Xingyun

Xingyun is the slash ship between Xingqiu and Chongyun from the Genshin Impact fandom.

Canon
They are one of, if not the only ship that exhibit friendly, buddy-buddy interactions as stated by their stories/voicelines and Xiangling. They are often featured together in official arts, as they speak highly of each other in a fond manner, showing just how close of friends they are.

Xingqiu is known to endlessly tease and pull pranks on Chongyun (making him eat spicy food, tricking him onto fake leads, etc.) and tries his best to seem innocent. Despite all this, Chongyun still refers to Xingqiu as a fine and true friend.

In Chongyun's voiceover lines, he states that he admires Xingqiu for his devotion to chivalry and passion for reading, but has also seen the latter's mean side. He is a common victim of Xingqiu's pranks and antics. Chongyun's story also stated that Xingqiu gave him the idea that, instead of attempting to reduce the effectiveness of his congenital positivity, he should search for an evil spirit that is immune to it. Xingqiu often gives him fake intel of sightings of evil spirits, and they come home empty-handed. Chongyun has no idea and blames it on his bad luck. Surprisingly, Xingqiu will try to lift his spirits after his pranks, and doing things like getting him cold dishes.

In Xingqiu's voiceover lines, he says that he and Chongyun understand each other very well, implying they have been friends for a while. He also mentions that whenever you see Xiangling out and about searching for ingredients, she'll try to get you to try her newest recipe. He says that he'll usually get Chongyun to try it out. Xingqiu's story also stated that Chongyun is the one who usually bears the brunt of his bizarre humor, while Xiangling's voiceover lines have her stating that she always sees Xingqiu and Chongyun eating together at Wanmin Restaurant.

On the bulletin board present near Wangshu Inn, a guess message is written there, saying that Xingqiu paid for all damages caused by Chongyun after his overabundance yang-energy episode.

For the special Lantern Rite installment of the Teyvat Food Notes column on the official Chinese website, Xingqiu coerces an unsuspecting Chongyun into trying the dish (Adeptus' Temptation) that had been painstakingly prepared by him and some other Liyue characters, claiming that it would be impolite to refuse. Xingqiu then offers to blow on Chongyun's food to cool it down for him, and swears it isn't spicy, with Xiangling and the Traveller there to vouch. Only after Xiangling and the Traveller give their word does Chongyun taste and critique the dish, much to Xingqiu's satisfaction. Also, the term "秋波" is used with reference to Xingqiu's attitude, which is both a pun on Xingqiu's name and an idiom meaning "to cast an amorous glance."

During Chongyun's hangout quest, he mentions that Xingqiu gave him many clues that he reads to the traveler. One of the clues involves a popular dating location where "two close friends" should go.

In the 1.5 trailer, at the timestamp of 2:26, Chongyun and Xingqiu was seen sitting together as Hu Tao chases Qiqi.

During the Moonchase Festival in 2.1, in the cutscene, Chongyun is seen chasing Xingqiu, with a book in his hand. They both seem younger (plus, there is no visible vision on them, meaning they knew each other before getting one.), which implies that they might know each other for a very long time now and are potentially childhood friends. Also, Chongyun is already wearing the friendship tassel given to him by Xingqiu, which again implies they might be already good friends during this cutscene. Xingqiu does not wear the tassel given to him by Chongyun yet.

Not to forget, during the Moonchase Festival, Xingqiu and Chongyun got in-game interaction. Xingqiu inviting Chongyun to Feiyun Commerce Guild warehouse, asking him to read a book out loud for him. When Chongyun asks him if this is why he invited him Xingqiu takes this as a no and tells him he will then read for him, a romance novel, called Young and Hopelessly Smitten. Fans like to think that Xingqiu was trying to drop a small hint of his feelings for Chongyun by wanting to read a romance novel with him.

In act 5 of the anniversary theater event you can see Chongyun blushing, while talking about something with Xingqiu. Given their personalities, it can be assumed that this suggests another prank from the latter, but the scene doesn't have any official explanation.

During Part 2 of the Lantern Rite Festival in Version 2.4 when the Traveler and Keqing go to Qingce Village to investigate the disappearance of the fireworks, they meet Chongyun and Xingqiu who are currently taking care of some Treasure Hoarders who stole materials from the Feiyun Commerce Guild.

When asked why they are in Qingce, Xingqiu explains that it was his duty to take care of the Guild's supplies there and that he brought Chongyun along because the latter was already planning on visiting anyway. Xingqiu also told Chongyun about some spirits in the region beforehand who are heavily implied to not actually exist as the Traveler thinks that "Xingqiu must be leading Chongyun along" which is a thing that Xingqiu has often done in the past.

After Keqing remarks that the Qixing don't have enough manpower to handle the issue, Xingqiu offers that he and Chongyun will take care of the situation in Qingce Village. The two then leave together.

Quotes
"'Want to see a different side of Chongyun? Find a way to get him into a hot spring, and you'll see!'"

- Wise words from Young Master Xingqiu, who enjoys playing pranks on his friend.

"Don't be fooled by his air and graces... He's a prankster to the core!'"

- Chongyun, speaking from firsthand experience

"Chongyun has had the privilege of meeting a true friend in his long journey as an exorcist: Xingqiu..."

"If Xingqiu has time to spare when such an occasion arises, he will encourage Chongyun, treat him to some new cold dish that he has found and then set off to get Chongyun's swindled money back."

"While quiet and unassuming in front of strangers, he is gregarious and chatty in the company of close friends and family. Though more restrained than his elder brother, he even has a playful and mischievous side."

"A warm and reliable companion indeed! — So Chongyun thinks at such moments. Who could he possibly trust, if not his fine friend Xingqiu?"

- Chongyun's Story 4

"I do admire Xingqiu for his devotion to chivalry and his martial arts proficiency. However, I must warn you that he definitely has a mean side too. If you find that you fall foul of any of his antics, come to me and we'll form a "Victims of Xingqiu" alliance. There is strength in numbers."

- Chongyun's voiceline about Xingqiu

"The one who usually bears the brunt of his bizarre sense of humor is someone named Chongyun, an exorcist usually found on one of the forest trails around Liyue."

"Chongyun... I found a haunted house for you to practice in..."

"Chongyun... you have to believe me... It wasn't me who laid the traps inside that haunted house- What? It's not haunted? Well...I, uh, couldn't have known that, could I?"

"Chongyun... Don't glare at me like that... Look, you're injured. You'd better just lie there and get some rest."

"Tell you what, Chongyun, we have a maid who learned the art of essential oil therapy in a nobleman's house in Sumeru... How about I ask her to tend to your wounds? You owe me for this, though..."

- Xingqiu's Story 4

"Ah, dear Chongyun. Though he understands me quite well, one has to exercise caution when teaming up with him to go on a quest. He is making good progress in the martial arts, but I would say he hasn't quite internalized the chivalric code yet... He needs more practice. Especially at eating spicy food."

- Xingqiu's voiceline about Chongyun

"...I usually get Chongyun to handle these situations, hehe..."

- Xingqiu referring to Xiangling's new dishes

"Chongyun? I always see him on his way to eat at Wanmin Restaurant with Xingqiu... Ah... or perhaps I should say I see him being dragged there by Xingqiu? Chongyun doesn't eat hot food. Every time the hot food arrives, Xingqiu politely apologizes and proceeds to try every dish. I just wanna dig in with him! The look on Chongyun's face is priceless. They're quite interesting, those two."

- Xiangling's voiceline about Chongyun

"He's one interesting guy. He looks introverted enough, but there was this one time when he came to one of my performances. A friend (Xingqiu) brought him or something, and he had some words for me, but I couldn't hear 'em over the music. Before I knew it, he was right up there on the stage with me, singing and rockin' his heart out. Guess you really can't judge a book by its cover!"

- Xinyan's voiceline about Chongyun

"My lack of caution in eating heaty foods led to my quite public buffoonery. I write this note to apologize to everyone, and I am willing to pay for all the damages caused - Chongyun"

"Don't be so formal, young lad! Your swordsman friend already paid for the damages. In fact, everyone was impressed by the skill displayed when you leaped onto the table and danced with greatsword in hand. We all eagerly await your next performance"

- Message Board outside Wangshu Inn

"Gaze up at the misty clouds weaving among the crags, oh how they gracefully waft to and fro. Piercing rainbows, slicing frost and snow, they jest at the sight of the battles down below"

"— Our story today begins with this passage. Everyone knows that all throughout the vast wilderness of Liyue, aspiring martial artists who hold tight to lofty ideals of chivalry can be found seeking the trail of the adepti — roaming the depths of the forests and traversing the towering karst peaks where the clouds linger. Away from the watchful gaze of the Qixing, they perform their chivalrous deeds in secret. We've already told the story of the anonymous young duo who pierce the rainbows and slice through the frost."

- Wings of Golden Flight Long Description

"Oh, many of these are from my friend, Xingqiu. He's well-read and very knowledgeable... Not to mention he's always willing to extend a helping hand. He always provides me with lots of reliable information. If it weren't for my pure-yang spirit, I would have already vanquished numerous demons because of him, I'm sure of it."

- Chongyun's hangout quest

"Yes, he always goes out of his way for me., but he never seems to mind and helps me all the same. Also, he often has something interesting to say. I'm quite glad that I get along with him."

- Chongyun's hangout quest

Fanon
Xingyun is currently one of the most popular ships in the fandom; they have over 1k posts on Instagram, searching Xingyun on Twitter will showcase many fanarts, and AO3 holds more than 1000 works for them. The ship mainly sailed due to the popularity of the "Best Friends to Lovers" trope, and their dynamic.

They appears exceedingly similar, both being strong, coming from influential families, seemingly not much at first sight, but having a more wild underside. Even outside character, Xiangling, says she sees them dining together and as the official artworks suggest, they are often in each other's company. Many people are fond of this ship as, unlike others, they have a canon foundation as being best friends. The two are bonded enough to the point where Xingqiu feels comfortable enough to be himself around Chongyun, and vice versa. Xingqiu usually lies to come up with leads, so that Chongyun stays hopeful.

Chongyun’s birthday message to the Traveler (sent to players on 9/6/21) contains Silk Flowers, which are Xingqiu’s ascension materials, and the tone of the message maybe read as a love confession. Ship fans often interpreted the inclusion of Silk Flowers as signifying that the message was originally meant to be sent to Xingqiu, but was sent to the Traveler by mistake.

Additionally, due to neither of them having much interactions with the other characters in general, this ship is very popular. In-game, many users enjoy their elemental chemistry; as Xingqiu is a Hydro user and Chongyun is a Cryo user, both use elements that work very well with each other and are able to apply the "Frozen" debuff on enemies when working together.

Their dynamic is a very enjoyable one to highlight in fanworks, as their roles can be switched in many plots and it would still make sense. They are both hardworking (with Xingqiu being more smart with his methods) and overall quiet near others, but expressive in the presence of each other. Basically, they both know, to an extent, the real nature of the other. They don't exactly fall into the molds of other popular ship dynamics either (the chaotic duo, huge flirt x oblivious/uninterested, rivals to lovers, sweet x scary), but are more so of a mixture, making them a fun couple to portray. Since the information on their relationship is limited, most of the ship and its content is fanon, whether that's a good or bad thing.

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Trivia

 * Chongyun tries to form a "Victims of Xingqiu" alliance with the Traveler.
 * Xingqiu calls Chongyun by "dear Chongyun". He also calls himself Chongyun's "dearest friend".
 * Xingqiu and Chongyun have matching friendship tassels, Xingqiu's being on his vision and Chongyun's on his pants.
 * Xingqiu's elemental burst is called "Rain Cutter" while Chongyun's constellation is called "Cloud Cutter".
 * On February 12th, the Genshin Impact official Twitter posted promo fan art of the two.
 * In Chongyun's hangout quest, it is heavily implied that the clue about the "Test of Courage" on Wuwang Hill was a clue given to him by Xingqiu in an attempt to ask him on a date.
 * Xingqiu and Chongyun's namecards match, both having three swords as they are in their separate abilities.
 * Xingqiu's namecard is called "Rainbow", which is a sign of unity between yin and yang and therefore marriage. Xingqiu and Chongyun can be taken to represent yin and yang as well.
 * Xingqiu and Chongyun were both featured on Hu Tao's banner in March 2021
 * Xingqiu and Chongyun both come from renowned families
 * According to a Twitter user’s translation of a Bilibili official livestream, Xingqiu once sang to Chongyun in celebration of his birthday, which triggered the latter’s yang energy and caused him to overheat; resulting in a nosebleed.
 * Common Symbols used for Xingyun include: 📖🍦

Variations

 * Hu Tao Banner refers to the ship between the two, Hu Tao and Xiangling
 * The Liyue Trio refers to the ship between the two and Xiangling
 * TVT DREAM refers to the ship between the two, Bennett and Razor

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