Hua Zhong Xian is a painting demon that works in the Second Court of Diyu.
Biography[]
While Diyu was still operational and under Yanluo's rule, Hua Zhong Xian worked in the Second Court. As souls would come to her, she'd ask for their toll and then have them sent to their individual torments. As she apparently does not leave her painting often, she was unaware of Yanluo's demise and the shutdown of their afterlife system.
So in 2010, when Magnus Bane, Alec Lightwood, and their friends appeared in her court, she still went through the standard welcome speech. When they tried to explain to her that they were not dead and that the process was no longer functioning as it was, she refused to believe them, thinking they could be tricksters. She demanded a payment from them for them to leave her court. Ke Yi Tian was able to pay the fee and when Isabelle Lightwood agreed to be the one to go, Hua Zhong Xian advised her to face her punishment with courage as is customary for the soul's eventual reincarnation. She disappeared from her painting as soon as Isabelle had gone through the door with the Jiangshi.[1]
Physical description[]
Hua Zhong Xian is depicted in her painting as a beautiful young woman. She has empty white eyes and long needlelike teeth. She is described as being extremely bright in contrast to her surroundings. The painting itself appears to be watercolored with delicate brushstrokes but it has a tear along her cheek—giving her a scar.[1]
Appearances[]
- The Lost Book of the White (first and only appearance)