Xiaoqin

Xiaoqin was a Chinese Slayer active in Shanghai for in the mid 19th century.

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Biography
Xiaoqin was born in China in 1839; she was orphaned and eventually ended up at the Way of the Tiger Monastery, taken under the guidance of Master Wang. While living at the monastery, Xiaoqin showed a talent for the martial arts and began training with Master Wang (who was also an affiliate of the Watcher's Council), who identified her to the Council as a Potential Slayer but did not tell Xiaoqin anything of her destiny, telling her of vampires and of the "Divine Executioner" as beings from myths and stories. They trained together for 3 years until he died in 1855 at age 98. Xiaoqin mourned Master Wang and eventually left the monastery and ended up in Shanghai and ended up working at the Blind Turtle Tavern. Xiaoqin eventually left that life and assumed the identity of a male dock worker, which allowed her more freedoms and liberties to survive in Chinese society, as females in China were not held in high regard at this point in history. Xiaoqin found an abandoned cellar to call home and eventually took in orphaned girls to get them off the streets and keep them from resorting to prostitution for survival.

On June 10, 1856, while protecting a young female thief/prostitute named Kwan-Sook from a group of white men, Xiaoqin felt a rush of power go through her and noted she felt stronger than a regular human. She was able to escape the skirmish but failed to save Kwan-Sook, who was severely beaten and killed by gunshots for stealing money from a white man. The next night, she followed the white man, Gresham, to warehouse on the docks to seek vengeance for Kwan-Sook. Gresham was in the opium trade and met with his local supplier, Ja-Chol, to do business. The supplier was a minion of the local vampire master, Fang-Chou, who was feared even by the English. When the deal went awry, Ja-Chol summoned a creature called a draumach, who immediately sensed the presence of Xiaoqin, who was hiding in the rafters waiting to attack. The draumach ordered Xiaoqin's death, but she managed to escape the frenzy of bullets and injured the draumach with her sword. Soon, an Irishman named Sean Connelly, arrived at the warehouse and helped Xiaoqin destroy the beast by blowing up the warehouse. Outside, she was set upon by three of Ja-Chol's guards, members of the Blue Tiger. She fought them, and managed to disembowel one of them, and when he did not die, she realized they were not human. but the fabled vampires from Master Wang's stories. After killing the guards, Connelly informed Xiaoqin that she was the Slayer, initially hesitant to he believe him, she eventually came around and the vampires, knowing the Slayer lived in Shanghai and who she was, attacked the orphan girls, killing most and keeping one, Nah-Mi, hostage. During the attack, Xiaoqin was shot in the abdomen. Connelly escaped with his charge and they fled to the Way of the Tiger Monastery.

Following the attack, Xiaoqin was unconscious for nearly a week; upon waking, Xiaoqin discovered she had lost the ability to walk. Defeated and her spirits broken, she was ready to give up and die but Connelly forced her to look to living and healing so she could defeat Fang-Chou and save her friend. It took nearly a month of rehabilitation, but Xiaoqin made a full recovery. Realizing Nah-Mi was still alive gave Xiaoqin renewed vigor to take the fight to Fang-Chou and save her. She and Connelly tracked down Fang-Chou to his underground lair near the Whangpu River. She slayed him and they returned to Shanghai and took out the remaining Blue Dragons in a few nights. By the end of all this, Xiaoqin accepted her fate and pursued her destiny alongside Connelly.