An Ancient Love Song

Lu Yuan

Shen Bu Yan

Lu Shi

Li Yong

Emperor Yuan Qi

Chu Mu, reigning as Emperor Yuan Qi, is the sitting emperor of Nansheng. He is portrayed as fond of Shen Bu Yan and, for part of the story, appears mentally diminished or withdrawn from court affairs, which Li Yong exploits. His later reassertion of authority in court becomes a turning point against Li Yong's schemes.

Chu Tong Shang

Chu Tong Shang is the orphaned descendant of the assassinated King of Bei'an, taken in and given his name by Lu Yuan after his family is destroyed by Li Yong's treachery. He is raised within Lu Yuan's household under her protection. Cast listings indicate he is later associated with the identity of Emperor Shengwu of Nansheng, suggesting he grows into a significant ruling role, though the exact connection between his childhood and adult depiction is not fully detailed in available sources.

Commander Zhao

Zhao Qi Long is a leader from the rival state of Beiyuan operating as a spy within Nansheng. He works against Lu Yuan's court from within, including attempting to capture Shen Bu Yan at Jing Hua House under orders to bring him back to Xi Rong.

Yi Hua

Fan Song

Fan Song, nicknamed "Fan Lao Bie," serves as the right general of the Hubao (Tiger and Leopard) military camp under Lu Shi's command. Limited detail is available on his individual arc beyond his military role.

Uncle Guo

Guo Lao Tou, known familiarly as Uncle Guo, is an elder connected to Lu Yuan's household who helps protect the young Chu Tong Shang after his family's destruction. He is the one who reveals to Lu Shi that Li Yong assassinated the King of Bei'an, a disclosure that shakes Lu Shi's trust in his adoptive father.

Lu Liang

Lu Liang is identified by the user as Lu Yuan and Lu Shi's biological father, raising them under humble, rural conditions in the border region before the family was torn apart by political events. His absence or death is described as pushing Lu Shi toward a military path and leaving Lu Yuan to carry the burden of protecting the family.

Mr. Mu Jian

Mr. Mu Jian, also referred to as Zhou Gongzi, is the arrogant son of the local Mu Jian, a government official overseeing imperial horses and lands. He serves as a minor local antagonist who attempts to force a young Lu Yuan into marriage; she pretends to agree in order to protect her family, and he grows suspicious enough to have her watched, creating an obstacle Shen Bu Yan and young Lu Yuan must maneuver around.

Old Lady at the Wishing Tree

An unnamed elderly woman sells trinkets near a wishing tree in the modern-day setting, including the broken jade pendant that becomes Shen Bu Yan's means of time travel. She warns him that incomplete jade carries spiritual influence, a comment that proves significant, and she mysteriously disappears when he later tries to find her again.

Vice General Yang

Yang Cong is the deputy general of the Hubao military camp, serving under Lu Shi and later coordinating with Lu Yuan on military and refugee matters, including summoning her back to Hua Feng Bao to resolve a refugee settlement issue.

Editor-in-Chief Lin

Editor-in-Chief Lin is Shen Bu Yan's senior editor in the present-day storyline, pressuring him to quickly finish the sequel to "Southern Sheng Chronicles" and later informing him of a film company's interest in adapting the book. He represents the modern-world pressures Shen Bu Yan is escaping into the past to avoid.

Child's Mother

An unnamed mother, likely connected to the little refugee girl character.

Couple under Wishing Tree

An unnamed pair of background characters seen near the wishing tree in the modern-day setting, played by two credited guest actors.

Dancing Girl

An unnamed background performer appearing in a festival or court scene.

Jinghualou Waiter

An unnamed waiter or staff member at Jing Hua House (Jinghualou), the establishment where Lu Yuan gathers information and where several key scenes take place.

Little Refugee Girl

An unnamed child among refugees affected by the wartime unrest between Nansheng and its enemies, likely tied to the refugee settlement subplot Lu Yuan is called on to resolve.

Xiao A Sang

Xiao A Sang is a lively, cheerful resident of the border village where Lu Yuan and Lu Shi grew up, functioning as a comic-relief, gossip-spreading local villager. She appears during Shen Bu Yan's earlier time jumps as one of the townspeople witnessing his interactions with a younger, still-uncorrupted Lu Yuan.

General Bei Lie

Yuwen Po Xiao, known in battle as General Bei Lie, is a northern military commander tied to the conflict between Nansheng and its enemies. No further plot detail is confirmed in available sources.

Yuwen Po Jun

Yuwen Po Jun is described in cast listings as a fierce vanguard commander from the northern enemy forces. No further plot detail is confirmed in available sources.