Xu Sheng / Hu Lihuo / Autumn Tiger / Xia Lan
Xu Sheng
"I am a disciple of the Kongtong Sect's Flying Heaven Gate, under the Fire Dragon Immortal Monarch. In the Jianghu they call me the Fire Fox, Hu Lihuo!"
A disciple of the Kongtong Sect's Flying Heaven Gate. The same portrait bears four names in the story: Xu Sheng, Hu Lihuo, Autumn Tiger, and Xia Lan, and they are different people.
Xu Sheng
A Flying Heaven Gate man who calls himself the "Heaven-Soaring Blazing Divine Eagle". When Zhao Huo, having drawn the Flying Heaven Gate, comes to pay his respects to the Fire Dragon Immortal Monarch, if he answers "Please, I want to breathe fire too", Xu Sheng scolds him on the spot, saying the Samadhi True Fire is his Master's own immortal art and no mortal may covet it. He then takes Zhao Huo to stay in the Lingguang Room south of the guest house, and when Zhao Huo complains that his nickname is too long and he might as well be called "Blazing Divine Eagle", he snaps back in annoyance.
Hu Lihuo
Known in the Jianghu as the "Fire Fox", a disciple under the Fire Dragon Immortal Monarch and the youngest of the Five Elites of the Flying Heaven Gate. At the decisive battle of Jiangling, when Wang Erzhuang, Gang Leader of the Beggar Sect, declares he will take on all the heroes of the land, and the dice come up "some fellow who doesn't know his own weight", he steps out from the crowd and announces his name, but his resounding name displeases Wang Erzhuang, and he is knocked down in a single exchange.
Autumn Tiger
One of the Five Elites of the Flying Heaven Gate; his real name is never given in the story. At the decisive battle of Jiangling, seeing his youngest brother Hu Lihuo defeated, he rushes forward to avenge him against Wang Erzhuang; has only just begun to explain that he is not the same as the Fire Fox when he too goes down.
Xia Lan
Known as the "Heat Official", originally a disciple of the Soul-Stealing Gate who later transferred to the Flying Heaven Gate. According to , he is the best at forcing confessions with Internal Skill. At the decisive battle of Jiangling, seeing two of his Junior Brothers fall in succession, he takes the field to challenge Wang Erzhuang, only to have Wang Erzhuang's palm force drive his own heat back into him; he is set ablaze from head to toe and defeated.
Other Appearances
Below are appearances of the same portrait where no name is given, so it cannot be determined which of the above he is, or whether he is one of them at all.
At the start of the Kongtong study (Mar Year 2), he greets Zhao Huo and the exchange students of the other sects in the Four Symbols Square on the Fire Dragon Immortal Monarch's orders, explains the union of the Four Gates of Kongtong and the origin of the "Sect Leader", and warns everyone that the gates are on edge over the position of the new Sect Leader, so they should not lightly offend anyone.
When Zhao Huo treats the Eldest Senior Brother Tang Buyi's wounds, he appears as a Thousand Lantern Tower spy: if Zhao Huo chooses "Push Through", he is tested with a Thousand Lantern Tower code phrase by and shouted off; if Zhao Huo previously defeated the first assassin, he appears in the Alchemy Room with a Qingcheng Sect Daoist priest, tricks Zhao Huo into turning around by pretending to report on the Tang Clan's wounded, and then attacks him together with the priest.
During the Kongtong struggle of May Year 3, he first appears among the Flying Heaven Gate men driven back by Danxiazi and Lei Qian; when the Venerable Golden Crow proclaims himself the new Sect Leader and calls for surrender, he curses him to his face as one who abandons the light for the dark, and only falls silent when his fellow disciples warn that further trouble will put him on Kongtong's list of sinners. After Zhao Huo becomes Sect Leader, he calls Danxiazi "Eldest Senior Brother" at the place where Danxiazi is recovering, and announces to him the visit of Wei Ju and the Sect Leader.
Notes
- At the decisive battle of Jiangling, the same portrait plays Hu Lihuo, Autumn Tiger, and Xia Lan in succession, and only appears when the dice come up "some fellow who doesn't know his own weight".