Baili Xi was a native of the Chu State, a descendant of Yu Zhong, the second son of Gugong Danfu, the founding ancestor of the Western Zhou Dynasty. Xi was his given name, and because he lived in Baili Village, he became known as Baili Xi. Although he also came from the Ji clan, by the time of Baili Xi, his family had long fallen into decline. The Chu State had a strict patriarchal system, and despite Baili Xi being exceptionally learned and talented, he was a poor commoner with no hope of entering officialdom.
Baili Xi's wife, Du Shi, was a woman who recognized talent, knowing that her husband was simply unrecognized for his abilities, so she encouraged Baili Xi to travel through various states in hopes of being appreciated by an enlightened ruler. Their family lived in poverty, and as he was about to set off on his journey, his wife slaughtered their only hen to prepare a farewell meal for him.
After traveling from the State of Chu, Baili Xi visited states such as Song and Qi, but because he was penniless and had no one to recommend him, he was never employed, and his travel funds gradually ran out. While in Qi, Baili Xi had to beg to survive, but he never gave up his goal of seeking an official position. While begging in the Qi city of Zhi, Baili Xi met Jian Shu. Jian Shu, seeing that his speech was extraordinary, took him in, and the two had pleasant conversations, becoming close friends. Later, Baili Xi thought of serving under the ruler of Qi, but fortunately Jian Shu stopped him. Otherwise, when internal turmoil later broke out in Qi and the ruler was killed, Baili Xi would likely have died as well. When Baili Xi traveled to the Zhou region, he heard that the Prince of Zhou liked raising cattle, so he used his excellent cattle-raising skills to catch the prince's attention. The prince wanted to employ him, but again Jian Shu stopped him, saving him from later execution. From this, Baili Xi felt that Jian Shu's abilities surpassed his own.
Later, Baili Xi went to the state of Yu and became a high official there. Baili Xi knew that Duke Yu was not the kind of wise ruler who recognized talent and delegated authority, but he needed the salary to make a living, so he stayed by Duke Yu's side. Duke Yu was greedy for wealth and profit; he accepted fine horses and beautiful jade from the state of Jin and agreed to lend them a passage through his territory to attack his neighboring state of Guo. Baili Xi earnestly advised against this, warning that it would endanger the security of Yu, but Duke Yu refused to listen, so Baili Xi fell silent. Another minister of Yu, Gong Zhiqi, continued to remonstrate, but in the end, Duke Yu stubbornly insisted on his own way and granted passage to Jin. After Jin destroyed Guo, they indeed turned their spearhead toward Yu and annihilated it. Both Baili Xi and the Duke of Yu became captives of Jin.
Duke Xian of Jin heard that Bai Li Xi was very talented and wanted to employ him, but Bai Li Xi refused no matter what. At that time, Duke Mu of Qin wanted to form a marriage alliance with Jin to strengthen his own power and achieve his goal of dominating the Central Plains, so he proposed to Duke Xian of Jin, who then married his daughter Mu Ji to him. Since Bai Li Xi refused to serve Jin, Duke Xian of Jin designated him as a dowry slave for Mu Ji, and when Mu Ji married into Qin, Bai Li Xi was sent along with her as part of the dowry.
Unwilling to remain a slave, Baili Xi fled back to the State of Chu during his journey to the State of Qin. At the Chu border, Chu soldiers, suspecting the panicked Baili Xi of being a spy, captured him. Baili Xi claimed he had been a cowherd for a wealthy family in the State of Yu, and after Yu's fall, he had no choice but to flee. By then, Baili Xi was already a man in his sixties or seventies, and the Chu soldiers, seeing he didn't look like a spy, kept him to tend their cattle. Baili Xi was highly skilled at herding, raising the cows to be fat and strong. Later, when King Cheng of Chu learned of Baili Xi's expertise in cattle-raising, he summoned him to tend his own livestock.
After Duke Mu of Qin and Mu Ji were married, he learned that the dowry slave Baili Xi had escaped, but initially paid it no mind. However, a warrior named Gongsun Zhi, who had fled from the State of Jin to the State of Chu, said that Baili Xi was a rare and exceptional talent. So Duke Mu of Qin quickly sent people to search for Baili Xi's whereabouts, determined to bring him back. Eventually, they discovered that Baili Xi was tending cattle for King Cheng of Chu, and Duke Mu wanted to ransom him with a heavy sum of gold.
However, Gongsun Zhi said that since King Cheng of Chu had allowed Baili Xi to tend cattle, it showed that he had not yet recognized Baili Xi as a worthy talent. If Qin used a large sum of money to ransom him at this point, it would be equivalent to telling the King of Chu that Qin intended to employ Baili Xi in an important role, confirming that he was indeed a man of ability, and then Chu would likely refuse to let him go. Gongsun Zhi then proposed a plan: buy a valuable item cheaply by treating him as an ordinary slave, ransoming him with five black male goat skins, which would dispel the King of Chu's suspicions.
Therefore, Duke Mu of Qin sent an envoy to Chu, claiming that a slave named Baili Xi had committed a crime in Qin and fled to Chu, requesting to redeem him with five sheepskins for punishment. The King of Chu, seeing that he was worth no more than an ordinary slave, agreed without a second thought and ordered Baili Xi to be placed in a prison cart for the Qin envoy to take back.
When the white-haired Baili Xi was escorted back to the State of Qin, Duke Mu of Qin personally welcomed him, removed his shackles, and treated him with great respect. Duke Mu discussed state affairs with him, but Baili Xi claimed to be a minister of a fallen state and had no right to speak. Duke Mu said that the Duke of Yu did not know how to use him, leading to the state's ruin and his enslavement—it was not a lack of talent on his part—and insisted on seeking Baili Xi's advice on national matters. They talked for three consecutive days, and Baili Xi believed that although Qin was located on the frontier, its soldiers were strong and its horses robust, and it occupied a strategically advantageous terrain, allowing both offense and defense; therefore, it should fully leverage its natural advantages and act when the opportunity arose. Duke Mu was very pleased and found himself in complete agreement with Baili Xi on governance, so he intended to appoint Baili Xi as Shang Dafu (equivalent to Prime Minister) to oversee Qin's military and political affairs. However, Baili Xi declined the appointment and instead recommended his close friend Jian Shu to Duke Mu. Thus, Duke Mu welcomed Jian Shu to Qin with lavish gifts, appointing Baili Xi as Zuo Shuzhang and Jian Shu as You Shuzhang, and they were called the "Two Chancellors."
Baili Xi entered the state of Qin and assisted Duke Mu of Qin in educating the people internally, enlightening their minds, and reforming Qin's backward political system according to the Zhou Dynasty's official structures and court rituals; externally, he ceased warfare, fostered friendly relations with neighboring states, allowing the people to focus on agricultural production and economic development. Within a short period, Qin achieved great order, rising from a remote border state to a powerful kingdom that could contend with the states of Jin and Chu during the Spring and Autumn period, laying the foundation for Qin's later unification of the six states and the formation of a unified Chinese empire.
Because Baili Xi was ransomed with five black ram skins, people called him the "Five-Ram-Skin Grand Master." "Gu" means black ram skin, and the story of trading five sheepskins for a wise minister became a timeless tale passed down through the ages.