The Yin Tiger Tally (阴虎符, Yīn Hǔ Fú) is one of the most infamous of Wei Wuxian's inventions.
Description[]
The Yin Tiger Tally is made from two halves of mysterious metal. When activated by pressing the two halves together,[1] all Fierce Corpses within a certain area come under the wielder's absolute control.[2]
Use[]
The Yin Tiger Tally’s powers are considerably greater than Wei Wuxian intended when he created it. Not only did its powers nearly overwhelm him, the Yin Tiger Tally is bound to no one. Unlike many spiritual weapons, which only respond to their owners, the Yin Tiger Tally can be used by whomever grasps it; whether they are good or bad, friend or foe.[3]
Despite the danger, Wei Wuxian still holds onto the Tally out of doubt and as a deterrent to the rest of the cultivation world. He does, however, separate the seal into two halves to renders its use slightly more difficult.[3]
Sunshot Campaign[]
Wei Wuxian only uses the Yin Tiger Tally twice during his life, both times resulting in great bloodshed. During the Sunshot Campaign, he once used it at an unspecified location, resulting in casualties to the Qishan Wen Clan and his own allies. Later, Jin Guangshan attempts to convince Wei Wuxian to allow the Yin Tiger Tally to be watched over by the Four Great Clans, though it is implied he merely wants its power for himself.[4]
Bloodbath of Nightless City[]
Wei Wuxian uses the Yin Tiger Tally in Nightless City several years later. After three to five thousand cultivators gather to take an oath to oppose Wei Wuxian and to slay the remnants of Qishan Wen Clan living with him on the Burial Mounds, Wei Wuxian engages the cultivators in battle. However, once Jiang Yanli is killed protecting him, Wei Wuxian uses the Yin Tiger Tally again in a fit of grief.[1] Sometime between the bloodbath and his death, Wei Wuxian decides to destroy the tally. He successfully destroys one half, but before he could completely destroy the second half, the first siege of the Burial Mounds ended his life.[3]
Lanling Jin Clan[]
Following the siege, the other half falls into the possession of Lanling Jin Clan. Their guest disciple, Xue Yang, uses Demonic Cultivation to rebuild the other half of the Tally.[5] Although the recreation is not as powerful as the original, it is still capable of terrible atrocities, including the massacre of Yueyang Chang Clan. Wei Wuxian also speculates that Xue Yang used the Chang family in Yueyang to test out its powers.[3]
Yi City[]
At the beginning of the main story, the Yin Tiger Tally is in Xue Yang’s possession. Wei Wuxian notes that the fierce corpses in Yi City do not obey his commands, meaning they are under the control of the Yin Tiger Tally.
Before Xue Yang’s death, his body is then taken by a Transportation Talisman controlled by Su She. Presumably, Su She returns the Yin Tiger Tally to his accomplice Jin Guangyao.[6]
Second Siege of the Burial Mounds[]
During the second siege of the Burial Mounds, Wei Wuxian speculates that the Yin Tiger Tally is in Jin Guangyao’s possession, as he could not command the corpses attacking them.[2] Jin Guangyao confirms this later at the Guanyin Temple.[7]
Guanyin Temple[]
During the events of the Guanyin Temple, Jin Guangyao claims that he has "completely destroyed" the Yin Tiger Tally until it was just a piece of scrap metal.[7]
Aftermath[]
On their honeymoon, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji overhear a group of cultivators discussing the risks associated with breaking into the sealed coffin for Nie Mingjue and Jin Guangyao in hopes of attaining the Yin Tiger Tally.[8]
Animation Divergence[]
In the animation, Jin Guangyao actually does possess the Yin Tiger Tally at the Guanyin Temple.[9] Wei Wuxian recovers it and attempts to destroy it himself in the aftermath, but Lan Wangji arrives to help him. The two demolish the weapon together.[9]
Web Series Divergence[]
The Yin Metal
In the Web Series, the Yin Tiger Tally is made from Yin Metal (阴铁, Yīn Tiě), a special type of metal that absorbs unusual amounts of resentment under the direction of Xue Chonghai several hundred years prior to the story. After defeating Xue Chonghai, the Five Great Clans divided the Yin Metal into four pieces and hid them among places of benevolent energy.[10]
Lan Yi later sought out a piece in the hopes of innovating the Gusu Lan Clan. Finding herself unable to control it, she sealed herself and the Yin Metal in a cave in the back of the Cloud Recesses for hundreds of years.[10]
Another piece of Yin Metal was stored in the Heavenly Maiden of Dafan Mountain, resulting in the statue's soul-stealing abilities. Upon finding the piece of Yin Metal that stole the soul of Wen Qing's branch family, Wen Ruohan began to search for all four pieces of Yin Metal to grow his abilities in Demonic Cultivation.[11]
Much of the early episodes of the Web Series, therefore, revolve around Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian's search for the Yin Metal and their attempts to keep it from the hands of Wen Ruohan.
Once Wei Wuxian discovers a fifth piece from a sword in the cave of the Xuanwu of Slaughter, he uses it to combat Wen Ruohan's Yin Metal and renames his piece the "Yin Tiger Tally" to differentiate between Wen Ruohan's and his own.[12]
Gallery[]
.JPG "Yin Tiger Tally Concept Draft (Donghua).JPG (331 KB)")
Trivia[]
- A "tally" in Chinese history was used by the emperor to approve the deployment of military forces. One half would be kept safely, the other half would be kept by the field marshal (or equivalent commander-in-chief). When the emperor would deploy forces, the tally would be handed over to the field marshal. If the two halves match, it would mean that the military forces has been approved for deployment.[13][14][15][16]
- Various English subtitles for the Web Series and the Exiled Rebels translation of the novel[17] translate 阴 (Yīn) as "Stygian," referencing ancient Greek mythology's River Styx, while other translations choose to translate it as "Dark"[18] or leave the Mandarin term "Yin" for its conceptual richness and general recognition in English, as it is the same "Yin" in yin-yang (阴阳, yīnyáng).[19]
References[]
|