Lü Xing's return brought little joy to anyone. They were all still sunk in the grief of losing Little Ninth, unable to pull themselves free.
Wei Junlan sat beneath that tree, utterly lost, rambling like an old auntie, as though he wished he could say everything he would ever have to say in his lifetime. He could not believe that his fellow countrywoman, who had been laughing and chatting with them just the day before, shyly looking forward to getting married, had turned around and sacrificed herself.
What did the Elf Clan or the Elf Heart have to do with them, anyway?
Once you died, there was nothing left.
"You even kept it from me. Were you afraid I'd stop you?" Wei Junlan laughed at himself. Of course. Human nature was selfish; people always wanted to do something for those they loved most. Hadn't he concealed the truth about Qian Wanyu from Xuanzhu for her sake? "If you'd told me beforehand, I definitely would've stopped you and made sure you stayed away from the Elf Clan for the rest of your life."
"Are you all right?" Xuanzhu hesitated, standing about ten feet away from Wei Junlan. She watched him with concern but came no closer. That distance was the limit of the Tree of Life's and the Sacred Tree's tolerance for her.
Once the little elves learned that these humans who had suddenly barged into the Elf Clan were friends, they showed them the kindness and friendliness unique to their people. Her Majesty the Elf Empress also understood that they had lost a friend, so she allowed them to stay beside the Sacred Tree.
Toward Qian Wanyu, however, the elves still harbored an almost imperceptible wariness and anger. They had seen her attack Her Majesty the Elf Empress, and she