RenHeng

RenHeng is the slash ship between Blade and Dan Heng from the Honkai: Star Rail fandom.

Canon
Blade and Dan Heng are first introduced as enemies each belonging in opposing groups, Dan Heng in the Astral Express and Blade with the Stellaron Hunters, however it slowly gets revealed that more than 500 years ago they used to be best friends. Dan Heng is a Vidyadhara, an immortal species with draconic features that at some point migrated on Xianzhou ships because their planet became too hostile to live at. Dan Heng is known on the Xianzhou Luofu by the name Dan Feng, however he struggles with his identity. Dan Feng was a very powerful individual, one of the five High Elders tasked with watching over Yaoshi's plaguemarks to ensure the safety of the people. Due to his immense powers and position Dan Feng was a very proud person, some could say to a fault as he was shown reluctant and bored to study and cultivate his powers as a child.

Blade was known as Yingxing at the time. As a child, Yingxing's homeworld was destroyed by the borisin and transformed into one of their weapons nurseries. He lost his family but he himself was transported on the Xianzhou Zhuming through a merchant vessel where he was discovered by Master Huaiyan of the Xianzhou Zhuming's Artisanship Commission and made his apprentice. Yingxing vowed to make weapons for the Cloud Knights in order to avenge his home and family, and was an exceedingly talented craftsman, described as being incredible at his work by earning accolades at such a young age. He traveled to the Luofu as a young man to assist with the war efforts. Though Yingxing was a shy boy in his youth, he became more confident as he grew up, and was described to be an arrogant man by many. He faced extreme prejudice due to being a short-life species to the point of being refused to be given the title of "Furnace Master" even though he deserved it. At some point he became part of a group called the "High-Cloud Quintet" that Dan Feng was a member of, along with Jingliu, the strongest swordmaster on the Xianzhou; Jingyuan, Jinglius apprentice and current General of the Luofu; and Baiheng, a foxian pilot that he had previously run into on the Zhuming.

In her story quest Jingliu tells Dan Heng that he and Yingxing, now called Blade, were the closest among the five in the High-Cloud Quintet.

"Out of all of us, you were the closest to him. It was strange, really— to see someone so arrogant get along with someone so proud."

In fact the two spent alot of time together as told via descriptions of in-game materials—such as the relic set "Passerby of Wandering Cloud" which is a series of memories Blade has about his past. Through those memories we learn that the two had drinks together under the moon, spared, and shared a pair of matching bracers made from flowing coral gold and the leather of unknown beasts. Only master artisans from the Vidyadhara dragon race can create this kind of superior armor, so the assumption is that they were Dan Feng's gift. The bracers are told to share a telepathic connection and be able to feel each other's warmth. Assumptions again are that this could be very useful during battles to keep track of each others' health, but beyond its practical uses they're also generally regarded as a very intimate gift. Official artworks have depicted Yingxing and Dan Feng wearing these bracers many times along with a matching pair of red earrings on opposite ears and matching teal jade clasps that have been said in game texts to be given between lovers to find each other in their next lives.

Besides the jewelry we learn that Yingxing made Dan Heng's spear, Cloud Piercer. Yingxing was obsessed with his craft to the point of forgetting to eat or drink, and spent his inspiration like he was running out of time. He forged hundreds of marvels, four of which were the most famous that he gave to his friends; the Shard Sword, Devastator Glaive, an unnamed bow, and Cloud Piercer. The Shard Sword was offered as a prize to the best swordmaster of the Luofu and Dan Feng even had a contest with Jingliu that lasted years to earn it, although in the end he lost to Jingliu. Dan Feng was so fond of his spear that he had the statue of the High Elder Yubie who shared his likeness altered to include it.

During the fight with Shuhu, an Emanator of The Abundance, Baiheng self sacrificed herself to save Dan Feng and Jingliu. That seems to have caused a shift in the group. Yingxing shared his frustrations with Dan Feng that no matter how many of their people died they were no closer to ending the war. Dan Feng had been researching for awhile a way Vidyadhara to reproduce as they are unable to, and he had discovered a way to possibly achieve it. We are unsure still what his purpose was but he proposed a plan to Yingxing.

"If there's a chance... we will also choose to let her and more people live on. We, the Vidyadhara, have our own way of salvation. I can give it a try."

The events going forward are still left majorly scattered, but it was said that Yingxing agreed to assist him and somehow procured Shuhu's flesh to aid him in his experiment. There is considerable doubt amongst the players about this specifically because Yingxing's homeworld was destroyed by Denizens of Abundace and Shuhu was the Emanator of Abundace which would make this plan extremely risky and he would have known the consequences of using Abundace. Countless theories have spiraled about this event, some fans supporting it was a risk he took willingly, while others suggesting the possibility of him being possessed. Jingliu believes the purpose of the plan was to revive their fallen companion Baiheng out of grief, although she also says that what Dan Feng sought was to to break free from his line of succession by making a new High Elder. In fact, Dan Heng's memories of the event never spoke of revival but a making of a new species altogether.

Regardless of the purpose we know that something went horribly wrong with this experiment. A frenzied dragon was said to have been produced that Jingliu who arrived late at the scene had to put down. It is unclear how or when but we know Yingxing was made immortal against his will and Jingliu alludes to his flesh having merged with Shuhu's and perhaps Dan Heng's own blood as he was visibly deaged, "his long black hair never ceased growing", and lost most of his memories; symptoms commonly found to those having Vidyadhara bone marrow transplants as written in reports about experiments conducted by the Sanctus Medicus. It is unclear if it was instant or not but at some point he also conducted mara, a desease that manifests when one has too many memories that the brain is unable to store and results in madness and unstable behavior with strong emotions usually negative being the ones easier to access for the patient. He is not always under the effects of mara and it seems that strong emotions and familiar faces trigger it.

Countless people lost their lives because of this event that was later called the Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae. Dan Feng was captured and charged with "embracing immorality and breaking the ban, thieving immortality and inciting riot". However taking into account his past merits, he was be spared a heavy punishment. He was never killed, as Jing Yuan tells Dan Heng in the story himself, but was forced to undergo molting. Molting is not death, but rather a de-ageing process where one also loses all of his memories. A de-aged Dan Feng with very little memories of his past that he could not make sense of named himself Dan Heng. He specifically chose the character Dan due to it being etched onto his spear, Cloud Piercer, by Yingxing. He still has the same spear to this day.

"Cloud-Piercer is always with me. For my safety, and the safety of everyone else."

It is also unclear how but Bailu, the current Vidyadhara High Elder, shares a certain resemblance appearance wise with their fallen companion Baiheng, although she does not seem to recognize any of them nor recall Baiheng's memories.

Dan Heng was exhiled from the Luofu following the events of the Sedition.

Yingxing woke up with no memories alone in an unfamiliar planet. At some point Jingliu finds him and takes him with the purpose of training him. Jingliu had also fallen to mara seemingly out of grief for Baiheng, and in her madness and anger took it out on Yingxing by stabbing him with the sword he had made for her thousands of times. She acknowledges that she hurt him later to Dan Heng but doesn't seem to feel guilty about it or view it as torture but as "a chance to redeem himself." Yingxing still had no memories at the time and his perception of himself was majorly affected, both by his body being immortal and the dehumanization he suffered at Jingliu's hands. As such, long after Jingliu abandoned him and he started remembering who he was he named himself 'Blade' from the broken sword that Jingliu used to torture him. He now views himself as a weapon seeking vengeance, but above all else he wishes to die.

The Stellaron Hunters found him and Elio, their leader, made a deal with him, promising him to bring an eternal end and a final funeral to the his life and to everything he had ever hated in exchange for his help. At some point Blade went after Dan Heng and chased him across ships. He noted how Dan Heng looked younger but was still unmistakenly the same person.

"The black-haired young man shivered violently all over, but still clutched onto the spear in his hands. He had no dragon horns, and his reaction was slightly less mature than he remembered... But he would never forget this spear, these eyes, and how cruelty burst out from beneath the mirror-like emerald calmness."

Blade holds himself and Dan Heng responsible for what happened. He says that they share a debt for the sin they commited that has to be repayed. His reason for going after Dan Heng is to make him pay price for that sin.

Dan Heng used to be scared of Blade due to their past run-ins in the current timeline. However he very recently due to being back on the Luofu and the influence of Jingliu he regained alot of his memories and realised that Blade was Yingxing. In fact his name seemed to bring a strong emotional reaction out of him, unlike their fallen companion's Baiheng's name.

Dan Heng seems to have a change of heart and attempts to approach Blade to make him give up but Blade is cold to him. After a few exchanged words during which they seem to acknowledge each other Dan Heng offers to accompany Blade until the end but Blade says that something like that will not be nessessary since Elio needs Dan Heng alive still and leaves.

Dan Heng seems troubled and lost after the encounter, he retreats back to his room and locks himself in, he's even more confused about his own identity but seems to believe he has unfinished business with Blade. He is later spotted by PomPom looking at his spear with a longing expression on his face.

History
Once while he was still recovering his memories Blade tried using the connection of their bracers to sense "the other owner".

"Pairs of objects are destined for an eventual reunion. The long years of grudges and hatred between them should be savored, like ice-cold aged liquor, one slow sip after another until the bottle of resentment is finally empty.

Would the wearer of the other bracer feel the same? The unnamed didn't want to know.

He closed his eyes, trying his best to extract any information about the other bracer from the tenuous connection, be it its location or master.

A slender yet strong hand once wore the other bracer. That owner, whose sharp spear glinted with a cold light and flourished like shooting stars, once sparred with the unnamed. That owner also once shared company and drinks with the unnamed, the two of them simply gazing at the moon with no words exchanged."

- Passerby's Roaming Dragon Bracer description

Before joining the Astral Express, Dan Heng evaded Blade by hopping on multiple IPC ships. Blade, in turn, would destroy spaceships in pursuit of him. In every encounter, Dan Heng insisted that he was a new person who had nothing to do with Blade's past. As described in the "Nowhere to Run" Light Cone, Dan Heng would run his spear through Blade each time they fought. This never killed him due to Blade's self-healing ability. "But he still can't shake off the man with the beastly eyes.

If others in his homeworld felt hatred toward him, then that man only has a killing intent toward him — even the spaceships he had traveled on were all annihilated. That man had died before him, but would reappear soon after."

- Dan Heng Character Story Part II

Xianzhou Luofu
In the beginning of the Xianzhou Luofu storyline, Dan Heng has a nightmare. Blade, captured by Jing Yuan, saying that "Of five people, three must pay the price." He excludes Jing Yuan, but in the nightmare, Blade then points his sword at Dan Heng with a smile, telling him that he is one of them. Dan Heng wakes up with a gassp and misses the Astral Express's Navigation Meeting as he recovers from his shock. He is not present when a Stellaron Hunter, Kafka, interrupts the meeting. She requests the Astral Express crew to clear up the Stellaron in Xianzhou, mentioning that her companion Blade is in danger.

Dan Heng stays behind on the Express while the Trailblazer, March, and Welt go to the Xianzhou Luofu. He seems troubled by the dream and so asks Himeko to play him the transmission of their conversation with Kafka. Dan Heng pauses at the moment Kafka projects an image of Blade. In distress, he proclaims that the Xianzhou is in danger. Himeko is able to infer that Blade is connected to the past he wants to escape, and Dan Heng is afraid that his burden has caught up to him and will drag down his friends. Himeko comforts him and encourages him to go down there.

On the Xianzhou Luofu, Dan Heng meets Sushang and Luocha and joins them to travel to the safe zone. On the way, they come across a puppet of Xueyi, who is severely injured. After Luocha heals her, Xueyi advises Luocha and Dan Heng to leave as soon as possible, as the Stellaron Hunter she was arresting is extremely dangerous. Xueyi's description of the Stellaron Hunter, someone with exceptional swordsmanship who wields a divine sword, alarms Dan Heng, who knows she is referring to Blade.

Once departing from Sushang and Luocha, Dan Heng comes face-to-face with Blade and Kafka. Blade is visibly affected by Dan Heng's presence, but is unable to name the feeling it evokes. Kafka encourages him to let the mara take over. He seems ready to have Dan Heng pay the price. Dan Heng reiterates that he is not Dan Feng. Blade says that a different name and face won't blot out his sins, knowing that Dan Feng never died, and declares that he will know the pain of death. At some point Yanqing arrives to arrest Blade, Kafka, and Dan Heng.

Blade moves to attack Dan Heng from behind, goading him to reveal his "true self." Although Yanqing tries to stop Blade, he throws his sword to stab Dan Heng. Dan Heng starts floating in the air, transforming. Blade reveals that Dan Heng is the traitor of Xianzhou, Imbibitor Lunae. Yanqing decides that he will detain both of them, causing Blade and Dan Heng to have to fight the kid. Kafka uses her manipulation powers to end the fight as Jing Yuan is about to arrive. Jing Yuan dismisses them. Kafka asks Blade if he's satisfied but he has no answer. He and Kafka depart.

Miscellany
The in-game Vidyadhara elegy known as "Eternal Regrets of a High Elder" from the readable Cloudcry Songbook is strongly insinuated to explicitly be about the sin that Yingxing and Dan Feng committed together and its consequences: When the dragon turns red, then the green pines shall shed.

Blown by the wind of a cold morning,

Feeling the weight of your suffering.

When the dragon turns red, then the green pines shall shed.

Spinning our glory through time and space,

When will I next come to see your face?

When the dragon turns red, then the green pines shall shed.

Wantonly drinking the silver moon,

How many times must we be entombed?

When the dragon turns red, then the green pines shall shed.

Pass like a dream out of sight and mind, six hundred years in this mortal bind. As this is stated to be a Vidyadhara elegy, "Echoes of Antiquity: A Grand Overview of Xianzhou Folk Culture" states that the subject matter of most Vidyadhara elegies deals with great tragedies, especially those revolved around pyrrhic victories and loves lost. Given the implied romantic nature of Yingxing and Dan Feng's relationship, it could be speculated that "Eternal Regrets of the High Elder" may concern Yingxing, Dan Feng, and the animosity as well as lost love their relationship spiraled into.

During Gamescon 2022, the game released a trailer called "Nightmare", which shows Dan Heng's nightmare of Blade from the beginning of the Xianzhou Luofu storyline.

In Blade's Character Trailer, "Death Approaches", Blade is shown to be having a flashback of his past life as Yingxing as well as having a vision of Dan Feng (previous Imbibitor Lunae). He then snaps back to reality and finds an imaginary spear being impaled into his heart, with an illusion of Dan Heng holding the spear. Blade then laughs manically and breaks the spear, taking it out of his chest and engaging in battle with the illusion of Dan Heng. Blade states that until Dan Heng's sin is cleansed, his vengeance will pursue him.

Quotes
"This isn't the first time he's seen this man. This man had become his own inseparable shadow. No matter how many times he runs this man through with his spear, the man always comes back.

He can neither lose to this man, nor truly win. Though he wants to run away, there is nowhere to run."

- Nowhere to Run Light Cone description

"Imbibitor Lunae... When will our retribution come? How can our debt be repaid?"

- Blade, "About Dan Heng" voiceline

"He had no dragon horns, and his reaction was slightly less mature than he remembered... But he would never forget this spear, these eyes, and how cruelty burst out from beneath the mirror-like emerald calmness."

- Blade about Dan Heng, Blade Character Story Part II

"What he seeks I am unable to provide."

- Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae, "About Blade" voiceline

"Apparently they used to be good friends…Well, good friends who were bad for each other. Bladie forgot nearly everything, so he doesn’t remember it well. Together, they did something bad - something terrible. It lead to horrific consequences. That’s the information I managed to piece together. Bladie refused to tell me the details."

- Kafka, Letter From a Strange Woman

Behind the Scenes
"Surprisingly, he doesn't seem to be very interested in other people around him, but there is a person named "Dan Heng" to whom he seems to have very strong negative feelings."

- Shin-ichiro Miki (Blade's JP VA), translated

Fanon
RenHeng is the most popular ship in Honkai: Star Rail. It already has appeal for its enemies-to-lovers potential, which is made deeper once fans look into the significant lore connections the two have. RenHeng is especially popular in the Chinese side of the fandom with over a million fanworks exceeding even the game's own tag.

Before the release of Version 1.2, Dan Heng wasn't yet revealed to be a Vidyadhara, though many fans, including RenHeng shippers, already knew this due to leaks. Since knowing this, it has been a widely accepted theory that Dan Feng is the one responsible for making Blade immortal and that this was the sin that got him banished. Dialogue from the Final Closed Beta states that the "Dragon King" (likely an early translation of "High Elder") has the power to "breath life" into living beings.

There has been some debate about who the "beloved" (CN: 挚爱) mentioned in "Passerby's Roaming Dragon Bracer" is (full quote: "it was also this person [Dan Feng] who stubbornly adhered to their plans with the unnamed, turned the beloved into a monstrosity, and pushed all into an abyss of eternal hatred and remorse"). Many speculate it to be either Blade or Baiheng. This term is used again in Blade's second character story, in which he claims that the one who buried the "beloved" is Dan Heng. Based on this, plus the assumption that Dan Feng is the one who made Blade an abomination, the presumed takeaway here is that Dan Feng considered Blade his "beloved".

A lot of fans find it amusing how, despite Dan Heng wanting nothing to do with his past self, he still carries items that are associated with Blade (Yingxing) on him, such as the bracer, Cloud Piercer, and his jade pendant. Their dynamic has also been compared to a lot of Danmei media, as well as having a lot of common tropes. Additionally, Blade being a Stellaron Hunter and Dan Heng being on the Astral Express does not restrict them to one planet, so fans are eagerly waiting for more interactions between the two.

RenHeng currently has 1800+ works on AO3, being the most written ship in the Honkai: Star Rail tag.

Fandom
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Trivia

 * The "Ren" part of their ship name comes from Blade's name in Chinese, 刃 (rèn)
 * The official Honkai: Star Rail Twitter featured the two in a promotional tweet.
 * On the official launch trailer, Dan Heng stands in a pool of water, which shows the reflection of Blade.
 * Both were featured alongside other male characters in the Japanese magazine Anan. In an interview portion, Dan Heng is asked why he doesn't talk more. Dan Heng replies, "Compared to someone else also participating in this project, I talked much more." This is clearly referring to Blade, who stays silent for the entirety of his interview.
 * In the end of the Version 1.2 Special Program, Blade's VA said, "Not to mention, it seems like him [Blade] and Dan Heng are finally about to meet. Something tells me they're not gonna settle things over a cup of tea."
 * In the Chinese version of the same stream, Blade's CN VA said, "And he [Blade] and Dan Heng finally meet. I'm looking forward to what kind of sparks will ignite between them" ("而且呢他和丹恒终于见面了. 很期待他们会擦出什么样的火花").
 * The phrase for "sparks ignite" (擦出火花) is often used to describe romantic chemistry.
 * On Weibo, Hoyoverse sponsored several big users to post about the game. Many of these sponsored posts are RenHeng memes.
 * A fun controversy among shippers is that, in the Chinese original version (both Simplified and Traditional) of Passersby's Roaming Dragon Bracer, a "typo" was found. Instead of meaning a ceremony of exchanging cups to signify a close friendship, the "typo" refers instead to an engagement ceremony . Though unconfirmed, many shippers enjoy the notion that RenHeng might've been married in their past lives. Additionally, this "typo" is still in the game as of Version 1.5, leaving many to believe it may have been intentional from the start.
 * Through some analysis on Blade's trailer, fans have noticed several things:
 * From 1:17 to 1:40, the instrument that plays is the suona. This instrument is most commonly used in weddings and funerals. Interestingly enough, it plays through the duration where Blade and the illusion of Dan Heng fight. According to shippers, both interpretations of the instrument choice are appropriate; Blade's entire trailer revolves around wishing for death, and the concept of "ghost marriage," which occurs when one or both members of the couple are dead fits with the death and rebirth motifs for the two characters.
 * Chinese fans have pointed out that according to the traditional Chinese calendar, the day that Blade's trailer was released (July 14th) was an auspicious day for a funeral or a wedding. An auspicious day is choosing a lucky day for big events in life.
 * Yingxing (Blade) is associated with a light motif and Dan Feng (Dan Heng) is associated with a dark motif.
 * At 1:29, a split second frame shows Dan Feng with a spider lily painted in a green tint and then Dan Heng with a spider lily painted in a red tint.
 * Dan Heng made around a 40-second appearance in Blade's one-minute and 55-second trailer, when the only other character to make such a prominent appearance in someone else's trailer is Bronya in Seele's trailer.
 * Blade's oddly specific bounty number of 8.13 billion has a number of different meanings. For one, the year 813 in the Chinese calendar is given the element of water and is the year of the dragon. Dan Heng is a Vidyadhara with water abilities. Other themes include forgiveness and soulmate reunions.
 * Blade and Dan Heng are the only two characters to have a phrase that repeats at the beginning of each of their character stories, Blade's being "He must have died" and Dan Heng's being "A new dawn begins".
 * Blade was the one who crafted Dan Heng's spear, Cloud Piercer. Fans find it sadly ironic that Dan Heng used the weapon Blade crafted to kill him over and over again.
 * The two have matching jade pendants in their designs. Fans noticed that when laid on top of each other, they slot perfectly and form a complete shape. Interestingly, there is a Vidyadhara egg in Scalegorge Waterscape that, when interacted with, comes with a text box mentioning how some Vidyadharas secretly put a jade pendant in their mouths so that they and their lovers can recognize each other in the next life.
 * The RenHeng tag on Lofter has around 7.5 million views with over 18,000 participations, edging out the overall Honkai: Star Rail tag with around 6 million views.
 * When talked to as an NPC during Todd Riordan's World Quest, Blade will ask, "That guy, was he happy?" Even though it is not explicitly stated who he was talking about, a lot of fans like to think he was talking about Dan Heng, as Blade was not present to meet Todd and was mentioned to have been gazing at the Imbibitor Lunae statue from afar.
 * In Dan Heng's Character Story II, it mentions how he changed his appearance and can no longer be recognized but cannot escape from Blade's beastly eyes. In Blade's Character Story II, it mentions how even though Dan Heng may have changed his appearance, he would never forget Dan Heng's spear and his eyes, making a nice parallel between the two stories.
 * In the Samudrartha EP, which is known to be a song about Dan Heng • Imbibitor Lunae, Blade had a noticeable amount of screen time compared to other characters aside from Dan Heng himself. Scenes shown include the Nightmare cutscene, the RenHeng scene in the Interstellar Journey trailer, as well as their fight against Yanqing.
 * Blade was asked a total of four questions in his character introduction, but he only joins the conversation when Dan Heng is mentioned, with Silver Wolf answering the previous questions for him.
 * Dan Heng and Blade have both shared the same element, type, and class, if at different points. As a 4* character, Dan Heng had the Wind Type and Hunt Path. Blade has the Wind Type and Destruction Path; as of 1.2, it's been confirmed that Dan Heng's 5* version is of the Imaginary Type and Destruction Path, making Wind and Destruction two things they've had in common thus far.

Notes and References
