Chapter 19: Shíjiān, the Qilin

Xinyi woke in a cave with no idea on what had taken place and on why she reached this spot. She tried to sit with much difficulty and looked down and saw herself literally on a bed of layered flowers. Her eyes gazed the place around and saw herself inside a cavern with crystal formations hanging like an inverted pagoda while some were standing upright from the ground. A light came from a hole above her.

She tried to stand up, but she felt her feet getting wobbly and hurriedly held on the wall. A meter tall deer with no horns and had woolly feet came to assist her along with Kuàilè sitting on its back. The deer used its body for her to hold on as Xinyi sat back down on the flowers. Xinyi hadn't felt this weak before, of which all of her muscles had no strength at all.

"Xinyi, Xinyi, thank goodness you have waken up. How are you?" said Kuàilè as she hopped on Xinyi's arm.

"Where am I?" Xinyi's head moved as she took in the surroundings in great consideration.

"This is a cave owned by this great **Qilin, Shíjiān."

"A Qilin?" Xinyi looked bewildered at the being she thought was a deer.

The Qilin Shíjiān curtsied with her three feet bent while a foot in front extended upfront and its head lowered.

"Oh, no, no, please don't lower your head at me. I'm nothing but a simple person." Xinyi was uneasy to see a great being sought by kings to bow to her. She tried to pull the animal up, but it won't move.

"You must accept her respect, Xinyi. She comes from a royal lineage, and she won't stand unless you acknowledge her."

Xinyi sighed and had to give in than to see the Qilin suffer. "You can stand now, Shíjiān." The Qilin did as told and placed her hoof in front of Xinyi. To Xinyi's delight, apple, pear, strawberries, grapes, and other fruits appeared one by one like they were from invisible bubbles popping up in front of her. Out of joy and amazement, the lady wished to hug the Qilin, but in the blink of an eye, the latter jumped away.

The Qilin's actions reminded Xinyi of the dizzy owl and sighed in shame. She forgot again. Good thing the creature knew the result and avoided her grasp.

"Shijian, can you speak?" asked Xinyi. Shijian shook its head. "Why can't she speak?" This time she asked Kuàilè.

"I don't know, Xinyi. I wish I can help."

"Is there anyone who can communicate with her?"

"Only the owl. I don't know anyone else," replied Kuàilè.

Xinyi moved forward a little and caressed the Qilin's neck and head. "I'm sorry, Shíjiān, I wish I have the power to help you bring out your voice so you can speak," said Xinyi with her soft voice and soothed the Qilin's heart. In response, Shíjiān poked its head in Xinyi's hand, expressing she understood what Xinyi meant.

The lady's gaze went to Kuàilè while her hand continued brushing on the Qilin's fur. "How come I'm here?"

"You passed out after you reach the forest, and we disappeared. When we reappeared, it was already nighttime, and exactly at the same spot where we vanished. Thank goodness, Shíjiān and a bear was on the spot and brought you here."

"Really? I disappeared... I mean, we disappeared? What exactly happened for us to disappear?" Her brain seemed to short-circuit with the thought.

"The owl said that you probably passed out because you exerted a significant power and your body couldn't take it. He suspected that you used time manipulation because of the way you vanished and came back."

Xinyi's big eyes grew bigger hearing what the bird said, as if Kuàilè spoke a unique language she couldn't understand. She blinked her eyes several times before she found her voice.

"What? What did you say? What time... what did you call it? What is that?"

---- o ----

Earlier during the day, after Xinyi yelled, it was not only the animals in the estate who reacted, but other animals ranging within the city stood alert.

Inside the City guards' house, Zang Wei bathed the stray dog the guards had adopted. He was busily shampooing its coat when the dog stood in alert with its eyes staring at a distance, and its tail and ears stood straight up. Wei followed where the dog was looking but couldn't see what it was watching in particular. The same thing happened in every family with pets, whether it was a dog, bird, and cats, including the fish in the ponds.

Few pandas hiding within the bamboo thicket stopped their snacking with the bamboo leaves and looked toward where Xinyi shouted. Shíjiān woke and jumped out of her cave. Another gigantic being sleeping under the ground woke and … listening and waiting.

After a while, the animals went back to their personal business, as if nothing happened. The huge being's eyes closed again. However, the biggest panda walked toward the forest and climbed a tree and sat in silence as its arms embraced the tree trunk, while Shíjiān didn't go back to sleep. She ran and jumped on a tree near the panda... and sat. Her fur's color changed, taking in the color of her surroundings. So, when Ming passed by, he didn't notice Shíjiān.

----- o -----

Facts:

**The qilin, or kirin in Japanese, is a mythical hooved chimerical creature known in Chinese and other East Asian cultures, said to appear with the imminent arrival or passing of a sage or illustrious ruler. Qilin is a specific type of the lin mythological family of one-horned beasts. (Wikipedia)

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