Tianlu

Tianlu (天禄) or Pipi (皮皮) is the protagonist of You Shou Yan. A first-generation mythic beast (神兽) and younger brother to Bixie.

Appearance
Tianlu has mostly white fur with light blue accents and patterns as well as a fluffy blue tail. He has a single golden horn on top of his head, emrald green eyes and distinctively red paw beans. The traditional cloud pattern in blue seems to be his visual symbol.

All of these features can change in size, form or volume depending on his state of transformation - and this is primarily determined by the amount of spiritual energy he holds at a given time.

Fursonality
In his present day small form, Tianlu is a brash, hot-headed and rebellious individual who has little respect for anyone but cares deeply about those he loves. He does not tend to hold very complicated opinions about other characters and makes his attitudes clear and visible, be them of affection or disdain. He is easy to please and befriend if kindness was shown to him. He also has a generally very childlike quality to his worldviews and manners.

In his ancient times baby form, Tianlu displayed most of the above characteristics but in an even simpler and naiver manner.

In the period of time between these two points - before he became amnesiac and after he grew out of his baby stage - only a few glimpses and hints were shown to indicate possible differences in his personality. It is worth bearing in mind that these came in the form of flashbacks during unusual events and impressions spoken of him by other characters in the universe, and thus may not be accurate representations of his usual self. Within these instances, it was seen that he might have: Had a more level-headed and rational approach to solving problems; Been more protective of his loved ones (exemplified with Bixie) and took on more responsibilities in his efforts of protection; Taken a much more aggressive stance against figures and establishments of authority - namely the Heavenly Court, and acted in accordance to his beliefs on the matter in a way that angered and/or threatened such authorities.

Other Minor Traits

 * Eating - Has a preference for precious stones and metals, but will also eat basically anything.

Story
Tianlu made his debut in the first ever chapter of You Shou Yan, and during these earliest chapters, the story was mostly told from his perspective.

To his friends at Luren Dian and, more broadly, the Rainbow Clouds Mountain Range, he is known as Pipi - derived from his species name: the Pixiu (貔貅). And, since his older brother Bixie's debut, it has been revealed that his real name is in fact Tianlu.

Ancient Times
As far as it has been shown in the manhua (05/01/2020), Tianlu and Bixie are possibly the only Pixiu's who ever existed.

As a pair of first-generation mythic beasts, Tianlu and Bixie were born at roughly the same time from two eggs that Heaven and Earth gave birth to. This was near the beginning of time, and thus food and shelter were both scarce. Together, the brothers fought to survive in the harsh world as it gradually became more populated by various ancient life forms.

Some time later, they encountered their first friends Dijiang and Hundun. And with them, they lived a relatively comfortable and leisurely life inside a cave, almost like a family.

This changed when the incident of Houyi Shoots Down the Nine Suns (后羿射日) took place off-page in the You Shou Yan universe. As nine out of ten of the Three-Footed Golden Ravens who illuminated the skies fell, the ancient world entered a dark and unforgiving ice age. Not being able to bear witnessing such turmoil befall the world, Dijiang released Jinshi, the last survivor of the Golden Ravens, out of the kindness of her heart to bring warmth and light back to the earth. And in the process, sacrificing herself as she sustains herself on solar energy and was not able to survive off of what amount of light Jinshi alone could give.

The death of Dijiang drove Hundun into extreme grief, and she flew away towards the sun (Jinshi) despite pleads from the Pixiu brothers for her to stay, leaving them behind. The Pixiu brothers, in denial of Dijiang's death, stayed by her side in hibernation for hundreds of years in the wish that she will one day reawake.

A Time Tianlu Cannot Remember
As Tianlu has been experiencing severe amnesiac symptoms, he is unable to remember the inciting incidents that caused Bixie to now reside within his stomach, nor Bixie's existence at all. However, there were several select chapters that gave glimpses of this period of time in his life. Here are some of them listed in chronological order:


 * Bixie was driven into a rampage by unknown causes, inducing a fight between him and Tianlu that ended with them both falling from heaven and presumably the "consumption" of Bixie by Tianlu likely in an attempt to protect him.


 * For an unknown reason, Tianlu lost all of his memories about this period of time along with his awareness of Bixie.

Present Day
In the present day, Tianlu was invited to work at Luren Dian by his old colleague Sibuxiang to escape from his human pursuers who were after his ability to bring fortune and wealth. He accepted and travelled to the Rainbow Clouds Mountain Range in Yunnan, only to be teasingly treated like a pet dog by Sibuxiang. It was also Sibuxiang who gave him the nickname "Pipi".

Overtime, Tianly has come to meet and befriend many other mythical creatures who either lived at Luren Dian/the mountain range or were otherwise within his adjacent social circles, such as Tuye, Jinjiao and Yinjiao, Tubao Shu, Hetao and Fuzai etc.

There was little plot progression to be seen in the present day as this manhua still mostly consists of slife-of-life style content. However, every 100 chapters and sometimes just occasionally, story elements that relate back to his past which he cannot remember becomes revealed in very limited amounts. This hints at an eventual culminational event that may answer the many burning questions readers have asked about his and many other characters' mysterious backstories.

Cultural Context/Subtext and Other Trivia

 * The name Tianlu is made of two characters: 天 (Tian) and 禄 (Lu). Like the name of his brother Bixie, this is one of the lesser known and used alternate names of the mythical animal Pixiu in Chinese mythology. Translated literally, these characters can have the following meanings: 天 - Of heaven, heavenly, sacred. 禄 - Fortune, happiness, the lucks of life.


 * The nickname Pipi (皮皮) is not written with the same character as the "Pi" in Pixiu (貔貅). This may be a joke by Sibuxiang to make fun of Tianlu and his childish nature, as the character 皮 is used to describe a disobedient and careless child in some Chinese dialects. It is also a much more commonly known character than 貔 which evokes more casuality and cuteness.


 * The reason why Tianlu, and the species of Pixiu in general, do not have an anus is because they are supposed to never let go of what they have consumed, in accordance with traditional mythology. There are exceptions to this rule, of course, such as how Bixie is able to exit and enter Tianlu's body freely at night. It is unknown if this is a privilege only afforded to fellow Pixiu's and/or close family members, or something else entirely. This feature is also the reason why many see the Pixiu as a symbol of lasting and secure wealth, as it only gains but does not ever lose.