Side Story 1: Cuddling with the Qilin (continued)

Cong Zai: "Meow."

Soon, the Shi Suo Yan Shi the others also came out, running around on the side, occasionally bumping their heads against the Qilin.

In their excitement, they couldn't quite control their strength, Shi Wen staggering, and then simply running.

It would have been better if he hadn't run; his running ignited Yan Shi's competitive spirit, and he started running after him.

Horses like Shi Suo and Yan Shi are incredibly fast; they have never lost a race.

Shi Wen them chasing me, and I can't help but want to run faster, even faster.

Unfortunately Shi Wen had only just transformed into Qilin, and his four legs were a bit uncoordinated when he ran on the ground.

As he ran, he felt something was off, so he ran into the sky.

In the sky, he was much faster; Shi Suo and Yan Shi couldn't catch up, let alone the other little guys.

Yan Shi and Shi Suo ran in the lead, with the other little ones chasing behind.

Because there were so many little ones, Shi Wen almost got caught several times during the chase and pursuit, which was quite exciting.

Shi Wen was having a great time playing with the little ones, Yan Kexing out to find him.

Shi Wen jumped to the ground, slightly out of breath, and ran to Yan Kexing in a few steps. "What's wrong?"

The other kids ran over and gathered around Shi Wen to watch.

Yan Kexing said, "Zhu Ji on the phone. He says he needs to speak with you."

Hearing that it was important, Shi Wen calmed down a bit and wanted to turn back into human form, but he was a little embarrassed because he wasn't wearing any clothes.

He said to Yan Kexing, "Could you call him back for me? I'd like to see what he wants."

Yan Kexing dialed the number, and the other end answered immediately, "Brother Shi!"

Upon Shi Wen his form of address, Shi Wen knew he had something to say and politely replied, "Brother Zhu, what's the matter?"

"Good bro!" Zhu Ji's cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone, "It's like this, I need your help again."

Shi Wen: "You say."

Zhu Ji: "Have you seen the news recently about the Asian elephant herd taking over the national highway in Dian Province?"

Shi Wen: "I checked the push notification and know about this, but I haven't looked at the other details. However, wasn't the elephant herd issue resolved? I saw in the news that experts have already anesthetized them and removed them."

Zhu Ji: "It's been addressed, but not completely. After we released the Asian elephants into the wild, they went back to the national highway and are now completely blocking it, making it impossible to drive on."

Shi Wen wondered, "How can this be? Aren't they afraid of cars at all?"

Zhu Ji sighed, "Even wild elephants are that big; people are afraid of them. Besides, they are protected animals, and most people wouldn't bother with them."

That's true.

Zhu Ji continued, "That's the situation right now. The wild elephants are refusing to leave the national highway, and the locals don't know what to do with them and don't want to harm them, which is a huge headache for them. The people from their local Abnormal Affairs Bureau want to ask you for help. Aren't you Qilin? Maybe you can successfully get these elephants away."

Shi Wen: "I understand, when are we going?"

Zhu Ji! "The sooner the better!"

"Let's do it today then. I happen to be free today, can you arrange my flight? Oh, by the way—" Shi Wen started to say, but then remembered, "I can transform into Qilin now, just wanted to let you know."

"What?!!!"

Zhu Ji's voice cracked. "Say it again, I don't think I heard you clearly--"

Shi Wen calmly repeated, "I said I can transform into Qilin now. I'm calling you in Qilin form right now."

Zhu Ji: "Wait a moment! I'll be right there."

As he was about to hang up, Shi Wen seized the opportunity to interject, "Aren't you going to see the Asian elephants?"

Zhu Ji: "Who cares about that now?!"

Zhu Ji's voice was so loud that it echoed from the other end of the phone.

Shi Wen flicked his thick ear and realized he'd made a mistake; he shouldn't have pressed his ear against the receiver. The sound was too loud, almost deafening him.

The little ones also heard Zhu Ji's voice, and now they stood still, looking at Shi Wen with bright, expectant eyes.

Shi Wen could tell what they were thinking at a glance. He waved his hoof and said, "Let's stop playing here for today. We'll play again next time."

The little ones instantly showed expressions of disappointment.

They were quite well-behaved; upon Shi Wen these words, they stood there for a while, feeling dejected, before heading off to play in distant places together.

Zhu Ji was coming, Shi Wen familiar with him, but she was still too embarrassed to be naked in front of him, so she went back to her room to transform back into human form and put on clothes.

Shi Wen is a little tired from playing and doesn't feel like moving around much right now; she's walking very slowly.

Yan Kexing took his phone and said to him, "You'd better hurry, Zhu Ji will be here soon."

Shi Wen, "Is it really that bad? So many people are herding cattle and sheep out to graze this morning, he can't possibly speed."

Yan Kexing's eyes held a hint of a smile, "I reckon he won't drive over."

Shi Wen was about to say, "How can you get here without a car?", he suddenly felt a subtle vibration. It wasn't the vibration of a heavy object stepping on the ground, but rather a feeling of the air being disturbed.

Perhaps his senses became more acute after transforming into Qilin.

He looked at the source of the disturbance, puzzled.

Yan Kexing said, "You're here. Perfect, no need to change clothes."

Shi Wen Yan Kexing finished speaking, a white shadow appeared before his eyes.

It turned out to be a huge yet delicate rabbit, at least half a person's height, with incredibly soft fur.

The first thing that came to mind Shi Wen was the superfine wool produced by my own sheep.

The fur on this rabbit is probably even finer than microfiber; it looks incredibly soft to the touch.

Shi Wen could even form further thoughts, the rabbit's three-lobed mouth opened, and a voice that Shi Wen very well rang out. "You really did turn into Qilin?!"

Zhu Ji, transformed into a rabbit, looked him up and down. "You possess a faint yet pure Divinity. Auspicious Beasts are indeed different from us ordinary Variant Beasts."