Huaiyang - Xihe

"Deep in the peaks of Mount Yang lies the Ruomu Palace. Inside dwells a Daoist of formidable skill. Encounter something evil? She's your answer." "She carries the aura of a master, and the ability to back it up." Xihe's legend ripples through the Xu Heng wilderness. As a Daoist, she cleanses the local villages of Visbanes misidentified as common hauntings. For a lark, she runs a fortune-telling booth—and she rarely misses. The villagers worship her, and the Ruomu Palace has become a temple of last resort, a place of answered prayers. Yet, for all her years here, few have ever laid eyes on Xihe's true face— Awakening in the body of a child, the world insists on treating her like a toddler. Insiders whisper of the story—Xihe and Gengchen, purging Visbanes, only to be mistaken for mother and daughter by the locals. Xihe, burning with indignation, marched ten meters apart from Gengchen for the rest of the mission. Even Gengchen wore a rare look of helpless bewilderment. After incidents like this had happened a few times, Xihe became especially sensitive about being "treated like a child." Salvation came in the form of the Astral Arcanum—an art she crafted from her own Divine Grace—that shifts her silhouette into that of an adult. It solves everything. Now, the mature Xihe sneaks down the mountain, basking in the praise of strangers who laud her composure and grace. Slowly, that adult reflection has become her default mask for wandering Xu Heng. Rumor has it she once dragged Gengchen back to the scene of that old mission, a stubborn pilgrimage to walk the same ground. She didn't rest until everyone saw them as "equals". It's a glimpse of the petulant child hiding beneath the master—a vulnerability she only bares to the few who truly know her. Encounter the child version of her? Expect a deluge of pseudo-profound drivel. No need to be puzzled, though. It's a tactical performance—a curated script designed to project the gravitas of a reclusive sage. Her rationale: "If the physical form fails to command respect, then I must make up for it with the tongue." Ask for samples of this wisdom, and you'll get a stream of: "All things follow their own natural course, so why the rush? Take a spring bamboo shoot. Pull it too early, and you get a mouthful. Let it ripen, grow—you get... a feast." "Every day, I reflect on the three vital truths: Have I eaten? Am I full? Was it satisfying?" ...... If it goes over your head, just nod. Convincingly. If you dare call it nonsense to her face, well—I wouldn't bet your skull against her knuckles.