Chang the Ninth

Chang the Ninth (Chinese: 常九爷 Cháng Jiǔ-yé) is an open-world NPC located in Qingce Village, Liyue. He is a major character in Xingqiu's Story Quest, Fabulae Textile Chapter: Act I - Bookworm Swordsman, and his dialogue changes after completing the Act.

Following a certain dialogue branch for the first time after completing Bookworm Swordsman gives four Noctilucous Jade.

Location

Chang the Ninth's location

Additional context

Profile

Chang the Ninth is the ninth-born child^[1] to the once-prestigious Chang family, which owns a mining business.^[2] As a child, Chang lived in Qingce Village, where he met Little Nine.^[3] Because the two were ninth-born children in their families, Little Nine felt a certain camaraderie with "Big Nine" and often pestered him to read her stories.^[1] While he started many stories for her to read, he never finished them, and told himself he would complete them when he had more time. One day, she disappeared without a trace; Chang suspected her parents, who had always held him in disdain, had quietly left Qingce Village to separate them.^[3] He began writing First Apprentice of Guhua as a submission for the Yae Publishing House annual contest "This Novel is Amazing!" in hopes that it would win, he would become famous, and she would reconnect with him this way.^[4] He is unaware that Little Nine actually died long ago — ironically, from dropping a book he wrote for her in the river and likely dying of hypothermia after trying to salvage it.^[1]

For a time, he resided in Liyue Harbor and became a regular customer of Wanwen Bookhouse. However, after the Chasm closed recently, the family business languished and Chang moved back to Qingce Village.^[3][5] To recoup his company's losses, Chang pawned off most of his beloved book collection, with the exception of the rare book Legend of the Shattered Halberd (VI).^[2]

As part of a Cor Lapis procurement deal with the Fatui, Gentry Maocai sends his servant Changhu to force Chang into selling his Cor Lapis at 30% of the market price. Shortly before one of Changhu's visits, the Traveler and Paimon approach Chang in search of Teyvat Travel Guide - Liyue, while Xingqiu accompanied them in hopes of finding the elusive Legend of the Shattered Halberd volume. After learning of Chang's plight, and as repayment for allowing him to read the volume, Xingqiu enacts a plan that successfully puts an end to Maocai's harassment and allows Chang to sell his Cor Lapis at full price. With the profit he made from the deal, Chang is able to buy back his book collection.

In Inazuma, the Traveler learns that Chang's book, First Apprentice of Guhua, has been fairly popular in Inazuma despite the relatively dated themes and plot of the book, and Kuroda, Chief Editor of the Yae Publishing House, reveals in his dialogue that Chang did win the competition. Because of the Sakoku Decree, however, the Yae Publishing House has been unable to send him his royalties. Aratani sends the Traveler to deliver presents and invitations to Chang and "Zhenyu" — Xingqiu's penname when he wrote A Legend of Sword — to visit the Yae Publishing House in-person and serve as judges for "This Novel is Amazing!"^[6]

At some point, Chang the Ninth was possessed by Mr. Nine during his sleep, who would accumulate a large amount of royalties for him, which she buried away in his yard. When Mr. Nine found herself in danger in Nod-Krai, she sent a letter to the Yae Publishing House, resulting in them sending Onodera to Mondstadt to give the commission to the Traveler and Fischl. Paimon believed that Chang was actually Mr. Nine due to their similar names, so they went to his house to pay him a visit. At the time, Chang had run out of manuscript and had left to buy some, discovering them messing around his yard when he returned. Learning of the situation from them, he told them that he was not Mr. Nine. Fortunately, Oz managed to detect a presence on Chang which allowed them to find the real Mr. Nine in Nod-Krai. Before she left, Mr. Nine told the Traveler that she had stashed a large fund in her yard. The Traveler returned to Chang and dug the Mora for him, leaving him pleasantly surprised before he returned to work.^[7]

Appearance

Chang the Ninth is a middle-aged man of average height and build with hazel eyes. His black hair is slicked back with a set of bold eyebrows.

He wears a long dark blue robe with white cuffs and a white vest.

Quests and Events

Story Quests

• Fabulae Textile Chapter (Xingqiu)
  • Act I: Bookworm Swordsman
    • Justice, for Books' Sake
    • Calm Before the Storm
    • Justice Is Its Own Reward

World Quests

• Witch's Homework
  • Of the Unexpected
    • Alan Smithee, Author of Fischl
    • Alan Smithee, Author of Fischl: Epilogue
• Yae Publishing House's Invitation

Commissions

• A Novel Idea
• For Old Time's Sake
• This Novel Is Amazing!

Events

• Lantern Rite Tales
  • Qingce's Lanterns

Idle Quotes

Dialogue

Trivia

• The message Chang the Ninth left at the Qingce Village Bulletin Board shows his disdain for receiving handouts but still accepts it.

Gallery

Cameos

Character Demo - "Yun Jin- The True Meaning of Opera" - Genshin Impact

Genius Invokation TCG

Chang the Ninth

Other Languages

Change History

References