{"id":3781,"date":"2026-06-04T02:31:59","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T02:31:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/pursuit-of-jade-63\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T02:32:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T02:32:04","slug":"pursuit-of-jade-63","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/chapter\/pursuit-of-jade-63\/","title":{"rendered":"Pursuit of Jade 63"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 63

When Fan Changyu heard the commotion and looked back, her scalp nearly exploded from fright.

Unfortunately, her clothes caught on a protruding branch growing from the steep slope.

She yanked hard, finally tearing the fabric free, but the sudden force made her body lurch. The deerskin wrist guards tucked inside her clothes slipped out and rolled downhill before finally being stopped by a snow-covered branch.

The moment the wrist guards fell, her heart tightened inexplicably.

They were Yan Zheng’s gift to her on her sixteenth birthday.

Without a second thought, she rushed after them.

But beneath the snow and fallen pine needles was a hidden sinkhole.

The moment she stepped there, the ground vanished beneath her feet and she plunged downward.

Her left arm was injured, and her right hand was clutching the recovered wrist guards.

She had almost no way to grab onto anything.

Fortunately, her collar suddenly tightened.

Like a large cat, she was caught by the back of her clothing and hauled to a stop.

Dead branches and loose stones tumbled into the hole.

No sound echoed back for a long time.

The darkness below was pitch black.

There was no telling how deep it was.

Fear lingered in Fan Changyu’s heart.

She twisted around to look at the one-eyed man who had caught her.

He had a tall, upright build, but a vicious scar stretched from his left eye across the bridge of his nose and over the right side of his face.

Just looking at it was unsettling.

She pressed her lips together and glared at him.

Like a leopard that had nearly escaped only to be caught again, her eyes were full of unwillingness.

The man held her effortlessly with one hand.

His presence was cold and oppressive.

When he noticed that she still clutched the deerskin wrist guards tightly in one hand, his gaze paused.

Then he mocked coldly,

\u201cYou nearly threw your life away for something like that?\u201d

His voice was deliberately lowered, hoarse and rough, as though his throat had once been injured.

Fan Changyu thought irritably that she had no way of knowing there was a sinkhole hidden beneath the snow.

Aloud she only snapped,

\u201cNone of your business!\u201d

She only had the use of her right hand.

Not caring that she was still dangling from his grip, she stuffed the wrist guards back into her clothing, hoping to free her hand.

The man noticed.

Something shifted in his eyes.

Suddenly he asked,

\u201cIs it really that important to you?\u201d

Fan Changyu thought the fellow was surprisingly nosy.

Her right hand was now free.

\u201cOf course.\u201d

The moment the words left her mouth, she acted.

Using the conversation to distract him, she reached behind her neck, grabbed the hand holding her collar, and used the leverage to swing herself around.

Planting her feet against the side of the sinkhole, she tried to climb up.

Being in control was far safer than having her life hanging in someone else’s hands.

But the moment he realized her intentions, he deliberately fell backward.

The force dragged Fan Changyu with him.

She crashed onto his body.

The hard armor he wore nearly knocked the breath out of her.

Before she could climb away, he rolled over and pinned her to the ground.

Being completely subdued like this made every hair on her body stand on end.

Furious, she shouted,

\u201cGet off me!\u201d

One of his hands pinned her right wrist.

The other carefully avoided her injured left arm and pressed down on her shoulder.

Supporting himself on one elbow, he looked down at her.

Their faces were less than a foot apart.

Fan Changyu glared back furiously.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly from anger and exertion.

The wrist guards she had stuffed into her clothing created an even more obvious curve beneath her clothes.

In another situation, the sight might have been alluring.

But the man restraining her seemed entirely uninterested.

He stared at her.

His one uncovered eye was astonishingly beautiful.

Its black pupil was so dark it seemed bottomless.

Instinctively dangerous.

\u201cWho is that pretty-boy scholar down the mountain to you?\u201d

Fan Changyu was so angry she refused to answer.

She struggled harder.

That only caused him to tighten his hold.

Turning her head, she suddenly noticed something.

The hand pinning her wrist bore a fresh ring of bite marks on the index finger.

The conversation she had overheard outside the old woman’s house resurfaced in her mind.

Could this be the Master they had been talking about?

Not the scoundrel she had stabbed full of holes?

So this man had actually been the one who saved her?

The force of her struggle weakened.

Unable to stop herself, she examined him more closely.

That dark eye seemed strangely familiar.

\u201cWho are you?\u201d she demanded.

The man answered hoarsely,

\u201cAnswer my question first.\u201d

Calculating how long it would take the soldiers to arrive, Fan Changyu turned her head away.

\u201cI don’t know him.\u201d

The man snorted.

\u201cYou don’t know him, yet you risked your life protecting him on the river?\u201d

Fan Changyu found him increasingly strange.

\u201cThe bandits were chasing me. I happened to encounter his carriage, and he kindly gave me a ride.\u201d

\u201cLater the bandits caught up, so I took him with me when I escaped.\u201d

The grip restraining her loosened slightly.

His gaze drifted to the wrist guards peeking from her collar.

Casually, he asked,

\u201cIf they’re so precious, who gave them to you?\u201d

Fan Changyu hated the fact that she was injured, starving, and too weak to break free.

Otherwise, how could she possibly be held down by this bastard?

While desperately hoping the soldiers would arrive soon, she answered coldly,

\u201cSomeone very important.\u201d

Thinking of Yan Zheng made her chest ache unexpectedly.

The man seemed to freeze for a moment after hearing that answer.

Seeing the faint redness in her eyes, he asked,

\u201cHow important?\u201d

Fan Changyu finally snapped,

\u201cWhat does that have to do with you?\u201d

A tremor shook the pine tree above them.

Large masses of snow suddenly crashed down.

Xie Zheng immediately rolled aside with her in his arms.

One arm tightened around her back.

It almost felt as though he deliberately hugged her.

Fan Changyu would never waste such a perfect opportunity.

She slammed her forehead into his jaw.

As he instinctively raised a hand to cover the impact, she sprang up and kicked at him.

Xie Zheng dodged swiftly.

Her vicious kick landed on a pine tree as thick as a bowl.

The accumulated snow above collapsed like an avalanche.

Fan Changyu knew she had lost her chance to attack again.

She refused to linger.

Using the falling snow as cover, she turned and sprinted downhill toward the road.

After several exchanges, she had already realized how skilled he was.

In her current condition\u2014injured and exhausted\u2014charging him head-on would only result in humiliation.

She still needed to return to Changning.

She could not afford to throw her life away out of stubborn pride.

Xie Zheng sat up from the snow.

One hand covered the jaw she had struck.

The falling snow had buried him completely.

The impact had caused his teeth to cut the inside of his mouth.

A trace of blood stained his lips.

He watched Fan Changyu flee.

Then he listened to the approaching thunder of hooves.

In the end, he did not pursue her.

The war in Jinzhou was reaching a critical stage.

If Li Huai’an recognized him here in Jizhou while he was supposed to be commanding elsewhere, it would hand the Li faction a perfect weapon against him.

Though he and Wei Yan had become enemies, he had once carried out countless tasks for Wei Yan.

The Li faction had no intention of winning him over.

They only wanted to see him and Wei Yan destroy each other.

Besides…

Knowing that she did not utterly despise him was enough.

At the very least, she still treasured the gift he had given her.

She had called him someone very important.

A worried guard finally rode up.

Following the marks where they had slid down the mountainside, he found Xie Zheng sitting alone beneath a snow-covered pine tree.

The lonely figure resembled a solitary wolf.

After a moment’s hesitation, the guard spoke.

\u201cMy Lord, the soldiers from Jizhou Prefecture are almost here.\u201d

\u201cWe should leave.\u201d

Xie Zheng answered softly,

\u201cMm.\u201d

Returning to the road, he mounted his horse.

Before leaving, he cast one final glance toward the winding mountain road hidden beyond the forest.

Then he spurred his horse and rode away.

\u2014

Fan Changyu sprinted all the way to the mountain road.

At last she met the soldiers who had been climbing upward from the foot of the mountain.

Seeing the Jizhou banners fluttering in the wind and the large force accompanying them, she finally relaxed.

Li Huai’an and several soldiers hurried forward.

\u201cMiss, are you alright?\u201d

Panting heavily, Fan Changyu nodded.

Pointing toward the slope behind her, she said,

\u201cA group of men dressed as soldiers claimed to be merchants lodging with a blind old woman. Their identities are highly suspicious. They may be bandits in disguise. Please hurry and pursue them before they escape.\u201d

The commanding officer was Zheng Wenchang.

He immediately dispatched a large force to investigate, leaving only a small group behind to protect Li Huai’an.

Seeing how heavily she was breathing, Li Huai’an retrieved a waterskin from his horse and handed it over.

\u201cMiss, have some water.\u201d

As though worried she might hesitate, he added,

\u201cThis is a spare waterskin. No one has drunk from it.\u201d

Fan Changyu accepted it with thanks.

After several long gulps, she finally recovered.

Li Huai’an then bowed respectfully.

\u201cMy name is Li Huai’an.\u201d

\u201cThank you for saving my life yesterday, Miss.\u201d

Fan Changyu replied,

\u201cYou were the one who kindly gave me a ride first.\u201d

Li Huai’an shook his head.

\u201cA favor of transportation cannot compare to a life-saving debt.\u201d

\u201cMay I ask your name? I’d like the opportunity to repay your kindness someday.\u201d

Fan Changyu had no choice but to answer.

\u201cFan Changyu of Lin’an.\u201d

A trace of surprise appeared in Li Huai’an’s gentle eyes.

\u201cThe entire county seat of Qingping County was massacred. Lin’an Town beside it suffered the same fate, with only a few elderly people, women, and children surviving.\u201d

\u201cThe woman who lured away the bandits and saved those survivors… was you?\u201d

Fan Changyu had been worried about Changning and the others.

The moment she learned that the neighbors hiding in the well had survived, joy immediately flooded her face.

\u201cIt was me.\u201d

\u201cHow did you know?\u201d

Li Huai’an smiled.

\u201cI’m ashamed to say it.\u201d

\u201cWith rebels running rampant, Governor He Jingyuan personally went to Lu City to oversee the defenses.\u201d

\u201cI was ordered by the court to temporarily assume his duties in Jizhou.\u201d

\u201cUnfortunately, I encountered bandits immediately upon entering the region yesterday.\u201d

\u201cAfter being rescued thanks to your protection, I heard about what happened in Qingping County.\u201d

Only then did Fan Changyu fully understand.

This man was an official.

And a high-ranking one at that.

No wonder he was accompanied by Jizhou soldiers.

Her tone immediately became more reserved.

\u201cMay I ask, Lord Li, is my younger sister safe?\u201d

Although her form of address had suddenly become distant, Li Huai’an’s gentle expression remained unchanged.

\u201cShe and the other survivors are currently staying at the Jizhou relay station.\u201d

\u201cThey are safe.\u201d

After answering, he smiled warmly.

\u201cMiss Fan needn’t be so formal. We’re not in court. There’s no need to call me Lord Li.\u201d

Fan Changyu nodded.

Yet every time she spoke afterward, she still addressed him as “Lord Li.”

Li Huai’an laughed helplessly and eventually gave up trying to correct her.

After resting for a while, Zheng Wenchang returned half an hour later.

He had found numerous footprints but no sign of the suspicious men.

However, he had located the old woman hidden near the pine forest.

After questioning her, her account matched Fan Changyu’s exactly.

To protect Fan Changyu’s reputation, the old woman never mentioned that one of those men had claimed to be her husband and slept in the same room.

Though the bandits had escaped, at least Fan Changyu had been found.

Zheng Wenchang left part of his force behind to continue searching the mountains while escorting Li Huai’an back to Jizhou City.

It was during the journey that Fan Changyu learned what had happened afterward.

When the bandits attacked Qingping County, the county magistrate had made no attempt to organize resistance.

Instead, he had immediately fled with his entire family.

After Song Yan left for the capital to take the examinations, Madam Song had moved into the magistrate’s residence, claiming her own home was too lonely.

When the bandits entered the city, she escaped alongside the magistrate’s family.

Unfortunately, the bandits pursued them for more than ten miles.

Madam Song ultimately died beneath their blades.

The most tragic fate belonged to Constable Wang and his wife.

Constable Wang had gathered his deputies, hoping to block the bandits outside the city gates just as he once blocked the rioters.

But the bandits struck first and broke through.

Outnumbered and overwhelmed, Constable Wang and his wife died defending the city gate.

Hearing all this weighed heavily on Fan Changyu’s heart.

When they finally reached Jizhou City, she rushed to the relay station to find Changning.

Instead, she learned that someone had set fire to the station and abducted Changning during the chaos.

\u2014

Across a vast wilderness, six or seven riders emerged from a rugged mountain trail.

A stream gurgled nearby.

The group dismounted to rest while their exhausted horses drank.

When a handsome but sinister-looking young man lifted a little girl from his horse, she was still quietly sobbing.

Sui Yuanqing had never imagined a child could cry so much.

She had not stopped the entire journey.

Children’s spines were fragile.

He did not dare simply knock her unconscious.

If he accidentally crippled or killed her, all the effort spent obtaining her would be wasted.

Looking down at the kitten-like child dangling in his grasp, he threatened impatiently,

\u201cIf you keep crying, I’ll throw you into the river.\u201d

Changning was immediately frightened.

Her mouth quivered.

The soft sobs instantly turned into loud wailing.

Sui Yuanqing’s face darkened.

One of the guards happened to bring over a flask of clean water.

Sui Yuanqing tossed the child into his arms.

\u201cUse whatever method you want.\u201d

\u201cJust make her stop crying.\u201d

The constant noise aggravated both his wounds and his temper.

If the child were not useful, he would have snapped her neck long ago.

The guard looked miserable.

Killing people was easy.

Comforting children was not.

Still, Sui Yuanqing had given an order.

He forced an awkward smile onto his face and tried to soothe Changning.

The strange expression only made her cry harder.

Soon she was gasping so severely she could barely breathe.

The guard finally realized something was wrong.

\u201cMy Lord, I think the child suffers from asthma.\u201d

Sui Yuanqing glanced at the girl, who looked as though she might suffocate at any moment.

His expression became even uglier.

He had sacrificed one of the Prince’s last strongholds in Jizhou to seize this child.

If she died halfway, he would gain nothing except Xie Zheng’s hatred.

\u201cSee whether she has any medicine on her.\u201d

One of his half-sisters suffered from the same condition.

She constantly carried medication.

The guard searched her thoroughly.

Cold sweat covered his forehead.

\u201cNothing… there’s nothing.\u201d

\u201cPut her down.\u201d

After Changning was laid flat on the ground, her breathing gradually stabilized.

Learning about her illness, Sui Yuanqing stopped deliberately frightening her.

He took the waterskin and held it out.

\u201cThirsty?\u201d

Changning was obviously terrified of him.

She nodded, then shook her head.

Her face was covered with tears.

She looked pitiful.

Sui Yuanqing simply hauled her upright and pressed the waterskin to her lips.

\u201cDrink.\u201d

Still frightened, she obeyed.

Taking tiny sips, she drank several mouthfuls.

The dryness and pain in her throat eased somewhat.

After sealing the waterskin, Sui Yuanqing stood and walked toward the horses.

\u201cWe continue.\u201d

\u201cJust make sure she doesn’t die on the road.\u201d

As a guard lifted her onto a horse, Changning silently wiped away tears.

Though young, she was clever.

Over the journey she had pieced together enough to understand.

These bad people had mistaken her for someone else’s daughter.

If she revealed the truth now, they would probably kill her.

Then she would never see her sister again.

Thinking of Fan Changyu brought fresh tears to her eyes.

She pulled out the bamboo whistle hanging around her neck and began blowing it softly between sniffles.

\u2014

Three days later.

Lu City.

Gongsun Yin received a letter from Yanzhou.

After reading it, the folding fan in his hand fell to the floor.

He muttered in disbelief,

\u201cSince when did Xie Jiuheng have a daughter?\u201d

Then he remembered how Xie Zheng had somehow acquired a sweetheart without anyone knowing.

Perhaps a daughter was not impossible either.

Wearing a thoroughly strange expression, he carried the letter to find Xie Zheng.

Upon entering the tent, he discovered it was empty.

He sat down on a cushion and waited.

While waiting, he noticed something unprecedented.

A small plate of dried tangerine peel candy sat on the table.

He was astonished.

Since when had Xie Zheng’s guards become so careless?

The man hated sweets.

Placing candy here was practically begging for punishment.

Having nothing better to do, Gongsun Yin tried one.

The sweet-and-sour flavor was unexpectedly pleasant.

After eating three pieces, he decided to perform a good deed.

He emptied the entire plate into his sleeve pocket.

That way, the unfortunate guard responsible would avoid punishment when Xie Zheng returned.

A short while later, Xie Zheng entered through the snow wearing full armor.

Seeing Gongsun Yin, he merely asked,

\u201cWhat brings you here?\u201d

Gongsun Yin’s gaze swept over him several times.

\u201cI naturally came because I have business.\u201d

Ignoring the probing look, Xie Zheng removed his cloak and handed it to a guard.

As he sat down, he noticed that the plate of dried tangerine peel candy was completely empty.

His expression darkened instantly.

Looking directly at Gongsun Yin, he asked,

\u201cYou ate them?\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-3781","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3781","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=3781"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3782,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3781\/revisions\/3782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}