The red string (红线, hóngxiàn) is a spiritual device owned by Hua Cheng that is tied around his third finger. He later knotted the other end onto Xie Lian's hand to connect each other in case of separation.
Description[]
The red string is a very thin, bright and long string. While the knot on the finger will always be visible, the long string of connection can become invisible and is thus not limiting the distance between the two people.[1] If it is unbroken, that means the person on the other end is safe. Unless the person is dead or dispersed, then the string will always be intact and lead to one another, proving to be quite useful.[2]
Just as Feng Xin and Mu Qing say, the string’s meaning and purpose are described to be extremely similar to the red string of fate, or red thread of fate, a common belief in East Asian mythology regarding destined lovers.[3] Both Xie Lian and Hua Cheng have this thread connected to their third finger because the third finger, typically known as the middle finger in the West, is seen as connected to the heart via the pericardium meridian, also known as 'the heart protector' meridian.[4]
History[]
When Xie Lian was affected by the fragrance of the Land of the Tender, he asked a young Hua Cheng to cut off a lock of his hair. Since Xie Lian needed to borrow his sword, he tied the lock around Hua Cheng's finger in return as a means of protection against the flower demons.[5] Hua Cheng may have tied a red string around his own finger later around his finger later on as a reminder of Xie Lian's gift back then, or it may be a spiritual device crafted from the hair itself, similar to the red umbrella Xie Lian gifted him that he now uses as a spiritual weapon.
When Xie Lian and him are investigating caves in Tonglu Mountain, Hua Cheng ties the other end of his red string to Xie Lian's finger in order to connect them. He does so as a means of finding one another in case of involuntary seperation and to know whether the other is safe and well.[2]
References[]
- ↑ Novel, Book 3, Chapter 164: Riddle of the Mysterious Guoshi Confounding Minds II
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Novel, Book 3, Chapter 158: Buried Together Alive; No Resting in Peace in the Earth
- ↑ Novel, Book 3, Chapter 175: Cave of Ten Thousand Gods; Faces of Ten Thousand Gods Revealed
- ↑ https://mendacupuncture.com/our-hearts-protector-the-pericardium/
- ↑ Novel, Book 2, Chapter 82: Land of the Tender; Body of Gold Hard-Pressed Against Desire IV