Xu Xiaoqiao

Overview

Xu Xiaoqiao (徐小桥) is a Golden Core (金丹境) sword cultivator and the true first founding disciple (开山大弟子) of the Dragon Springs Sword Sect (龙泉剑宗) established by Saint Ruan Qiong. Formerly a disciple of Fengxue Temple (风雪庙), she was expelled after committing a grave mistake. She is best known for voluntarily severing the thumb of her dominant sword-holding hand to prove her resolve, restarting her sword path from scratch as a left-handed cultivator.

Appearance and Personality

Physically, Xu Xiaoqiao is notable for missing the thumb on her right hand.

She is a highly diligent cultivator but struggles with profound insecurity and melancholy regarding her future prospects. Because her innate talent and fortune pale in comparison to her fellow disciples, such as Xie Ling and Dong Gu, she often feels a deep sense of inferiority over her arduous Great Dao. Despite this, she is pragmatic, hardworking, and easily moved by genuine kindness, cherishing her bond with Ruan Xiu.

History

After being expelled from Fengxue Temple, Xu Xiaoqiao sought refuge with Ruan Qiong. Ruan Qiong initially deemed her heart unstable—always seeking a way out—and only allowed her to perform menial labor in his blacksmith shop without officially taking her as a disciple. To prove her dedication, she chopped off her right thumb and began practicing swordsmanship with her left hand.

Although she was Ruan Qiong's first disciple, her slower progress meant Dong Gu reached the Golden Core realm before her, leading others to call her the "Third Senior Sister" while Dong Gu became the Second Senior Brother. She later accompanied Ruan Xiu and a group of Dali officials on a journey southward, acting as a laborer to mine Furong stone from a mountain.

When Liu Xianyang assumed the position of Sect Master, she attended a modest sect dinner where Liu Xianyang jokingly claimed she looked at him with the tender, loving gaze of a real older sister. Infuriated, she threatened to tear his mouth apart. After the Dragon Springs Sword Sect completely relocated its base out of the Chuzhou region, she began taking her own two newly accepted direct disciples out for experiential travel.

Cultivation

Xu Xiaoqiao is a Golden Core (金丹境) sword cultivator. Her path forward is fraught with difficulties; Ruan Xiu once bluntly informed her that breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm would be significantly harder for her than for Dong Gu, though Ruan Qiong would still aid her when the time came.

Relationships

• Ruan Qiong: Her strict master who took her in after she proved her resolve.
• Ruan Xiu: She affectionately calls Ruan Xiu her "Eldest Senior Sister" (大师姐). Ruan Xiu's simple admission that she liked Xu Xiaoqiao a bit more than the others brought Xu Xiaoqiao to tears of gratitude.
• Dong Gu: The Second Senior Brother. Despite feeling slight sorrow over losing her seniority to him, she harbors no objections to his position.
• Xie Ling: Her junior brother, whose smooth cultivation journey and immense fortune she sometimes envies.
• Liu Xianyang: Her junior brother and the current Sect Master, whose flippant and teasing nature greatly annoys her.

Quotes

• "It does hurt in my heart, but I have no objections to Dong Gu being the Second Senior Brother."
• "Will I truly be able to reach the Nascent Soul Realm one day, Eldest Senior Sister?"
• "My Eldest Senior Sister!"
• "Liu Xianyang, are you looking for death?! If you keep running your mouth and spouting nonsense without limits, believe it or not, I will tear your mouth apart!"

References

• 剑来4：草长莺飞时，第十章 — 新年里的人们: Details her expulsion from Fengxue Temple, chopping off her thumb, and practicing sword with her left hand at Ruan Qiong's blacksmith shop.
• 剑来12：人间羊肠道，第一章 — 山水依旧: Details her conversation with Ruan Xiu regarding her status as the true first disciple, her anxieties about reaching the Nascent Soul tier, and Ruan Xiu's comforting words.
• 剑来12：人间羊肠道，第七章 — 直抒胸臆: Mentions her accompanying Ruan Xiu and mining Furong stones.
• 剑来32：登高拖虚舟，第二章 — 夜游京城: Features the dinner where Liu Xianyang jokes about her maternal gaze, prompting her to threaten him.
• 剑来37：只是朱颜改，第一章 — 吾乡: Briefly mentions her taking two newly accepted direct disciples out for experiential travel.