Chapter: Chapter 129
“Why do I feel like Mengyao’s appearance here isn’t an accident?” Ledycia mused, stroking her chin as she listened to the conversation between Xi Mengyao and the Songstress.
It was clear that Xi Mengyao had been lured to this place and then attacked by the assailant.
An accident, perhaps Ledycia would have thought it was an accident before, but now, she felt it was absolutely not an accident.
Being bolder, Ledycia even guessed that the attack wasn’t actually targeting Lin Qingyu, but Xi Mengyao.
“But why is Senior Zi here?” On the other side, Xi Mengyao had explained the whole story to the Songstress.
“Little Xi also knows that I was once a hero, right?” the Songstress asked.
Xi Mengyao nodded, “Of course I know. Everyone at the agency knows that Senior Zi was once a great hero.”
“The day you were attacked, she happened to be with us, so she came along,” Bai Ling added from the side. “Moreover, the inside story of this matter is related to the elf race, and it’s best not to involve ordinary people.”
The only non-ordinary person in the Songstress’s agency was the Songstress herself, as a former hero, so her appearance here was a very normal thing.
“Elf race?” Xi Mengyao was stunned. She had filmed a movie about the elf race a few days ago, and now being attacked was related to the elf race. Could it be because her movie portrayed the Elf Queen as a major villain?
That didn’t make sense either. She was just a small actress. If the elf race wanted revenge, they should find the scriptwriter or director, not her, a small actress.
It wasn’t as if killing her would stop the movie from being released.
“It’s probably a small group of extremists within the elf race. They hate it the most when others fabricate stories about the elf race. In your movie, the human and elf princesses join forces to kill the Queen, which likely angered them,” Ledycia started to lie with her eyes open.
She couldn’t exactly tell Xi Mengyao, “You’re actually a big fool, and we don’t even know why you got involved in this mess.”
“However, most elves are friendly, and later some elves will come to detoxify you. Just lie on the bed with peace of mind,” Ledycia comforted Xi Mengyao a little after scaring her. “Bai, let’s go and find Lin Qingyu.”
There was no point staying here. What was there to do but watch Xi Mengyao space out?
It would take some time for the elves to arrive. In the meantime, Ledycia felt she could still say a few words to Lin Qingyu.
After guessing that Lin Qingyu was Evangeline, Ledycia became interested in this half-elf girl. Although she always said that this poor queen was just a mascot, Ledycia actually felt quite sympathetic towards Evangeline.
She was now thinking about how to send Evangeline back to the elf race, and then act as a puppet master behind the scenes, guiding Evangeline to overthrow the Elder Council and make this queen a true queen.
Of course, a true queen manipulated by Ledycia.
Although she didn’t intend to conquer the elf race and make it her territory, Ledycia was quite keen on ensuring the elf race no longer posed a threat to the demon race.
For this, it was necessary to confirm whether Lin Qingyu was indeed Evangeline.
“After a few days, Xiaoyu’s complexion seems to have worsened.” In the spacious and bright large room, Ledycia met with Lin Qingyu, whose face was filled with worry.
Lin Qingyu was wearing a simple dress, her face somewhat haggard. Her originally somewhat delicate face was adorned with two dark circles, which ruined her already not-so-good appearance.
“Is that lady doing better?” Lin Qingyu did not answer Ledycia’s question but asked about Xi Mengyao’s condition.
“She has woken up. It seems that only the elves can resolve the poison of the elf race,” Ledycia said to Lin Qingyu with a smile. “They will be coming to meet you later, so prepare yourself.”
“Okay,” Lin Qingyu replied with her head bowed.
There didn’t seem to be any special reaction. Ledycia was a little disappointed.
“It’s all my fault that lady got poisoned,” Lin Qingyu muttered softly to herself, as if convincing herself or making an excuse. “If this is what it takes to save her, I don’t mind just meeting them once.”
“But you don’t look like you don’t mind.” Ledycia patted Lin Qingyu on the shoulder. This girl’s current behavior undoubtedly showed that she did mind. “Trust that Bai, she won’t abandon you.”
“Can’t I trust Miss Qianqian?”
“You’d better not trust me. I’m different from her,” Ledycia snorted. “She’s a good person, and I’m a bad person. Without enough benefits, I won’t protect you.”
But as long as there were enough benefits, then you, Lin Qingyu, would be my ill-fated sister!
“If it were me, I’d definitely throw you directly to the elves, so I wouldn’t have to worry about it.”
“Pfft, Miss Qianqian is as straightforward as ever.” Ledycia’s words, however, made Lin Qingyu chuckle.
Despite her harsh words, hadn’t Ledycia come to this dangerous place to see her?
Moreover, she seemed to be comforting herself just now, telling her not to worry too much.
If ‘If it were me, I’d definitely throw you directly to the elves’ was interpreted in another way, wouldn’t it mean that Bai Ling wouldn’t throw her to the elves?
Miss Qianqian knew that she was overthinking things, so she was indirectly reassuring her, which made Lin Qingyu feel a little touched.
Frankly, Lin Qingyu didn’t trust Bai Ling that much because she didn’t believe there were such good people in the world who would go to so much trouble for a useless half-elf.
Such saints couldn’t exist.
Ledycia, on the other hand, seemed much more realistic. She didn’t hide her dissatisfaction with Lin Qingyu, the baggage, and repeatedly threatened to hand Lin Qingyu over to the elves.
At first, Lin Qingyu would indeed be startled by Ledycia’s words, but now, when she heard such words, she felt quite at ease, because she knew that when Ledycia said such things, she would never hand her over to the elves.
This was the self-cultivation of a tsundere.
“Not straightforward… Where am I not straightforward? Let me tell you, if it weren’t for Bai stopping me, do you believe I’d throw you straight back into the elf forest!” Ledycia was a bit agitated, this Lin Qingyu was too annoying.
She had changed her mind. Even if this person was Evangeline, she wanted this person to suffer a bit.
“Calm down, calm down.” Bai Ling quickly pulled Ledycia, who was starting to roll up her sleeves. Although it was a bit hurtful to say, Bai Ling really didn’t think the current Ledycia could beat this Miss Lin Qingyu.
“You’re actually helping her!” Ledycia indignantly gave Bai Ling the middle finger. “I’m telling you, don’t let me find an opportunity, or I’ll immediately grab her and throw her back to the elves.”
This sentence, which should have threatened Lin Qingyu, made Lin Qingyu feel more secure when it came from Ledycia.
Since she dared to say it in front of her, what else was there to be afraid of? After all, this was Miss Qianqian, who never told the truth in front of others.
“If Miss Qianqian really wanted to send me back to the elves, I wouldn’t have any complaints either.” Lin Qingyu even had the mood to make a small joke.
After talking with Ledycia, the big stone in her heart seemed to have fallen, and the pressure on her body dissipated.
Lin Qingyu had previously harbored doubts about Bai Ling’s promise that she wouldn’t give up on her, because she knew she was a half-elf, and the human who was poisoned and in critical condition was allied with Bai Ling.
To exchange her life for a human girl’s life, Lin Qingyu felt, no, she was sure Bai Ling could do such a thing, because she wasn’t human.
But when Ledycia threatened to abandon her in front of her and let the elves take her away, Lin Qingyu felt relieved.
Miss Qianqian’s words should be understood in reverse, so she really hadn’t been abandoned.
“Um, Miss Qianqian, can you accompany me when I meet with the elves later?”
“Huh? Me?” Ledycia was stunned. She pointed her finger at Bai Ling beside her. “Isn’t this guy more suitable?”
“I also think I’m more suitable,” Bai Ling mumbled softly.
But Lin Qingyu remained stubborn. “However, I think Miss Qianqian is better.”
“Then how about you,” Bai Ling said helplessly to Ledycia. “It’s just sitting there and listening to them talk, like watching a play.”
“That’s fine too, it’s more interesting than standing outside… What are you going to do, stay here?”
“I’ll go check on the detoxification progress first. If everything goes smoothly, I’ll come back,” Bai Ling looked down at her watch and replied. “They’re here, I’ll go greet them first.”
With that, Bai Ling got up and left the room.
After Bai Ling left, only Ledycia and Lin Qingyu were left in the large room. They looked at each other in silence for a long time. Finally, unable to bear the awkward atmosphere, Lin Qingyu couldn’t help but speak, “Miss Qianqian…”
“Don’t ask, don’t say, wait for them to come,” Ledycia interrupted Lin Qingyu. “The elves you’re meeting this time are not the elves who attacked. Their methods should be relatively gentle, so you don’t need to worry too much.”
Yes, speaking of which, Lin Qingyu was a bit confused. She didn’t think her current identity could attract the attention of two different elf factions. What was so special about an ordinary half-elf girl, Lin Qingyu?
“But why did they attack here?”
“I think you are the one who knows the answer to this question the best.” Ledycia’s gaze lingered on Lin Qingyu’s necklace for a moment, and then she said meaningfully, “For example, they care very much about something you have.”
Lin Qingyu instinctively covered her necklace. “Impossible.”
“Why impossible?” Hearing Lin Qingyu’s answer, Ledycia asked with some curiosity.
Lin Qingyu’s reply was full of spirit. In her heart, she absolutely did not believe that the elf race was chasing her because of this necklace. However, Ledycia was almost certain that this necklace was the divine artifact in which Flora’s consciousness resided.
And the news Xue’er received was that a half-elf had stolen an important item from the elf race and fled to the human world.
The two corroborated each other, almost narrowing down the matter to a very small range.
First, Lin Qingyu was definitely the half-elf who stole the item. This was agreed upon by both Bai Ling and Ledycia. Second, Ledycia could be sure that the stolen item was Lin Qingyu’s necklace, the divine artifact in which Flora’s consciousness resided.
So, the question now was, why did Lin Qingyu subconsciously say the word impossible?
Why was she so confident?
Disguise? It seemed to be the only possibility.
Lin Qingyu’s appearance must have been disguised. She was much uglier now than Evangeline, but what about the necklace?
Was the necklace also disguised?
No, this couldn’t explain why Lin Qingyu subconsciously thought the elf race wasn’t looking for the necklace.
Could it be… this girl had stolen more than one divine artifact?
Flora’s divine artifact was indeed not what the elf race was looking for. They might not even know of its existence, and what they were looking for was actually another divine artifact that Lin Qingyu had brought out.
Why was Lin Qingyu so confident that the elf race wasn’t looking for the necklace? Because the elf race didn’t know about the necklace’s existence at all!
“I think I might be in big trouble,” Ledycia looked up and said very seriously to Lin Qingyu. “To be honest, what did you bring out from the elf race?”
“I’ve already thrown that thing away. No one knows where it is now,” Lin Qingyu’s eyes flickered, but there were no signs of lying.
She had indeed thrown that thing away.
“Then, what is your necklace? I know what it is… Don’t be afraid, I won’t take your things.” Ledycia was halfway through her sentence when she suddenly noticed that Lin Qingyu’s emotions were fluctuating violently, so she quickly interrupted her words and started to comfort Lin Qingyu.
“That’s yours, I won’t take it. Think about it, if I really wanted to take it, would you still be sitting here safely talking to me?”
“Sorry, I was too sensitive,” Lin Qingyu clutched her chest, her heart beating wildly. “This is a gift from my mother, and I only learned about its function not long ago.”
“Oh, is that so? Meaning, no one knows about this?”
“Yes, I haven’t told anyone. When my mother gave me the necklace, she herself thought it was just a very ordinary, worthless necklace,” Lin Qingyu’s expression was a bit displeased. “She never liked me.”
This necklace was her birthday gift, but it looked dull and not at all beautiful. Lin Qingyu even suspected that her mother had found this necklace from her trash heap at the last minute.
“Is that so? I see,” Ledycia pressed her forehead with some distress. This time, things had become extremely troublesome.
Two divine artifacts, one thrown by Lin Qingyu to an unknown location, and the other, the unknown necklace of Flora.
So, the question now was, what was the purpose of the assault a few days ago?
It was clear that the target of that assault was not Lin Qingyu, but Xi Mengyao, who had been lured there.
But why?
Why attack Xi Mengyao?
Was there anything special about this person that warranted an attack?
No. In fact, before that day, Bai Ling and Ledycia had only seen her on the big screen.
Knock, knock, knock. Urgent knocking at the door interrupted Ledycia’s thoughts. Xue’er’s voice rang out after the knocking stopped, “Misses, can the elven guests and I come in?”
Oh, the elves were here. Ledycia glanced at Lin Qingyu and found that this girl showed no special reaction other than being a bit nervous.
She really wasn’t worried about being recognized?
Sensing Ledycia looking at her, Lin Qingyu naturally assumed it was concern for her state.
So, she nodded at Ledycia. “Don’t worry about me, I can do it.”
After speaking, she took a deep breath and suppressed the last trace of nervousness on her face.
Actually, I wasn’t worried about you. Ledycia opened her mouth but finally didn’t say the words.
Let her misunderstand. It was good for Lin Qingyu to have a higher favorability towards her. This way, she could easily gain her trust and cooperation later.
“Come in,” Ledycia called out to the door.
The door opened, and Xue’er entered the room with an elf wearing a hood.
After entering the room, the elf removed her hat, revealing a highly recognizable face under the hood.
With features similar to Westerners, fair skin, green eyes and hair, and pointed ears, this was undoubtedly a pure-blooded elf.
Judging by her hair color, this elf was probably not ordinary within the elf race.
“I am Aerlinny, belonging to the Elven Elder Council, and I am here to investigate the matter of the half-elf.” Upon seeing Ledycia, the elf’s pupils constricted, and she then introduced herself very respectfully.
Although she didn’t know who Ledycia was, this girl gave her the feeling of a former empress, no, even more oppressive than the empress.
This lady was definitely someone in a high position, so it was right to be polite.
“Aerlinny? I remember there are quite a few Aerlinnys in the elf race.” Ledycia replied casually. “Are you all one family?”
“More or less. May I ask, is the young lady by your side the half-elf taken in by Miss Bai?” Aerlinny nodded, her gaze shifting to Lin Qingyu beside her.
Black hair and green eyes were the only characteristics that fit a half-elf. Her aura was that of a pure human. If one day she walked past Aerlinny somewhere, Aerlinny would never have thought she was a half-elf.
“Yes, it is her.” Ledycia nodded. “Is she the half-elf you are looking for?”
Aerlinny shook her head. “Judging by her appearance, there is a significant difference, but appearance is always deceiving.”
Saying so, she took out a delicate and small dagger from her pocket.
Xue’er immediately stepped forward and grabbed Aerlinny’s wrist holding the dagger. “What do you want to do?”
Trying to pull her hand out of Xue’er’s grip, Aerlinny was surprised to find that she couldn’t do it. Xue’er’s strength was much greater than hers.
This information broker was truly perceptive.
“Appearance can be deceiving, but bloodline cannot,” she explained. “I need to take some of her blood to determine if she is the one I am looking for.”
Lin Qingyu’s expression instantly turned panicked. She seemed extremely afraid of this method.
“What, are you guilty?” Aerlinny naturally noticed Lin Qingyu’s abnormality. She looked at the small knife in her hand and revealed a meaningful smile. “Don’t worry, it won’t hurt, just one drop of blood is enough.”
“I…” Lin Qingyu was about to speak when a gentle voice sounded in her ear.
“Don’t be afraid, you’ll be alright.”
“Huh?” Ledycia looked confusedly in Lin Qingyu’s direction. She thought she had just heard Flora’s voice.
Was it an illusion?
No, it shouldn’t be an illusion. Lin Qingyu’s condition improved significantly after that voice spoke.
It must be Flora comforting Lin Qingyu. That’s right.
Although still a little nervous, Lin Qingyu still extended her hand. “Come on, I’m not the one you’re looking for.”
Aerlinny frowned. What was going on with this half-elf? She was so scared just now, but now she had become so confident.
Was she relying on Miss Bai to protect her, or was she really not the person they were looking for?
“If you really are the person we’re looking for, Miss Bai won’t protect you,” Aerlinny tried to threaten Lin Qingyu again. “Our deal with her was to exchange you for that girl’s life.”
“Enough nonsense, you guys are just as boring as before,” Lin Qingyu gritted her teeth and squeezed out this sentence.
“You…” Aerlinny was momentarily speechless.
“What do you mean, what? I just hate you, hate elves, is that okay!” Lin Qingyu seemed to have opened a floodgate and unleashed all her grievances. “You act high and mighty on the surface, but in reality, you’re more filthy than orcs.”
“Xue’er, why do I feel like Lin Qingyu’s state is a bit off?” Ledycia nudged Xue’er and said softly while Lin Qingyu was still cursing.
“She’s probably venting. She’s suffered a lot of grievances, and now facing a proud elf, it’s normal for her to vent these grievances,” Xue’er replied in a small voice.
As she spoke, Xue’er stared intently at Aerlinny. If the elf made any move, she would stop her.
But the elf held back. A few veins bulged on her forehead, but she still held back.
“I will remember these words,” she said coldly. Right now, Lin Qingyu was protected by Bai Ling, so it was inconvenient to make a move. But in the future, if Lin Qingyu escaped Bai Ling’s protection, Aerlinny wouldn’t mind coming back for revenge.
Elves were not as magnanimous as portrayed in some stories. Some of them were quite vengeful.
For example, Miss Aerlinny.
“Then what? Kill me? Just like you killed those half-elves you considered useless?”
