Liana's Home Court

The surrounding trees gradually brightened in hue, shifting from deep emerald to vibrant jade green. Xia Lun knew they had passed through the Tranquil Forest—next was the domain of the elves, the Libia Forest.

There were many routes from the Yalan Empire to the Libia Forest, and the one through the Tranquil Forest was merely one of them. After all, trade between humans and elves was frequent… Seeds and crops from the Libia Forest were highly sought after among humans, with some premium fruits even fetching prices comparable to gold… Meanwhile, resources from human lands could also be sold at high prices here.

Ahead, countless towering trees stood in dense formation, resembling a city wall. Their bronze-colored trunks looked like metallic barriers, while their thousand-year-old canopies overlapped, fracturing sunlight into scattered fragments.

Naturally, such an orderly arrangement of colossal trees was impossible in the wild—after all, trees competed for nutrients. This was clearly the work of the elves. These tightly packed giants formed a natural defensive line, forcing any would-be attackers to reconsider their plans.

Mo Lini slowly raised her head, taking in the breathtaking sight before her. Among the group, she was the only one who had never been to the Libia Forest.

Xia Lun’s gaze also held a trace of nostalgia. Back then, both he and Liyana had emerged from this very forest.

Even now, Xia Lun had no idea who his birth parents were. He had been abandoned in the woods, only to be found and taken in by the kind-hearted Swei couple, who raised him alongside Liyana.

To Xia Lun, Liyana was no different from a blood-related sister—except, well, they weren’t actually related. At first, Liyana had insisted she was the elder sister, since their exact birth order was unclear. But as time passed, and she kept causing trouble for Xia Lun, she eventually dropped the subject out of sheer embarrassment.

The Swei couple never formally adopted Xia Lun—after all, they were elves, and he was human. Watching loved ones pass away was a sorrowful experience… Besides, they believed he might one day reunite with his birth parents.

Still, Xia Lun had long regarded them as his true parents.

Except…

"Father and Mother have already passed away."

On the first day of his revival, when he reunited with Liyana, Xia Lun learned of their fate.

"As elves, they lived long lives… Don’t worry, Xia Lun. I was with them till the end. They had lived their fill and faced death with peace." That was what Liyana had told him.

Xia Lun snapped out of his reminiscence and turned his gaze back to Liyana.

"Liyana… Later, take me to their graves."

"Of course," Liyana replied cheerfully. "Heh, Father and Mother probably never dreamed you’d have the chance to pay your respects. I wonder if they’d be so shocked they’d jump right out of the ground."

"Liyana!" Xia Lun scolded, finding her remark rather disrespectful.

"What? They even traveled all the way to the human lands for your funeral, Xia Lun," Liyana recalled. "They wept so bitterly in front of your coffin, and you didn’t even twitch. Heartless, aren’t you?"

Xia Lun: "…"

"They even tried to stop us from burying you," Aina added with a sigh. "Xia Lun, they truly loved you."

"Uh… Then what happened?" Xia Lun realized there was still much he didn’t know.

"I restrained them and buried you properly," Aina stated matter-of-factly.

"So… I was laid to rest?" Xia Lun’s lips twitched. The phrasing felt oddly unsettling.

"Indeed. But I dug you back up that very night—no one knew," Aina declared, sounding almost proud. "And that’s how you’re here now."

Xia Lun opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.

Mo Lini also opened her mouth, then covered her ears. She hadn’t heard a thing.

Joli remained inside the carriage, fully absorbed in teaching Little Lan sword techniques, oblivious to the conversation outside.

Liyana simply gave Xia Lun an amused look.

The group soon arrived before the towering tree-wall.

After just a few steps, rustling sounds came from above, and two figures dropped down in front of them.

Two elves.

Identical golden hair, long pointed ears, and strikingly handsome features.

They wore light leather armor, carried curved bows on their backs, and had daggers strapped to their waists—clearly ready for combat at any moment.

Xia Lun could also sense several pairs of watchful eyes from the trees.

"Identify yourselves," one of the male elves demanded.

"Ahem!" Liyana cleared her throat loudly, then leaped off the carriage and strode forward with her head held high, like a rooster after a victorious fight.

She grinned at the two elves and announced cheerfully, "It’s me! I’m back!"

"An elf? Who are you?"

"We don’t recognize you… Are you famous or something?"

The two elves exchanged glances before frowning in confusion.

"Uh…" Liyana froze, suddenly feeling awkward. "You really don’t know me?"

The elves shook their heads in unison. "No."

"Liyana, seems like you weren’t that big of a deal among the elves," Mo Lini muttered behind her. "They don’t even recognize you."

Liyana’s cheeks flushed slightly.

Just then, another figure descended from the trees.

"Lady Liyana? Is that you?"

The newcomer’s attire was identical to the previous two elves, and his youthful, handsome face made it hard for Mo Lini to tell them apart.

"Oh! You know me?" Liyana asked cautiously, her confidence still shaken from earlier.

"Of course! Lady Liyana, you’re the pride of our elven kind!" the elf exclaimed excitedly. "I once saw you in action at the training grounds… Ah, these two were born in the last century, so they’ve never seen you before. My apologies for their rudeness."

"So you’re Lady Liyana?"

"The ‘Elf among elves, the masculine among females’?"

The two earlier elves gasped in realization.

"Yep, that’s me… Unless there’s another Liyana in the elven ranks… Hahaha!" Liyana’s metaphorical tail was back in the air.

She glanced back at her companions, eager to see their reactions.

Aina and Xia Lun remained expressionless.

Joli stayed inside the carriage, unseen.

Mo Lini blinked, still processing Liyana’s bizarre title among the elves.