Worried that Jiang Bai might not know how to eat it, the hilichurl patted its belly, then stuffed the shriveled Sunsettia into its mouth, loudly chewing a few times before swallowing with exaggerated satisfaction.
Jiang Bai stared at the fruit in his hand, feeling a complicated tangle of emotions.
It was obvious that life in these harsh snowy mountains wasn't easy—even for hilichurls. This Sunsettia had clearly been left too long, dried out from storage. They likely didn't even want to eat it themselves.
And yet, they were willing to offer it to me, a human.
Meanwhile, he had been mentally preparing to wipe them all out the moment something felt off.
A sharp pang of guilt stabbed through his conscience.
He forced a smile, wiped the fruit with his sleeve, and took a bite. It was dry and mealy—not pleasant—but he finished it seriously, without hesitation.
"Tomo~"
Seeing him eat the fruit, the little hilichurl was clearly overjoyed, dancing around with delight.
Courtesy demanded reciprocity. Since they'd treated him with such rare hospitality, Jiang Bai couldn't just take and give nothing in return. He pulled out a collection of items he'd gathered before climbing the mountain—Sweet Flowers, apples, and raspberries—and arranged them neatly on a tray formed from geo energy.
The little hilichurl was visibly stunned with delight. Cradling the tray carefully, it brought the offering to the elder shamans.
Seeing the colorful bounty of fruit, the hilichurls who had been keeping a wary eye on Jiang Bai instantly softened.
Under their watchful stares, Jiang Bai followed the small hilichurl to the two old shamans.
"Olah~"
The two shamans examined Jiang Bai's appearance closely, then let out a strange cry and began dancing in place.
Jiang Bai had heard the word "Olah" a few times by now and assumed it must be a friendly greeting.
Not knowing what else to do, he mimicked the word and replied, "Olah~"
"Mosi Mita~ La-la-la~"
While Jiang Bai stood there, thoroughly confused, he was officially accepted as a guest. The whole tribe—dozens of hilichurls—surrounded him and began to dance.
Their movements were synchronized, carrying a certain ancient rhythm. They chanted strange syllables, sounding like ceremonial songs or chants passed down through tradition.
Watching them, Jiang Bai had a sudden realization: Hilichurls had their own language.
It wasn't just garbled nonsense—they had grammar, tone, even structure. It's just that humans couldn't understand it.
They weren't simply mindless beasts. They had consciousness, awareness, and at least a basic level of intelligence. They only appeared primitive and dull because their history had been cut off—erased.
Given enough time to grow and evolve, they might one day develop into a civilization with intelligence rivaling that of humans.
But one thing continued to puzzle Jiang Bai—why were they so friendly toward him?
He didn't see himself as anything special. Every hilichurl he'd encountered before attacked on sight. He didn't think he had any hidden trait that made them treat him differently.
If it wasn't him… then it must be something about this tribe that was unique.
He decided to stay a bit longer and observe—try to figure out what set this group apart.
Once the dancing ended, he found a patch of ground to set up his pot and started making soup.
Out in the wilds, especially in a place this cold, a hot bowl of soup was just what he needed to warm the stomach.
The small hilichurl who had brought him here crouched nearby, watching curiously as Jiang Bai lit a fire and arranged his cookware.
"Got any water?" Jiang Bai asked, gesturing with hands and expressions as best he could.
"Water. Drinkable. Gulp-gulp," he added, trying to mimic drinking motions.
He had boiled water in his waterskin, but supplies were limited, and he wanted to conserve it.
After a long bout of charades, the little hilichurl finally seemed to understand.
It led him to a corner of the cave.
That part of the cavern was noticeably colder. Ice coated the stone, the air biting against his skin.
Beneath the frozen wall was a small icy pool. The water remained unfrozen, likely due to being part of a flowing underground stream. A Cryo Slime slid across the surface, leaving a path of frost in its wake.
As soon as it spotted Jiang Bai, the slime looked ready to attack—only for the hilichurl to scoop it up and chuck it aside.
Smack! The slime hit the ground, looking thoroughly wronged, and bounced off in a sulky wobble.
The hilichurl pointed excitedly at the pool, gesturing animatedly.
"Thanks," Jiang Bai said, though he knew it probably wouldn't understand. He filled his pot halfway with water and began rinsing the ingredients on the spot.
He took out a large radish, peeled it, and chopped it into chunks. They tumbled into the pot one after another. Then came a slab of dried meat, which he sliced into pieces. A few ginger slices and some salt for flavor, and the soup was ready to boil.
Just as he turned to bring the pot back to the fire, the little hilichurl pointed at him, then at the ice wall—before suddenly starting to dance in front of it.
Jiang Bai blinked, brain briefly lagging.
He turned to look at the wall.
The ice was unusually clear—nearly flawless. There were barely any air bubbles, and the patterns in the rock behind it could be seen with startling clarity.
But what drew his eye was a small depression in the surface, where it looked like a massive chunk of ice had once been fused to the wall, then split off and fallen—likely into the pool below.
He peered into the water. It was flowing gently—almost certainly part of a larger underground river system.
But what does this have to do with me...?
He did have a cold aura in his body, and something about this mountain did feel familiar.
Could it be... I was once sealed inside this ice wall? That this hilichurl tribe knew me, once upon a time? And one day, the ice broke, sending me into the underground river, drifting all the way to Liyue?
It sounded plausible. Logically, it tracked.
But he didn't want to accept the idea that he'd once been some ancient sacrifice frozen in ice, worshipped by hilichurls.
It was just a theory—wild speculation. There was no way to confirm it, and no way to ask the hilichurls about it either.
Jiang Bai brought the pot back and set it over the fire to cook.
The flames licked the pot's base, and before long, the rich aroma of meat and vegetables began to fill the air. Jiang Bai stirred the soup with a ladle. When it began to bubble, he tasted a spoonful and added a bit more salt.
Hearing the delicious smell waft up, the nearby hilichurls' stomachs began to rumble.
"Gurg guru~" the little hilichurl murmured, clutching its belly, staring longingly at the pot.
"It still needs time. Be patient—radishes taste best when they're nice and soft," Jiang Bai said, not really caring whether the creature understood.
The hilichurl obediently sat to the side, hugging its stomach, patiently waiting for the soup.
Jiang Bai reached over and gave its head a curious pat. Its fur wasn't soft—it was actually rather coarse and prickly. The bump from the rock he'd thrown earlier had already vanished.
From its size, it was probably still a juvenile—easily identifiable among the others.
"I can't keep calling you 'hilichurl, hilichurl' forever," Jiang Bai mused aloud. "Since I hit you with a rock... how about Xiao Shi? Little Stone."
And with that, the name was decided—without the slightest attempt to get its permission.
Xiao Shi tilted its head. Its mask obscured its eyes, so it was impossible to tell if it understood.
---
[Hilichurlian Translation Glossary]:
Olah~ – Hello, greeting
Tomo~ – Gratitude, satisfaction
Mosi Mita~ – Happy, joyful
La-la-la~ – Emphatic filler / rhythm marker
Unu – Deity or god worshipped by hilichurls
Gurg guru~ – Stomach growling, hunger
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