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This article features heavy story and character spoilers! 
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Family[]
Shi Wudu[]
The first time Shi Qingxuan mentions his brother, he defensively says he is not afraid of Shi Wudu, which turns out to be a lie.[1][2] Despite Shi Qingxuan's bravado-filled speech that he's not afraid of his brother, just one reprimand could make Shi Qingxuan back down.[2] Whenever he achieved something good, Shi Qingxuan would seek his brother's approval and praise.[3]
The two have been close ever since they were children, and Shi Qingxuan shortly ascended after Shi Wudu did as well. Shi Wudu has always been protective of him and Heavenly Officials knew not to mess with Shi Qingxuan because they would have to face him. They were also often worshiped together in the Water-Wind Temples as a pair of brother and sister or husband and wife.[4] While at first Shi Wudu and Shi Qingxuan's relationship seems bound up in brotherly devotion and love, it is also one corrupted by overprotectiveness and fear – he holds Qingxuan against his will and tries to change his fate.[5][6]
Shi Wudu isn't fond of his brother's female form. He's shown multiple times attempting to get Qingxuan to stop using his female form, going as far as teasing that someone like Pei Ming might have ill thoughts and force themselves onto Qingxuan; although the remark seems to be more of an attempt to tease his friend rather than to get to his brother. [3] Ultimately, he never directly kept Shi Qingxuan from using his female form despite his complaints. It's unclear exactly what causes this tension about his gender. Shi Wudu describes it as shameful, but he's clearly close friends with Ling Wen who also changes forms (but it might be that becoming a man seems positive whereas becoming a woman seems negative). It might also be connected to the fact that in their mortal lives, Shi Qingxuan had to live disguised as a girl. While Shi Qingxuan sees no problem with this, it's possible Shi Wudu has strong feelings about this time in their life.
Shi Qingxuan disliked his brother being a part of the Three Tumors, thinking it reflected badly on him and wanted him to stop associating with them.[4]
In truth, Shi Qingxuan and his brother were never matched in terms of morality and ethics. While Shi Qingxuan is repeatedly shown to be generous and concerned with injustice, Shi Wudu is characterized as someone concerned with gaining power, and willing to go to extreme lengths for his brother's sake. While concerned about appearances, given his friend group, Shi Wudu is more concerned with protecting those he's close to, whereas Shi Qingxuan finds the choice between loyalty to friends and family vs. his duty as a Heavenly official and doing what's morally correct highly stressful.
When Shi Qingxuan becomes aware of what his brother has done, he is horrified.[7] But although ethically Shi Wudu should not be permitted to pass his next calamity and increase his power, Qingxuan can’t bring himself to stand by and let him face it alone. It’s this decision to help his brother that ultimately seals Shi Qingxuan’s fate.[8]
Ghosts[]
He Xuan[]
Shi Qingxuan’s relationship with He Xuan is one of the most complex. While Shi Qingxuan boldly and repeatedly refers to him as his best friend, He Xuan, in his guise of Ming Yi, unfailingly responds by saying he isn’t.[9] Despite this, it’s easy to see why Shi Qingxuan has this perception of the Earth Master.
Of all the officials, Ming Yi is the only one who is willing to accompany him on an investigation of the Banyue Pass, seemingly unafraid of offending the Three Tumors. He is also the only one who will change into a female form to humor Qingxuan, a thing not even Xie Lian will do.[6] During the mission in Banyue, He Xuan puts himself between Shi Qingxuan and harm and their relationship is such that when he tells Qingxuan to step back, he readily obeys without question. Even Xie Lian thinks they must be close, despite the fact that he never hears the Earth Master say anything positive or warm to the other.[10]
In fact, although he is very popular, it’s very likely that Ming Yi was his only “real” friend before the events of the novel. When he is concerned about the Reverend of Empty Words, Ming Yi is the only one he trusts aside from Xie Lian.[11] When he is captured by his brother, Ming Yi and Xie Lian are again the only ones to come to his aid.[5]
As for He Xuan’s feelings for him, the novel gives clues that he himself was not sure how he felt. While he knew Shi Qingxuan was unaware of his brother’s crimes, he still had difficulty thinking of him as an innocent party, and his ignorance was a point of contention itself. In the end, he administered “tests” to navigate how he should deal with him.[6]
Although it’s unclear what He Xuan’s exact plans for revenge were, a few things can be gathered. Firstly, He Xuan’s intent was to place Shi Qingxuan in distress in order to disrupt Shi Wudu’s Heavenly Calamity. In its most basic form, this was to be accomplished by simply informing Shi Wudu that Qingxuan was being harassed by the Reverend of Venerable Words. This plan was disrupted by Shi Qingxuan’s unexpected involvement of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng and his desire to be brave, insisting that they not disturb his brother during his calamity.[12][13]
This brought them to He Xuan telling Shi Qingxuan of Shi Wudu’s crimes and taking his spiritual powers. The next test was seeing if Shi Qingxuan, now aware of his brother’s true nature, would still stand by him. Despite everything, Shi Qingxuan cannot bring himself to abandon his brother, and this choice drives He Xuan’s decision not to exclude Qingxuan from his plans of revenge.[8][6]
In the end there was a last “test” that Shi Qingxuan “failed”, though this one was in the heat of the moment but perhaps the most revealing. This was Shi Qingxuan calling him by Ming Yi's name. In fact, He Xuan becomes angry earlier in the same chapter when Shi Qingxuan calls him Ming Yi.[6] In other words, He Xuan wanted Shi Qingxuan to see him as himself, not Ming Yi, the Earth Master. This at least broadly reflects an internal frustration He Xuan had with being so tied up in Shi Qingxuan’s life while the other didn’t know who he was.
Their last interaction illustrates further the frustration of mixed feelings. Shi Qingxuan tells He Xuan, who is disguised as Hua Cheng, to do something about the flaming meteors about to hit them. He Xuan coldly snaps that Shi Qingxuan should deal with it himself, pulls him out of the human array and hits him hard enough to send him flying. Shi Qingxuan, a final time, assumes the best of He Xuan’s actions even when he thinks he’s Hua Cheng, good-naturedly saying he was just lending him spiritual powers and assuming he’s being violent because he can’t see Xie Lian. He Xuan then throws a repaired Wind Master fan at him and repeats that he should deal with it himself. He Xuan then leaves before Shi Qingxuan can ask him anything.[14]
Heavenly Officials[]
Xie Lian[]
Xie Lian is one of his closest friends and allies. Shi Qingxuan is very grateful to Xie Lian as he is the one of the few to help him despite being popular. At one point, he states Xie Lian is his second-best friend.
Pei Ming[]
Shi Qingxuan couldn't stand Pei Ming and hoped Shi Wudu would break his bond with him as soon as possible.[4]
References[]
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