Dili Youjie

Dili Youjie rises from an impoverished Mount Yue household to kingship through his service to Li Zhouwei. His local knowledge and ruthless cooperation help the Li Family conquer Northern Mount Yue, while dependence on Zhouwei’s favor shapes both his rule and his later cultivation. (Chapters 675–689, 1552)

Biography

A fortune purchased through service

A skilled young hunter and village leader from a lowly household, Youjie is anxious to contact the invading Li Family when Zhouwei instead arrives with troops and has him pinned beneath their blades. Offered an overwhelming fortune, he accepts immediately and gathers his family to purge Great Jueting’s ruling houses. Working beside Chen Yang, he first enjoys the chance to punish a family that robbed his own, then becomes horrified by the scale of the slaughter and his ally’s calculation. Chen publicly credits him with identifying the guilty, binding Youjie to the easterners through the hatred of the surviving populace. Unable to escape that reputation, he commits himself to organizing troops for the next conquest. (Chapters 675–678)

Youjie supplies manpower, guides, and local knowledge as Zhouwei strikes into Northern Mount Yue. He rallies soldiers with the promise of elevated lineage, honors Zhouwei with the Mount Yue title Grand Concord of Radiance, and leads separate detachments to conscript recruits. At Moonlight Valley he attempts to pass as a friendly reinforcement; when the guard insists on verification, he kills him and raises Zhouwei’s banner for the assault. After Xian Du’s defeat, Youjie and Chen sweep through the remaining territories. Zhouwei places him on the royal throne, and Li Chengliao confirms him as king under Li supervision. His emotional vow of loyalty quickly coexists with satisfaction at gaining an advantage over Li Jiman, showing how the survivor of a threatened village has already begun thinking as a rival ruler. (Chapters 679–680, 683, 689)

Royal rank does not win full acceptance among the lake’s cultivators, who continue to look down on the Mount Yue people. Youjie uses his association with Zhouwei to secure respect and receives the techniques and provisions that support repeated cultivation successes. When he later meets his patron again, he has reached Foundation Establishment through a Geng Metal method bestowed from the lake, but still lowers his eyes to Zhouwei’s boots and trembles with gratitude. His advancement gives him genuine power without freeing him from the relationship that made it possible. (Chapters 745, 1552)

Appearance and personality

He begins as a robust, stern-faced hunter carrying a bow and beast bones, with a mustache through which he blows his signaling horn. Usually decisive and feared locally, he becomes visibly frightened under Li military pressure. By Foundation Establishment he retains a sharp, clever air, combining ambition and opportunism with enduring deference to Zhouwei. (Chapters 675–676, 1552)

Abilities and cultivation

Local command and military knowledge

Youjie can mobilize local families, organize soldiers, assign personnel, and guide the Li forces through Mount Yue terrain. He distinguishes experienced troops from irregular soldiers and slaves, warning that hastily assembled forces have low morale and may fail in a major engagement. His accent and knowledge of local banners support a false-reinforcement approach at Moonlight Valley; when that disguise fails, he personally cuts down the suspicious guard. These capabilities make him useful beyond the raw strength of his household. (Chapters 677–680, 683)

Geng Metal cultivation

He later reaches Foundation Establishment using a Geng Metal method supplied by the Li Family. His success depends on favorable techniques and provisions obtained through his long service and connection to Zhouwei. The specific foundation name and spell mechanisms are unknown; the established achievement is his transition from a local hunter and subordinate ruler into an immortal cultivator. (Chapter 1552)

Relationships

• Li Zhouwei: Patron who recruits him, makes him king, and enables his cultivation; receives his emphatic loyalty. (Chapters 675, 689, 1552)
• Chen Yang: Campaign partner whose calculated slaughter and publicity leave Youjie dependent on Li protection. (Chapters 676–677)
• Li Chengliao: Confirms his appointment and sets Northern Mount Yue’s governing arrangements. (Chapter 689)
• Li Jiman: Eastern Mount Yue ruler whom Youjie privately views as a future rival. (Chapter 689)

Items

His early hunting equipment includes a bow and beast bones, while a horn signals his family warriors. During the campaign he uses local and captured banners to guide troops, attempts entry under Chong Dui’s identity, and then raises the Grand Concord of Radiance’s banner when the deception fails. (Chapters 675–676, 683)