled fierce-corpse body | 37–40 | Xue Yang removes his tongue, engineers his death, reanimates him, and uses skull-piercing nails to suppress his mind while retaining his sword skill and corpse durability. |
| Conscious fierce corpse | 41–42 | Wei WuXian removes the control nails, restoring Song Lan's awareness and choice; he remains undead and departs with both Fuxue and the borrowed Shuanghua. |
Relationships
- Xiao XingChen: His closest cultivation companion; their shared ideal survives despite the catastrophe engineered between them.
- Xue Yang: The enemy who destroys Baixue Temple, mutilates him, and controls his corpse.
- A-Qing: An ally in the Yi City tragedy whose soul he carries away alongside Xiao XingChen's.
Items
- Fuxue: His named sword, which identifies him to Xiao XingChen by touch.