{"id":3824,"date":"2026-06-05T00:15:42","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T00:15:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/pursuit-of-jade-73\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T00:48:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T00:48:19","slug":"pursuit-of-jade-73-3","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/hi\/chapter\/pursuit-of-jade-73-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Pursuit of Jade 73"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 73

The military physician had interacted with Fan Changyu before and knew she was looking for someone. Hearing her suddenly say that, his heart nearly leapt into his throat. He secretly broke into a cold sweat for her.

The Marquis of Wuan was inside the tent as well. If he heard Fan Changyu encouraging a soldier under his command to desert, who knew what punishment he might impose on her?

Just as the physician was about to rush inside and interrupt, Gongsun Yin stopped him. Wearing a smile whose meaning was difficult to decipher, he shook his head and made a gesture for silence before turning his ear toward the tent to listen.

The military physician’s heart was in his throat.

That woman simply didn’t understand military regulations and had spoken recklessly in the heat of the moment. Why was even the strategist acting like someone enjoying a spectacle?

He stood outside the tent in nervous dread, afraid that at any moment he would hear Xie Zheng order someone to drag her out and have her flogged with military rods.

Instead, what came from inside was the rowdy teasing of the wounded soldiers.

One of them said, “Brother, if I were you and had a girl travel a thousand miles just to find me, I’d die here without regrets!”

Another laughed.

“Who knows how many lifetimes of good fortune you’ve accumulated? We fight battles only hoping to return home alive and intact. Once we’re older, we might not even find a matchmaker willing to arrange a marriage. But look at you\u2014this girl came looking for you herself!”

Others tried to comfort Fan Changyu.

“Little sister, we know you’re worried about your man, but don’t go saying things like that in the military camp. Desertion is punishable by death! Don’t worry either. He survived injuries this severe, so he’s bound to have good fortune ahead.”

Of course Fan Changyu knew she couldn’t let Yan Zheng become a deserter.

She had only seen the horrifying wounds covering his body and remembered that he had been conscripted because he wanted to avoid implicating her family and the other nine households. Her heart was filled with pain and guilt, and in her panic she had blurted those words out.

She was currently helping clean away the medicine residue that hadn’t been changed on his wounds for days.

The smell of blood and medicine had mixed together for so long that it had become nauseating. Fresh flesh and rotten flesh intertwined. If new medicine was to be applied, that layer of decayed flesh would probably have to be scraped away first.

A teardrop the size of a bean fell directly from her eye before it even rolled down her cheek.

Only then did Fan Changyu realize she was crying.

She hurriedly wiped her eyes in embarrassment, trying to calm herself. Yet when she spoke, her voice was still hoarse.

“I wasn’t trying to make him desert. I…”

She looked at Xie Zheng.

Another tear fell.

In the end, she only managed to rasp out three words.

“I’m sorry.”

If he hadn’t entered into a fake marriage and become her husband, he would never have been included on the conscription roster.

If he hadn’t wanted to avoid dragging her and their neighbors down with him, he would never have obediently allowed the government soldiers to take him away.

Seeing him injured so badly on the battlefield made her heart ache.

Xie Zheng still hadn’t recovered from the shock of hearing her tell him to come home with her.

When he raised his eyes and saw the tears in hers, his pale, cracked lips pressed together slightly.

“Don’t cry.”

He knew why Fan Changyu was apologizing.

He also knew the guilt she carried.

He wanted to tell her everything, but neither the timing nor the setting was appropriate. In the end, he could not bring himself to speak.

This was the first time he had ever seen Fan Changyu cry.

The place where his heart should have been felt as though something was twisting around it, yet at the same time it felt submerged in a warm spring.

It was a strange and unfamiliar sensation.

He wanted to wipe away her tears.

He wanted to hold her.

But perhaps the taut string in his mind that had been stretched for days had finally relaxed. Exhaustion and accumulated injuries flooded his body all at once. His limbs felt as heavy as lead. Even propping himself up halfway was difficult.

Seeing him try to move, Fan Changyu pressed him back down by the shoulder.

Her eyes were red as she said, “Don’t move. Wait for the physician to come treat your wounds.”

Then she turned and urgently shouted toward the tent entrance.

“Where’s the military physician? Has he arrived yet?”

Xie Zheng gazed at her profile.

His eyes drifted to the hand resting beside the bed.

After a brief hesitation, his fingers lightly closed around it.

“Don’t cry.”

Suppressing the burning ache in her eyes, Fan Changyu lowered her head and looked at the hand loosely holding hers.

She immediately tightened her grip around his.

Her warm hand clasped firmly around his large, callused palm.

His hand was slightly cool from weakness, but under her tight hold, it seemed to gradually gain a trace of warmth.

Since the day they met, this was the first time they had held hands.

It felt as though a silent understanding had been reached through that simple gesture.

Looking at him with clear and unwavering eyes, Fan Changyu said, “I’m not crying. Don’t be afraid. We brought a lot of medicine up the mountain. The military physician will definitely be able to heal you.”

The moment Fan Changyu called for him again, the military physician immediately looked toward Gongsun Yin.

Apparently disappointed that he hadn’t heard what he had hoped to hear, Gongsun Yin finally led the physician into the tent.

The physician felt extremely conflicted.

The strategist truly looked kind-hearted but was black-hearted underneath. The Marquis hadn’t punished that woman, yet he actually seemed disappointed!

Gongsun Yin was easy to recognize.

He always wore white robes and carried a folding fan.

The moment he entered, the wounded soldiers visibly became more restrained.

With a gentle smile, Gongsun Yin said, “Rest easy, gentlemen. I’ve merely come to check on everyone’s injuries and see whether there is enough medicine.”

Yet his gaze quietly drifted toward Fan Changyu.

Hearing movement, Fan Changyu looked toward the entrance.

It was her first time seeing Gongsun Yin. She could tell he was some sort of official, but Xie Zheng’s injuries occupied all her attention.

She immediately looked at the physician instead.

“Military Physician, quickly take a look at him!”

As she raised her head, Gongsun Yin got a clear look at her face.

His fox-like eyes lifted slightly in surprise.

She was not unattractive.

Yet at first glance, she looked so honest and straightforward that she resembled an unloved noble daughter from a powerful clan\u2014one whose mother had died young, whose father didn’t value her, and who had been bullied by her sisters since childhood.

She wasn’t the sort of delicate beauty that inspired pity.

Rather, she was like a gentle puppy found by the roadside.

Simply looking at her softened one’s heart for no reason.

No one would ever believe she was capable of slaughtering pigs with a butcher’s knife.

Thinking back on everything he had heard about her, Gongsun Yin found it all rather strange.

His gaze dropped to her arms, and his brows furrowed.

With such slender arms and legs, could she really lift a grown man and throw him several yards away?

Had that personal guard been exaggerating?

Gongsun Yin glanced toward the guard, who had retreated into a corner.

The guard met his gaze but clearly failed to understand the question within it. His expression was utterly bewildered.

Gongsun Yin simply withdrew his gaze.

There was no point expecting answers from someone that foolish.

Meanwhile, the military physician had already carried his medicine chest over.

From the moment he entered, he had cautiously looked toward the seat of honor.

Not seeing Xie Zheng there, he let out a huge sigh of relief.

No wonder the Marquis hadn’t become angry.

He set down the medicine chest and rolled up his sleeves to check the patient’s pulse.

But the instant he recognized who was lying on the military bed, his legs nearly gave out beneath him.

His mind turned to mush.

His expression became a mixture of shock and confusion.

The Marquis…

Why was the Marquis here?

Could those words the woman spoke earlier have been directed at the Marquis?

The physician sucked in several sharp breaths.

Seeing him frozen in place with a horrified expression, Fan Changyu hurriedly urged him again.

“Military Physician?”

The physician snapped back to reality and glanced at her.

He swallowed with difficulty.

Meeting Xie Zheng’s gaze, he sat down on a crude wooden stool and reached for his pulse.

His hands trembled so badly he could barely feel the pulse, and his legs shook nonstop.

He had heard far too many things he shouldn’t have.

Would the Marquis silence him afterward?

Seeing the physician trembling all over, Fan Changyu worried he might misdiagnose the pulse.

“Military Physician, are you alright?”

By now, sweat was pouring down the physician’s forehead like beads.

He hastily wiped it away with his sleeve.

Under Xie Zheng’s gaze, he forced out a smile.

“I’m fine… fine…”

After finally completing the pulse examination, Fan Changyu immediately asked about Xie Zheng’s condition.

Wiping away sweat, the physician began,

“Mar\u2014”

The moment the word left his mouth, he noticed one of the Marquis’s personal guards giving him a warning look.

The physician hurriedly changed course.

“The young man has a promising future. The wound missed his vital organs by only a hair’s breadth. It was extremely dangerous. Fortunately, his physical condition is excellent, which is why he managed to hold on this long. Still, he must receive medicine promptly and recuperate properly. Because of the blood loss, he’ll likely suffer frequent dizziness for some time. It would be best… best if he could eat some meat to nourish himself.”

Once the pulse examination was done, it was time to scrape away the rotten flesh and reapply medicine.

Seeing that the physician’s hands were still trembling slightly, Fan Changyu worried he might accidentally injure Xie Zheng.

She offered to do it herself.

The physician’s trembling stemmed entirely from fright, and he was trying hard to calm himself.

He absolutely dared not let any harm come to Xie Zheng.

At the same time, he wasn’t comfortable letting a complete novice handle the knife.

It was then that Xie Zheng spoke.

“Let my wife do it.”

The physician felt another tidal wave crash through his heart.

So this woman was actually their never-before-seen Marchioness!

Fan Changyu was momentarily stunned by the title as well, but she said nothing.

Even after he sat on a low stool and began directing Fan Changyu on how to scrape away the dead flesh, the physician’s mustache was still trembling.

Gongsun Yin was equally surprised.

Using concern for the wounded soldiers as an excuse, he openly remained behind.

Despite receiving several icy glances from Xie Zheng, he never moved an inch.

His gaze constantly shifted between Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng.

Fan Changyu heated the dagger over a flame.

All her attention focused on the rotten flesh on Xie Zheng’s chest.

She paid no attention whatsoever to anyone around her.

A personal guard brought over a clean cloth for Xie Zheng to bite down on.

He refused it.

Holding the dagger, Fan Changyu rested her other hand lightly against his chest and asked,

“Are you afraid?”

Xie Zheng replied,

“Just do it.”

Suddenly, her eyes stung.

She suppressed every emotion in her heart and concentrated completely on removing the decayed flesh.

Her hand was incredibly steady.

Her lips were pressed tightly together.

Xie Zheng never looked away from her for a single moment.

The wound on his chest and even his own life seemed entirely insignificant.

Sweat formed at both their temples, yet neither uttered a sound.

When Fan Changyu noticed her palms becoming sweaty, she grabbed a cloth and hastily wiped both her hands and the dagger handle before continuing.

Every muscle in Xie Zheng’s body was stretched taut like stone.

The veins from his arms to his forehead bulged visibly.

Sweat dripped from his eyelids, yet he didn’t even blink.

No one in the military tent spoke.

The silence was extraordinary.

Standing nearby with his fan, Gongsun Yin had long since lost the teasing look in his eyes and the smile on his lips.

It was a strange feeling.

A moment ago, he had thought that while Fan Changyu and Xie Zheng looked well matched in appearance, her background might ultimately bring her more misfortune than blessing.

Now, however, he suddenly felt that in this world, there was probably no second person to whom Xie Zheng would so willingly entrust his life.

He could even give her his life.

If that was the case, how could he ever allow her to suffer the slightest grievance in the treacherous capital in the future?

As for whether she was worthy of Xie Zheng\u2014

If she could make him willingly go this far, what right did anyone else have to judge whether she was good enough or not?

He lightly tapped his fan against his palm twice.

A faint smile curved his lips once more.

When the final piece of rotten flesh was removed from Xie Zheng’s chest, Fan Changyu’s entire back was soaked with sweat.

She turned to the physician.

“It’s done.”

The physician quickly sprinkled medicinal powder over the wound, then applied the herbal paste he had prepared during the procedure.

He instructed that Xie Zheng should remain in bed for the next few days and avoid lifting anything heavy until the wound had completely healed.

Throughout it all, Fan Changyu stood quietly to one side.

Having enjoyed enough of the spectacle, Gongsun Yin finally rose when Xie Zheng shot him another cold glance.

After offering a few words of encouragement to the wounded soldiers and giving Xie Zheng a look that promised to keep his secret, he leisurely departed with the physician.

Once everyone had left, the personal guard also slipped outside, worried that Fan Changyu might notice something unusual if he remained.

Only then did Fan Changyu quietly ask,

“Does it hurt?”

Xie Zheng shook his head.

“It doesn’t.”

Her eyes were still faintly red.

The medicine she had previously brewed had anti-inflammatory properties, and it could also be used for Xie Zheng’s injury.

She brought over a bowl and fed him spoonful after spoonful.

Seeing how weak he looked, she said sadly,

“It would’ve been better if you’d signed the divorce papers earlier.”

A mouthful of medicine went down the wrong way.

Xie Zheng instantly erupted into a violent, wrenching fit of coughing.<\/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-3824","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3824"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3825,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3824\/revisions\/3825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}