Mingcai is a sword dancing young maiden from ancient China. Her beauty and grace rival her masterful skill in martial arts. She is polite, caring, and motherly noblewoman of the former Yinxing clan. A curse is causing everyone in the castle to become stone. Absent from the castle, she returns to witness the last moments of her family before the taoist in black (Yu Ji) petrifies them. With an evil laughter he shapeshifts into a black serpent and flies away. Mingcai sets off on a adventure of magic and fantasy to discover the whereabouts of the evil taoist and break his curse to save her family. Mingcai enjoys studying martial arts, exploring, marveling at nature's beauty via drawing Ink pantings of them. She likes reading ancient chinese novels, watching and performing in stage plays. She is a part-time Mandarin teacher who enjoys going on for long talks about the beauty of her Chinese culture. She often plays her dizi (flute) next to the ocean or cliffs while thinking about her family.