Rebirth of Jinxuan

Mo Chenfan's sword wasn't fully drawn; just a flash of cold light on the hilt was enough to make Manager Wang feel a chilling aura. His smile froze, his eyes flickered, and he instinctively took a half-step back. "You... what do you want?"

Lu Jinxuan ignored Manager Wang's feigned composure and asked in an icy tone, "Manager Wang, where are our people?"

Manager Wang forced himself to remain calm and asked with feigned surprise, "Who is it? I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Stop pretending!" Ai Xi, who had been silent all along, stepped forward and pointed at Manager Wang, angrily shouting, "You sent people to the inn to arrest our people, and now where are they? Are they dead or alive? Give me an explanation!"

Shopkeeper Wang's eyes darted around, his mind racing. He hadn't expected these seemingly ordinary martial artists to possess such strength, capable of silently eliminating everyone he had sent. A sense of foreboding washed over him; he knew today's outcome was likely dire.

Old Qian, leaning on his cane, slowly walked to Lu Jinxuan's side, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his cloudy eyes: "Manager Wang, I advise you to tell the truth. You know what you've done."

Shopkeeper Wang's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat. He looked at Lu Jinxuan, Mo Chenfan, and Ai Xi, then at Old Qian who was calm and composed to the side, and finally his gaze fell on the little boy behind Lu Jinxuan, who had been silent all along but was tightly holding onto the hem of Lu Jinxuan's clothes.

A sense of powerlessness welled up inside him; he knew that this matter was unlikely to end well today.

Seeing that Manager Wang was stammering and unable to give a coherent answer, Lu Jinxuan grew impatient. "Manager Wang, I don't want to waste my time with you. Over twenty lives, how do you plan to compensate us?"

Manager Wang's face turned pale, and he asked in a trembling voice, "Compensate... compensate for what?"

"Pay up." Lu Jinxuan's tone was calm, yet her words were firm and resolute. "Ten million gold coins."

"What?!" Manager Wang exclaimed as if he had heard a fairy tale, "Ten million taels of gold? You...you're robbing me!"

Lu Jinxuan snorted coldly: "The rules of the martial world are that a life for a life, and a debt must be repaid. You sent people to intercept and kill us, and we are just following the rules of the martial world. What's wrong with that?"

Shopkeeper Wang was so frightened that his face turned deathly pale, his lips trembled, and he couldn't speak for a long time. Ten million taels of gold—let alone a small pharmacy owner like him, even the entire Wang family might not be able to come up with that much money all at once! He subconsciously looked into the depths of the clinic; he knew that only the Wang family could save him now.

Lu Jinxuan followed Manager Wang's gaze, a cold smile playing on her lips. She had long suspected that Manager Wang had powerful backers; otherwise, how could a mere pharmacy owner dare to act so recklessly?

"It seems that Manager Wang is planning to let the person behind you make decisions for you?" Lu Jinxuan's tone was icy, her gaze like a knife, piercing straight to Manager Wang's heart.

Manager Wang swallowed hard, his voice trembling as he said, "I'll think about it..."

Without waiting for Lu Jinxuan and the others to respond, he stumbled and ran towards the depths of the clinic.

Watching Manager Wang's flustered retreating figure, Ai Xi asked with some confusion, "Boss, are we really going to wait here for the Wang family? What if..."

Lu Jinxuan raised her hand to interrupt her, and said calmly, "Don't worry, the Wang family will be here soon."

“But…” Ai Xi wanted to say something more, but was stopped by a look from Lu Jinxuan.

“Ai Xi,” Lu Jinxuan said calmly, yet with an undeniable air of authority, “there are some things that are not for you to know now.”

Although Ai Xi still had doubts, she didn't dare to ask any more questions and could only obediently shut her mouth.

Lu Jinxuan looked in the direction where Manager Wang had disappeared, a meaningful smile appearing on her lips.

Lu Jinxuan ignored Ai Xi's questioning gaze, walked to the center of the clinic's lobby, casually found a chair and sat down, her posture relaxed as if she were at home. She poured herself a cup of tea, took a sip, and then slowly said, "Ai Xi, you still lack experience in the ways of the world; you only see the surface."

Ai Xi was even more confused and asked, puzzled, "Sister, I don't understand, aren't we supposed to..."

Lu Jinxuan picked up where she left off, shaking her head with a smile. "We who roam the martial world have our own rules. A life for a life, a debt for a debt—that's only right and proper. My ten million taels of gold isn't an exorbitant price; it's compensation the Wang family owes. Besides, our real purpose is to find the person behind this."

“But sister, we don’t know anyone here. If we just wait here, what if…” Ai Xi was still a little worried.

"Don't worry," Lu Jinxuan smiled confidently, "This Manager Wang has the Wang family backing him up, so he's naturally used to being arrogant and domineering. We're new here, if we don't teach them a lesson, they'll really think we're easy to bully."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the trembling crowd in the clinic. Lowering her voice, she continued, "The business world and the martial world may seem different, but they actually have something in common. In the martial world, you rely on strength and prestige, while in the business world, it's about wealth and connections. If we don't vent our anger today, we'll likely find it difficult to move an inch in this chaotic border town in the future."

Ai Xi seemed to understand but not quite, but she believed Lu Jinxuan's words without a doubt, so she said no more and just silently stood by.

Hiding in the shadows, Manager Wang overheard their conversation and was filled with regret. Had he known this woman was so shrewd, he shouldn't have acted so rashly. Now he was in a bind, and he feared he would have to pay an even greater price to quell the matter. He secretly observed Lu Jinxuan, noticing her composed demeanor and refined speech. He thought to himself: This young woman possesses an imposing aura, far from ordinary; I've probably misjudged her…

Thinking of this, Manager Wang became even more uneasy, cold sweat beading on his forehead, but he dared not utter a sound. He placed all his hopes on the Wang family, praying that the patriarch would arrive as soon as possible to resolve his current predicament…

Just as a glimmer of hope flickered in Manager Wang's mind, a sharp pain shot through the back of his head. His vision blurred, and he staggered a few steps, nearly falling to the ground. A slender yet strong hand steadied him, and then a clear, cool voice rang in his ear: "Manager Wang, what are you thinking about? Lost in thought like that?"

Manager Wang looked up and met Lu Jinxuan's ambiguous smile. He felt a chill and quickly forced a smile, saying, "No... I wasn't thinking about anything, I was just thinking about how to raise that ten million taels of gold." He rubbed the back of his head, secretly lamenting that this woman looked so delicate, yet she was so ruthless.

"Oh? Ten million gold is no small sum. It's understandable that Manager Wang can't come up with it right away." Lu Jinxuan released her hand, her tone seemingly understanding, but it only made Manager Wang more uneasy.

"That's right, that's right. Please give me a few more days, young lady. I will definitely... I will definitely find a way to raise the money." Manager Wang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and carefully observed Lu Jinxuan's expression.

Lu Jinxuan smiled slightly, said nothing, turned around and walked to the medicine cabinet, beckoning to Lu Yuhang who was curiously looking around: "Hang'er, come here, Mother will show you these interesting medicinal herbs."

Lu Yuhang ran over happily, took Lu Jinxuan's hand, and curiously pointed at the medicinal herbs in the medicine cabinet, asking her questions incessantly. Lu Jinxuan patiently explained to him, occasionally picking up some herbs so he could smell and touch them. The interaction between mother and son was warm and natural, completely out of place in the tense atmosphere.

Ai Xi and Mo Chenfan stood aside, silently observing the scene. Ai Xi sighed inwardly; the princess was truly meticulous. This move, a strategic retreat, both intimidated Manager Wang, avoided direct conflict, and even allowed her to instruct Yu Hang—truly a win-win situation. Mo Chenfan, meanwhile, gazed at Lu Jinxuan's gentle profile, a warm feeling welling up inside him. This woman was not only highly skilled in martial arts and meticulous in her thinking, but also a gentle mother. He found her increasingly enigmatic and captivating.

Looking at Lu Jinxuan and Lu Yuhang, Manager Wang felt a little more at ease. Taking this opportunity, he quietly winked at the young shop assistant beside him. The assistant understood and quietly left the clinic.

While seemingly focused on explaining the medicinal herbs to Lu Yuhang, Lu Jinxuan was actually taking in everything around her. A slight smile played on her lips as she picked up a brightly colored herb, placed it under Lu Yuhang's nose, and whispered, "Hang'er, smell this. What's this?"

Lu Yuhang wrinkled his little nose and said in a childish voice, "It stinks!"

Lu Jinxuan chuckled softly, about to speak, but suddenly stopped, her gaze turning to the door... Manager Wang watched the young shop assistant's departing figure, lowered his voice, and said to another shop assistant beside him, "Go, bring me my purple clay teapot, I want to savor the tea properly."

He put down his teacup and said to the young waiter beside him, "Go and bring me my jade pendant."

The young shop assistant paused for a moment, then asked, "Shopkeeper, what do you need the jade pendant for?"

Shopkeeper Wang glared at him and said irritably, "Just take it when I tell you to, stop with the nonsense!"

The young shop assistant dared not ask any more questions and hurriedly went to retrieve the jade pendant.

Shopkeeper Wang took the jade pendant, carefully wiped it clean, and then handed it to the young shop assistant, whispering, "Take this jade pendant and go to the Wang residence. Tell him... tell him that my treasured purple clay teapot is broken, and ask Master Wang to come and appraise the newly arrived pre-rain Longjing tea."

The young shop assistant took the jade pendant. Although he didn't understand why Manager Wang suddenly wanted to invite Master Wang to have tea, he didn't dare to ask any more questions because the manager's face was so unpleasant. He just glanced helplessly at Lu Jinxuan and the others before turning around and leaving the clinic.

As the shopkeeper watched the young waiter's departing figure, a sinister glint flashed in his eyes.

He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Ten million gold? Hmph, I'd like to see what you're going to offer in return!"

He put down his teacup, turned his gaze to Lu Jinxuan, and his eyes were filled with resentment.

Lu Jinxuan continued playing with Lu Yuhang, seemingly indifferent to everything around her.

“Mother,” Lu Yuhang suddenly tugged at Lu Jinxuan’s sleeve, “the shopkeeper’s expression was so strange when he asked the little brother to leave…”

“Mommy,” Lu Yuhang tugged at Lu Jinxuan’s sleeve again, pointing his little finger toward the door, “The shopkeeper’s expression was so strange when he told the little brother to leave…” He tilted his head, imitating the shopkeeper’s expression at the time, his brows furrowed and his mouth slightly pursed, looking both comical and adorable.

Lu Jinxuan gently patted Lu Yuhang's little head and smiled tenderly, "Hang'er is so smart, you observe so carefully." She picked up a herb with pale yellow flowers, "Come on, smell this, what does it smell like?"

Lu Yuhang leaned closer and sniffed it, saying in a childish voice, "It tastes a little bitter, and a little... smelly."

"This is wormwood. Although it doesn't smell very good, it can treat colds and coughs," Lu Jinxuan explained patiently, her gaze subtly sweeping over Manager Wang. She naturally understood Manager Wang's intention in sending the young assistant out, but she didn't care. She didn't take the mere Wang family seriously at all.

Lu Yuhang nodded as if he understood, but his small eyes kept glancing at Mo Chenfan. Mo Chenfan stood silently to the side, his expression indifferent, seemingly uninterested in everything happening around him. But deep in his eyes, a barely perceptible wariness lurked.

Noticing Lu Yuhang's gaze, Mo Chenfan bent down slightly and whispered in his ear, "Don't worry, I've got you covered." Those few words, though brief, were full of strength, instantly brightening Lu Yuhang's previously uneasy face into a radiant smile.

Lu Jinxuan observed all of this, a warmth spreading through her heart. She continued teaching Lu Yuhang to identify medicinal herbs, her expression focused, as if the outside world were irrelevant to her. Ai Xi stood quietly behind Lu Jinxuan, vigilantly observing the surrounding movements.

The atmosphere inside the clinic seemed calm on the surface, yet undercurrents were swirling beneath. Manager Wang sat behind the counter, an empty teacup in his hand, tapping it lightly on the table with a rhythmic "tap-tap," as if he were calculating something. His gaze shifted uncertainly, sometimes looking at Lu Jinxuan, sometimes at the door, as if anxiously waiting for something.

Time passed slowly, and the atmosphere in the clinic grew increasingly heavy.