Rebirth of Jinxuan

The air near the city gate seemed to freeze, and the tense atmosphere, like an invisible net, enveloped everyone waiting to enter the city.

Lu Jinxuan held Ai Xi's hand and jogged along, her heart pounding.

The noise ahead grew clearer, mixed with shouts and reprimands, which intensified her unease.

After finally squeezing to the front of the crowd, Lu Jinxuan could see the center of the commotion: a group of soldiers in armor, armed with knives and guns, surrounded two young men in black robes.

The men in black robes had their backs to the crowd, so their faces were not visible, but judging from their upright posture and the faint spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from their bodies, they were no ordinary people.

"What's going on?" Zhang Yuxi and Mo Chenfan squeezed in, and Mo Chenfan asked with a hint of anxiety.

An elderly woman carrying an egg basket nearby explained enthusiastically, "Oh dear, young man, you must be from out of town! This is caused by a conflict between the royal family and the alchemy hall! These two young men are alchemists, and they refuse to be inspected by the city gate guards, hence the stalemate!"

Lu Jinxuan's gaze fell on the sleeve of the black-robed man, where a delicate silver herb was embroidered, the very symbol of an alchemist.

She frowned slightly, thinking to herself: Alchemists are always respected, so why would they clash with government soldiers?

"What's going on with this inspection?" Zhang Yuxi asked, her gaze sweeping over the tense atmosphere around her.

The old woman sighed and continued, "It's all because of the several incidents of monsters injuring people that happened in Qingfeng Town recently! In order to stabilize public sentiment, the royal family ordered a strict investigation of people entering and leaving the city, especially alchemists, saying that they were afraid that they were colluding with monsters."

"Colluding with demons?" Lu Jinxuan's heart skipped a beat; this was no small crime. She subconsciously glanced at Ai Xi, whose expression was also rather unpleasant.

"Yes! Although alchemists hold a prestigious position, some alchemists secretly trade with demons to obtain rare medicinal herbs in order to improve their alchemy skills. This was originally an open secret in the alchemy world, but now that the royal family has brought it up in the open, the Alchemy Hall is naturally unhappy." The old woman talked on and on about the situation in the city, as if she had witnessed everything that had happened.

Mo Chenfan steered the conversation back on track, "In your opinion, Auntie, will they fight?"

The old woman waved her hand, "There won't be a fight, there won't be a fight! Although the Alchemy Hall is powerful, it doesn't dare to openly confront the royal family. These alchemists are just putting on an act, expressing their dissatisfaction."

Just then, one of the blue-robed alchemists turned around, cupped his hands in greeting to the leading soldier, and said, "Sir, we have urgent business in the city and cannot accept inspection. Please do us a favor."

The officer, a burly man in silver armor, sneered, "By imperial decree, all persons entering or leaving the city must be inspected, and no one is exempt!"

The blue-robed alchemist's tone also turned cold, "Lieutenant Zhou, are you deliberately making things difficult for us alchemists?"

"How dare you!" Lieutenant Zhou drew his sword from his waist. "How dare you slander me! Men, seize him!"

A gasp rippled through the crowd, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense… Lu Jinxuan's heart sank; things seemed to be spiraling out of control… Ai Xi tugged at Lu Jinxuan's sleeve, her eyes filled with unease, “Your Highness…”

Ai Xi's voice was very soft, yet it exploded in Lu Jinxuan's ears like a thunderclap.

"Your Highness, we must enter the city as soon as possible." She lowered her voice, a barely perceptible fear in her tone, "I sense a very powerful demonic aura within the city..."

Lu Jinxuan was shocked. Ai Xi's illusion skills were extremely high, and her perception of demonic energy was far beyond that of ordinary people.

If even she feels uneasy, then the situation in the city is probably more complicated than imagined.

"Mother, what are they saying?" Lu Yuhang tugged at Lu Jinxuan's sleeve, curiously watching the two sides facing off.

Lu Jinxuan saw Lu Yuhang and asked, "Why did you come here? Didn't I tell you to stay in the carriage?" "I was worried about you," Lu Yuhang replied.

"Mother, what are they saying?"

"It's nothing, just a minor dispute." She turned to look at Zhang Yuxi and Mo Chenfan. "We need to find a way to get into the city as soon as possible."

Zhang Yuxi pondered for a moment, "It seems that forcing our way in won't work. Jinxuan, do you have any other ideas?"

Lu Jinxuan shook her head. She was unfamiliar with the place and couldn't think of any other way to sneak in except to temporarily shield her demonic power with the spirit jade.

Just then, the blue-robed alchemist's voice rang out again, "Lieutenant Zhou, even the royal family wouldn't dare to be so arrogant towards us alchemists! We came to the city to attend the Continental Alchemist Conference. Can you afford to take responsibility for the delay?"

"The Continental Alchemist Conference?" The surrounding crowd immediately began to discuss among themselves.

"Yes, I heard that this conference will be held in the capital. All the alchemy masters from all over the country will gather together. It must be a very grand event!" the old woman said excitedly. The tense atmosphere from before was swept away and replaced by anticipation for the event.

Zhang Yuxi and Lu Jinxuan exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of doubt in each other's eyes. The Continental Alchemist Conference? How come they'd never heard of it?

Lieutenant Zhou seemed somewhat wary of the Alchemist Conference's prestige, and his tone softened slightly, "Even so, you must undergo inspection. This is a royal order, and no one can disobey!"

The blue-robed alchemist sneered, "An inspection is fine, but it must be conducted by someone from the Alchemy Hall! What do you uncouth people know about the art of alchemy?"

The two sides argued back and forth, but neither ever laid a hand on the other. A growing crowd gathered, completely blocking the city gate.

Just then, several soldiers began to weave through the crowd, seemingly searching for something.

They held a special crystal in their hands and approached each person, seemingly testing something.

"What are they doing?" Mo Chenfan asked in a low voice.

"Testing demonic power." Lu Jinxuan's expression changed. "It seems they really intend to conduct a thorough investigation."

Zhang Yuxi's gaze fell on several people trying to sneak into the city in the chaos, and an idea struck her. "Jinxuan, let's go in while the chaos is still going on."

Lu Jinxuan nodded and was about to act when suddenly a sharp voice rang out, "Stop! Who are you?"

A soldier pointed at Lu Jinxuan and Zhang Yuxi, his gaze fixed on them, his tone full of suspicion.

Lu Jinxuan had a bad feeling. She gripped the spirit jade in her hand tightly, her palms slightly sweaty.

Zhang Yuxi silently shielded Lu Yuhang behind her, her eyes warily fixed on the approaching soldiers.

The air seemed to freeze, and all the surrounding noise vanished, leaving only the ever-approaching sound of footsteps…