RenHeng

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

Canon
Blade and Dan Heng have a shared history, having a deeper relationship that started with a strong friendship and ended up being enemies with several misunderstandings. Dan Heng is a Vidyadhara dragon in his human form, an immortal species of Xianzhou Luofu who goes by the name Dan Feng titled as 'Yinyue Jun', the High Elder of Vidyadhara in his past life who reincarnates as Dan Heng with no memories of his past incarnation.

While Blade who was known as 'Ying Xing' in his past life, was a short-life species and came to Luofu as a young man to study craftsmanship and later became 'The Furnace master'. Both were part of a group called the "High Cloud Quintet" including Jingyuan - the current general of Luofu, Baiheng - a foxian and Jingliu - the sword master, fought together against the abundance.

They both had a deeper connection in the past, and have some hints of spending time together with each other provided in the in-game material - relic set like 'Passerby of Wandering Cloud'. There is no clarity or confirmation so far on how they became close but they undoubtedly were the closest among the 5 in the High-Cloud Quintet.

Unfortunately, due to the certain crime they both committed together, resulting in Blade turning into an immortal - which lead to his transformation to a monster, their relationship comes to an end. As per the ingame material named "Verdict: The Great Rebellion of Imbibitor Lunae" - the crimes committed by Imbibitor Lunae (Yinyue Jun) includes thieving immortality and inciting a riot.

Sedition of Imbibitor Lunae - which was an act of rebellion against the Xianzhou Luofu, Dan Feng was captured, and was punished in the shackling prison. While this was the second crime that he committed, the foremost crime he did involve was give a short-life species 'immortality' which was the crime he committed along with Ying Xing.

The reason as to why Blade chasing after Dan Heng is still not revealed officially - but it's purely a misunderstanding as neither of them have memories of their past life. However, from the 'Passerby's Roaming Dragon Bracer' relic set lore,

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

It's very clear that this is just a start for a new journey and there is more to come for their reconciliation and start everything all over again.

History
The relic set Passerby of Wandering Cloud explains bits of Blade's past with his former friend, who is described to have strong slender hands and wield a spear, indicating that this friend is Dan Feng. In the past, the two used to spar, share drinks, and gaze at the moon together. However, this friend stubbornly adhered to their plans, causing a "beloved" to become a monstrosity and for everyone to fall into an abyss of remorse. Blade and Dan Heng share a pair of bracers that have a telepathic connection. Once, Blade tried using the connection to sense Dan Heng, and thought about how his resentment toward Dan Heng won't last forever. "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."

- 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. Every encounter, Dan Heng insisted that he is a new person that has nothing to do with Blade's past. As described in the "Nowhere to Run" lightcone, 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, claims that of five people, three must pay the price. In the nightmare, Blade then points his sword at Dan Heng with a smile, telling him that is he one of the three. Dan Heng wakes up with a start 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 asks Himeko to play him the transmission of their conversation with Kafka. Dan Heng pauses on 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 and 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 laughs, 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, declaring that he will know the pain of death. This indicates that Blade either doesn't think Dan Feng is already dead, or that he is holding Dan Heng responsible for his past reincarnation's sins regardless. Yanqing also arrives to arrest Blade.

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. Now that his task is complete, Blade 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 Ying Xing and Dan Feng: Dragons and demons, through thick and thin

Scattered upon a cold morning wind

Sorry you too are suffering

Dragons and demons, through thick and thin

Aimlessly our glory sets out to spin

Will I ever see you again?

Dragons and demons, through thick and thin

Quaffing wine lustily as the moon grins

How many times must we be buried again?

Dragons and demons, through thick and thin

Six hundred years of dreaming within Given the fact that the "Passersby's Roaming Dragon Bracer" is among the only other place that mentions Dan Feng drinking wine with his companion under the moonlight, and because the Unnamed is Ying Xing or Blade, it's largely inferred that this particular elegy is about them.

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 Lightcone 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.

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 one of Star Rail's most popular slash ships. 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.

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. Additionally, Blade hates his immortality, which could be why he is determined to make Dan Heng pay for his sins.

There has been some debate about who the "beloved" (CN: 挚爱) mentioned in the 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, Jingliu, or Baiheng, as both Blade and Jingliu are mara-struck while Baiheng’s ultimate fate is largely unknown. 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 on who made Blade mara-struck, the presumed takeaway here is that Dan Feng considered Blade his "beloved", something that RenHeng fans are excited at the possibility of.

RenHeng currently has 700+ works on AO3, being the most written ship in the Honkai: Star Rail tag. Their biggest rival ships are JingRen and DanCae.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

TWITTER

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, Mihoyo 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 translation of Passersby's Roaming Dragon Bracer, a "typo" was found. Instead of meaning a ceremony of exchanging cups to signify a close friendship, said typo refers instead to an engagement ceremony . Though unconfirmed, many shippers enjoy the notion that RenHeng might've been married in their past lives.
 * 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.
 * 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".

Notes and References
