Xingqiu/Storyline

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Last edit: Kuhlau at 2026-07-13 19:15:15 (UTC) (1 month, 3 weeks, 6 days, 8 hours ago). If this was over two weeks ago, please contact the editor who placed the tag before removing it.

Xingqiu is a young man whose family owns the Feiyun Commerce Guild, a prominent trading guild in Liyue.

Profile

Personality

A young man carrying a longsword who is frequently seen at book booths. He has a chivalrous heart and yearns for justice and fairness for all.

—In-game character attributes and profile page text

To most people, Xingqiu appears to be a polite young man who takes his studies seriously, but he also has a more mischievous side to him. In the presence of close friends and family, he is gregarious and chatty, but shows more restraint than his elder brother. Unlike his older sibling, who is completely devoted to the guild's success, Xingqiu is more reluctant to do so, putting him at odds with his family.

He is good friends with Hu Tao and Chongyun, though he pranks the latter consistently. He is an avid reader and spends most of his time looking for rare books at Wanwen Bookhouse when he is not preoccupied with his duties, writing his own books from time to time, with "A Legend of Sword" being one of his books. While it did not garner the popularity he wished for in Liyue, he is unexpectedly popular in Inazuma and Fontaine after an Inazuman merchant took the book back home with them; however, Xingqiu was initially unaware of its popularity in Inazuma.^[6][7] Unlike the rest of his family, Xingqiu has notoriously poor calligraphy skills, with only a few people being able to understand it without needing it transcribed.

Being the second son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, Xingqiu is extremely wealthy and possesses a significant amount of influence, although he only resorts to using the guild as backup if the situation cannot be handled otherwise. Wishing to become a real life embodiment of the heroes he reads in stories, Xingqiu has a strong sense of justice and was able to revitalize the Guhua Clan despite being one of its younger members. He despises those who resort to underhanded methods or badmouth chivalrous heroes. Despite his carefree personality, he is also intelligent, capable of rectifying problems in his own unique way and has done so in a manner that people simply give up arguing against him if he gets himself in trouble. He claims that when his older brother takes over, he would have to do all the work for him;^[8] likewise, Yanfei has a positive view on him, as she was impressed by how he was able to keep up with her train of thought compared to the rest of his family.^[9]

Appearance

Xingqiu uses the medium male model. He has golden-amber eyes, a light skin tone, and dark navy blue hair with asymmetrical bangs.

History

Past

Xingqiu is the younger of two sons born to his father. Due to the status of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, Xingqiu had a lavish upbringing and was properly educated in the hopes he could help them. Unlike the rest of his family, Xingqiu was not obliged to help the family business, as most of these tasks were done by either his father or brother. Nonetheless, he was expected to show proper etiquette. Despite this, he ended up being quite rebellious, as he would often hollow textbooks to stuff martial arts novels and enjoyed reading them for hours on end.^[10] These novels eventually convinced him to become a hero in his own right.

Xingqiu would later meet and befriend Hu Tao, Chongyun and Xiangling.

This delinquency would disappoint both his father and brother, who had hoped for him to work alongside them in the family business. His father eventually sent him to the Guhua Clan so he would stop spending all of his time at Wanwen Bookhouse. To his dismay, Xingqiu found the Guhua Clan had been on the decline but enthusiastically learned all he could from them, eventually becoming the newest "Life Ender," having mastered both the "Light Piercer" and "Rain Cutter" arts. The Guhua master at the time was moved to tears by what Xingqiu wrote, but because the calligraphy was dreadful, had it hidden from view.^[11]

At some point, Xingqiu created the book A Legend of Sword. Prior to its publication, he was told that it would not be popular in Liyue because of its "outlandish setting and cliché plot", but he decided to continue regardless. Per his printer, the book did not sell, but taking it personally, he decided to sneak a few copies into Wanwen Bookhouse hoping to prove them wrong. Though he was dismayed when few took interest in the book, he let it be. Eventually, an Inazuman took the book back home and it became a great success in both Inazuma and Fontaine, causing numerous royalties to pile up in his name. Xingqiu used the alias "Zhenyu" when handling business with Yae Publishing House and met Albedo through this channel, who would print illustrations for his books.^[12]

Present

After reading the Mondstadt version of Alice's Teyvat Travel Guide, the Traveler and Paimon wanted to read the Liyue edition of the book. Arriving at Wanwen Bookhouse, they instead learn from Jifang that the book was not popular and suggests they go to Chang the Ninth in Qingce Village. When they get there, they run into Xingqiu, who learned that Chang had the sixth edition of Legend of the Shattered Halberd and wanted to borrow it. Chang gave the book to him after he stood up for him against Changhu, who was sent by Gentry Maocai to purchase Chang's stock of Cor Lapis at a huge discount with threats. Xingqiu read the book while having the Traveler investigate on his behalf.^[13] The Traveler discovers the Fatui were involved and informs Xingqiu on their return, who gives them a script and asks them to send it to the Feiyun Commerce Guild.^[14] The plan involved buying all the Cor Lapis in stock to force Gentry to confront them outside the Feiyun warehouse, where Gentry sics the Fatui and hired thugs on the two. The Fatui agent, Javert, retreats after realizing he was outmatched. Xu arrives and addresses Xingqiu as a "young master," shocking the Traveler and Gentry. For attempting to intimidate Chang, Xingqiu forces Gentry to purchase his stock of minerals at triple the market value, solving the issue and improving the family wealth at the same time. He then asks the Traveler to return the book to Chang, who initially believes Xingqiu did nothing but eventually discerns that he had helped him behind the scenes.^[15]

During the Lantern Rite, Xingqiu took Chongyun along to Qincge Village to burn some time for fun. He was surprised to see Keqing, who asked him if he had any books about the Stove God. Xingqiu took Keqing inside, bringing back the book "Demystifying the Legends of Liyue." Before the three left, Xiangling asked the two what type of food they preferred, and they gave her their opinions before parting ways.^[16]

Ningguang later decided to rebuild the Jade Chamber, requiring large amounts of Plaustrite to do so. When Baizhu remarks about the mineral's rarity, the Traveler is prompted to visit Xingqiu, who is surprised to learn that they were participating in the contest. He advises them to not partake in it, as he anticipated that the shard that his family was responsible for auctioning off would go for a minimum of 500 million mora, which he felt was not worth its size. However, he tells them of an adepti known as Sea Gazer, whose abode is rumored to have a large amount of the material and believes it is somewhere in the Lisha region. He also reminds them that the abode is likely to be well-guarded and occupied by monsters, and the Traveler thanks him for the information.^[17]

The following Lantern Rite, Xingqiu was accompanying a caravan to Qincge Village; family tradition stated that during Lantern Rite, the family business delivered supplies to various settlements outside Liyue Harbor, and it was tradition for one member of the family to do so. Since his brother had done so last year, Xingqiu had to do so for the year. They were making their way to the village when several Treasure Hoarders attacked them; the bandits were easily routed, with one of them, Kangsheng, being captured by the group. The Traveler and Keqing had also been making their way there to investigate a fireworks theft, running into them on the way. Xingqiu explained the situation to her, and she promised to give them a reward, but he declined, stating that it was not necessary. Before Xingqiu's men took the bandit away, Keqing asked them to let the Ministry of Civil Affairs know of the fireworks theft. Xingqiu was disgusted by the bandits' conduct, and he and Chongyun volunteered to help guard the village.^[18]

Keqing later tracked the bandits and defeated them, with the Traveler informing Xingqiu of the news. With the situation resolved, Xingqiu and Chongyun remained in the village. Chongyun then asked him about the texts, in which Xingqiu told him that they should take their time. Chongyun accepted his reasoning before Xingqiu asked him to remind him what he was talking about, only for both young men to forget.^[19]

While exploring Inazuma, the Traveler was met by Aratani, who asked them to give invitations to Chang the Ninth and Xingqiu. Due to distance between Inazuma and Liyue, letters that the publishing house sent never made it to them, leaving them unaware of the event. Aratani did not know who Zhenyu was, but suggested going to Wanwen Bookhouse as the author's books were found there. At the bookhouse, the Traveler found Xingqiu and asked him if he knew about Zhenyu. With much embarrassment, Xingqiu told them that he was Zhenyu, explaining the book's origins. Seeing how popular it had become, Xingqiu thanked the Traveler for informing them.^[20]

Following the removal of the Sakoku Decree, Inazuma began resuming diplomatic ties with the rest of Teyvat, prompting Miko to host the Irodori Festival with a modern twist. This involved bringing guests from other nations, including Xingqiu. He convinced his father to let him to go Inazuma by making excuses on popularizing Theater Mechanicus, learning that he would be able to meet Calx in-person and had appreciated his illustrations. Xingqiu's father eventually let him go on the trip. On the way to Inazuma, Xingqiu learned that he would have to sign several books, and given his poor calligraphy skills, had to go earlier than intended. Despite this, his calligraphy had not improved, leaving him tired. The Traveler greets Xingqiu when he arrives and introduces him to Calx, introducing each other with their proper names. Albedo notes that Xingqiu felt off and they eventually learn of the situation, offering to help him.^[21] Though they could not improve his calligraphy, after meeting Kazuha, the Traveler gets the idea of using seals to maintain consistency, which the other authors agree with.^[22]

In another Lantern Rite, Xingqiu watched Xinyan and Hu Tao's concert. He then took Chongyun with him to Xinyue Kiosk for a meal, catching up with the rest of his friends there and meeting Zhongli. Xiao later arrived and Xingqiu was surprised to see the Conqueror of Demons in-person. As they enjoyed their meal, Venti also came in and nearly exposed his pen name. After the meal, Chongyun asked Xingqiu if he knew about Venti. Xingqiu told him that he was part of the family business and it was a secret to be left untouched. The following day, Xiangling and Hu Tao asked him about his relationship to him, and Xingqiu admitted that he was a fan of his works.^[23]

Hu Tao and Venti later hosted the "Neighboring Nations Congenial Poetry Gala," inviting poets from both Mondstadt and Liyue to participate. As Xingqiu was making his way there, he ran into Chongyun and had him come to Wangshu Inn, which he agreed to if he helped with his investigation regarding a mysterious entity. Xingqiu won the first event, with his reward being a "buy one get one free high-end customized service" coupon from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, which he tried to give to the Traveler.^[24] They then began the investigation, during which Xingqiu was paired with Mika and Noelle, bonding well with the former before returning with Callirhoe.^[25] The Traveler, Diona and Chongyun soon discovered Callirhoe's true identity and when they returned, Xingqiu wondered where they had gone. He then tried to rope Chongyun into coming with him to a haunted house, but Chongyun declined, causing Xingqiu to wonder what had happened in his absence.^[26]

While spending time with Cloud Retainer (who had resumed taking on her human form of Xianyun), they met Yuandai and Shuyu, with Yuandai's past getting their attention. The Traveler decided to go to Xingqiu to see if he knew anything about a mysterious heroine. Though he was not sure if the heroine and Yuandai might be related, he did some research on her past, marking down three locations of interest for the Traveler.^[27]

The next Lantern Rite, Xingqiu's great-grandfather became inexplicably ill, prompting the family to hire the best doctors. However, they could not diagnose an illness and left without offering a prescription. The family butler then approached Xingqiu a few days later, believing that the patriarch might've been cursed and suggested getting an exorcist. Xingqiu asked Chongyun to investigate the family house for him; Chongyun did not sense a spirit, but he did sense an unusual coldness, believing it to be a fetor of death. While the family prepared for the worst, the two went to Bubu Pharmacy to see if Baizhu could offer any medicine for them. Baizhu, who had just been treating Timaeus, discerned from Xingqiu's words that both had somehow gotten the same illness. Xingqiu believed that the god remains of Tao Dou were responsible, having heard of the Hidden Palace of Zhou Formula in the nearby mountains, though Baizhu and Changsheng ruled that out, as they would've sensed it. Nonetheless, the mystery warranted an investigation, and Xingqiu returned home with Chongyun, who wanted to check the house again.^[28]

The cause of the illness was later revealed to be a surge of fetor attempting to get into Liyue, which Hu Tao and the Traveler resolved. With the fetor kept in check, the patriarch's illness was cured. Learning what they had done, Xingqiu thanked both of them, telling them that the family business would help them and that both his father and brother would be coming to personally thank them.^[29]

During a training session with Skirk, the Traveler recalled Xingqiu's swordsmanship alongside their other friends.^[30]

In the White Horse Lantern Rite, the Traveler learned about the White Horse Adeptus and went to Third-Round Knockout to talk with Zhongli. Instead, they found Xingqiu, Chongun, Hu Tao and Xiangling, who were talking about Zhanzhu the Moon-Devourer. A strange hole had appeared in the moon, which the Traveler explained was a lunar eclipse. Xingqiu was worried that the strange anomaly foretold an impending disaster, and Xiangling told the Traveler how they got the photo. The four then decided to head there to personally verify the anomaly themselves. After waiting for some time, they decided to return home, only for the anomaly to appear as they were leaving.^[31]

Trivia

• Xingqiu's handwriting is extremely messy to the point that most people have difficulty understanding it:
  • The Guhua head had to lock up his verse on the "Martial Principles" because he did not want anyone else to see the dreadful writing.
  • When Xingqiu hands a note to the Traveler to bring to the Feiyun Commerce Guild, Paimon notes that she can't understand it while the Traveler believes it to be from an ancient script or a secret text requiring a cipher.
  • The Yae Publishing House considers his signature to be quite the "tortured thing" to the point that without careful observation, it could be mistaken for part of the pattern on the box set's lid.
  • The Stone Gate Bulletin Board has a message from Xingqiu, which the Traveler can no longer decipher after a few words.
  • On the Qingce Village Bulletin Board, one message mentions an "urbane swordsman" bringing more books to the village, with extremely messy notes scribbled inside. Granny Ruoxin interprets them as exorcist symbols.
  • Xingqiu left an anonymous message on the Feiyun Slope Bulletin Board. The reply to it was likely written by Xu.
  • In Waterborne Poetry, Hu Tao has a difficult time reading Xingqiu's riddle.^[32]
  • In the "well-staffed" editorial department that Xingqiu works with, only one editor is capable of reading his handwriting.^[33]
• Xingqiu is the secret author of the novel A Legend of Sword.
  • The novel is a big hit in Inazuma and has also gained traction in Fontaine.^[34]
  • Albedo provides illustrations for the book under the pen name Calx.^[35]
• He hates carrots.^[36][37]
• Xingqiu shares actresses with other characters across the various voiceover languages:
  • His English voice actress, Cristina Vee Valenzuela, also voices Bennett.
  • His Korean voice actress, Gwak Gyu-mi (곽규미), also voices Ningguang.
  • His Chinese voice actress, Tang Yajing (唐雅菁), also voices Beidou.
• Xingqiu is the first playable character to appear in a non-event World Quest (Yae Publishing House's Invitation).
• Xingqiu is seen wielding the Silver Sword in his wish art.
• Xingqiu is known by these aliases or titles:
  • Guhua Geek (by Paimon)
  • Zhenyu^[38]
  • Hong'yu (in Zero Hour Invokation)

NPCs Mentions

• Xu reveals that Xingqiu is in charge of Feiyun Commerce Guild's silk trade (which possibly also alludes to his ascension material) - however Xingqiu often disappears from his duties which causes Xu to worry.
• Gaiman indirectly mentions him while speaking about A Legend of Sword.
• Musheng reveals that Xingqiu once saved his life from bandits.
• Sun Yu and Little Que'er are his senior disciples within the Guhua Clan, though he exceeded them at a much younger age. Sun Yu mentions him in his dialogue.
• During the Fleeting Colors in Flight event, Little Zuo calls Chongyun and Xingqiu as weirdos who always go to Qingce Village discussing "evil spirits" and assumes that they are writing a story.
• Xingqiu is mentioned in the descriptions of the following 3 Furnishings:
  • Book Lover's Study
  • Calligraphy Set: Assiduous Calligraphy
  • Companion Gift - "Resolve to Protect"

Etymology

• Xingqiu's name comprises the Chinese characters 行 xíng, meaning "to travel, to drift," and 秋 qiū, which means "autumn." Read together, Xingqiu's name can be parsed as "the gentle progression of autumn."
• Xingqiu published A Legend of Sword under the penname Zhenyu (Chinese: 枕玉 Zhěnyù, lit. "pillow of jade").^[38] Prior to Version 2.2, this penname was instead Chenqiu (Chinese: 沉秋 Chénqiū, lit. "sunken autumn"),^[34] as mentioned by Gaiman. This later proved to be an inconsistency during the release of the World Quest Yae Publishing House's Invitation in Version 2.0. As of Version 2.2, all instances of the name "Chenqiu" were corrected to "Zhenyu."
• During the Event Duel! The Summoners' Summit! Xingqiu competes under the name Hong'yu (Chinese: 虹雨 Hóngyǔ, lit. "iridescent rain").
• His title is a reference to a poem by the Tang Dynasty poet Wei Zhuang (Chinese: 韦庄) that reads, "Yet today I recall the joys of Jiangnan — my garment during those youthful years lightweight and free" (Chinese: 如今却忆江南乐，当时年少春衫薄 Rújīn què yì Jiāngnán lè, dāngshí niánshào chūnshān báo).

Other Languages

Character Title: Juvenile Galant

References