XiaoLumi

"It [karmic debt] is of my own doing. So, I alone will bear the consequences. …I don’t know if it’s related to you, but recently, the pain from my karmic debt has been less excruciating. It’s much easier to bear than before."

- Xiao: "Want to chat?" Serenitea Pot voiceline

XiaoLumi is the het ship between Xiao and Lumine from the Genshin Impact fandom.

Archon Quest
In Chapter I Act I, Of the Land Amidst Monoliths, Lumine and Paimon are suspected of killing Rex Lapis at the Rite of Descension. The pursuing Millelith are defeated by Tartaglia who advises them to seek the adpeti of Liyue to clear their name and gives them a Sigil of Permission to prevent the adepti from harming them if they become hostile. After meeting with Moon Carver, Lumine and Paimon are sent to find the other adepti, including the Conqueror of Demons who resides in Wangshu Inn. At the balcony of the Inn, Lumine and Paimon pause to appreciate the scenery when Xiao suddenly appears beside them. Xiao tells them that their Sigil of Permission only prevents him from hurting them, but it doesn't stop them from getting hurt in other ways. He advises them to leave and disappears. Lumine questions Verr Goldet about Xiao who remarks that Xiao must have been in a good mood if he showed himself to them. She suggests seeing the chef to make a bowl of Almond Tofu along with a plate of whatever Lumine is best at making. They decide on Satisfying Salad. They meet Xiao again and offer the dishes to him and inform him of recent events. Xiao is shocked to heard about the death of Rex Lapis and says he will seek out the other adepti.

Xiao and Lumine meet again at the Jade Chamber after Tartaglia unleashes the Overlord of the Vortex to lure out Rex Lapis. To fight Osial, the group uses the Guizhong Ballistas, and Lumine is blessed by the adepti powers of Xiao, Ganyu and Madame Ping. Xiao tells her his name means “swiftness” and to “take my power, and run as I do.” They manage to repel the Fatui assault, upon which the three adepti on the ballista fire a powerful shot at Osial, but it destroys the platform in retaliation. Xiao catches Lumine and brings her to safety, softly tells her to be careful and gently squeezes her hand.

Alatus Chapter
Outside Wangshu Inn, Lumine and Paimon encounter a masked adeptus who calls himself “Starsnatcher”. He asks them for their wish and Lumine tells him she is looking for her missing brother. He agrees to help on the grounds they show their faith which Lumine interprets as Mora. Paimon refuses Mora so they settle on offering a dish instead. They head to Wanwen Bookhouse to see if there are new recipes in stock. At the Bookhouse, they witness Starsnatcher purchasing a copy of the book “Yakshas: The Guardian Adepti”. Suspicious of the so called adeptus, they peek at one of the copies. The book tells the story of the Yakshas who were contracted by Rex Lapis to purge evil in Liyue, but the karmic weight of slaughter eventually affected them. In the end, only one Yaksha remained; the Conqueror of Demons, who they recognize as Xiao. Lumine and Paimon now even more suspicious of Starsnatcher and head back to Wangshu Inn to investigate further. They return to see Starsnatcher and his followers surrounded by evil hilichurls as he unsuccessfully tries to use his Sigil of Permission to fend them off. Lumine finishes off the hilichurls herself and Starsnatcher tries to claim that he was too tired to fight them himself. Using Elemental Sight, Lumine tracks the evil aura of the hilichurls to Xiao. Xiao explains that the changes in the hilichurls stemmed from the karma he has accumulated. Lumine and Paimon realize that the contents of the book were true and Paimon feels pity for Xiao. However, Xiao dismisses the book as “literati fan fiction” and says that the Yakshas would feel insulted by her pity. Xiao tells them that he was there to cleanse a cavern of demonic influence. To make up for her accidental rudeness, Paimon requests she and Lumine be allowed to help him with the cavern. Xiao reluctantly agrees.

After cleansing the cavern, the pair inform him of the fake adeptus who had been using a Sigil of Permission to exorcise the demons. Xiao deduces this to be the reason the demons were congregating in the first place and states that they would have to confiscate the sigil. To this without resorting to violence he decides to use an adepti art – the Dream Trawler which can be used to call the souls of others. Xiao tells them to head to a shrine near Mt. Tianheng to fetch the items they need. At the shrine, Lumine and Paimon encounter a junior Yaksha named Pervases who helps them procure what they need. Sensing Xiao’s karmic burden on them he tells them to send his regards to him. After Xiao and Lumine successfully initiate the ritual, Xiao chastises Starsnatcher. Upon learning Xiao’s identity, Starsnatcher praises him and explains that he had heard of his exploits as a child, hence why he collected books on the Yakshas, He found a Sigil of Permission and started cosplaying as an adpeti for fun but was eventually led astray by his greed, He promises Xiao to not pull such deceptions again and Xiao accepts his oath and dismisses him. When Lumine and Paimon return to Wangshu Inn the following day, Starsnatcher had left them the Sigil of Permission and a letter in which he reveals that he has left on a journey of self-reflection. Lumine gives the sigil to Xiao who thanks them for their help.

Lantern Rite
At the start of the Lantern Rite event of Version 1.3, Verr Goldet requests Lumine to convince Xiao to partake in the festival. She says that she herself is not close to Xiao, but Lumine seems to have grown familiar to him. Lumine does not feel optimistic considering Xiao’s mood and Paimon suggest leaving him alone for a few days.

At the docks, Lumine and Paimon notice a suspicious person sulking about and just as they are about to give chase they run into Xiao. He says that he sensed a malign influence and was there to investigate. They notice a symbol left behind by the suspicious person and Xiao leaves the investigation to the two of them stating that if he became involved there was a possibility that the streets of Liyue “would be painted red”. With the information from Kaaya’s contact, Lumine and Paimon interrogate the Treasure Hoarders’ organization in Liyue about the anonymous letter they received. On questioning how they know about the letter, Xiao suddenly appears and tells the treasure hoarders to direct their questions to him. Not believing that Xiao to be an adeptus, they draw their weapons. On defeating them, the treasure hoarders readily give up the letter whose contents reveal a plan to burn the city to the ground. Xiao entrusts Lumine and Paimon to meet up with the suspicious person. Before he leaves, Lumine asks Xiao to meet at a place with a view of the Mingxiao Lantern. Xiao replies that he is not partial to crowded areas and tells them to come to Wangshu Inn when the issue is resolved.

After wrapping up the matter, the pair head to Wangshu Inn to report back to Xiao. Lumine tries to persuade Xiao to see the Mingxiao Lantern, but he refuses stating that he has no interest in the Lantern Rite. Lumine and Paimon talk it over with Verr Goldet and Huai’an who jokes that it would be much easier to bring the festival to Xiao instead. Lumine remarks that this a good idea and Paimon suggest setting up a food stall with Xiao Lanterns at Wangshu Inn to bring the festival to him. Lumine and Paimon help Huai’an set up a stall with Almond Tofu and Grilled Tiger Fish on the menu. After setting up, Lumine goes to fetch Xiao and invites him to participate in the Lantern Rite again. He says that they had the talk about crowded places already and tells her to go alone. Lumine explains that she didn’t mean for him to come to Liyue Harbor, and they had brought the festival to him. Seeing the miniature Lantern Rite festival prepared for him Xiao asks if it served any grander purpose to which Lumine replies that Lantern Rite is meant to include everyone. Once they finish eating, Lumine once again asks Xiao to come with them to Liyue Harbor. He refuses again and the pair request him to at least accompany them till the outskirts of the city, to which Xiao agrees. On arriving near Liyue Harbor, Xiao does not go further and tells them to see themselves into the city. Lumine realizes he can still see the Mingxiao Lantern from where they are. Before Lumine and Paimon leave, Xiao tells them to stay vigilant and speak his name should they find themselves in any trouble. When Lumine asks him if he’d make it into the city in time, Xiao says that will, “anytime, anywhere” and that he hears all cries for help, prayers for peace and wishes carried by the lanterns. When the Mingxiao Lantern is released, even Xiao finds himself entranced and smiles at the sight.

Moonlight Merriment
In the Version 2.1 Event, Moonlight Merriment, Lumine and Paimon along with Xiangling and Keqing visit Wangshu Inn in their search for information abut the Stove God. There, Smiley Yanxiao requests Lumine to make him a Satisfying Salad. He explains that he heard from Verr Goldet that she had made it for Xiao once and it went well wants so he wanted to learn to make it so Xiao would eat something else besides his usual Almond Tofu.

In the second part of the quest, in preparation for the Masterful Chefs competition, Xiangling is looking for someone with mild tastes to test her dish, so Lumine suggests calling for Xiao. Paimon yells his name twice but he does not appear. Paimon is confused but she realizes that Xiao had actually made the promise to come when he is called only to Lumine. Sure enough, when Lumine calls for him saying “Xiao, you there?”, he appears before them. Lumine says that she didn’t think it would actually work but Xiao replies that when he promises her something he will honor it. Xiangling then explains the competition to him and Lumine requests him to help Xiangling. Looking at Lumine, Xiao agrees, saying, “Since it’s you… I will do it.” After giving Xiangling feedback on her dish, Lumine thanks him and he leaves.

Xiao's Birthday Mail
On April 17th 2021, Xiao gives Lumine ten crystalflies and almond tofu. He mentions in the message wanted to put the crystalflies in her hair, thinking it would look pretty but he happened to get far too many for her. "There was nothing for me to do today. So, I decided I would find a Crystalfly for you — to put in your hair. I thought that... it would look nice. The next thing I knew, I had caught several more than I intended. I hope you do not mind. If you wish to meet me, speak my name. ...I do not care much for birthdays and celebrations, and I do not wish to be around large groups of people. To be able to spend some time with you is enough."

Quotes
"It's too late. The connection between us is too strong. Even if you wanted to, it's too late to sever it. Hm? You've never thought to sever it? *sigh* This eternal dance of demon subjugation... My fight goes on. But I would like to know more about you."

- Xiao's Voiceline: More About Xiao: V

"Countless souls have fallen prey to these hands. I too have been swallowed by the darkness — and yet you dare to drive me on. You may think of me as... your companion. You seek to find me salvation? ...You... really are a difficult being to comprehend."

- Xiao's Voiceline: Feelings About Ascension: Conclusion

"My first impression of him was that he's not one to smile. After meeting him again more recently, however, he's still as reserved as ever, but... he seems a lot more relaxed now. Maybe he... met someone special."

- Shenhe's Voiceline: About Xiao

Fanon
It is one of the most popular ships for Lumine and Xiao, rivaling ChiLumi and XiaoVen, other popular ships for the two. XiaoLumi is the third most written ship for Lumine on AO3, coming after ChiLumi, and XiaoLumi is the second most written for Lumine if you exclude gen ships. It is also the fourth written ship for Xiao, coming after XiaoVen and Xiaother, and it's the third written for Xiao if you exclude gen ships. XiaoLumi has 749+ works on AO3. As the ship is popular, it also has a lot of fan art.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

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ARTS

Trivia

 * Xiao gives Lumine a butterfly amulet on her birthday. In Chinese culture, a butterfly represents young love and symbolizes an undying bond between lovers, as well as immortality. Xiao also states that the amulet is made to stave off evil.
 * One of the most well known love stories in China are the "Butterfly Lovers", two people that weren't allowed to get married turned into a butterfly couple after death.
 * Lumine is seen wearing a Crystalfly in her hair in the Liyue version of the Sweets Paradise collaboration art.
 * The BGM that plays when Lumine first meets Xiao at Wangshu Inn is officially titled Lovers’ Oath. Furthermore, in the Version 2.2 Event “Tuned to the World’s Sounds”, the song chosen for the duet with Xiao is Lovers’ Oath.
 * kinsen and Yanning (Xiao and Lumine’s Chinese voice actors) have voiced a fan-made XiaoLumi animation.