Ling Ying, hidden in the shadows, also recovered his senses, looking at Qi Lin who had once again appeared in Xiao Xun'er's boudoir without warning, his eyes filled with shock.
At the spot where Qi Lin had suddenly appeared, he still hadn't detected the slightest spatial fluctuation.
Furthermore, after eleven years, Qi Lin's appearance remained completely unchanged.
However, the aura emanating from him clearly didn't belong to an Old Freak who possessed the art of preserving youth or reversing aging.
What on earth is going on!
Over the years, because Qi Lin had not appeared for a long time, he had followed Miss's instructions to inquire about Qi Lin's whereabouts in the Heaven Dou Empire and neighboring countries, but he had found nothing; there was simply no such person.
He was too mysterious, as if he had appeared out of thin air.
On the other side, reunited with Qi Lin, Xiao Xun'er was completely awake at this moment. She pulled his hand and sat on the bed, then began chatting with him endlessly.
If anyone from the Xiao Family were to see such a lively and talkative Xiao Xun'er, they would surely be dumbfounded.
Because in their impression, Xiao Xun'er was very aloof, indifferent, and taciturn.
Although she appeared polite to everyone, there was a strong sense of detachment within that politeness.
In fact, Xiao Xun'er didn't know why, but whenever she faced her Qi Lin Ge, who was full of inner filter, she couldn't help but want to get close to him.
The two of them had known each other for less than a day back then, and now a full eleven years had passed.
Thinking of this, Xiao Xun'er couldn't help but lower her head slightly to look at the ice-blue Qilin jade pendant hanging on her chest, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Perhaps it was because this jade pendant had accompanied her for a full eleven years in place of Qi Lin Ge.
It allowed her to no longer curl up in bed and cry like she did when she was a child.
Xiao Xun'er smiled sincerely, "Qi Lin Ge, thank you for the Qilin jade pendant you gave me back then. It's the most precious gift Xiao Xun'er has received these past years, and also Xiao Xun'er's favorite gift."
Qi Lin was slightly startled, thinking of the little loli he had seen yesterday, and subconsciously reached out to pat Xiao Xun'er's head.
"As long as you like it!"
As if feeling the warmth emanating from Qi Lin's palm, Xiao Xun'er's cheeks flushed slightly.
Xiao Xun'er then talked a lot with Qi Lin, mostly about her experiences over the years, including Xiao Yu, one of the few people in the Xiao Family she could talk to, some books and ancient scrolls she had read over the years, and her favorite delicacies and desserts.
Besides these, she would also act like a little girl, with a hint of resentment, saying that if she had known it would be eleven years before she saw Qi Lin again, she would have held onto him and not let him leave back then.
Finally, Xiao Xun'er also mentioned Xiao Yan, asking Qi Lin if he remembered the guy who was knocked out when he first appeared in this room.
Qi Lin naturally remembered.
Xiao Xun'er then recounted that Xiao Yan was directly thrown by Ling Ying at his father Xiao Zhan's doorstep, and later, because his sneaking into her room was exposed, he was hung up and whipped by Xiao Zhan for an entire day, making him wail.
She also said that Xiao Yan had good talent, but unfortunately, he contracted a strange illness and his strength dropped all the way to Dou Qi Stage Three, and even Ling Ying couldn't figure out what illness he had.
Then Qi Lin heard Xiao Xun'er talk about Xiao Yan being unbetrothed by Nalan Yanran a few days ago.
Hearing this, Qi Lin felt a slight regret.
What a pity, I missed the famous scene!
Time passed, and it was morning again in a flash. It was time for Qi Lin to return. Today there were matches between the Skywater Team and the Heaven Dou Team, and he naturally had to be present to watch the games.
Upon learning that Qi Lin was leaving again, Xiao Xun'er's eyes immediately showed reluctance.
"Why are you leaving so soon again, Qi Lin Ge? You left so hastily last time, and then you were gone for eleven years. Can't you stay here and spend more time with Xiao Xun'er?"
"Or, Qi Lin Ge, can you at least tell Xiao Xun'er where you live?"
Looking at Xiao Xun'er's expectant gaze, Qi Lin smiled and said, "Xiao Xun'er, the place Brother lives is a bit far, but Brother can promise you this time that Brother will come to see you often in the future, and this time there will definitely be no accident like last time."
Xiao Xun'er frowned slightly upon hearing this, but finally said, "Alright then, Qi Lin Ge, if you don't keep your promise this time, Xiao Xun'er will ignore you."
Qi Lin rubbed her head.
"Don't worry, Brother promises!"
"When Brother comes next time, I'll stay here for a longer period."
"It's a deal!" Xiao Xun'er's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
"It's a deal!"
"When I come next time, Xiao Xun'er must properly fulfill her duties as a host to Brother!"
Xiao Xun'er nodded seriously, because from Qi Lin's tone, she could sense that he wasn't just saying it casually.
Seeing this, Qi Lin smiled and said, "Then I'll be leaving first."
After speaking, with a thought, his figure once again vanished from the room.
Watching his disappearing back, Xiao Xun'er mumbled, "Qi Lin Ge is still so mysterious, coming and going without a trace."
Then she called out to the shadows.
"Elder Ling, did you notice anything?"
Ling Ying appeared with a bitter smile, "Miss, I couldn't see through this Young Master Qi Lin eleven years ago, let alone now, but…"
Ling Ying narrowed his eyes slightly and told Xiao Xun'er his guess.
"Miss, I suspect Young Master Qi Lin is not human!"
Listening to Ling Ying, Xiao Xun'er's face did not show surprise, but instead she said, "Elder Ling suspects Qi Lin Ge is a transformed magical beast?"
Ling Ying said, "That's not impossible. I've heard that there's a medicinal herb in the world called the Transformation Grass, which is one of the main ingredients of the Transformation Pill. Magical beasts that consume the Transformation Grass can also transform into human form."
"However, the Transformation Grass is ultimately not the Transformation Pill. After consumption, the physical appearance will be fixed, making normal development difficult."
Xiao Xun'er nodded slightly; she had also had this thought.
"But Elder Ling, if Qi Lin Ge is a transformed magical beast, what kind of magical beast do you think he would be?"
Ling Ying stroked his beard and smiled, "Young Master Qi Lin's mastery of space is something even I can't match, so at first I suspected he was from the Ancient Void Dragon clan, one of the three great families of the Beast Region, as they possess unique innate talent in spatial power."
"But then I thought of the Qilin jade pendant Young Master Qi Lin gave to Miss and Young Master Qi Lin's name, and perhaps the answer is right before our eyes."
"Young Master Qi Lin's true form is probably a Qilin!"
Xiao Xun'er nodded after hearing this.
"I've read many ancient texts over the years, but I haven't found any descriptions or records of a magical beast like the Qilin. Could this race originate from ancient times?"
Ling Ying sighed and said, "Perhaps, after all, countless races have disappeared into the long river of history since ancient times. Even the ancient Heavenly Snakes and the Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Pythons have a day of extinction. Perhaps the Qilin is one of them, but no one knows."
"If not for that, how could Young Master Qi Lin's name be such a coincidence and sound like Qilin?"
"It must be that Young Master Qi Lin named himself this way to commemorate his race."
Xiao Xun'er nodded in deep agreement, her eyes slightly reddened.
"Qi Lin Ge is all alone now; he must have been very lonely all these years."
"But it doesn't matter. From now on, Xiao Xun'er will be able to accompany Qi Lin Ge, and she will definitely not let him feel lonely."
(The entire Battle Through the Heavens novel does not mention the word 'Qilin' at all, so it is assumed that there are no Qilins in Battle Through the Heavens.)