Character Questions: Yuan Lei

Full name: Yuan Lei of the Silk Road

Nickname: Yuan (what most people prefer to call him. IIRC in China, unless you know the person on a deeply personal level, you always call them by their family name. Which is the case here or by their full name); Lei (by his parents Chu and Jin, and Chunhua. No one else has ever had the courage or earned enough trust to call him by his first name. Not even Xianying); Sand Dragon (moniker when he broke off from the Yellow Turban Rebels and became a Mercenary); Little Lei (a nickname given to him by his various Aunts and Uncles of the Yellow Turbans. Can also be an insult depending on who calls him that, like his cousin Yuan Yao)

Occupation: Mercenary

Appearance: Regular features of a full-blooded Chinese man. But since he spent his childhood living near and eventually on the Silk Road, his skin is considerably darker than the average male. Black hair tied in a low ponytail with a few loose fringes in front of his eyes. His normal expression is one of indifference. More often than not, it shifts to annoyance and anger. Rarely does Yuan show joy of any kind, especially nowadays.

Age: Lu Bu's killer is merely 22 years of age.

Mannerisms: Yuan is almost always calm and professional despite being regularly dealt a healthy dose of bs. He lets all his anger out when he finds himself in a battle, whether it be a duel or a grander battle involving armies. There, he becomes ruthless. Being around people he cares for loosens him up but still maintains an air of professionalism since most that he considers friends are of noble rank. He is not. Around Chunhua, Xianying, or Diaochan for a time, Yuan will be at his softest for different reasons. Chunhua's natural charisma softens him up if not thanks to her innate dominant attitude towards everyone, Yuan included. Xianying's overtly bubbly and optimistic nature always gets to him. Diaochan... Well, we don't know much about how she got to him. I'll say it's a classic seduction attempt that worked.

What does he/she wear?: Not wanting to align himself with any of the kingdoms on top of paying homage to his start as a Yellow Turban, Yuan refuses to wear any shade of Green, Blue, Purple, or Red, leaving his only options for color as Black, White, Gray, and Gold. That said, Yuan wears a Black Coat with Gold accents, Gray Robes underneath, and a Black Bandana hung around his neck, sometimes concealing his face. On the bandana is a Chinese character of his family name, Yuan (元) in Gold. He wears black pants with black armored boots. Most of his wardrobe has been laced with chainmail so he's protected. His clothes will rip despite the added protection if struck with enough force. His Odachi is slung on his back. With the Sword of Honor and Majesty, he slings them on his right hip, preferring to be left-handed to throw would-be opponents off. He also has black tape on his hands to better grip his weapons.

Favorite color: Gold

What is he/she good at?: Yuan is a master swordsman despite being so young. While not on the same tactical level as Yueying, Yuan has a sharp mind for combat with a soaring Battle IQ. He also has coup d'oeil, which allows him to adapt to his surroundings in a battlefield-esque setting. He also employs intimidation tactics well despite being above average height for the era. (Yuan is 5'9 in comparison to the average 5'4 or 5'5 of the era)

What is he/she bad at?: Though we might never see it, Yuan is nearly unstoppable when truly enraged. He's being pushed there but holds off thanks to his professionalism, partners, and occasional run-ins with Xianying. But besides those factors, he's teetering on the brink of becoming a bigger horror than Lu Bu, Dong Zhuo, and his uncle.

What does he/she want?: To be left alone by his constant pursuers.

What is his/her goal?: To grow old and have a family much as his parents did.

What lie does he/she believe?: That his killings will not grant him a peaceful end to his life.

What flaw results from the lie?: At times, Yuan is tempted to double down on his murderous tendencies in a nihilistic attempt to fight off what all the betrayal has done to him.

What truth does he/she learn?: That he's worthy of life and in the right despite the dark hand he's been given.

What is his/her background?

Yuan Lei was born from the love of his mother Yuan Chu, and his father Yuan Jin. Both met as Yellow Turbans, and their son's conception helped bring the rebels together. They decided to help the pair raise the child despite what gender he or she was born with. As a result, Yuan Lei knew love and affection from an early age on top of the sword as he helped the Yellow Turbans when he was combat-ready.

Though that wouldn't last.

When the Yellow Turban Rebellion was quelled, Yuan watched as either his family he grew to love and care for defected to Han Forces (like his Uncle, Yuan Shu), was murdered in front of him, or escaped (like his parents and Zhou Cang). He's well acquainted with loss and betrayal. As a result, he only gives his complete trust to a few and is cut off, stoic, and at times cold to everyone else. When he and his parents settled on the Silk Road, his mother decided to teach him the sword, something he learned alarmingly fast. By 20, he was a master of any sword you placed in his hands. Yuan Lei decided to leave his parents and go to mainland China to become a mercenary in hopes of reuniting with some of his family members who escaped the Han Forces and didn't defect like his uncle, Yuan Shao.

Eventually, the historical battle of Hu Lao Gate occurred, and Yuan found himself in the gray area between Shu and Wei. Not picking a side, he made sure the civilians weren't harmed. While doing so, he was found and attacked by Lu Bu, the Invincible Tyrant. The man thought Yuan was another easy victim.

He was wrong.

Equipped with the knowledge given to him in battle by his parents, and armed with a foreign sword called the Odachi, he fought Lu Bu to a standstill. The duel lasted a long while, as Shu took the opportunity to sway the battle in their favor and drove Wei back. The battle between Lu Bu and Yuan was the first of many which started an admittedly one-sided rivalry between the two on Lu Bu's behalf, fueled by the manipulative but beautiful Diaochan.

Their final battle ended with Lu Bu's death and Yuan Lei well on the way until the mysterious Zuo Ci intervened, saving his life. Shortly after, Diaochan confessed her love for him. But we all know that it was a trick as she stole the Odachi and Sky Piercer, which turned into a Changdao, before fleeing Yuan's company.

Nowadays, Yuan now travels with Lu Bu's daughter, Lu Lingqi, and the former wife of Zhuge Liang, Yueying, as a trio of mercenaries as they now are the main opposition of the combined forces of Dong Bai, Dong Zhuo's granddaughter, and Yuan's own uncle, Yuan Shu.

Yuan's a bit tortured but will persevere and stop at nothing to stop the plans of Dong Bai and Yuan Shu on top of retrieving what was stolen from him by Diaochan. Lest he never stares at his family who escaped to Japan again.

Additional Questions for Yuan Lei?

What might Yuan Lei do when Diaochan crosses his path?

I had to do a double take when I first read this question. I thought it said what will Yuan Lei do when Diachan crosses his path. But seeing what the question asked, I can give a proper answer.

Many things can happen when the two inevitably run into each other again. Yuan can kill her, Lingqi can kill her, or the duo can forgive her for what she did. Diaochan can completely justify her reasons for leaving him and taking the Odachi. (Probably the least likely answer)

But Yuan will probably feel an influx of emotions and be conflicted about what to do when he confronts her. But Yueying, Lingqi, and maybe Xianying can influence what he does.

(Something tells me it won't be a peaceful or cordial reunion)

Would his parents think differently of him if they saw his blood-soaked path?

I wouldn't think so. Remember, Chu and Jin are loving parents and genuinely kind people, as we'll see when we eventually meet them. And were Yellow Turban Rebels, loyal ones at that. Chu fought battles even when she was pregnant with Yuan, so it's no secret the two have quite the body count. Most importantly, they know how unforgiving the world can be and how unforgiving Shu is. Especially Chu, who's his older blood-sister. So long as their son is alive, well, and not insane, they could care less what he does.

(Makes sense. Yuan takes after his proud parents)

Is Yuan afraid of another betrayal in the form of his partners?

He isn't. Though he should be in my honest opinion. He thinks Yueying or Liingqi won't mainly because of respect and fear, mostly the latter. If anything, they might leave his company for personal reasons.

Yuan Lei wouldn't be surprised, but he still doesn't expect to do that since they both asked to travel together, not the other way around. If they were to betray him, that would just be a colossal waste of their time, and it's not his loss. He's been alone for some time before allowing company on his travels. His childhood prepped him for all of this, just not on this magnitude.

(I doubt either will do so since they are finding themselves as well)

Editor-san's Listening to: Love's Train by Silk Sonic (Finally listened to this album, and it's giving me Motown vibes)