Zhang Ke Yuan
The youngest child of Zhang Xiong and Zhang Yin Da. Ke Yuan was taken by the White Sea Sect at a young age, along with his sister Shu Qing, and trained there. The abuse he endured for being a member of the disgraced Zhang Family caused him to withdraw and seek anonymity.
Following his engagement to Xun Ying Ti, Ke Yuan asked the newly returned Gao Zhong Hu for training in the use of the sword. He made great strides under Zhong Hu's tutelage and learned how to fight mounted cavalry from Ruya Ilkin. Consequently, he served with skill and prowess in the War of Eternal Day, though the war signaled the end of his engagement to Ying Ti. He later married Zhong Hu's niece Gao Xiao Bi.
"The sect had you and Meili holding yourselves to higher expectations... I guess it did that to me in the end, too. It just took a while."
Growing Up Between Two Sects
Ke Yuan was a small child during Emperor Zou's bloody Ascension, which included the Cold Wolf Massacre. The attacking forces of Garalese soldiers and White Sea Sect cultivators were ordered to the Zhang family alive for personal punishment by the emperor. Accordingly, Garalese military leader Ruya Ilkin prevented a soldier from killing Ke Yuan and his two siblings and directed them to hide during the battle at the sect. In later years Ke Yuan held a deep-seated fear for mounted cavalry and suffered frequent nightmares of the attack.
The family was arrested and taken to Emperor Zou following the massacre. Ke Yuan's aunt was given in marriage to one of Zou's supporters and his uncle on his father's side renounced the sect and Ke Yuan's family. Zhang Xiong, Ke Yuan's father, pleaded for forgiveness and mercy from Zou for himself and his family. Zou permitted the family to live, but had the scholarly cultivator He Shirong remove Xiong's golden core, a process that nearly killed him. The family returned to the ruins of the Cold Wolf Sect. Zhang Yin Da, Ke Yuan's mother, fought desperately to keep her husband alive and to help the few other remaining survivors of the sect and the surrounding villages.
As Ke Yuan grew older, he began to understand the Massacre and his father's humiliation. One evening while close friends visited their new home in Jiliang, Ke Yuan overheard his father discussing his decision to plead for his family's life because he could not ask his then-five-year-old son to understand and accept the concept of dying an honorable death. After hearing his father's words Ke Yuan felt a deep debt to Xiong that seemed impossible to repay. He worked hard in his studies once the family was stable enough for Yin Da to begin teaching him and his siblings. His parents praised him for his progress. However, shortly after he resumed his studies, he and his sister Shu Qing were taken by the White Sea Sect as hostages for his parents' good behavior.
Physical Description
Identifying Characteristics
Special abilities
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
[quote]"You don't need to defend me."
Virtues & Personality perks
Vices & Personality flaws
"You are part of a bigger world than just yourself, Zhang Ke Yuan, and you affect it for better or worse with every one of your actions or inactions." - Gao Zhong HuKe Yuan's training, his engagement to Ying Ti, his friendship with Dai Chong Shi, and his experiences during the war all help him ameliorate the worst of his avoidant tendencies. Even so, after the War of Eternal Day Ke Yuan finds himself ill-equipped to navigate peace as a respected member of the Zhang family. He encounters numerous social situations in which he struggles, and reluctantly asks Chong Shi for his help. Chong Shi has strong opinions about Ke Yuan's feelings for Gao Xiao Bi; he believes his friend gave up hope in a relationship too quickly.
Ke Yuan also has a tendency to freeze in unfamiliar situations, taking too much time to assess before he responds. He nearly dies in his first battle because of this. After, he trains hard to incorporate the instincts he needs to allow him to respond quickly in battle.
Social
Contacts & Relations
"Have you met Xiao Bi? It'd be like trying to flirt with a dagger." - Ke Yuan to Zhang Huai Shi
Ke Yuan also meets Gao Xiao Bi and fights alongside her during the war. He is drawn by her strength of will and understands her struggles to adapt to battle, even as she insists on staying at her uncle's side. The two of them train together in the early morning. Ke Yuan plans to approach
Mannerisms
Relationships
Zhang
Personal Name
Bao Zhou (Treasure, jewel, gem, precious | Thriving, vigorous, flourishing)
Courtesy Name
Ke Yuan (To overcome, to restrain | Predestined, cause, karma, fate)
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