Rebirth of Jinxuan

The sunset painted half the sky crimson, and the aroma of food wafted from inside the house. Lu Jinxuan stood at the door, gazing at the empty courtyard, a sense of unease creeping into her heart. Hang'er was always punctual; why was he so late today? Seeing this, Mo Chenfan put down his work and asked with concern, "Are you waiting for Yuhang?"

Lu Jinxuan nodded gently, "This child usually rushes back at mealtimes, but he's nowhere to be seen today." Mo Chenfan comforted him, "Perhaps he went out to play. I'll go look for him." With that, he turned and left the courtyard. Wang Xiaoer saw this and quickly followed, "Brother Mo, wait for me!" But Ai Xi stopped him, "You stay here, I'll go." She flashed and disappeared into the twilight.

Inside the house, Old Qian stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Young people should be lively. Back when I was about Yu Hang's age..." Before he could finish speaking, Mo Chenfan returned with Lu Yu Hang, followed by an apologetic-looking Qian Feng.

"Mom, I'm late." Lu Yuhang scratched his head a little embarrassedly.

"Hang'er, where did you go? Why are you so late?" Lu Jinxuan's tone was slightly reproachful.

Lu Yuhang quickly explained, recounting the discovery of the blue stone to his mother in detail, and then pointed to Qian Feng behind him, saying, "Qian Feng and I were playing in the yard..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Jinxuan's expression changed drastically. "Where are Momo and Ayu?"

The three then realized that the two little girls were missing.

"He was with us just now..." Lu Yuhang's voice trembled slightly.

Mo Chenfan immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and asked with a grave expression, "When was the last time you saw them?"

Lu Yuhang tried hard to recall, "Just now, when Qian Feng and I turned around to go back into the house, they were still there..."

"Not good!" Old Qian's expression changed drastically, and he stood up abruptly. "They're probably after the Lu family!"

Lu Jinxuan's heart sank. Could it be that her enemies had come looking for her?

Mo Chenfan made a quick decision, "Old Qian, Yu Hang, you two stay here for now, Ai Xi and I will go look for it."

Old Qian shook his head. "I'm an old man and can't be of much help, but Feng can't stay here. He has to come with me."

Mo Chenfan pondered for a moment and said, "Mr. Qian, why don't you move to my place first, so we can look after each other?"

Mr. Qian readily agreed. So, Mo Chenfan arranged for Wang Xiaoer to take Mr. Qian and his grandson back to his home and settle them in.

As night fell, Ai Xi returned, but with bad news. She searched the area around the village but couldn't find any trace of Momo and A Yu.

"It seems they came prepared," Mo Chenfan said in a deep voice.

Lu Jinxuan gripped the blue stone tightly in her hand, her heart filled with anxiety. What exactly was this stone? Why had it brought trouble?

Ai Xi walked to the table, poured a glass of water, and observed the expressions of everyone in the room without making a sound. She slowly said, "I have set up an illusion array at the entrance of the village. Ordinary people will not be able to detect it. We need to leave as soon as possible."

The coachman drove the carriage to the post station, and Mo Chenfan and his group boarded the carriage. Inside the carriage, Xiao Ba and Xiao Wu whimpered anxiously, seemingly sensing the tense atmosphere.

As the wheels turned, the carriage gradually left the village and headed towards the Dark Forest. Ai Xi lifted a corner of the curtain, and after confirming that no one was following, she began to cast an illusion. The carriage sped along the official road, but like a phantom, it gradually disappeared into the night…

The carriage continued its journey, but the atmosphere inside grew increasingly heavy. Xiao Ba and Xiao Wu's sobs became more frequent as they paced anxiously. Suddenly, the carriage jolted and came to a stop.

"What's wrong?" Mo Chenfan asked, lifting the carriage curtain.

The coachman's voice trembled slightly, "It seems...it seems something hit the carriage..."

Ai Xi immediately jumped off the carriage and looked around, but found nothing. Just then, a deep voice came from the air: "Who are you, daring to trespass into the Dark Night Forest?"

In the air, a figure slowly emerged—it was Zhang Yuxi. His gaze was piercing as he scanned the people inside the carriage, finally settling on Lu Jinxuan.

"Yuxi?" Lu Jinxuan exclaimed in surprise.

Zhang Yuxi nodded slightly, then turned her gaze to Lu Jinxuan, "Jinxuan, why are you here?"

Lu Jinxuan briefly explained what had happened and mentioned the missing Momo and Ayu. Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuxi's expression also turned serious. "The Dark Night Forest is fraught with danger. These two children, traveling alone, are likely in grave danger."

"Yuxi, can you take some people to find them?" Lu Jinxuan pleaded.

Zhang Yuxi pondered for a moment, "I am familiar with the Dark Night Forest, I will personally lead people to find it." He turned to Ai Xi, "Ai Xi, you will come with me."

Ai Xi nodded in agreement.

Lu Jinxuan felt a little relieved, but then a wave of fatigue washed over her, and her face throbbed with pain. She gently touched her cheek and said softly, "I need some time to prepare medicine for my injuries. You all go ahead."

Seeing her pale face, Zhang Yuxi assumed she was just tired and didn't think much of it. "Alright, you get some rest. We'll come back as soon as we find the child."

So, Zhang Yuxi, along with Mo Chenfan, Lu Yuhang, Xiao Ba, Xiao Wu, and Ai Xi, headed deeper into the Dark Night Forest. The carriage continued onward, heading towards the nearest town.

Watching their departing figures, Lu Jinxuan silently prayed for their safe return. She returned to the carriage, took out the medicinal herbs, and began to concentrate on concocting medicine to heal their wounds.

The carriage bumped along the way, finally arriving in town at dawn. Lu Jinxuan paid the fare and went into a pharmacy.

The shopkeeper was a kind-looking old man. Seeing Lu Jinxuan enter, he asked with concern, "Madam, what do you need?"

Lu Jinxuan explained her purpose: she wanted to buy some medicinal herbs for making medicine to treat injuries. The shopkeeper warmly welcomed her and provided her with a quiet room to rest.

Lu Jinxuan thanked the shopkeeper for his kindness and went into the room. She then began to organize the medicinal herbs and prepare to start making medicine.

Suddenly, a commotion arose outside the pharmacy, mixed with anxious inquiries.

"Have you seen two little girls, one named Momo and the other named Ayu?"

Lu Jinxuan's heart stirred. She walked to the door and peeked out through the crack. She saw two richly dressed middle-aged men anxiously questioning the pharmacy owner.

The innkeeper shook his head. "Never seen you before. Where are you two gentlemen from?"

One of the men sighed, "We are the children's family. They got lost, and we've been searching for them all this way..."

The pharmacy owner offered a few words of comfort and told them to continue their search. Disappointed, the two left the pharmacy and walked towards the other end of the street.

Watching their departing figures, Lu Jinxuan thought to herself: It seems that Jasmine and Ayu's identities are not simple... She gently closed the door, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes.

After much deliberation, Lu Jinxuan decided to hold off for now. She needed more time to understand the situation before making the best choice.

The streets were bustling with people, but Lu Jinxuan felt as if she were in another world, lonely and lost. She didn't know where her future lay, nor how to face the challenges that lay ahead.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yuxi and his group arrived at the entrance to the town. He told Mo Chenfan and the others to rest for a while, while he went to the post station to buy a carriage.

The innkeeper, a shrewd middle-aged man, immediately greeted Zhang Yuxi warmly upon seeing his distinguished attire. "Sir, what do you need?"

"I need a carriage, and I need it fast," Zhang Yuxi said.

The innkeeper immediately instructed his staff to prepare a carriage, and then asked solicitously, "Where are you going, sir?"

“Dark Forest,” Zhang Yuxi said calmly.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's expression changed slightly. "Dark Night Forest? That's a dangerous place!"

Zhang Yuxi ignored the shopkeeper's advice and went straight to the prepared carriage.

He jumped onto the carriage and said to Mo Chenfan and the others, "Let's go."

The carriage slowly drove away from the post station and headed towards the Dark Forest.

As the carriage moved forward, the surrounding environment gradually became gloomy. Tall trees blocked out the sun, and a damp atmosphere filled the air.

Ai Xi sat in the carriage, her brow furrowed. She sensed a powerful force approaching, which made her uneasy.

"What's wrong?" Mo Chenfan noticed Ai Xi's unusual behavior and asked with concern.

Ai Xi shook her head. "It's nothing, I just feel like something's not right."

She stretched out her hand and drew a complex rune in the air. The rune shimmered with a faint golden light before slowly dissipating.

"This is..." Mo Chenfan asked in confusion.

“Illusion,” Ai Xi said calmly, “can conceal our tracks and prevent us from being discovered by others.”

The carriage continued on its way, brushing past several pedestrians. The pedestrians seemed oblivious to their presence and walked on.

Ai Xi watched their retreating figures, thinking to herself: I hope everything goes well...

Suddenly, the carriage lurched violently, and the driver cried out in alarm, "Oh no!"

The horse-drawn carriage wheels got stuck in the mud and couldn't move.

"What's going on?" Zhang Yuxi asked, lifting the carriage curtain.

The coachman's voice carried a hint of fear, "It seems...it seems like something is pulling on the carriage..."

Ai Xi's expression changed, and she immediately jumped off the carriage.

She looked around but found nothing.

Just then, a deep voice came from the darkness: "Who...are you...?"

Ai Xi's expression changed drastically. She quickly formed hand seals, and a pale golden halo radiated outwards from her, enveloping the entire carriage. Inside the carriage, Mo Chenfan pulled Lu Yuhang into his arms, warily glancing out the window. Outside the carriage, nothing could be seen except for thick fog and distorted tree shadows. The voice sounded again, tinged with mockery: "Hiding like that, what shady business are you up to?"

Ai Xi snorted coldly, "Playing tricks!" She suddenly flung open the carriage curtain, conjuring a ball of spiritual energy in her hand, and shot it straight towards the direction from which the sound came. The spiritual energy struck the air with a muffled thud, but did not hit anything substantial.

“Interesting,” the voice said with a hint of amusement. “Little girl, you’ve got quite a temper.” The mist churned, and a tall figure slowly emerged from it. He was cloaked in black, obscuring his face, and exuded a chilling aura.

The driver trembled with fear, gripping the reins tightly. Mo Chenfan shielded Lu Yuhang behind him, whispering reassuringly, "Don't be afraid, I'm here." Lu Yuhang curiously observed the men in black outside, not understanding what was happening, only feeling that the scene before him was like a fantastical magic trick.

The man in black approached step by step, his gaze falling on Ai Xi: "You are... a spiritual cultivator?" He seemed somewhat surprised, his tone carrying a hint of inquiry.

Ai Xi did not answer, her spiritual energy surging in her hands, ready to strike at any moment. She knew that in this perilous outskirts of the Dark Night Forest, any carelessness could have fatal consequences.

"Don't be nervous," the man in black raised his hands, adopting a harmless posture. "I'm just curious, what are you doing in the Dark Forest?"

“This is none of your business,” Ai Xi said coldly. “Get out of my way!”

The man in black chuckled lightly: "Little girl, this Dark Night Forest is no safe place. If you go in like this, you'll be like lambs to the slaughter."

"Mind your own business!" Ai Xi stopped talking nonsense and transformed her spiritual power into a sharp blade, slashing straight at the man in black.

The man in black dodged the attack with a swift movement. He looked at Ai Xi, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes: "Not bad, but unfortunately..." Before he could finish speaking, his figure disappeared into the mist once again.

"Where is he?" Mo Chenfan looked around warily, but there was no sign of the man in black.

Ai Xi's expression turned grave. She sensed a powerful force lurking around her, ready to attack at any moment. "Be careful, he's not gone yet."

Suddenly, the carriage shook violently again, and a huge black shadow descended from the sky, enveloping the entire carriage. Ai Xi quickly shielded Mo Chenfan and Lu Yuhang behind her and looked up at the black shadow.

It was a gigantic black bird, its wingspan easily ten zhang (approximately 33 meters), its sharp claws gleaming coldly. It let out a piercing cry, swooped down, and lunged at the carriage.

Without hesitation, Ai Xi released all her spiritual power, transforming it into a massive barrier that blocked the giant bird's attack. The giant bird's claws struck the barrier with a loud bang, causing it to tremble violently, but it did not shatter.

"Hurry up!" Ai Xi shouted, while increasing the output of her spiritual power.

Mo Chenfan scooped up the two children and jumped off the carriage. The instant they left the carriage, the giant bird's claws finally broke through the barrier, tearing the carriage to pieces.

Ai Xi was also thrown back and crashed heavily to the ground. She struggled to her feet, looking at the wrecked carriage, her heart filled with anger.

"Damn it!" she cursed under her breath, looking up at the giant bird circling in the air. The bird let out a triumphant cry, seemingly mocking her powerlessness.

Suddenly, a voice came from afar: "Stop!" The voice was deep and powerful, carrying an undeniable authority. Upon hearing this voice, the giant bird visibly trembled. It glanced in the direction from which the voice came, let out a reluctant cry, and then turned and flew away.

Ai Xi looked in the direction the sound came from and saw a man dressed in white slowly walking towards her...