{"id":3534,"date":"2026-05-23T04:49:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T04:49:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/pursuit-of-jade-26\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T04:50:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T04:50:16","slug":"pursuit-of-jade-26","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/chapter\/pursuit-of-jade-26\/","title":{"rendered":"Pursuit Of Jade 26"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since Fan Changyu had already seen Xie Zheng killing people in the pine forest before, she did not find it strange at all. She nodded and said, \u201cMy husband used to work as an escort. His martial skills are pretty good.\u201d

Growing up, she had not met many escorts. Her father himself had been highly skilled in martial arts, and since Xie Zheng claimed he had also worked at an escort agency before, she naturally assumed escorts were all quite capable. After all, the people they had to deal with were desperate outlaws who robbed caravans.

Zheng Wenchang stared at Xie Zheng with an unreadable expression.

Carpenter Zhao had already squeezed into the loft. The moment he saw the room full of corpses, he cried out, \u201cOh heavens!\u201d

Fear rose in his heart too, but he and his wife had lived through years of war in their earlier days.

Back then, among the common folk, nine out of ten homes had stood empty, and corpses lying by the roadside were everywhere. Compared to that, the current scene was still manageable, so he remained relatively calm. Afraid of worsening Xie Zheng\u2019s injuries, he did not move him recklessly and instead squatted down to check his pulse.

However, with only half of Xie Zheng\u2019s blood-covered face visible, it was hard to make out clearly. Zheng Wenchang suddenly said, \u201cTurn him over and let me take a look.\u201d

Carpenter Zhao did not know why this military officer would make such a request, but he did not dare disobey. Thinking these were men from the army, and that the leading officer, clad in armor with a saber at his waist, seemed to hold a rank even higher than the county magistrate, perhaps they could help Fan Changyu uncover who her enemies were.

He immediately began pouring out his grievances.

\u201cMilitary lord, you must help us seek justice! This girl has had such a hard fate. She only lost her parents last month, and after finally taking in a husband, now even her husband has been injured like this by those villains. If we can\u2019t find out where those scoundrels came from, how are they supposed to live from now on\u2026\u201d

The moment Zheng Wenchang heard that the man was a live-in husband, most of the suspicion in his heart vanished instantly.

With that person\u2019s temperament, let alone merely falling from power, even if the emperor himself threw him into the imperial prison and forced him to marry a princess and marry into her family, he would never agree to it.

Just then, a startled shout came from downstairs.

\u201cMy lord! There\u2019s still one survivor here!\u201d

Before Carpenter Zhao could turn Xie Zheng over, Zheng Wenchang already felt his earlier suspicions had been absurd. He no longer had any interest in inspecting the man closely. Remembering his general\u2019s instructions, he hurried downstairs, only ordering two personal guards to drag the corpses from the loft down as well.

Naturally, Fan Changyu had no idea how close things had just been. With soldiers watching downstairs, she was not worried about her younger sister or Aunt Zhao\u2019s safety. She simply asked Carpenter Zhao, \u201cUncle Zhao, how is he?\u201d

After checking the pulse, Carpenter Zhao began doubting himself.

He had not practiced veterinary medicine in over ten years. Could it be that his skills had grown rusty and he had misread the pulse?

The man before him was covered in blood and looked gravely injured, so why was his pulse not dangerous at all?

The wrinkles on his already furrowed forehead deepened further as he focused and checked the pulse again.

His grave expression frightened Fan Changyu badly. Thinking Xie Zheng was beyond saving, she slumped onto a low stool in despair.

\u201cI should\u2019ve written him the divorce papers long ago and let him recover somewhere else. Then he wouldn\u2019t have suffered through all this\u2026\u201d

Carpenter Zhao checked the pulse once more and found it still perfectly steady. He fell into deep self-doubt, and the expression on his old face became even more solemn as he prepared to inspect Xie Zheng\u2019s wounds.

At that exact moment, the man lying on the floor slowly woke up.

Fan Changyu\u2019s eyes had already turned slightly red. Seeing him awake, her emotions surged wildly, and she could not help but break into a wide smile.

\u201cYou\u2019re awake!\u201d

When Xie Zheng saw her reddened eyes and that incomparably relieved smile, he froze for a brief moment.

Had she nearly cried because she was afraid something would happen to him?

The strange feeling in his chest deepened.

He lowered his gaze and coughed weakly twice before softly saying through blood-stained lips, \u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d

Most of the blood on him actually belonged to the black-clothed men. Even the tears in his clothes had been deliberately cut by himself to fake the appearance of severe injuries. Only the shallowest layer of skin had been broken.

Although Zheng Wenchang was not under his command, the two had met several times before. If Zheng Wenchang recognized him, then tonight would end in one of two ways: either he would be taken back and handed over to Wei Yan, or he would have to kill Zheng Wenchang and all the soldiers under him before fleeing elsewhere.

Fortunately, he had managed to avoid detection for now, and neither of the worst possibilities had come to pass.

Though he insisted he was fine, Fan Changyu and Carpenter Zhao, both of whom had already seen him gravely injured twice before, remained extremely nervous. They helped him onto the bed and fetched medicine to dress his wounds.

After removing his outer robe, Fan Changyu noticed that the clothing underneath was not soaked with blood as before. In fact, it looked much cleaner than the outer robe itself.

Just as she was beginning to find it strange, Aunt Zhao called for her from downstairs, saying the officers wanted to take her statement.

The man lying on the bed had only had a thin layer of blood wiped from his face. Under the candlelight, the remaining bloodstains somehow looked strangely beautiful. He slightly opened his eyes to look at her, his voice unusually gentle.

\u201cGo ahead.\u201d

Fan Changyu thought it must be because he was too weak. Right now, the more she looked at him, the more pitiful and frail he seemed.

Before leaving, she still turned back worriedly to glance at him once more.

\u201cI\u2019ll be back very soon.\u201d

The dead black-clothed men had already been dragged together and laid side by side. Hearing the commotion and seeing the streets filled with soldiers, many townspeople came out wrapped in coats to watch the excitement.

After the soldiers counted the bodies, they found that the only survivor was the very same man Fan Changyu had knocked unconscious with a slap earlier.

The soldiers had already seen several of the black-clothed men bite poison capsules hidden behind their teeth to commit suicide, so they now had experience handling such things. Once they discovered this man was still breathing, they immediately removed the poison capsule from his mouth. He was now tightly bound and gagged with cloth stuffed into his mouth, making suicide impossible.

The personal guard beside the high-ranking officer asked Fan Changyu questions, and she answered honestly, all of them basic details about her household.

After the questioning, the officer said to her, \u201cWait for news for now. Once the interrogation yields results, the authorities will inform you.\u201d

After everything that had happened tonight, Fan Changyu had once again witnessed how ruthless those people were. Afraid they might return for revenge and implicate Aunt Zhao\u2019s family, she asked, \u201cMilitary lord, what if those people come back seeking revenge?\u201d

The officer seemed about to say something, but stopped himself midway. After frowning and thinking for a moment, he said, \u201cThis general will leave several soldiers nearby to secretly stand guard. Until the interrogation results are out, they will not withdraw.\u201d

Only then did Fan Changyu finally feel relieved, praising the officer extravagantly.

Before leaving, the officer glanced at her, his expression somewhat subtle.

After the soldiers departed, Fan Changyu first went to the well at the alley entrance to fetch water. She scrubbed all the blood from the courtyard and the loft clean, though a faint metallic scent of blood still lingered in the air.

She wanted to climb over the wall back to her own house to fetch some incense her mother used to make to mask the smell, but remembering the officer had said soldiers would be secretly watching nearby, she did not dare move recklessly.

The old Zhao couple had been so frightened that they could no longer sleep. They rekindled the fire pit in the main hall and sat there warming themselves with Changning, sighing from time to time.

Changning was still too young to understand what the adults were worrying about. Once the danger had passed, she happily went back to looking at the gyrfalcon locked inside the chicken coop.

At this point, the coop had practically become the bird\u2019s nest.

Fan Changyu asked her younger sister, \u201cNingniang, are you still sleepy?\u201d

Changning shook her head and pointed at the cage holding the gyrfalcon.

\u201cBig Sister, Falcon is very well-behaved. Can we stop locking Falcon up in the future?\u201d

The last time she and her brother-in-law were home, she had playfully opened the chicken coop door. Later, when the villains charged into the house, the great falcon had killed one of the bad men.

In her little mind, she thought that if the falcon had not been locked up tonight, it might have been able to injure the bad men again.

In truth, Fan Changyu had not been the one who locked it up. Aunt Zhao explained, \u201cA piece of the meat hanging above the fire pit got pecked off last night. I was afraid the big falcon would steal more meat, so before sleeping, I casually shut it inside.\u201d

Fan Changyu said, \u201cWe\u2019ll have Yan Zheng teach it better later.\u201d

Mentioning Yan Zheng naturally made her think of his injuries again, and she asked Carpenter Zhao, \u201cUncle Zhao, how are the wounds on his body?\u201d

Carpenter Zhao wanted to say they only seemed to be superficial injuries this time, but he feared he might have misdiagnosed him and delayed treatment.

\u201cYou know this old man used to treat pigs, cows, sheep, and horses. Treating humans depends partly on luck. From what I can tell, it doesn\u2019t seem too dangerous, but to be safe, tomorrow we should still invite a physician from the clinic to examine him.\u201d

Fan Changyu agreed.

When she returned upstairs to check on Xie Zheng, she saw that the blood on his face had already been wiped clean, and he was lying on the bed resting with his eyes closed.

Perhaps hearing her footsteps, he opened his eyes as soon as she entered and asked, \u201cHow did it go?\u201d

Fan Changyu said, \u201cI think these soldiers are much more reliable than the county magistrate. I heard the magistrate submitted a report to the prefecture, and when the prefectural officials learned that bandit troubles here had become rampant, they sent troops to suppress them. It just so happened they ran into everything tonight.\u201d

Speaking of this, Fan Changyu seemed somewhat happy.

\u201cBandits have plagued Jizhou for many years. Looks like the authorities really are planning to clean out those strongholds this time. That military lord said they\u2019ll thoroughly investigate both assassination attempts, and they\u2019ve even sent soldiers to secretly protect us. You should focus on recovering these next few days and not rush to leave.\u201d

Xie Zheng\u2019s expression became rather unpleasant.

\u201cSecretly protect us?\u201d

Fan Changyu nodded. \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d

Xie Zheng nearly failed to catch his breath.

He had finally managed to deceive them for the time being, and now the people from Jizhou Prefecture were directly watching him right under his nose?

Still, even he could not guess the reason behind Jizhou Prefecture\u2019s sudden actions.

Forget it. Sometimes the most dangerous place was also the safest place.

He said, \u201cBring that falcon upstairs for the next few days. Don\u2019t let it outside. That thing is wild by nature. If it isn\u2019t properly trained, it could easily hurt someone.\u201d

Fan Changyu replied, \u201cNo wonder. Auntie was just saying the falcon stole some of the meat hanging above the fire pit last night!\u201d

Xie Zheng: \u201c…\u201d

Fan Changyu had already stood up.

\u201cI\u2019ll go bring it upstairs right now!\u201d

Only then did Xie Zheng lightly respond with a simple, \u201cAlright.\u201d

By daybreak, Zheng Wenchang had already ridden swiftly back to Jizhou Prefecture.

Carrying the confessions extracted from the black-clothed men after interrogation, he strode quickly through the winding corridor. In the courtyard planted full of snow cedars, the armored guards recognized him at once and immediately let him pass.

Zheng Wenchang entered the study and stopped below the desk. Whether from excitement or from having hurried over too quickly, his breathing was slightly uneven as he spoke.

\u201cMy lord, following your orders, this subordinate brought men early to wait in Lin\u2019an Town. We indeed captured those responsible for the multiple murders in Qingping County last night. It\u2019s just\u2026\u201d

The hand with which he presented the confession trembled faintly.

\u201cMy lord, please review the confession.\u201d

The man seated behind the desk had graying hair and beard. He seemed to have long known the identities of those black-clothed men and replied calmly, \u201cWenchang, you merely went to capture a group of bandits and thieves. What is there to fear?\u201d

Zheng Wenchang lowered his head. \u201cThis subordinate is ashamed.\u201d

\u201cEnough. Leave the confession there.\u201d He Jingyuan set down his brush and lifted his gaze. Though he was a military commander, he possessed the refined and scholarly appearance of a civil official. Understanding the concerns of his trusted subordinate, he said, \u201cJust pretend you never saw the contents of that confession. You may leave.\u201d

Zheng Wenchang clasped his fists respectfully. \u201cThis subordinate obeys.\u201d

He had just turned around when another question came from behind him.

\u201cIn that household\u2026 was anyone injured?\u201d

Zheng Wenchang thought for a moment before answering, \u201cThat woman took a husband into her family. Her husband was injured by those men.\u201d

He Jingyuan merely nodded.

Gathering his courage, Zheng Wenchang cautiously asked, \u201cDoes that family have some connection to you, my lord?\u201d

\u201cWenchang, what did this old man teach you about being an official?\u201d

With just that single sentence, cold sweat immediately broke out on Zheng Wenchang\u2019s back.

\u201cThis subordinate spoke out of turn.\u201d

\u201cYou may leave.\u201d He Jingyuan picked up a memorial beside the desk and began reading it, seeming entirely unconcerned with what the confession contained.

Only after Zheng Wenchang withdrew from the study did the old man\u2019s aged eyes finally turn toward the confession. After hesitating for a while, he ultimately opened it.

When he finished reading, he let out a long sigh.

He rose and opened a hidden compartment within the bookshelf, taking out an ornate brocade box. Yet he did not open it. Instead, as though speaking to someone long absent, he murmured:

\u201cWhen you entrusted this item to me back then, you must already have foreseen this day\u2026 You wanted me to watch over those two children for you, didn\u2019t you\u2026\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-3534","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3534"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3534\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3535,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3534\/revisions\/3535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}