Qiubai [Arknights]

Qiubai, swordswoman, born in a river fort near the Yanese city of Jiangqi, later left her hometown due to changes in her family and travels the country year-round without a fixed residence or job. On investigation, Qiubai had already been in contact with several Operators in separate incidents, and later accepted Rhodes Island's invitation to cooperate and provide support to our various affairs in Yan.

Imaging tests reveal clear, normal outlines of internal organs, and no abnormal shadows have been detected. Originium granules have not been detected in the circulatory system and there is no sign of infection. At this time, the operator is believed to be uninfected.

[Cell-Originium Assimilation] 0% Operator Qiubai shows no signs of Originium infection.

[Blood Originium-Crystal Density] 0.13u/L Operator Qiubai rarely comes into contact with Originium.

I hear that she's often out in the wilderness... maybe her aura of chivalry is so strong that Oripathy has no effect on her. Or maybe I'm just spouting nonsense. She definitely has plenty of experience from running around her old stomping grounds, and is pretty good at protecting herself. –A certain Medical Operator

Qiubai the Elafian girl hails from the northeastern Yanese city of Jiangqi who was born into a clan of river bandits harassing the Dingzhou region. As winter limits her clan's activities, her father, the clan's leader, gave her such name with a symbolic meaning: "to hate the snow's whiteness" and be emotionless. Despite detesting her father's job, she could only accept her fate quietly for the sake of survival. However, her clan's activities eventually caught the authorities' attention. Around ten years ago (Terran year 1092), soldiers were sent to her village under Chongyue's leadership to arrest them. Not only they cruelly ravaged her hometown, but also, they executed Qiu's father and then threw his body into the river where they live.

Enraged by the devastating pillage, Qiu decided to seek vengeance from Chongyue. She embarked on a long journey from the freezing rivers in the east to the vast Gobi Desert in the west where Yumen is located. At first, she disguised herself as Chongyue's martial art disciple so that she could assassinate him whenever opportunity is given. Nevertheless, Qiu never made it as she was completely amazed by the grandmaster's century-old solitude and benevolence. She eventually gave up her hatred and faithfully followed his guidance for the next five years. In return, she was promoted to become the captain of Yumen's garrison soldiers.

Following the Yumen incident incited by the Shanhaizhong, Qiu believed that it was time for her to leave the city and find her own meaning in her life as revenge is no longer her goal. She bade Chongyue her farewell and then continued her solo journey across Yan to execute her own justice as a true "xiake." Nevertheless, her name has been widely heard among many Rhodes Island operators, and she eventually enlisted herself as part of its members after their formal encounter in a bizarre incident in Kou-wu. Many R.I. members are amazed by her tales and wishes to learn more about the Yanese wuxia culture, but to her, all is just a brief memories in her that fade away like melting frost.

By chance, we were given some dated information, but possibly related to the pirates in Jiangqi– More than thirty years ago, a merchant had reported to his local government that his young adult daughter had disappeared while passing through the waterways on a cargo ship to visit family, and was never found.

"Enmity rises from the struggle between good and evil, but where does such a cycle end, or begin? 'Good and evil are both hard to judge' is merely a useless lament, and thus the reason why I wield my sword."

Qiubai exploits enemy weak points to strike them down, dealing bonus Arts damage on hit against slowed or bound targets, and occasionally binding enemies whenever she hits them. Her skills either bind enemies and make them explode for Arts damage, slashes with Arts to create a slowing fissure that then explodes for physical damage, or improving her range, attack speed, damage, and target count while changing her damage to Arts and, if mastered, increasing the damage from her talent.

Aloof Ally: Her profile notes that she doesn't socialize whenever she is on the landship, instead preferring to keep a lookout. Aloof Dark-Haired Girl: She fits the bill, being a woman with dark hair and a dislike of socializing. Animal Motifs: The North China sika deer (Cervus nippon mandarinus), from the shape of her antlers and their appearance in her Elite 2 artwork. The Chinese name for the sika deer is "plum blossom deer", which also ties into her Flower Motifs of plum blossoms. Badass Bystander: Her profile mentions an incident prior to Qiubai's joining where a Yanese merchant attempted to price gouge Rhodes Island on some herbs by exploiting his monopoly contract. Qiubai happened to be in the audition for the bodyguard position, and used the opportunity to threaten the merchant into rescinding his contract - leading to Rhodes Island extending an invitation to her out of gratitude. Badass Normal: As far as onlookers can tell, Qiubai doesn't actually have any exceptional Arts techniques or special abilities. Her combat prowess almost entirely stems from her sheer sword skill and eye for opportunity. Bandit Clan: She was born into a river bandit clan in the Dingzhou region of Yan. Becoming the Mask: She initially signed up as a disciple under Chongyue to seek revenge for her father's death, but gave up her vengeance after reflecting on what she learned - symbolized by her throwing her sword away instead of striking him - near the climax of "Where Vernal Winds Will Never Blow".

Breaking Old Trends: She is the first female 6-star Lord Guard. But Now I Must Go: She leaves Yumen at the conclusion of "Where Vernal Wind Will Never Blow" to seek her own meaning in life, now that she has let go of her revenge on Chongyue. Combat Pragmatist: According to reports on her combat tests, Qiubai doesn't use any established fighting styles and adapts her moves based on her opponent with an efficient focus on finding weak points and opportune moments to attack. This is likely what her talent that deals bonus damage to slowed and bound targets which provides the majority of her damage output is designed to reflect. Flower Motifs: Plum blossoms. She has some of them hanging on her belt, and her chibi sprite holds a branch of plum blossoms. Gameplay and Story Segregation: In story, Qiubai is not proficient in Arts and all her skills come from dedicated training. As a playable unit, she's one of the most Arts damage oriented Guards in the game. Interestingly, her close counterpart Frostleaf is the opposite, being explicitly an Arts user but having no Arts damage in her kit at all. Hidden Depths: Her "Courtesy" skin reveals that she enjoys the art of tea, viewing it the same way she views the art of the sword. Meaningful Name: Her father gave her the name meaning "hatred of white snow" because she was born during a massive snowstorm that limited the bandit clan's activities. Out of universe, she is Named After Somebody Famous, namely Dugu Qiubai, a character known as the Sword Devil from Wuxia novels who was so skilled that he could use sword techniques without a sword. The Mentor: Despite her reluctance, she ends up becoming one for Fang Xiaoshi, offering to teach him some kung fu and guide him into the jianghu world. One-Woman Army: Her side story in "A Death in Chunfen" opens with her singlehandedly slaughtering the remnants of the Shanhaizhong that did not go to Yumen in "Where Vernal Winds Will Never Blow".

Opt Out: Upon seeing just how far the villagers of Moushan have gone to ensure Fang Xiaoshi is proclaimed dead in an insurance scam farce to make themselves more cash to support the village with even the boy's father supporting this, she decides to just skip town, taking Xiaoshi with her. Walking the Earth: Opts to do this after "Where Vernal Wind Will Never Blow" to enact her own true justice in Yan. When You Coming Home, Dad?: Her side story in "A Death in Chunfen" shows a memory of a young Qiubai asking her mother to talk her father out of banditry, as she detested her father's "side job". Wuxia: Is considered to be the representative of this genre in Terra. Some Rhodes Island operators even asked her to recount her stories as a wanderer. Add to that, her codename and her skills as a swordswoman are likely inspired by the Master Swordsman Dugu Qiubai, who has been mentioned a number of times and whose unbeatable sword style was learned by a number of characters in the works of Jin Yong. You Killed My Father: Ten years before the start of "Where Vernal Winds Will Never Blow", her father and the rest of the clan were executed by soldiers under Chongyue's command and thrown into the river after their activities attracted the authorities' attention. Possibly subverted since it's implied in her Promotion Record that Qiubai either ran away from her original family or was kidnapped by the pirate that eventually became her "father" while her real father is presumably still alive and well.