AEKMEM chapter 60

Chu Heng thought he was calmly observing An Qiao. In reality, he didn’t even realize his gaze was burning intensely. Suddenly, their eyes met directly, catching him off guard.

Chu Heng: “!!!”

Qiao Qiao probably didn’t notice anything amiss, did he?

If he knew that he had known he was an elf all along and had maliciously concealed it from him, he would definitely be furious.

Especially now, in public.

A radar went off in his mind. The instant his gaze met An Qiao’s, his heart skipped a beat. Then, his eyes and expression instantly changed to display the “surprise” he’d seen in a “stranger.”

The crucial moment to test his acting skills had arrived!

An Qiao, oblivious to Chu Heng’s change, relaxed slightly.

Thank goodness.

Chu Heng probably hadn’t noticed anything.

However, when An Qiao’s gaze fell on the fragment of the Demon King’s remnant soul in Chu Heng’s hand—which was now unconscious—his eyelids suddenly twitched.

Had the Demon King’s remnant soul said anything to Chu Heng while it wasn’t rendered unconscious?

“Your Excellency!” At that moment, Jiang Qi, the adjutant, said, his emotions running high yet barely maintaining composure, “When our Crown Prince arrived, he captured a phantom figure similar to the one you just destroyed. I wonder if Your Excellency needs it?”

His words were partly for Chu Heng’s sake, hoping to establish a connection between him and the elf, but they also carried his own selfish motives.

—he had been desperately trying to find someone to save a relative. However, even the Empire’s only 2S-rank elf healer was powerless to help. In his despair, an elf suddenly appeared in the Empire! He was now desperately trying to find the elf and ask for help healing his relative.

For some time, he had urged Chu Heng to find the elf. He believed that finding and befriending the elf would be beneficial, and Emperor Chu Zhengming had instructed him to ensure that Chu Heng searched for the elf. Of course, he also wanted to find the elf for personal reasons.

Chu Heng was pondering how to naturally and subtly converse with An Qiao, disguised as an elf, when Jiang Qi spoke first.

On his way there, he encountered Mo Zhiyuan and saw an illusory figure separate from him.

This figure was invisible to ordinary people. With his 3S-level strength, Chu Heng could see it clearly, but Jiang Qi, whose strength was inferior, could only make out a blurry image.

He had a gut feeling that the events of the past two days were the work of this figure.

This figure seemed to recognize him. Seeing his gaze, it tried to flee.

Of course, Chu Heng wouldn’t let it escape. He swiftly grabbed the figure and knocked it unconscious.

He had questions for the figure, but he needed to hurry and find An Qiao, so he didn’t want to waste time.

When he arrived at the square in front of the government building, he saw An Qiao destroying an almost identical illusory figure.

To his shock, An Qiao had reverted to his elf form!

However, his face was concealed, making it impossible to see clearly—probably because he didn’t want people to know that the “elf” so many were desperately searching for was actually him.

An Qiao lightly leaped from the stage to Chu Heng and Jiang Qi, moving away from the live-stream camera.

“I do need it.” He nodded reservedly, his expression aloof and distant as if he didn’t know Chu Heng and Jiang Qi. “Thank you both.”

Then, seemingly casually, he asked, “Did this illusory figure… say anything?”

It shouldn’t have revealed his elf identity, should it? Otherwise, Chu Heng wouldn’t have shown any surprise.

However, remembering how capable Chu Heng was at acting—he had even feigned sadness and melancholy to gain his sympathy and comfort—he frowned slightly, uncertainty creeping in.

“He didn’t say anything. I just knocked him unconscious,” Chu Heng said calmly.

Of course, he was only outwardly calm.

He thought to himself that An Qiao seemed quite worried about what this illusory figure might say to him. This illusory figure seems to know a lot about An Qiao and might even be from the same place.

“That’s right,” Jiang Qi nodded. “His Highness the Crown Prince was worried about the Crown Princess and was in a hurry to find him. He was impatient and simply knocked the illusory figure unconscious.”

Jiang Qi thought, “I’ve heard elves are loyal and devoted. If I subtly point out that His Highness is devoted to the Crown Princess and deeply affectionate, I think I can improve his impression of him.”

Chu Heng: “…”

Chu Heng: “!!!”

Qiao Qiao doesn’t even know he has ulterior motives! Jiang Qi, if you can’t speak properly, don’t speak at all!

**

The audience below the stage and those watching the live stream only realized what had happened after seeing the elf gracefully leap down and disappear.

So much had happened in such a short time!

The first “elf” to appear was actually fake! No one had expected this. Could an elf be fake?

Why would Mo Zhiyuan—or rather, the Second Prince behind him—create a fake elf? To fool them? To use a fake elf to boost his own prestige?

Otherwise, Mo Zhiyuan wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to stage the fake elf appearance and broadcast it live. The fake elf wouldn’t have eagerly declared, upon taking the stage, “Crown Prince Chu Heng will surely bring immense disaster to the Empire. I, an elf, guarantee this.” thus smearing the crown prince.

Initially, they thought the “elf” was forced to say those words by the Second Prince. However, it turned out that the “elf” was fake—a disguise created by the Second Prince using an unknown method.

If the real elf hadn’t stepped in because he couldn’t stand it anymore, leaping onto the stage to expose the fake… wouldn’t they have continued being deceived?

Thinking of this, everyone was filled with anger.

What was the Second Prince doing? Was he treating the entire empire like fools? He created a fake elf and broadcast it live across the empire to promote himself!

No one doubted that the elf who appeared later was also fake. This elf looked different from ordinary people.

Seeing the fake elf exposed, the Second Prince’s faction felt their eyes sink.

Previously, they thought the Second Prince was just too impatient and foolish to control the “elf.” However, the Second Prince still held the “elf” card, so it wasn’t hopeless. They could take it slow and work their way up.

Now that they saw the “elf” was fake, their slight disappointment instantly turned into despair. The Second Prince was truly hopelessly stupid! Creating a fake elf might fool people for a while, but what if someone came to the “elf” for treatment? Wouldn’t they be exposed?

Did the Second Prince not understand how important elves were to the empire? A fake elf without healing abilities would be exposed sooner or later!

Before Crown Prince Chu Heng appeared, they had placed their bets on the Second Prince because they believed he would ultimately ascend to the throne. They had invested so much that they didn’t want to lose their sunk costs. Perhaps for other reasons as well, they continued to support him. Now, however, they were utterly disappointed in him.

He was not only inferior to Crown Prince Chu Heng in ability and strength, but he was also foolish enough to create a fake elf and broadcast it live throughout the empire with such arrogance.

Now he had been exposed in public. Who in the empire didn’t know that the second prince was audacious enough to try to use a fake elf to slander the crown prince and boost his own prestige?

Then, hearing Jiang Qi’s words, the real elf leaped off the stage, clearly to communicate with Crown Prince Chu Heng.

The illusory figure of the Demon King’s remnant soul was invisible on the live stream. Even Jiang Qi could only make out a blurry image of the figure on the spot, and others were less able to discern it.

After hearing Jiang Qi mention an “illusory figure” and considering that the elf who appeared seemed to be fighting something over the past minute or two, they could vaguely discern that the “illusory figure” had a grudge against the elf.

The fact that Crown Prince Chu Heng captured this elf enemy suggests a high probability that he will establish a connection with the elf.

Even without the elf’s support, Crown Prince Chu Heng could secure his position; now, with their potential support, his chances are even better.

The Second Prince, Chu Feiyu, saw the fake elf exposed by the real one, and only one thought crossed his mind: It’s over… it’s over…

Mo Zhiyuan really screwed him over! Even if he told people he knew nothing about it and that Mo Zhiyuan acted alone, few would believe him. They’d probably think he was trying to hide his own involvement by making Mo Zhiyuan take the blame.

In this situation, how could he clear his name?

Even if he managed to prove that he didn’t create the fake elf, he was already no match for Chu Heng. Now that Chu Heng seems to have the elf’s favor, what could he possibly use to compete?

Chu Feiyu felt utterly hopeless just thinking about it.

**

After Adjutant Jiang said that His Highness the Crown Prince was worried about the Crown Princess and was rushing to find him, Chu Heng felt that An Qiao’s gaze toward him was particularly meaningful.

His eyelids twitched, afraid that An Qiao would see through his thoughts. Just as he was about to explain something to cover up his feelings for An Qiao, he heard An Qiao, disguised as an elf, say, “Give this illusory figure to…”

He paused, then continued, “Could you please destroy this illusory figure?”

Originally, An Qiao wanted Chu Heng to give him the remaining fragment of the Demon King’s soul so that he could completely eliminate the Demon King. However, considering the potential backlash from the Demon King’s curse, An Qiao decided to let Chu Heng handle it.

“It’s nothing,” Chu Heng nodded.

He didn’t quite understand why An Qiao, who had originally intended to resolve the situation himself, had suddenly changed his mind and wanted him to do it. Could destroying that illusory figure on stage have been too strenuous or even injured him?

Thinking this, Chu Heng’s heart tightened.

He couldn’t see An Qiao’s face clearly because he was disguised as an elf.

But at that moment, he had a vague intuition that An Qiao was injured.

Without hesitation, a blazing yet dangerous flame appeared in Chu Heng’s palm and swiftly extinguished the illusory figure.

He only wanted to resolve the matter quickly so that An Qiao could escape and rest.

“Your Highness, shall we go find the Crown Princess?” Still clinging to his “loving wife” persona, Jiang Qi tried to win Chu Heng over again.

An Qiao, the “Crown Princess” in an elf disguise: “…”

Chu Heng: “…”

The Crown Princess you’re looking for is actually right in front of you, disguised as an elf.

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