{"id":3743,"date":"2026-06-03T17:21:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T17:21:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/pursuit-of-jade-53\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T17:21:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T17:21:36","slug":"pursuit-of-jade-53","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ms\/chapter\/pursuit-of-jade-53\/","title":{"rendered":"Pursuit of Jade 53"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Fan Changyu was stunned.<br><br>It wasn&#8217;t until a sharp sting came from her lips that she snapped back to her senses. Humiliated and furious, she instinctively swung her free hand at his face.<br><br>But he seemed to have anticipated it.<br><br>Effortlessly intercepting her strike, he pulled her even harder against himself. His solid chest and iron-like arms locked around her.<br><br>Never in her life had Fan Changyu been treated this way.<br><br>She tried to break free through sheer brute force, but every ounce of strength she used was neutralized by his skillful movements.<br><br>In her anger, she resorted to the only weapon she had left.<br><br>Her teeth.<br><br>She bit down hard.<br><br>Xie Zheng hissed in pain. When they finally separated, blood stained his lips.<br><br>\u201cYou\u2014\u201d<br><br>Before he could finish speaking, Fan Changyu slammed her forehead straight into him.<br><br>Her brow struck the bridge of his nose perfectly.<br><br>The sharp pain forced him to cover his nose with one hand, and in the next instant, Fan Changyu&#8217;s freed fist smashed into the corner of his eye.<br><br>Though the blow hurt, Xie Zheng still refused to release her other hand.<br><br>With a powerful tug, he pulled her backward, twisted her arms behind her back, and pinned her against the wall. His body pressed firmly against her from behind.<br><br>His voice was cold.<br><br>\u201cAre you really this aggrieved?\u201d<br><br>At that moment, Fan Changyu wanted nothing more than to bite him to death.<br><br>Her injured wrist weakened her struggle, preventing her from breaking free.<br><br>\u201cWhat madness has possessed you?\u201d she shouted. \u201cIf you want a woman, there are plenty in the pleasure houses willing to take your money. What kind of person do you take me for?\u201d<br><br>Xie Zheng abruptly lifted his head.<br><br>His dark eyes were unfathomable.<br><br>\u201cSo that&#8217;s what you think of me?\u201d<br><br>Held firmly in place, Fan Changyu felt rage nearly ignite sparks in her eyes.<br><br>\u201cWhat do you think you were just doing? Taking advantage of me!\u201d<br><br>Something in Xie Zheng seemed to snap.<br><br>Instead of getting angry, he laughed.<br><br>\u201cTaking advantage of you?\u201d<br><br>His voice carried a dangerous edge.<br><br>\u201cIf I truly wanted to take advantage of you, I wouldn&#8217;t have waited until now.\u201d<br><br>He released her and stepped back.<br><br>The curve of his mouth was cold.<br><br>\u201cCan&#8217;t let go of that former fianc\u00e9 of yours, can you? Even in the future, you&#8217;ll have to find someone who looks just like him? Haven&#8217;t learned your lesson at all?\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu had just been forcibly kissed. Hearing him speak now as though he were lecturing and mocking her only infuriated her further.<br><br>Before she even realized it, her fist flew toward him again.<br><br>\u201cWhat does that have to do with you?\u201d<br><br>This time, Xie Zheng neither dodged nor blocked.<br><br>He accepted the full force of her punch.<br><br>The corner of his mouth split open.<br><br>A flush spread across half his face.<br><br>Against his jade-like features, it created an unexpectedly striking beauty.<br><br>Even Fan Changyu froze after hitting him.<br><br>She knew exactly how much strength she had used.<br><br>Why hadn&#8217;t he dodged?<br><br>Xie Zheng pressed his tongue against the cut at the corner of his mouth and tasted blood.<br><br>Then he turned to look at her.<br><br>\u201cNot continuing?\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu couldn&#8217;t describe what she felt.<br><br>Her knuckles still ached faintly.<br><br>His injuries had to be worse.<br><br>But after what he had done, she couldn&#8217;t bring herself to apologize.<br><br>Pressing her lips together, she turned to walk back inside.<br><br>Yet before she could take more than a step, the man behind her moved like a ghost.<br><br>All she saw were those dark, unsettling eyes.<br><br>Then his hand clasped the back of her head.<br><br>He kissed her again.<br><br>Her scalp practically exploded.<br><br>Having lost the initiative, she found herself controlled at every turn.<br><br>As she pushed and struggled, he forced her against the wall.<br><br>Both her hands were pinned above her head.<br><br>Using the advantage of his larger frame, he held her firmly in place.<br><br>His breath, usually cool and restrained, now brushed against her skin.<br><br>The kiss was even fiercer than before.<br><br>More reckless.<br><br>More overbearing.<br><br>Fan Changyu bit him viciously.<br><br>He immediately caught her jaw.<br><br>Some clever movement prevented her from biting again.<br><br>Yet he still didn&#8217;t retreat.<br><br>Instead, he used the opportunity to force past her defenses, deepening the kiss despite her resistance.<br><br>By the time it ended, Fan Changyu could barely catch her breath.<br><br>Her mind felt dizzy from lack of air.<br><br>For a moment, she forgot to punch him.<br><br>She could only stare at him in disbelief.<br><br>Xie Zheng released her.<br><br>Using one finger, he wiped away the blood from his lips.<br><br>\u201cNow that,\u201d he said, \u201cwas taking advantage of you.\u201d<br><br>The fury of being violated and insulted shot straight to Fan Changyu&#8217;s head.<br><br>The moment he released his hold and stepped back, she pulled out the boning knife she always carried and pressed it against his throat.<br><br>\u201cWho do you think you are?\u201d she demanded. \u201cYou think you can humiliate me whenever you please?\u201d<br><br>Leaning casually against a wooden pillar, Xie Zheng showed not the slightest concern despite the blade at his neck.<br><br>Only after hearing her words did he raise his eyes.<br><br>For once, his expression was utterly serious.<br><br>\u201cRather than letting your poor judgment lead you to another ungrateful man in the future, you&#8217;d be better off staying with me.\u201d<br><br>The words stunned not only Fan Changyu.<br><br>They surprised Xie Zheng as well.<br><br>For a brief moment, he paused.<br><br>Then came a strange feeling of relief, as though some final restraint had finally shattered.<br><br>That was right.<br><br>Wasn&#8217;t it better to keep her by his side than to watch her marry someone else one day?<br><br>Having spoken the first words, the rest came more easily.<br><br>After a long silence, he said,<br><br>\u201cI have a very dangerous enemy outside. I might die at his hands. Or perhaps he&#8217;ll die, and I&#8217;ll survive.\u201d<br><br>He looked at her steadily.<br><br>\u201cIf you&#8217;re willing, wait for me for two years. If I die, someone will come and bring you the news. Then you can marry someone else.\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu stared at him coldly.<br><br>\u201cYou keep calling Song Yan an ungrateful wretch. How are you any better?\u201d<br><br>Her voice trembled with anger.<br><br>\u201cYou force yourself on me, and then tell me it&#8217;s because you care about me?\u201d<br><br>She lowered the knife.<br><br>The humiliation she felt overwhelmed every other emotion.<br><br>Lifting her sleeve, she wiped her lips fiercely.<br><br>\u201cI hit you. Consider us even.\u201d<br><br>She pointed toward the table.<br><br>\u201cYour things are there. Once the city gates reopen, leave.\u201d<br><br>Xie Zheng watched her retreating figure.<br><br>For the first time, he couldn&#8217;t even manage a cold smile.<br><br>So&#8230;<br><br>He had been rejected.<br><br>From the day he was born until now, he had only tasted defeat once\u2014on the battlefield at Chongzhou.<br><br>This time, he had suffered another kind of defeat.<br><br>He left everything she had prepared untouched on the table.<br><br>After standing beneath the corridor for a while, he walked out of the Fan family&#8217;s courtyard.<br><br>\u2014<br><br>Ever since the unrest in Qingping County and the subsequent lockdown, Lin&#8217;an Town had become desolate.<br><br>Few villagers came to market anymore.<br><br>Without any destination in mind, Xie Zheng eventually wandered to the pine forest beside the river outside town.<br><br>More than a foot of snow covered the ground.<br><br>The river flowed swiftly through the uneven terrain.<br><br>The thin layer of ice that had formed overnight had already shattered.<br><br>Only the distant sound of mountain springs echoed through the quiet landscape.<br><br>At a gentle slope, Xie Zheng lay down directly upon the snow.<br><br>One arm rested behind his head as he stared blankly at the faint outline of Lin&#8217;an Town in the distance.<br><br>On the Chongzhou battlefield, when he had nearly died due to betrayal, he had never panicked.<br><br>When assassins chased him for hundreds of miles after he narrowly escaped with his life, he had never been afraid.<br><br>Even after falling from a cliff and being carried into Jizhou by the river, he had endured grievous wounds, illness, and fever while searching for a village.<br><br>Eventually, he had collapsed in the wilderness.<br><br>And she had found him.<br><br>Back then, all he had thought about was stabilizing the northwest and taking revenge on the Wei father and son.<br><br>So when had he become reluctant to leave?<br><br>That tiny house was always noisy and lively.<br><br>He had seen countless people bent beneath the weight of suffering.<br><br>But that woman&#8230;<br><br>Even if the sky collapsed, she would straighten her thin back and carry it herself.<br><br>Perhaps&#8230;<br><br>No one had treated him with such simple kindness for far too long.<br><br>The preserved tangerine candies she gave him with his medicine.<br><br>The red envelope she prepared for New Year.<br><br>A self-mocking smile touched his lips.<br><br>For a brief moment, he thought of the phrase wagging one&#8217;s tail and begging for affection.<br><br>Perhaps she was simply too kind-hearted.<br><br>If anyone else had been lying wounded in the wilderness that day, she would have cared for them just as devotedly.<br><br>She would have bought them candy.<br><br>Prepared a New Year&#8217;s red envelope.<br><br>Because he was pitiful.<br><br>Not because she cared for him.<br><br>His invitation for her to stay by his side truly had become a joke.<br><br>A man who had spent his entire life proud found it difficult to accept such a humiliating defeat.<br><br>High above, the Haidongqing hawk circled and cried, searching for him.<br><br>This time, Xie Zheng did not whistle.<br><br>Turning his head slightly, he noticed a tiny green shoot emerging from the melting snow near the riverbank.<br><br>A single blade of grass stood vividly against the endless white.<br><br>When the ice melts, the springs awaken.<br><br>When the snow is gone, new grass grows.<br><br>Those were the words he had written for her in the New Year&#8217;s couplet.<br><br>He stared at the sprout for a long while.<br><br>Then he sat up.<br><br>Reaching out, he plucked the blade of grass from the ground and tossed it into the rushing river.<br><br>Silently, he watched the current carry it away.<br><br>If the heart had become troubled&#8230;<br><br>Then he would simply pull out the root of the problem.<br><br>The circling hawk finally spotted him and swooped down.<br><br>This time he didn&#8217;t raise his arm to receive it.<br><br>The bird landed nearby and waited.<br><br>When he still made no move to retrieve the message, it tilted its head curiously before stepping closer and lightly pecking the back of his hand.<br><br>Xie Zheng reached out and stroked the feathers atop its head.<br><br>His gaze remained fixed on the flowing river.<br><br>Only after a long time did he remove the letter tied to its leg.<br><br>He scanned it quickly.<br><br>The paper crumbled into pieces between his fingers.<br><br>Casting one final look toward distant Lin&#8217;an Town, he said quietly,<br><br>\u201cLet&#8217;s go.<br><br>It&#8217;s time to return.\u201d<br><br>\u2014<br><br>Jizhou.<br><br>An urgent dispatch from Jinzhou arrived at the prefectural office.<br><br>Every official who read it was shocked.<br><br>\u201cThe Northern Ques really have attacked Jinzhou!\u201d<br><br>\u201cFortunately, the Marquis of Wuan didn&#8217;t die in Chongzhou. With him defending Jinzhou, those northern barbarians will surely lose heart the moment they hear his name!\u201d<br><br>Seated at the head of the council chamber, He Jingyuan&#8217;s expression remained grim.<br><br>Before he could speak, another guard rushed in.<br><br>\u201cEmergency from Lu City! General Guo Xinhou, one of Prince Changxin&#8217;s commanders, has surrounded Lu City with fifty thousand troops!\u201d<br><br>The room instantly erupted.<br><br>The incident in Qingping County, where the Heir of Prince Changxin disguised his men as farmers and incited rebellion, had happened only recently.<br><br>Had the county uprising succeeded, Lu City\u2014the first major military fortress bordering Chongzhou\u2014would have been trapped between enemies.<br><br>One official slammed the table.<br><br>\u201cThe rebels planned this from the beginning! With Jinzhou under attack, the Marquis of Wuan will be forced to shift troops there. He can&#8217;t continue suppressing the rebels. They&#8217;re trying to seize the entire northwest!\u201d<br><br>A military officer said,<br><br>\u201cThe priority now is defending Jizhou.\u201d<br><br>If Lu City fell, Jizhou would lose its shield.<br><br>Amid the uproar, He Jingyuan spoke calmly.<br><br>\u201cGuo Xinhou is a veteran commander. I&#8217;ll personally go to Lu City.\u201d<br><br>The officials immediately objected.<br><br>\u201cMy lord, absolutely not!\u201d<br><br>\u201cLu City is too dangerous!\u201d<br><br>\u201cIf anything happens to you, we&#8217;d never forgive ourselves!\u201d<br><br>He Jingyuan raised a hand.<br><br>The room fell silent.<br><br>\u201cIf going there is dangerous for me, then are the soldiers defending Lu City not in danger as well?\u201d<br><br>His voice was steady.<br><br>\u201cIf I go, the rebels will hesitate because of me. Lu City may actually become safer. Meanwhile, you&#8217;ll have enough time to recruit more troops.\u201d<br><br>As soon as the meeting ended, cavalrymen carrying recruitment orders rode out in every direction.<br><br>\u2014<br><br>Lin&#8217;an Town.<br><br>Fan Changyu remained angry all afternoon because of Xie Zheng&#8217;s recklessness.<br><br>She opened a book, hoping reading would distract her.<br><br>Instead, she saw the dense notes filling the margins.<br><br>The frustration immediately returned.<br><br>Those annotations had all been written by him during countless late nights.<br><br>As her anger gradually faded, she found herself thinking about what he had said.<br><br>That he might die at the hands of his enemy.<br><br>A strange discomfort settled in her heart.<br><br>Had he always insisted on leaving because he carried such a burden?<br><br>Passing through the main hall, she noticed that all the things she had prepared for him were still sitting untouched on the table.<br><br>The divorce agreement remained there too.<br><br>Only her own signature appeared on it.<br><br>He had never signed.<br><br>Her feelings grew even more complicated.<br><br>Changning and Yu Bao&#8217;er were still outside playing with the neighborhood children.<br><br>After hesitating for a while, Fan Changyu walked to the south room and knocked.<br><br>No answer.<br><br>Pressing her lips together, she knocked again.<br><br>\u201cYan Zheng? Are you inside?\u201d<br><br>Silence.<br><br>Remembering the harsh words she had spoken in anger earlier, she suddenly worried that he had left without saying goodbye.<br><br>She pushed the door open.<br><br>His belongings were all still inside.<br><br>Nothing had been taken.<br><br>Only then did her heart settle slightly.<br><br>So he had probably gone out to clear his head.<br><br>Closing the door again, she turned to leave.<br><br>Suddenly, shouting and crying erupted from outside the alley.<br><br>Along with the angry voices of soldiers.<br><br>\u201cSir! Please, sir! My family has only this one son! Have mercy on us!\u201d<br><br>\u201cThe rebels are about to attack Jizhou! If the young men don&#8217;t go to war now, do you want the rebels to slaughter everyone later?\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu&#8217;s heart jumped.<br><br>Opening the courtyard gate, she looked outside.<br><br>Armored soldiers were going door to door, dragging able-bodied men from their homes.<br><br>The old woman crying on the ground was Granny Kang.<br><br>She clung desperately to her son, but several strong soldiers tore him away.<br><br>\u201cMy son!\u201d she wailed. \u201cDon&#8217;t be afraid! I&#8217;ll go find Scholar Song! I&#8217;ll ask him to plead with the magistrate and bring you home!\u201d<br><br>Recognizing the uniforms of Jizhou soldiers, Fan Changyu knew that appealing to the magistrate would be useless.<br><br>Unless the magistrate was willing to bribe the recruitment officers personally.<br><br>Immediately, she thought of Yan Zheng.<br><br>Once someone was conscripted, there was no telling when the war would end.<br><br>Most never returned.<br><br>Many died on the battlefield and never even received a proper burial.<br><br>The children playing outside hurried home in fear.<br><br>Changning and Yu Bao&#8217;er ran behind Fan Changyu and hid there, peeking nervously at the soldiers.<br><br>Changning looked up.<br><br>\u201cBig Sister, Yanzi&#8217;s older brother was taken away. Will Brother-in-law be taken away too?\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu didn&#8217;t know.<br><br>This was her first time witnessing military conscription.<br><br>In the past, Granny Zhao had said families could sometimes pay silver in place of service.<br><br>But this time seemed different.<br><br>She hurried the children inside.<br><br>\u201cGo into the house first.\u201d<br><br>Just as she closed the courtyard gate, the local neighborhood head arrived with soldiers.<br><br>The leader awkwardly explained,<br><br>\u201cThis is the head of the household. Her surname is Fan. Her name is Changyu. She has a live-in husband.\u201d<br><br>The soldiers looked surprised.<br><br>Seeing only Fan Changyu outside while the gate remained tightly shut, their expressions darkened.<br><br>\u201cWhere&#8217;s your husband?\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu pressed her lips together.<br><br>If she admitted they had already separated, it would implicate the other families in the neighborhood.<br><br>But if Yan Zheng were taken away because of her&#8230;<br><br>After a long pause, she answered honestly.<br><br>\u201cHe isn&#8217;t home.\u201d<br><br>The soldier clearly had heard similar excuses many times.<br><br>His expression darkened further.<br><br>Just as he was about to kick the gate open, another soldier holding a register stopped him.<br><br>\u201cWait.\u201d<br><br>The literate soldier checked the roster carefully before looking up.<br><br>\u201cFan Changyu?\u201d<br><br>\u201cYes.\u201d<br><br>He nodded.<br><br>\u201cHer husband is already on the conscription list. Looks like he was among the men taken earlier.\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu&#8217;s heart began pounding wildly.<br><br>\u201cHe&#8217;s already been taken? Are you certain?\u201d<br><br>The soldier glanced at the roster.<br><br>\u201cIsn&#8217;t his name Yan Zheng?\u201d<br><br>At those words, her final hope vanished.<br><br>Her voice became hoarse.<br><br>\u201cYes.<br><br>He&#8217;s my husband.\u201d<br><br>The soldiers moved on to the next house.<br><br>Fan Changyu sank down beside the courtyard gate, her limbs cold.<br><br>With his skills, Yan Zheng could have escaped easily.<br><br>He understood the law so well.<br><br>He must have surrendered willingly to avoid implicating the neighboring households.<br><br>Thinking of the things she had prepared for him, and their bitter argument not long ago, a heavy ache settled in her chest.<br><br>She didn&#8217;t know whether it was guilt or something else.<br><br>After sitting there for a while, she suddenly raised her head.<br><br>\u201cSir!\u201d<br><br>The soldier turned.<br><br>\u201cWhere is my husband now? Can I still see him? He was taken while outside. I want to bring him some things.\u201d<br><br>The soldier glanced at her.<br><br>\u201cThe first group has already been sent to the county seat. They&#8217;ll soon march to Lu City. Whether you can catch them now&#8230; that&#8217;s another matter.\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu immediately thanked him.<br><br>After entrusting Changning and Yu Bao&#8217;er to a neighbor, she rushed into the house.<br><br>She grabbed the bundle she had prepared and stuffed two packets of preserved tangerine candies inside before hurrying toward the county seat.<br><br>A cart was too slow.<br><br>She borrowed a horse.<br><br>But even then, she was too late.<br><br>The first group of conscripts had already departed for Lu City.<br><br>Standing outside the city gates in the heavy snow, holding the bundle and the horse&#8217;s reins, Fan Changyu stared silently at the official road stretching into the distance.<br><br>Her chest felt unbearably heavy.<br><br>Eventually, she turned and walked back.<br><br>Someone accidentally bumped into her.<br><br>The contents of her bundle scattered across the ground.<br><br>Without a word, she knelt and gathered everything piece by piece.<br><br>When she reached the packets of preserved tangerine candy, she unwrapped one and popped a piece into her mouth.<br><br>She thought:<br><br>It&#8217;s probably for the best that I didn&#8217;t catch up.<br><br>These candies are too sour.<br><br>Not nearly as sweet as the ones before.<br><br>Even if I had given them to Yan Zheng&#8230;<br><br>He probably wouldn&#8217;t have liked them.<br><br>After packing everything away, she tied the bundle back onto the saddle.<br><br>Then she rested her forehead against the saddle for a long time.<br><br>How had things ended up like this?<br><br>She was angry at him.<br><br>Yet he had been taken away before they could even exchange a proper farewell.<br><br>No matter how she looked at it, she felt as though she owed him something.<br><br>On the way back, she encountered another group of newly recruited soldiers being escorted toward the county seat.<br><br>Families followed behind, crying as they saw their loved ones off.<br><br>The conscripts themselves had red-rimmed eyes as they repeatedly urged their families to stop following them.<br><br>To her surprise, she spotted Old Zhao the carpenter among them.<br><br>\u201cUncle Zhao!\u201d she called. \u201cWhy are you going to Lu City too?\u201d<br><br>The old carpenter&#8217;s wrinkled face twisted bitterly.<br><br>\u201cI chose the wrong profession. When I was young, I was a livestock doctor. When I got older, I became a carpenter. The officers said I can treat warhorses and build defensive equipment for the army.\u201d<br><br>The soldiers cracked their whips, urging everyone forward.<br><br>After a moment&#8217;s hesitation, Fan Changyu called out,<br><br>\u201cUncle Zhao, take this horse!\u201d<br><br>The officers were about to stop her, but the moment they realized she was donating a horse, they pretended not to notice.<br><br>A horse was precious.<br><br>It could carry both people and supplies.<br><br>In danger, it might even save a life.<br><br>Uncle Zhao tried to refuse.<br><br>\u201cThis horse is too valuable\u2014\u201d<br><br>\u201cTake it.\u201d<br><br>She pressed the reins into his hands.<br><br>\u201cThe things in this bundle were prepared for Yan Zheng. I couldn&#8217;t catch him. If you see him in Lu City, please give them to him for me.\u201d<br><br>Uncle Zhao finally accepted.<br><br>His heart ached for the young couple.<br><br>\u201cDon&#8217;t worry. As long as this old skeleton is still breathing, I&#8217;ll make sure he receives them.\u201d<br><br>Fan Changyu watched him disappear into the distance.<br><br>Only then did she begin the long walk home.<br><br>Later, she paid for the horse with her own savings.<br><br>When she went to pick up Changning and Yu Bao&#8217;er from Granny Zhao&#8217;s house, Granny Zhao cried while thanking her repeatedly.<br><br>A horse brought by a recruit became that recruit&#8217;s personal property.<br><br>Most such men would be assigned to the cavalry.<br><br>Even if they weren&#8217;t fit enough for cavalry service, they would still be treated better than ordinary infantry.<br><br>After comforting Granny Zhao, Fan Changyu took the children home.<br><br>Perhaps because one person was missing from the household, even the children seemed quieter.<br><br>Wrapped in the silence, she increasingly felt that the house had become strangely empty.<br><br>How odd.<br><br>Yan Zheng had never been a talkative person.<br><br>So why did everything suddenly feel different without him?<br><br>She went to clean the south room.<br><br>His desk was already neat and orderly.<br><br>There was almost nothing to tidy.<br><br>In one corner lay a pair of leather wrist guards.<br><br>Beside them sat a file and several tools.<br><br>A piece of paper was tucked underneath.<br><br>The wrist guards looked too small to belong to Yan Zheng.<br><br>Curious, she picked up the note.<br><br>Only eight characters were written on it:<br><br>&#8220;Happy birthday. May you know lasting joy and lifelong peace.&#8221;<br><br>Instantly, she remembered the day Yan Zheng had asked about her birthday.<br><br>The pair of wrist guards suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in her hands.<br><br>Lowering her eyes, she examined them carefully.<br><br>One of them had clearly been reshaped and polished.<br><br>When she fastened it around her wrist, the leather fit perfectly.<br><br>As she reached to undo the buckle, she discovered that her fingers were trembling slightly.<br><br>Or perhaps the knuckles she had used to punch Yan Zheng still ached.<br><br>Either way, she tried several times and failed to remove it.<br><br>In the end, she gave up.<br><br>Leaning back against the chair, she stared blankly at the wrist guard on her arm.<br><br>For some reason, her heart felt unbearably empty.<\/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-3743","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3743","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3743"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3744,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3743\/revisions\/3744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}