AEKMEM chapter 57

The silver-haired elf lay on the bed with his eyes closed, sleeping peacefully.

His long, silver hair was scattered across the bed, covering it entirely. It was dazzling and magnificent, like wisps of dreamlike moonlight.

His pointed ears were half-hidden beneath his hair. His pale, perfect face was as beautiful as the moon in the sky or snow on a mountain peak. Yet, it also possessed a fragile, delicate beauty, like bloodstained glass.

At that moment, he slept, his thick, curled eyelashes drooping as if waiting for someone to awaken him.

Chu Heng was in a daze, as if in a dream. After a moment, he remembered that he had come to check on An Qiao’s flare-up of old injuries. He was worried that An Qiao might be unconscious.

He approached quietly, step by step, and carefully used his spiritual power to check An Qiao’s condition. He found that An Qiao was asleep, not unconscious, and that there were no obvious injuries on his body.

Chu Heng breathed a soft sigh of relief.

It’s good that Qiao Qiao is all right.

However, it seems that he is not entirely all right.

Qiao Qiao had actually turned back into an elf!

Under normal circumstances, he would be too busy concealing his identity to reveal it so easily. Something must have happened. Fortunately, Chu Heng used his mental power to check An Qiao’s physical condition and found it to be relatively good.

It was the first time that Chu Heng had seen An Qiao in his elf form; he had only caught a glimpse of him from afar in the Star Beast Forest before.

Unexpectedly, Teacher Zhen’s prophecy—”His Highness the Crown Prince will soon see a true elf”—was true! He had indeed seen a true elf!

An Qiao was even more beautiful and dazzling than usual in his elf form—flawless and breathtaking.

As if possessed, Chu Heng leaned down and gently reached out to poke An Qiao’s face. He was itching to pinch his elven-pointed ears.

But, at the moment his fingertips were about to touch him, he hesitated.

What if Qiaoqiao woke up suddenly after he touched him, opened his eyes, saw him, and realized that his carefully hidden elf disguise had been exposed? Wouldn’t he be furious?

Even worse, what if he knew he had seen through his disguise but hid it from him? Wouldn’t he be even angrier?

Thinking this, Chu Heng suddenly felt incredibly guilty.

Moreover, whether it was his imagination or not, he thought he saw An Qiao’s eyelashes tremble slightly at that moment, as if he were startled.

Chu Heng: “!!!”

Was Qiaoqiao about to wake up because of him?!

Chu Heng held his breath in fright, too afraid to move.

Fortunately, An Qiao didn’t actually wake up. He wasn’t sure if it was just a hallucination caused by his nervousness and guilt.

**

When An Qiao woke up the next day, he had automatically switched back to human form.

Therefore, he had no idea that he had transformed back into an elf while he slept the previous night and that Chu Heng had seen him.

If an ordinary person had entered his bedroom while he was asleep, his strong sense of vigilance would have woken him up immediately.

However, having spent so much time with Chu Heng, An Qiao was extremely familiar with his aura. He had become accustomed to and accepted its presence. Subconsciously, he felt at ease and didn’t feel defensive.

Combined with the unexpected backlash from the Demon King’s curse the previous night due to his drunkenness, he slept exceptionally soundly. That’s why he didn’t notice Chu Heng entering his bedroom after he fell asleep.

A new and beautiful day begins with breakfast.

“Why do you seem a little… guilty today?” An Qiao narrowed his eyes as he looked at Chu Heng sitting across the table.

He had a feeling that Chu Heng knew something he didn’t and that it concerned him.

What did he know?

Some unexpected things did happen last night. But he was certain that no one else had seen him lose control and briefly revert to his elf form.

Could something have happened while he was asleep?

Was Chu Heng worried that he was drunk? Had he learned from Jiang Qi that he looked unwell? Had he rushed back out of concern and entered his bedroom to check on him?

—This certainly sounds like something Chu Heng would do.

And he was sleeping so soundly that he didn’t notice anything?

It has to be said, An Qiao was partially right.

However, he could not have imagined that An Qiao had actually turned back into an elf while he was asleep!

Not only did Chu Heng enter his bedroom, but he also witnessed An Qiao in his elf form.

Chu Heng: “… ”

Chu Heng was indeed feeling guilty.

But his expression remained unchanged, and he innocently said, “Qiao Qiao, you must have seen wrong.”

He cleverly changed the subject. “By the way, Qiao Qiao, someone told me last night that you had to leave early. Was it because something urgent came up?”

An Qiao: “… ”

Now it was An Qiao’s turn to feel guilty.

Leaving Chu Heng hanging last night was not very nice.

“Well…it’s nothing really,” he said calmly. “Just a small matter. Something I suddenly remembered I needed to take care of.”

This was, of course, just an excuse. He really wanted to avoid being seen by others when he transformed back into an elf—that would be troublesome. He was always lazy about trivial matters and didn’t want to deal with the trouble it would cause.

Their eyes met inadvertently and they stared at each other for two seconds before simultaneously looking away. A few seconds later, they instinctively looked away again.

Clearly, both An Qiao and Chu Heng knew the other was lying. However, because they were also guilty and because of their respect and trust for each other, they didn’t press the matter.

“I heard from Jiang Qi that you didn’t look well last night. Did your old injury flare up again?” An Qiao asked Chu Heng.

“A little,” An Qiao nodded. “But it’s healed now.”

“Is there really no way to completely heal this injury?”

Chu Heng had asked this before.

An Qiao gave the same answer: “Not yet, but I can resolve it once my strength recovers.”

An ancient book in the language of dragons had briefly mentioned that dragons of high bloodlines could break the Demon King’s curse if they were willing to pay a certain price.

However, it didn’t elaborate on what that price was or how to break the curse, only saying that one would find out when the time was right.

An Qiao was speechless when he saw it. What did “you’ll know when you should know, and when you want to know” mean?

Of course, this ancient text might have been intended for dragons, so it made no sense to him, an elf. But some dragons might understand it perfectly.

This time, however, Chu Heng was much more perceptive. He asked suspiciously, “Is there really no other way, or is there something about this method that’s difficult for you, and you’re reluctant to tell me?”

His eyes were intense, persistent, and earnest. “If you need to collect precious herbs or do anything else, I can help.”

An Qiao was taken aback at first, then smiled lazily. “You still don’t believe me? My strength will recover quickly, and I can heal this ‘old injury.'”

Chu Heng: “… ”

You just lied without even blinking.

Chu Heng was somewhat helpless.

But, if An Qiao didn’t want to talk about it, he couldn’t force him.

An Qiao’s injury must have occurred in his original world. Judging from the way it manifested, it wasn’t a common injury. In fact, it was rather strange.

Chu Heng tried hard to recall any memories related to An Qiao’s strange old injury from the dragon race’s inherited memories he had obtained.

However, he didn’t have many memories yet, and most of them were fleeting, chaotic, and disorganized. There were hardly any useful memories to begin with, let alone anything he urgently needed to know.

Still, he had a feeling that, as the memories continued to resurface, he would eventually find what he was looking for.

**
An Qiao and Chu Heng hadn’t even finished breakfast when Jiang Qi rushed in, his voice brimming with excitement: “The elf really appeared! Right here in Blue Star City!”

An Qiao: “???”

His eyes widened in astonishment.

Impossible, right? He’d only spent a little time in his elf form last night, and he was certain that no one else had seen him during that short period. Just in case, he’d worn a cloak with a wide hood. Under the hood, his face was barely visible.

Could Blue Star City also have advanced technology like the “Elf Detector” from the Imperial Capital?

Chu Heng was so surprised that he almost dropped his chopsticks.

Could An Qiao have said he “had something to do and left” last night and been seen outside while transforming back into an elf?

But An Qiao seemed shocked, too.

Besides, An Qiao wouldn’t be that careless. Even if he was seen, Chu Heng was certain that, with An Qiao’s mental strength, he would definitely find a way to make that person “lose their memory” and never let them leak the information.

So, could this news be fake? Why would someone deliberately spread false information?

Jiang Qi wouldn’t believe a false rumor so easily or rush to report it to him, would he?

As Jiang Qi entered the restaurant, he still sounded strained. “Mo Zhiyuan posted a video online saying that he saw elves in Blue Star City!”

He sighed regretfully. “What a pity that it was that idiot Mo Zhiyuan who saw the elves first. If Your Highness had gone out more often and tried your luck, perhaps you would have seen the elves first, just as the prophecy said.”

An Qiao: “… ”

After a moment, An Qiao remembered who “Mo Zhiyuan” was.

Was he the one dissatisfied with his fourth-place ranking in the freshman finals who challenged An Qiao to a duel a few days ago and got “sparred” with by Chu Heng? It was also said that he came to Blue Star City to search for elves after accepting the “elf search” mission from the Second Prince.

An Qiao was certain that no one else had seen him lose control and transform back into an elf last night. He certainly hadn’t seen this Mo Zhiyuan.

It was laughable that Mo Zhiyuan claimed to have seen an elf with his own eyes.

Was it an elf he saw in a dream?

An Qiao said casually, “Maybe it’s a lie to get attention.”

Chu Heng thought something similar.

He had met Mo Zhiyuan before. Arrogant, vain, impulsive, and willful, Mo Zhiyuan was certainly capable of lying about seeing an elf to gain public attention.

“No, Mo Zhiyuan seems to be telling the truth,” Jiang Qi said, shaking his head. “His tone, expression, and all the other details don’t seem like he’s lying.”

“Moreover, Mo Zhiyuan confidently stated that he would ensure that everyone in the empire could see the elves today. If he were lying, he wouldn’t have told a lie that could be so easily exposed.”

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