Rebirth of Jinxuan

"So..." Hu Xinyue drawled out the last syllable, then winked playfully, "I can go out and play with you today!"

Lu Jinxuan covered her mouth exaggeratedly and exclaimed in surprise, "Really? That's wonderful!" She closed the book, stood up, and took Hu Xinyue's hand. "Come on, let's go out!" She showed no composure as a mother and instead acted like a child who couldn't wait to go out and play.

The two walked out of the alchemy hall hand in hand, chatting and laughing.

"Sigh, my mother is really something. She insisted on forcing me to learn needlework, saying it was an essential skill for a lady of a respectable family." Hu Xinyue pouted, her face full of reluctance. "My older brother was amazed by the peonies I embroidered and even wanted to open an embroidery shop to sell my embroidery! But my parents joined forces to suppress him."

Lu Jinxuan smiled and teased, "It seems Miss Hu's needlework skills are extraordinary. I'll have to see them sometime."

Hu Xinyue proudly raised her chin, "Of course! Let me tell you, the purse I embroidered is..."

"Xin Yue, could you embroider a sachet for me?" Lu Jinxuan suddenly interrupted her, looking at her expectantly.

"Of course!" Hu Xinyue agreed without hesitation. "What kind do you want? I'll embroider anything..."

"May I embroider a pair of lotus flowers on one stem?"

"A twin lotus..." Hu Xinyue pondered for a moment, "It's a bit difficult, but I can try. By the way, I need to buy some silver thread; ordinary silk thread isn't good enough for a twin lotus..."

"Let's go now!" Lu Jinxuan grabbed Hu Xinyue's hand and walked out excitedly.

Hu Xinyue paused, glanced back at the alchemy hall, and hesitated slightly. "But..."

Lu Jinxuan noticed her concerns and laughed heartily, "Don't worry, I'll go tell Qingfeng right away so he won't worry." With that, she turned and went back to the alchemy hall, leaving Hu Xinyue standing there alone, watching her back with a faint smile on her lips.

Not long after, Lu Jinxuan came out, took Hu Xinyue's hand, and said, "Let's go!"

The two walked side by side on the street, basking in the warm sunshine, feeling happy.

"Where should we go first?" Lu Jinxuan asked.

Hu Xinyue smiled mysteriously: "Come with me!" With that, she pulled Lu Jinxuan into a small alley...

The two emerged from the embroidery shop, carrying large and small bags filled with various silk threads, embroidery cloths, and even several pieces of fine Shu brocade.

Hu Xinyue was enthusiastically discussing what patterns to embroider, while Lu Jinxuan listened with a smile, occasionally offering suggestions.

Before they knew it, they had already visited rouge shops, pastry shops, teahouses...

She even went into the blacksmith shop for a look, and when she came out, Hu Xinyue had an extra small, exquisitely crafted dagger in her hand, saying it was for self-defense.

Lu Jinxuan was both amused and exasperated; this girl really did buy things wherever she went.

As the sun sets, the number of pedestrians on the streets gradually decreases, and shops close one after another.

The two of them carried loads of their spoils and visited almost every shop they could find.

At this moment, a servant dressed in Hu family attire rushed over, panting, and bowed to Hu Xinyue: "Miss, Master and Madam sent me to find you, saying it's time to return to the manor." The servant's eyes widened as he looked at the large and small bags in the two women's hands, clearly astonished by the sheer quantity.

"Okay, I'll head back now." Hu Xinyue waved her hand, a look of lingering satisfaction on her face.

Lu Jinxuan laughed and joked, "Looks like you've had a very fruitful day."

Just as the two were about to set off for home, a man in black suddenly came running from the street corner at an astonishing speed.

Lu Jinxuan reacted quickly, shoving Hu Xinyue aside and narrowly avoiding the man in black.

The young servant of the Hu family was not so lucky; he was slammed to the ground by the man in black and cried out in pain.

The man in black showed no sign of stopping; after being hit, he staggered slightly but continued running wildly.

"Are you alright?" Lu Jinxuan quickly helped the servant up and asked with concern.

The servant rubbed his sore shoulder and shook his head.

At this moment, Hu Xinyue pointed in the direction where the man in black had disappeared and exclaimed, "He... he seemed to be holding something in his hand!"

Lu Jinxuan looked in the direction Hu Xinyue was pointing; the streets were deserted, leaving only the gradually darkening sky...

"Blood..." the servant said in a trembling voice, pointing to the spot where the man in black had run past, "There's blood on the ground..."

A streak of bright red blood snaked across the ground, standing out starkly in the dim twilight.

Almost simultaneously, the sound of rapid hoofbeats approached from afar, and several soldiers in armor rode up, reining in their horses, their hooves flying high, raising clouds of dust.

"Have you seen a man in black pass by here?" the leading officer demanded sternly, his tone carrying an unquestionable authority.

Hu Xinyue pointed in the direction the man in black fled, her voice trembling slightly: "He ran that way, and in his hand... he seemed to be holding something, and it had blood on it..."

The officers and soldiers glanced in the direction Hu Xinyue pointed, and without saying a word, immediately spurred their horses and gave chase.

The sound of horses' hooves faded into the distance, leaving only the gradually dissipating dust and the three still-shaken individuals.

Hu Xinyue then remembered to check the items she had bought and found that nothing was damaged or missing, which relieved her.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness, my babies are all alright." She patted her chest and sighed with lingering fear.

Seeing that she was unharmed, Lu Jinxuan was relieved.

"It's getting late, you should go home quickly so your family won't worry."

"Okay, that's fine." Hu Xinyue nodded, then instructed the servant, "Take Sister Jinxuan back to the Alchemy Hall and make sure she is safe."

The servant respectfully responded and escorted Lu Jinxuan away.

Back at the entrance of the alchemy hall, Lu Jinxuan noticed that something was off.

A group of soldiers had gathered at the entrance and were shouting something at the disciples of the alchemy hall.

"Hand over that man in black right now!"

"Anyone who dares to harbor an assassin will be punished even more severely!"

The gatekeeper of the alchemy hall argued vehemently: "We have never seen any man in black. Don't make false accusations!"

The two sides were on the verge of a fight.

Just then, the doors of the alchemy hall burst open, and Tan Tong'en led out with twenty or thirty disciples, each holding a blazing fire in their hand.

"Who dares to cause trouble in the Alchemy Hall?!" Tan Tongen's voice boomed like a bell, his imposing manner intimidating.

The officers and soldiers were clearly startled by this sudden turn of events and dared not make any rash moves for a moment.

Lu Jinxuan walked in front of everyone, slowly raised her hand, and a ball of flame appeared out of thin air in her palm. It quickly expanded and transformed into a fire dragon, which hovered above her head and let out a series of low roars.

The officers and soldiers turned pale instantly at the shocking scene. The leader of the officers and soldiers was so frightened that he retreated repeatedly and stammered, "We...we're leaving now..." After saying that, he led his men away in a sorry state.

Tan Tongen looked at Lu Jinxuan, his eyes filled with admiration and doubt. "You..."

Lu Jinxuan extinguished the flames and smiled faintly, "It's just a petty trick." She turned to look at the darkening night sky, but a strange unease rose in her heart.

“Tonight… is not going to be peaceful…” she said to Tan Tongen. “Strengthen the guards and be on high alert.”

The next morning, a piece of news exploded like a thunderclap throughout the capital...

"Have you heard? The young prince... has been assassinated!"

The next morning, the canteen of the alchemy hall was filled with the rich aroma of herbs, mixed with the steam from steamed buns and porridge. It should have been a peaceful scene, but undercurrents were stirred up by a piece of news.

"Have you heard? The young prince has been assassinated!" a disciple said in a low voice, speaking mysteriously.

"Really? Who would dare to be so bold?" Another disciple asked, looking shocked.

"That's right! I heard the assassin was highly skilled in martial arts, and even the Imperial Guards couldn't stop him!"

"Sigh, this world is really not peaceful!"

The cafeteria was abuzz with discussion, with everyone talking about the assassination attempt on the young prince, and all sorts of speculations and rumors flying around.

Some say it was an assassin sent by a neighboring country, others say it was a conspiracy by court officials, and still others say it was a feud between martial arts practitioners...

Tan Tongen carried a full bowl of porridge to Lu Jinxuan's side and asked solicitously, "Did you sleep well last night? Were you disturbed by those soldiers?"

Lu Jinxuan nodded slightly and responded with a faint "It's alright".

Seeing Lu Jinxuan's cold expression, Tan Tongen was not annoyed. Instead, he became even more enthusiastic and attentive, constantly serving Lu Jinxuan food and asking about her well-being.

"How do you like the taste of this porridge? If you don't like it, I'll have them make it again."

"you……"

Tan Tongen talked on and on, but Lu Jinxuan remained unmoved, silently eating the porridge in her bowl.

The image of the man in black from last night, and that glaring bloodstain, remained constantly in her mind.

Ai Xi watched all of this with cold eyes, her fists slowly clenching...