Lu Gaoxuan (simplified: 陆高轩, traditional: 陸高轩, pinyin: Lù Gāoxuān, jyutping: luk6 gou1 hin1) was a member of the Mystic Dragon Order (神龙教 — Shénlóng Jiào) who serves as the order’s medicine and poison specialist in The Deer and the Cauldron. He is skilled in creating and administering the “Leopard Fetus Easy Tendon Pill” (豹胎昉筋丸 — Bàotāi Yìjīn Wán) and other poisons used to control the order’s members.
Biography
Role in the Mystic Dragon Order
Lu Gaoxuan serves as the medicine and poison specialist for the Mystic Dragon Order, responsible for creating and maintaining the various poisons used to control members. He is particularly known for his work with the Leopard Fetus Easy Tendon Pill, which can cause dramatic physical transformations and painful death if not properly treated with antidotes.
His expertise makes him essential to the order’s operations, as the poison control system is central to maintaining loyalty among members who might otherwise rebel against Hong Antong (洪安通).
Explaining transformations to Wei Xiaobao
Lu Gaoxuan explains to Wei Xiaobao how the Leopard Fetus Easy Tendon Pill works, describing how it transformed Pang Toutuo (胖头陀) from fat to thin and the “Thin Monk” (瘦头陀 — Shòutóutuó) from thin to fat. This explanation helps Wei Xiaobao understand the order’s control mechanisms and the danger he faces.
Lu Gaoxuan’s explanation reveals the cruel nature of the Mystic Dragon Order’s control system, showing how even physical appearance can be manipulated through poison to maintain power over members.
Mission to Beijing
Lu Gaoxuan accompanies Wei Xiaobao (as the White Dragon Emissary) on a mission to Beijing to retrieve copies of The Sutra of Forty-two Chapters (四十二章经). During this mission, he works with Pang Toutuo to establish a base of operations in the city.
However, their mission is complicated by Wei Xiaobao’s deception and manipulation, as he uses his knowledge of the fake stone inscription story to maintain control over the situation.
Literary skills
In addition to his medical and poison expertise, Lu Gaoxuan is also a skilled writer. He is responsible for creating religious texts and documents for the Mystic Dragon Order, writing in an elegant classical style that gives the order’s materials an air of authenticity and mystique.
His literary skills complement his medical knowledge, making him a valuable member of the order who contributes to both its control mechanisms and its religious façade.
Ultimate fate
Lu Gaoxuan ultimately falls victim to the Mystic Dragon Order’s internal power struggles. Despite his valuable skills, he is killed by Hong Antong during the order’s collapse, demonstrating how even those who serve powerful leaders can become expendable when power structures begin to crumble.
Personality
Lu Gaoxuan is characterized by his expertise and his role as a functionary within the Mystic Dragon Order. He demonstrates knowledge and competence in his specialized areas, but he is ultimately a tool of the order’s control system rather than an independent actor.
His willingness to explain the order’s mechanisms to Wei Xiaobao suggests a certain level of trust or perhaps a desire to impress, though this may also be part of the order’s attempt to control Wei Xiaobao through fear.
Significance
Lu Gaoxuan represents the technical and administrative infrastructure that supports the Mystic Dragon Order’s operations. His expertise in medicine and poison is essential to the order’s control mechanisms, while his literary skills contribute to its religious façade.
His character demonstrates how specialized knowledge can be used as a tool of power and control, as his medical expertise enables the order to maintain dominance over its members through the threat of painful death.
Lu Gaoxuan’s ultimate fate—being killed by the leader he served—illustrates the precarious nature of power and how even those with valuable skills can become victims when power structures collapse.