Rebirth of Jinxuan

"Xiao Hang, the buns are getting cold, eat them quickly." Lu Jinxuan placed a steaming hot meat bun in front of Lu Yuhang, then turned to call out to the others.

"Mommy, I don't want to go to the martial arts hall." Lu Yuhang suddenly put down the steamed bun in his hand, his little face full of resistance.

"Why don't you want to go anymore?" Lu Jinxuan frowned slightly and turned to look at Zhang Yuxi. "Yuxi, did you say something to Xiaohang?"

Zhang Yuxi quickly waved her hand, "No, that's not true. I just... I just think Xiaohang is still young, there's no need to rush."

Lu Jinxuan put down her chopsticks and patiently explained to Lu Yuhang, "Xiaohang, practicing martial arts strengthens the body and can protect you and your mother. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

“But…” Lu Yuhang wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Zhang Yuxi.

“That’s right, learning martial arts is a good thing. Xiao Hang should be obedient.” Zhang Yuxi said, then got up to clear the dishes. “I’ll go prepare for you. You have quite a lot to bring today.”

Zhang Yuxi's tone revealed a hint of helplessness. Seeing this, Lu Jinxuan got up and walked to his side, saying in a low voice, "Yuxi, I know you are reluctant to part with Xiaohang, but practicing martial arts is also a kind of training for him. We can't keep protecting him under our wings forever."

Zhang Yuxi was silent for a moment, then finally nodded, "You're right, I didn't think it through."

After breakfast, Zhang Yuxi began packing Lu Yuhang's belongings. He took out a small, exquisite package from the room, containing a brand-new set of training clothes and a pair of deerskin boots.

"I made this training uniform by hand. Try it on and see if it fits." Zhang Yuxi said as she carefully helped Lu Yuhang put on the clothes.

Lu Yuhang watched Zhang Yuxi's busy figure, his eyes slightly reddening, "Father, I..."

"Alright, stop crying." Zhang Yuxi gently wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. "A real man should stand tall and be upright. Go and say goodbye to them."

Lu Yuhang nodded, turned around and ran out of the yard to find Qingyuan and Aixi to play.

Lu Jinxuan watched the father and son walk away, a relieved smile on her face.

“Let’s go, it’s time for us to set off.” Mo Chenfan walked to Lu Jinxuan’s side and said softly.

Lu Jinxuan nodded and was about to take a step when she suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to Ai Xi, saying, "Ai Xi, bring me Xiao Hang's little storage ring."

Ai Xi responded, turned and went back to her room, and soon came out with a delicate little silver ring in her hand...

Ai Xi handed the ring to Lu Jinxuan, who then handed it to Lu Yuhang: "Take this, it's a gift from your Uncle Mo, keep it safe."

Lu Yuhang took the ring and examined it curiously, turning it over and over. "Mommy, this ring is so pretty, what is it made of?"

“This is a storage ring; you can put things inside,” Lu Jinxuan explained. “Didn’t you always complain that your little bag was too small to hold all your precious things? With this, it will be much more convenient.”

Lu Yuhang's eyes lit up, and he immediately took out several stones of different colors from his pocket, carefully placing them into the ring. A flash of light appeared, and the stones disappeared. Excitedly, he took out a few candies, a few copper coins, and even a small ladybug he had caught, stuffing them all into the ring.

Mo Chenfan watched from the side, smiling as he pulled out a stack of silver notes from his pocket and stuffed them into Lu Jinxuan's hand, "Put some of these in too, so the little guy won't be short of money when he goes out."

Lu Jinxuan took the silver notes and counted them; there were a full thousand taels of silver. "That's too much; I don't need this much," she said, but her hands honestly put the silver notes into her ring.

"This little bit of money is nothing. It's good enough for him to buy a few candies," Mo Chenfan said dismissively. "This ring is too small; it can only hold this much."

Lu Jinxuan rolled her eyes at him. "You still think it's too small? I went through a lot of trouble to snatch it... Do you think storage rings are as easy as cabbages?" As she spoke, a pale golden light condensed at her fingertip and gently touched the ring, while she muttered incantations.

"What are you doing?" Mo Chenfan asked curiously.

"Let's seal it up so he doesn't put all sorts of random things in there," Lu Jinxuan explained. "He's just a kid, he doesn't know any better. It wouldn't be good if he put something dangerous in there."

After the seal was complete, Lu Jinxuan handed the ring back to Lu Yuhang. Seeing this, Ai Xi took a thin strand of purple jade vine from her wrist, strung the ring together, and tied it around Lu Yuhang's neck. "That way it won't get lost," she said with a smile.

With everything prepared, Lu Jinxuan and Zhang Yuxi each took one of Lu Yuhang's hands and headed towards the martial arts hall in town. Qing Yuan appeared silently behind Lu Yuhang, blending into his shadow as if she had never left.

"Qingyuan, remember, don't make a move unless your life is in danger," Lu Jinxuan whispered.

Qingyuan nodded slightly in Lu Yuhang's shadow, indicating that she understood.

Hearing Lu Jinxuan's words, Zhang Yuxi smiled and said, "You're overthinking it. Xiaohang won't be in any danger at the Martial Arts Hall."

Lu Jinxuan looked at him with a puzzled expression, about to ask something, when she was interrupted by a commotion. They arrived at the entrance of the martial arts hall, where a large crowd had already gathered, all parents who had come to send their children to school.

"Let's go in," Zhang Yuxi said, taking Lu Yuhang's hand and walking towards the entrance of the martial arts hall.

Lu Jinxuan followed behind them, looking at Zhang Yuxi's long, snow-white hair that seemed out of place for her age, and a sudden doubt arose in her heart. Zhang Yuxi had just said that Xiao Hang wouldn't be in mortal danger; did he know something? Did the Crimson Serpent Demon clan truly possess the innate skill of "immortality"?

"What's wrong?" Zhang Yuxi noticed Lu Jinxuan's unusual behavior, stopped and asked with concern.

Lu Jinxuan snapped out of her reverie and shook her head. "It's nothing, it's just..." She paused, looking into Zhang Yuxi's deep, silver-gray eyes, and finally asked the question that had been bothering her, "Yuxi, how old are you this year?"

Zhang Yuxi smiled slightly, her tone relaxed and casual: "A little over thirty, but not yet forty."

Lu Jinxuan frowned, staring at his white hair, her tone tinged with doubt: "In your thirties... you have such a head of white hair?"

Seeing Lu Jinxuan's questioning gaze, Zhang Yuxi smiled nonchalantly and reached out to touch her long, snow-white hair that reached her waist. "You don't know, but my hair is natural. We, the Crimson Serpent Demon Clan, are born with hair colors different from ordinary people."

Lu Jinxuan suddenly realized that she had forgotten that there was such a thing as being born with white hair. She seemed to be too sensitive. After all, she had lived in the modern world for so many years and was used to looking at things with a scientific eye. But after coming here, she couldn't help but use her past experiences to speculate about everything in this world.

"Are you thinking about 'immortality'?" Zhang Yuxi seemed to see through Lu Jinxuan's thoughts, her tone carrying a hint of teasing.

Lu Jinxuan didn't hide anything and frankly admitted, "I am indeed curious. You said before that Xiao Hang wouldn't be in any danger at the Martial Arts Hall, could it be because...?"

Zhang Yuxi nodded, her gaze falling on Lu Yuhang, who was skipping and jumping ahead, her eyes filled with tenderness. "The Crimson Serpent Demon Clan does indeed possess the talent of 'immortality.' However, this 'immortality' is not true eternal life, but rather refers to our extremely strong regenerative ability. As long as the demon core remains intact, even if the physical body is damaged, it can be reborn under the nourishment of the moonlight."

Upon hearing the word "immortal," Lu Yuhang immediately became interested. He ran to Zhang Yuxi's side, tilted his little head, and asked, "Daddy, what does 'immortal' mean? Is it like in the stories, where one can live forever?"

Zhang Yuxi smiled and bent down to rub Lu Yuhang's head. "Immortality is out of the question, it just means we live a little longer than the average person. Moreover, each rebirth requires a lot of demonic power, so we won't use this ability lightly unless absolutely necessary."

Lu Jinxuan walked up to them and asked curiously, "Then... what is the origin of the demon race?"

Zhang Yuxi looked up at the sky, her gaze distant, as if she had traveled through time and returned to the distant past. "Legend has it that in the beginning of time, all things in the world possessed a spirit. Some of these beings absorbed the essence of the sun and moon, gradually developing intelligence and becoming the earliest demon race. Our Crimson Serpent Demon Clan is one of the earliest demon races, blessed by the Moon Goddess and possessing great power."

He paused, then continued, "Initially, humans and demons lived in peace and even intermarried. But as time went on, humans grew stronger and their demand for resources increased, leading them to encroach on the territory of demons. In order to survive, demons had no choice but to fight back, which eventually led to a protracted war."

"That war was so fierce that the sky darkened and the sun and moon lost their light. Countless lives were lost, and the earth was stained red with blood. In the end, the human race, with its numerical advantage, drove the demon race into remote mountains and deserts." Zhang Yuxi's voice lowered, carrying a trace of sorrow.

Lu Jinxuan and Lu Yuhang listened intently, as if they were in the midst of that ancient war.

"Later, the human race established a powerful empire and enacted strict laws, regarding the demon race as an alien species and strictly prohibiting intermarriage between humans and demons. In order to survive, the demon race had to hide their identities and integrate into human society. Our Crimson Serpent Demon race, because we possess the special ability of 'immortality,' became an object of fear for the human race and was relentlessly hunted down."

Zhang Yuxi's tone carried a hint of helplessness, "To evade pursuit, our Crimson Serpent Demon Clan had no choice but to hide our identities and wander from place to place. Now, there are very few of us left, and we have long since lost our former glory."

As he spoke, he reached into his robes and pulled out a crystal-clear, moon-shaped jade pendant, handing it to Lu Yuhang. "This is a sacred object of my clan. Take it."

Lu Yuhang took the jade pendant and examined it curiously.

Zhang Yuxi looked at Lu Yuhang, a complex light flashing in his eyes, "This jade pendant might help you find other members of your clan..." He suddenly stopped, his gaze falling on the entrance of the martial arts hall, as if he had seen something.

Lu Yuhang nodded as if he understood, playing with the jade pendant in his hand. Suddenly, he looked up and asked, "Father, does that mean I can die whenever I want? I can come back to life anyway!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuxi's expression changed, and she quickly said, "Little Ancestor, you can't say such things lightly! Although our Crimson Serpent Demon Clan has the ability to regenerate, each rebirth consumes a large amount of demonic power, and the process is extremely painful. We must never try it lightly unless absolutely necessary!"

Lu Yuhang stuck out his tongue and muttered under his breath, "I'm not stupid. Who would want to die for no reason..."

Looking at Lu Yuhang's serious expression, Lu Jinxuan felt a mix of emotions. She knew Zhang Yuxi was right; death was never something to be discussed lightly. Even with the ability to regenerate, it shouldn't be treated as a game.

"Alright, it's getting late, we should head to the martial arts hall." Lu Jinxuan patted Lu Yuhang's head, signaling him that it was time to leave.

Lu Yuhang responded and skipped and hopped towards the martial arts hall.

Zhang Yuxi watched Lu Yuhang's retreating figure, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes. She turned to Lu Jinxuan and said, "Yuhang is still young, so you need to take good care of him. Don't let him cause trouble in the martial arts hall."

Lu Jinxuan nodded, indicating that she understood.

The three walked side by side toward the martial arts hall, followed by two maids, one carrying Xiao Wu and the other leading Xiao Ba, making their way through the bustling streets.

"By the way," Zhang Yuxi asked as if she had suddenly remembered something, "have you ever seen anyone else with the same ability?"

Lu Jinxuan shook her head, "Apart from your Crimson Serpent Demon Clan, I have never seen anyone else possess such an ability."

Zhang Yuxi pondered for a moment without speaking, but her brows furrowed slightly, as if she were thinking about something.

Before they knew it, the three of them had arrived at the street where the martial arts hall was located.

"Strange, this road doesn't seem to lead to the Martial Arts Hall, does it?" Lu Jinxuan stopped and looked around, finding the surrounding buildings and streets unfamiliar.

Zhang Yuxi also sensed something was wrong, and her expression changed slightly. "We seem to be lost."

"Lost?" Lu Jinxuan wondered. They were following the route they remembered, so how could they be lost?

Just then, the surrounding crowd suddenly stirred, turning to look at them, pointing and whispering amongst themselves.

Zhang Yuxi felt a chill run down his spine, a bad premonition rising within him. He looked up at the crowd, only to see pairs of eyes filled with terror and hostility, as if they had seen some monstrous flood.

"Look! It's a demon!" someone shouted from the crowd, and the previously calm crowd instantly erupted into chaos.

"Demons! They really are demons!"

"Catch them quickly!"

The crowd surged forward like a tide, surrounding the three of them.

Zhang Yuxi's expression changed, and she subconsciously shielded Lu Jinxuan and Lu Yuhang behind her, her gaze sweeping coldly over the surrounding crowd.

"Stop it, all of you!" Zhang Yuxi shouted angrily, but the crowd showed no sign of stopping; instead, they became even more agitated.