Baizhu / Genshin Impact

[peach_princess]

Sooo I just finished Baizhu's story quest in Genshin, and I was shocked to find out absolutely no content about him here. This man candy is a doctor who treats his patients by transferring his own life force to them and taking on their diseases... Like, COME ON!.. 🙊💞

For those who don't play the game, here's my boy and his cough: https://youtu.be/WeiiHtx1Nbo?si=JpvcXW2sLiqOXM6n&t=1323 The fanfic takes place right after this story quest

"Shhh... You will be okay now." Baizhu's long fingers lightly brushed against Jiangli's cheek. Her face was still red and her forehead was glistening with tiny droplets of sweat, but her heavy, ragged breathing was calming down, and it looked like Jiangli finally fell asleep. She stumbled into Bubu Pharmacy yesterday afternoon, only a day after being healed from the toxic effects of the god remains that she had been collecting for years to prolong the life of her husband. The source of the god remains poisoning Jiangli was destroyed, which seemed to have restored her health, at least until now. Baizhu slumped in a chair next to his patient's bed, exhausted. He had been up all night and still could not figure out the cause of her sudden illness. Baizhu barely dozed off when he was rudely awoken by the twittering of the birds outside. The night had passed, and he hadn't gotten any rest. Baizhu took his hand off Jiangli's shoulder and cupped his head. It was buzzing with a dull, persistent ache, and his throat felt more dry than usual. Baizhu tried clearing his throat, but it turned into a sharp cough. "I can rest a little bit longer," he thought. "Gui can open the pharmacy by himself, and with Qiqi's help they will deal with everything just fine..." The doctor's head fell limp on his shoulders, and he dozed off again. The secret art of healing that Baizhu performed on Jiangli seemed to have stabilized her condition, but after giving away his life force for the past three days, Baizhu's own reserves were running low even with Changsheng balancing his chi.

"Master!"

*knock, knock, knock*

"Master Baizhu! Are you here? Master Baizhu!"

The voice came from the other side of the door accompanied by a rushed knocking. Baizhu reluctantly opened his eyes, struggling to determine whether the knocking was in reality or his imagination. The warm, fading sunlight let him know that he had slept through the day and woke up around the golden hour right before the sunset. His head didn't hurt anymore, but it felt woozy and heavy like it was stuffed full of cotton. Baizhu let out a delicate cough and groggily asked the door: "Gui?"

"Yes! Master Baizhu, w-we have a patient who needs your help." Gui's voice sounded shaky. Baizhu blinked a couple of times trying to wake himself up, then jumped on his chair and turned to Jiangli. The woman was peacefully asleep with no signs of fever or pain. Baizhu exhaled in relief. He didn't know how long her condition would be stable, but it looked like he had at least another day or two to examine her symptoms and find a cure. 

Baizhu got up, feeling a wave of heat wash over his head, blurring his vision for a moment; then it was gone as quickly as it came. Baizhu blinked. His vision was clear again, and other than feeling terribly exhausted, he was quite alright. 

----------

The patient was a young man in his late twenties. His bronze skin and long, dark hair exposed his origins to be from Sumeru, and his clothes were reminiscent of a traditional Akademiya gown, white and green with a gold trim, altered to allow for more flexibility and mobility. The man was lying on the floor, unconscious.

"He came in here asking for some herbs for his headache and dizziness. He said that he came from the mines in the Chasm..." Gui began to explain as Baizhu sat down next to the patient.

"He was awake and he seemed to be okay when we were talking, then he extended his hand towards me and started falling. I caught him right before he passed out." Gui hurriedly finished, extending his own hand as if reenacting what had happened.

Baizhu found the man's pulse — his heartbeat was within the normal range. Baizhu continued checking the man's vitals when the patient let out a small groan. His eyelids slowly opened and he lifted his head. 

"Where... Uhh..." The man looked around and saw Baizhu. The man's eyes studied the doctor for a moment, gliding over his elegant facial structure before moving on to the reptilian pupils of his bright amber eyes hiding behind thin glasses, then to Baizhu's soft, long green hair gathered in a loose braid cascading down one of his shoulders. Finally, the man's gaze met with a pair of big red eyes belonging to a white snake resting around the doctor's neck like a loose scarf. 

"Dr. Baizhu?" The man finally asked. His voice was a little raspy, but he seemed to have regained his consciousness. 

Baizhu smiled softly and sniffled. The contrast between the stale air of the back room and the crispy evening air coming through the open entrance of the pharmacy was making his nose itch. Baizhu cleared his throat. "Hello, I am Baizhu, a practitioner of medicine at Bubu Pharmacy. Can you tell me your name?" Baizhu's voice had its usual elegant and professional quality to it albeit sounding a little weary. The air outside was filled with the scents of late summer herbs, glaze lilies, and silk flowers. Mixing with his patient's musky, slightly sweet perfume, the scents were starting to get overwhelming for Baizhu's sensitive nose. The small tickle that started at the tip of his nose was now climbing up, and Baizhu sniffled again, trying to get rid of it. 

"My name is Ehsan," said the man weakly, getting Baizhu's attention away from his nose. "I am a researcher from the Akademiya studying the effects of the Chasm on the surrounding area, living organisms, and...err its relation to the incident." He gave Baizhu a difficult to interpret look.

"*cough* Ahem... snf!.. Ehsan, what symptoms... snf!.. are you experiencing?" The tickle in Baizhu's nostrils was growing stronger. The doctor pressed the back of his hand against the bridge of his nose and rubbed with force. The irritation in his nostrils went away for a moment only to come back even stronger.

"Well, you see, I am not a cartographer," Ehsan smiled sheepishly, exposing the dimples on his bronzed cheeks that reflected the soft golden glow of the setting sun. "I had the maps, but they were all made before the Chasm was closed, of course. I assume that the geological features of the caves have changed significantly since then, and so did the environment in the area. I got a little lost in the caves when I finally found something worth examining – a weird black ooze, like mud..."

Baizhu's nostrils twitched, and his mouth opened ever so slightly as his breath hitched. "Hiih..." Not now, concentrate! What do you know about the dark mud? It has to be related to the Abyss Order, probably highly toxic to humans... Baizhu's thoughts were interrupted as his breath started hitching again and he swiftly raised his gloved wrist to his mouth in an attempt to hide it. 

"It was pitch black and it had an unnatural purple glow. It felt… ominous..." Ehsan continued.

Baizhu pressed his nose firmly into the back of his hand in an attempt to alleviate the persistent tickle that was now settled deep inside his nostrils. His chest rose as he took a long, shaky breath and his eyes glazed over.

"... and dizzy. The air was thin, and I felt short of breath. Then I felt a kind of a heat wave as I was going deeper, but..."

"Huuh...heh... Hh! Huh'KGT! Hh-Hh... Hh'NGxt! snf!.. ugh..." Baizhu suddenly turned away and ducked into his elbow, letting out two muffled yet forceful stifles that jerked his body forward. "Oh archons, I'm... snf!.. very sorry about that. It must be from all the scents outside, the flowers are in bloom this time of year." Baizhu let out a delicate cough and smiled at Ehsan.

"Oh, err... Bless you, doctor! As I was saying..." 

Damn it, the itch was back, and now his nose was running like an opened faucet. Baizhu sniffled wetly and tried to concentrate back on Ehsan's story.

"... and when I came here, the dizziness and nausea came back and suddenly I felt like I was back in the caves."

Damn it, damn it, damn it! Baizhu's nostrils were turning pink, and one could see them barely glisten with moisture. Baizhu fished out a white handkerchief from his pocket, pressed it to his nose and massaged his irritated nostrils a little before turning away from the Sumeru scholar and blowing his nose, trying to stay quiet. The handkerchief quickly absorbed the moisture, but the massage seemed to only irritate Baizhu's sensitive nose, making him audibly gasp "Hiih!.."

"Dr. Baizhu?" Ehsan asked with a mix of worry and confusion in his voice.

"Hiih... Hih.. Hh.. Hh..." Baizhu felt paralyzed, embarrassed by being seen in this state by his patient and Gui (who was diligently writing down Ehsan's symptoms on his left), yet unable to regain control over his body. His breath was hitching, and the tickle in his nose seemed to be going deeper and deeper until... "

"Hih... Hh.. Hh'nsSCH! Heh-heh-hh gk'SCHHH!" Baizhu turned away and pitched forward, muffling two more restrained sneezes into his elbow. The stifles seemed to irritate his nose even more, and the doctor could feel another fit coming up. Why, why does his body have to fall apart like that in front of his patient! Baizhu blinked through teary eyes and caught a glimpse of Ehsan's toned arms peeking through the cropped sleeves of his Akademiya gown. His skin looked smooth and tan against the thin white fabric. In the last rays of the setting sun, the man seemed almost ethereal as he gently brushed his thick glossy hair away from his face and tucked the unruly strands loosely behind his ear.

"Your condissshn..." began Changsheng, making Ehsan jerk away as he noticed the snake's glowing eyes staring right into his own, "...seems to be turbulent due to the toxic effectsss of the dark mud. Dr. Baizhu has to consult his books on this ssubsstance before prescribing an appropriate treatment."

Baizhu stopped dabbing the handkerchief at his eyes and took it away from his face, accidentally brushing the tip of his nose which immediately caused it to twitch. "Ah, yes, of course... Ehsan, Gui, please excuse Changsheng and myself... snf!.. for a muh-moment." He shot both men a reassuring smile and quickly got up, trying not to sway as he did so. He made his way to the back of the pharmacy, trying to look confident and collected, then almost stumbled fumbling with the door handle leading to the outside. He darted out, greeted by a gust of chill air and gentle scents of glaze lilies that made his nose scrunch up as he drew a sharp breath.

"You're welcome!" Changsheng was tightening and loosening her grip as she moved her head to the other side of Baizhu's face which was growing red with embarrassment.

"Th... Hiih... Thank you," he breathed out and heavily dropped his weight onto the railing of the wooden terrace outside of the pharmacy.

"You know, you don't alwaysss have to be so ssstrong for everybody," Changsheng said calmly. "Gui is quite capable of taking care of the patients, and Qiqi can take over making the medicines."

"Hiihh... Hh-Hh!.. Hh-GGKX'schh! Hh-eKSCHew! Hh.. Heh..." Baizhu took a step back away from the railing, then jerked forward muffling another strong double into the crook of his arm. His elbow, barely covered with fabric, was now glistening from tiny droplets of moisture, and Baizhu sighed wearily. His long green braid fell over his shoulder and was now slowly rocking in the air as the doctor was trying to regain his composure.

"And you know, I don't sss-think it's just your "condition". I ss-think you had exhausted your life force so much that you caught a cold as your body's defenses dropped... And be more careful for Rex Lapis' sake, you almost got me!" Changsheng lifted her head to get out of the way of Baizhu's trembling arm that was still covering his face.

"I'm... Hiih... Sorry... Hh... Hh... I can't help it..." He looked up at the evening sky feeling defeated, his breath hitching uncontrollably as his eyebrows darted up again.

"Hiih-eeKSCHhh!" He stifled another sneeze into his elbow, stumbling from its force.

"And I doubt your patient can hear you through the walls, so perhaps you could stop threatening my existence with your attempts to save face?!" Changsheng's coils loosened around the doctor's neck as she slithered down and settled around his chest.

"I... Heh..." Baizhu didn't have time to think about her request as he took a deep breath tilting his head up and jolted forward with an uncovered fit, his arms still raised in the air helplessly.

"Hiih'IISSSHeww! Hih... Hh-IISSHiuu! Heh... Heh... Hh'eeSCH'ah! EeSCHH! EeSCHh! EeSCHuh! Heh... Ugh... snrf!.." Baizhu blinked a couple of times and grabbed his stomach, bursting into a violent coughing fit.

"What did I tell you? You need to take care of your body and let it do its job trying to heal itself. Go on, get it out before we can go back and save your ssweet ssscholar boy." Changsheng's voice changed intonation in the end, teasing Baizhu's fragile ego.

"Huh-Hh!...... Ugh..." Baizhu shook his head, trying to scratch the itch inside of his nostrils. His nose was raw and dripping as Baizhu hurriedly covered it with his handkerchief. Being able to sneeze openly helped alleviate the tension a little, and he felt light-headed from the fit. Baizhu blew his nose, making a wet sound, and grabbed the terrace railing.

"Maybe you are right," he finally said, disregarding her sassy remark. "Maybe... snrrf! snf!.. I could take a day off once Jiangli is feeling better. Her son had almost lost his father the other day, and he can't possibly take almost losing his mother too..." Baizhu looked at the scarce stars that were starting to appear in the sky, still light blue and feathered with thin airy clouds. He sniffled again, trying to locate the cause of the itch in his nostrils, then rubbed the bridge of his nose violently. The vibration seemed to make the itch worse, and Baizhu squinted at the sky, filling his lungs with a deep inhale as he lunged against the railing, gripping it with both hands as if his life depended on it. 

"Hh... Heh... Eeh'sSCHew! EeSCHHh'iuu! EeSCH! EeSCHh! Uh... Huh... Hh-Hh! Hh'EeeTSCHEW!! *cough* *cough* heh... Hh! Hh-eKSCHH-iuuu!!" Baizhu sniffled, his shoulders shaking with tension. He blew his nose into his damp handkerchief rendering it useless and slumped over the railing, exhausted.

"All better?" Changsheng asked cautiously, struggling to get a good grip on the doctor's chest. 

"Yeah... snrf!.. Yes, you can come back now." Baizhu let out an audible sigh. "Well, apart from the doctor looking like an absolute mess..." – he opened his arms inviting the snake to assess his sorry state, his green hair spilled out from his braid and caught by an evening gust of wind, his glasses hanging from one of his hands limply, – "...at least we know what is wrong with the patient."

Changsheng gave the doctor a curious look. 

"He just needs some rest," Baizhu coughed and smiled at the snake, readjusting the glasses on his face and giving his nostrils one last rub, making sure the awful itch was gone for good. "And the herbs to help the poison leave his body before it does any lasting damage *cough*"

----------

Bubu Pharmacy was illuminated by the warm light of the lamps lit by Gui when Baizhu stepped back inside. 

"Master Baizhu! Are you alright?" Gui asked, studying the doctor's face quizzically. 

Baizhu cleared his throat. "I apologize for my absence, but I assure you that there is nothing to worry about. It's just some chronic problem I have flaring up again, I simply need a little rest and I'll be good as new." He smiled, trying to make his voice sound calm and nonchalant despite getting raspy. 

"My dear Ehsan, I have good news... *cough* The poison from the dark mud of the Chasm can only affect you while you are in its proximity. However, prolonged exposure to its toxic fumes can slow down your recovery time. You should start feeling better within a couple of days, but I’m afraid you’ll have to postpone any further explorations until you are fully recovered. Meanwhile, I will have Gui bring you some medicine to help with your symptoms."

The Sumeru scholar was now sitting in a chair holding a cup of tea, the rising steam swirling in front of his face, his dusty adventuring backpack propped against the counter. His dark eyes reflected the dancing flames of the lamps, emanating a warm glow. He smiled gently, mimicking Baizhu's soft smile, which made the doctor blush as he cleared his throat again. 

"Thank you, Dr. Baizhu! I appreciate your dedication to your patients and the fact that you are helping me despite your... umm... condition..." Ehsan stumbled trying to find the right word, sending a jolt of electricity through Baizhu's body as the doctor questioned the thickness of the pharmacy walls. Baizhu coughed and smiled, shaking off the embarrassment. 

"I tend to anyone who comes to Bubu Pharmacy seeking medical attention," he said softly. "I treat all of my patients fairly, and I do my best to heal them. You needn’t worry about me; if anything, I would be worried about being more careful next time you venture into the Chasm – it is a very dangerous place, after all." Baizhu met Ehsan's eyes and smiled, his gaze lingering a little longer before sliding down the scholar's strong jawline and long neck. "However, as you have kindly noticed, I have indeed been working overtime lately and might benefit from a short break. You are free to stay in one of the patient rooms here until you feel better or continue your treatment at home." Baizhu's voice sounded confident and professional, dropping ever so slightly as he invited the Sumeru scholar to stay over. 

"Thank you, Dr. Baizhu. I would hate to discomfort you tonight, but I would be delighted to see you again in a couple of days to, err, assess my condition when you are feeling better."

Baizhu cleared his throat and sniffled, nodding as his cheeks flushed again. The yellow light and the warmth of the room were getting to Baizhu as Gui went to get the herbs for Ehsan's medicine. Baizhu's head lowered and he closed his eyes, but was snatched away from his slumber by Changsheng's tail flicking his neck from behind, which made Ehsan chuckle. Baizhu gasped, blinked, and muttered a quick apology before retreating into the back of the pharmacy and collapsing on his bed, falling asleep as soon as his head hit the soft pillows.

 

 

[Akahana]

What a wonderful fic!!!  I’ve always been thinking about Baizhu sneeze and you’ve delivered <3

[Dye]

Ohhhh Baizhuuuuuu 💖 he's PERFECT for this, I'm surprised that I've seen so little until now! I love how you wrote him, and his sneezes are so cute 🥺💖 Changsheng scolding him is sweet and fits so well aaaaaahh

[I love Alan Rickman]

Oh my, this is so precious, you did an incredible job!! I haven't played Genshin in a while, but I always loved Baizhu, and you did wonderfully!! How precious. I want to give him a big hug and some tissues