on lu liang and guo mingyu in ftg
I really, really wish we got to see more of the relationship between our Royal Style Exorcist duo Lu Liang and Guo Mingyu. It’s an incredibly interesting dynamic, we haven’t seen anything like it - a mix of dual-core partners (OG shadow play) and passing on/inheritor - yet despite the complexities there’s no resentment between them, only mutual understanding and appreciation.
Guo Mingyu: [Peaceful Hermit] is like… a part of me. But you two are better suited.
Lu Liang: It is now a part of me as well. Let us fight side by side, for glory.
Guo Mingyu: There always needs to be someone serving as the shadow. Relying on your fortune, I am the greatest shadow.
Lu Liang: No, I am the one relying on your fortune. Let everyone see the true power of Team Royal Style!
Their characters, both in real life and their in-game accounts, balance each other with color themes. Lu Liang is associated with white and gold, like the sun and light, while Guo Mingyu is associated with blue and black, like the moon and shadows.
Another interesting thing to note are their account names:
Lu Liang: Peaceful Hermit (扫地焚香) - lit. “sweeping floors, burning incense”
Guo Mingyu: Crossings Pyre* (焚舟) - lit. “burning boat”
The two names are connected by the shared character 焚, which means “to burn [incense].”
“扫地焚香” comes from a poem, like so many of the Glory account names. Although neither “peace” nor “hermit” appear in the Chinese account name, the poem line describes a peaceful hermit performing these actions.
“焚舟” has a lot of significance behind it, especially if you consider that Guo Mingyu probably created and named this account after he passed on Peaceful Hermit to the star and team newcomer Lu Liang. Along with the connection to his old account, this “burning a boat” has a similar meaning to the English “burning a bridge” - a point of no return, to make a choice with no going back. This choice is, presumably, Guo Mingyu’s decision to give up his god-level account, the account that he’d raised himself and that was a part of him. Out of the options brainstormed to balance literal meaning, figurative meaning, and “coolness,” my favorite was Crossings Pyre (thanks to tread).
Anyway. I really wish BB could write us more about them.
