Xiao

Xiao may have the appearance of a young man, but his true age is something over two thousand years.

Fortunately, people do not tend to underestimate him on the basis of his appearance — one only needs to spend a short time with Xiao to clarify that he is not someone to be trifled with.

Xiao is a man of few words. He is highly dangerous, and has the most piercing gaze you've ever seen.

He enjoys a formidable reputation and high level of seniority among the adepti, but is relatively unknown in the mortal realm.

This is inevitable. Xiao is not one of those popular deities to whom people pray for wealth and protection, nor is he a mystical sage of Jueyun Karst to whom pilgrims flock in search of divine wisdom.

No... If any mortal witnesses Xiao unleashing his true power, it is certain to be under the direst of circumstances — and they will be extremely lucky if they survive the ordeal.

This is not because Xiao seeks to harm people. Rather, since Xiao wages a constant war against dark forces powerful enough to devour Liyue in its entirety, any bystanders who witness him in the heat of battle are likely to end up as collateral damage.

Not that this is a secret worth going around silencing witnesses for.

What exactly is Xiao wrestling with?

The tactful answer would be old grudges, unfulfilled dreams, the lamentations of the vanquished...

The unmitigated truth is that Xiao fights against the remnants of the defeated gods from the Archon War, which took place prior to the rise of The Seven.

Morax defeated those gods and buried their remains beneath the rocks of the earth.

However, gods are immortal. Their consciousness may diminish, but their power and hatred will always remain and spread like poison, relentlessly stirring up chaos for the world and its inhabitants.

Liyue's rulers, who are aware of the truth regarding Xiao, refer to him in his millennia-long experience as the "Bane of All Evil."

The war he fights can never be won, and will never come to an end.

It is also an invisible war that no one will ever witness or thank him for.

Xiao is not this yaksha's true name, but a name given to him in the interests of his own protection.

Back in a younger, more naive time, a god had gotten a hold of Xiao's weakness and forced him to serve as their bloodhound, in which capacity he was forced to perform cruel and violent acts.

Many died at his hand, many hopes were crushed, and he was even forced into devouring his victims' dreams. As much as it pained him to do this, he was helpless to resist.

Finally, on the battlefield of the Archon War, Morax, the Geo Archon, had a fateful encounter with the yaksha's master.

The current state of the world has already revealed the results of that battle.

Rex Lapis liberated the yaksha and gave him the name "Xiao."

"In the fables of another land, the name Xiao is that of a spirit who encountered great suffering and hardship. He endured much suffering, as you have. Use this name from now on."

To repay his debt of gratitude to the Geo Archon, Xiao shouldered the burden of protecting Liyue in the millennia that followed.

His past of service under the evil god had rid Xiao of his innocence and gentleness. All that remained within him was the means to kill and the weight of his sins.

The only way he could be of service to mortals was in doing battle.

But what could people do for him in return?

No ordinary person would ever stop to ask such a question. The sight of Xiao, even far off in the distance, was intimidating enough to send people instantly running for their lives.

That said... if ever someone did want to show some appreciation for Xiao, there is perhaps one thing they could try.

There is a certain secret agent of the Qixing who is tasked with supporting Xiao in subduing demons. That secret agent runs a front organization called the Wangshu Inn.

Occasionally, Xiao stops by the inn for a bowl of Almond Tofu, and if you could see the look on his face when he eats it... there's no mistaking it — he clearly loves the stuff.

Nonetheless, it is not the sweet taste that Xiao hankers after. It's the texture he finds irresistible — apparently, it's very similar to that of the dreams he used to devour.

What exactly is Xiao wrestling with?

To those in Liyue's corridors of power, Xiao's battle is against the evil manifestations produced by the remnants of defeated gods.

However, if you asked Xiao the same question, he may well give you an entirely different answer.

Xiao was once enslaved by an evil god and suffered immensely under their rule until finally regaining his freedom thanks to Rex Lapis.

Xiao's powers were highly regarded by the adepti and he seemed to vanquish all manner of evil demons with consummate ease.

But the evil gods also held immense power, and their lust for revenge ran deeper than mere mortals could ever contemplate. Xiao relentlessly slaughtered the endless, impure manifestations of their vengeful souls, but in doing so, he caused them to fracture. Eventually, these fragments of their hatred were able to taint Xiao's own soul.

The only way to eradicate such hatred is to accept the karmic debt it brings. The magnitude of the bad karma Xiao has accumulated over the years is enough to consume flesh, bone, and soul alike.

And yet, Xiao does not feel any hatred. Having lived for over two thousand years, no single karmic debt constitutes anything more than a fleeting memory.

No grudge can last a thousand years, nor is any debt so great that it cannot be paid off in this time.

Xiao has spent many long years alone.

But his battles have never been in vain.

Because ultimately, the one with whom Xiao wrestles is himself.

What does Xiao fight against?

The Traveler understands very well that Xiao fights against the darkness that threatens Liyue. He fights to defend Liyue.

But who will defend him?

There was once when most of Xiao's strength was spent fighting from dusk till dawn, with him emerging victorious by a mere hair.

The reeds in the fields had been sliced to ribbons in the fierce fighting. Plucking his spear from where it had been planted in the ground, Xiao began the trek home.

Well, one says "home" — yet, where did Xiao have to return to? He was merely leaving the battlefield.

Long exhausted, Xiao felt the divine hatred that tainted his body take effect.

Limitless hate flooded his senses, and he fell to the ground in agony.

But it was also at that moment that the pain vanished without warning.

This was not by Xiao's own strength, for he had been rescued by the sound of a flute.

The clear, lovely sound of the flute came over the mountains and rivers, carried on the wind to where he lay.

And clear it continued to ring till the first light of dawn brought with it the startled flight of distant birds.

It protected Xiao, massaging his wild senses, and giving him a moment's peace.

Who was playing this music? Xiao was curious but did not pursue the matter. For he already had something approaching an answer.

The last person who could help him was one of The Seven themselves. So this person, too, must be—

A scholar of the Sumeru Akademiya once did folklore studies in Liyue, the result of which was a book called "Tour of the Land of Liyue," with separate editions being available in Sumeru and Liyue.

"Hidden Diamond and Cloudy Moon: Wonders and Folklores of Liyue" is the version available in Liyue, and has had many mystical and magical portions removed.

The "Ode to Windborne Wraith" is one of the mystical chapters that remain recorded within the complete version at the Akademiya.

The document mentions that though the yaksha were mighty and upright among the adepti, they were bound by their own karma to suffer great horrors and tribulations. As such, they wandered the land in a state of unending suffering.

The chapter lists many methods of comforting the yaksha, such as food offerings, holy chants, and the like. These would appease the yaksha and help them to continue defending the peace.

As noble warriors among adepti, the yaksha would often descend upon the battlefield in person. However, as conflicts grew over the millennia, they have almost been wiped out. Today, large statues of the yaksha subduing demons remain within Liyue's borders, but they have had their features destroyed.

By the by, the language used in that text was so meandering, and its contents so dense, that it sold far fewer copies than the Teyvat Travel Guide and the international cultural summaries written by El Musk.

All adepti are known as the "mighty and illuminated" adepti, and this "illumination" refers to the light of a third "eye" that they possess: a Vision.

But do adepti receive their Visions as a form of acknowledgment from Celestia, like humans do?

Xiao no longer remembers the moment he received his Vision. To humans, this would be an unforgettable event. But for him, this was just the beginning of his endless battle.

The thing that Xiao truly cannot forget is something different.

There are a great many human festivals, and few remember the stories behind them.

The greater part of these days coincide with occasions where man-eating monsters were defeated by the adepti host. People imitated their deeds and staged exorcism rituals to remember their ancient heroism, with these practices eventually evolving into celebratory festivals.

The hatred and residual might of many of the gods defeated by Morax throughout Liyue will sometimes erupt with abnormal force amid their half-awake, half-dreaming state. Among them, the eruption that takes place during the Lantern Rite is the most extreme in scale.

Xiao has his mission to perform the time-honored "Nuo Dance of Evil Conquering," and so he fights night and day during the Lantern Rite. Thus, he has come to hate it.

Now, Xiao did not consider battle dangerous. It was due to his hard work that Liyue was kept safe. People lit their lanterns, and the blessed lights shone across the night sky and the nearshore.

At that moment, another special feeling blossomed in Xiao's heart. Loneliness? Peace? Or was it his fears for the future? The young-seeming adeptus searched his heart, only to find no answers.