{"id":3536,"date":"2026-05-23T05:09:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T05:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/pursuit-of-jade-27\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T05:09:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T05:09:41","slug":"pursuit-of-jade-27","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/chapter\/pursuit-of-jade-27\/","title":{"rendered":"Pursuit Of Jade 27"},"content":{"rendered":"

Early that morning, Fan Changyu went to the marketplace and bought an old hen to take back and nourish Yan Zheng.

When she met familiar people in the alley, she greeted them warmly as usual, but they seemed to be avoiding something and only responded perfunctorily with a word or two.

As for the women who had grown close to the Song family, one of them directly rolled her eyes and avoided Fan Changyu as though fleeing from a plague.

\u201cShe really is a jinx. Her uncle only visited her house a few times before she brought him to death. And that live-in husband of hers has been sickly the whole time without improving. Luckily Sister Song specifically had their birth charts matched beforehand. If Song Yan had really married her, who knows how badly the Song family would\u2019ve been ruined by her bad luck!\u201d

Some of the people who had previously maintained decent relations with the Fan family quietly edged farther away after hearing those words.

Before, when the Song family broke off the engagement and claimed she was cursed with the fate of a lone heavenly fiend, not many people had taken it seriously. But over the past two days, disaster and death had struck her household repeatedly. If the soldiers had not arrived in time last night, even the elderly Zhao couple might have been dragged into calamity. It was inevitable that the neighbors would begin to fear her.

Under normal circumstances, Fan Changyu would have snapped back long ago. But it was true that the Zhao family had almost been implicated because of her, and Yan Zheng really had been injured.

She pressed her lips tightly together and silently carried the chicken toward the Zhao residence.

As she passed the doorway of the sharp-tongued woman from before, the woman deliberately dumped a basin of rice-rinsing water outside right after Fan Changyu walked past. Quite a bit of the icy water splashed onto Fan Changyu\u2019s embroidered shoes and skirt hem.

Fan Changyu stopped and lifted a pair of calm eyes toward her.

The old woman\u2019s surname was Kang. She had originally been neighbors with the Song family, and ever since Song Yan passed the provincial examination, she had constantly tried to curry favor with them. To please Mother Song, she often visited her to gossip and spoke endlessly of Fan Changyu\u2019s faults.

Perhaps because she served as convenient company for Mother Song, after the Song family moved to the county town, among everyone in the alley, only she had been invited once to dine at the Song family\u2019s new residence.

Old Madam Kang treated this as a great honor. After returning, she boasted everywhere about how beautiful the Song family\u2019s new residence was, how they even had servants waiting on Mother Song, praised Song Yan\u2019s abilities to the skies, and naturally stepped on Fan Changyu in the process.

Now, seeing Fan Changyu look over, Old Madam Kang directly splashed the remaining half-basin of rice water outside again and cursed, \u201cWhat terrible luck first thing in the morning. I\u2019ll have to hang some pomelo leaves at the door later!\u201d

Among the common folk, rice water and pomelo leaves were said to ward off bad luck.

Fan Changyu\u2019s lips moved slightly, but when she saw the surrounding neighbors either remaining silent or quietly distancing themselves from her, she ultimately only pressed her lips tighter and quickened her pace toward the Zhao residence.

The rice water soaked through her shoes and socks. The cold dampness clung to her ankles, seeping from flesh into bone, chilling her heart.

After entering the Zhao courtyard, Aunt Zhao was sweeping snow in the yard. Seeing Fan Changyu\u2019s wet skirt and socks, she hurriedly asked, \u201cHow did this happen?\u201d

Fan Changyu walked straight toward the kitchen and said, \u201cThere was still unmelted snow on the road. I stepped in some and got wet.\u201d

Aunt Zhao frowned at her back, knowing she was definitely not telling the truth.

Fan Changyu\u2019s thoughts were in complete turmoil. After killing the hen and setting it to stew in a clay pot, she feared Aunt Zhao would continue questioning her, so she used delivering medicine to Yan Zheng as an excuse and went up to the loft.

\u201cTime to drink your medicine.\u201d

Her voice lacked its usual energy and instead sounded muffled and dispirited.

When Xie Zheng accepted the bowl, he could not help studying her expression.

Nothing particularly showed on her face, yet he still immediately sensed that her mood was wrong.

\u201cWhat happened?\u201d he asked.

Fan Changyu only said, \u201cNothing. Drink the medicine while it\u2019s hot. There\u2019s preserved tangerine candy beside the pillow if you\u2019re afraid it\u2019ll taste bitter.\u201d

She hugged her knees while sitting on a low stool beside the charcoal brazier, warming herself by the fire. With her head lowered, only a slender stretch of neck was exposed, making it impossible to see her expression clearly.

Xie Zheng noticed damp marks beneath her skirt and on her shoes and socks.

\u201cIt snowed pretty heavily in the latter half of last night.\u201d

Fan Changyu gave a vague \u201cMm.\u201d

Xie Zheng frowned slightly. There had been no snow at all during the latter half of the night. She was acting far too strangely today.

Since she stayed silent, he said nothing either after finishing the medicine and setting the bowl onto the round stool beside the bed.

The room remained quiet for a long while before Fan Changyu suddenly spoke.

\u201cI\u2019ll find you an inn and pay the servant extra money to take care of your food and daily needs. How about that?\u201d

The fingers Xie Zheng rested against the bed edge tightened slightly.

\u201cWhy?\u201d

Fan Changyu said, \u201cThe authorities still haven\u2019t closed the case. I\u2019m afraid those people may come back seeking revenge.\u201d

Xie Zheng replied, \u201cDidn\u2019t you say soldiers are secretly guarding this place?\u201d

After several moments of silence, Fan Changyu looked up at him solemnly.

\u201cThen stay here and recover first. Once your injuries heal, leave.\u201d

After she got up and descended from the loft, Xie Zheng picked up a piece of preserved tangerine candy. His lips tightened, and the candy instantly crumbled into powder between his fingers.

\u2014

Around noon, Old Madam Kang from the alley suddenly came storming over to the Zhao residence demanding justice. Only then did Xie Zheng finally learn the reason for Fan Changyu\u2019s unusual behavior today.

\u201cFan Changyu! Get out here!\u201d

Old Madam Kang possessed an exceptionally loud voice and remarkable talent for street-corner quarrels.

The moment she shouted, many people gathered outside the Zhao residence to watch the excitement.

After hearing the pounding on the gate that sounded almost like kicking, Aunt Zhao hurried over to open it. Seeing Old Madam Kang standing there aggressively with her grandson, she asked, \u201cWhat happened?\u201d

Old Madam Kang shoved her grandson forward and cursed with hands on her hips, \u201cTell Fan Changyu to come out! Her little sister shoved my grandson Hu Tou down the stairs and knocked out one of his front teeth! What do you mean what happened?\u201d

Fan Changyu had been stewing chicken in the kitchen. Hearing the shouting outside, she walked into the courtyard.

She saw Old Madam Kang\u2019s plump, round-headed grandson crying so hard that his eyes were swollen. Two streams of snot dangled beneath his nose, constantly being sniffed back in only to slide out again. His chin was swollen, and he really had lost a tooth.

She said, \u201cMy younger sister has always been weak. Your grandson is several years older than her. How could she possibly push him?\u201d

The moment Old Madam Kang heard Fan Changyu trying to deny responsibility, saliva immediately flew from her mouth as she shouted, \u201cAs if I\u2019d falsely accuse you! Bring your Ningniang out and ask her yourself. Then you\u2019ll know whether she pushed him or not!\u201d

Seeing so many neighbors poking their heads out to watch, Aunt Zhao tried to smooth things over.

\u201cCome inside and talk. Children getting into little fights and bumps is common. Arguing loudly at the door will only make the neighbors laugh at us.\u201d

Old Madam Kang refused outright.

\u201cI came to seek justice for my grandson. Why should I fear being laughed at?\u201d

Fan Changyu knew Old Madam Kang was infamous throughout the alley for being vicious and unreasonable. Her own daughter-in-law had been driven away by her relentless torment. Even now, Old Madam Kang still called her daughter-in-law a shameless slut who ran away with another man, completely failing to realize there was anything wrong with treating her like a beast of burden.

Later, her son got involved with a widow, but Old Madam Kang disliked the fact that the woman had already been married once and that her husband had died, claiming she probably brought death to husbands. After causing enough trouble, the widow quickly cut ties with her son too. To this day, her son remained an old bachelor.

Fan Changyu did not wish to waste words on such a person and coldly said, \u201cWhether you get justice or not depends on what my younger sister says first.\u201d

She called out, \u201cNingniang, come here.\u201d

Little Changning slowly shuffled out from the room and stood behind Fan Changyu like a tiny tail.

Fan Changyu lowered her head and asked, \u201cDid you push Hu Tou?\u201d

Changning pressed her lips together and tightly clenched the corners of her clothes. She nodded, then shook her head.

Old Madam Kang shrieked, \u201cLook at that! Such a little child already knows how to lie. What wonderful family values the Fan family has! She nodded herself, and now she\u2019s shaking her head\u2026\u201d

\u201cShut your mouth!\u201d

Fan Changyu\u2019s cold shout instantly overwhelmed Old Madam Kang\u2019s piercing voice like a blizzard.

After splashing that basin of rice water earlier that morning and seeing Fan Changyu silently endure it, Old Madam Kang had assumed she was easy to bully. Now, suddenly being shouted down like this stunned her for a moment before she screeched even louder.

\u201cIs there no justice anymore? Everyone look! The Fan family sure acts arrogantly! They injured my grandson like this and still dare act righteous about it!\u201d

Up in the loft, even Xie Zheng\u2019s ears were beginning to ache from the shrill screaming. He impatiently frowned.

Were old women in the marketplace always this noisy?

Just as irritation rose in him, he heard the woman\u2019s voice below, cold and sharp.

\u201cKeep screaming and see whether I toss you upside down into the slop bucket!\u201d

Every inch of Fan Changyu\u2019s brows and eyes radiated coldness. She had endured Old Madam Kang this morning because she genuinely felt guilty over the disasters her enemies had brought upon others. But now that Old Madam Kang wanted to push her luck, Fan Changyu had no intention of tolerating her.

Meeting Fan Changyu\u2019s gaze, Old Madam Kang felt a sudden inexplicable fear. She hurriedly looked toward the crowd, clearly intending to use the onlookers to pressure Fan Changyu further.

But Fan Changyu had already seen through her tricks.

\u201cYou and that old witch from the Song family gossip about me behind my back every day as if I don\u2019t know? My reputation\u2019s already been ruined to this extent by you people. Do you really think I still care what others think? If I truly decided to make a move, how many people here do you think would rush out to stop me?\u201d

Those words completely extinguished Old Madam Kang\u2019s courage. She swallowed hard. The mouth that could normally curse nonstop for an entire day now seemed sewn shut, unable to force out another sentence.

Only then did Fan Changyu crouch down and ask her younger sister gently, \u201cEarlier, when Big Sister asked if you pushed Hu Tou, why did you nod and then shake your head?\u201d

Changning\u2019s round black grape-like eyes had already reddened. Clutching her clothes tightly with soft pale fingers, she said, \u201cI did push him, but he was too fat and I couldn\u2019t move him. Then he chased me and slipped down the stairs himself, which is how he broke his front tooth.\u201d

Old Madam Kang immediately started yelling again.

\u201cMy Hu Tou said you pushed him\u2014\u201d

Fan Changyu shot her a cold glance, and Old Madam Kang instantly fell silent again.

Fan Changyu continued asking, \u201cWhy did Ningniang push him?\u201d

Changning lowered her head. Large tears instantly rolled from her eyes.

\u201cHe pulled my hair, stole my pine nut candy, and splashed water on me. He said his grandma splashed rice water on Big Sister this morning to get rid of bad luck. He said I\u2019m the younger sister of a jinx too, so I should also be splashed with water to drive away bad luck\u2026\u201d

After hearing this, Fan Changyu\u2019s face turned frighteningly cold.

Aunt Zhao\u2019s eyes reddened with fury as well. She had wondered why Fan Changyu\u2019s shoes and skirt were wet this morning. So it had been because that vicious old woman had splashed rice water on her.

Rice water was used in folk customs to dispel evil and misfortune. Splashing it after Fan Changyu passed by\u2014how malicious could one be?

Grinding her teeth, Aunt Zhao cursed, \u201cYou filthy old hag who won\u2019t even deserve a coffin when you die! If you won\u2019t accumulate virtue for yourself, at least do it for your descendants! Aren\u2019t you afraid King Yama will rip out your tongue someday?\u201d

Old Madam Kang felt guilty at first, but after decades of never yielding in arguments, she quickly raised her chin defiantly.

\u201cHow am I not accumulating virtue? Did I kill her parents? Did I murder all those people who died at her house these past days? Who in this town doesn\u2019t know she\u2019s a jinx now? Only you and your old man, who\u2019ll probably die without anyone to bury you, would foolishly shelter that disaster of a family. Aren\u2019t you afraid she\u2019ll bring death upon you too one day? If you ask me, the Fan family should\u2019ve long ago gotten out of this alley. Who knows when their enemies might return?\u201d

\u201cYou\u2026\u201d Aunt Zhao trembled with anger.

Fan Changyu wiped the tears from her younger sister\u2019s face with her thumb and slowly stood up, her gaze sharp as ice blades.

\u201cIf I\u2019m going to bring misfortune to anyone, I\u2019ll start with you, you old hag!\u201d

She sneered.

\u201cYou want me to move out of the alley? Based on what? Based on your rotten tongue flapping around gossiping? If you\u2019re that afraid, why don\u2019t you move away yourself?\u201d

Old Madam Kang was rendered speechless. She pointed at Fan Changyu, still wanting to curse back, but Fan Changyu continued coldly:

\u201cAnd keep your grandson under control. If he dares touch even a single strand of my younger sister\u2019s hair again, whichever hand he uses, I\u2019ll chop that hand off.\u201d

Meeting Fan Changyu\u2019s fierce gaze, Old Madam Kang\u2019s grandson instantly burst into loud sobs, tears and snot streaming everywhere.

Old Madam Kang hurriedly pulled her grandson behind her and blustered weakly, \u201cBullying a child\u2014what kind of ability is that\u2026\u201d

The corners of Fan Changyu\u2019s lips curved coldly.

\u201cBullying? I\u2019m not bluffing.\u201d

As she spoke, she glanced at the boy\u2019s arm.

\u201cI can chop through a pig\u2019s trotter in one strike. Cutting off an arm would be even easier.\u201d

Old Madam Kang\u2019s grandson instinctively covered one arm and cried while tugging her backward.

\u201cGrandma, let\u2019s go home\u2026 I want to go home\u2026\u201d

Seeing her grandson terrified like this, Old Madam Kang was furious and anxious, yet she did not dare confront Fan Changyu head-on.

All she could do was curse under her breath while dragging her grandson away. But just as she stepped down from the Zhao family\u2019s doorway, something suddenly struck the back of her knee.

\u201cAh!\u201d

She let out a miserable scream and tumbled down the steps, her chin smashing directly against the final stair. She remained sprawled there for quite a while, screaming in agony with blood all over her mouth.

The neighbors watching the spectacle exchanged stunned glances.

Fan Changyu herself froze briefly before instinctively looking toward the Zhao family loft. As expected, she caught a fleeting glimpse of a dark blue robe disappearing from sight.

After her initial shock, Aunt Zhao immediately exclaimed, \u201cServes her right! Everyone saw it\u2014neither Changyu nor I even moved from the doorway. That old hag fell by herself! This is karma!\u201d

Old Madam Kang was already elderly. That fall knocked out several more teeth. Sitting on the ground, she burst into tears and pointed at Fan Changyu.

\u201cIt was her! That jinx must\u2019ve kicked me!\u201d

The neighbors who had watched the entire scene really had not seen Fan Changyu move at all. Seeing Old Madam Kang continue stirring trouble, they could not help speaking up.

\u201cThat\u2019s enough, Old Madam Kang. Everyone was watching. Changyu never moved at all. You simply slipped and fell yourself!\u201d

Old Madam Kang still wanted to argue, but Fan Changyu let out a cold snort.

\u201cYou\u2019ve done too many guilty things. Maybe a ghost pushed you.\u201d

The older people got, the more easily they believed in supernatural things.

Those words frightened Old Madam Kang badly. She really had felt something slam into the back of her knee before she fell. Thinking of Fan Changyu\u2019s supposedly cursed fate, her lips immediately trembled.

\u201cIt\u2019s you! You jinxed me!\u201d

Fan Changyu crossed her arms.

\u201cIf you don\u2019t hurry and leave, maybe I\u2019ll curse you to death next.\u201d

This time, Old Madam Kang was genuinely frightened. Covering her bloody chin, she dragged her grandson away from the Zhao residence in utter humiliation.

\u201cShe really brought this upon herself!\u201d

\u201cWho in this alley hasn\u2019t been insulted by that mouth of hers? This is karma!\u201d

After exchanging a few comments while laughing, the neighbors gradually dispersed.

Once the courtyard gate closed again, Fan Changyu crouched down to meet her younger sister\u2019s eyes and earnestly said, \u201cIn the future, if anyone bullies Ningniang outside, you must tell Big Sister immediately, understand?\u201d

Changning obediently nodded.

Thinking about all the things Old Madam Kang had said, Aunt Zhao secretly cried for Fan Changyu afterward.

Fan Changyu comforted Aunt Zhao with a few words. Then her gaze landed on a piece of preserved tangerine candy near the courtyard entrance, and she found an excuse to head up to the loft.

When she pushed open the door, Xie Zheng was indeed no longer lying on the bed. Instead, he sat by the window in a bamboo chair. Though his complexion was still somewhat pale, he looked much better than the previous two days.

Before she could speak, his indifferent gaze had already swept toward her.

\u201cSo what you told me this morning was only because of a few words from other people?\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"novel":[],"class_list":["post-3536","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3536"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3537,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3536\/revisions\/3537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}