Chapter 188: Yin Qi’s True Form Is Actually?

Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Yin Qi’s True Form Is Actually?

The moment she got a clear look at Yin Qi, Liang He fell silent.

She wondered if this world was even real. Perhaps this entire life was just a figment of her imagination.

"So... the Divine Beast Ah Ling mentioned is actually a *real* Divine Beast," Liang He muttered to herself. Behind her, Silver Li and the others were still caught up in their worry.

He had been taken from his familiar environment, and the black-and-gold cover—which had acted as an isolating Protective Shield—had just been lifted. It wasn’t hard to imagine how furious Yin Qi was about to be.

"Miss Liang He! Get out of there, quickly!"

Silver Li wanted to yank Liang He out of the medical bay to give Yin Qi some time to calm down and prevent her from getting caught in the crossfire. After all, considering she called Silver Feather by the nickname "Ah Ling," Liang He clearly held a high place in the Holy Daughter’s heart. If anything happened to her, he wouldn’t be able to escape the blame.

"I’m fine." Silver Li’s shouts finally pulled Liang He’s wandering thoughts back to reality.

Honestly, from the initial Mengji Snow Leopard to the subsequent Mini Kunchong, and even Little Black—who was currently in deep hibernation and seemingly growing horns—Liang He had always suspected that the interstellar era had an undeniable connection to the ancient Blue Star. The Blue Star people had always thought the contents of that Ancient Book were pure fantasy. Now, for some reason, Liang He felt it was actually a factual record.

"This... is your Divine Beast?"

"Y-Yes! Is there a problem?"

Although the Silver Wing Temple was independent of the Endless Ice Domain, for the sake of its believers, it never hid what needed to be shown or paid attention to. As a result, interstellar citizens generally knew what their Beast Forms looked like. There were only minor differences in details or colors; overall, anyone paying close attention could recognize them. As for Yin Qi, being revered as the Divine Son naturally meant he was an even more sacred existence.

"So your Divine Beast turns out to be... a Qilin?"

Silver Li’s matter-of-fact tone made Liang He’s mouth twitch in speechless exasperation. If she had known, she would have asked Silver Feather for a photo beforehand so she wouldn’t be standing here completely bewildered.

"Yeah!" Unable to understand why Liang He was so surprised, Silver Li suddenly remembered the information in her file. Liang He... apparently didn’t know about the existence of Beastmen.

"Uh... Miss Liang He, please listen to my ex—I mean, let me explain."

Realizing this too late, Silver Li tried to salvage the situation, but Liang He simply raised her hand to stop him from speaking further. When he followed the direction of her finger, he saw that Yin Qi had already adjusted to the light and opened his eyes.

The moment Yin Qi’s eyes opened, a flash of awe quickly swept through Liang He’s gaze. Those eyes were a clear ice-blue, brimming with divine sanctity.

Living in the Endless Ice Domain, the Qilin was entirely snow-white. Its surface was cloaked in a thin mist, as if covered in frost, while its scaled armor shimmered with a magnificent, iridescent glow under the light.

"ROAR!"

The cry of the Qilin sounded like a jade chime, resonating like a ringing bell or a beaten drum. Liang He couldn’t find the exact words to describe it, but after listening to it for too long, it definitely made her a bit dizzy.

"Alright, stop yelling. You’re giving me a headache." Liang He checked that the medical bay door was securely closed, then ignored Silver Li’s warnings. She walked straight forward, opened the cage, and let Yin Qi come out on his own.

"Be a good boy, Yin Qi. Come on out and get used to the environment. I’ll give you a checkup in a bit."

The unfamiliar setting had initially made Yin Qi extremely uncomfortable, but Liang He’s effortlessly familiar attitude gave him an inexplicable sense of security. He tentatively stretched out one little paw, stepping over the threshold of the cage. Once he was sure Liang He wasn’t trying to bait him, he quickly darted out and began strutting around to patrol his new territory.

"ROAR!"

Believing that he had simply taken a long nap only to wake up and find his home changed, Yin Qi snorted in dissatisfaction. He thought, "Why is this place so small? And what on earth is going on with this human?!"

"Keep it down. I just managed to coax Cyril and the others to sleep."

Liang He’s hand suddenly rested on the Qilin’s head. Her fingertips casually brushed against his horn, causing Yin Qi to tremble slightly and genuinely quiet down. Seeing his white face tinged with pink, Liang He finally offered a warm smile.

So he was just a shy little guy—cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

"What kind of Qilin are you? An Ice Qilin or a Snow Qilin?" Recalling the different classifications of Qilins, Liang He looked curiously through the door’s window at Silver Li for an answer. After all, she couldn’t actually expect Yin Qi, a Divine Beast, to answer her himself, could she?

"The... the Divine Beast should be an Ice Qilin."

"Should be?" Liang He was utterly speechless. They worshiped him as a Divine Beast, yet they weren’t even sure of his species?

In truth, this wasn’t really Silver Li’s fault. It was primarily because Yin Qi’s Beast Form was quite different from the Qilins that had appeared in the past. That was especially true for his iridescent scales, which not even the Holy Daughter, Silver Feather, possessed.

"Never mind, I’ll just check for myself." Deciding that Silver Li was completely unreliable, Liang He began to examine Yin Qi’s body. "Ah Ling mentioned before that he was lethargic, but he seems pretty fine to me?"

Speaking of which, Silver Li also found this extremely strange. On the way here, Yin Qi had been as listless as ever, lying limply in his cage and sleeping for the vast majority of the trip. Yet, the moment he was moved into the medical bay, he caused such a massive commotion. It completely defied logic.

"Silver Li? Was that roar just now from Yin Qi? I knew I didn’t mishear."

After hearing the familiar roar, Silver Feather and Silver Shuttle had rushed down from upstairs as fast as they could. Silver Feather hadn’t even dried her hair, which showed just how anxious she was. Hoder, meanwhile, remained silently on guard in the shadows. He had long since grown accustomed to Liang He receiving special treatment from Evolutionary Beastmen, so he wasn’t worried in the slightest.

"Ah Ling, you’re just in time. Yin Qi’s mental state looks pretty good to me, so..."

Just as Liang He was about to ask for more details, she heard Silver Shuttle let out a gasp of amazement.

"Oh my god! Liang He, you’re way too brave! Aren’t you afraid Yin Qi will get mad and eat you?!"

"Stop trying to scare Little He. Yin Qi would never do such a thing." Silver Feather smacked the back of Silver Shuttle’s head. She didn’t use much force; it was just a warning. "Don’t worry, Little He. Yin Qi is actually very gentle. He won’t hurt you."

"Huh? I know. We’ve already been getting along nicely."

Although she had no idea what all their fuss was about, Liang He reached out and stroked Yin Qi again to soothe him. As if entirely used to the presence of the human before him, Yin Qi affectionately nuzzled against her palm, seemingly wanting her to pet his horns again.

This extremely harmonious scene left Silver Shuttle utterly shocked, and even Silver Feather was a bit dumbfounded.

"Wait... did Yin Qi get secretly swapped out while you were on the way here?" Silver Feather turned her head stiffly to look at Silver Li in disbelief. Even though her observations over the past few days had made it clear that Liang He had a special way with Evolutionary Beastmen, this was their very first time meeting!

"You must be joking, Holy Daughter. How could we ever allow such a thing to happen?" Silver Li, who had been entrusted with this heavy responsibility by the High Priest, hurriedly denied it. He had to be kidding! If Yin Qi had actually been swapped, not only would he be stripped of his position as Priest, but he’d be lucky to even keep his life.

"...Then how do you explain what’s happening right now?"

Silver Feather stared numbly at the warm and friendly interaction between Yin Qi and Liang He. She simply couldn’t reconcile this image with the beast who had previously violently resisted anyone from his clan coming near him. Even when Yin Qi was conscious in his human form, he had always been a highly aloof and ascetic existence, like an unreachable flower on a high mountain. The title of Divine Son wasn’t just for show.