Rebirth of Jinxuan

The deafening explosion still seemed to echo in her ears, and the burning pain still lingered on her skin. Lu Jinxuan abruptly opened her eyes, only to find herself in a completely unfamiliar place. Low thatched roofs, simple wooden furniture, and a faint scent of herbs filled the air. Everything here was drastically different from the magnificent alchemy workshop she remembered.

She tried hard to recall everything that had happened. The "Rejuvenation Pill" she had painstakingly refined over ten years had finally taken shape, but unexpectedly it had attracted the covetousness of her clansmen and friends. Their greedy eyes, their fierce faces, and the sword that plunged into her heart without hesitation were all deeply etched in her mind.

Lu Jinxuan closed her eyes in pain, but the expected pain didn't come from her chest. She struggled to sit up, but found herself weak and powerless. A strange voice sounded in her ear: "You're awake?"

Lu Jinxuan turned her head with difficulty and saw a tall and sturdy man standing by the bed. He had healthy tanned skin, rugged features that exuded determination, and wore clothes made of coarse cloth with a hunting knife hanging at his waist. He was clearly not any of the richly dressed tribesmen she remembered.

"Where is this?" Lu Jinxuan's voice was hoarse and weak, carrying a hint of confusion and wariness.

"This is Phoenix Mountain. I found you collapsed at the foot of the mountain a few days ago," the man replied succinctly, handing over a rough porcelain bowl. "Have some water first."

Lu Jinxuan didn't take the bowl, but instead cautiously surveyed her surroundings. Although the thatched hut was simple, it was very clean and tidy. Near the corner, there was some firewood piled up, and in the corner, there were some farm tools and game, clearly indicating that it was the living quarters of a hunter.

"How did I get here?" Lu Jinxuan murmured to herself, fragments of memory flashing through her mind like a revolving lantern. She remembered being betrayed, swallowing the "Resurrection Pill" and detonating the furnace, the towering flames and the deafening explosion. According to the scene, she should have been reduced to ashes, so why…

“You were unconscious for three days. The doctor said you are weak and need to rest.” Mo Chenfan’s voice interrupted Lu Jinxuan’s thoughts. Seeing that she was staring at him, he added, “Don’t worry, I mean no harm.”

Lu Jinxuan didn't speak, but subconsciously raised her hand to touch her aching chest. However, when her fingertips touched her clothes, she suddenly stopped. These hands were clearly real, and... full of vitality. She looked down at her hands in disbelief; her fingertips were slender and white, her skin soft and smooth, without a trace of being burned by the fire. These were clearly hands full of life, exactly like the hands she remembered.

Could it be... that she didn't die? But the "Resurrection Pill" is incredibly potent; once detonated, everything within a hundred meters would turn to ashes. How could she possibly have survived unharmed?

Lu Jinxuan was filled with doubt and unease. She struggled to get out of bed, but Mo Chenfan quickly stepped forward to support her, saying, "Your body hasn't recovered yet, don't move around."

"I want to see..." Lu Jinxuan's voice trembled. She urgently needed to confirm something, something that was enough to overturn her understanding.

With Mo Chenfan's help, Lu Jinxuan slowly moved to a wooden table beside the bed and sat down. On the table was an antique bronze mirror, its surface somewhat blurry, yet still able to vaguely reflect a person's image.

Lu Jinxuan took a deep breath and picked up the bronze mirror with trembling hands. A strange face appeared in the mirror. It was an extremely delicate face with skin as white as snow and eyebrows as beautiful as a painting. However, her complexion was somewhat pale, and there was a sickly fragility between her brows. She was completely different from the decisive and efficient person she remembered.

But this face truly belonged to her; she could clearly feel the pulse beating beneath her skin and the warmth emanating from her body.

Her gaze fell on the forehead of the person in the mirror, where there was a gruesome wound. Although it had scabbed over, it was still shocking to behold. This wound…

Lu Jinxuan subconsciously reached up and touched her forehead, a sharp pain making her gasp. This body was real, these injuries were real, so... who was she?

"Mother! Mother, you're awake!"

Just as Lu Jinxuan was immersed in shock and confusion, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a small figure rushed in like a cannonball. Immediately afterwards, a soft body threw itself into her arms.

Lu Jinxuan exclaimed in surprise and looked down. She saw a little boy of about five or six years old hugging her tightly, his big, dark eyes filled with surprise and worry.

"Mother, you're finally awake! You've been sleeping for so long, you scared me to death..."

As the little boy spoke, he gently stroked the wound on Lu Jinxuan's forehead with his chubby little hand, his tone full of heartache and lingering fear.

Lu Jinxuan froze, her mind blank. Mother? Was he calling her?

The little boy's actions were so sudden that Lu Jinxuan was at a loss for what to do and could only let him hold her. His repeated cries of "Mother" filled her with mixed feelings, as if a warm current was flowing into her heart, yet mixed with an indescribable sense of unfamiliarity.

"Hang'er, don't be silly. Your mother just woke up and needs to rest." At this moment, Mo Chenfan walked into the room and gently pulled the little boy away from Lu Jinxuan's arms.

The little boy reluctantly let go, but still stood obediently to the side, his big eyes fixed on Lu Jinxuan as if afraid she would suddenly disappear.

"Are you alright?" Mo Chenfan noticed Lu Jinxuan's pale face and assumed she had been hurt by the little boy, so he quickly went over to check on her. "Is your wound hurting again?"

Lu Jinxuan then noticed that the little boy who called himself "Hang'er" looked somewhat similar to Mo Chenfan, especially their eyes, which were both clear and bright. Could it be...?

"I'm fine." Lu Jinxuan shook her head, suppressing her doubts, and asked softly, "Hang'er, what's your name?"

"Mommy, my name is Yu Hang, Lu Yu Hang." The little boy looked up and answered earnestly.

"Lu Yuhang?" Lu Jinxuan murmured to herself, her mind filled with even more confusion. Why would this child have the surname Lu?

"Yes, Lu Yuhang, your child, don't you remember?" Mo Chenfan saw that Lu Jinxuan looked dazed and thought that her injuries were too severe and affected her memory, so he reminded her.

A child? Her child? Lu Jinxuan was stunned, her mind a complete blank. When did she have a child? Why did she have no recollection of it at all?

“My child?” Lu Jinxuan repeated subconsciously, her tone filled with disbelief.

Seeing her like this, Mo Chenfan felt a bad premonition. He quickly grasped Lu Jinxuan's hand and asked anxiously, "Ah Xuan, what's wrong? Don't you remember me? Don't you remember Hang'er? I'm Chenfan, your..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Jinxuan interrupted him: "You mean... you are Hang'er's..." Lu Jinxuan's voice trembled slightly, her gaze shifting back and forth between Mo Chenfan and Lu Yuhang, as if trying to find some clue.

Mo Chenfan was stunned by her abrupt question. His face turned deathly pale, as if someone had grabbed him by the throat, and he couldn't speak for a long time. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know where to begin.

"You... what are you to Hang'er?" Seeing his strange expression, Lu Jinxuan became even more suspicious and asked tentatively.

"I..." Mo Chenfan was speechless at her question. His already pale face became even more unsightly, and a fine layer of sweat even seeped out from his forehead.

Seeing Mo Chenfan's appearance, Lu Jinxuan became even more certain, yet she still couldn't believe it. She could only cautiously probe, "You...you are Hang'er's father?"

"Ah Xuan, you...you don't remember me?"

Lu Jinxuan was startled by his reaction and was momentarily at a loss for words. She could only smile awkwardly and say, "I... how should I address you?"

"What should I call you?" Mo Chenfan was taken aback, clearly not expecting her to ask that question, but he still subconsciously replied, "My name is Mo Chenfan, you can just call me Chenfan."

"Mo Chenfan..." Lu Jinxuan murmured to herself, feeling that the name sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. Finally, she could only bite the bullet and say, "Um... Brother Mo..."

"Brother Mo?" Upon hearing this address, Mo Chenfan's face paled even more, and he swayed as if he were about to faint at any moment.

Seeing his expression, Lu Jinxuan realized that she might have said something wrong, but she didn't know how to explain it for a moment, so she could only look to Lu Yuhang for help.

Seemingly sensing Lu Jinxuan's plea for help, Lu Yuhang disregarded his fear and rushed to Mo Chenfan's side, hugging his leg and asking in a childish voice, "Uncle Mo, what's wrong?"

Mo Chenfan looked down at Lu Yuhang's worried face, took a deep breath to suppress the turmoil in his heart, picked up Lu Yuhang, and held him in front of Lu Jinxuan, "Ah Xuan, do you really not remember him?"

Lu Jinxuan looked at the two strikingly similar faces, one large and one small, and felt utterly bewildered. "Ah Xuan, look at him, look closely at him, this is Hang'er!" Mo Chenfan's voice trembled slightly as he handed Lu Yuhang, whom he was holding, closer to Lu Jinxuan.

Lu Yuhang's face turned even paler with fear. He gripped Mo Chenfan's clothes tightly, his large eyes fixed on Lu Jinxuan, as if afraid to hear some terrible answer from her. His innocent mind couldn't understand why his usually gentle and loving mother had suddenly become so unfamiliar, as if she didn't recognize him anymore.

Lu Jinxuan stared at the two strikingly similar faces, one large and one small, her heart filled with confusion. She tried desperately to recall their memories, but found them blank, as if a piece had been forcibly ripped out.

"Mother..." Lu Yuhang saw that Lu Jinxuan was just staring blankly at him, her eyes empty and unresponsive, and he became even more frightened. He pursed his lips, and large tears began to well up in his eyes. Finally, he couldn't help but burst into tears, "Mother, what's wrong with you? Don't you want Hang'er anymore?"

The child's cries were like a sharp knife, piercing Lu Jinxuan's heart. Instinctively, she wanted to reach out and hug him, to comfort him, but she found her body as heavy as lead, unable to move at all.

"Ah Xuan, don't scare me, what's wrong with you?" Mo Chenfan was also frightened by Lu Jinxuan's reaction. He hurriedly put Lu Yuhang down and reached out to feel her forehead. "Where do you feel unwell? Do you have a fever?"

Lu Jinxuan felt the warmth of his palm and instinctively flinched, but still didn't open her eyes. She didn't know how to face this sudden turn of events, nor how to explain everything to them.

"Mother, don't die, don't leave Hang'er..." Seeing Lu Jinxuan's eyes tightly closed and motionless, Lu Yuhang cried even more bitterly. His small body trembled violently from crying, as if it were about to fall apart at any moment.

Hearing her child's heart-wrenching cries, Lu Jinxuan felt as if her heart was being torn to shreds. She desperately wanted to tell him she was alright, that she just needed some time, but she couldn't utter a sound. Helpless, she could only continue to keep her eyes closed, pretending to be unconscious.

"Hang'er, don't cry. Your mother is just tired. She'll be fine after a rest." Mo Chenfan hugged Lu Yuhang tightly and comforted him gently, but his gaze never left Lu Jinxuan, his eyes filled with worry and anxiety.

A moment later, as if making a decision, he took a deep breath, hugged Lu Yuhang tightly, and said firmly, "Hang'er, don't be afraid. Even if your mother really... I will take care of you for the rest of my life and will never leave you..." With that, he turned and left, carrying Lu Yuhang, his steps hurried, as if some ferocious beast was chasing after him. Mo Chenfan's words reached Lu Jinxuan's ears intermittently, like heavy hammer blows striking her heart. Stupid? Take care of her for the rest of his life? The meaning behind these words felt foreign and confusing to her.

As the footsteps faded into the distance, Lu Jinxuan slowly opened her eyes. Before her was an unfamiliar scene: a low thatched roof, rough wooden furniture, everything seemed simple and unfamiliar.

She propped herself up, looked around, trying to find a sense of familiarity in this unfamiliar environment, but it was all in vain. Who was she? Why was she here? Her mind was filled with questions, but she couldn't find any answers.

"mother……"

A childish voice rang in her ears. Lu Jinxuan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a little boy standing timidly at the door, his big eyes filled with unease and anticipation.

Lu Jinxuan's heart skipped a beat, and an inexplicable sense of familiarity welled up inside her. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that she couldn't make a sound at all.

"Mom, you're awake? Are you feeling better?" When the little boy saw Lu Jinxuan looking at him, a joyful smile immediately appeared on his face. He toddled over to the bedside with his short legs and reached out his little hand to take Lu Jinxuan's hand.

Lu Jinxuan instinctively tried to dodge, but found her body wouldn't obey her commands. She could only watch helplessly as the little boy's hand grabbed her sleeve, his soft, sweet voice ringing out again: "Mother, what's wrong? Don't scare Hang'er..."

Hang'er... Lu Jinxuan murmured the name in her heart, and a flood of unfamiliar fragments of memory suddenly rushed into her mind. She remembered that this child was her son, named Lu Yuhang, and she was no longer the powerful alchemist Lu Jinxuan, but an ordinary farm woman.

But she clearly remembered… she clearly remembered being betrayed by her people, being consumed by flames, and finally turning to ashes… How could she…

Lu Jinxuan closed her eyes, trying hard to clear her thoughts, but found her mind a jumbled mess. Fragmented images kept flashing through her mind: sweet interactions with a tall man, scenes of her teaching a little boy to read and write, and images of her working diligently…

These scenes are so real, so heartwarming, yet so unfamiliar.

Gradually, Lu Jinxuan discovered that deep within these unfamiliar memories lay some strange, gray fragments. These fragments were blurry and indistinct, yet filled with repression and pain, making her want to escape.

Just then, a soft footstep came from outside the courtyard. Lu Jinxuan was startled and instinctively wanted to hide, but then she remembered that she was just a weak woman with no strength to even kill a chicken, and there was nowhere to escape...