Du Yaoye

[General Information] Gender: Female Eye Color: Muted Golden Amber Hair Color: Sandy Blonde Age: 20 Height: 170cm Birthday: N/A Combat Experience: 4 years Race: Feline Place of birth: Shangshu, Yan Infection Status: Medical tests have confirmed that no infection is present.

[Physiological Examination] Physical Strength: Excellent Mobility: Excellent Endurance: Standard Tactical Acumen: Standard Combat Skill: Excellent Originium Arts Assimilation: Normal

[Additional Information] Affiliation: Xingyu Escort Asociation > Xingyu Logistics (escort leader) Family and relatives: Unnamed biological father (Deceased) / Zheng Qingyue (adoptive father) Status: Alive

[Profile] A straight-foward Feline girl, Du Yaoye is Zheng's adoptive daughter and the appointed heir of the Xingyu Escort Association, even though she strongly prefers to do what she wants with her life.

[Appearance] Du Yaoye has a poised yet commanding presence, enhanced by her feline features—cat ears and a striped tail that hint at her nimble, predatory grace. Her outfit blends traditional elegance with militaristic accents: a white and orange cheongsam-inspired dress cinched at the waist with ornate black and gold sashes, adorned with tassels and a red flower brooch. A dramatic fur stole drapes around her shoulders, adding a regal flair, while thigh-high black lace-up boots and a holstered weapon on her hip emphasize her readiness for action. Her sandy blonde hair is tied into twin puffs, and her narrowed golden eyes radiate sharp confidence.

[Background] Du Yaoye's biological father was an old friend of Meng Tieyi, and an escort who died on a mission ten years ago, when the caravan he and many others have been escorting was ambushed by bandits. Zheng did not help his fellow collegues, but rather left them to die at the expense of protecting one of the transported goods, a black goblet.[1] From that incident afterwards, the little Du has been under the protection of Zheng, with the Escort Association becoming a humble inn.

At the same time, Du is also the owner of her own startup business called Xingyu Logistics, which became Yumen's top logistics company.

[Story] Du Yaoye first showed up by barging into the inn with her underlings. She briefly mistook Mr. Nothing for Lee, before correctly identifying him and demanding he hand over the goblet, firmly believing it belongs to her and is the only proof she needs to step out of her adoptive father’s shadow. Then, due to Mr. Nothing and Lee recognizing each other, she assumed they were together, resulting in a fight. However, Zheng intervened, which caused her to stand down.

In Liang's house in Shangshu, she negotiated with Lee, revealing that her father has forced her to pretend to be shallow and arrogant while secretly doing favors for the royal court so that she can inherit the Association. However, she does not want to inherit the Association, believing it to be too suffocating due to rules from its royal court connections. It was also revealed that her earlier actions were because a person from the royal court wanted the goblet. She promised his safety returning to Lungmen and in exchange, he agreed to help her keep up her act so.

Du ran into Kroos and got into a fight. Du expressed distrust for the three of them (Kroos, Mr. Nothing, and Lee), but also told Kroos that she made a deal with Lee. Kroos was still wary. Du hinted that the person who hired the Association could be higher up the ranks than Liang. Then, her underlings and Mr. Nothing showed up, causing another fight. Du retreated her underlings and left after warning Kroos and Mr. Nothing.

Afterwards, she argued with her father about the mission and her position. She expressed that she unhappy with pretending to be naive and having to be someone who she is not. Zheng stated that she is not capable of dealing with the issue and that she doesn't understand. She mentioned how the younger generation is unhappy, but he claimed he is worried about her ability to run an organization and that she may be ruining this mission on purpose.

Then, while Du was guarding Lee and the goblet, they were attacked by Blacknight, who used slumberfoots to steal the goblet. Du wanted to pursue her, but Lee stopped her. Later, after Lee met with Liang, he teasingly implied that Du really does care about her father and also told her that Blacknight wasn't acting alone, but rather was being used by someone. In the morning, Lee noticed that the waregeists appeared more when nearer to the goblet, and pointed it out to Du.

In a teahouse, she encountered Shang and Lee. Shang, who was openly carrying the goblet, left after some small talk about governments and tea. The waregeists showed up, but Du and Lee fought them off. On the way to the mountain peak where they were supposed to meet Kroos and Mr. Nothing, they noticed Taihe and Zuo Le, who she identified as officials from the royal court. Almost immediately after, Du saw her father carrying his sword, which she was surprised by.

After everyone meets at the mountain peak, Shang and Zheng fight. Shang tells Du about her biological father's death and mother leaving the city. Du reveals that she has known all of it and confidently proclaims that she is going to take over the Association and the inn. The duel resumes but Du blocks a hit to protect her dad. The goblet is flung away during the fight, and she tells Lee to go after it.

[Relationship(s)] —Zheng Qingyue (adoptive father): The man who saved and raised her after her birth father died escorting the goblet ten years ago. Zheng shaped her into the heir of the Escort Bureau, forcing her to act “shallow and arrogant” to appease the royal court. Du Yaoye resists those expectations—she wishes to forge her own identity, yet still understands her father’s burden and even risks herself to protect him during the final clash.

—Mr. Lee: Initially a target when she barges in, she negotiates with him sharply and strategically—using him to legitimize her ride to power and reclaim the cup. Though she distrusts him, she respects his intelligence and reluctantly cooperates—but only on her terms.

—Mr. Nothing & Kroos: Early on, she views them warily as outsiders meddling in Shangshu affairs. She clashes with them, especially Kroos, but eventually treats them as obstacles rather than allies—signaling how isolated she prefers to remain.

—Liang Xun: The local magistrate who originally assigned delivery of the goblet. Du Yaoye uses Liang’s involvement to legitimize her claim—though she views the royal court’s demands (which Liang represents) with suspicion. Ultimately she wants the goblet as a symbol of authority within Shangshu, not as palace decoration.

—Shang Zhong: A former colleague of Zheng whose son died in the ambush that claimed her father. Shang challenges Zheng to a duel atop the mountain. Du Yaoye’s presence is tenuous: she intends to let Shang fight her father’s battles alone, but when Shang nearly strikes Zheng, she steps in to protect him—showing her loyalty runs deeper than resentment or ambition.

—Taihe and Zuo Le: Enforcers of the Sui Regulator investigating the goblet. They represent royal ambition she’s internally rebelling against. Du Yaoye confronts them with blunt pragmatism—ready to obstruct if they threaten her goals, but also aware of how deeply implicated the royal court is.

[The Goblet's Significance] The goblet was the object her biological father was tasked with escorting ten years ago—an assignment that led to his ambush and death. Though she was taken in and raised by Zheng Qingyue, Du Yaoye never forgot that her real father died carrying out that mission. To her, the goblet is a final piece of him, a remnant of his legacy, and retrieving it is a way of honoring his sacrifice.

In the socio-political structure of Shangshu, symbols like the goblet carry weight. For Du Yaoye, the goblet is more than a relic—it's a symbol of her right to carve her own path, especially as the supposed heir to the Zheng family's Escort Bureau. By reclaiming the goblet herself (rather than letting her adoptive father or the royal court dictate its fate), she asserts that she is capable, independent, and not merely a product of Zheng’s grooming or the empire’s expectations.

Du Yaoye has been trained to appear shallow and arrogant as part of Zheng's political strategy—but she internally resents this persona. Reclaiming the goblet is her chance to do something meaningful on her own terms, to step out from behind the façade and prove—to herself, to Zheng, and to the world—that she is more than just a proxy or pawn.