You Ji

You Ji is one of the Twin-You Heroes of Juxian Manor and the father of You Tanzhi. His most consequential recorded decision was to stop his son’s martial training, which he had judged inadequate and dangerous. After You Ji and his brother died, You Tanzhi was left alone, and his desire to avenge his family became a force driving him toward Xiao Feng.

Identity and Family

You Ji belonged to the You family of Juxian Manor, whose reputation as the Twin-You Heroes set a standard their son struggled to meet. You Ji and his brother You Ju both taught You Tanzhi martial arts from an early age. Their concern was not simply that the boy lacked talent: they feared that his poor skills, combined with his famous family name, could make him a target for opponents who would not hold back.

His Decision About You Tanzhi

After three years of instruction, You Tanzhi had made little progress. He was thin and frail, with little muscular strength, and the brothers considered him unsuited to their forceful style. When he was twelve, You Ji and You Ju agreed that continuing to teach him could expose him to danger and bring ridicule on the family. You Ju then hired a tutor, and You Tanzhi’s martial education ended. The decision shows You Ji acting as a protective father, but it also separated his son from the identity and skills associated with the family’s martial reputation.

The change did not lead You Tanzhi toward scholarship. He resisted his tutor’s lessons, repeatedly drove teachers away, and remained obstinate despite being beaten by his father. The account describes You Ji as eventually at a loss and no longer paying attention to the problem. His attempt to redirect his son therefore brought neither proficiency in literature nor the martial ability the family had hoped to spare him from lacking.

Death and Aftermath

You Ji and his brother later died by suicide. You Tanzhi’s mother also died, leaving him alone and without family support. The account does not give further circumstances of You Ji’s death, but its consequence for his son is explicit: at eighteen, You Tanzhi wandered without direction and thought only of taking revenge on Xiao Feng.

Narrative Role

You Ji’s role is chiefly revealed through the history of his son. His decision to end the martial lessons begins a family story of frustrated inheritance: You Tanzhi is born into a renowned martial household but grows up neither a capable fighter nor a scholar. After the deaths of his father and uncle, that vulnerability turns into a single-minded pursuit of revenge. You Ji thus matters less as an active presence in the later plot than as a father whose protective choice and subsequent death shape the circumstances from which You Tanzhi acts.