At first glance, Mo Dao Zu Shi's Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji could not have been more different from each other. It was completely inconceivable for the two to become friends, let alone romantic partners. Every time they met, they almost always got into some kind of argument or fight. And yet, despite how different they are, they complement each other and have fundamentally the same values.
Both have a strong sense of justice and are always willing to help others, no matter the cost. Their love story is steeped in misunderstandings, tragedy, loss and most importantly, resilience and strength. Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji went through a lot, which is one of the reasons why fans love Wangxian (the ship name) so much.
Who Are Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji?
Wei Wuxian is carefree, shameless and flirty to a fault. He's mischievous, brilliant and known for his unorthodox ideas. He first comes up with the concept of demonic cultivation during his studies at the Cloud Recesses, but he doesn't really invent it until he's thrown into the Burial Mounds and it becomes his only means of survival. He loves teasing Lan Wangji, often calling him the most handsome cultivator he has ever seen while insisting that all he wants is to be Lan Wangji's friend (yeah, right). After he uses demonic cultivation, his personality changes due to the resentful energy, and he becomes more vengeful and prone to anger.
In contrast, Lan Wangji is stoic, repressed and lives his life according to the rigid rules of his sect. However, Lan Wangji is not above breaking them if they go against his personal morals. He very rarely expresses his emotions and when he does, it's usually annoyance or anger when Wei Wuxian teases him. Despite how expressionless Lan Wangji's face is, he's someone who loves very deeply. Because he prefers not speaking more than necessary, he often gets misunderstood.
During the Sunshot Campaign, Wei Wuxian was the deciding factor in winning the war and was lauded as a hero, although there were many cultivators who feared his powers. Despite Lan Wangji's efforts to protect him, Wei Wuxian was killed, and it wouldn't be until more than a decade later that they would see each other again.
Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's Relationship Status
After 13 years of separation, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji finally reunite during the Dafan Mountain incident. Initially, Wei Wuxian had wanted to pester Lan Wangji until the latter would just kick him out from sheer annoyance, but that never happened. The two of them go on journeys to solve mysteries together, and although they butted heads in their youth, they work extremely well as a team. Wei Wuxian had never realized the depth of Lan Wangji's feelings and was mystified by how unruffled he was at his constant teasing when he would have chased him out years before. It wasn't until much later that he understood Lan Wangji's love and everything he went through.
In the novel, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji become cultivation partners, which is the equivalent of being husbands in the cultivation world. The donghua isn't as explicit but does confirm their relationship in a few different ways. The first is when Wei Wuxian uses their bodies as bait to lure the fierce corpses, thus turning their robes red, which is how couples are dressed in traditional Chinese weddings. When Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji travel to Wei Wuxian's former home at the Lotus Pier, they visit the Jiang ancestral hall and bow twice. Traditionally in a wedding, the couple bows three times -- the first to Heaven and Earth, the second to their parents and the third to themselves. The framing of their faces also makes it look like they bowed to each other, thereby completing the three marital bows.
Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's Cutest Romantic Moments
The Gusu Lan sect is notorious for its Wall of Discipline, where thousands and thousands of rules are inscribed, one of which forbids alcoholism. Wei Wuxian, who loves drinking, accidentally gets Lan Wangji drunk, but he did not expect to see a much more childish, possessive and stubborn side of the usually stoic cultivator. He ties his forehead ribbon around Wei Wuxian's wrists. This is extremely significant, as the forehead ribbon cannot be removed or touched by anyone other than the owner's fated person, meaning that Lan Wangji's act is as good as a declaration.
At the very end, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji decided to leave the politics of the cultivation world and go night-hunting together. Wei Wuxian recalled how Lan Wangji first recognized him when he played an out-of-tune song on his flute. It was a song that Wei Wuxian remembered Lan Wangji singing to him when the two of them were trapped in the Xuanwu Cave and the former was close to passing out from his fever. When he asked Lan Wangji what the song's title was, he replied softly with "Wangxian" -- their love song.
