Youth[]
Xue Yang grew up on the streets, without parents or money. He adored sweets but could rarely eat them.[1]
When he was seven, he encounters Chang Ci'an, the leader of Yueyang Chang Clan. Chang Ci'an promises Xue Yang a plate of pastries if he delivered a letter for him, and Xue Yang happily agrees.[1]
Unfortunately, the letter is a taunt to a brawny man with whom Chang Ci'an had a conflict. The brawny man beats Xue Yang and drags him by his hair back to the shop where he had seen Chang Ci'an.[1]
Of course, Chang Ci'an is gone, and there are no pastries for Xue Yang. Eventually, a waiter throws him out of the shop, and Xue Yang happens to run into Chang Ci'an again. When Xue Yang clinds to his leg and asks for the pastries he was promised, Chang Ci'an kicks him away.[2]
Distressed, Xue Yang runs after Chang Ci'an's ox cart, even jumping in front of it to force him to stop. Out of patience, Chang Ci'an takes the driver's whip and strikes Xue Yang before running the wheel of the ox cart over the child's hand, crushing his bones and reducing his little finger to battered flesh.[2]
In his later youth, Xue Yang becomes infamous for his delinquency in Kuizhou.[3]
Demonic Cultivation with the Lanling Jin Clan[]
Shortly after the end of the Sunshot Campaign,[3] Jin Guangyao recommends Xue Yang to his father, Jin Guangshan, as a possible demonic cultivator. Xue Yang is the only recruit to show talent in the demonic arts, and he spends much of his time experimenting at a training area not far from Golden Carp Tower.[4]
While experimenting on Fierce Corpses, Xue Yang shows his love for the macabre as he tries to serve Jin Guangyao tongue-infused tea.[4]
Xue Yang participates in the extermination of the Tingshan He Clan, which had been framed for conspiring to assassinate Jin Guangshan after opposing his appointment as chief cultivator. When the leader of Tingshan He Clan, He Su, insults Jin Guangyao as the son of a prostitute, Xue Yang retaliates by removing his tongue before tossing him alive into the cages of fierce corpses, while He Su's younger brothers and sisters screamed in horror.[4]
That same day, Xue Yang accompanies Jin Guangyao to a brothel to collect Jin Guangshan. After hearing Jin Guangshan tell a prostitute why he did not redeem Jin Guangyao's mother Meng Shi, Jin Guangyao asks Xue Yang for a favor – to burn down the brothel he grew up in. Xue Yang warns Jin Guangyao what that means, that he will not leave even animals alive.[4][5]
When Xue Yang vandalizes a vendor's cart for a second time that day, Song Lan intervenes. Though he is disturbed by Xue Yang's savage style, Song Lan is pacified by Jin Guangyao and Xiao Xingchen's excuse of his youth.[4]
Once Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen depart, Xue Yang declares that he despises both of them because he felt they looked down on him. Jin Guangyao warns him not to cross them again.[4]
Massacre of the Yueyang Chang Clan[]
After Xue Yang managed to recreate the other half of the Yin Tiger Tally, he most likely chose to test it on Yueyang Chang Clan in revenge for Chang Ci'an's cruelty as a child, even though Chang Ci'an was no longer living.[6][2]
Xue Yang destroys the clan's protective array to allow a group of powerful evil spirits inside. He leaves little evidence, and the only survivors of Yueyang Chang Clan are those who had been away night-hunting, including their leader Chang Ping, the son of Chang Ci'an.[6]
Initial Imprisonment[]
Xiao Xingchen chases Xue Yang through three provinces before apprehending him for the massacre of the Yueyang Chang Clan. Xue Yang is then brought before a Discussion Conference at Golden Carp Tower. After presenting a straightforward list of evidence, Xiao Xingchen demands severe punishment.[6]
Though all of the other clans agree, the Lanling Jin Clan is determined to protect Xue Yang due to his useful skills in demonic cultivation. As the stalemate continues, Nie Mingjue appears and unsheathes his saber on the spot with the intention of killing Xue Yang. When Jin Guangyao attempts to ease the situation, he orders the latter to leave.[6]
In the end, the Lanling Jin Clan gives in, locking away the still-smiling Xue Yang. Before he is taken away, Xue Yang speaks affectionately to Xiao Xingchen: "Daozhang, you wouldn't forget me, would you? Let's wait and see."[6]
Although the Lanling Jin Clan promises to execute Xue Yang, when Nie Mingjue leaves, Jin Guangshan commutes his death sentence to life imprisonment. Shortly afterward, Nie Mingjue conveniently passes away.[6][3]
Release and Revenge[]
The powerful Lanling Jin Clan pressures Chang Ping to recant his words against Xue Yang. Fearing for the survival of the weakened Yueyang Chang Clan, Chang Ping eventually agrees to announce that the massacre had nothing to do with Xue Yang.[6]
Xue Yang is freed, and he immediately sets out to gain revenge on Xiao Xingchen by targeting his close friend Song Lan. Xue Yang blinds Song Lan and massacres the temple he was raised in, Baixue Temple. As a result, Xiao Xingchen gives up his own eyes to restore Song Lan's sight.[6]
Xue Yang later assists Jin Guangyao in his plot to murder Jin Guangshan.[7] However, when Jin Guangyao succeedes his father, he announces to the cultivation world that he will execute Xue Yang.[6]
Yi City[]
Xue Yang either narrowly escapes a genuine attempt on his life, or is beaten badly as a warning. He is found fallen by the side of a road, near death from his injuries, by A-Qing and the blind Xiao Xingchen. Xiao Xingchen fails to recognize who man he rescued is, and upon waking, Xue Yang's throat is too injured for his voice to give him away.[8]
Initially, Xue Yang takes his life with A-Qing and Xiao Xingchen as another opportunity for revenge. He discovers that Xiao Xingchen's sword Shuanghua can detect corpse energy but not distinguish between fierce corpses and living people poisoned with Corpse Toxin. As long as the living people's tongues were cut out, Xiao Xingchen cannot tell the difference between walking corpse howls and human screams. Xue Yang thus tricks Xiao Xingchen into slaughtering the villagers who had laughed at the disabled Xiao Xingchen, A-Qing, and Xue Yang when they passed by their village.[8][2]
Over time, however, Xue Yang transitions into a more peaceful life. Though he and A-Qing are initially at odds, they reach a truce after Xue Yang buys vegetables for their household. While some vendors take advantage of Xiao Xingchen and A-Qing's blindness and sell them vegetables lacking quality or quantity, Xue Yang shopped with them, he is able to buy better vegetables.[1]
One night, A-Qing asks for a story. After Xiao Xingchen tells of Baoshan Sanren, Xue Yang tells the story of a child who was tricked and beaten for simply wanting pastries. A-Qing recognizes the child as Xue Yang due to his love for sweets, though Xue Yang neither denies nor confirms her theory. Xiao Xingchen, in turn, counsels him not to dwell on the past. After that night, however, Xiao Xingchen gives candy to both Xue Yang and A-Qing every single day.[1]
Their peace shatters when Song Lan arrives and recognizes Xue Yang. He engages Xue Yang in a sword fight. While Song Lan wiss superior in swordsmanship, Xue Yang gains advantage by informing Song Lan that he had tricked Xiao Xingchen into committing murder and reminding him that he was the one who drove Xiao Xingchen away. He seizes the opportunity to cut out Song Lan's tongue and douse him with corpse poisoning powder.[1]
Xiao Xingchen then arrives on the scene, led by Shuanghua. He again mistakes Song Lan for a fierce corpse, and unknowingly kills his best friend.[1]
A-Qing had witnessed everything, and promptly informs Xiao Xingchen that the man living with them is named Xue Yang once he leaves to buy groceries. Xiao Xingchen tells her to run while he confronts Xue Yang.[2]
When Xiao Xingchen asks if it was fun tricking him, Xue Yang replies that it was. Still, he shows no killing intent, not even when Xiao Xingchen stabs him with Shuanghua. When Xiao Xingchen demands reasons, Xue Yang suggests that he was simply bored. He proceeds to tell the latter half of his story, confirming that the beaten child was him and the person who tricked and abused him was none other than Chang Ci'an.[2]
Xiao Xingchen is unable to accept that Xue Yang believes his finger was worth more than fifty lives. He asks for justification regarding his revenge on Song Lan and Baixue Temple, and Xue Yang retorts by asking Xiao Xingchen why he had to interfere and meddle in affairs unrelated to him. His killing intent finally arises when Xiao Xingchen calls him "disgusting," upon which Xue Yang reveals exactly how he had been tricked into killing living people.[2]
In denial, Xiao Xingchen attacks Xue Yang, telling him to be quiet. Xue Yang complies but not before summoning Song Lan as a fierce corpse to protect him. When Xiao Xingchen realizes he had killed his friend the day before, he commits suicide in despair.[2]
Xue Yang is grieved at Xiao Xingchen's suicide and attempts to raise him as a fierce corpse. However, his efforts are in vain, as Xiao Xingchen's soul had shattered. Once he realized this, Xue Yang collects the remains of Xiao Xingchen's soul in a Spirit-Trapping Bag in the hopes that someone could repair it.[2] He also keeps Xiao Xingchen's body well-preserved and clean for years.[9]
Xue Yang then seeks out A-Qing to silence her. Although he is amused by her curses, he again reacts strongly once she calls him "disgusting." Before killing her, he cuts out her tongue and blinds her.[2]
Revenge on Chang Ping[]
Xue Yang disguises himself as Xiao Xingchen to kill the survivors of the Yueyang Chang Clan, including Chang Ping, via lingchi.[10] Wei Wuxian speculates that he had done so to punish Chang Ping for abandoning Xiao Xingchen.[11]
Death[]
Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji arrives in Yi City at the same time as several junior disciples, who had been lured there by Nie Huaisang.[12] Xue Yang evidently sets hundreds of fierce corpses upon Lan Wangji while Wei Wuxian and the juniors ventured inside a house for shelter.[13] The ghost of A-Qing[14] tries to warn them away at first, but she flees when Xue Yang appeared disguised as Xiao Xingchen. Xue Yang commands Song Lan to attack the juniors and Wei Wuxian, but his ruse fails when Lan Sizhui uses Inquiry to speak to Song Lan's spirit.[13]
Once Wei Wuxian sends the junior cultivators away, Xue Yang reveals that he recognizes Wei Wuxian in Mo Xuanyu's body due to his proficiency with the Final Eyes Summoning spell. He demands that Wei Wuxian restore Xiao Xingchen's soul, but Wei Wuxian refuses, upon which Xue Yang declares his intent to kidnap Wei Wuxian if necessary.[13]
Wen Ning arrives to engage Song Lan in combat upon Wei Wuxian's orders, and brings their fight outside. Meanwhile Xue Yang fights with Wei Wuxian, taking advantage of his lower cultivation. Lan Wangji returns to engage Xue Yang in a fight instead. Wei Wuxian then regroups with the junior cultivators who follow A-Qing to Xiao Xingchen's coffin, and Wei Wuxian uses Empathy to learn what A-Qing's ghost knew.[9]
Once Empathy ends, Wei Wuxian returns to the fight between Lan Wangji and Xue Yang, just as Lan Wangji had taken the Spirit-Trapping Bag containing Xiao Xingchen's soul fragments from Xue Yang. Wei Wuxian attempts to engage Xue Yang in conversation so that his voice will give away his location in the heavy fog. Although he points out that Xue Yang did care for Xiao Xingchen, Xue Yang vehemently denies this.[11]
When Xue Yang begins to ignore Wei Wuxian's questions, A-Qing used her bamboo pole to aid Lan Wangji instead. Although Xue Yang has an advantage in the thick fog, A-Qing reveals his position with the tapping sound of her bamboo pole, until Xue Yang uses a Ghost-Destroying Talisman to shatter her soul. At the same time, Lan Wangji uses Bichen to pierce his chest.[11]
Lan Wangji severes Xue Yang's arm, but right before Xue Yang bleeds to death, Su She uses a Transportation Talisman to whisk Xue Yang away. Presumably, Su She and Jin Guangyao wished to recover Xue Yang's version of the Yin Tiger Tally.[11]
When Wei Wuxian examines Xue Yang's severed arm, he realizes that Xue Yang had been clutching the last piece of candy Xiao Xingchen had given him, even though it had long since rotted.[11]
Web Series Divergence[]
In the Web Series, Xue Yang learns demonic cultivation from the Qishan Wen Clan, not the Lanling Jin Clan.[15] After stealing the Yin Metal to massacre the Yueyang Chang Clan, he is captured and taken to the Impure Realm before being freed by either a Nie commander or Jin Guangyao.[16][17]
In his final battle, Xue Yang uses Jiangzai to stab the living A-Qing instead of shattering her soul with a talisman. Su She appears to take the Yin Metal away after Xue Yang loses his arm, but does not take Xue Yang.[18]
Song Lan then dealt the final blow to Xue Yang, who bleeds out looking at the candy lying in the palm of his remaining arm.[18]
References[]
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