{"id":3813,"date":"2026-06-04T11:04:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T11:04:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/pursuit-of-jade-68\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T15:57:40","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T15:57:40","slug":"pursuit-of-jade-68-4","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/chapter\/pursuit-of-jade-68-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Pursuit of Jade 68"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 68

On the very day Fan Changyu set out on her journey, Zheng Wenchang hurriedly wrote another letter to He Jingyuan.

Previously, after learning that Changning had been abducted, He Jingyuan had written back instructing him to find a way to keep Fan Changyu occupied.

At the time, Zheng Wenchang still had no idea who had taken the child. In order to at least give Fan Changyu some explanation, he had claimed that human traffickers operating within Jizhou City were likely responsible.

He had assumed she would patiently wait for news of the authorities dismantling the trafficking rings.

Instead, the young woman had grabbed a butcher’s cleaver and followed the government soldiers into the traffickers’ dens herself.

Several operations that were originally expected to take one or two months to complete had somehow been finished in only half a month.

Zheng Wenchang’s feelings on the matter were… complicated.

The government always offered rewards to those who assisted in capturing criminals.

Because Fan Changyu kept receiving such large bounties, combined with her earlier feat of defending more than a dozen neighbors against Qingfeng Stronghold, she had already become somewhat famous among the common folk.

People called her the Butcher Beauty.

Among the remaining petty bandits around Jizhou, a saying had begun circulating:

If you’re robbing travelers and happen to meet a beautiful young woman carrying a butcher’s cleaver, don’t get any foolish ideas. Let that young lady pass peacefully.

Otherwise…

She might wipe out your entire hideout.

Some women traveling long distances had even started buying butcher’s cleavers as protective charms.

Surprisingly, it actually worked.

As a result, blacksmith shops and knife stores found themselves unable to keep up with the demand for butcher’s cleavers.

When He Jingyuan received the letter, it became his turn to experience complicated emotions.

Before Xie Zheng departed with the twenty thousand new recruits, he had specifically asked He Jingyuan to look after Fan Changyu in Jizhou.

This outcome was certainly not something He Jingyuan had anticipated.

He had always hoped that the Fan sisters would live ordinary lives and never become entangled in the secrets behind their parents’ past.

But now…

That no longer seemed possible.

The guards outside the tent heard only a long, heavy sigh from within.

\u2014

The sun shone brightly overhead.

Fresh green shoots had already begun sprouting along both sides of the official road.

Fan Changyu sat atop her horse chewing dry rations.

She had no mood to appreciate the spring scenery.

Instead, she found something rather strange.

She had not encountered a single refugee along the way.

Had all those who wanted to flee already left months ago?

The dry rations were difficult to swallow.

When she took out her waterskin for a drink, she discovered there was very little water left.

Looking at the stream that ran alongside the road, she dismounted to refill it.

The water level was unusually low.

If she simply dipped the waterskin into the stream, she could only fill it halfway. She had to move among the rocks where the current gathered before she could collect enough water.

After drinking several mouthfuls of the cool water and filling her waterskin, she was about to continue her journey when a ragged man suddenly came stumbling out from a fork in the road ahead.

The moment he saw her, he shouted,

\u201cMiss, save me!\u201d

Fan Changyu immediately assumed he was fleeing from bandits.

She hung the waterskin on her saddle and drew her cleaver at once.

As the man approached, she subtly angled the blade toward him.

The gesture successfully stopped him three paces away.

Traveling alone, Fan Changyu dared not lower her guard.

While helping the authorities destroy trafficking dens, she had learned that many kidnapped young women had been deceived because they tried to help children or elderly people, only to be lured into secluded areas and captured.

Studying the man carefully, she asked,

\u201cDid you run into bandits?\u201d

The man shook his head.

His weather-darkened face was covered in sweat.

Supporting himself on his knees while panting heavily, he said,

\u201cThe government soldiers are monsters! They’re rounding up innocent civilians to build dams…\u201d

The sound of chaotic hoofbeats approached.

The man visibly panicked.

Pleading desperately, he said,

\u201cI’m going to hide in the woods. Please don’t reveal where I am.

\u201cI have elderly parents above me and children below me. If I’m caught, I’ll probably die under those soldiers’ whips.

\u201cWhat will happen to my family then?\u201d

He looked so sincere that he seemed only one step away from kneeling and kowtowing.

After speaking, he immediately plunged into the roadside bushes.

Fan Changyu considered what he had said.

No wonder the stream remained so shallow despite the arrival of spring.

Apparently a dam had been built upstream.

And perhaps the reason she had not encountered any refugees was because they had all been seized to work on the dam.

She did not hurry to leave.

Instead, she watched her horse nibble the fresh grass by the roadside while absentmindedly scratching its neck.

When the hoofbeats finally arrived, there were more than a dozen mounted soldiers.

All wore armor.

Since they had reached a fork in the road, the officer in command reined in his horse and asked,

\u201cHave you seen a man pass through here?\u201d

There had been almost no travelers along the road.

Claiming she had seen no one would have been too suspicious.

Fan Changyu nodded.

\u201cI have.\u201d

She showed no fear toward the soldiers.

Several blades were visible strapped to her horse, and her riding outfit gave her the appearance of a wandering martial artist.

The soldiers did not become suspicious.

The officer merely asked,

\u201cWhich way did he go?\u201d

Fan Changyu pointed toward one of the side roads.

\u201cThat way.\u201d

The officer glanced at her.

Rather than sending everyone down the route she indicated, he ordered two riders to continue along the main road while he led the rest down the side path.

Expressionless, Fan Changyu watched them disappear.

Meanwhile, she found herself wondering why things never unfolded like they did in storybooks.

Once the soldiers were completely out of sight, she called toward the bushes.

\u201cYou can come out now. They’ve gone.\u201d

The man emerged awkwardly from the undergrowth.

\u201cThank you, miss! My entire family owes you a debt of gratitude.\u201d

Fan Changyu replied,

\u201cIt was nothing.

\u201cBy the way, although I directed them down the other road, two soldiers continued straight ahead.

\u201cWhy don’t you stay hidden a little longer?

\u201cWhen they don’t find anyone, they’ll probably come back.

\u201cOnce they start searching the wrong direction, you can make your escape.\u201d

The man thanked her repeatedly.

Yet instead of leaving, he glanced awkwardly at the large bundle hanging from her saddle and licked his dry lips.

\u201cMiss… do you have anything to eat?

\u201cI’ve been hiding from the soldiers and haven’t eaten for days.\u201d

Fan Changyu carried plenty of provisions.

After giving him a glance, she said,

\u201cI’ll get you something.\u201d

Untying the bundle required both hands.

She slid her cleaver into the leather sheath attached to the saddle and began unfastening the ropes.

Her previously dislocated arm had mostly healed.

Only heavy lifting remained somewhat difficult.

To speed its recovery, she had avoided strenuous use of that arm for quite some time.

The moment Fan Changyu turned around, the man’s honest expression instantly twisted into something vicious.

A dagger hidden inside his sleeve shot toward her back.

Clang!

The blade struck something hard.

It was as though he had stabbed a steel plate.

The dagger could not advance even a fraction.

The man froze.

Fan Changyu paused.

Turning her head, she looked at him coldly.

\u201cYou lied to me?\u201d

A vicious expression flashed across the man’s face.

Pulling back the dagger, he slashed toward her throat.

Fan Changyu responded with a powerful kick.

The blow struck his abdomen and sent him flying over ten feet through the air.

Perhaps his internal organs had ruptured.

The dagger slipped from his fingers.

Clutching his stomach, he writhed on the ground in agony.

Before setting out alone, Fan Changyu had taken numerous precautions.

For example, she had commissioned a blacksmith to forge two exceptionally sturdy steel plates.

One was worn on her chest.

The other protected her back.

She had prepared them specifically against unexpected attacks.

Picking up her butcher’s cleaver, she walked toward the man.

Her original plan was to tie him up and leave him here for the soldiers to collect when they returned.

She herself intended to disappear before then.

After all, she had nearly aided a wanted criminal and lied to pursuing soldiers.

She could easily be accused of being an accomplice.

Unexpectedly, hoofbeats soon returned.

When the officer saw Fan Changyu standing beside the man, his expression turned extremely ugly.

The cavalrymen behind him all raised their crossbows toward her.

Fan Changyu hurriedly explained,

\u201cOfficer, I was tricked!

\u201cHe claimed he was a civilian forced to build the dam and begged me to hide him.

\u201cHe even tried to kill me just now.

\u201cI subdued him myself!\u201d

The officer studied her coldly.

Then he ordered his men,

\u201cTie them both up and take them away.\u201d

Fan Changyu stared in disbelief.

\u201cOfficer, I’m innocent!

\u201cYes, I lied earlier, but I also captured him.

\u201cCan’t that count as making amends?\u201d

The officer snorted.

\u201cThis man is a scout from the Chongzhou army.

\u201cHow do I know you aren’t a spy?

\u201cPerhaps you staged this entire performance after realizing you couldn’t get him away.\u201d

Fan Changyu had not expected things to escalate this badly.

She quickly said,

\u201cI have official registration papers! I’m from Jizhou. I’m not a spy!\u201d

Since the soldiers would not let her approach, she threw them her household registration document.

After reading it, the officer asked,

\u201cIf you’re from Jizhou, then why are you heading toward the northwestern frontier during wartime?\u201d

The road led both to Chongzhou and Yanzhou.

Afraid of appearing suspicious, Fan Changyu dared not admit she was heading toward Chongzhou.

\u201cI’m going to Yanzhou to visit relatives.\u201d

During wartime, refugees rarely bothered obtaining official travel permits.

The officer remained unconvinced.

\u201cHow do I know you didn’t kill someone and steal these documents?\u201d

Turning his horse around, he barked,

\u201cTake them away!\u201d

Fan Changyu: \u201c…\u201d

Could her luck get any worse?

Faced with a line of loaded crossbows, she reluctantly surrendered.

Her hands were bound and she was escorted to the military camp.

Only then did Fan Changyu discover that there were not merely troops stationed in Luzhou.

Several tens of thousands of soldiers were also camped halfway between Jizhou and the city.

And they were constructing a massive dam.

Upon arriving at the camp, she was thrown into a prison cell.

Her horse, belongings, and butcher’s cleavers were confiscated.

Even the steel plates she carried were removed during a search by the matrons.

The guards fed her nothing except water and the dry rations taken from her own pack.

Being imprisoned was bad enough.

Having to pay for her own prison food made her even angrier.

Two days later, she was finally taken out.

Her identity had been verified.

She was not a spy.

Yet she was not released.

Instead, she was placed alongside a group of ragged civilians and handed a hoe and a basket.

The soldiers ordered them to excavate earth and stone.

They worked in pairs.

Any team that failed to collect ten baskets by noon would receive no meal.

Only then did Fan Changyu learn the truth.

These people were all refugees and travelers who had passed through the area.

The military had forcibly detained them.

Apparently, the soldiers feared news of the dam construction might spread.

But feeding idle prisoners was expensive.

So they put everyone to work digging earth and stone.

Most refugees willingly complied, since at least it guaranteed food.

The reason Fan Changyu had been detained was similar.

The soldiers worried she might reveal what she had seen while traveling toward Yanzhou.

She could not understand why building a dam required such secrecy.

At the same time, she remained deeply worried about Changning.

Still, now that she was outside the prison, she could use the labor assignments to study the surrounding terrain and plan an escape.

Everyone else had already paired up.

Most were men.

When food depended on productivity, nobody felt charitable.

Even the sturdier women refused to partner with Fan Changyu.

Though tall, she looked slim and therefore seemed unlikely to contribute much.

Fan Changyu personally felt she could gather ten baskets by herself without much difficulty.

But since both she and a frail old man lacked partners, the soldiers paired them together.

Presumably they assumed one was a weak young woman while the other was a useless old man.

As a result, their quota was reduced to five baskets.

Carrying her basket and hoe, Fan Changyu followed the crowd up the mountain.

The old man struggled just carrying his own hoe.

He was nearly out of breath.

His mouth, however, never stopped moving.

The entire way, he cursed the soldiers.

Strangely, he cursed in an extremely refined and scholarly manner.

Every sentence was packed with classical expressions.

Neither the civilians nor the soldiers understood a word he was saying.

Fan Changyu had occasionally studied the annotated Confucian texts Yan Zheng had left behind.

As a result, she could understand portions of it.

The passages packed with literary references, however, left her completely lost.

Seeing the old man nearly collapse from exhaustion, she was reminded of Old Zhao the Carpenter, who had also joined the army despite his age.

Feeling sympathetic, she used her hoe like a blade to cut down a sturdy branch.

After trimming it into a walking stick, she handed it to him.

Then she reached for his hoe.

\u201cI’ll carry it for you.\u201d

Sweat was dripping into the old man’s eyes.

Seeing that she was merely a young woman, he refused.

\u201cI can carry it myself.\u201d

A nearby woman laughed.

\u201cMiss, don’t bother with him. That old man’s temperament is terrible.\u201d

But Fan Changyu could tell he was simply soft-hearted beneath a stubborn exterior.

She merely smiled.

When they reached the excavation site, Fan Changyu’s tremendous strength quickly became apparent.

Without much effort, she filled five baskets.

Even the soldiers keeping count began looking at her differently.

Transporting the dirt was not their responsibility.

Mules and soldiers handled that part.

Although she had already completed the required quota, everyone else continued working.

Not wanting to rest too openly, she pretended to keep digging while chatting with the old man.

\u201cSir, you’re clearly educated. How did you end up here?\u201d

The old man grumbled angrily.

\u201cWhen I heard Yanzhou borrowed twenty thousand troops from Jizhou, I guessed they must be building a dam upstream on the Wu River.

\u201cI came to inspect the construction.

\u201cInstead, those soldiers arrested me as a spy.

\u201cIdiots! Utter idiots!\u201d

Fan Changyu blinked.

\u201cSir, there are some spectacles that aren’t worth seeing.

\u201cMilitary dams during wartime definitely fall into that category.\u201d

The old man realized she thought he had merely come to satisfy his curiosity.

He became so angry his beard practically stood on end.

He refused to speak to her again until lunchtime.

Fan Changyu had leisurely dug eight baskets that morning.

When food was distributed, the soldiers actually rewarded her with an extra steamed bun.

She initially intended to give it to the old man.

But after he glanced at it and snorted dismissively, she happily kept it for herself.

Since she was stronger than most people, she naturally ate more as well.

Once she learned that exceeding the quota earned additional food, she dug twelve baskets that afternoon and successfully earned two extra buns.

The old man continued his elegant stream of insults.

Sometimes he cursed the soldiers.

Sometimes he cursed some \u201cbrat.\u201d

Curious, Fan Changyu asked between bites of bun and spoonfuls of porridge,

\u201cIs that your son?\u201d

The old man shot her a sideways glance.

\u201cHalf a son.\u201d

\u201cOh,\u201d said Fan Changyu.

\u201cSo he’s your son-in-law.\u201d

The old man’s beard nearly flew upward again.

\u201cHe’s my student!

\u201cYou ignorant little girl!\u201d

Fan Changyu had long since grown accustomed to Yan Zheng’s sharp tongue.

She was not offended.

On the contrary, she respected the old man’s learning.

Shamelessly, she asked,

\u201cWere you a teacher?

\u201cI’ve been studying the Analects on my own.

\u201cCould I ask you some questions?\u201d

The old man looked at her in surprise.

\u201cYou taught yourself?\u201d

Fan Changyu’s expression dimmed slightly.

Smiling, she said,

\u201cMy husband was also a scholar.

\u201cHe had to leave before finishing the Four Books with me, so he left annotations for me to study on my own.\u201d

Perhaps feeling sorry for such a young widow, the old man unexpectedly softened.

\u201cMy condolences.\u201d

Fan Changyu froze.

Then she hurriedly waved her hands.

\u201cHe’s not dead!

\u201cHe was conscripted into the army!\u201d

The old man’s beard shot upward once more.

\u201cThen don’t talk as though he’s dead!\u201d

Fan Changyu: \u201c…\u201d

\u2014

Yanzhou.

In the darkness, the distant Yan Mountain range rose like a dragon’s spine.

The unmelted snow atop its peaks formed faint patches of gray-white against the night sky.

Thousands of military tents stretched across the foothills.

Braziers mounted on tripods stood scattered among them.

Crackling firewood illuminated the camp.

Inside the command tent, Xie Zheng studied the military deployment map of Yanzhou and Chongzhou.

Pointing to a location, he instructed his generals,

\u201cChongzhou has dispatched fifty thousand troops to besiege Luzhou. The remaining fifty thousand should not be underestimated.

\u201cWhen the time comes, I will personally lure the enemy. You will lead an ambush through First Gorge\u2014\u201d

Suddenly he covered his mouth and sneezed.

The assembled generals all froze.

Although the snow atop Yan Mountain had melted, the nights remained bitterly cold.

Yet Xie Zheng had already changed into thin spring clothing.

Broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, with a face as handsome as jade, he looked exactly like the ideal military hero endlessly discussed by the noble ladies of the capital.

Frowning slightly, he continued outlining the plan.

During a brief pause, a personal guard entered to refill his tea.

The guard thoughtfully brought a thicker cloak as well.

Xie Zheng stared coldly at the garment being offered.

The guard swallowed hard and said cautiously,

\u201cThe nights are cold and damp, Marquis. Please take care not to catch a chill.\u201d

Xie Zheng’s expression turned icy.

\u201c…Get out.\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-3813","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3813"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3814,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3813\/revisions\/3814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}