HuXiao

HuXiao is the het ship between Xiao and Hu Tao from the Genshin Impact fandom.

Canon
There isn't much content that contains the two as they have not interacted in the canon timeline yet.

They both have butterfly as their symbol. Xiao's story quest is called "Butterfly's Dream" while Hu Tao's quest is called "Yet the Butterfly Flutters Away".

In their voice lines, Hu Tao seems to be the only human that Xiao actually finds 'humorous', and Xiao is also one of the very few people who actually has a positive impression of her. This is quite surprising since Xiao is an introvert who keeps himself away from others. On the other hand, Hu Tao's voice line about Xiao sounds like she is flustered and is trying to keep a secret about him.

In Chapter I, Act I: Of the Land Amidst Monoliths, there is a ghost named Dusky Ming who Xiao is taking care of at Wangshu Inn. He described her as a spirit who had never hurt anyone, yet is also not yet able to be moved on. The ghost can be seen singing 'Hilitune', a song which Hu Tao composed. Moreover, this ghost was also featured on Hu Tao's birthday post, playing hide-and-seek with her.

In the description about the Stone Lion Statue: The Knowing, it is said that the first stone lion were built from jade and based on the forms of adepti, having an ability to frighten evil away. People are often seen preparing a serving of Almond Tofu as a little token of appreciation for a certain adepti for that. Contrastingly, according to the description about the Stone Lion Statue: The Warding, despite the fact that most people treat these statues with an utmost respect, Hu Tao seems happy to disregard this tradition, regularly showing up around them to play some pranks.

Additionally, Hu Tao's favorite indoor furnishing set "Cloudy Haze Dream-Court" is designed to look similar to the rooms in Wangshu Inn, where Xiao resides.

Both the yakshas and Wangsheng Funeral Parlor play a role in keeping Liyue safe from the resentful remnants of evil gods. Xiao’s story quest and voice lines mention that the yakshas keep the resentment from spreading by slaughtering the demons that spawned from remnants. Hu Tao’s story quest and the Staff of Homa description mention that doctors and directors at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor have historically helped purify the resentment that plagued the people of Liyue.

Quotes
"Hu Tao? Her liveliness is irritating. Fortunately, she is also humorous, so you need not worry about her growing into a boring human."

- Xiao about Hu Tao

"What would I know of the adepti? Ai-yai-yai, that kind of stuff is top-secret! Don't come asking me about it!"

- Hu Tao about Xiao

"Do you know the history of the Yaksha? They once fought against the ancient gods. They fought brilliantly in a battle that engulfed the whole world in darkness. Although the gods were defeated in the end, their resentment persevered."

- Hu Tao in her story quest "Yet the Butterfly Flutters Away": "In Pursuit of a Phantom"

Fanon
HuXiao shippers often think that Xiao would be protective towards Hu Tao and Hu Tao might be the one to repair Xiao's broken soul.

Hu Tao and Xiao are like 2 faces of the same coin. They both deal in death, but while Hu Tao is about moving on, seeing death as a peaceful conclusion of life that everyone must go to, in contrast, Xiao is about death is a redemption, where life is so full of suffering that death is a release. For Hu Tao, death is a path of life thus the butterfly (soul) flutter away (move forward). For Xiao death is a dream (desire).

Those who don't ship HuXiao romantically enjoy their dynamic as friends or as a found family (usually with Zhongli as the father figure and sometimes Ganyu as a sister).

HuXiao is often overshadowed by XiaoVen and Xiaother on Xiao's side, although it remains one of Hu Tao's more popular ships. On AO3, there are currently 110+ fanfics about Xiao and Hu Tao.

Fandom
FAN FICTION



PIXIV



Trivia

 * Xiao is canonically 160cm tall, while Hu Tao is 156cm.
 * In Chinese culture, the butterfly is a symbol of long life and conjugal bliss.
 * "Butterfly Lovers" is a famous Chinese legend about the tragic love story between two lovers who couldn't be together in life and became butterflies in death.
 * Hu Tao has several connections to Wangshu Inn, where Xiao resides:
 * Her ascension level-up materials (silk flowers) are found there.
 * The recipe for Vegetarian Abalone, the base for her specialty dish, is sold there.
 * Her favored indoor furnishing set "Cloudy Haze Dream-Court" is designed to look similar to the rooms in Wangshu Inn.
 * They have quite the similarities:
 * Both Xiao and Hu Tao are five star polearm users.
 * The two of them both have ombre hair.
 * Hu Tao can also do something similar to Xiao's plunge attack. Xiao's E skill is similar to Hu Tao's charge attack.
 * Both of their elemental powers drain their HP.
 * They both favor the outdoor furnishing set "Qingce Cloud Residence".
 * They both hold respect for Zhongli.
 * Zhongli's true identity being Morax remains a secret to most, but both their voice lines for Zhongli imply that they know who he is.
 * Qiqi is a significant character to both of them.
 * Qiqi's story and voice lines imply that Xiao was one of the adepti involved in her death and/or resurrection.
 * Hu Tao proclaims herself as Qiqi's "true friend" and wishes to lay Qiqi to rest, though later Hu Tao accepts Qiqi's will to live and no longer wants to force her to move on.
 * They both highly regard Beidou's fighting ability.
 * They both deal in death and serve as protectors of sorts.
 * Xiao as the Conqueror of Demons killing evil spirits to protect Liyue, and Hu Tao as the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor carrying out last rites and ceremonies to protect the world's natural order.