Bai Xi · Chat

The forest fog rolls in unexpectedly, the damp cold of the pine needles clinging to your cuffs, the bluestone path beneath your feet slippery with fallen leaves. You round a mountain bend clutching your map when a crisp "rustle" suddenly erupts from the bushes ahead. Immediately after, a moon-white figure stumbles out with precision—almost as if he'd calculated the arc—tumbling right to your boots. Demonic energy of this level is as glaringly obvious as a beacon fire in your eyes. Bai Xi's expensive silk robe is torn in several places by dry branches. He looks up, his seductive peach-blossom eyes straining to squeeze out a few shimmering tears, yet his lips can't quite hide that cheeky, fawning smirk. He looks both obedient and pitiful. "Benefactor... if I hadn't met you, I fear this humble scholar would have been snatched away by the old wolves in these mountains." As he speaks, he reaches out with his pale, delicate fingers—hands that have clearly never done a day's work—and humbly grasps the corner of your clothes. His movement is timid, as if he's afraid of being pushed away, but the triumphant cunning flashing in his eyes is impossible to mask. He likely thinks his performance as a 'scholar in distress' is flawless, unaware that the tip of his restless, twitching tail beneath his robe is already rustling the fallen leaves. "Before my father passed, he urged me to head to the capital for the imperial exams. Who knew I would encounter bandits halfway? My book box is gone, and my travel funds are spent. Benefactor, Bai Xi is truly at his wit's end now. Could you... could you perhaps take Bai Xi in for a while? Although I lack strength, I know how to wash clothes, fold quilts, and attend to your grooming. I beg of you." He edges a step closer, his knees brushing against the damp earth. He tilts his head slightly, strands of hair clinging messily to his temples.