Rebirth of Jinxuan

Crown Prince Hua Chen sat upright in the main seat of the Alchemy Hall's council hall, stroking a jade thumb ring in his hand, his expression inscrutable.

He had been waiting for over an hour, and even with his excellent self-control, he couldn't help but become a little impatient.

The people in this alchemy hall really have quite the airs!

Finally, Qingfeng appeared at the door. He quickly walked up to the Crown Prince, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Highness, it is an honor to have you here. I apologize for not greeting you sooner!"

“It’s alright,” Crown Prince Hua Chen smiled faintly. “Master Qingfeng is busy with his affairs, I understand.”

After exchanging a few polite words, Crown Prince Hua Chen's gaze swept over everyone, and when he saw Lu Jinxuan and Ai Xi, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

These two women, one with unparalleled beauty and the other with ethereal grace, were both extraordinary.

Especially Lu Jinxuan, even though she was dressed in plain clothes, she couldn't hide her free and unrestrained temperament, making people want to get closer to her.

Once everyone had arrived, the head of Qingfeng Hall asked, "I wonder what brings His Highness the Crown Prince to the Alchemy Hall today?"

Just as Crown Prince Hua Chen was about to speak, Lu Jinxuan grew impatient.

The two of them talked back and forth like they were performing a play, and she was so tired of listening to them that her ears were calloused.

She grabbed Lu Yuhang and Qian Feng, saying, "Come on, let's go out and have some fun. Don't listen to their chatter here."

Seeing this, Ai Xi silently followed.

Mo Chenfan glanced at the Crown Prince, then at Lu Jinxuan's retreating figure, his heart filled with conflicting emotions.

He really wanted to leave with Lu Jinxuan, but he felt it would be impolite.

After all, the other party is the Crown Prince!

Just as he was hesitating, Lu Jinxuan turned around and called out to him, "Mo Chenfan, what are you standing there for? Come here right now!"

Mo Chenfan gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and decided to go with Lu Jinxuan.

How can a true man be bound by mere etiquette?

Crown Prince Hua Chen watched Lu Jinxuan and the others leave, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Master Qingfeng," he said slowly, "tell me, what is this person's background?"

Master Qingfeng was taken aback, then cautiously replied, "Your Highness, Madam Lu is..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Crown Prince Hua Chen.

“No need to say anything more,” Crown Prince Hua Chen waved his hand. “I will find out the truth myself.” He paused, then turned his gaze to the rolling mountains behind the alchemy hall. “Let’s go, come with me to see what secrets are hidden in the back mountains of this alchemy hall.”

Lu Jinxuan led everyone out of the alchemy hall and headed straight for the back mountain.

Although it's called the back mountain, it's actually more like a vast primeval forest, with ancient trees reaching for the sky, vines entwining, and the air filled with the fragrance of herbs.

As Lu Jinxuan walked, she looked around, trying to find the legendary medicine field of the alchemy hall, but to no avail.

"This medicinal herb field is hidden way too well. Could it be a deliberate attempt to create scarcity?" she muttered to herself.

Lu Yuhang and Qian Feng had already run off into the woods to play hide-and-seek, the two teenagers were as energetic as two wild dogs that had broken free of their reins.

Ai Xi followed quietly behind Lu Jinxuan, her eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

She keenly sensed a spatial fluctuation, as if some kind of barrier was hidden in this mountain forest.

"There seems to be a spatial barrier here," Ai Xi said in a low voice.

"A spatial barrier? That's advanced?" Lu Jinxuan raised an eyebrow. "It seems this alchemy hall is indeed quite something. However, forcing our way in isn't really my style. Let's wait and see."

After walking for a while, the view suddenly opened up before us, revealing a clear stream meandering along its banks, with countless unnamed wildflowers blooming along its sides.

Lu Jinxuan's eyes lit up. "Let's go release river lanterns!"

When everyone arrived at the riverbank, Lu Jinxuan took out a bunch of exquisite river lanterns from her Qiankun bag and distributed them to everyone.

Unlike yesterday, these river lanterns were made by her own hands in her spare time, each painted with a different, lifelike pattern.

At this moment, Crown Prince Hua Chen also arrived with Qing Feng and others.

From a distance, he saw several figures by the river, among whom two women were particularly eye-catching.

One woman, with a graceful figure and stunning beauty, was intently fiddling with a river lantern in her hand; the other, with a cool and aloof demeanor, stood quietly to the side, her gaze gently fixed on the river.

Crown Prince Hua Chen involuntarily stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed on the woman dressed in plain clothes.

Mo Chenfan also wanted to join in the fun, but the Crown Prince stopped him.

"Wait a minute," Crown Prince Hua Chen said in a low voice, his gaze never leaving Lu Jinxuan.

Lu Jinxuan lit the river lantern in her hand and gently placed it into the river.

Small river lanterns, carrying heartfelt wishes, drift slowly downstream, like twinkling stars adorning the night sky.

After the river lanterns had drifted far away, Prince Hua Chen led the group over.

"Madam Lu, what a refined taste you have." His voice was deep and magnetic.

Lu Jinxuan looked up and met Crown Prince Hua Chen's deep gaze, and smiled slightly, "Your Highness is too kind."

Crown Prince Hua Chen's gaze then turned to Ai Xi, "And who is this young lady?"

"Ai Xi," Ai Xi replied calmly.

"A fine name," Crown Prince Hua Chen exclaimed. "The two young ladies are so elegant; why don't you join me for the banquet?"

Lu Jinxuan hesitated for a moment, "Attend the banquet?"

Crown Prince Hua Chen smiled slightly, "Indeed, a banquet will be held at my palace tonight. I hope you two will grace us with your presence."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "Of course, you all should come along as well." His eyes landed on Mo Chenfan, a hint of probing in them.

Mo Chenfan felt a chill run down his spine, sensing that the Crown Prince's gaze held a hidden meaning.

Lu Jinxuan pondered for a moment, wondering what the Crown Prince was up to, when Qingfeng quickly stepped forward, grinning from ear to ear: "Madam Lu, tonight's banquet was specially ordered by His Highness the Crown Prince. There's a feast of fresh seafood, which will be very beneficial to the children's health!"

"A seafood feast?" Lu Jinxuan's interest was piqued upon hearing this.

In this inland region, sea fish are a rare commodity. Lu Yuhang is at the age where he is growing, so it would be nice for him to have a taste of something new.

She glanced at Lu Yuhang, who was sweating profusely from playing, and then at Qian Feng, who looked expectant, and made a decision.

"In that case, I'll trouble Your Highness." Lu Jinxuan readily agreed.

Crown Prince Hua Chen's lips curled slightly, revealing a satisfied smile.

He gestured for them to enter, and they followed him into the luxurious carriage that was already waiting nearby.

The carriage moved slowly, and Lu Jinxuan lifted the curtain to look at the scenery along the way.

Inside the palace, several sections of collapsed palace walls are being repaired.

Before long, the carriage arrived at the banquet venue.

Crown Prince Hua Chen got out of the car first, then turned around and gentlemanly extended his hand to help Lu Jinxuan out.

Lu Jinxuan simply smiled slightly, lightly touched the ground with her toes, and landed steadily on the ground with a swift and clean movement, which surprised the Crown Prince.

Ai Xi then prepared to get out of the carriage, but the Crown Prince, seemingly unwilling to give up, reached out his hand again.

However, Ai Xi merely glanced at him coldly before leaping down beside him with the grace of a swallow, leaving the prince standing awkwardly in place, his hand frozen in mid-air.

Seeing this, Lu Yuhang and Qian Feng followed Ai Xi's example and jumped off the carriage, deliberately patting the dust off their bodies as if they had touched something dirty.

"Mom, this carriage is too slow, it's not even as fast as us running!" Lu Yuhang said with a look of disgust.

Crown Prince Hua Chen's smile finally crumbled...

A maid walked gracefully over and said softly, "Please come with me, everyone."

The group followed the maids to the banquet hall, a place surrounded by gauze curtains, where the bright lights and figures could be vaguely seen.

Lu Jinxuan stopped and glanced back at the carriage that was still parked in the same spot, saying meaningfully, "It seems tonight is going to be quite interesting..."

The gauze curtains fluttered gently, like a thin mist, shrouding the banquet venue in a hazy, mysterious atmosphere.

Lu Jinxuan curiously stretched out her finger and gently touched the gauze curtain.

Where my fingertip touched, a tiny point of light suddenly lit up, shimmering faintly like a firefly.

"Huh?" Lu Jinxuan let out a soft exclamation and touched the light spot again.

The light spot actually moved, crawling along her fingers to the back of her hand, like a little elf, jumping and dancing on the back of her hand.

"This is... a light elf?" Qingfeng's surprised voice came from the side.

"A light spirit?" Lu Jinxuan looked at Qingfeng in confusion.

“That’s right, it’s a small spirit beast that lives in the Dark Night Forest, and it’s very rare and precious,” Qingfeng explained. “They are naturally drawn to light and are also very sensitive to spiritual energy. It is said that they can help cultivators increase their cultivation speed, so the Royal Martial Hall often sends people to the Dark Night Forest to capture them.”

Lu Jinxuan frowned slightly, "Arrest?"

“Yes,” Qingfeng sighed, “These little creatures are precious, but also very fragile. The Dark Night Forest is full of dangers, and they would have a hard time surviving there. The Royal Martial Hall captures them partly to use their characteristics to help cultivators improve their strength, and partly to protect them.”

Lu Jinxuan looked at the lively light sprite on the back of her hand and fell into deep thought.

This tiny creature possesses such amazing power, yet it is so fragile.

"Mom, I want one too!" Lu Yuhang's eyes were filled with longing when he saw the luminous sprite on the back of Lu Jinxuan's hand, and he reached out to grab it...

Lu Yuhang reached out his little hand towards the light sprite, but it seemed to be stuck in syrup, and he couldn't pull it off no matter what he did.

"Huh? What's going on?" He shook his hand vigorously, his little face scrunched up.

Qingfeng couldn't help but chuckle: "This gauze curtain isn't ordinary silk; it's woven from the silk of the Ice Realm Spider, and it's extremely sticky. Don't touch anything except the part at the entrance, or you'll end up stuck like this."

Lu Jinxuan smiled and gently lifted her son's little hand off the gauze curtain. The light sprite seemed to sense its little master's affection, and happily twirled around on the back of his hand before disappearing into his sleeve with a "whoosh."

Lu Yuhang was stunned for a moment, then clapped his hands happily.

Just then, Crown Prince Hua Chen entered, surrounded by a group of attendants, and everyone stood up to pay their respects.

Brilliance Hua, dressed in a bright yellow brocade robe, exuded an air of nobility.

He gestured for everyone to sit down, and then sat down in the main seat facing the lake.

Along the lake shore, colorful lanterns illuminated the shimmering surface of the lake.

Hua Chen raised his glass and smiled slightly at everyone: "Today's banquet is for two reasons, firstly to welcome you all and secondly..." He paused, his gaze falling on Lu Yuhang, "and I also hope that young master Lu will like it here. Why don't you stay at the palace for a while, so that I can fulfill my duty as host."

Before Lu Jinxuan could speak, Qian Feng interjected, "Your Highness, I'm afraid that won't do. Lu Yuhang is our precious son; how can he just stay at the imperial palace?"

Hua Chen's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal.

Just then, lights suddenly appeared on the painted boats moored on the lake, melodious music filled the air, and a group of elegantly dressed women gracefully emerged and began to dance…

Ai Xi leaned close to Lu Jinxuan's ear and whispered, "My lady, what is this Crown Prince... up to?"

Looking at the women dancing and singing on the pleasure boat, Mo Chenfan couldn't help but exclaim, "What a beautiful display of singing and dancing! This spectacle is simply amazing!" Ai Xi rolled her eyes without any politeness upon hearing this, "Country bumpkin." Mo Chenfan touched his nose and smiled awkwardly.

He's just a country bumpkin coming to the city.

Qian Feng chimed in from the side, "Uncle Mo, this is His Highness the Crown Prince's lavish hospitality, you should really enjoy it! Maybe you can even snag a beauty to take home!" As soon as he said this, everyone around him burst into laughter.

Lu Yuhang chuckled along, holding a piece of osmanthus cake in his hand, which he ate with relish.

Qingfeng looked at the little guy with eyes full of doting affection.