| “ | I don't need validation from others. I live for myself. | ” |
Bio[]
A warlike and thrill-seeking youth. He is fiercely loyal to his own desires, acts according to his own ideas, and doesn't care about how others perceive him. He lives by his own set of rules and (has OCD) is obsessive-compulsive about his life habits, particularly about the order and timing of how things are done.
Food Introduction[]
Jinhua ham is a signature product of China with its vibrant red and white colors. Its lean meat is salty with a hint of sweet, and its fatty parts are sumptuous without being cloying. Its production takes from winter till summer, including a fermentation process that breaks down the meat, making its nutrients more readily-absorbable by the human body. Jinhua ham is said to be beneficial to the stomach, kidneys, bones, feet, and for healing wounds. In appearance, it has a thin, bright yellow skin and is shaped like a pipa instrument. The meat is a tender red color, with a rich aroma. It is famous worldwide for these four unique characteristics of color, aroma, flavor, and shape.
Other Info[]
How to Acquire[]
Associated Events
- Swallow Whispers
- Fragrant Nose
- Spring Provisions
- Evening Cold
- Year-End Farewell
- Bright Night
- Mountain Hermit
- Bell Breaker
- White Tree, Perched Crow
- Lantern Mountain
Initial Stats[]
 Soul Power
|
1679 |
|---|---|
 Attack
|
54 |
 Defense
|
19 |
 HP
|
510 |
 Crit Rate
|
611 |
 Crit Dmg
|
720 |
 Atk Spd
|
1500 |
Skills[]
| Ring of Flame | Basic Skill | |
|---|---|---|
|
Jinhua Ham is encircled with flames, cowing the enemy and dealing 100% (180%) ATK as damage plus 55 (715) damage to the nearest enemy, while also raising his own ATK and Basic Skill triggering rate by 30% for 3 seconds. | |
| Unbearable Blow | Energy Skill | |
|
Jinhua Ham taunts the enemy, dealing 100% (180%) ATK as damage plus 199 (2587) extra damage to the highest-ATK enemy, lowering the target's DEF by 25% (37%) for 5 seconds. There's also a 70% chance of stunning the target for 5 seconds. | |
blue = lvl 1
red = max lvlVoice Lines[]
| JP | CN | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract | What've we got here... You don't look all that strong... Oh! ...Heh, Attendant, I look forward to learning from you. | ||
| Log In | Just in time. When do we head out? ...To do what? Beat up Fallen Angels, duh! As long as you don't object, I'd be happy to go beat up on others just as well. | ||
| Ice Arena | Look at this messed up place! There's nothing here... I'm bored. Let me go! | ||
| Skills | Whoever your strongest is, get out here! | ||
| Ascend | This power... I should go test it out on someone... What do you think, Attendant? | ||
| Fatigue | Ouch... Ha... Hahaha, this wound will be taken care of in a jiffy. | ||
| Recovering | I still haven't wiped my bow clean. Hang on. | ||
| Team Formation | Oh~ Who's the enemy? | ||
| Knockout | Let me go! I can still... | ||
| Notice | Surprised? As long as you remember the right order and timing, it's simple. | ||
| Idle 1 | Hey, Laziji!! Come out! | ||
| Idle 2 | What is that guy off doing now? | ||
| Idle 3 | A contract... do we really need something so binding? | ||
| Interaction 1 | Why am I always itching for battle? Pff, because unlike you, a peaceful like isn't enough to satisfy me. | ||
| Interaction 2 | The bow is still under maintenance. No touching! It's common sense to clean your weapon before battle, no? | ||
| Interaction 3 | Tame? Hahaha! You? Tame me? ...Alright, go ahead and try. | ||
| Pledge | Hahahaha, excellent. For you to act this bravely deserves some praise... You're all prepared, right? No need to answer, I won't let you down. After you choose me, there's no turning back. Say goodbye forever to your normal life! | ||
| Intimacy 1 | I'm not mad! Really, I'm not! Aaaargh, how annoying. Hear me out! Like last time, clearly we could've pursued the enemy after they gave up and ran, so why did you stop me? --Because I was injured!? Huh? That was just a scratch!! | ||
| Intimacy 2 | What're you standing so far away for? If you wanna talk, come in closer. Come on... there you go! Alright, now what is it you wanted to say? | ||
| Intimacy 3 | I thought your house was too messy, so I just did a little tidying. What're you blushing about? I didn't go rummaging around anywhere weird. | ||
| Victory | I'm not done...!! It's over just like that? Is this a joke?! | ||
| Defeat | Hahahahaha, fun! | ||
| Feeding | Oh, I quite like it-- And if you don't restrict me from fighting, I'll like it even more~ | ||
Skins
| Evening Lantern | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| ||||||
| Bright Night, Lantern Mountain | |||||||
| Food Souls | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Main[]
Sprite[]
Sprite Animations[]
Normal[]
Evening Lantern[]
Other[]
Illustrations[]
|
Contents of this page has been fan-translated by BasilCosmo and may not be completely accurate. Official translations will be added whenever it's available. |
I. Discussion
A moonless, windless night—the perfect time for murder and robbery.
The saying wasn’t wrong. Late at night, with only weak lights and lax security, the guards were nothing more than decoration. Taking advantage of the darkness, I slipped into the estate without a hitch.
I was here for an assassination—fitting, wasn’t it?
I used to think the word "assassination" had nothing to do with me.
Attacking an unguarded opponent—what kind of skill was that?
I used to scoff at people who did this kind of thing. Yet, years later, my own hands had become all too skilled at it. All thanks to the Heaven’s Society. I spat inwardly at the name and carefully concealed my footsteps as I moved toward the room at the end of the corridor—my target’s location.
Everything was silent, save for the sound of my own breathing. And then—something shifted in the shadows.
Someone’s there?
I immediately raised my crossbow, aiming toward the source of the movement. But I was too slow. Cold metal pressed against my forehead before I could react. The dim hallway made it impossible to see the face of the person pointing a gun at me. The moment our eyes met, a flash of steel slashed before my eyes.
I caught sight of his outstretched arm—if I grabbed it, I could counter by striking his joint. If he took the hit, his shoulder would at least dislocate. But as if he had read my mind, my hand met nothing but air. Instead, he caught my arm, twisted it behind my back, and with a sharp click, forced me to turn around.
A numb pain shot through my wrist as my crossbow clattered to the floor. The barrel of his gun pressed against the back of my head. This strength—it wasn’t human. This guy was a Food Soul. And a damn good one at that. It had been a long time since I faced someone like this. My blood surged, and for the first time in ages, my back burned with adrenaline.
Could I win?
Who cares!
He had seen my face. I couldn’t let him live.
—No time to think. Fight first!
A few moments later.
He was breathing heavily, his face bruised from my earlier punch—a ridiculous sight, but still better off than me. I was battered, my body aching from failed escape attempts. One more strike, and I’d be dead. I lost.
"Jinhua Ham."
His chest rose and fell slightly.
"Hah?"
My blood pounded in my ears, the taste of iron thick in my throat. I barely managed a response.
How did he counter my attacks?
I couldn’t figure it out. My mind replayed the fight over and over—until his sudden words snapped me back to reality.
"You know me?"
"I investigated you. Including your Master Attendant."
"Why the hell would you do that?"
"Your people are at the 'Martial Hall.'”
"...!"
He was talking about where the Master Attendant’s family was. The Heaven’s Society used their safety as leverage—to control the Master Attendant… or rather, to keep me tied to them.
"So?"
Who the hell was this guy?
The Master Attendant and I were nothing more than pawns, nobodies.
Why had he dug up so much about us? Why had he gone to the Martial Hall? What did he stand to gain?
"I have two proposals."
"First, we’ll prepare a fake corpse and spread the news that the owner of this estate is dead. I need you to leave now and report to the Heaven’s Society that the mission was a success."
"Second, if anything unexpected happens, we will protect the people at the Martial Hall from the Heaven’s Society. In return, I need you to help me."
"...Help you with what?"
"Destroy the Heaven’s Society."
II. The ins and outs
In a teahouse, a man and a woman were performing a Suzhou Pingtan[1] on stage. I could never appreciate this kind of drawn-out singing, nor did I care much for tea. I simply sat below, flipping through the newspaper.
Today's latest issue had a front-page headline: "The Decline of Heaven’s Society." Skimming over the article, the general gist was that the people of the Imperial Capital had finally been liberated—they were no longer at the mercy of the noble families. This was all thanks to an organization called "Sky Breaker," which had suddenly risen to power and brought down Heaven’s Society—the true culprit behind the nobility’s unchecked rule and the people's suffering.
I turned my head slightly. The leader of this so-called "Sky Breaker" was sitting right next to me. Years had passed since I first started helping him—Steamed Wuchang Fish—by leaking intelligence from within Heaven’s Society.
Now, at long last, we had finally brought down that behemoth. However, as expected, some members of Heaven’s Society had escaped justice, forming a remnant faction. They had gone into hiding, waiting for the right moment to rise again. Meanwhile, the Master Attendant had been coerced into joining them because of his bond with Food Souls.
To this day, he remained unaware of my connection to "Sky Breaker." He still believed his family's lives were in Heaven’s Society's hands. I was sick of watching him obey their every command. And I had no intention of taking orders from them any longer. For this reason, I had asked Wuchang Fish countless times, "When will we eliminate the remnants?"
But every time, his answer remained the same: "Not yet."
And just when exactly would it be "time"?
I admitted that I was growing impatient. But for Wuchang Fish, taking care of them would be as simple as lifting a finger.
There was no reason to drag this out any longer!
"Wuchang Fish, make your move," I said first.
"Just like I told you before, those remnants are hunting down stray Food Souls, hoping to offer them as tribute to some mysterious organization."
"There's nothing else left to uncover. There won’t be any new intel. Heaven’s Society should have been finished a long time ago."
But Wuchang Fish shook his head. His brows furrowed, showing none of the relief that should come with victory.
"On the contrary," he said, "this is only the beginning."
"The beginning?"
Once we wiped out the remnants, Heaven’s Society would truly disappear from the Imperial Capital. The people would finally be free from the oppression that had bound them for so long.
Hadn't this been his goal all along?
"We’ll start with these remnants and investigate the ‘mysterious organization’ you mentioned."
"...What?"
"Heaven’s Society may have only been the tip of the iceberg."
His gaze lingered on the performers on stage, but it felt as though he was looking at something far beyond them.
"The deeper we dig, the more endless this becomes."
"The tip of the iceberg..."
If everything I had seen over the years was just what lay above the surface, then what sort of monstrous beast was lurking beneath?
Who in their right mind would willingly go up against something like that—besides a lunatic like Wuchang Fish?
"Wait… Are you saying that this so-called mysterious organization was actually the one backing Heaven’s Society?"
"It's just a theory."
"A theory? Why take such a roundabout approach? If you want to know who's behind Heaven’s Society, wouldn't it be faster to question those noble brats rotting in prison?"
"They’re dead."
"What...? All of them? Every last one of them died in prison?"
"They’ve started covering their tracks."
Wuchang Fish's response was as good as an admission.
"......"
"The remnants are the only lead we have left. I have to follow it. If you refuse to get involved, I’ll find another way—but I need more time."
His unwavering tone sent a dull ringing through my head.
"We'll do everything we can to ensure your safety. Once this is over, you’ll be free to walk away from all of this."
He said no more, waiting for my response. And for a moment, I hesitated. I knew he was serious about diving even deeper into the shadows. And he knew that I had no interest in going that far, which was why he was giving me the choice now.
Wuchang Fish was a decent guy. For the sake of our years of working together, I wanted to help him. I could stick around to see this job through—but anything beyond that… His ideals were endless, and they had nothing to do with me.
"I’ll help you. But this is the last time," I said.
III. Dealings
The dimly lit warehouse was filled with the damp, musty scent of mildew. The ventilation fan creaked as it turned in the breeze, casting intermittent beams of light that swept across the floor. This was the agreed-upon drop-off location for the deal between the remnants of the Heaven’s Society and the so-called "mysterious organization"—an abandoned warehouse.
Now that they were fugitives, the remnants naturally didn’t dare to act too openly. Their numbers were few, most of them waiting outside, leaving only me and the Master Attendant inside. The Master Attendant was trembling beside me, while I—today’s "cargo"—was shackled to a chair, my wrists and ankles bound by heavy restraints, unable to move. These shackles were custom-made to restrain Food Souls, far more secure than ordinary ones.
Since I was such an important "commodity," they couldn’t afford any mishaps. Even though I hadn’t resisted at all along the way, they still weren’t at ease, ordering the Master Attendant to watch over me.
Double restraints—it seemed foolproof.
Unfortunately for them, I had no intention of letting myself be handed over so easily. This "deal" was just another part of the plan.
Calling it a plan was an exaggeration—it was little more than a baiting scheme. Jing’an Chamber of Commerce and I had worked together to help the last Food Soul the remnants had captured—Double Skin Milk—escape. With the deadline for their deal with the mysterious organization fast approaching, I was the only Food Soul left among them. Even without thinking, it was obvious they’d set their sights on me next.
All I had to do was give Wuchang Fish the time and place as bait, and they would lie in wait nearby, ready to spring into action once the mysterious organization showed up.
By now, I had already discreetly activated the intricate device I’d obtained from Jing’an Chamber of Commerce. Powered by spiritual energy, it would lead the way for Wuchang Fish and his people. Enough time had passed—unless something unexpected happened, they should already be in position.
All that was left to do was wait. Waiting was a tedious task. I yawned out of boredom, but just then, the Master Attendant suddenly spoke.
"…Um, I—I’m sorry…"
He stared guiltily at the ground, as if trying to bore a hole into it and disappear.
"You’re apologizing to me? Haha, what an honor."
I had expected him to say something else. When I realized it was an apology, I couldn’t help but laugh. He had kneeled before the Heaven’s Society without hesitation, refusing to be pulled up no matter how I tried. I had long grown tired of his blind obedience, watching him grovel for years in a wretched, filthy existence. I could have been the sword that severed his chains at any time, yet he had chosen to keep them on and offer me up instead.
And now, only today, he suddenly decided to apologize? What a joke.
"I’m sorry…"
He lowered his head even further.
"Enough. Shut up. I’m not a magnanimous person, so I won’t accept your apology, and frankly, I’m sick of hearing your voice."
"…"
He obediently fell silent.
I had originally wanted to say something more, but when the words reached my throat, I swallowed them back down.
Someone who had surrendered all of their choices to others would never understand.
The silence dragged on for a long time, until the light filtering through the windows turned a dusky yellow. The Master Attendant paced around anxiously, constantly taking out his pocket watch—checking it, sighing, and checking again. His restless pacing irritated me.
"What time is it?"
"Almost—almost six forty…"
Perhaps surprised that I had broken the silence, he glanced at me oddly before answering honestly.
6:40 PM.
The appointed time had been ten minutes ago—yet no one had arrived.
IV. Release
That trembling voice was all too familiar to me. Back when the Heaven’s Society first threatened him, when he received his first mission, when he messed up—he always sounded like this.
"What do we do? Help me, Jinhua Ham."
Even now, in this situation, he was still asking me what to do?
I couldn’t be bothered to respond. Only after glancing at the shackles on me did he finally realize something, biting his lip and falling silent again. But that silence didn’t last—suddenly, there was a commotion outside.
“It’s a Food Soul attack! Stay alert!!”
Shouts rang out from outside. The Master Attendant screamed, clutching his head as he crouched down, trembling like a leaf.
But I was relieved—was it Sky Breaker? Looks like the plan went even more smoothly than expected.
It didn’t take long for the sounds outside to die down, and soon after, the warehouse door was forcibly broken open. The person who entered wore Sky Breaker’s emblem. In a few swift movements, they unlocked my shackles with a key.
“Hurry, let’s go!”
His hands were ice-cold, his face drenched in sweat, and his lips were trembling—not at all like someone who had just completed a successful mission.
“What happened?” I asked as I hoisted the unconscious Master Attendant onto my back and followed him outside.
As soon as I stepped out, I saw the remains of the Heaven’s Society’s forces scattered across the ground, their bodies sprawled in all directions. The Sky Breaker operative carefully stepped around them, his voice shaking as he explained.
“These guys were all just pawns! That organization never intended to make a deal—they came to silence them! By the time we arrived, most of the Heaven’s Society members were already dead!!”
“What? And our people?”
“Wuchang Fish took a team and went after them.”
“Which direction?”
“Not sure.”
“Hah??”
What do you mean you’re not sure?
“They retreated quickly and split up. I don’t even know where we’re chasing them to right now. Anyway, Wuchang Fish told me to tell you that the Heaven’s Society situation is over. The martial hall is safe now, so just take your Master Attendant and leave.”
I fell silent for a moment.
“…Alright.
V. Jinhua Ham
One week later, in the Imperial Capital.
The remnants of the Heaven’s Society had been completely eradicated. With that, the matter was finally settled. The mysterious organization backing them had appeared near the warehouse—only to escape from Sky Breaker’s grasp, leaving not a single clue behind.
But what came next had little to do with Jinhua Ham. He escorted the Master Attendant back to the martial hall, then left on his own. Jinhua Ham planned to travel beyond the Imperial Capital. He hadn’t decided on his next destination yet, but that didn’t stop him from setting out immediately. He needed to fight. To him, battling the strong was the very reason for his existence. For too long, the contract had bound him. After a long and difficult journey, he was finally free to embark on his own path.
Muttering to himself, Jinhua Ham flipped through his notebook as he stepped through the city gates.
“Buddha’s Temptation is slippery as hell, and Wuchang Fish keeps saying he’s too busy. Guess I’ll put those two aside for now… Hmm—”
His pen hovered over the page, refusing to fall. Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair.
“That just leaves me with no one left! Ugh—where am I supposed to go? Where can I find someone worth fighting?”
“…Guess I’ll just have to keep looking. Tch.”
He snapped his notebook shut, tucked his pen away, and sighed as he gazed up at the sky.
“Wouldn’t it be great if an opponent just showed up on my doorstep?”
The moment he said that, a blast of scorching wind smacked him right in the face. Squinting against the sudden gust, he barely had time to react before a streak of red light came hurtling down from the sky, heading straight for him.
What the hell?
His instincts kicked in—he raised his crossbow and loosed an arrow. A sharp “Screech!” rang out as the projectile hit its mark. The thing tumbled from the air, crashing to the ground just inches from his feet.
Silence fell.
A charred, spherical object with a tuft of long feathers rolled toward him, an arrow sticking out of it. Jinhua Ham frowned.
“What the hell is this…?”
Grabbing the feathery tuft, he gave it a shake. Dust billowed out in a thick cloud. After a long moment, he finally made out its original shape—A bird?He corrected himself.
“…What the hell kind of bird is this?”
The next second, the scorched ball suddenly came to life, squawking furiously as it thrashed about. Then, with a vengeance, it started pecking his forehead like mad.
“Who are you calling what a “hell kind of bird”?!!”
Notes
- ↑ A regional variant of Chinese oral performance art, it is a combination of storytelling ("pinghua") and ballad singing ("tanci") performed in the Suzhou dialect (Wu dialect), often described as a gentle and melodious form of storytelling.