AEKMEM chapter 84

Fortunately, An Qiao didn’t hold it against him, only saying, “We’ll settle these accounts with you later. Now that you’re awake, go back and deal with the matters of the past few days.”

Chu Heng and An Qiao returned to the Second Army’s encampment.

The small section of buildings that Chu Heng had knocked down had been restored to its original state. It was only a temporary structure, so rebuilding it wouldn’t be a problem. This time, of course, the expenses were paid from Chu Heng’s personal account.

The adjutant, Jiang Qi, was somewhat surprised to see Chu Heng; he hadn’t expected him to regain consciousness so quickly.

Chu Heng didn’t waste words with Jiang Qi. As they walked, he had Jiang Qi report on what had happened during his absence.

While Chu Heng was away, the Second Prince was in a desperate struggle. With the help of the Mo family and certain others, rumors that “Crown Prince Chu Heng has become a fallen beast” spread like wildfire.

Ignoring his surroundings, Chu Heng manifested as a black dragon beast in the military camp and smashed through sections of the buildings. This was something only a fallen beast could do. In the videos and photos released by the mastermind, the dragon’s blood-red eyes were especially ferocious and terrifying—a hallmark of fallen beasts.

The fact that Chu Heng didn’t appear for several days afterward further confirmed the rumor.

Of course, the people of the empire didn’t believe that Chu Heng had become a fallen beast. They thought it was pure slander from the enemy. The crown prince possessed unparalleled martial prowess, and he had the mysterious and unpredictable elf crown princess by his side. How could he possibly have become a fallen beast? However, Chu Heng’s continued absence and lack of response caused some concern.

His prestige was at its peak, and he truly enjoyed the people’s support.

Through the Second Army Corps’ valiant fighting and Chu Heng and An Qiao’s military might, the invading Zerg army was defeated and the Zerg queen was annihilated—an unprecedented victory in the empire’s history. The Zerg queen’s annihilation meant that the empire would usher in centuries of peace.

This achievement was etched in the hearts of the people of the empire.

Initially, the Second Prince’s faction wasn’t so arrogant; rather, they subtly tested the waters step by step. However, Chu Heng remained silent, and An Qiao was nowhere to be seen. Several days of silence led them to believe that Chu Heng had indeed become a fallen beast.

Fearing that Crown Princess An Qiao might be able to cure Crown Prince Chu Heng, the Second Prince’s faction stirred up public opinion, hoping to force Chu Heng to prove that he had become a fallen beast and was unworthy of being the Emperor’s heir.

Chu Heng returned and swiftly dealt with the Second Prince’s faction.

He had already uncovered numerous incriminating facts against them. These included Second Prince Chu Feiyu’s actions of intercepting high-level energy crystals at the front lines for personal gain and colluding with space pirates to smuggle them. They also included the Mo family’s abuse of power and illegal activities.

He had been preparing for a long time, intending to cleanse the empire of its decaying flesh. However, the sudden outbreak of the Zerg war left him with little time to deal with the matter, forcing him to postpone it.

This time, however, he could resolve everything at once, wiping them out in one fell swoop.

The Second Prince’s faction knew that Chu Heng, who tolerated no dissent, would eventually settle the score; hence their frantic, desperate struggle.

Emperor Chu Zhengming did not intervene, leaving Chu Heng to handle the situation entirely.

Ultimately, the Second Prince, Chu Feiyu, was stripped of his right to the throne and exiled to the imperial border to cultivate wastelands and slay alien beasts. The Mo family and the other families and individuals involved also received their due punishment.

**

An Qiao said he wanted to “settle accounts” with Chu Heng, but he didn’t intend to settle any real scores. After all, Chu Heng had offered his own blood to break the demon king’s curse because he cared about him.

Transforming back into beast form to “kidnap” and “imprison” An Qiao was merely harmless “fun.” If An Qiao didn’t cooperate, Chu Heng couldn’t “kidnap” him, much less “imprison” him.

However, letting him off so easily wouldn’t teach Chu Heng a lesson. Otherwise, it wouldn’t matter, but he didn’t want Chu Heng to hurt himself again to help him. It was something he didn’t want to see or tolerate; he’d rather endure the pain himself.

Previously, when Chu Heng hurt himself to access more of the Dragon Clan’s memories, An Qiao said, “If I catch you doing something stupid like that again, hurting yourself for no reason, I’ll cut myself, too.”

An Qiao wouldn’t mind cutting himself, but he knew that Chu Heng would be heartbroken.

After much thought, An Qiao decided to separate them for half a month to teach Chu Heng a lesson. This suited him as well, as he needed to leave for the Burial Snowfield on Water Blue Star.

Upon hearing that An Qiao was finally going to “settle the score” with him, Chu Heng felt guilty and uneasy but also relieved that everything had finally been resolved. However, when An Qiao said that he wouldn’t be returning to the capital star with him, but rather leaving for half a month, Chu Heng immediately lost his composure, feeling as if he had been struck by lightning.

“Qiao Qiao, this is too cruel! Why don’t you beat me up instead? I’ll stay with you, and you can let Jiang Qi lead the army back.”

He and An Qiao had almost never been apart before, let alone for so many days!

An Qiao glanced at him sideways and snorted. “If I don’t punish you, you won’t learn your lesson. You still like to lie to me.”

Chu Heng: “… ”

Knowing that An Qiao was determined to “teach him a lesson” and wouldn’t change his mind, Chu Heng could only try to get his punishment reduced. Ultimately, after strenuously trying, he managed to reduce the half-month separation to ten days and change the original agreement of only text messaging to allow “appropriate” video calls.

The next day, when he led the Second Army Corps away from the Red-Blue Star back to the capital, the weather was unusually beautiful—clear skies and bright sunshine.

However, Chu Heng looked utterly dejected. He clung to An Qiao, who had come to see him off, refusing to let go. “Qiao Qiao, ten days apart is too long! When will I see you again?”

An Qiao glanced at him dismissively. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“…No.” Chu Heng immediately backed down, afraid that An Qiao would want to be apart for even longer. “I’d wait for you until the end of time. I’d do whatever it takes.”

The soldiers preparing for battle and Jiang Qi, who were secretly watching, couldn’t bear to look on.

Your Highness, Marshal, what happened to your imposing, domineering, self-important aura? What happened to your courage from the other day when you forcibly abducted the Crown Princess in public?

Is being this “henpecked” really a good thing?!

However, it must be said that the Crown Prince and Crown Princess together are truly a sight to behold—a match made in heaven!

When the brain system first released the match results, no one thought highly of this pair. Everyone felt that An Qiao, the “useless parasitic vine,” did not match Crown Prince Chu Heng at all.

But who could have imagined that An Qiao, the seemingly “useless parasitic vine,” was actually a legendary elf, unseen in the empire for centuries? Beautiful and powerful—almost godlike!

The brain system truly lives up to its reputation as the most powerful “matchmaker” system, never making a mistake.

An Qiao paused, then chuckled somewhat helplessly. “All right, ten days will pass quickly.”

Then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, he placed a light kiss on Chu Heng’s forehead.

“Wait for me to come back.” His voice was soft, like a dreamlike whisper easily shattered by a gentle breeze.

The Elf King, burdened by an eight-ton weight of image, was always most concerned with his reputation and dignity.

But now, the silver-haired elf in his snow-white robes, with a faint smile on his lips, seemed to have descended from his pedestal. The aloof air that had kept him seemingly detached from the world seemed to melt away like snow from a mountain.

**

An Qiao said they would be apart for ten days, but he actually ended his trip to Water Blue Star on the fifth day and returned to the capital. Chu Heng had been urging him on via video call every day, which was simply unbearable.

—What a sweet burden!

However, An Qiao didn’t tell Chu Heng that he had already returned.

The traversal portal in the Spirit Burial Snowfield on Water Blue Star had been fully surveyed and confirmed to be safe. Travel between the two worlds could now be stable. He and Chu Heng no longer needed to leave their homeland.

Once things settle down, he can take Chu Heng back to the Elf World to “meet his parents” and the Elf elders who raised him.

—Of course, there’s also the most important event: the wedding.

As the elf king with his queen already chosen, he must have a grand wedding!

An Qiao returned to the Marshal’s residence at dusk.

At that moment, Chu Heng was watering the rose bushes that An Qiao had personally planted in front of his window.

The pot of “Elf’s Kiss” red roses that An Qiao won for him at the Blue Star City Flower Festival sat in his study. If it weren’t for the delicate nature of the roses, they would have withered away long ago from his madness of longing these past few days.

Sensing An Qiao’s presence nearby, Chu Heng froze for a moment, holding the watering can, somewhat incredulous and wondering if he was hallucinating from missing An Qiao so much.

The next second, snapping out of his daze, he tossed the watering can aside and strode outside.

However, after a few steps, he seemed to remember something. He darted through the rose garden like a shadow, quickly selecting ninety-nine of the largest and most vibrant red roses. He held them close to his chest.

With a bouquet of roses in one hand, he used the other to smooth his hair and straighten his collar and cuffs. Then, he walked away.

He hadn’t taken two steps when he saw An Qiao emerge from a side corridor.

Clearly, he had also arrived at an incredible speed.

Seeing him, An Qiao stopped and looked up at him with his icy blue eyes.

He was a breathtakingly beautiful, silver-haired elf with the crimson sunset behind him. His entire being was bathed in the delicate, hazy, golden afterglow of dusk. The evening breeze lifted his long, flowing silver hair and fluttered the wide sleeves of his snow-white robe.

A single glance, an eternity.

When Chu Heng came to his senses, he was standing in front of An Qiao. He held a bouquet of vibrant red roses in his left arm and wrapped his right arm tightly around An Qiao’s shoulder. He leaned down to kiss him.

**

An Qiao’s long, silvery-white hair, like moonlight, cascaded over the crimson roses. His face, as white as pure snow and more beautiful than the finest porcelain, tilted slightly back.

Chu Heng leaned down and kissed the elf’s eyes. “That snowy evening when I rushed back from the Border Star, opened the hospital room door, saw you, and brought you home was the best and luckiest decision I ever made.”

Perhaps the loneliness and darkness of the first half of his life had been accumulating to create the luck necessary to meet An Qiao, the brightest light of his life.

“Did I tell you?” the silver-haired elf asked, reaching out and hooking his arm around Chu Heng’s neck. “The first time I saw you, I thought your eyes were beautiful, a captivating color.”

An ancient and mysterious bond of companionship was forged at that moment: life shared and spiritual power intertwined and resonating.

…

An Qiao did not wake until noon the next day.

Seeing that the room was still littered with fallen rose petals, he fell silent for a moment.

…The Elf King felt that for a while afterward, he didn’t want to see red roses.

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