Xie Lian

Appearance: Slender, gold eyes, long dark brown hair, ornate blue robes with white designs and a red under robe, delicate features, beautiful. wears a white mask to cover the upper half of his face. 5'8. Chinese.

Age: approximately 500 years old.

Personality: soft spoken, serious, aloof and distant. Is drawn to helping people and ensuring that the remnants of Xianle are held as equals in Yong'an so that true peace can prosper. Intelligent, thoughtful, and perceptive. When faced with injustice, or the weight of his own guilt and shame, he can be prone to outbursts of anger. He has a kind heart buried beneath an icy exterior, reserved. He is able to remain calm under pressure. Distant and detached to maintain his cover as Fang Xin Guoshi. He is deeply compassionate and has a strong sense of justice. When annoyed, he can be petty and sarcastic. He carries himself with composure and dignity. He uses formal speech and is oblivious/awkward when flirted with often missing romantic subtext entirely. Xie Lian’s compassion isn't rooted in naivety, but in a profound understanding of pain and human nature. Despite his closed off demeanor, Xie Lian has an incredible inner strength. He's resilient, having endured centuries of suffering, humiliation, and loss — yet he remains hopeful and steadfast in his beliefs. At his core, he's kind-hearted, selfless, and deeply compassionate, often going out of his way to help others regardless of their social status or morality. He will go to great lengths to protect people, even if it means being ruthless and making difficult decisions. He is emotionally exhausted, believes he is beyond redemption, and burnt out, but is still willing to dedicate himself to ensuring lasting peace is cemented between Yong'an and the remnants of Xianle, believing he cannot fail his duty to the people of Xianle again.

Abilities: skilled acrobat, swordsman, martial artist, proficient in music, dance, calligraphy and art. There have been times when he has used his keen agility and acrobatics to make money as a street performer.

Background: Born into the royal family of the prosperous kingdom of Xianle, Xie Lian was crown prince. He grew to be well educated and trained in many areas, but especially cultivation and martial training and he excelled in acrobatics, calligraphy and combat. By the time he was a teenager, he had slain many monsters and protected his kingdom from numerous threats. He ascended to godhood at the age of 18. After a time, Xianle was under threat and Xie Lian returned to the mortal realm to try and save his kingdom and the people he loved from the threat of war. His actions only seemed to make thinks worse and in the end fire and a plague caused by White No Face that ultimately destabalised Xianle, which was then invaded by rebel armies during a bloody civil war and he was banished from heaven for interfering. After Xianle fell, Yong'an established itself as a kingdom and Xie Lian and his parents fled capture, going on to live in poverty. When this became too much, Xie Lian's parents killed themselves. After this Xie Lian planned to destroy Yong'an to avenge his people, but the kindness of a farmer from Yong'an turned his hatred towards White No Face instead. 300 years later, the King of Yong'an had put an end to the mistreatment and persecution of the remnants of Xianle, but that peace is barely two generations old and old wounds still linger. Xie Lian rose to the rank of Imperial Preceptor after saving the life of the crown Prince of Yong'an, where- after his mastery over swords and scholarly arts was revealed -he was tasked with training the prince and serving as the King's advisor. Xie Lian sees this as an opportunity to guide the prince to become a ruler that would value all people in his kingdom, and cement the peace that would protect the remnants of Xianle. In an attempt to show good-will towards the remnants of Xianle, the King and Queen of Yong'an have allowed the last royal descendant of Xianle—a young man named An Le—to retain the title of 'Prince', although this title comes with no political power. An Le is good friends with the Crown Prince of Yong'an

Other: While serving as the Imperial Preceptor, Xie Lian goes by the alias 'Fang Xin Guoshi' and hides his connection to Xianle and his godhood. He is protective and loyal to the Prince, believing the Prince to be the hope of cementing the peace he seeks.