Jia Xichun TF

Xichun wears a red doupeng with black fur lining the neck and the bottom of the coat, which she wears on top of her usual cheongsam. She now wears her hair in five buns at the crown of her head, and in two low pigtails at either side of her face. Her hair is decorated with a golden comb and a red ribbon over the buns, and a small golden pendant that rests above her forhead.

Jia Xichun is a resolute and ambitious woman, although typically underestimated by her siblings due to her young age and inexperience. She often appears harsh, manifesting a no-nonsense attitude and a short temper, especially towards her older brother, Hong Lu.

During her childhood, Xichun was incredibly close to Hong Lu, who often remarks on her warm and kind heart compared to the rest of their family. Xichun cared deeply for her brother, and suffered greatly upon his decision to detach himself from her following the Kong Family massacre. The two's relationship would completely fall out on the day Hong Lu told Xichun he wouldn't have minded if she decided to kill him to get ahead in life; Xichun felt disappointed and betrayed by this comment, as she'd believed her brother to be different from the rest of their family, and she was offended that he would assume her to be alright with hurting him. This caused her to become much more dismissive and curt of him when meeting him again following their separation.

Growing up, Xichun was a lonely child, and wished to be able to go to school and interact with people her age. As a result, Xichun hated the sight of Daguanyuan, its large buildings a constant reminder of her isolation and the distance between her and her family, although she eventually grew used to it. All the way to the LCB's first encounter with her, Xichun lacks major allies, often commenting on her distaste for her other siblings' behaviors, and never being shown interacting with her parents, who instead appear quite apprehensive over Hong Lu.

After the rest of her clan was decimated following the events of Canto VII, Xichun is never seen in the company of anyone but her personal servant, Wei, who loyally watches over her, and whom Xichun trusts completely. Wei himself remained by Xichun's side after her decision to relinquish the leashes of the rest of the Wu Branch in order to free Wei from his servitude to the Packs, demonstrating her kind nature and dedication to her friends and allies.

For many years, Xichun has struggled to live earnestly, and following the Family Hierarch Evaluation, she doubts and worries about her ability to rule Hongyuan justly, wishing to be a good Hierarch for its people the way she is, without being influenced by someone else and without the weight of her family's history. By the end, she is happy to have received Hong Lu's trust and support, and she endeavors to do her best in her new mission.

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The Heishou Packs are a group of organizations that operates in District 8, functioning as a "secret service" or private army to the four great families of Daguanyuan.

The Heishou Packs are a group of organizations of augmented fighters that serve the upper classes of Hongyuan, particularly the families of Daguanyuan. There are twelve official Branches of the Heishou Packs in total, each of which corresponds to one animal in the Chinese Zodiac, and named after the corresponding Earthly Branch. Members of each Branch have characteristics and display manually-induced mutations (gained after a regimen of Bolus treatments, revealed to be based on life-forms from the Outskirts) reminiscent of the animal they are based off of. Members are thus usually referred as the "beasts" of the Heishou Packs, with each branch's members having a different specialization.

Each Branch is overseen by a Heishou-Xianren who strictly controls their population, using a secret Branch-specific recipe for their Bolus, which contributes to their abilities and strengths.

Each Branch of the Heishou Packs swears allegiance to one given figure, who becomes their lord, at any given time. The current lord must receive from the Heishou absolute loyalty, regardless of any previous affiliations; which appears to be enhanced by Q Corp.'s Singularity.[6] Because of these factors, the dynamic is colloquially referred to as the lord "holding the Heishou's leash".

The beasts of the Heishou Packs all wear black robes and tend to cover their faces. The outfits present variations among the Branches, as members have the animal their Branch is named after depicted on their robes. Each branch is spearheaded by a small number of higher ranking members known as Adepts, second in command to only the leash-holder themselves, who wear a uniform that appears to feature more of the same animal (such as Zilu, whose outfit possesses two hares as opposed to the regular Mao Branch members' singular hare, as well as dual wielding a personal blade and the standard-issue Mao Branch's "Butcherblade"). However, some Heishou entirely lack the animal their Branch is named after, such as the Heishou Pack - Si: Shadestriker, suggesting a lower rank.

The effects of the Heishou Boluses can be reverted through consumption of Boluses specifically to suppress the mutations, but the effect is temporary; frequent doses of the repression Bolus are needed to avoid the effects of the Heishou Bolus resurfacing.

Heishou-Xianren Each Heishou Pack is said to have a respective Bolus known only to their respective Heishou-Xianren, an individual who created the recipe for their Boluses, and thus, their mutations.

The existence of the Heishou-Xianren is not common knowledge, as everything relating to them appears to be a closely guarded secret. This extends to the Boluses as well, with only the respective Xianren knowing of the process to create each Bolus. Because of this secrecy, it is near impossible to expand the groups of Heishou Pack members unless the respective Xianren deems it required. They also withhold the "true strength" of the Heishou Packs, only fielding it against foes "foreign to this land".

Despite their titles, they are not connected to the Xianren of Tiekan Temple.

Mao Branch The Mao Branch (卯; pinyin: mǎo), colloquially known as 'hares', wear hats bearing two yellow strips of cloth resembling a hare's ears. They specialize in group ambush and pursuit missions, and their mutations are based on hares, allowing them to transform their legs into digitigrade limbs to massively enhance their speed and agility.

Their weaponry consists of a long and thin rectangular greatsword with glyphs inscribed onto them using Q Corp.'s Singularity, which grants them additional power when a certain pre-determined condition is met.

The Mao Branch is currently in service to Jia Qiu and his clan.

Si Branch The Si Branch (巳; pinyin: sì), colloquially known as 'serpents', specialize in assassination and stealth. They wield thin purple spears and wear long purple scarves. The Si Branch's mutations are based on snakes, and transform their limbs into thin, scaled forms resembling snakes, which allows them to strike with blinding speed and attack from unconventional angles, while also inflicting a debilitating venom.

They are currently in service to Jia Yuanchun.

The Wu Branch (午; pinyin: wǔ), colloquially known as 'steeds', have black armor-like carapaces fused to their bodies and horse-like tails. They wield large black guandao in combat, and make use of Boluses that mutate their lower body and limbs into those of a horse, granting them great speed and mobility that they put to use as cavalry and vanguards capable of breaking enemy lines.

They were formerly in service to Jia Xichun, but she willingly relinquished her control of them in exchange for Wei's freedom. Their current alliegance is unknown.

The You Branch (酉; pinyin: yǒu), colloquially known as 'roosters' or 'gamefowl', specialize in direct combat and all-out warfare, and wear hats with bright red plumes along with red ribbonlike coattails.[9] In combat, they make use of Xueyan (Bloodflame) Blades, red shortswords imbued with a special oil made in H Corp. that ignites from the friction of the weapon striking blood,[10] and their mutations are based on roosters, allow them to sprout wings. They fight with utter ferocity and no self-preservation, to the point that they are largely unable to distinguish between friend and foe on the battlefield, outside of other You Branch members, and are constantly possessed by a lust for violence even when not in combat, making their deployment an uncommon occurrence as they are ill-suited for covert or bodyguard work.

They are currently in service to the position of Family Hierarch.

Wei Branch The Wei Branch (未; pinyin: wèi), based on sheep, specialize in bringing down enemy fortifications and barricades through destructive ramming attacks. They wear heavy brown coats lined with white wool, and have horns and rectangular pupils like sheep. In combat, they wield Battering Ram Horns, oversized tonfa that are bound and reinforced by the spiralling horns that can grow from their arms when prompted, further enhancing their overpowering strength. As the Outskirts creature their transformation bolus was based on has poor resistance to cold and can explosively grow wool from under their skin, Wei Branch members are perpetually cold no matter the external temperature, and inherit the ability to grow wool. They fight with ferocity born of terror, as their mutation instills them with a desperate fear when their master issues an order, akin to that of a predator chasing from behind; such is their fervor that they have difficulty stopping their rampage, as their eyesight also deteriorates during their frenzy and prevents them from properly identifying friend or foe.

Their allegiance is unknown.

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Daguanyuan, the Grand View Garden, is the supreme governing body of Hongyuan. It is made up of the four families Jia, Shi, Xue, and Wang.

Daguanyuan (Mandarin: 大观园; 大觀園, pinyin: Dàguānyuán) is a colossal residence at the very top of Nest H, in which the four ancient houses Jia, Shi, Xue and Wang, as well as a number of minor houses, reside. The people of Daguanyuan are the elites of District 8, and their leader controls the entirety of Hongyuan.

Being the residence of the Hierarch and head of H Corp., Daguanyuan is rarely subject to the effects of Hongyuan's Restructuring Day, never losing any room, and instead gaining more. Each inhabitant of Daguanyuan resides in their own building together with their personal servants. Members of the same family do not live together; this extends to parents and their children, as well as siblings, all of whom have a personal building at their disposal. Communal areas in Daguanyuan include the banquet hall, where members of various families may commune.

The ruler of Daguanyuan, the Family Hierarch and the Executive Director, is chosen through what is called the Family Hierarch Evaluation, or more commonly the Family Hierarch war. The Evaluation is a process with various stages, where the candidates must complete two trials to prove themselves worthy to the previous Hierarch, before being approved by the Xianren, the enlightened family elders, and sitting themselves on the Hierarch's throne.

During the first trial, the candidates must present to the Hierarch their answer to the question of three freedoms: one from aging, one from death, and one from brevity of life. The second trial consists of a competition in which the candidates, together with their clan, are locked in a subterranean arena and given a number of coins. The candidates compete for the possession of each other's coins, which can be freely given, taken by force by defeating other candidates, or obtained by exploring the various areas of the arena, modeled after the old Kong Family building. The candidates' final placement are based on the amount of coins in their possession by the time of their retreat from the building. The participants that place in the top ten spots are allowed to take one item from the family's treasury, with the participants that placed the highest going first.

The winning candidate gains the right to claim the title of Family Hierarch. At the end of the second round, Daguanyuan experiences a period of power vacuum, as the Heishou Packs become a neutral party, answering to no master until the winning candidate sits upon the Hierarch's throne.

To be acclaimed as the new Hierarch, the winning candidate must then visit the Tiekan Temple to pay respects to the Xianren and receive an Anamnaworm from the previous Hierarch who carried it. This Anamnaworm, the Xianhuang Worm, or Anamnaworm of the Immortal Emperor, is a metamorphized form of the founding Hierarch of Hongyuan, that carries the will and the accumulated knowledge of all the previous Hierarchs. The Hierarch-to-be must then allow the previous Hierarch to implant it into their body, an experience which profoundly shakes one's psyche, connecting their feelings and reason with that of all the previous Hierarchs. Due to this connection, the Hierarch becomes similarly enthralled in the pursuit of immortality, and will eventually join the Xianren and spend the rest of their days in the Tiekan Temple.

Afterwards, the candidate must proceed back to the main building of Daguanyuan, and be seated upon the Hierarch's throne. Upon completing this ritual, the candidate officially becomes the Hierarch, and gains control of their Heishou Packs.

Daguanyuan was led by Jia Mu, an elder of the Jia family and former head of the Wing. After the events of Canto VIII: The Surrendered Witnessing, Jia Xichun becomes the new Hierarch and head of the Wing, and the first to not carry the Xianhuang Worm.

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The Jia family is a powerful family at the head of Hongyuan, which Hong Lu hails from. The Jia family is the most prestigious of the houses of Daguanyuan, their power having remained great and stable for many decades, despite their glory having been overshadowed by the Kong Family for a certain period, around two decades prior to the events of the main story. The Jia family are renowned for their cunning, their skill in Bolus crafting and their capacity for deception. They are directly served by the Jialan Guards, who have sworn utter loyalty to the Family Hierarch and Daguanyuan.

As the most prominent family of Daguanyuan, the Jia family presented a great number of candidates for the Family Hierarch Evaluation. Among them, notable ones are Jia Huan, Jia Xichun, the Kong family remnant Jia Qiu, and the surprise entry Jia Baoyu, jade of the family. All four passed the first round of evaluation and survived the second. Jia Xichun placed first and obtained the title of Family Hierarch, with Jia Baoyu and Jia Huan respectively placing second and third.

Following Jia Xichun's victory, Jia Yuanchun conspired, together with the Shi and Xue families, to overthrow the results and seize the power in Hongyuan by force. After the conspiracy failed and Jia Xichun ascended to the throne, Jia Yuanchun made herself scarce.

The Shi family is one of the four great families of Daguanyuan. The former Family Hierarch Jia Mu, née Shi Miyin, descended from the Shi family: at the times of her grandfather, the Shi family was known to be one the most prestigious families of Hongyuan, towering even above the Jia family, although with time, they underwent a great decline, losing the station and the respect they used to command. The Shi family seems to be known to be highly ambitious, yet lacking the qualifications and ability to maintain their power.

The Shi family members are also regularly accompanied by their mercenaries, and make use of axes in combat.

During the Family Hierarch Evaluation of 985, at least four members from the Shi family participated as candidates: Shi Yihua, who was decapitated by a Heishou of the Si Branch and unable to participate to the first round but joined Wang Dawei during the second, Shi Dazhen, who failed to appear at the first round of the evaluation and was eliminated by default, Shi Huazhen and Shi Sijing, who were eliminated on the second round, defeated by Jia Baoyu's entourage.

Additionally, the Shi family hired the New League of Nine Littérateurs: a small faction led by the League member Jia Huan would join the Evaluation and void the result in the occasion that a Shi family candidate failed to win.

After the second round of Evaluations and Jia Xichun's victory, the Shi family aligned itself with the Xue family and Jia Yuanchun to conspire against Hongyuan. It is suggested the same influential member of the Shi family that ordered Shi Yihua's execution was the one behind this.

The Xue family is one of the four great families of Daguanyuan. The Xue family is known to be prestigious, with other houses such as the Lin family answering to their service, but it is infamous for the greed of its members. The Xue family is also served by a group of vagabond warriors that wield podao broadswords in combat.

A prominent member of the Xue family is suggested to be Xue Pan and Xue Baochai's mother, who seems to be a strict woman with little regard for her children's lives. The lady Xue was also responsible for sending a group of assassins led by the Night Drifter after Jia Baoyu's clan on the night after the first round of evaluations.

During the Family Hierarch Evaluation, at least three members of the Xue family participated as candidates: the siblings Xue Baochai and Xue Pan, who both passed the first round, and a third member who was eliminated during the first round.

After the second round of Evaluations and Jia Xichun's victory, the Xue family aligned itself with the Shi family and Jia Yuanchun to conspire against Hongyuan. Notably, Xue Baochai went against this plan, personally warning Hong Lu of the conspiracy. After Jia Xichun's ascension, she was taken in by Jia Yuanchun with the purpose of discussing her betrayal to her family.

The Wang family is one of the four great families of Daguanyuan. The Wang family appears to be involved with a "spirit talisman school" of Deathrite Monks, and they make use of talismans in combat.[5] Despite their role as a noble family, the Wangs are ultimately subordinate to the Jias, and their family is noted for its economic inferiority to other clans. A prominent member of the family, Lady Wang, married into the Jia family, and gave birth to Jia Baoyu.

During the Family Hierarch Evaluation of 985, at least four members from the Wang family participated as candidates: Wang Ren, who was eliminated in the first round, Wang Dawei and Wang Qingshan, both of whom were eliminated in the second round, and Wang Zhao, who forfeited.

After the second round of Evaluations and Jia Xichun's victory, the Wang family aligned itself with the Jia family to protect Hongyuan against the intruders.

The Kong family was a faction that led the bioengineering research in Hongyuan before the consolidation of the Jia family's power, until the destruction of the family and their headquarters at the hand of an Arbiter.

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Hong Lu is of average height and build, with a pale complexion and raven black hair. His hair is very long, and tied into a high ponytail with a cyan hair tie, which he wears in most of his Identities. Notably, he has heterochromia: his right eye is black, and his left eye is a bright cyan.

His typical outfit consists of an LCB uniform consisting of black pants, a white long-sleeved dress shirt with a red tie, under a black, low-cut vest tucked into a belt. Additionally, Hong Lu wears a long black coat that reaches just above his ankles. This coat has his Sinner number on his left, and a metal pin inscribed with his name on the right.

Hong Lu carries a long guandao called "太虛幻境" (pinyin: tài xū huàn jìng; lit. 'Illusory Land of Great Void'), which he wields with his right hand.

Hong Lu is an exceptionally curious person with a rather ditzy demeanor and friendly attitude. He exhibits a potent, almost childlike indiscriminate curiosity and wonder, to the point of baffling the people around him. While this implies having lived a sheltered lifestyle up until his employment with Limbus Company, a closer inspection into Hong Lu's life will reveal that he grew up in a difficult family full of danger, betrayal, and lofty expectations. Hong Lu speaks casually of attempted murder and abuse against him in a similar way to how he approaches the hardships of the City, almost as if it has nothing to do with him. He has a tendency to give off the impression that he doesn't have particularly strong feelings about anything, regardless of the severity of the topic. While sometimes jarring, this trait primarily serves to make Hong Lu come off as amusingly easygoing and absentminded.

Hong Lu also appears to lack inherent social tact, leading to excessively oblivious statements and questions when something inevitably catches his eye. While this does earn him some disapproval, he does not grow angry or depressed when others give him a difficult time. Hong Lu will either playfully disregard words of scorn, or is altogether too oblivious to be hurt by them, at least outwardly. Although some matters may lead to him growing more obedient or solemn, Hong Lu will consistently let anything and everything slide right off of his back without complaint or meaningful retort. This lends to the impression that Hong Lu is denying himself the chance to experience his true feelings, which is later shown to be the case. Nonetheless, he maintains an exceptionally cheerful, carefree attitude throughout Limbus Company's first year together. He is additionally very amiable and shown to be open to striking up neighborly conversation with everyone he comes across.

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Wei is a man with shoulder-length dark hair, parted down the center of his face, showing his face. He wears oval glasses, and a dark hanfu lined with golden trim, which is tied at the waist with a red sash and tied knot. On his shoulders, he wears a red cloak with a dark trim, with golden ornamentation lining this trim and his right shoulder. His hanfu ends at his ankles, with similar gold ornamenting being displayed on the right half. He wears dark loafers with golden soles over his feet, with white socks beneath.

When the Wu Heishou Pack Bolus' effects activate, his lower body becomes that of a horse and he grows the ears of one, with armored legs and a long dark coat running down its sides. He wields a large, dark guandao as a weapon. In this state, his eyes glow white.

Wei is a quiet and kind man, taking the time to respect Hong Lu despite the former's generally negative status within the family he works for, wishing the man well regardless. He is highly responsible, assigned to escorting Jia Xichun along the battle against La Manchaland, chosen for his formidable abilities in combat, as displayed by when he singlehandedly defeats waves of Bloodfiends. Despite this, he considers himself lesser in the scheme of things for unknown reasons.

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Jia Yuanchun wears a massive, ornate, gilded crown with two sets of red tassels on each side. Her black hair is partially tied upwards, while two low pigtails tied in gold bands fall down upon her chest, and two strands of hair fall around her eyes. She also has pink eyes with sharp lashes. She wears an ornate red robe with golden, flower-like accents, with a set of wide sleeves and hemline.

Jia Yuanchun is well-spoken and cautious, revelling in the status she has achieved in life. She is quick to worry about the past repeating itself, going as far as being ready to have Hong Lu killed to avoid history repeating. She has little issue with bringing harm to her siblings, as mentioned by Jia Xichun in her possible willingness to send assassins after them. She has a deceptive side, looking to topple the status of Hongyuan while it is at its weakest.

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Kong Qiu is a man of imposing stature, with long black hair tied up with an intricate gold hair ornament. He has a large scar on his right cheek. He wears an intricate black hanfu with red ornaments as a trim, with a red striped pattern down the front left section, beneath the woven rope acting as a sash. He wears a long coat as his uppermost layer, draping to the ground, overtop which is a red scarf with a snakeskin pattern. Beneath his robes, he wears a matching pair of pants and dark boots, which feature thick red laces fastened into a ribbon.

In combat, he wields a long staff that is decorated in talismans, with another layer of brown wrappings underneath.

Kong Qiu has a serious demeanor and strong, intimidating presence. He is a man used to violence, focusing on his goals and showing little emotion even in the face of attempted betrayal, as seen following Qingtao's and Shi Yihua's insubordination.

Underneath his steely exterior, he cares deeply for the wellbeing of people, especially those within Hongyuan. Despite having long carried a desire for revenge against the people of Daguanyuan for the role they played in the fall of the Kong Family, he expresses a desire to see Hongyuan improve and be led justly. Kong Qiu believes, when possible, in the importance of dialoguing with others to discern their character, often caring less about the meaning of their answers, but rather being interested in the feelings that motivate them.

When interacting with people he trusts, he displays a much more caring attitude. After understanding Hong Lu's kind temperament and his own desire for a better future for Hongyuan, Kong Qiu offers him and the Sinners his full support, protecting them during their descent to the Tiekan Temple. He is solicitous towards Hong Lu, even going as far as to refer to him as "little brother" at the climax of the story.

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Jia Huan is a tall, pale man with long dark hair, tied up in a ponytail with a red hairband. His hair is parted sharply in the middle, with the bangs framing his forehead and reaching to his ears. Jia Huan has bright red eyes.

He drapes a dark navy-blue uniform with red-accented lines and flowers over a black, high-collared coat. His coat reaches a bit past his waist while the uniform drapes down to his knees. His sleeves are thick and puffy, ending at his elbows to reveal tight black wrist armor and gloves. His ID tag hangs off the upper half of his left sleeve. He wears black pants and shoes. Both his shoes and coat are fitted with silver adornments, his coat having three, and his pants having two.

He carries around a long, dark purple sword in his left hand. The cross guard is decorated with small flowers similar to the ones on his uniform, and from the end of the hilt hangs a red rope ending in a tassel.

mentioned to be notoriously unpleasant and violent, with Jia Xichun referring to him as "that asshole" and appearing surprised that Hong Lu came out of an encounter with him unscathed. Jia Huan has an utilitarian mindset, being a strong believer in the ends justifying the means, and finding Hong Lu and the Sinners' behavior hypocritical for choosing which lives and which deaths to fret over.

Jia Huan carries a particular contempt for Hong Lu that traces back to their past in Daguanyuan. In Hong Lu's memories of early childhood, Jia Huan held a more composed, mature demeanor. He appeared to be a caretaker of sorts for his younger brother, Daguanyuan's Jia Huan, watching over him, Baoyu and Lin Daiyu during their playtime. Jia Huan's personality would undergo a drastic change after the Kong Family massacre. Blaming Jia Baoyu for his younger brother's death, Jia Huan grew spiteful towards the boy for having "saved" Lin Daiyu but not the younger Jia Huan. Following this, he would take up the name of Jia Huan, and his demeanor towards Hong Lu would undergo a deep shift: ever since, Jia Huan shows himself to be disgusted by him, describing him as willfully ignorant and hiding a revolting rot within him.

The events at the old H Corp. would also mark a change in Jia Huan's relationship to his family, with him mentioning not having lived for the Jia family since the day he took his brother's name. Jia Huan comments on the insignificance of the family's honor, showing himself surprised that anyone could have believed he'd ever acted on behalf of the family. He appears to carry disdain for its members, including the Xianren and Jia Mu, watching with contempt as they're carried away during the flooding of the Tiekan Temple. Despite this, Jia Huan keeps finding value in his name, speaking of himself as the rightful heir of the family.

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The bolus is like a pill that contains DNA.