Rebirth of Jinxuan

When Mo Chenfan dragged his weary body back to the inn, the last rays of sunset had already faded.

In the courtyard, Zhang Yuxi was instructing Qian Feng and Lu Yuhang on sword practice.

Qian Feng brandished a sword with great force and imposing presence.

Lu Yuhang, however, held a dry twig in his hand and earnestly imitated Zhang Yuxi's movements, each move quite convincingly.

"Goodness, Yu Hang's serious little face is just like a mini version of Brother Zhang!" Mo Chenfan joked with a smile, as if all the day's hard work had vanished after seeing this scene.

"Uncle Mo, you're back!" When Lu Yuhang saw Mo Chenfan, he immediately threw away the branch and jumped into his arms like a happy little bird.

Mo Chenfan picked up Lu Yuhang and kissed his chubby little face: "Did you listen to your daddy today?"

"Yes!" Lu Yuhang nodded vigorously, his little eyes sparkling. "Daddy taught me a lot of sword moves!"

Mo Chenfan looked at Zhang Yuxi and helplessly spread his hands: "Brother Zhang, look at Yu Hang, he's so talented, it's not good for him to practice with tree branches all the time. We should at least give him a decent sword, right?"

Zhang Yuxi sheathed his longsword, his eyes deep and his tone calm: "If you have a sword in your heart, everything can be a sword."

Mo Chenfan: ...

"That sounds so childish," Mo Chenfan thought to himself, but he didn't dare to refute it on the surface, and could only laugh awkwardly.

He put Lu Yuhang down, rubbed his head, then leaned close to Zhang Yuxi and whispered, "Finding a boat isn't going too smoothly..."

Zhang Yuxi frowned slightly, but did not speak; she simply listened quietly.

Mo Chenfan sighed and recounted his day's events in detail.

In this vast city of Jiangcheng, not a single suitable boat could be found; they were either too small, too dilapidated, or already booked by someone else.

He ran himself ragged and talked himself hoarse, but still came up empty-handed.

"Sigh, it seems we have to think of another way..." Mo Chenfan rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on.

Zhang Yuxi pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "No rush. I'll figure out a way to handle the boat." He paused, his gaze falling on the withered branch in Lu Yuhang's hand. "As for the sword..."

“A sword in one’s heart…” Mo Chenfan subconsciously replied, but suddenly stopped, staring at Zhang Yuxi with a strange look in his eyes. “Wait, Brother Zhang, the more I think about what you said, the more I feel…” He hesitated, his brows furrowed, as if he had something to say but didn’t know where to begin.

Mo Chenfan stared at Zhang Yuxi, hesitant to speak, feeling as if a million grass mud horses were galloping through his mind.

"Brother Zhang, what you're saying... sounds just like those old grandpas in online fantasy novels who trick the protagonists. Yu Hang is so young, and you're already instilling this kind of idea in him. What if he actually thinks he can be invincible just by holding a tree branch?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuxi could only shake her head helplessly, sigh deeply, and turn to go inside.

"Sigh, I can't explain it to you."

Mo Chenfan felt as if he had punched a cotton ball, and deflated as he followed them into the house.

Ai Xi and Lu Jinxuan witnessed this scene, exchanged a glance, and silently followed inside.

After the four entered the house, Zhang Yuxi closed the door behind her and activated a soundproof barrier.

The room fell silent instantly, with only the sound of each other breathing audible.

"Tell me, how's the boat-finding situation going?" Lu Jinxuan asked directly, her tone tinged with anxiety.

Mo Chenfan scratched his head, looking embarrassed: "Uh... how should I put it... this... the situation is a bit complicated..."

"Complex? How complex?" Ai Xi raised an eyebrow, her eyes filled with inquiry.

Mo Chenfan took a deep breath, as if making a momentous decision, and slowly began, "Let me put it this way..." He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his tone becoming serious, "...getting a ship is harder than climbing to heaven..." He held up three fingers and waved them in the air, "...and..."

Mo Chenfan held up three fingers, making Lu Jinxuan dizzy. "And...we'll have to wait at least three months!"

"Three months?!" Lu Jinxuan and Ai Xi exclaimed in unison, almost blowing the roof off.

Three months later, the daylily would be too late, let alone the annual grand event in the Kyoto Empire, which was said to be a gathering place for masters.

Lu Jinxuan felt a headache coming on; this was even more difficult than refining ten batches of explosive pills.

"Heavens above, earth below, are you trying to kill me?" she sighed, looking up at the sky, feeling utterly hopeless.

Ai Xi also looked pale and her exquisite makeup couldn't hide her despair.

"Three months...that's more painful than making me laugh at the Crimson Serpent Demon King for an hour..." she muttered to herself, as if she could see the miserable scene of sitting idly at the dock for the next three months.

Zhang Yuxi sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. These people were really... drama queens!

However, he also understands their anxiety.

"Don't panic, there's always a way," he reassured her, though he himself wasn't entirely confident.

Seeing this, Mo Chenfan quickly changed the subject, trying to liven up the atmosphere.

"Hey, let me tell you, something happened at 'Jubaoge,' the biggest auction house in the city that we went to yesterday, and it's all over the place today!"

"Oh, how did the rumor spread?" Lu Jinxuan's attention was indeed diverted, and she asked curiously.

The Eight Trigrams are human nature.

Mo Chenfan cleared his throat and began to recount the story vividly: "I heard that last night, the most prized possession of Jubao Pavilion—a 'Resurrection Pill' that is said to be able to bring people back to life—was stolen! And..." He lowered his voice, feigning mystery, "It is said that the thief was a young man in white, with superb skills. He came to steal the pill and also emptied the auction house's vault!"

"Wow! This is so exciting?!" Lu Jinxuan's eyes lit up. This plot was more exciting than any of the novels she had ever read!

"That's right! The whole city is after this white-clad youth!" Mo Chenfan said, spitting as he spoke. "It's said that the youth is highly skilled in martial arts; even the guards of the Treasure Pavilion are no match for him, they were all defeated in a single move..."

Lu Yuhang listened with great interest, his face flushed with excitement.

Mo Chenfan took a sip of water to moisten his throat, "There's something even more exciting to come..."

Mo Chenfan winked mysteriously and lowered his voice, as if sharing some earth-shattering secret: "It is said that this young man in white may be related to the assassination of the royal Jingtang elder some time ago!"

"What?!" Lu Jinxuan almost spat out her tea. This was getting bigger and bigger!

She felt like she was getting a firsthand look at the gossip.

"That's right!" Mo Chenfan continued to reveal, "I heard that Elder Jingtang was also killed in one move, and his wound was exactly the same as the one on the guard of Jubaoge! Moreover, both of them had the same hidden weapon on them—a dart engraved with the character 'Night'!"

“Night?” Lu Jinxuan and Ai Xi exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other’s eyes.

This plot is even more exciting than a play!

"The whole city is now searching for this boy in white," Mo Chenfan described vividly. "It is said that the government has hired an artist to draw a portrait of the boy in white based on the eyewitness accounts, and it has been posted all over the streets and alleys of the city!"

Lu Jinxuan secretly rejoiced that they had kept a low profile and had not attracted any attention. Otherwise, they, as outsiders, would definitely have been the prime suspects.

“This young man in white is quite something…” Lu Jinxuan stroked her chin, a hint of interest flashing in her eyes.

These days, there aren't many people who dare to go against the royal family.

"Who can argue with that!" Mo Chenfan exclaimed. "But this kid is really unlucky. Stealing pills is one thing, but why did he have to provoke the royal family? Wasn't he just asking for trouble?"

“Perhaps they weren’t stealing the pills at all?” Lu Jinxuan suddenly blurted out.

"Not stealing pills? Then what was he doing at the Treasure Pavilion?" Mo Chenfan asked, puzzled.

Lu Jinxuan smiled mysteriously, offering no explanation, but saying meaningfully, "Perhaps, there's another purpose..." After saying that, she got up and went back to her room, leaving Mo Chenfan and the others completely bewildered.

Ai Xi watched Lu Jinxuan's retreating figure, lost in thought.

Mo Chenfan scratched his head, completely baffled.

Lu Yuhang tugged at Zhang Yuxi's sleeve and asked in a childish voice, "Daddy, what does 'having ulterior motives' mean?"

Zhang Yuxi smiled, patted her son's head, and said nothing.

As night deepened, the inn gradually quieted down, with only the sound of the night watchman's clapper echoing in the still night...

"Knock knock knock..." The urgent knocking suddenly broke the silence of the night.