{"id":3773,"date":"2026-06-03T20:05:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T20:05:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/pursuit-of-jade-60\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T20:05:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T20:05:25","slug":"pursuit-of-jade-60","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/chapter\/pursuit-of-jade-60\/","title":{"rendered":"Pursuit of Jade 60"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 60

After reaching shore, Xie Zheng finally set Fan Changyu down.

As he raised a hand to check her pulse, his gaze paused briefly on the pair of deerskin wrist guards wrapped around her sleeves.

His eyes moved downward and landed on her horribly swollen left hand.

His already tightly pressed lips nearly became a straight line.

Back when the Wei Manor’s death guards had hunted her down, she had never been injured this badly. Yet after encountering a group of bandits, she had ended up in such a miserable state.

He removed the wrist guard from her injured arm before concentrating on taking her pulse.

But the pulse beneath his fingertips was frighteningly weak.

The body in his arms was as cold as ice, scarcely resembling a living person.

The smell of blood filled his senses, causing his brows to knit tightly together.

She should not have been like this.

In his memory, she was always warm.

Yet this cold body seemed to be telling him that her life was slipping away bit by bit.

Unfamiliar emotions tangled within his chest. The sudden panic made his entire body uncomfortable. It made him irritable enough to want to kill someone.

Lowering his eyes to Fan Changyu’s tightly shut eyelids, he saw that she was soaked through. Her hands and face had turned bluish-purple from the cold. The cloak wrapped around her could provide almost no warmth over her drenched clothing.

She was too cold.

She had to be warmed up immediately.

Xie Zheng glanced at his guards and said in a deep voice,

\u201cLeave my clothes here. Withdraw ten paces away and turn your backs.\u201d

The guards exchanged looks.

Once they realized what he intended to do, surprise flashed through their eyes, but they obeyed without question.

After everyone had retreated, Xie Zheng looked at Fan Changyu’s bluish face.

His fingers paused briefly at her collar.

Then he removed her hair ribbon and tied it over his own eyes before stripping away her wet, icy clothing. Working entirely by touch, he picked up the dry clothes he had removed before entering the river and wrapped them around her.

Unable to see, every sensation beneath his fingertips became extraordinarily clear.

By the time he had bundled her up securely and removed the blindfold, a fine sheen of sweat had already appeared on the bridge of his nose.

Silently, he took hold of her left arm.

He had already noticed the dislocation when changing her clothes.

After feeling around further, he realized she had set the bone incorrectly herself.

Even after suffering injuries this severe, she had still insisted on protecting that scholar.

Was she truly not afraid of dying at the hands of bandits?

He could not describe how he felt.

At one moment, he even thought bitterly that whether she lived or died had nothing to do with him.

Yet when he reset the bone, pushing and pulling it back into place, he unconsciously used the gentlest force possible.

His expression darkened.

After restoring the joint, he ordered a guard to find a wooden splint and secure her arm temporarily.

The guards had never seen him treat a woman this way before and were completely unable to guess his intentions.

After Xie Zheng finished tending all of Fan Changyu’s injuries, one guard asked,

\u201cMy Lord, are we heading to Jizhou Prefecture now?\u201d

Xie Zheng glanced at Fan Changyu’s still bluish face.

In the end, he lifted her into his arms and headed for his horse.

\u201cFind a household where we can stay first.\u201d

All of his clothes had been wrapped around Fan Changyu.

The river wind struck him like knives.

His upper body remained bare, water droplets still sliding from the loose strands of hair across his forehead.

Yet he did not even shiver.

His body was lean but powerful, every muscle sharply defined and packed with strength.

Watching their lord mount his horse bare-chested while carrying the thoroughly bundled woman, the guards hurriedly followed despite their astonishment.

The horse’s gait jostled them.

Carefully avoiding her injured arm, Xie Zheng held her securely against his chest.

Feeling her weight resting against him, his grip on the reins tightened slightly.

He looked down at her lifeless profile.

\u201cYou’d better survive.\u201d

His voice was cold.

\u201cOtherwise, who do you think is going to take care of that little burden you call a sister?\u201d

Only the sound of the wind answered him.

Pressing his lips together, he pulled her even closer.

The hundred light cavalry accompanying Xie Zheng were all former scouts.

Before long, they located a household in the wilderness.

It belonged to a blind old woman who lived alone.

Not wanting to frighten her, Xie Zheng brought only a few guards.

Common folk feared soldiers, so they claimed to be traveling merchants and offered her several taels of silver in exchange for the use of a bedroom and kitchen.

Some guards boiled water.

Others asked where the nearest physician could be found and immediately went to fetch one.

At first, hearing that several men had arrived carrying an unconscious young woman made the old woman somewhat suspicious.

But after observing their actions, she relaxed.

Human traffickers would never fuss over a kidnapped woman like this.

She found several sets of her daughter-in-law’s clothing and brought them to the room.

\u201cHow did this young lady end up in the river?\u201d

Three braziers burned inside the small room.

Even Xie Zheng, shirtless, was beginning to sweat.

Yet Fan Changyu’s body beneath the blankets remained ice cold.

The old woman’s house had no bathing tub.

Unable to immerse Fan Changyu in hot water to restore her temperature quickly, he could only repeatedly wring cloths from hot water and use them to warm her frozen body.

After replacing the cooled cloth on her hands with a freshly heated one, he answered,

\u201cWe encountered bandits while traveling by boat. She jumped into the river while escaping and caught a chill.\u201d

\u201cWhat a tragedy…\u201d

The old woman’s voice softened with sympathy.

She handed over the clothes she had found.

\u201cThese belonged to my daughter-in-law. You can change your wife’s clothes later.\u201d

Xie Zheng thanked her.

The old woman continued,

\u201cIf she came out of the river in weather like this, your own clothes must be wet too. I’ll find something belonging to my son for you.\u201d

After she left, Xie Zheng sat silently beside the bed.

Unexpectedly, he noticed that the bluish color had faded somewhat from Fan Changyu’s face.

However, a feverish flush had begun to spread across her cheeks.

He reached out and touched her forehead.

As expected, she had developed a fever.

The skin beneath his palm felt as hot as molten lava.

Frowning, he removed the cloth from her hand, soaked it again, and placed it across her forehead.

By the time the physician arrived with the guards, Fan Changyu’s face was burning red.

The poor physician had nearly been shaken to death on horseback.

Before he could even catch his breath, he was shoved into the room and ordered to examine her.

Ordinarily he might have complained.

Faced with a group of hardened soldiers, however, he didn’t dare.

He only hoped to finish his work and leave alive.

Entering the room and discovering the patient was a young woman, he felt puzzled but asked no questions.

As he took her pulse, his already wrinkled brow furrowed further and further.

\u201cCold evil has invaded deeply into her body. How did you wait until she reached this state before calling a doctor? If her constitution were any weaker, she likely wouldn’t survive.\u201d

The moment he finished speaking, he felt a cold gaze settle upon him.

Looking at the handsome, bare-chested man standing in the room despite the snowy weather, the physician’s heart skipped nervously.

He hurriedly added,

\u201cIt’s not hopeless. But medicine alone won’t do. She needs gua sha treatment to stimulate circulation and unblock her meridians. The cold must first be driven out before the medicine can work effectively.\u201d

Xie Zheng was familiar with gua sha.

Soldiers often used the folk remedy.

Though painful, it was sometimes more effective than medicine.

He looked at Fan Changyu, whose lips had become dry and cracked from the fever.

After a moment of silence, he said,

\u201cI understand.\u201d

The physician was sent to the kitchen to prepare medicine.

Meanwhile, Xie Zheng ordered another basin of warm water.

Besides the blind old woman, everyone present was male.

Since gua sha required visually judging the redness of the skin, there was no one else who could perform it.

He dropped a copper coin into the warm water and looked at Fan Changyu’s flushed face.

\u201cWhen you wake up, you’ll probably accuse me of taking advantage of you again.\u201d

Naturally, no one responded.

Gua sha was performed on the back.

Because her left arm was splinted, she could not lie face-down.

Xie Zheng casually pulled on one of the old woman’s son’s garments.

Then he sat beside the bed and lifted Fan Changyu into a seated position, supporting her against his chest.

Turning his face slightly aside, he reached out and untied the front of her robe.

The moment the ties loosened, the oversized garment slipped from her shoulders.

He retrieved the copper coin from the basin.

Gathering all her long hair over one shoulder, he initially remained completely focused.

But when he finally saw her smooth, toned back, his breathing caught almost imperceptibly.

It was different from a man’s powerful physique.

Different from the soft, boneless dancers he had seen at victory banquets.

Her slender waistline was formed by firm, tightly drawn muscle.

Slim, yet full of strength and resilience.

The skin that had previously turned bluish-purple from the cold had become pale as jade.

When changing her clothes earlier, he had removed even her soaked undergarments so she would not remain cold.

Now, as she slumped forward in unconsciousness, her pale, vulnerable neck was completely exposed.

Aside from the dark hair draped across her shoulder, nothing concealed her.

And the inner garment hanging loosely below her waist…

Belonged to him.

The realization exploded through his mind.

The copper coin suddenly seemed burning hot in his fingers.

Frowning sharply, he turned his eyes away and took several breaths before forcing all his attention onto the coin.

Then he began scraping down her pale back.

The first pass left only faint redness.

The second deepened the color considerably.

He continued until the marks became a dark crimson before moving elsewhere.

The cold within her body was severe.

Throughout the entire treatment, she remained unconscious and felt nothing.

Without one arm supporting her, she could not even sit upright.

When he finally finished, her entire back was covered in dark red and purplish marks.

It was an ugly sight.

And yet somehow strangely beautiful.

His fingers burned.

Fine sweat covered his forehead and nose.

After tossing the copper coin back into the basin, he hurriedly grabbed a garment and wrapped her up.

Once she was tucked beneath the blankets, he almost fled the room.

The cold wind and falling snow struck his face.

Only then did the heat in his body gradually subside.

When a guard arrived carrying the prepared medicine, he found Xie Zheng leaning against a wooden pillar beneath the eaves with folded arms.

He seemed lost in thought while staring at the door.

He hadn’t even noticed the approaching footsteps.

The guard awkwardly coughed.

\u201cM-My Lord, the medicine is ready.\u201d

Xie Zheng came back to himself and took the bowl.

Just as the guard prepared to leave discreetly, he suddenly heard his normally cold and merciless lord ask,

\u201cIn ordinary families… after something like this, one would have to marry the girl, wouldn’t they?\u201d

The guard froze.

Then he realized Xie Zheng was referring to himself and the woman inside.

Inwardly, he thought that under any circumstances a man would have to take responsibility after such things.

Judging by his lord’s unusual behavior, he clearly wasn’t indifferent to her.

So why ask?

The guard answered honestly,

\u201cOf course.\u201d

Before Xie Zheng could say anything else, a scout stationed several miles away hurried into the courtyard.

\u201cMy Lord, the soldiers from Jizhou Prefecture have begun searching along the river.\u201d

Xie Zheng raised an eyebrow.

\u201cThey’re looking for the Qingfeng Stronghold chief too?\u201d

The scout glanced at him cautiously.

\u201cIt appears they’re searching for the young lady inside. The scholar rescued from the river is Grand Tutor Li’s grandson. He’s currently accompanying the Jizhou soldiers in the search.\u201d

A cold smile curved Xie Zheng’s lips.

He was well aware that Li Huai’an, grandson of Grand Tutor Li, had recently arrived in Jizhou.

The disaster caused by Wei Xuan’s grain requisition had handed Grand Tutor Li’s faction a powerful weapon against the Wei faction.

For years, the northwest had been firmly controlled by Wei Yan.

After this incident, the two factions in court had nearly come to blows.

At long last, someone from the scholar-official faction had been dispatched westward.

Officially, Li Huai’an had come to assist with the war effort.

In reality, it was merely another struggle for political power.

With Li Huai’an in Jizhou, Grand Tutor Li’s faction now possessed eyes within the northwest.

What Xie Zheng had not expected was for this man to become connected to Fan Changyu.

Was it coincidence?

Or had Grand Tutor Li’s faction also discovered clues regarding the secrets behind the Fan family?

Looking down at the steaming bowl of medicine in his hands, Xie Zheng said lazily, though coldness lingered beneath his tone,

\u201cGuard the mountain pass. Don’t let anyone enter.\u201d

After the scout left, he carried the medicine inside.

Fan Changyu slept quietly beneath the blankets.

The feverish flush still lingered on her cheeks, finally giving her a little color.

Xie Zheng sat beside the bed and watched her for a while.

\u201cI told you before.\u201d

\u201cYou have terrible judgment.\u201d

Naturally, she gave no answer.

After the gua sha treatment, her body had finally warmed somewhat, and she slept deeply.

Feeding her medicine proved troublesome.

When he forced her lips open and poured it in, most of it simply spilled out again.

Frowning, he wiped her mouth with a nearby piece of clothing whose owner he couldn’t be bothered to identify.

Then he patiently fed her the rest bit by bit.

The fire crackled softly in the brazier.

Its glow illuminated his sharp profile.

After wiping away the final trace of medicine from the corner of her mouth with his thumb, he sat in silence and looked at her for a long time.

Then he suddenly said,

\u201cFan Changyu, I’ll marry you.\u201d

When no answer came, his gaze remained fixed on her sleeping face.

\u201cYou’re not speaking.\u201d

\u201cI’ll take that as a yes.\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-3773","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3773","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=3773"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3774,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3773\/revisions\/3774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}