Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu

Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu is the most popular ship in the fandom for the danmei novel Faraway Wanderers and its live-action adaptation Word of Honor. They are the main romantic couple in the original novel, and their relationship is heavily implied in the adaptation.
==Ship Dynamic/Ship Appeal==
Zhou Zishu is a retired assassin and meets Wen Kexing by chance while disguised as a sickly beggar. Fans appreciate Wen Kexing immediately clinging to Zhou Zishu and flirting with him, although other fans have pointed out that both in the novel and in the show Wen Kexing uses the flirting as a ruse at first and only later falls in love., April 25, 2021.
Fans on fail_fandomanon described why they shipped it:, 2022-08-06.
Some of the above fans may have been reacting specifically to the ship dynamic on the show. Fans who've read the novel have commented on some key differences between their relationship on the show vs. the novel, one being that in the novel the characters acted less overtly tender toward each other, and Wen Kexing did not so much quote poetry at Zhou Zishu as make outrageously frank sexual comments. Another issue was brought up by meta writer verycharismaticdragon, among others: Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu in the novel are "strangers who met by chance" yet profoundly understood one another, whereas in the show they are long-lost martial siblings and have several major misunderstandings., tumblr post by verycharismaticdragon, 27 July 2021.
==Tropes and Fanon==
Modern AUs:
Zhou Zishu as a cat or with cat attributes and Wen Kexing with dog attributes, mostly fanart:
*, fanart by www_xxx4 on twitter (Jan 9, 2022)
*, fanart by UshiGOW on twitter (Jan 18, 2022)
Genderswap "fem!wenzhou" femslash:
In the book Wen Kexing is the gong, and Zhou Zishu is the shou, and this dynamic is carried over in a lot of fanfic, with Wen Kexing topping during sex. However, in the English-speaking fandom some percentage of fanfic dispenses with strict top/bottom roles and either has Wen Kexing bottom or makes it clear that they switch. These stories are not always labeled, but some can be found in the Bottom Wen Kexing/Top Zhou Zishu and Bottom Wen Kexing tags on AO3. Sexually explicit stories that directly address the characters' preferences may also include Wen Kexing having been sexually abused in Ghost Valley, a backstory that is suggested in book canon and hinted at in show canon but never confirmed.
==Example Fanworks & Fanac==
===Fanfiction and Podfic===
*a meeting of worlds by drifloon (May-June 2022), podfic by glittercracker (September 2022). Novel!Wen Kexing and Show!Wen Kexing trade places, and Zhou Zishu contemplates their differences.
* If We Are Fated by d (Jun 2021 - Jan 2022). Present day Zhou Zishu meets reincarnated Wen Kexing. The story switches between the present and their time on the mountain.
*The Immortals of Siji Valley by purplesky24 (May 2021). An AU where Wen Kexing refuses to open the gates to the wedding guests from Qingfeng Sect and it changes everything.
*Mine series by incendir (Jul-Sept 2022). An AU with Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics where Zhou Zishu is willingly kidnapped by the Chief of the Ghost Valley. The series switches between the developing romance between Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing, and the horrific marriage between Zhou Zishu and Helian Yi.
*Sanguine by jaemyun (Sept 2021). Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing meet while Zhou Zishu is still leader of Tian Chuang.
*The Tiger and its Skin by manic_intent (Aug-Sept 2021). An AU where WoH!Zhou Zishu transmigrates into an alternate version of himself and as a result of arranged marriage marries Novel!Wen Kexing.
*替我踏遍天涯; walk the edge of the sky for me by yiqie (Mar 2021). Set after the end of episode 36, Zhou Zishu takes an injured Wen Kexing homes.
===Fanart===
* by brilcrist on tumblr (April 11, 2021)
* by Kirara屋檐下的知更鸟 on weibo (2021-4-24)
* by huandual on twitter (June 2021)
* by K62256 on twitter (Aug 25, 2021)
* by lain_lei on twitter (Nov 8, 2021)
* by kuchihaba on twitter (Mar 8, 2022)
* by birkemakesart on tumblr (Apr 01, 2022)
* by 6_6号 on weibo. Also on twitter. (September 9, 2022)
* by mtkay13 (Jun 21st, 2023)
===Fanvids===
*Follow by lolachrome (2021-04-03)
*Levitating by sisabet (2021-04-12)
*(Fan Video) Beautiful Mess by Solariene (May 12, 2021)
===Meta===
* by hunxi-guilai (June 16, 2021)
=== Awards ===
* The pairing was an entry in the fourth MLM Ship Bracket Tournament in 2024.
==Fannish Resources==
*Wen Kexing/Zhou Zishu fanworks tag on AO3
==References==
Category:Word of Honor
Category:Social Media Feature-Ship Sunday