Rebirth of Jinxuan

Inside, Lu Yuhang was excitedly playing with two furry little animals. The animals nestled in his arms, making soft squeaks. Lu Yuhang giggled, his innocent face beaming with pure joy. Ai Xi watched this scene, a subtle smile playing on her lips.

Mo Chenfan followed her in, his brows furrowed, and said to Ai Xi in a low voice, "Are you really not going to sell? This is..."

"Shh!" Ai Xi raised a finger, interrupting Mo Chenfan. "Walls have ears." She glanced at Lu Jinxuan, who was busy in the inner room, then turned to look at Mo Chenfan, her eyes carrying a hint of warning. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Mo Chenfan was still worried: "But what if they..."

“There’s no chance of anything going on.” Ai Xi said firmly. “They’re very weak right now and won’t wake up anytime soon. I’ll go to the Misty Forest again tomorrow and catch a few prettier ones. Then…” Ai Xi paused, smiled meaningfully, “We’ll see.”

At this moment, Lu Jinxuan was squatting on the ground, carefully examining the medicinal herbs that Ai Xi had brought back. She selected a few of the better-looking ones and handed them to Mo Chenfan and Ai Xi, saying, "Plant these in the yard."

Mo Chenfan accepted the medicinal herb, somewhat speechless. As a hunter, when had he ever done such farm work? However, to impress Lu Jinxuan, he held back and obediently went to work.

Ai Xi silently went to find a hoe and a shovel. She was always efficient, and soon the medicinal herbs were planted.

Lu Jinxuan looked at the planted medicinal herbs and nodded in satisfaction. Sunlight streamed into the courtyard, illuminating the newly turned soil and releasing a faint earthy scent.

"What about the rest?" Mo Chenfan asked, pointing to the remaining medicinal herbs on the ground.

Lu Jinxuan patted the dirt off her hands and stood up. "I'm going to refine these."

"Refine?" Mo Chenfan raised an eyebrow, a hint of teasing in his voice. "You wouldn't be thinking of refining pills, would you? But you don't even have a pill-refining furnace..."

Lu Jinxuan smiled faintly, "Ordinary spiritual herbs do not require a furnace."

Mo Chenfan feigned surprise and leaned closer to Lu Jinxuan. "Oh? How did you refine it? Tell me, so I can broaden my horizons." He spoke with a hint of mockery, his eyes revealing a touch of ambiguity.

Upon seeing this, Lu Jinxuan's expression changed, and she shouted sharply, "Mo Chenfan! What are you doing!"

Mo Chenfan was about to speak when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He was kicked away by a tremendous force and crashed heavily to the ground. He looked up in disbelief and saw Lu Jinxuan retract her foot, her face still showing that calm and indifferent expression.

Mo Chenfan clutched his stomach, groaning in pain. He never expected that the seemingly frail Lu Jinxuan would possess such strength. Ai Xi quickly ran to Mo Chenfan's side and helped him up, asking, "Are you alright?"

Mo Chenfan waved his hand, his face looking rather grim. He forced himself to get up from the ground, rubbed his stomach, and gave an awkward laugh, "I... I was just joking."

Lu Jinxuan looked at him expressionlessly. "A joke? I don't like this kind of joke." Her tone was cold, carrying a hint of warning.

Mo Chenfan dared not say anything more and silently stepped aside. Lu Jinxuan turned around and said to Ai Xi, "Go and get some firewood."

Although Ai Xi didn't understand what Lu Jinxuan was going to do, she immediately did as she was told. A little while later, she came over carrying a bundle of firewood.

"You're going to burn these medicinal herbs with firewood?" Mo Chenfan looked at the herbs on the ground, his heart aching. These herbs were priceless; burning them like this was such a waste.

Lu Jinxuan ignored Mo Chenfan and simply said to Ai Xi, "Pile the firewood in the middle of the yard."

Ai Xi did as instructed, piled up the firewood, and then took out a tinderbox from her bosom, preparing to light it.

"Wait!" Mo Chenfan quickly stopped him upon seeing this. "Are you really going to burn them? These medicinal herbs are..."

Before he could finish speaking, another sharp pain shot through his abdomen. He was kicked away again, crashing heavily to the ground. This time, he didn't even have the strength to groan.

Lu Jinxuan withdrew her foot and gave him a cold look. "Light the fire."

Ai Xi was intimidated by Lu Jinxuan's imposing manner. She paused for a moment, then quickly lit the firewood.

A raging fire broke out, illuminating the entire courtyard. Mo Chenfan lay not far away, watching the flames, his heart filled with doubt and confusion. He simply couldn't understand why Lu Jinxuan would do such a thing.

The flames grew stronger, and a peculiar fragrance wafted from the fire. Mo Chenfan, upon smelling the aroma, immediately felt a surge of energy. He stared at the fire in astonishment, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Aren't you getting up yet?" Lu Jinxuan's voice rang out again.

Mo Chenfan then realized what was happening. He quickly got up from the ground and walked to the fire.

"Throw these medicinal herbs into the fire one by one," Lu Jinxuan instructed, pointing to the herbs on the ground.

Although Mo Chenfan was filled with doubt, he did as instructed. He picked up a medicinal herb, hesitated for a moment, and then threw it into the fire.

The elixir burst into flames the moment it touched the fire, crackling and popping. An even richer fragrance emanated from the fire.

Following Lu Jinxuan's instructions, Mo Chenfan threw all the spiritual herbs into the fire. He watched the roaring flames, his heart filled with anticipation. He didn't know what Lu Jinxuan was planning, but he had a feeling that something incredible was about to happen.

"Alright," Lu Jinxuan said calmly, looking at the burning flames.

Just then, a childish voice suddenly rang out, "Mom, what are you doing?"

Lu Yuhang rubbed his sleepy eyes and came out of the house. Attracted by the firelight, he asked curiously.

"I'm refining medicine." Lu Jinxuan turned to look at Lu Yuhang, a gentle smile on her face.

"Alchemy?" Lu Yuhang blinked, looking puzzled.

Mo Chenfan suddenly asked, "Xiao Hang, where are your two little beasts?"

Lu Yuhang pointed inside the room, "They're sleeping."

Mo Chenfan thought to himself: If this elixir is ruined, I'll sell those two little beasts...

"What mischief are you thinking? Why are you smiling so slyly!" Lu Yuhang said, pointing at Mo Chenfan.

Mo Chenfan smiled awkwardly, picked up Lu Yuhang, and said, "Come on, I'll take you back to sleep."

"I'm not sleepy," Lu Yuhang struggled to jump down from Mo Chenfan's arms, ran to Lu Jinxuan's side, and looked up at her with his little face, asking, "Mom, what is alchemy?"

Lu Jinxuan squatted down and gently patted Lu Yuhang's head. "Alchemy is about turning these herbs into pills that can cure diseases."

"Oh," Lu Yuhang nodded as if he understood, then his gaze fell on the burning fire again, "So, if these herbs are burned, can they still turn into pills?"

“Of course,” Lu Jinxuan smiled. “This is called refining pills with fire. Once the fire goes out, the pills will be ready.”

Lu Yuhang stared curiously at the fire, his gaze unwavering. Mo Chenfan stood to the side, watching the interaction between Lu Jinxuan and her son, Lu Yuhang, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He had initially thought Lu Jinxuan was just an ordinary peasant woman, but he hadn't expected her to be able to concoct medicine. Could she really be some kind of reclusive master?

The flames gradually diminished, and the herbs in the fire slowly turned to ash. A rich medicinal aroma filled the entire courtyard.

“Alright,” Lu Jinxuan stood up and said to Ai Xi, “Go put out the fire.”

Ai Xi nodded, walked to the well, drew a bucket of water, and poured it onto the fire.

With a "sizzle," the fire was completely extinguished, and a plume of white smoke rose up, swirled in the air for a while, and then slowly dissipated.

Lu Jinxuan walked to the fire and took out a black pill from the ashes. The pill was only the size of a thumb and emitted a faint medicinal fragrance.

"Is this the finished pill?" Lu Yuhang asked curiously.

Lu Jinxuan nodded. "Yes, this is called the Rejuvenation Pill. It can treat various external injuries."

Lu Yuhang reached out his little hand, wanting to touch the pill, but Lu Jinxuan stopped him, saying, "Don't touch it, this pill is very precious."

“Oh,” Lu Yuhang obediently withdrew his hand, staring longingly at the pill in Lu Jinxuan’s hand.

Lu Jinxuan put the pills away and then said to Mo Chenfan, "It's getting late, you should get some rest too."

Mo Chenfan nodded, glanced at Lu Yuhang, and said, "Xiao Hang, come back to sleep with me."

Lu Yuhang shook his head, "I still want to watch Mother refine medicine."

Lu Jinxuan smiled and said, "We'll refine this one today and the rest tomorrow."

"Okay," Lu Yuhang reluctantly agreed and followed Mo Chenfan back into the house.

Mo Chenfan's accommodation was arranged in the west wing of Lu Jinxuan's house. Pushing open the door, a faint scent of herbs wafted out, mixed with a slight animal odor, causing Mo Chenfan to frown slightly. In the dim light, he saw a mound on the bed where two furry little animals were curled up under the covers, fast asleep. Lu Yuhang went straight to the bed, pulled back the covers, and crawled in. The two little animals whimpered a few times in dissatisfaction, then snuggled closer to Lu Yuhang and continued sleeping. Looking at the man and two animals on the bed, Mo Chenfan sighed helplessly, blew out the oil lamp, and groped his way into bed in the dark. In the darkness, he couldn't fall asleep, tossing and turning… He could hear Lu Yuhang's even breathing and the occasional soft whimpers of the little animals. Mo Chenfan lay awake, feeling the warmth beside him, his thoughts racing.