Xue Yan
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Xue Yan was a Chinese Assassin who served under the Mentor Xiao Han alongside Liu Qing in the early 18th century.
Biography
Battle aboard Sun's ship
In 1725, Xue Yan and Liu Qing accompanied Xiao Han to a floating gambling hall in Macau owned by Xiao Han's uncle Sun to follow up on a lead on an Isu site in Indochina. When Sun revealed his intention to surrender the artifact located there to the Qing Emperor, Xiao Han and his Assassins drew arms and prepared to attack Sun and his guards.[1]
While Xiao Han chased after Sun, both Xue Yan and Liu Qing fended off his men and the Templar Shimazu Saito's ninja in his service.[2] As Liu Qing fought Saito, Xue Yan attempted to provide cover with her crossbow but was forced to dispatch more of Sun's men who arrived as reinforcements. The chaos eventually allowed Sun to recover the sea log in Xiao Han's possession and he soon fled with his reinforcements. Seeing this, Xue Yan and Liu Qing followed their leader to chase Sun and recover the sea log.[3]
During their pursuit of Sun, Xue Yan and Liu Qing were attacked by the British Assassin Edward Kenway, who was also attempting to retrieve the sea log. The two Assassins briefly fought Edward to buy Xiao Han enough time to catch up to Sun and kill him. After Xiao Han retrieved the log from Sun's body, it was stolen by Edward, who disagreed with the Mentor's plan to use the Isu artifact in Angkor to overthrow the Qing dynasty.[4]
Seeing that the British Assassin could not be reasoned with, Xiao Han declared him an enemy of the Chinese Brotherhood as Xue Yan and Liu Qing arrived and surrounded Edward. Before anything could happen, however, they all witnessed the gambling ship being bombarded with cannon fire by Jeong.[4] Xiao Han used this distraction to snatch the sea log back from Edward and he warned him to stay out of the Chinese Brotherhood's way before leaving alongside Xue Yan and Liu Qing.[5]
Alliance with Madam Lee
The following morning, Xue Yan, Liu Qing and Xiao Han approached Jeong as the admiral and her crew were investigating the wreckage of Sun's gambling den to confirm his death. Jeong initially aimed her pistol at the Assassins, but after Xiao Han revealed that he had acquired the sea log sought by Jeong's patron Lee Huiyin, the admiral agreed to grant them an audience with her.[5]
Xue Yan and Liu Qing were both present for Xiao Han's meeting with Lee, where the Mentor proposed an alliance to find Angkor's treasure. Aware of Lee's past and the persecution she had faced under the Qing dynasty, Xiao Han was able to persuade her to agree to the partnership. However, rather than help the Assassins overthrow the Qing for the benefit of the Han Chinese people, Lee was only interested in acquiring more power and influence for herself.[6]
Pursuing the Fenghuang
After learning that Edward Kenway and the members of his Zhang Wei Union had left Macau to pursue a possible lead to Angkor's location, Xue Yan and her fellow Assassins joined Jeong and her fleet as the admiral pursued the Union's ship, the Fenghuang, eventually ambushing it near the Philippines.[7] After the Fenghuang sank most of Jeong's fleet, the admiral sailed Xue Yan, Liu Qing and Xiao Han close to the ship, allowing them to board it using their gliders. They then used their Greek fire bombs to set the deck on fire and killed many of the ship's crew in the resulting commotion.[8]
During the chaos, Liu Qing was surrounded by the navigator John Young and several crew members while attempting to aid Xiao Han, who was dueling Edward. Xue Yan tried to help her fellow Assassin and used her crossbow to take out one of the crew members holding Liu Qing at gunpoint. However, she was then attacked by Shimazu Saito, who sought revenge on the Chinese Asasssins for the deaths of her men in Macau.[8] Xue Yan was soon outmatched by the samurai and was forced to retreat back to Jeong's ship using a parachute.[9]
After Xiao Han and Liu Qing were also defeated and returned to Jeong's ship, the admiral told the Assassins that she was unable to continue her pursuit of the Fenghuang due to the ship sailing into a storm. Xue Yan and Liu Qing then proceeded to apologize to Xiao Han for their defeat, but the Mentor told them that it was not their fault, as their opponents were stronger than they had anticipated. He also claimed them that, given their pursuit of the same prize, their paths were bound to cross again eventually.[9]
Personality and traits
Xue Yan was a dedicated Assassin who shared her Mentor's goal of using Angkor's artifact to restore the Chinese Brotherhood to its former strength. While she was normally quite stoic and did not talk very much, she would occasionally engage in banter with Liu Qing, at one point mocking her fellow Assassin's allegedly poor swimming skills.[10]
Like Liu Qing, Xue Yan was afraid of disappointing their Mentor, and the two Assassins were quick to apologize to Xiao Han following their defeat by the Fenghuang's crew. However, Xiao Han was understanding and told them not to be so hard on themselves, as they could not have anticipated to face such powerful foes.[9]
Equipment and skills
Extremely quick and light on her feet, Xue Yan specialized in ranged weaponry unlike her fellow Assassins. She had mastered her weapon of choice, the crossbow, being able to fire multiple bolts in rapid succession and with pinpoint accuracy to take out large groups of enemies.[2] Despite this, she struggled to provide cover fire to Liu Qing while the latter was dueling Shimazu Saito, as the two were too close for Xue Yan to get a clear shot on Saito.[3]
In addition to her crossbow, Xue Yan also wielded a pair of deer horn knives for close-quarters combat.[4] During their voyage to the Philippines, Xue Yan and her fellow Chinese Assassins sported gliders and parachutes which allowed them to fly for short distances. They also carried Greek fire bombs, which created a thick smoke upon detonation and flames that could not be extinguished with water.[8]
Gallery
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Close-up of Xue Yan -
Xue Yan and her fellow Assassins being led to Sun -
Xue Yan with her fellow Assassins -
Xue Yan aiming her crossbow -
Xue Yan and Liu Qing confronting Edward -
Xue Yan and her fellow Assassins using gliders to board the Fenghuang
Appearances
References
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 34
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 35
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 36
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 38
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 39
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 40
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 47
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 48
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 49
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 33