#yby's so utterly fascinating

[mount-everwhite]

I've always seen it as the passing of the master's sword to the disciple when he became a master himself (this based on the idea that Rong Xuan was no longer there to earn it himself). But I love the idea of such a sentiment attached to it, that his idiot boy Rong Xuan was out there in a world he could no longer navigate and QHZ hopefully using it as a means to help him, expressing the desire of his master - brilliant!

Forgive me if you have explained elsewhere but why do you think Ye Baiyi was willing to part with the sword his beloved made him, and give it to Zhou Zishu’s master? Maybe they explain it in canon but emotionally I can only think that was devastating for him and he had to have some profound reason for doing so

I don't know if I saw it somewhere or if I headcanoned it but I think he gave it to Qin Huaizhang (ZZS's master) as a "thanks" for keeping an eye on Rong Xuan, so he valued the sword enough to know it'll protect "his boy". Rong Changqing was still alive then when the trade happened so Ye Baiyi had the real thing right there. Some headcanoned that Longbei was actually made for Ye Baiyi and Baiyi for RCQ so they always have the other at their side but that's just a cute headcanon. Either way, the Baiyi sword also started as a "sword with no name" and it's not clear when it earned Baiyi's name, if it was gifted to him by RCQ, if Ye Baiyi claimed it or if Qin Huaizhang named the sword after Ye Baiyi who gave it to him (meaning it was Baiyi protecting Rong Xuan if it came to it).

I love Ye Baiyi's story so complex and tragic and beautiful and we have so many gaps in it despite it being the driving force behind everything that happened in Word Of Honor ; ;