Zhai Laohan

"It's always been old Zhai who lends to others. I don't recall ever owing anyone a thing."

A disciple of the Kongtong Sect's Iron Fist Gate who runs "Old Zhai's Cloth Shop" and calls himself "Old Zhai". Later he bought the title of Elder and became known as Elder Zhai; the story never gives his real name.

In his early years every trade he took up went under, and he would have starved if not for the Iron Fist Gate's internal rule of "never forget a comrade in prosperity", by which his fellow disciples shared their profits to keep him fed. After the Iron Fist Gate's former Sect Leader passed away and took charge of the Great Smithy, he carried off great quantities of goods from the shop under the pretext of "borrowing" and "trying them out", sold them, and grew rich. He took wife after wife and concubine after concubine, becoming one of the wealthiest men in the Iron Fist Gate. Later he even sent his youngest son to get close to Xiao Zhu and pretend to scribble over all the IOUs, so that when Xiao Zhu brought her case before Lei Qian she had no evidence and could only swallow her loss.

While Zhao Huo — registered under the Flying Heaven Gate — is studying at Kongtong, he is dragged by to the morning market to play the bully. Zhai comes to demand justice for his own concubine, only to have Xiaomei dress him down in public for embezzling the Great Smithy's goods and for hosting Venerable Golden Crow at the Cloud Tower in a bid to push Xiao Zhu out and have his own daughter made the Iron Fist Gate's Direct Disciple. If Xiaomei wins by wits that day, contrary to her usual ways, she also produces a green-covered ledger obtained from Wei Ju, exposing how he cooked the books to feign poverty and drew his monthly stipend from the sect by fraud. Whether she wins by wits or by force, he is finally beaten by Xiaomei and Zhao Huo together. After his defeat he instantly turns from haughty to servile and addresses Xiaomei as "Senior Sister"; depending on the dice, he either promises to cut all ties with Golden Crow, or, under threat, switches to currying favor with Zhao Huo, offering tea money and new clothes, and agrees to repay the stipends he fraudulently claimed, compensate the Great Smithy's losses in cash, and give each of the four girls a new outfit. Yet when he hands Xiao Zhu her clothes he still blusters that there is no IOU, and once home he takes it out on his family.

In the Kongtong succession struggle he stakes his fortune on Venerable Golden Crow in exchange for the title of Elder — and backs the wrong horse. In May Year 3, after Zhao Huo becomes Sect Leader, he publicly scorns Zhao Huo for his ugly looks and for being an outsider from the Tang Clan, makes snide remarks about Xiao Zhu (and if Xiaomei is the Sect Leader's Wife, she tramples him underfoot in public), and loudly declares his support for Danxiazi and the expulsion of the Tang Clan people on the grounds that Danxiazi is not dead and the grand election has not begun. Yan Jiang and the others fiercely denounce him for funding Golden Crow and yet daring to incite rebellion, a crime punishable by death under the mountain's law.

Notes

• If Zhao Huo chooses "Verbal Attack him" during the morning market conflict, he makes up a story that Zhai, though neatly dressed after getting drunk, was stripped bare by Venerable Golden Crow and then dressed again, and mocks him for being about to become "the First Lady", which makes him stamp his feet and curse.