SangYu

SangYu is the slash ship between Nie Huaisang and Mo Xuanyu from the Mo Dao Zu Shi fandom.

Canon
Both characters present an implied connection despite their lack of explicit interaction in the source material. Mo Xuanyu, being Jin Guangshan illegitimate son, lived for a while in the domains of the Jin Clan of Lanling, the Golden Carp Tower, before being expelled. The series hints at an association between Mo Xuanyu and Nie Huaisang, thanks to Nie Huaisang's frequent journeys to Lanling. These visits were primarily to seek assistance from Jin Guangyao, the sect leader of the Jin Clan and his late brother's sworn brother.

Mo Xuanyu's character is described as shy and introverted, with the narrative suggesting that his mental state may not have been entirely sound. Some characters comment that he lost his mind after facing constant bullying by others. This vulnerability potentially sets the stage for Nie Huaisang's influence. Mo Xuanyu's stay in the Golden Carp Tower eventually comes to an end when he is expelled. He was known as a cut-sleeve (a male homosexual) and his expulsion could have been related to molesting his fellow peers. Following his expulsion, he returns to his mother's residence in the Mo State. By this point, his mental and emotional well-being had significantly deteriorated. The lack of Mo Xuanyu's personal account in the story makes it hard to say for sure what is true and what it isn't about his character. The primary source of information about him is a diary that Wei Wuxian reads at the start of the book, where he states his hatred for the Mo family, who makes him sleep on a tattered hut, steals from him on a regular basis, feeds him scraps and gives him frequent beatings.

Central to the story is the sacrifice ritual performed by Mo Xuanyu to resurrect Wei Wuxian in exchange for exacting revenge on the members of the Mo family, who had made his life unbearable. Nie Huaisang is believed to have played a clandestine role in this plan, potentially manipulating Mo Xuanyu for his own objectives. For this, he should have known before hand that he was learning demonic cultivation during this stay in the Golden Carp Tower. On the night Mo Xuanyu performed the sacrifice, an evil arm, belonging to Nie Huaisang's late brother, was unleashed within the vicinity of the Mo Estate, indicating prior knowledge of the ritual. This leads Wei Wuxian to question Nie Huaisang about his involvement. Despite Nie Huaisang's denial and the absence of concrete evidence, Wei Wuxian remains skeptical.

Upon the first encounter with Mo Xuanyu's body in the novel, now inhabited by Wei Wuxian's soul, Nie Huaisang feigns ignorance to Mo Xuanyu's identity, always referring to him when he speaks to Lan Wangji in the inn in Qinghe as "the gentleman next to you".

In "The Untamed", it becomes slightly more explicit that the two of them met before. On episode 35, Nie Huaisang ends up calling Wei Wuxian "Master Mo" after they came out of the Nie Clan ancestral tomb, despite asking who he was the previous day and not being properly introduced to each other. On episode 42, Nie Huaisang, who had fainted after hearing the news about his brother's dismembered body, wakes up after hearing Yiling Patriarch's name and acts confused, asking if the man everyone is pointing at is not Mo Xuanyu. In the same episode, a few scenes later, Wei Wuxian comes to the conclusion that the person who told Mo Xuanyu about Jin Guangyao's secrets is the same that has been pointing out the path for them since the sword spirit appeared in the Mo estate.

One big difference with the novels is that one of the wounds on Wei Wuxian's forearm doesn't heal after the death of the Mo family. Later, he says he's found out who is the last enemy of Mo Xuanyu, referring to Jin Guangyao. He speculates that he was expelled of the Golden Carp Tower because he knew too much. In this version, Nie Huaisang and Mo Xuanyu teamed up to get rid of Jin Guangyao.

Fanon
The appeal of this ship resides in the lack of clarity of their relationship and all the possibilities of their untold story and connection. Their relatonship is in general shrouded in secrecy and manipulation. Nie Huaisang is usually portrayed as a mastermind and Mo Xuanyu is sometimes his pawn, and sometimes his accomplice.

Fandom

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