{"id":3771,"date":"2026-06-03T19:51:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T19:51:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/pursuit-of-jade-59\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T19:51:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T19:51:31","slug":"pursuit-of-jade-59","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/fr\/chapter\/pursuit-of-jade-59\/","title":{"rendered":"Pursuit of Jade 59"},"content":{"rendered":"

The weather was truly terrible that day. Fine snow continued to fall without pause, and a layer of thin ice floated along the edges of the river.

Fan Changyu had just swept a bandit clinging to the side of the boat back into the water with her bamboo pole when the young man behind her suddenly cried out.

Turning around, she saw a bandit gripping one of his feet and dragging him toward the river with all his strength.

Another bandit had climbed onto the stern and was trying to scramble aboard. Unable to deal with both at once, Fan Changyu gritted her teeth, kicked the bandit at the stern back into the water, then thrust her bamboo pole backward. The bandit clutching the young man’s ankle was knocked beneath the surface before he could take a breath. Icy river water flooded his nose and mouth, nearly drowning him.

The young man quickly struggled back to his feet. Half of his leg had been dragged into the water, soaking his trouser leg, shoes, and socks. The freezing cold left his lips pale, yet he still remembered to thank her.

\u201cThank you, Miss…\u201d

His expression suddenly changed.

\u201cWatch out!\u201d

Fan Changyu instinctively swung the bamboo pole behind her.

The scar-faced man burst out of the water, wielding a large saber and bringing it down viciously at her. The bamboo pole in her hands was instantly sliced clean in half.

The blade was already upon her. There was no time to dodge.

She could only lean backward as far as possible to avoid a fatal strike while simultaneously thrusting the sharpened end of the broken pole forward.

Prepared to drag at least one enemy down with her if she died, she successfully stabbed the scar-faced man.

Yet the fatal blow aimed at her left shoulder never landed.

A shrill whistle split the air.

An arrow carrying tremendous force shot past her face, almost brushing her hair. The pressure of the passing wind alone made her cheek sting.

Clang!

A sharp metallic impact rang out.

The arrow struck the scar-faced man’s saber head-on. Sparks exploded. The arrow shattered from the collision, while the steel blade cracked apart like breaking ice.

Several more arrows followed, striking the bandits clinging to the boat.

Everyone present was stunned.

The scar-faced man reacted quickly. Pulling a dagger from his body, he cut off the sharpened bamboo protruding from his wound and immediately dove back underwater, refusing to remain on deck as a target.

Fan Changyu looked toward the source of the arrows.

A cavalry unit was charging toward them.

The soldiers all wore the same heavy armor and carried large bows. In the confusion, she could not tell which of them had fired the arrow powerful enough to shatter the scar-faced man’s blade.

Assuming that Jizhou Prefecture had learned of the Qingping County massacre and dispatched troops to eliminate the bandits, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Most of the bandits were nothing more than rabble. They could wave swords around well enough, but against mounted soldiers skilled in archery, they immediately fell into chaos.

Arrows rained onto the river like a swarm of locusts.

The bandits were packed tightly together in the water, and soon screams erupted everywhere. Blood spread across the river’s surface.

Realizing they could not reach shore and that the freezing water would eventually kill them, the bandits skilled in swimming changed tactics.

Instead of boarding the boat, they pushed it farther toward the middle of the river from below.

When Fan Changyu realized the boat was drifting farther and farther from the ferry, she immediately sensed danger.

Once they moved beyond bow range, she would be alone against a group of desperate bandits.

Worse still, the current in the center of the river was swift.

Without anyone rowing, the boat was rapidly carried downstream.

The soldiers on shore clearly noticed this as well. They stopped shooting.

Some soldiers who could swim removed their heavy armor and plunged into the water.

The bandits who had pushed the boat away surfaced again and prepared to seize it.

Unable to worry about the young scholar any longer, Fan Changyu grabbed him by the collar.

\u201cForgive me!\u201d

With that, she hurled him toward the soldiers swimming in the river.

The young man turned pale.

\u201cMiss\u2014!\u201d

He traced a long arc through the air before splashing into the water.

Clearly unable to swim, he flailed desperately and screamed for help.

The soldiers had to work hard to avoid his frantic grasping before finally catching him by the back of the neck and dragging him toward shore.

Watching from the bank, Xie Zheng’s lips tightened.

He nocked another arrow.

One of his guards wanted to point out that the boat had already drifted far beyond ordinary bow range.

Yet in the next instant, white-feathered arrows exploded from Xie Zheng’s bowstring one after another.

Far out on the river, corpses slowly surfaced around the boat.

The cavalrymen who could not swim stared blankly for a moment before erupting into cheers.

But Xie Zheng’s face remained cold.

The boat had already reached the center of the river and continued drifting downstream.

His arrows could no longer reach the bandits hiding beneath it.

The rescued scholar lay on the shore, drenched and pale blue from the cold. After coughing up several mouthfuls of water and finally catching his breath, the first thing he did was shout to the nearby soldiers,

\u201cPlease save the young lady on that boat!\u201d

Xie Zheng shot him a frigid glance, jerked his reins, and galloped away along the riverside road.

The guards quickly realized he intended to pursue the boat by land and immediately followed.

\u2014

Standing aboard the boat with half a bamboo pole in hand, Fan Changyu knocked the last bandit attempting to climb aboard back into the river.

For a moment, the river fell silent.

It seemed all the bandits hiding beneath the boat had died.

Not daring to be careless, she carefully observed the water for some time.

Only after confirming that nothing remained but ripples from the current did she move to the bow, pick up an oar, and begin rowing toward shore.

She had barely pulled twice when a huge splash erupted beside the boat.

A bandit suddenly emerged from beneath the water.

Startled, Fan Changyu instinctively swung the oar at him.

Only then did she realize the bandit was already dead.

The scar-faced man had used the corpse as bait.

The moment she struck it, he leaped up alongside the boat and slashed a dagger toward her throat.

Fan Changyu twisted aside.

She avoided a fatal wound, but the blade still carved a long gash along her arm.

Pain made her grunt.

She immediately swung the oar backward, driving the handle directly into the wound where the bamboo pole had pierced him earlier.

Though the scar-faced man successfully boarded the boat, the impact reopened his abdominal wound.

Staggering backward, he collapsed onto the deck.

The veins at his temple bulged from pain.

Fan Changyu immediately drew her boning knife and lunged.

The scar-faced man’s pupils contracted.

He rolled away in panic and retreated to the stern.

\u201cHeroine, neither of us wants to die in this river and become fish food. Instead of fighting to the death, why don’t we call a temporary truce? Any grudges can be settled another day.\u201d

Fan Changyu appeared to consider it carefully.

At last, she sheathed her knife.

\u201cSure.\u201d

The scar-faced man seemed relieved.

Even so, he remained at the stern and stayed fully alert.

After passing through a section of rapids, the river became calmer.

The boat slowed.

The cavalry pursuing them along the shore became visible.

Xie Zheng rode at the front.

From the elevated road, he gauged the distance between the shoreline and the boat.

He lashed his warhorse twice.

The horse surged ahead, leaving even his guards behind.

After racing past the boat’s projected path, he suddenly abandoned his mount.

Striding toward the riverbank, he rapidly removed his armor and dove shirtless into the freezing river.

The boat was moving with the current.

To intercept it, he had to run ahead before swimming diagonally toward the river’s center.

On the boat, the scar-faced man noticed only the pursuing cavalry.

Panic appeared on his face.

Fan Changyu kindly suggested,

\u201cHow about I give you the oar? You can row yourself.\u201d

The scar-faced man hesitated before nodding.

Fan Changyu picked up the oar and threw it toward him.

At the same moment, she also hurled her boning knife and thrust forward with the shortened bamboo pole.

Three attacks struck simultaneously.

The scar-faced man had no chance to dodge them all.

He could only avoid the knife aimed at his throat and reach out to block the sharpened bamboo.

The oar slammed directly into his face.

His nose was nearly broken.

Blood immediately streamed down.

What he did not realize was that the bamboo pole was merely a distraction.

Fan Changyu was holding it with her dislocated left arm.

Earlier she had tried to set the shoulder herself.

Having never suffered such an injury before and lacking medical knowledge, she could only guess at the proper position.

Though she had managed to force the bone back into place and regain some movement, every motion still felt like her arm was splitting apart.

She had no strength in it.

The moment the scar-faced man caught the bamboo pole, Fan Changyu lunged forward.

With her right hand, she seized his hair and slammed his head into the river.

The savagery in her eyes was terrifying.

The scar-faced man struggled desperately.

Yet the hand pressing down on the back of his head was astonishingly strong.

No matter how hard he fought, he could not break free.

Freezing water flooded his nose and mouth, threatening to pour into his lungs.

Only after his struggles weakened did Fan Changyu yank him back up by the hair.

Coughing violently, stripped of all his earlier arrogance, he begged,

\u201cHeroine, spare my life! I’ll serve you like an ox or horse from now on\u2014\u201d

Fan Changyu remembered the mourning hall draped in white and her parents’ bodies lying inside their coffins.

Her gaze turned icy.

She shoved him underwater again.

Only after several moments did she haul him back up.

Hatred filled her voice.

\u201cDid you ambush a retired escort because of a treasure map?\u201d

Thinking she wanted money, the scar-faced man hurriedly confessed.

\u201cThe treasure map was fake! The real map is already in the Prince of Changxin’s possession. But I’ve run Qingfeng Stronghold for years. I have more than one hideout. All my wealth is hidden elsewhere. Spare my life and I’ll give you every bit of it!\u201d

\u201cYou think someone as evil as you deserves to live?\u201d

Fan Changyu’s voice was cold.

\u201cHow many people died in Qingping County last night? Answer me. Was that escort killed by you?\u201d

The scar-faced man had survived in the jianghu for many years.

Recognizing vengeance in her tone, he quickly replied,

\u201cNot me! It was Third Boss who killed him!\u201d

The murderer of her parents stood before her.

Her blood seemed to boil.

Her grip tightened until her knuckles turned white.

\u201cThird Boss of your stronghold killed him?\u201d

\u201cYes! Yes!\u201d

Fan Changyu shouted,

\u201cYou’re all cut from the same cloth! I’ll kill you first, then your Third Boss, and avenge my parents!\u201d

The scar-faced man suddenly yelled,

\u201cYou’re Ma Taiyuan’s daughter? But Ma Taiyuan was a eunuch! How could he have descendants?\u201d

Fan Changyu froze.

\u201cWho is Ma Taiyuan?\u201d

\u201cThe head escort of Four Seas Escort Agency. Back then, he was the one responsible for transporting the treasure map. Ask around and you’ll learn his name.\u201d

After a pause, he added,

\u201cHeroine… have you mistaken your enemy?\u201d

The authorities had clearly said her father had transported the treasure map.

Why had it suddenly become Ma Taiyuan?

Questions flooded Fan Changyu’s mind.

She demanded,

\u201cThe Fan couple who died at Tiger Fork Pass in Qingping County last November\u2014weren’t they killed by your Qingfeng Stronghold?\u201d

The scar-faced man immediately protested.

\u201cThe only job my men ever did in Qingping County was last night. We never killed anyone there before that.\u201d

Suspecting he was lying to save his life, Fan Changyu shoved him underwater again.

\u201cTell the truth!\u201d

The scar-faced man struggled desperately.

By the time she pulled him up again, his face had turned bluish-purple.

His eyes could barely open from the freezing water.

\u201cI’m telling the truth! Last November we were fighting Black Dragon Stronghold. We weren’t robbing travelers at all. You can ask around if you don’t believe me!\u201d

For the first time, genuine confusion overtook Fan Changyu.

If that was true, then the black-clad assassins who had repeatedly attacked her home were not bandits either.

Now that she had actually fought these bandits, she could not deny the difference.

Those black-clad men had all been highly skilled martial artists.

They truly did not resemble ordinary bandits.

Then what exactly had happened to her parents?

The cold, her illness, and the emotional shock made her head feel as though it would split apart.

Her grip loosened.

The scar-faced man immediately seized the opportunity.

Reaching backward, he grabbed both of her arms and yanked.

Pain exploded through her injured shoulder.

Caught off guard, Fan Changyu was pulled directly into the river.

Water flooded her mouth.

After suffering humiliation for so long, the scar-faced man did not immediately kill her.

Instead, he grinned viciously.

Pressing her head underwater, he held her there until she nearly stopped struggling, then pulled her up.

Again and again.

\u201cYou bitch! Where’s that strength you had when you were drowning me? Why aren’t you fighting now?\u201d

His face twisted with delight.

Fan Changyu had no strength left.

The severe lack of oxygen forced her body to instinctively gasp even underwater.

A stream of bubbles escaped her mouth.

Freezing water poured into her lungs.

Every breath felt like knives.

Her eyes burned.

She knew she was about to die.

But what would happen to Changning?

Changning…

In the final moment before losing consciousness, she vaguely heard the sharp crack of bones breaking.

The hand gripping her hair suddenly released her.

Then a soft warmth touched her lips.

For someone dying in the icy river, that warmth felt like the final comfort the world could offer.

At last, she closed her eyes.

After breathing air into Fan Changyu’s mouth, Xie Zheng immediately carried her to the surface.

Not far away floated the scar-faced man’s corpse.

His head had been twisted halfway around.

His neck bent at a grotesque angle.

Even in death, his eyes remained wide with terror.

The guards who arrived moments later were stunned to discover that Xie Zheng had personally entered the water to save someone.

They hurried over to help.

By then, Xie Zheng had already reached the shallows with Fan Changyu in his arms.

Without saying a word, he carried her toward shore.

His face was darker than anyone had ever seen.

Water dripped from his body.

Veins bulged across his arms.

The murderous aura surrounding him was so oppressive that it became difficult to breathe.

A guard approached with dry clothing.

Originally intending to speak, he instinctively fell silent.

Remembering that Xie Zheng never allowed women near him, he finally said,

\u201cMy Lord, let me carry this young lady.\u201d

Xie Zheng completely ignored the outstretched hands.

Instead, he seized his own cloak, wrapped it around Fan Changyu’s soaked body, and continued walking.

The guards stared in stunned silence.

Before they could recover, they heard his cold and ruthless command.

\u201cBring back the bandit chief’s corpse.\u201d

\u201cFlog it.\u201d

Even the battle-hardened soldiers, men who slaughtered enemies as casually as cutting vegetables, felt a chill run down their spines at those words.<\/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-3771","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3771","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3771"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3771\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3772,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3771\/revisions\/3772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3771"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3771"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}