AEKMEM chapter 52

After saying it, Chu Heng suddenly felt that “carry” was too intimate and ambiguous. Would An Qiao see through his intentions?

He secretly glanced at An Qiao under the crabapple tree and saw the young man lazily squinting and looking at him from the side. He seemed thoughtful.

Afraid that An Qiao would notice something was wrong, Chu Heng quickly added, “No… I mean carry you back on my back.”

An Qiao: “… ”

An Qiao raised an eyebrow.

He now understood how Chu Heng felt when he saw through his disguise and knew he wasn’t the original An family young master, yet didn’t expose him.

“Then…may I trouble you?”

**

The moonlight was like water.

The fresh scent of grass and trees and the rich fragrance of flowers drifted on the night breeze everywhere.

Lying on Chu Heng’s back, An Qiao’s hands rested stiffly on his shoulders.

He thought he would feel uncomfortable.

But he sensed that Chu Heng was even more nervous—though he carried him steadily, his hands trembled almost imperceptibly, and the muscles in his back were tense.

An Qiao slowly relaxed.

Deliberately feigning surprise, he pointed out, “Your hands seem a little shaky. Is it because you’re too nervous?”

“Maybe I overdid it during the day, so my hands are shaking a bit.”

“Oh…”

An Qiao let out a long “oh,” then chuckled softly.

His soft laughter blended into the deep, gentle night like a dream.

This laugh made Chu Heng’s heart tremble and his hands shake even more.

**

The appearance of the Demon King’s remnant soul made An Qiao feel an urgent need to regain his strength quickly.

Seeing that Chu Heng would be all right from then on, An Qiao returned to his room and began absorbing the energy crystal.

Previously, he was hesitant to absorb a large amount of energy crystal at once because he feared it might not be fully absorbed and converted. This could potentially cause him to suddenly transform into elf form, which is more conducive to energy absorption and magic recovery.

Now, however, he couldn’t worry about that anymore.

Being careful should be fine, right?

Those two elf detectors were on the Imperial Capital Star, but they couldn’t detect anything here on Water Blue Star.

—Even if he transformed back into an elf, it wouldn’t be a big problem as long as no one saw him.

With that thought, he quickened his absorption of energy, wanting to recover as much strength as possible as soon as possible.

Initially, the Imperial public’s attention, guided by public opinion, was focused on Chu Heng, the “prime suspect,” after the S-rank elf Jun Yilian was crippled.

However, when Chu Heng stepped forward and presented evidence that the Second Prince’s faction was manipulating public opinion, declaring, “Prove the evidence if you have it,” public opinion shifted. Many suspected that Jun Yilian’s downfall was a scheme orchestrated by the Second Prince to secure the throne for the Crown Prince.

Following this, the revelation that the previous generation of the Jun family was involved with an S-class elf further diverted the attention of the empire’s citizens.

More than twenty years ago, Jun Yiran’s S-class elf father and his other father were on a spaceship headed toward another planet when they encountered star pirates, resulting in the loss of both their lives.

In reality, however, it was Jun Yilian’s father who colluded with the space pirates out of jealousy to murder them. The Jun family initially believed that their target was only Jun Yiran’s other father—a man from a lowly family who was merely an S-rank beastman. Yet, he had captured the heart of the S-rank elf they had carefully groomed for a marriage alliance. The Jun family simply went along with it and added fuel to the situation.

After Jun Yiran’s two fathers were murdered, the Jun family realized what had happened. Though filled with regret, they could only help him handle the aftermath. They had already lost an S-rank elf and couldn’t afford to lose another talented and valuable family member. Moreover, they couldn’t bear the stigma of murdering an S-rank elf.

More than twenty years later, Jun Yiran gathered enough evidence to sue several members of the Jun family, including the current head, for collaborating with space pirates to kill his two fathers.

This case was as sensational as Jun Yilian’s downfall.

Jun Yiran’s S-rank elf father was a heartthrob to many in the previous generation. Yet, he ultimately chose a lowly S-rank beastman as his partner, leaving them heartbroken. His innocent death at the hands of space pirates only added to their grief.

Unexpectedly, it has now been revealed that Jun Yiran’s father was not murdered by space pirates but by the Jun family who colluded with them.

Many people discussed the matter online and in real life, supporting Jun Yiran’s lawsuit against the Jun family and urging them not to let the suspected murderers escape justice.

A few days later, relevant personnel took away Chu Zhenglong, a high-ranking government official, because they discovered that he had colluded with star pirates years ago. He had worked with the Greedy Wolf Star Pirates to kidnap the newborn Chu Heng.

The imperial people were shocked and furious yet found it somewhat unbelievable.

After all, He Yun, the biological mother, had already witnessed her son, Chu Heng, being kidnapped by space pirates. So, the revelation that his uncle, Chu Zhenglong, colluded with the pirates to abduct his nephew from the capital city doesn’t seem entirely surprising.

Not surprising my foot! His Highness the Crown Prince must have had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to encounter two such blood relatives!

The people of the empire couldn’t help but sympathize with the beautiful, strong, and pitiful Chu Heng.

Two days ago, the Second Prince’s “explanation” that he hadn’t interfered with the public slander of Chu Heng and that it was all a misunderstanding was dug up by netizens and vilified repeatedly.

One bombshell after another dropped within days, with shocking revelations surfacing one after another and completely muddying the waters of public opinion.

During this time, Chu Heng led his personal guard in dismantling the underground assassination organization that Jun Yilian had hired to kill An Qiao. The mastermind behind the organization was a 2S-rank beastman who had used bizarre methods to advance his rank. He was nearly exhausted of life force and self-destructed after being unable to escape.

Although there was still no evidence identifying who crippled Jun Yilian, rumors suspected that it was likely the organization’s leader. One of the S-rank beastmen hired by Jun Yilian to assassinate An Qiao was the younger brother of the leader. To avenge the death of his brother, this person crippled Jun Yilian and framed Chu Heng—this deduction is reasonable.

Chu Heng leaned casually against his high-backed chair behind the desk in the study, lightly tapping the edge of the desk with his fingers: “Is everything taken care of?”

“Everything’s taken care of.” Jiang Qi straightened his back unconsciously and replied with a serious expression.

“Smoother than I expected.” Chu Heng nodded.

His gaze fell on the pot of “Elf’s Kiss” red roses beside him. Suddenly, he remembered something and asked, “Where’s Qiaoqiao? I didn’t see him this afternoon.”

Jiang Qi: “… ”

He silently complained, “Your Highness, where’s your ambition? One second you’re seriously discussing important matters; the next, you’ve completely changed your tune.”

Recalling Chu Heng’s anger when he learned that the Brain System had suddenly matched him with a partner, Jiang Qi imagined that Chu Heng’s thought process was roughly like this:

Before meeting the Crown Princess:

“The Brain System matched me with a partner without my permission! That’s outrageous! I must refuse! Even if it costs me my most precious treasure, I will cancel this match!”

After meeting the Crown Princess:

“My wife is so beautiful.”

After spending so much time together, their feelings deepened:

“Where did my wife go? I was only distracted for a moment, and now he’s gone!”

Jiang Qi muttered to himself. “Chu Wen and Xiong Yi from the Empire’s First Military Academy just came to see the Crown Princess. He went out with them.”

**

Chu Wen and Xiong Yi came to see An Qiao for a school assignment. “Find the Elf.”

Thinking An Qiao would be willing to help, they contacted him to ask for his opinion.

After probing their methods of “finding the elf” and finding that they were still relying purely on luck, An Qiao lost interest in the matter.

However, considering that the Demon King’s soul might still be in Blue Star City, An Qiao decided that it wouldn’t hurt to look for traces of it along the way.

Chu Wen showed An Qiao and Xiong Yi his several-page route prediction report.

“First, where should we look for the elves? In this report, I’ve predicted a few places the elves might like to go. See if you can add anything.”

An Qiao took the report and skimmed through it.

The destinations listed were almost all places with lush vegetation and beautiful scenery, as well as a few unique places, such as food streets and flower markets.

An Qiao nodded inwardly.

Chu Wen’s predictions made sense.

Elves are naturally drawn to nature, flowers, plants, and trees—a fact that the Empire’s inhabitants seemed to know.

Driven by his boundless curiosity, he himself might also want to explore flower markets, food streets, and other places rich in local customs.

He figured he might actually find an elf by trying his luck in these places.

“The route is fine,” An Qiao said slowly, “but I have a question—”

“How can you be sure which one is an elf?”

“Aren’t elves easy to recognize?” Xiong Yi scratched his head sheepishly, somewhat puzzled. “They have pointy ears. You can spot them in a crowd.”

An Qiao: “… ”

He had forgotten that, in this world, humans know elves for their pointy ears. They had never considered that elves could transform into human form.

In world history, the extremely rare elves who reverted to human form were likely of insufficient level, thus remaining in elven form and unable to transform back.

Elves who have crossed over from the outside world have probably never transformed into human form because they prefer their elven form and dislike disguising themselves as humans.

In fact, proud elves almost universally believe that they are the most perfect race and will only change form if absolutely necessary. If they were to choose a mate, they would never choose one from another race.

However, his views are somewhat peculiar. He has an exceptionally strong curiosity and enjoys traveling to see different landscapes. For convenience, he doesn’t object to transforming into human form.

Of course, he prefers his original elven form.

Back in the Burial Grounds, the natives were convinced he was an elf. The elves who appeared there might have briefly taken on human form, causing him to forget how elves are commonly perceived in other parts of the world.

An Qiao suddenly realized, “I forgot elves have pointed ears.”

Chu Wen couldn’t help but glance at An Qiao, feeling something odd. Shouldn’t the elf person
understand elves better?

Then he remembered that An Qiao had suffered severe injuries and near-death experiences, resulting in amnesia, an altered perception, and a different personality. Maybe not understanding elves was somewhat understandable.

“Since the route is fine—” An Qiao subtly changed the subject, glancing sideways at Chu Wen and Xiong Yi. “Our next question is, where would be the best place to look for the elf first?”

Chu Wen and Xiong Yi felt a strange pressure, as if they were facing the crown prince, Chu Heng, after being glanced at by An Qiao. They unconsciously suppressed their other thoughts and became serious.

“Let’s go…” Chu Wen hesitated for a moment, glancing at An Qiao’s frail, porcelain-doll-like appearance. Remembering that he was his uncle’s partner and that he should take care of him as the younger generation, he suggested, “How about we go to the nearby Emerald Lake Park first?”

Emerald Lake Park, the largest and most beautiful park in Blue Star City, was just a short walk away.

Xiong Yi agreed without hesitation. “Chu Wen is right. How about we go to Emerald Lake Park first?”

The two of them looked at An Qiao simultaneously, their tone carrying an unspoken question: “An Qiao, what do you think?”

“Then let’s go to Emerald Lake Park,” An Qiao said, nodding gently to give his approval.

Receiving confirmation, Chu Wen and Xiong Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

They wondered how An Qiao, a newly enrolled military academy student with little experience, and a frail elf with almost no combat experience, could possess such a powerful aura. It made them feel incredibly pressured.

Could it be because he spent so much time with the crown prince, absorbing his imposing, unapproachable, and intimidating aura?

**

When they were almost at Emerald Lake Park, Chu Wen’s personal terminal suddenly beeped.

He glanced at the screen, saw who had sent the message, and his eyes widened in disbelief. He almost jumped up excitedly and cheered.

Suppressing his surprise, he continued reading the message.

[My Qiaoqiao is with you guys, right? Share your location link with me.

Overwhelmed with excitement, Chu Wen did as Chu Heng instructed without hesitation.

After finishing, he seemed to remember something and glanced guiltily at An Qiao, who was not far away.

…Actually, he should have asked An Qiao first.

But the next second, Chu Heng sent another message:

[Don’t tell him yet.]

Chu Wen silently abandoned the idea of telling An Qiao.

Clearly, his uncle wanted to surprise An Qiao, and he certainly couldn’t ruin the surprise or the romance between the two couples.

As An Qiao turned the corner of the alley and looked up, he saw the lush Emerald Lake Park and Chu Heng’s familiar figure.

“What a coincidence.” His lips curled into an uncontrollable smile, and his face was full of surprise. “I can’t believe I’ve run into Qiao Qiao just by taking a walk—”

“We really are destined to meet.”

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