Rebirth of Jinxuan

As Lu Yuhang entered the restaurant, he immediately sensed that something was amiss.

The once noisy lobby was now unusually quiet, with only faint chewing sounds and deliberately suppressed breathing.

He noticed that everyone's gaze was seemingly drifting towards the table in the corner, then quickly returning to its original position, as if they were peeking at something rare.

Following their gaze, Lu Yuhang saw Qing Yuan, Tu Yu, and another demon youth he didn't recognize.

Lu Yuhang blinked in confusion, not quite understanding what was happening, before Qingyuan carried him back to the table.

Qingyuan ignored the shopkeeper and waiter's questioning looks, placed Lu Yuhang on a chair, sat down next to him, and said calmly, "Let's eat."

Tu Yu looked at Lu Yuhang, who was being carried back by Qing Yuan, and a barely perceptible glint flashed in her eyes.

She picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of pastry, and held it to Lu Yuhang's lips. "Young Master, come and have some pastry."

Tu Yu diligently picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and brought it to Lu Yuhang's lips, saying softly, "Young Master, try this. It's sweet but not cloying." She was thinking to herself that if she pleased the young master, she could rightfully stay by his side and protect him. Perhaps she could even gain favor with Lu Jinxuan and secure a minor official position.

Lu Yuhang obediently opened his mouth and ate the pastry. The soft and chewy texture made his eyes light up. "Delicious!"

Tu Yu was overjoyed and was about to continue her efforts when she suddenly felt a sharp pain on her head. "Ouch!" A chopstick had tapped her on the head, not too hard, not too soft.

Qingyuan put down her chopsticks and looked at her expressionlessly. "Don't talk while eating or sleeping. Eat properly."

Tu Yu covered her head and complained to Lu Yuhang, feeling wronged: "Young Master, Qing Yuan hit me!"

Qingyuan didn't even lift her eyelids, and tapped Tu Yu's head with her chopsticks again, this time harder than before. "Eat."

Tu Yu pouted, not daring to speak again, and could only eat in silence. In her heart, however, she secretly muttered: "When I get the chance, I must say a lot of bad things about Qing Yuan!"

They were enjoying their meal, and the table was piled high with empty plates, clearly indicating that they had almost finished eating.

Tu Yu seemed to notice everyone's gaze. She raised her head, gave the shopkeeper a friendly smile, and revealed two sharp canine teeth.

"Shopkeeper, we're finished eating. How much?"

Fine beads of sweat appeared on the shopkeeper's forehead. He swallowed hard, his eyes darting around, unable to meet Tu Yu's gaze. "This...this..."

Seeing this, Lu Yuhang walked a few steps to the counter, leaped up, and landed steadily on the counter.

He pulled two gleaming gold coins from his pocket, slammed them on the counter with a "snap," and asked in a crisp voice, "Is that enough?"

The sudden action startled the shopkeeper, who took a step back, his face turning even paler.

The waiter was so frightened that he dropped the spirit stone in his hand, making a crisp sound that was particularly jarring in the quiet hall.

All eyes were on Lu Yuhang. They then realized that this child, who looked no more than six or seven years old, was actually with those monsters!

The shopkeeper stammered, "Enough...enough...little...little customer..." He reached out his hand, but then pulled it back as if he had been electrocuted, his eyes fixed on Lu Yuhang, not daring to make the slightest move.

Lu Yuhang raised an eyebrow. "What? You think it's not enough?"

Lu Yuhang chuckled, jumped down from the counter, walked to Tu Yu's side, and took her hand. "Let's go." Tu Yu nodded, got up, and followed Lu Yuhang out.

Qingyuan and Aixi also got up and followed behind them.

The four men walked out of the restaurant, leaving the diners looking at each other in bewilderment.

The shopkeeper stared blankly at the glittering gold coins on the counter for a long time before he came to his senses.

His hands trembled as he picked up a gold coin. The heavy feel of it confirmed to him that this was not an illusion.

"They...they actually paid..." the waiter muttered to himself, as if he had witnessed something unbelievable.

The innkeeper looked bewildered. "Yes, a demon... a monster actually pays..." He had lived to such an old age and this was the first time he had ever seen a monster come to a restaurant to eat, and even pay for it.

This overturned his previous understanding of monsters.

Once the four had gone some distance, the restaurant gradually returned to its usual bustling atmosphere. The crowd buzzed with discussion, naturally focusing on the few monsters.

Inside the restaurant, the manager was still savoring the weight of the gold coins in his hand.

He turned to look at the waiter, only to see the waiter staring in the direction the monsters had gone, his eyes filled with doubt.

"Shopkeeper, are you saying...they really are monsters?" the waiter asked hesitantly. "Monsters...pay money?"

The shopkeeper shook his head. "Who knows... Perhaps they think differently from us..."

Back at his lodgings, Qian Feng looked much better than before and was leaning against the headboard drinking his medicine.

Rory sat on the edge of the bed, his face full of guilt.

"Mr. Qian, it's all my fault. If it weren't for me..."

Old Qian waved his hand, interrupting him. "How can you blame yourself? It's those thugs who were too arrogant."

Qian Feng chimed in, "Yes, Uncle Luo, don't blame yourself."

Rory lowered his head and remained silent, feeling even more guilty.

Qingyuan handed the pastries she had bought to Qian Feng, saying, "These are for you."

Qian Feng accepted the pastries and thanked him.

Old Qian sighed, gazing out the window with a deep look in his eyes. "Speaking of which, the Wang and Luo families have indeed gone too far these past few years..." He paused, as if recalling something, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, "Back in the day..."

Mr. Qian's thoughts drifted back to the past.

This small restaurant was once a well-known and bustling place.

But everything changed after the Wang and Luo families rose to prominence.

Relying on their power and influence, they frequently dined and dashed at the restaurant, leaving the owner furious but unable to speak out, forced to swallow his anger.

Sometimes, they would deliberately cause trouble, smash tables and chairs, and even beat up the waiters.

“Back then, this little restaurant was almost constantly being disturbed by them,” Old Qian said slowly, his tone tinged with helplessness. “The manager even reported it to the authorities, but those officials had all taken bribes from the Wang and Luo families and simply ignored it. Over time, no one dared to do anything about it.”

Rory listened quietly, his face darkening.

"I remember once, a young master from the Wang family took a fancy to the shopkeeper's daughter and tried to forcibly take her away. The shopkeeper fought back desperately and ended up having his leg broken, leaving him disabled to this day."

Old Qian nodded, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes.

"That girl was also a woman of strong character; she would rather die than submit, and in the end, she jumped into the well. The innkeeper was heartbroken at the loss of his beloved daughter and was also seriously injured. He died of depression not long after. The current innkeeper is his younger brother, who has taken over the restaurant, but he still lives in the shadow of the Wang and Luo families."

Qingyuan and Aixi stood aside, quietly watching this scene.

Tu Yu leaned closer to Qing Yuan and whispered, "Look how pitiful Luo Li is..."

Qingyuan glanced at her and said indifferently, "Are you very free?"

Tu Yu shrank back, about to retort, when she heard Ai Xi say, "Qing Yuan, don't you think Luo Li's skills are..."

Tu Yu shrank back, her eyes darting around, and lowered her voice, saying, "What I mean is, Rory's skills don't seem like those of an ordinary person." She puffed out her chest, somewhat smugly, "Our Flash Spirit Demon clan excels at speed; ordinary people can't even see our movements. But I just observed Rory, and although he seems clumsy, his reaction speed is exceptionally agile, and..." Tu Yu paused, then leaned closer to Qing Yuan mysteriously, "I feel like he has... how should I put it, a very special aura."

Qingyuan glanced at her indifferently, "You mean, Luo Li is also a demon?" She did not directly deny Tu Yu's guess, after all, it was not uncommon for demons to hide in the human world.

Moreover, Rory is indeed a bit strange.

Her primary talent is concealment, and her perception of aura far surpasses that of ordinary people.

Although Rory didn't have any obvious demonic aura, she could still sense that "special aura".

Ai Xi nodded, agreeing with Tu Yu's statement. "I also feel that Rory is not like an ordinary person. His aura is very complex and hard to fathom."

Qingyuan walked to Lu Yuhang's side and said in a low voice, "Young Master, let's go back to our room first."

Lu Yuhang nodded and followed Qingyuan back to her room. Tu Yu and Ai Xi exchanged a glance and quietly followed as well.

As night fell, the backyard of Renhe Pharmacy was quiet.

Rory sat alone in the yard, gazing at the bright moon in the sky with a complicated expression.