AEKMEM chapter 23

“Not as pretty as Qiaoqiao.” Chu Heng answered almost without thinking.

Only after saying it did he realize that he had accidentally said “Qiaoqiao.” An Qiao had angrily told him not to call him that anymore when he teased him and called him “Qiaoqiao” before.

Chu Heng felt slightly guilty.

He readily referred to An Qiao as “my Qiaoqiao” when talking to others but hesitated to call him “Qiaoqiao” to his face, fearing he might become angry.

But unexpectedly, he glanced at An Qiao and realized he didn’t seem to have noticed.

An Qiao: “…”

Coming to his senses, An Qiao felt that he had been bewitched to ask such a childish and pointless question.

Hearing Chu Heng say that he was better looking, An Qiao nodded to himself, satisfied.

Chu Heng had decent taste.

But then his expression froze, and his handsome eyebrows furrowed.

He secretly thought that his elven form was the most beautiful and perfect.

Yet, Chu Heng said he looked better in human form.

What terrible taste!

An Qiao’s expression shifted several times before settling into his usual aloof and reserved demeanor.

“Your taste isn’t very good,” he said.

“But to me, Qiao Qiao will always be the most beautiful,” Chu Heng said with a smile.

His tone was teasing, but his gaze toward An Qiao was serious.

His deep rose-colored eyes darkened as if burning with intense heat—sincere and passionate.

An Qiao was slightly stunned. For a moment, his heart seemed to skip a beat.

**

Beside them, the “sparkling light bulb,” Jiang, felt like he was being force-fed a huge bowl of dog food!

Why did he have to say that elves were the prettiest in front of Chu Heng?

Of course Chu Heng, “beauty lies in the eyes of a lover,” would think his sweetheart was the most beautiful!

Even mentioning elves made An Qiao “jealous.” He almost became the one who ruined their relationship.

However, these two are really clingy!

Chu Heng is especially bad, constantly calling An Qiao “Qiao Qiao” and saying, “You’re the prettiest.” It’s sickeningly sweet!

I never expected Chu Heng, with his cold, hard personality and volatile, impatient temper, to be so clingy when it comes to love. His patient, considerate, and sweet demeanor was unbelievable; he was like a different person.

Most of the freshmen at the Empire’s top military academy were fans of Chu Heng.

The Empire reveres strength. As the strongest beastman in the Empire, Chu Heng had led his Second Legion to defeat the invading insectoid race. He had single-handedly wounded the Zerg queen—a remarkable feat that made him a genuine hero of the Empire.

Many of the freshmen participating in the assessment had come specifically because of him.

Now, being able to share the square with their idol and see him in person made many of them so excited that their faces flushed and they almost couldn’t help but scream. Of course, no one dared shout and embarrass themselves. However, their gazes couldn’t help but drift toward Chu Heng.

They saw him walking toward An Qiao and noticed their intimate interaction.

According to the rumors, Chu Heng was always cold-faced and cold-hearted, never gentle or considerate.

Yet, he was gentle and patient with An Qiao, completely devoid of the rumored coldness and arrogance. This caused the new students observing him to look at him strangely.

They never expected their idol to have this side. Perhaps the Crown Prince really was as rumored, quite fond of this Crown Princess matched by the brain system.

The Mo family’s major general, on the platform, caught a glimpse of Chu Heng’s eagerness to find An Qiao and sneered inwardly.

Chu Heng is truly a “lovesick fool”! He’s so worried about his “weak and helpless” parasitic Crown Princess that he’s searched every area of the Star Beast Forest for An Qiao, wasting a rare opportunity to find the elf.

He’s practically blinded by lust!

But the more Chu Heng cared about his Main Brain–matched Crown Princess—the more this useless dodder-flower¹“菟丝子 / 寄生花 (dodder flower)” is a parasitic plant that cannot survive on its own and must cling to another plant. Crown Princess dragged him down—the more it benefitted the Second Prince.

In crucial moments, they can exploit this weakness to attack him. I wonder what this “lovesick fool” will do if they put a knife to An Qiao’s throat.

**

The final exams for freshmen at the Empire’s Top Military Academy have concluded, and the entire capital city is abuzz with discussion.

Who won the “Top Scholar” title? Who were the top three freshmen, and which of the five major military regiments did they choose? Which of the five major military regiments recruited the most students of the highest quality this year?

But the most talked-about figure is undoubtedly An Qiao, the “dark horse.”

The results of this year’s final exams at the Empire’s Top Military Academy were astonishing.

An Qiao obtained an S-rank Star Beast Core in the Star Beast Forest assessment, the only freshman to do so.

With this S-grade star core, An Qiao earned 100 points, narrowly missing second place by one point and securing third place.

It’s said that An Qiao accidentally witnessed two S-grade star beasts fighting. After one emerged victorious and the other was severely injured and died, he simply picked up the star core.

This wasn’t unprecedented; a few extremely lucky new recruits had also found star cores, though only A-grade ones.

An Qiao’s exceptional luck was astonishing.

But even more astonishing was that An Qiao had dug up a huge pile of energy crystals from the Star Beast Forest assessment area. Among them were many S-grade crystals, some of which were extremely rare and priceless, as well as 2S-grade crystals.

Some in the Imperial Capital Star might not know who was in charge of this year’s Imperial First Military Academy assessment, but everyone knew that An Qiao had unearthed a massive pile of energy crystals from the Star Beast Forest assessment area—worth more than a second-rate family’s fortune in the Imperial Capital Star.

This harvest was unprecedented in the history of the Imperial First Military Academy’s assessments. It might even remain so in the future.

Regarding the assessment results, some were happy and some were sad.

Mo Zhiyuan of the Mo family missed the top three, and the entire family was somber.

As for the An family, upon learning that An Yuchun had been injured during the assessment and was now completely paralyzed, An’s father’s hair instantly turned mostly white.

An Yuchun was attacked by a star beast and, although he survived, his spiritual sea was destroyed. His elven healing abilities were nullified and he lost his memories, becoming mentally unstable and erratic.

The Empire’s First Military Academy couldn’t find any answers.

An’s father was not interested in the reason for or process of An Yuchun’s downfall; he was already nearly insane himself.

Throughout his life, he had ambition but lacked ability. He was single-mindedly determined to restore the An family to its former status as a first-rate aristocratic family and placed his hopes in his descendants.

His eldest son, An Qiao, failed to recover and was left crippled. Without hesitation, he abandoned An Qiao and brought back another illegitimate son, An Yu Chun, who was very talented.

However, just a few days later, the brain system matched his abandoned eldest son with Crown Prince Chu Heng. The eldest son became estranged from him and harbored resentment. The crown prince even sent people to warn him. He couldn’t even rely on the crown prince’s influence because everyone in the capital knew the crown prince disliked him.

Unable to salvage the situation, An’s father could only pin his hopes on An Yuchun. However, An Yuchun, his only hope, was now crippled and completely useless!

Upon receiving the news, An’s father nearly suffered a mental breakdown.

The An family is now utterly hopeless!

They might not even be able to keep their current status in the upper echelons of the capital.

**

While others discussed the assessments, An Qiao and Chu Heng returned to the Marshal’s residence.

The final assessments were over, and there would be a month-long vacation.

Chu Heng had just returned when he was summoned to the palace by the emperor.

“I heard that this time you didn’t go see the elf. Instead, you only worried about the Crown Princess and focused on going to see him?” Chu Zhengming’s face darkened.

Does this kid even know how important an elf is to the empire?

Upon hearing news of Chu Heng’s actions, Chu Zhengming didn’t know how to respond. He’s usually so indulgent toward his crown princess, which is understandable, but he’s so unreliable when it really matters!

The “Elf Detector” suddenly went silent again after three days. It’s unclear whether it returned to its original world or temporarily concealed its presence.

“That elf doesn’t mean anything to me. Of course, I have to find my Qiaoqiao first,” said Chu Heng casually in a matter-of-fact tone.

Seeing Chu Zhengming’s face darken further, he added, “Actually, I saw the elf’s back…”

“You saw it? And then? You didn’t chase after it?!” Chu Zhengming suddenly interrupted him.

“It ran very fast, seemingly unwilling to make contact with us Imperials.”

Chu Heng understood the eagerness and emphasis that both Chu Zhengming and Jiang Qi placed on the elves. However, placing their hopes on a complete stranger was undoubtedly unreliable.

Elves had a special status in the Empire. First, the bloodline of the Empire’s elven people originated from elves. A true elf could improve elven bloodlines and perhaps even cause a pure ancestor-level elf to appear, enhancing elven healing abilities. This was extremely important for elves and even for beastmen who needed elven people to soothe and heal their mental power.

Second, it was due to the elves’ unique and miraculous abilities.

In the Empire’s history, an outsider elf helped the Empire turn the tide during a Zerg invasion crisis.

The people of the Empire deeply appreciated the elf’s help. The elves’ bright and virtuous nature inspired reverence and admiration in the Empire’s people.

This, along with other factors, explains the Empire’s fervent devotion to the elves.

However, Chu Heng felt that they could not guarantee that this unfamiliar elf possessed such qualities.

Maintaining a degree of vigilance was necessary.

Of course, it would be ideal if the elf had a good character, bore no ill intent toward the Empire, and they could establish friendly relations.

“Are you telling the truth?” Chu Zhengming frowned.

Chu Heng: “Maybe. But it’s only speculation; it’s not certain.”

“Never mind,” said Chu Zhengming, somewhat disappointed.

Then, changing the subject, he became stern and serious. “However, I hope that next time I send you to search for that elf, Your Highness will take it more seriously.”

Chu Zhengming emphasized the word “Your Highness,” reminding Chu Heng not to forget his status and responsibilities.

Chu Heng crossed his arms and replied casually, “I know.”

Although Chu Zhengming didn’t mention it, he was also looking for the elf.

Although An Qiao’s awakening hadn’t completely failed, his injuries were severe and unusual. The 2S-rank elf healer from the Blue Planet might not be able to cure him, and even if he could, he might not be able to restore his original talents completely.

It would be best to have that elf examine An Qiao if the opportunity arises.

**

An Qiao collected a large amount of energy crystals from the Star Beast Forest assessment area.

However, he couldn’t absorb the energy crystals too quickly. He was afraid that absorbing a large amount of energy at once would prevent him from fully converting it, forcing him to remain in elf form and be unable to switch back to human form, as happened during the three-day assessment period.

With so many crystals, An Qiao became generous and shared some with Chu Heng.

Of course, strictly speaking, it wasn’t “sharing,” but “returning.”

As the king of the dignified elf race, the Elf King felt it was inappropriate for him to always “eat from Chu Heng,” as it would damage his reputation.

Food, lodging, supplies…

The high-grade energy crystals used for decoration in Chu Heng’s room shrank in size after he absorbed energy. Those expensive energy shield bracelets, especially the only three 2S-grade bracelets in the empire, offered little protection but were excellent for research…

Before, without an income, he could only “borrow” them from Chu Heng.

Since he no longer needed energy crystals, he naturally had to return them. He would feel guilty otherwise.

Moreover, Chu Heng seemed to really like these shiny crystals.

After returning from seeing Chu Zhengming at the palace, Chu Heng saw An Qiao sitting lazily on the sofa, squinting and hugging a cushion. He seemed to be waiting for him.

“You’re back?” He glanced at him sideways; his eyes were bright, and he seemed to be in a good mood.

Chu Heng felt a warmth in his heart.

Just as he was about to say something, An Qiao waved his hand and placed a pile of energy crystals on the table. “These are to return to you.”

Chu Heng: “?”

When he realized An Qiao was returning the money he had spent over the past few days, his expression changed instantly and his eyes darkened.

What was An Qiao doing?

Was he trying to sever ties with him by returning a pile of energy crystals?

Chu Heng’s beast form was a black dragon, a reversion to his ancestral form. Influenced by the dragon’s personality and preferences, he loved star coins, glittering gold and silver jewelry, and energy crystals. He had a penchant for collecting all sorts of sparkly things, especially energy crystals, which were believed to enhance strength and replenish combat energy.

However, now that An Qiao had returned a pile of his favorite crystals, Chu Heng felt no joy.

In fact, looking at the pile, these once-glittering crystals suddenly filled him with disgust.

Chu Heng took a deep breath, suppressing his inner rage.

“What’s this for?” He smiled slightly, deliberately misinterpreting An Qiao’s meaning. “Just because you found a huge pile of energy crystals doesn’t mean you get to share them with me. You want to share both the good and the bad?”

An Qiao was slightly taken aback.

He did seem to have said “return” just now, right? How did it become “share” in Chu Heng’s mouth?

Before he could ask,

Chu Heng added, “But there’s no need. You can keep these energy crystals. I have more than I can use. They’ll just take up space.”

This was, of course, a lie. Energy crystals were expensive. Even though he had painstakingly saved up a small fortune over the years, Chu Heng could only be considered to have a fairly large collection, not “more than he could use.” Moreover, energy crystals were small and wouldn’t take up any space. An Qiao looked at Chu Heng with a strange expression.

He had heard that Chu Heng really liked energy crystals, yet now he was refusing them without hesitation. Had his taste suddenly changed?

Or was he just embarrassed to accept them?

An Qiao could understand why Chu Heng might be hesitant to accept the energy crystals, but he still insisted, “You should keep them.”

The mighty Elf King would never be a freeloader!

After pausing, he added, “If you don’t accept these energy crystals, how can I live here in peace?”

Although his magical power had recovered to forty percent, he didn’t want to change the status quo for the time being.

Hearing the first sentence, Chu Heng assumed An Qiao still intended to maintain a distance from him and almost couldn’t resist questioning him.

However, after hearing An Qiao’s next words, he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

At least An Qiao was willing to continue living there.

He looked at him and said, “Then I’ll keep it for you for now. You can take it back if you need it. If that’s not enough, I have plenty of energy crystals. You can have them all.”

Completely forgetting who it was that once said:
“Wife? Only a crazy dragon would spend money to support a wife!”

**

After giving the energy crystals to Chu Heng, An Qiao left the hall.

He planned to check on the rose bushes facing his window. He had planted them himself.

Chu Heng had doubted whether he could even keep them alive.

When An Qiao left, the roses were already in bloom. He had been in the Star Beast Forest assessment area for the past few days and hadn’t been able to look after them, so he didn’t know how they were doing.

Upon going outside,

“Hmm, they’re growing quite well.”

Standing among the vibrant, blooming rose bushes, An Qiao suddenly seemed to remember something; his eyes lit up.

He looked up at Chu Heng, who was looking down from the second-floor balcony. “I’ve paid the rent, so asking for a large garden isn’t unreasonable, is it?”

Chu Heng was taken aback, somewhat amused and exasperated by An Qiao’s idea of “rent.”

He’d never heard of a marshal’s residence being rented out.

“Of course not,” he said, gazing at An Qiao and raising an eyebrow. “You’re the owner here, too. Having as many large gardens as you want wouldn’t be unreasonable.”

Having received his approval, An Qiao looked up at him and smiled slightly. Sunlight danced in his beautiful ice-blue eyes, which were more dazzling than the brightest stars.

Chu Heng stood on the second-floor balcony while the young man stood below him, nestled among vibrant rose bushes. He looked up and smiled.

At that moment, Chu Heng felt as if he could hear his heart fluttering.

He thought: That smile…it’s deadly.

**

After an unknown amount of time had passed, and he was still lost in An Qiao’s smile, Chu Heng’s wrist terminal rang.

It was a message from Jiang Qi:

[I have some bad news for you. Remember to stay calm and don’t act impulsively.]

[Genetic comparison revealed that An Qiao is not the original An Qiao.]

You can read the full completed story here with instant full access. ✨

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  “菟丝子 / 寄生花 (dodder flower)” is a parasitic plant that cannot survive on its own and must cling to another plant.