Shen Hu doggedly followed her trail, eyes aglow with the colors of sunset
So this spirit of Shen Hu expresses its power in the color of reds and oranges, and uses Lake as (one of) its primary element(s). We know "lazy summer" is a theme for one of its techniques. I'd think a Lake/Fire spirit akin to Su Ling's spirit fox heritage or a Sun spirit counterpart to the Dreaming Moon as the most probable possibilities for its identity, so long as were confining ourselves to elements that have already shown up in-quest.
"Your qi just never runs out does it? How did you cultivate so much?"
"You know I can't answer that," Ling Qi said wryly,
Ling Qi can't answer how she cultivated Qi so much because she
never cultivated qi! It's always hilarious how everyone just doesn't know how she could have so much qi when Ling Qi just relied on super-ducal-tier pills.
(It's rather unfortunate that, unless Xin feels up to give more bennies to Ling Qi, everyone will catch up relatively soon in terms of qi. It's a nice joke, while it lasts.)
rearing stag with a moon disc held in its antlers
A stag for the Horned Sage, and the disc for the Moon. Or possibly combined sigil for the children of Tsu. Rather obvious first layer of meaning, but the other layers, if any, are opaque to me.
(I wonder, where are the stag with sun? The Horned Sages followed both Sun and Moon, and the seasons, the secrets of which were one of the most notable of Tsu the Diviner's claims to fame, should bear the mark of the Sun, not just of the Moon only.)
"I don't think it's a trap exactly," Ling Qi began slowly as Sixiang fed her more information. "It's more like...this valley is part way into a dream?"
Hey — if this place is partway into a dream, does this mean Sixiang can materialize herself here? That is to say, if Ling Qi finds herself in a situation where talking is the best option, could she baton pass Sixiang in to take her place?
(Also, freaky space-warping shenanigans. We know of the broken-space around the Weilu tomb, and now this dream — is the mark of the Weilu weird reality-breaking regions?)
this guy, he really would go in with nothing but his spirit beast and not a single scrap of information. Of course, she couldn't say she was any better. She hated wasting time.
Yes, good. Finding commonality between yourself and another is a good way to gather boytoys for yourself, Ling Qi.
It was as if one of the ancient trees of the deeper forest had uprooted itself and been reshaped into the vague outline of a man.
Interesting. Fire isn't out of the ordinary for Wood, but a burning canopy is a bad sign — the destruction of the leaves and branches prevents regeneration from those sites. The prince calling it mad might have some merit, though this is all magic and any speculation at this early stage can't really be argued properly.
Also, this is a tree spirit made in the image of a man. I doubt spirits without extended and comprehensive contact with humans would look humanlike, so this tree must have had an arrangement with the local humans to develop a self-image consistent with the human body form. Speculation: might the prince be part of an effort to clearcut this section of the forest in an effort to expand agricultural operations, breaking the agreement between the forest and humans?
Another thing, the mark for this location is that of a stag with moon — suggesting the dream of this place is that of the prince. Did the prince fail and had to retreat, leaving his father behind? Ling Qi remarked this was much like a bad dream.
If Ling Qi helps the prince, will the memory weaken, allowing her and Shen Hu to plunder the unspoiled valley. (Though there aren't any spirits or beasts to loot.) If Ling Qi helps the spirit, will the memory worsen, intruding further into the waking world?
