This is a little complicated because Lei Lei technically never left the jungle of her own volition. She also is technically not supposed to be alive so things are in a huge uproar when she shows back up!

To understand just how insane this is, we’ll have to go back to a time before LL was even born, several hundred years ago. LL’s mentor, Veleda, was considered the most talented Spae and her visions of the future the most accurate. One day Veleda had a vision of a nation from the north that would usher in a calamity that would wipe out not just the Viera but the entire world. In this vision she saw weapons and creatures she had never seen before, she had called them the new Allagans. But worse is that she saw a large and dark monster behind them consuming all life in a sea of darkness. Veleda had pleaded with the Matron of ljótr to send forces to stop this rising nation. At first the Matron was unsure but considering that Veleda had always been accurate she went to the leader of Eryut village, who was considered the head of all viera in spirit. Remembering their subjugation under the Allagans, they amassed a war effort to quell this nation before they could destroy them. Along the way to the norths of Ilsabard however many viera lives were lost as the journey was not without its dangers. And when they arrived to find cold, aetherless people with less means than their own, fury filled many of them. So many sisters lost on a pointless and useless cause that amounted to naught. Veleda was held responsible for the loss of all those lives and exiled from the village proper, her life spared for the great works of service she had done up to that point. Veleda never used her oracle sight again.

When LL and her sister, Ingunn, had their Ørlögs foretold with Ingunn being a long awaited next Matron and LL, the bringer of much death and fire from the skies, was to kill Ingunn when they were older… things went a little chaotic. Ingunn and LL were separated for a time while the Matron decided what to do with LL, she couldn’t out right kill her as it would go against the Mother, however Ingunn kept trying to visit LL who was locked up and poorly taken care of. So the Matron visited Veleda and told her to atone for her sins of killing so many viera by taking one life… Lei Lei’s. Veleda agreed hesitantly and when she took LL away to do so a pair of ravens came and placed a seed in LL’s hand. Veleda, taking the ravens as messengers, tried to see in LL’s future to make sure that what was needing to be done was correct. Veleda saw what was originally prophesied but she also saw LL as the Warrior of Light. Veleda spared LL’s life and named her Bergljót, teaching her as best she could.

Several years later when it was time for LL to leave the jungle as foretold, Veleda tried to keep LL not wanting to see the viera suffer as Veleda had seen in the visions. LL and her fought with LL leaving Veleda to meet with her sister in hopes of starting a new life. And then things went to hell in a handbasket. LL’s best friend, Ölvir, took Ingunn’s body back to the main village. He was exiled and banished to the Wilds, Veleda was set to be executed when LL’s mother, a talented stoic woman who had many accolades under her belt for being a strong warrior captain, stepped in at the last minute and basically dethroned the Matron taking her place. Because Ölvir was already banished before LL’s mother stepped in and Veleda became severely ill, everyone thought LL had died, her body lost outside the jungle.

So yeah LL coming back to the Jungle to apologize to Veleda for leaving the way she did caused quite the scene.

After arriving back there was a brief period of recovery in Sharlayan where Lei Lei was healing from the wounds sustained from fighting Zenos. During that time LL had a very serious conversation with G’raha regarding what she was going to do going forward, because he was now her partner she didn’t want to make a choice on her own but also needed to do a few things for herself. Considering that LL never exactly felt like she was living a life she chose but a life that was destined for her (or that Azem’s soul carved grief made her do) she wanted to take some time to try to decide what she, herself, wanted without outside influences. Considering that G’raha had done this before as Exarch, he understood both her grief of having to relive losing the Scions and G’raha due to her long life as well as wanting to rediscover herself without the weight of the world on her shoulders. She confesses to him that she is going to retire from the Scions and return to the Jungle where she may or may not return.

With that condition in place, LL and Raha spend a lot of quality time together just enjoying each other, having fun little adventures (she takes him on a treasure map). They make as many memories together as they can and it’s Raha’s solemn wish that those memories will bring her back to him but… we shall see.

Lei Lei lived almost 4 entire lives prior to the events starting in ARR. So this is going to be a long one! lol

After she left the Jungle, she was sort of shell shocked. Her sister had just died in front of her, her best friend had shot at her to keep her from going back to the safety of the Jungle, she had gone into a full fury rage, and the early Garleans had used weapons on her that she had never seen before. The Dalmascan couple that she had helped had pulled her away with them in the chaos of the fire fight and took her with them to Dalmasca, the Nalbina Fortress area.. She didn't know the language or even common at the time and was instead taken in by a lalafell woman called Gurdy who ran a chocobo rental service and small adventure's shop. Gurdy was used to taking in wanders and easily took in Lei Lei who at the time was called Nergüi given to her by a male au ra (Udutai Dazkar ) who was also taken in by Gurdy. He would become her husband (unknown to her that it was a marriage until recently, like at least 1 year recently) and would teach her sign language as he was a mute. Gurdy taught her Dalmascian and Eorzean (common) while giving her a small job in the shop with Udutai where she would learn about adventures and hear their stories. LL lived there happily from 1528 until the Garlean empire conquered it in 1547. After Dalmasca fell she was in a sort of numb state as her previous lover/husband Udutai (previous G’raha incarnation) died to protect her and Gurdy (previous Tataru incarnation) who had been trying to save survivors from the invasion. With 70,000 dead Dalmacians after the 6 month long siege, LL with others lead survivors outside in hopes to avoid capture but were taken as she did not have the Echo. LL did in fact fight (it’s said she fought off 3 dozen soldiers on her own) but it did not end well.

Not long after she was sold to a Thavanarian diplomat where she lived as his pet until 1553. Her name was changed to Freya to appear more “exotic” and she was taught to dance non traditional dances but more dances that were set to amuse and entertain guests (think traditional Indian dances vs Bollywood dances where it’s still traditionally theirs but it serves a different purpose). During her gilded cage time she was not without and was introduced to a female Alchemist who was often sought by Sharlayn for her knowledge and techniques, Jean Maria Baptista who was living in Thavnair in hiding under the diplomat’s protection in exchange for potions and concoctions and the knowledge/ownership of the Philosopher's stone Jean was working on. She becomes LL’s mentor, turning her into her assistant in the research, and later a lover, teaching her everything she knows about alchemy, distilling, fantasia’s most secretive of recipes and the phrase: “One’s knowledge is wealth. Wealth is power, and Power makes you untouchable. Never give out your knowledge freely and use it to let no man touch you.” LL was her last and only successor that Sharlayn knew existed but not who as the name was listed as Ljótur (LL’s original jungle name that she doesn’t give out). In truth Jean was also helping in the construction/maintenance of Vtra’s simulacrum outside of LL’s knowledge.

In 1552 LL’s echo starts to manifest. Jean is kicked out of lord’s home when the stone does nothing and he thinks Jean cursed LL somehow (the echo manifestations making him believe that Jean did something to LL). LL begins to think about leaving this place and is “stolen” by a thief thinking she was an actual animal pet. In truth she willingly leaves with the thief. From 1553 till 1570 she lived in Thavnair’s streets and outer cities Robin Hood style. Using her potions for good and taking up the name Lei Lei given to her by a Doman woman. During those nine years she fights in general keeping people safe as a puesdudeo adventurer. She meets Rhidohana during this time, travels to Corvos for a brief moment and runs into young G’raha inspiring him to be an archer and what he will later base the Exarch on. She decides to travel back to Othard to visit Udutai’s family but never makes it as she is captured by pirates.

From 1570 until 1572, two years prior to the calamity, LL joined the pirates group turned merchants as they fought the Garleans over the seas helping the war efforts. She never goes to the mainland during that time and stays between the Sea of Jade and the Sea of Ash. She stays with them for an additional five years (after the calamity) before her captain retires and disbands the crew, giving the ship not to LL, her 1st mate, but to her 2nd mate who LL did not get along with. Gave LL enough gil to get a ship to Limsa and a letter of recommendation to join the Adventurers Guild. She basically had no money at that point as all her gil was tied up to black market alchemy and her Captain kept that. With no money and no choice, she became an adventurer starting her down the path of the MSQ. Which somehow makes Lei Lei 119 at the start of ARR and 125 as of Endwalker.