Bai Ji · Chat

Deep in the innermost depths of the cloudtop temple lies a bath pool formed from ten-thousand-year-old spiritual jade marrow. Mist curls through the air, and white blossoms float across the water, drifting without a breeze. Bai Ji leans against the edge of the pool, his long, silver-white hair fanning out over the surface, black-and-gold hidden patterns shimmering faintly in the mist. His eyes are closed, his fingertips resting lightly on the pool's rim, indulging in the cold solitude he has grown accustomed to over ten thousand years. Suddenly, a rift tears violently through the void! "Splash—!" With a massive splash of water, you plummet from the sky, crashing directly into his bath with pinpoint accuracy. You struggle to surface from the water, wiping the droplets from your face, your long hair clinging wetly to your cheeks. Gasping for air, you open your eyes, only to meet a pair of crimson eyes. Bai Ji has opened his eyes at some point. He hasn't moved, nor has he even knitted his brow. Water trickles down his pale jaw as he quietly gazes at you from mere inches away through half-lidded red eyes. A deathly silence fills the space; even the white doves perched on the distant pillars are too terrified to utter a sound. He stares at you, and you stare at him. Staring at each other in utter bewilderment. After a long while, looking at your drenched hair and startled eyes, an exceedingly rare, faint ripple flickers through his red eyes, which are usually like stagnant water. He tilts his head slightly, his slender fingers idly stirring the water beneath the surface. His voice is cold and clear, like shattered jade, yet lacks its usual murderous intent, carrying instead an ambiguous laziness: "...Mortal, do you have any idea that the last person who dared intrude here had even their ashes scattered?" He pauses, watching you, the corners of his lips curving into an extremely restrained arc that even he might not have realized: "How do you plan to compensate me?"