As promised, the water god ignored Qian Lan all day after the banquet. As to make use of her time, Qian Lan decides to explore the palace on her own again. Once news spread of Qian Lan gaining favor with the water god; there was little to no one to stop her little exploration.
After spending the whole day exploring the empty rooms, Qian Lan was about to call it a day and head back to her bedroom for dinner when something caught her eye. At the corner of her eye, Qian Lan spots a maid exiting out of a hidden wall that was at the dead end of the hall across from her.
"What the heck?"
Being nosey as she was, Qian Lan knew she had to find out more about it. Quickly running across the hall, she hides behind a large pole and waits for the maid to leave. Once the coast was cleared, Qian Lan pats down on the hard-wooden wall for a switch.
"What did that maid do to open this door?"
She continues to pat the door while looking around her to make sure no one was coming. Out of frustration after ten minutes, Qian Lan punches the side wall and tilts the picture that was hanging on it. To her surprise the door opened.
"Holy crap! This is some Indiana Jones mystery!"
Feeling ecstatic she happily squeezes through the door crack and finds herself on top of a long staircase lighted with candle lamps. Taking a deep breath, she starts walking down the steps; unsure of where it was going to take her. After descending down the stairs for what seemed like forever, Qian Lan finally reaches the ground. Rather than finding something, she is greeted with a long hallway that lead to another location.
"Should I keep going?"
Qian Lan begins to worry as she was getting farther and farther from the door. Still letting her curiosity get the best of her, she continues to tread on.
Meanwhile, the head maid who came to bring Qian Lan her dinner begins to worry as there was no sign of her.
"Where did that woman go?"
Quickly placing the food down, she orders nearby guards to help her search for Qian Lan. After thirty minutes of no luck, the head maid could now feel her heart nearly beating out of her chest. Clenching her fist, she makes a run towards the water gods sleeping quarters to notify him.
"Knock Knock!"
The water god ignores the knock and goes back to working on his paperwork. Once again, the head maid knocks on his door again; only louder this time.
"Knock Knock!"
"My lord! It's an emergency!"
"Sigh, come in."
The head maid quickly props the door open and greets the water god as she catches her breath.
"I'm sorry to bother you so late at night, my lord."
"What is it that couldn't wait until tomorrow morning?"
"Uh…it's my lady. She's gone missing."
"Hah? What do you mean missing?"
The water god drops his Ink brush and glares at the head maid.
"I don't know where she went. I had guards search the whole palace and we've had no luck."
"And? Why are you telling me?"
The head maid was baffled and unsure of how to respond.
"I…I thought. I…never mind. I apologize for bothering you. I will find her on my own."
The head maid quickly runs off and heads back out to find Qian Lan. Meanwhile, the water god sits in silence as he continues to think about what the head maid had just told him.
"Sigh, that damn woman."
Meanwhile, Qian Lan finally reaches the end of the dark hall. Taking a deep breath, she peeks into the large opened door in front of her. To her suspires it wasn't gold or dead bodies that laid before her. Unlike anything she had ever seen before. Qian Lan finds a large creature chained to the wall.
The large creature quickly notices her and stares back at her.
"What…...what are you?!"
"Me? I'm a Kirin."
"Oh my god! You can talk?!"
"Isn't that why you asked me a question?"
"A Kirin? I always thought you were just a mythical creature!"
Qian Lan decides to walk into the room to get a better view of the beautiful creature in front of her. With blue dragon like scale, two long whiskers and four legs that resembled a large chicken; Qian Lan had no doubt he was the real thing.
"What brings you down here woman? It's been centuries since I last had a human visitor."
"For someone who sounds like a ten-year-old boy going through puberty, you sure talk a lot. Psshh…. calling me woman. Since I'm nice, I'll tell you my name. Call me Qian Lan!"
"Qian Lan? But you have the same soul color as Chenguang."
"You knew Chenguang?"
"Of course. She was masters first wife!"
"What did you mean by the same soul color?"
The Kirin goes onto lay on his belly and shrinks in size. What looked like a mythical creature now looked like a cow.
"Pffftt…what's with that size?!"
Qian Lan bursts out laughing as the Kirin scoffs at her personality.
"Hmph, how rude. If you continue to laugh, I won't tell you."
"Ha Ha! Alright, I'll stop so please tell me more about what you know."
Qian Lan seats herself on the floor and closer to the Kirin.
"Ahem, that's more like it Qian Lan. Now, creatures like me are blind but we can tell things and people apart from the color of their soul. Although we can't see the person, we can see their soul. You have the same color as Chenguang. That only means two things."
"What things?"
"One, you're Chenguang reincarnation or you have her soul which explains why she hasn't woken from her slumber in the past two hundred years."
"So, it was true! What that goddess of death said!"
"Goddess of death?"
"Yes! She told me I had the same soul as Chenguang!"
"If it's coming from that woman, then it must be true."
"Then…. what…what does that mean for me?! The water gods not going to kill me and take back Chenguang's soul, will he? Isn't Chenguang dead?!"
"She's been laying in the casket made from the thousand-year-old peach tree. It's been said it heals all wounds and illnesses, and overtime will call back the soul into the body of the deceased. Master has been waiting for two hundred years. But if it's been reincarnated then it makes sense why she hasn't woken."
"Well too bad for Chenguang! This soul is mine now! Her time has ended, and she can't come and take what's mine!"
The Kirin stared in silence as Qian Lan panics for her life.
"Calm down Qian Lan. I believe in what you say too. Chenguang has been dead for two hundred years. I don't believe in killing someone to revive another so I will not tell master about today's encounter. You're the first one to talk with me like this other than master so I rather like you!"
"How can I trust you?"
"I am a mythical creature created by heaven's king. We do not lie. Besides, I can tell what kind of life and person you are from your soul. It must've been hard being brought into an unknown world and then forced to replace others. Now you're even stuck in this situation, yet you remain true to yourself. Your soul is pure and clear unlike Chenguang. It does not matter if people share the same soul, but how you live can impact the color and motions of the soul."
Qian Lan goes quiet as she hears the truth from a creature that wasn't even human.
"Hah. It's frustrating when the one who understands you isn't even human."
Qian Lan cries in frustration as everything finally hits her. Like history repeating itself Qian Lan reaches out and grabs hold of the Kirin.
"There…there…don't cry or master will know."
After five minutes, a strong gust of wind blows at Qian Lan's back. Quickly turning around she finds the water god standing behind her with a sour face.
"Julong, what did you do to her?"
"Nothing master! I haven't done anything!"
The Kirin quickly reverts back to his original and large form and pushes the crying Qian Lan away. Quickly drying her tears Qian Lan stands up and begins to walk back out of the large cave like room.
"Julong! I will come visit you another time. Thanks for listening to me rant."
The water god frowns at hearing the words of exchange and runs after Qian Lan.
"Why were you down here?"
"What is it to you? You don't care what I do, right?"
"You!"
The water god grabs Qian Lan by the waist and snaps his fingers. Within seconds the two were now inside the water gods sleeping quarters. Qian Lan quickly pushes the water god away from her and tumbles onto his bed.
"Why have you brought me here?!"
"You will stay here from now on. I can't trust you to be on your own."
"I don't want to!"
"I'm not giving you a choice."
The water god walks back to his study desk and begins work again as Qian Lan glares at him from his bed.