{"id":3979,"date":"2026-06-14T11:37:47","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T11:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/pursuit-of-jade-117\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T12:01:30","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T12:01:30","slug":"pursuit-of-jade-117","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ar\/chapter\/pursuit-of-jade-117\/","title":{"rendered":"Pursuit of Jade 117"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 117

Fan Changyu had not slept properly for two days and a night.

After traveling for an entire day and then fighting on the battlefield until she had completely exhausted herself, this sleep was less like falling asleep and more like passing out.

When she finally woke again, it was already the following afternoon.

Aside from the wounds that had drawn blood, the soreness in every muscle of her body had reached its peak today. Even the slightest movement made her wince in pain. Fan Changyu almost couldn’t get out of bed by herself.

The healer Ah Hui came to change her bandages.

Fan Changyu told her that her back hurt terribly.

Looking at the bruises and dark purple marks covering her body, Ah Hui’s eyes filled with sympathy.

“Commandant, it’s not just blade wounds. Your entire back is bruised. Let me rub some medicine into it.”

Fan Changyu thanked her.

On the battlefield, she had been forced off her horse by those death warriors and had rolled across the ground several times while dodging spears, axes, and halberds aimed at her.

The injuries from those falls and impacts hadn’t seemed serious yesterday.

Today, however, the swelling and bruising had fully appeared, making them look frightening.

To make it easier for Ah Hui to apply the medicine, Fan Changyu removed her outer robe, sat on a stool, and leaned forward against the table.

The slash across her abdomen wasn’t deep.

Though it hadn’t damaged any internal organs, the wound stretched a long distance, almost all the way to her waist.

Fortunately, the arm she’d injured was on the same side.

When lying flat became too painful because of the bruises on her back, she could at least sleep on her other side.

Ah Hui moved Fan Changyu’s long black hair over her shoulder and began gently rubbing medicinal oil into the bruised areas of her back.

As she worked, her eyes suddenly reddened.

Fan Changyu’s complexion naturally carried a warm fairness. Because of her injuries, her face had lost much of its color, making the bruises and wounds stand out even more starkly.

A tear suddenly landed on her back.

Startled, Fan Changyu turned around and saw the little girl with eyes as red as a rabbit’s.

“What is it?”

Ah Hui hastily wiped her eyes with her sleeve and choked out,

“Commandant… it must hurt terribly, doesn’t it?”

Realizing the girl was feeling sorry for her, Fan Changyu froze briefly before smiling.

“It doesn’t hurt that much.”

She turned back toward the table.

The smile on her lips gradually faded into loneliness.

How could it not hurt?

When she had practiced martial arts with her father as a child, she would occasionally injure herself.

Too proud to admit it in public, she’d stubbornly insist she wasn’t hurt.

Then her mother would pull her into a room to treat her wounds, and she would immediately start crying about how much it hurt.

Her mother would gently scold her.

It all felt as though it had happened only yesterday.

But now she no longer had parents.

And there was no one left in this world before whom she could freely admit that she was hurting.

After silently finishing the treatment on her bruises, Ah Hui suddenly exclaimed,

“Oh?”

She rubbed a bit more medicinal oil onto a spot near Fan Changyu’s neck and shoulder.

“You’re hurt here too.”

Fan Changyu didn’t pay much attention.

“I probably scraped it when I fell from my horse onto some rocks.”

Ah Hui stared at the two reddish marks, each about the size of a fingernail.

The rest of Fan Changyu’s impact bruises were blue or purple.

Only these two marks were red, as though they’d appeared recently.

Ah Hui had just come of age this year.

Because her father was a military physician, she’d been exposed to medicine since childhood.

Since Fan Changyu was a woman, she’d specifically been assigned to care for her wounds.

Once, Ah Hui had seen similar marks on the neck of a courtesan seeking treatment.

When she stared curiously, the woman had covered her lips with a handkerchief and laughed coquettishly.

Her mother had immediately scolded her and later told her that the woman was not respectable company.

When Ah Hui asked whether the red marks meant the woman was sick, her mother had scolded her even more harshly and told her that young ladies should know modesty.

To this day, Ah Hui still didn’t know what those marks meant.

But she privately suspected they couldn’t be anything good.

Yet now the same marks had appeared on Fan Changyu’s neck…

After pondering for a long time without reaching any conclusion, Ah Hui finally decided that the Commandant’s marks must have come from the battlefield and therefore couldn’t possibly be the same thing.

\u2014

Fan Changyu knew nothing of this.

For lunch, Ah Hui brought her a bowl of lean pork porridge.

The military physician had warned that after going so long without eating, her body was too weak for rich food.

She had to eat small meals gradually.

Originally, Fan Changyu hadn’t felt especially hungry.

Yet after finishing the bowl of porridge, she still didn’t feel full at all.

Holding the empty bowl, she looked at Ah Hui.

The girl couldn’t quite withstand the pitiful, puppy-like gaze.

Her brows knotted together in distress.

“Father said Commandant can only have one bowl for now…”

Not wanting to make things difficult for her, Fan Changyu handed back the bowl and asked,

“How is my brother doing?”

Ah Hui immediately understood she meant Xie Wu.

“He still hasn’t woken up. But when I fed him medicine this morning, he could swallow instinctively. Father says that if he can eat, his life is no longer in danger.”

For Fan Changyu, it was the best news she’d heard in days.

Supporting herself against the bedpost, she stood up.

“I’m going to see him.”

Ah Hui hurried over to help her.

“Commandant, you’re seriously injured yourself. Father said you should stay in bed and recover for several days.”

Fan Changyu replied,

“I’m tough. I’ll be fine.”

Among women, Fan Changyu was considered tall.

Ah Hui was more than half a head shorter.

As she helped her stand, she only had to tilt her head slightly to see Fan Changyu’s graceful jawline.

Afternoon sunlight illuminated the pale face still drained from injury.

Even the fine hairs on her skin were visible.

Ah Hui’s face reddened.

Sticking out her tongue, she said,

“Commandant isn’t tough-skinned at all. You’re the prettiest woman Ah Hui has ever seen.”

Once, she had seen a species of orchid growing in the City Lord’s residence.

Its leaves were sword-like\u2014hard, sharp, and strong.

Yet from the center of those fierce leaves bloomed clusters of snow-white flowers so beautiful they took one’s breath away.

The servants often wanted to pick them but couldn’t because the sharp leaves protected the blossoms.

When she first met Fan Changyu\u2014covered in wounds yet comforting Ah Hui when she was trembling while changing the bandages\u2014the image of that orchid had come to mind.

She thought that only a legendary hero from storybooks could possibly be worthy of such a woman.

\u2014

Xie Wu remained unconscious.

After seeing him, Fan Changyu personally questioned the military physician about his condition.

The physician sighed.

“With injuries like those, surviving at all is a miracle. His left arm took a direct blow. The arm remains attached, but the bones inside were shattered. Even if he recovers, that hand will be useless.”

Looking at the young man lying on the sickbed, Fan Changyu remembered how dangerous the situation had been and how he had still led men out to save her.

Her heart ached.

Still, surviving after suffering so many wounds was already fortunate.

Eyes reddening, she said,

“As long as he’s alive, that’s enough.”

Worried that the medical staff might be overstretched and unable to care for him properly, she considered assigning two soldiers to help.

However, Ah Hui said,

“Someone has already been watching over him since last night. I didn’t recognize him, so I asked. He said he was one of Brother Xie Wu’s military brothers.”

Fan Changyu immediately thought of Xie Zheng.

If Xie Zheng had come to Lu City, his personal guards must have come as well.

The people caring for Xie Wu were probably his former comrades.

After learning Xie Wu would survive, Fan Changyu finally had time to think about everything that had happened yesterday.

Truthfully, she had never expected to see Xie Zheng in Lu City.

After the Li family and Wei Yan began fighting over military authority in Chongzhou and Jizhou, he had gone to Kang City under the pretext of pursuing the rebel remnants and never returned.

Kang City was farther from Lu City than Chongzhou.

For him to arrive so quickly, the army must have already been on the move.

Had he learned of the situation in advance?

Or had his army simply happened to be nearby?

Her mind was full of questions.

And…

What had that cold smile meant when she called him “Marquis”?

Why had he responded with such a sharp question?

Recalling the look he’d given her before leaving, she felt increasingly uncomfortable.

She forcibly stopped herself from thinking about him.

She could not keep dwelling on Xie Zheng.

Xie Wu was safe now.

The most important matter was figuring out how to save Yu Qianqian.

The physician and Ah Hui watched her closely.

Only after she claimed she wanted to pay respects to He Jingyuan did the physician reluctantly allow her to leave the courtyard where the wounded officers were recovering.

Fearing she might struggle due to her injuries, he specifically instructed Ah Hui to accompany her.

The mourning hall was draped entirely in white.

At its center stood a black coffin with a large funeral character painted upon it.

The sight weighed heavily on the heart.

Ignoring the pain in her abdomen, Fan Changyu knelt and kowtowed three times before offering incense.

Madam He personally helped her to her feet.

Though grief clearly filled her face, she still spoke gently.

“You must be Changyu. My husband often spoke of you.”

She had only received the news that morning and had hurried from Jizhou with her son and daughter.

Dressed in mourning clothes embroidered in black on white, she looked exhausted. Strands of gray hair were already visible at her temples.

Yet from the moment Fan Changyu saw her, she felt an inexplicable sense of warmth.

“Auntie…”

Her voice was hoarse.

Madam He smiled sadly.

“My good child, don’t cry. Lu City was saved. If my husband knows this in the afterlife, he will be smiling too.”

Fan Changyu nodded while fighting back tears.

Madam He sighed and added,

“If you see Wenchang in the army, please tell him something for me. Neither my husband nor I blame him. Tell him not to blame himself.”

Only after asking further did Fan Changyu learn the details.

The blow she’d delivered had been so heavy that Zheng Wenchang hadn’t regained consciousness until that morning.

Upon waking, he had immediately gone to kneel before He Jingyuan’s memorial tablet.

He refused food and water and spoke to no one.

Only after Madam He arrived with her children did he finally leave, feeling too ashamed to face her.

Fan Changyu immediately agreed.

Though they hadn’t worked together long, she knew how deeply Zheng Wenchang respected He Jingyuan.

His death had dealt him a devastating blow.

She had intended to return to camp and search for him.

Unexpectedly, after leaving the mourning hall, she spotted him beneath a secluded wall covered with climbing vines.

He stared at her darkly.

It was obvious he’d been waiting.

Fan Changyu started toward him.

Ah Hui grabbed her arm.

“C-Commandant… that person looks terrifying. Do you have some grievance with him? You’re still injured…”

Fan Changyu said,

“It’s General Zheng. Don’t be afraid.”

Only then did Ah Hui relax.

Supported by Ah Hui, Fan Changyu approached.

“General Zheng.”

Leaning against the wall, Zheng Wenchang stood mostly concealed in shadow.

Stubble darkened his jaw.

His entire figure radiated exhaustion and despair.

“You played the hero. Did you get what you wanted?”

He looked at Fan Changyu mockingly.

The moment Ah Hui heard him insult her, she forgot her fear.

“What kind of thing is that to say? What do you mean by ‘playing the hero’? Do you know the Commandant was carried back from the battlefield with only half her life left? Without her, Lu City never would have lasted until the Marquis arrived with reinforcements!”

Hearing the rebuke only deepened the sarcasm and grief in Zheng Wenchang’s eyes.

He stared at Fan Changyu.

“I would rather have died outside the city myself! Instead, someone knocked me unconscious, and when I woke up everyone told me the battle was over. I didn’t even get the chance to avenge my teacher. I’ve become a complete joke!”

Fan Changyu had knocked him unconscious precisely because she feared he would rush out and throw away his life in blind grief.

Coldly, she replied,

“If General He’s finest student had died recklessly on the battlefield, that would have been the real joke.”

She had left the city to buy time.

Zheng Wenchang would only have charged directly into the enemy ranks seeking revenge against Sui Yuanhuai.

No matter how skilled he was, how could one man fight twenty thousand soldiers?

One volley of arrows would have turned him into a porcupine.

Her words made Zheng Wenchang clench his jaw.

He glared at her and suddenly stepped forward.

Ah Hui nearly screamed in fright.

Thinking he might strike Fan Changyu, she shouted,

“What are you doing?!”

Instead, Zheng Wenchang slammed a fist into the wall beside Fan Changyu.

Then he coldly declared,

“When your injuries heal, we’ll settle this.”

With that, he turned and left without another word.

However, Ah Hui’s shout had attracted attention.

Many people had come to pay respects to He Jingyuan today.

Numerous heads turned toward them.

“Wasn’t that General Zheng and Commandant Fan?”

“What happened?”

Someone stammered quietly,

“I-I think General Zheng cornered Commandant Fan against the wall…”

Mainly because of the angle, his punch against the wall had looked suspiciously like pinning her there.

As soon as someone mentioned it, others eagerly followed.

“Could General Zheng like Commandant Fan?”

The remark exploded through the crowd like a stone dropped into a lake.

After all, he was unmarried.

She was unmarried.

They had fought side by side and faced life and death together.

The more people thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

Fortunately, Fan Changyu never heard any of the gossip.

Nor did she take the incident seriously.

Only later, when she went to borrow a token from Tang Peiyi so she could visit the imprisoned Yu Qianqian and Bao’er, did she discover how outrageous the rumors had become.

The chain of events began after she paid respects to He Jingyuan.

She learned where the rebel family members were being held and thought that even if she couldn’t save Yu Qianqian yet, she could at least bring food and necessities and ask the jailers not to mistreat them.

However, when she reached the prison entrance, the guards informed her that only someone carrying a token from either Xie Zheng or Tang Peiyi could enter.

Naturally, she wasn’t about to ask Xie Zheng.

After considerable effort and a convenient excuse, she finally obtained a token from Tang Peiyi.

As she prepared to leave, he smiled and casually remarked,

“I hear congratulations are in order for Commandant Fan and General Zheng?”

Fan Changyu stared blankly.

“What does General Tang mean?”

Assuming she was simply embarrassed, Tang Peiyi laughed.

“There’s no need to hide it. The entire army is talking about it. No wonder General He transferred General Zheng to Chongzhou to assist you before he passed.”

Fan Changyu became even more confused.

“You’re talking about General Zheng challenging me to a duel after I recover? What does that have to do with General He transferring him?”

Tang Peiyi widened his eyes.

“At this point you’re still pretending?”

She wasn’t pretending.

She genuinely had no idea what he was talking about.

Seeing her bewilderment, Tang Peiyi became uncertain himself.

“I heard you and General Zheng have feelings for each other. Yesterday he wanted to leave the city and avenge General He. Fearing for his safety, you knocked him unconscious and went in his place.”

Fan Changyu felt as though lightning had struck her.

She had finally witnessed firsthand what people meant by turning rumor into truth.

Patiently, she recounted the actual events.

“I was afraid he’d throw away his life. Deputy General He was there too. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him.”

Tang Peiyi had not expected such a misunderstanding.

Then he asked curiously,

“If that’s the case, why did General Zheng seek you out today?”

The rumor he’d heard claimed that after learning she had been seriously injured fighting in his place, Zheng Wenchang had cornered her publicly to scold her out of concern.

Fan Changyu’s eyelids twitched.

“He blames me for knocking him unconscious. He almost started a fight with me. Seeing my injuries, he merely said we’d settle it later.”

Tang Peiyi slapped the table.

“Outrageous! I’ll lecture him myself!”

Fan Changyu felt that would essentially be tattling.

If Tang Peiyi really confronted Zheng Wenchang, future meetings would only become more awkward.

She hurriedly said,

“Thank you, General, but this is something General Zheng and I should settle ourselves. After all… General He’s death truly is a burden he cannot overcome.”

He Jingyuan had been equally important to Tang Peiyi.

He still felt guilty for failing to arrive in time.

Understanding Zheng Wenchang’s feelings, he sighed.

“Very well. I’ll leave it to the two of you.”

After leaving Tang Peiyi’s quarters, Fan Changyu sighed heavily.

Walking beside her, Ah Hui lowered her head guiltily.

“It’s all my fault for shouting. That’s why people started talking.”

Fan Changyu ruffled the girl’s hair.

“It isn’t your fault.”

Ah Hui had only shouted because she thought Zheng Wenchang might hurt her.

Who could have imagined such a trivial incident would grow into something this absurd?

Upon arriving at the prison, Fan Changyu showed the token.

The guards informed her that only she could enter.

So she left Ah Hui outside and carried several bundles of supplies inside.

A jailer led her to the innermost cell.

“This is the one. But there are regulations from above. This humble one can only allow the Commandant to stay for the time it takes one stick of incense to burn.”

Inside the cell, a woman wearing prison clothes sat in the darkest corner.

She held a child protectively in her arms.

Her face was obscured by tangled hair.

She appeared to have suffered greatly.

Fan Changyu’s heart ached.

Keeping her expression steady, she said to the jailer,

“I understand. You may leave.”

After he departed, she turned toward the woman.

“Qianqian, I’ve come to see you. I still haven’t found a way to save you, but I’ve brought some things for you and Bao’er. These are pine nut candies Bao’er likes…”

The woman shrank back even further at the sound of her voice.

Holding the child tightly, she buried her face against her knees and said nothing.

Fan Changyu frowned.

“Qianqian?”

Still no response.

However, upon hearing the mention of candy, the child secretly lifted his head and looked at her timidly.

The moment Fan Changyu saw his face, her expression changed.

It wasn’t Yu Bao’er.

Realizing the child had looked up, the woman immediately panicked.

She pushed his head back into her arms, clearly hoping to avoid being exposed.

But during that brief moment, Fan Changyu had already seen her face beneath the tangled hair.

It was a stranger.

For a moment, Fan Changyu didn’t know whether to feel relieved or even more alarmed.

If these weren’t Yu Qianqian and Bao’er, then the person who had supposedly died wasn’t Sui Yuanhuai either.

She stared at the woman curled up in the corner for a while.

Then she silently handed over all the food, bedding, and supplies she’d brought.

Without saying another word, she left the prison.

After being called away by his guard yesterday, Xie Zheng must have already seen this mother and child.

Did he not realize they were impostors?

Or did he know and simply allow everyone to believe they were Yu Qianqian and Bao’er?

If it was the former, then she alone knew the rebel remnants still existed.

If it was the latter, why was Xie Zheng deliberately allowing people to think the rebels had all been eliminated?

Lost in thought, she allowed Ah Hui to support her as they walked.

Suddenly, Ah Hui gripped her uninjured arm tightly.

Then came the girl’s stammering voice.

“C-Commandant…”

“Hm?”

Fan Changyu emerged from her thoughts and looked over.

Ah Hui resembled a chicken whose neck had just been grabbed.

Using only her eyes, she indicated the road ahead.

Fan Changyu immediately had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, when she looked up, she saw a group approaching.

At their head walked a man dressed in a crimson brocade robe embroidered with cloud and wave patterns.

His face was as flawless as jade.

His eyes shone like cold stars.

Who else could it be but Xie Zheng?

His hair was fully bound up, making his sharp features appear even colder and more imposing.

The last traces of youthful softness had vanished.

He was strikingly handsome and commanding.

Several civil officials followed behind him.

They appeared to be heading toward the prison to interrogate prisoners.

Fan Changyu inwardly cursed her luck.

Of all places, she had to run into him here.

Even now, she still didn’t know what attitude she should take toward him.

Or how she ought to address him.

After brief consideration, she settled on military protocol.

Cupping her fists, she said,

“Greetings, Marquis.”

Unexpectedly, he didn’t even glance in her direction.

His handsome face was covered in frost.

As though she didn’t exist, he walked straight past her toward the prison.

Fan Changyu froze.

Ah Hui quietly asked,

“Commandant… what’s wrong?”

Returning to her senses, Fan Changyu suppressed the faint bitterness rising in her chest.

“Nothing. Let’s go.”

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