Sagacious Zu

Sagacious Zu is one of the followers of the player character in Jade Empire. He's a mysterious man who lives in the swamps surrounding Two Rivers, the home town of the player character and Dawn Star. He prefers keeping to himself due to his unknown yet evidently painful past.

While searching the swamps for Dawn Star who's been kidnapped by Gao the Lesser, the player character encounters Sagacious Zu. At first he's not willing to be involved anyhow, but when the player mentions Dawn Star's name, he changes his mind and becomes the player's second follower. After Dawn Star has been rescued and Two Rivers is destroyed by Gao the Greater and the Lotus Assassins, Zu reveals that he's a former Lotus Assassin. After that the trio set out for the quest to rescue Master Li and uncover what's really happening in the Empire. During that time, the player has the chance to uncover Sagacious Zu's past by talking with him and other events.

When the player has been granted access to the Lotus Assassin Fortress in order to uncover the truth behind the Assassins' actions, Sagacious Zu breaks up with the group and sneaks first inside the Fortress. There he stealthily contacts the player several times in order to guide him/her inside the fortress and the quests given by the Assassins.

Zu eventually reveals that twenty years earlier, he was a part of the Lotus Assassin squad ordered by Emperor Sun Hai to kill Master Li's wife and newborn daughter for the treachery of the Emperor's brother. Depending on how well the player has followed their previous conversations, Zu reveals that after Li's wife was killed by his comrades, he couldn't allow the child to be killed. He slaughtered his entire squad and fled with the child.

Later in the game, the Water Dragon confirms to the player character that Master Li's saved daughter is Dawn Star. Zu had given her to Hui the Brave so that she'd find her a good home. Ironically, Hui delivered Dawn Star to her father and neither of them realized the connection.

After the player has killed Grand Inquisitor Jia, he/she is attacked by Death's Hand. Zu appears, pushes the player to safety and dodges Death's Hand's deadly blades, causing him to slice into a set of load baring pillars. Death's Hand impales Zu fatally, mocking him for fighting despite knowing he couldn't win. Zu responds by saying that he wasn't looking for victory, just a few seconds. The chamber collapses on both of them, but the player escapes the collapsing Fortress alive.

In the final fight against Emperor Sun Li, the player is trapped in his/her own mind and soon runs out of options to break free. Sagacious Zu appears, having managed to maintain his sense of self even after his death and remain a strong spiritual force. He uses his own force to free the player from Sun Li's hold.