Β Β Finally reworking and consolidating two headcanons from my previous blog onto this one. I want to address Xue Yang's fighting techniques and styles that the donghua allows us to see in a way other mediums do not. It gives a very good demonstration as to WHY Xue Yang's fighting is described as ' particularly inhumane and vicious ' - and in large part, this is because HE DOESN'T FIGHT HONORABLY in the way other cultivators do. He evidently knows HOW to, we see as much when he is impersonating Xiao Xingchen - he can follow and learn the proper styles and techniques. It makes sense given his time as a guest disciple with the Lanling Jin Clan - though he was there for his demonic cultivation talent, there was some training. Furthermore, he obviously studied Xiao Xingchen extremely well ; enough so that it wasn't his forms or movement that gave him away to anyone - as I've addressed in past headcanons discussing Xue Yang's ability to impersonate and mimic those he knows well. When he is impersonating Xiao Xingchen, his movements are graceful, mostly out in the open utilizing a lot of pivoting footwork. It's the style we see most if not all of the other characters utilize. It is, in essence, an art form as much as it is battle. ( Excluding the few hand to hand combat scenes, although even those mostly utilize turns. ) BUT THAT IS NOT XUE YANG'S NATURAL FIGHTING STYLE.
When Xue Yang fights as HIMSELF, it is an entirely different style even down to the small movements. Xue Yang frequently is shown to be flipping and twist around during combat. And when it comes to blades being close to him, he chooses to duck under blades rather than spin away from them. HE IS A STREET FIGHTER FIRST AND FOREMOST. It's not about appearance or honor, it's about efficiently and ruthlessness. When you're against cultivators of similar training, there's an expectation to abide to the classic techniques. On the streets, on the run, it's do whatever works. Grace doesn't matter ; it is stab them in the knee while they spin mentality. In a world of cultivators trained from a very young age, it is like letting a wolf born in the wild amongst domesticated dogs. THEY SPEAK DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. Xue Yang's fighting style is not what most cultivators are used to. Xue Yang's flips aren't for show, it's because it makes it harder to HIT him, and if someone does, it's unlikely to strike anywhere vital. When/if we see other characters flip, it tends to be at a distance, not up close like Xue Yang does. When he lands, he crouches close to the ground or lands on all fours in some shots versus the proud stand most other characters utilize. It means the whole abdomen and downwards are easy striking spots. Xue Yang also tends to launch a series of quick attacks in rapid session when he goes on the offense rather than pure power strikes. You can wear someone down much quicker if they're on the defense and unprepared for the physical and mental toll of only playin defense.
BUT WHAT REALLY IRKS PEOPLE IS XUE YANG UTILIZES HIS ENVIRONMENT. That is what is especially dishonorable about him in many eyes. It's abhorrent to the proud and dignified cultivators. To Xue Yang, it is natural. Use any advantage you have. He uses the fog to dart in and out of view, the rain to muffle his footsteps and sounds of movement, and the papers in the coffin home to blind everyone or utilize as a distraction. He uses the cliff faces when fighting against Song Lan because Xue Yang is distinctly faster than the older cultivator, forcing Song Lan to have to CHASE HIM just so Xue Yang could kick him downwards when he tried. It was to get a hit of course, but it also obscured the sound of Xue Yang when he jumped down from the cliff face. And of course, Xue Yang throwing corpse powder and dirt to temporarily blind his opponents. He ALWAYS is using the environment in his fights, which seems to be quite ' DISHONORABLE ' to others as we only ever see it against creatures like the turtle. But Xue Yang doesn't care about honor.
Xue Yang's favor towards AMBUSH FIGHTING also paints his fights as particularly brutal. He's not waiting for an official duel. He either lunges when no one is expecting during a conversation, or creates a scenario (like the fog or papers) to attack unsuspecting victims. HE CAN AND WILL FIGHT HEAD ON, but to initiate he almost exclusive chooses to ambush Xue Yang knows he doesn't have the same degree of swordsmanship as Song Lan or Lan Wangji; he doesn't fool himself to think otherwise. Wei Wuxian even said there are extremely few people who could even TRY to hurt Song Lan, but Xue Yang did what he does best. He's clever and turned direct fights into ambush attacks or utilized the environment to bolster his strengths and tip the scales in his favor. He hides swords in his sleeves to ambush and kill people, he throws needles out of the fog where they're impossible to see - Xue Yang will do whatever he needs to in a fight no matter how looked down upon it might be.
In line with his ambush fighting preference, Xue Yang frequently finds ways to get BEHIND PEOPLE in a fight. And that is practically a death sentence. He's extremely gifted at this, as he does it against Song Lan, Xiao Xingchen, as well as Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji in the fog until A-Qing alerted them of him sneaking up and they turned to face him. Without that? It would have been bad. It is a particularly DEADLY skill of his given how he's utilized it in almost every fight we see of him, and all of the serious ones. THIS IS THE REAL GOAL WITH HIS FLIPS AND TWISTS. He's maneuvering himself to be able to get behind them to where they are defenseless and he is in their blind spots. Xue Yang is notably smaller and more slender than many of his opponents, and he utilizes that against them because it's more space behind him that he can use.
This is a lot of me yapping, but I simply find it FASCINATING to see how distinct his fighting style is - not because of a weapon, or particular clan styles. But because his technique isn't based in the cultivation rules but remains that of those on the street. The novels and other media can tell us how his fighting is, but the donghua lets us actually SEE that in practice.
