{"id":3943,"date":"2026-06-11T05:28:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T05:28:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/pursuit-of-jade-108\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T05:28:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T05:28:53","slug":"pursuit-of-jade-108","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/chapter\/pursuit-of-jade-108\/","title":{"rendered":"Pursuit of Jade 108"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 108

By the time Fan Changyu returned, news of her promotion to Xiaoqi Commandant had already spread throughout the camp.

Everyone who saw her greeted her with the same words:

“Congratulations, Commandant Fan!”

Whether the faces were familiar or unfamiliar, Fan Changyu merely nodded in acknowledgment.

Although she had mentally prepared herself long ago, when the day truly arrived, she still found it difficult to adjust.

With her promotion came a new tent.

The number of people coming to congratulate her far exceeded the hundred-man commanders who had visited before. Most of the visitors now held official ranks themselves, ranging from commandants to generals.

Fan Changyu dared not neglect them.

However, the smooth sophistication required for navigating social relationships was not something one could master overnight. She simply could not handle it with ease.

Fortunately, the war was not yet over, and private banquets were prohibited within the army, sparing her from the need to host feasts for all these people.

Faced with endless congratulations, she copied the mannerisms of successful generals she had once heard described by storytellers.

Clasping her fists, she returned each congratulation with:

“The same to you.”

Only now did she discover that there were plenty of flatterers in the military as well.

Several unfamiliar officers practically praised her as a military star descended from the heavens.

“Back when the dam was being built in Jizhou, I already heard of Commandant Fan’s name. Even as a commoner, she cared about the fate of the realm! She killed three enemy scouts on a rainy night, allowing the plan to lure the rebels into the river valley and flood them to succeed!”

“The battle at First-Line Gorge was magnificent too! Armed with nothing but two butcher knives, she actually cut off Shi Hu’s head! And this time she performed another extraordinary feat\u2014saving Lord He and killing Prince Changxin!”

The others marveled in admiration.

“Heroes truly can come from anywhere. The old saying is absolutely true!”

Fan Changyu merely replied modestly,

“You flatter me. I only managed to kill Prince Changxin because I was fortunate.”

Immediately, another officer interrupted.

“Commandant Fan, don’t be so modest. Even luck isn’t something everyone possesses!”

As the crowd continued agreeing, an officer with small mustaches at both the corners of his mouth and beneath his chin suddenly sighed in regret.

“Logically speaking, killing Prince Changxin should have been the greatest merit of the entire campaign. After the vanguard army was scattered, it was also Commandant Fan who led the Right Wing Army deep into the heart of the rebel formation. So why did the court only grant her a fifth-rank position and a reward of merely three hundred taels of gold?”

Fan Changyu froze slightly.

Only then did she learn that the rank of Xiaoqi Commandant was a fifth-rank position.

She recalled what Xie Zheng had once told her while disguised as Xie Wu:

That killing Prince Changxin should earn a reward of at least one thousand taels of gold.

Yet she had received only three hundred.

Since the reward was written directly into the imperial decree, no official would dare embezzle it.

That could only mean the Emperor himself had decided she was worth only that amount.

For a moment, Fan Changyu could not understand the reason.

More importantly, this officer’s words carried the implication that Tang Peiyi had stolen her military merits.

With so many people present\u2014many of them strangers\u2014such words spreading outside would only bring trouble to her reputation.

Remembering He Jingyuan’s warning, Fan Changyu immediately became vigilant.

She said at once,

“The strategies and troop deployments used in the Chongzhou campaign were all the result of Lord He and General Tang’s efforts. Their contributions are the truly extraordinary ones.

“As for me, I was merely a small company leader. To be promoted five ranks at once is already a manifestation of His Majesty’s immense grace.

“Moreover, my military experience is still shallow. Even holding the position of Commandant leaves me feeling uneasy. In the future, I will need everyone’s support and guidance.”

An officer responsible for fifty men technically held the title of Company Leader.

Since there were primary and deputy company leaders, soldiers usually referred to them as Company Chief and Deputy Company Chief instead.

Fan Changyu’s response was flawless.

In truth, everyone in the tent had broken into a cold sweat the moment that officer made his ambiguous remark.

They had only come to congratulate her because they would now be serving under her command.

If those words reached Tang Peiyi’s ears and caused dissatisfaction, then what future would remain for subordinates whose immediate superior lacked the commander’s favor?

Thus, after hearing Fan Changyu’s humble words that simultaneously praised both He Jingyuan and Tang Peiyi, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

They quickly chimed in:

“Commandant Fan is absolutely right! Both generals deserve tremendous credit, but your achievements fully justify your position as well!”

The matter was smoothly put to rest.

Just as Fan Changyu was preparing to see everyone out, another unexpected guest arrived.

“What a lively gathering Commandant Fan has here.”

The warm voice, gentle as a spring breeze, was instantly recognizable.

Turning around, Fan Changyu saw a young attendant lift the tent flap.

A man dressed in a sky-blue scholar’s robe entered with a smile.

It was Li Huai’an.

The military officers inside immediately grew more reserved.

Fan Changyu thought to herself that he couldn’t possibly have come to congratulate her as well, could he?

Outwardly, however, she remained polite.

“Lord Li.”

Li Huai’an’s elegant brows rose slightly.

His eyebrows were naturally light-colored, and their softly curved shape gave him a gentle, harmless appearance.

An action that might have seemed flirtatious on someone else looked perfectly refined on him.

Smiling faintly, he said,

“Commandant Fan is still treating Huai’an as an outsider.”

He took a brocade box from the attendant behind him.

“Upon hearing that Commandant Fan received an imperial reward, I prepared a small gift.”

Standing guard by the entrance like a door god, Xie Wu’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

If looks could kill, he would have burned two holes straight through the back of Li Huai’an’s head.

Although the Marquis and the Commandant had separated for now, Gongsun Yin had already sent Xie Thirteen to Chongzhou to gather information.

After returning, the Marquis had immediately vented his frustrations on the rebels of Kang City.

Clearly, he had not forgotten Fan Changyu.

And as for the Commandant?

Xie Wu had caught her staring blankly at that black iron mo dao on several occasions.

So why was Li Huai’an suddenly here, showing concern?

Trying to take advantage of the situation?

Xie Wu’s heart bounced anxiously as he stared at Fan Changyu.

He prayed she wouldn’t accept the gift.

Fan Changyu frowned.

“Lord Li, I appreciate your kindness, but private exchanges are prohibited within the military. I absolutely cannot accept this gift.”

The hundred-man commanders who had visited her before came under the pretense of checking on her health.

The gifts they brought were simple pastries and wine, nothing valuable enough to count as bribery.

Likewise, today’s officers had not been foolish enough to openly present gifts within the camp.

Thus, refusing Li Huai’an was not difficult.

Li Huai’an smiled.

“Commandant Fan misunderstands. The box contains nothing more than a few military texts that I annotated during my spare time.”

As he spoke, he opened the brocade box.

Inside were indeed only several somewhat worn military books.

Nothing else.

His fingers lightly tapped the bottom of the box in a subtle gesture, while his smile never changed.

“My humble gift truly is humble. Please don’t laugh at me for it, and I hope Commandant Fan won’t dislike it.”

Now that he had put it that way, and with the contents being merely books, Fan Changyu found it difficult to continue refusing.

Moreover, his subtle gesture seemed to suggest she should accept the box first.

After thinking for a moment, she concluded that if his goal had simply been gift-giving, there was no reason to choose a moment when so many officers were present.

Her gaze briefly swept over the mustached officer who had earlier attempted to drive a wedge between her and Tang Peiyi.

Recalling He Jingyuan’s assurance that Grand Tutor Li’s faction would not harm her for the time being, she hesitated before finally accepting the box.

“Then I shall gratefully accept it.”

Li Huai’an visibly relaxed.

Smiling, he said,

“My knowledge of military strategy is quite limited. I only hope these annotated texts might be of some help to Commandant Fan.”

Fan Changyu could only respond politely.

“Lord Li is far too modest.”

After finally sending away all the well-wishers, Fan Changyu collapsed into a chair.

Her head throbbed painfully.

Whoever said soldiers were all simple rough men clearly knew nothing.

The men who had clawed their way from ordinary foot soldiers to officer positions were not fools.

The officer who had deliberately tried to provoke conflict between her and Tang Peiyi was someone she would certainly need to watch in the future.

Visible enemies were easy to deal with.

The truly dangerous ones were hidden.

As for Li Huai’an’s actions, they were equally puzzling.

After everyone left, Fan Changyu carefully examined the brocade box.

There were no hidden compartments.

No secret messages tucked between the pages.

Even the notes written in the margins were exactly what they appeared to be\u2014ordinary annotations.

She found no clues whatsoever.

Sighing, she asked Xie Wu,

“Xiao Wu, what do you think Li Huai’an meant by hinting that I should accept these books?”

Since she was asking about serious matters, Xie Wu forced himself to suppress his personal bias and analyze the situation objectively.

“Now that control of the Jizhou Army is changing hands, the officers below may still respect General He, but once he steps down, they’ll need to secure positions under the new leadership.

“It’s the same as those hundred-man commanders who came to show goodwill toward you before. Accepting their goodwill was effectively choosing sides and building alliances.”

He paused and glanced at her before continuing.

“Li Huai’an… was probably trying to recruit you as well.”

Fan Changyu immediately understood.

“By accepting these books, I’m now considered aligned with the Li family?”

Xie Wu nodded.

“But the fact that he deliberately presented the gift in public means he wanted certain people to know about it.”

Fan Changyu thought it over carefully.

The only person trying to kill her was Wei Yan.

Whether or not she accepted protection from Grand Tutor Li’s faction, Wei Yan would never stop.

So who was Li Huai’an trying to influence?

The answer seemed obvious.

The imperial eunuch who had arrived with the decree that very day.

But the eunuch served the Emperor.

Could it be that the Emperor intended to harm her?

Yet why would the Emperor target her?

He Jingyuan had not yet undergone formal investigation, meaning her true identity had not been revealed to the entire court.

Even if the Emperor held resentment because of her grandfather, why promote her at all?

Though admittedly, her promotion did seem somewhat suppressed.

The more she thought about it, the less sense it made.

Frustrated, she raked a hand through her hair.

In the past, Grand Tutor Tao had always guided her in analyzing complicated situations.

Now there was no news of him whatsoever.

Soon, He Jingyuan would be sent back to Jizhou.

Whatever happened in the future, she would have to figure things out on her own.

Her gaze unconsciously drifted toward the three hundred taels of gold resting on a red silk-covered tray.

Each gold ingot weighed ten taels.

There were thirty ingots in total, gleaming brilliantly.

After thinking for a moment, she instructed Xie Wu:

“Take thirteen ingots and send them, together with the official compensation payments, to the families of the thirteen soldiers who died.

“Take another two ingots and buy supplements for the severely wounded soldiers.

“And help me find several capable advisors. Pay them whatever you think is appropriate.”

Xie Wu nodded.

“Since you’re now a fifth-rank official, it is indeed appropriate to keep a few advisors around.

“However… isn’t that a bit too much for the fallen soldiers’ families?”

Ten taels of gold was equivalent to roughly one hundred taels of silver.

Adding the court’s compensation payment of five taels meant each family would receive one hundred and five taels.

Fan Changyu simply replied,

“I promised the soldiers.”

The hundred-man commanders led by Commander Guo might become useful subordinates in the future.

But they could never become her personal guards.

The number of truly loyal people around her was still far too small.

She intended to select two soldiers from among the men she had personally led and make them her personal guards.

Xie Wu froze upon hearing her answer.

In the end, he said nothing more.

Just as he was about to leave, Fan Changyu called after him.

“Take these military books and let the soldiers read them as well.”

Xie Wu stared blankly.

Fan Changyu said,

“The more military strategy they study, the better.”

Once he confirmed that she truly wanted him to dispose of the books, Xie Wu nearly exploded with joy.

His grin stretched almost to his ears.

Afraid she might notice, he hurriedly suppressed it, picked up the brocade box, and said,

“Understood! I’ll take them right away!”

After Xie Wu left, Fan Changyu stared at the mo dao resting on the weapon rack for a long while.

Then she took out the military texts Xie Zheng had once annotated for her and slowly began reading.

Reading made people wiser.

She needed to read more.

Whether Li Huai’an’s gift was intentional or mere coincidence, too many things about him felt suspicious.

From their first meeting on the mountain road…

To his assistance in investigating the records surrounding her parents’ deaths…

To uncovering the problems with her identity…

To tracing everything back to He Jingyuan’s forged documents…

The entire sequence of events was simply too much of a coincidence.


—

The Imperial Palace.

Between jade halls and magnificent towers, a stunning woman dressed in a crimson palace gown strode forward rapidly.

Sixteen palace maids wearing twin-bun hairstyles hurried after her with lowered heads.

The elderly eunuch guarding the Imperial Study saw her approaching from afar.

His deeply wrinkled face immediately formed a strained smile as he hurried forward.

“What wind has brought Her Highness the Grand Princess here today\u2014”

The beautiful woman’s face was icy.

With a sweep of her sleeve, she shoved the eunuch aside.

“Out of my way!”

The old eunuch fell to the ground with a cry.

Knowing he could not stop her yet fearing the Emperor’s anger, he desperately grabbed her leg.

“Your Highness! You cannot go in! His Majesty is fatigued and has just retired\u2014”

Before he could finish, the Grand Princess pushed open the doors of the Imperial Study.

A rich scent of dragon’s saliva incense drifted out.

Disgust flashed across her exquisitely made-up face.

The old eunuch immediately knelt outside the doorway.

“Your Majesty, please forgive this servant! I failed to stop Her Highness\u2014”

“Enough. Withdraw.”

A young man’s voice came from within.

As though granted a pardon, the eunuch hurriedly retreated and closed the doors behind him.

The Grand Princess showed no fear whatsoever as she stared at the man in imperial yellow seated behind the dragon desk, one hand pressed against his brow in apparent exhaustion.

Her voice was cold.

“You arranged a marriage between me and the Marquis of Wuan?”

The Emperor looked at the dazzling beauty below the jade steps.

When he smiled, he appeared as harmless as a young boy.

Yet his eyes resembled a venomous snake lurking in the shadows.

“I found my imperial sister a peerless hero for a husband. Are you unhappy?”

The Grand Princess snapped,

“When the Marquis of Wuan fell on hard times, he met a common woman and pledged himself to her. Are you asking me to become the villain who tears apart lovers?”

The Emperor replied,

“You worry too much, Imperial Sister. She’s merely a vulgar commoner.

“How could she compare to the jewel of Great Yin\u2014my imperial sister?

“The Marquis has already severed all ties with her.”

The Grand Princess frowned.

“Impossible. The Marquis even persuaded the retired Grand Tutor Tao to accept her as his adopted daughter so that he could marry her as his legal wife.

“How could he simply abandon her?”

The Emperor smiled.

“Then Imperial Sister truly doesn’t understand men.

“Faced with supreme power and the most beautiful woman in the world, could a mere common woman possibly retain her importance?”

The Grand Princess’s expression darkened.

“I do not tolerate imperfections.”

The Emperor answered casually,

“Don’t worry. Once you marry him, you’ll never see that common woman.”

The Grand Princess’s face changed abruptly.

“You killed her?”

“Are you not afraid the Marquis will resent you?”

The Emperor’s lips curved upward.

“When soldiers die on the battlefield, what is strange about that?

“If the Marquis wishes to hate someone, surely it should be the rebels.”

For years, Wei Yan had controlled him from behind the scenes.

Fearing exposure of his ambitions, he had played the role of a foolish and timid emperor.

Later, in order to gain Grand Tutor Li’s support, he had acted obedient and easily controlled.

Only in recent years had he gradually begun revealing his fangs.

The Grand Princess stared at him in horror.

She remained speechless for a long time, seemingly shocked by the extent of his ruthlessness.

The Emperor gazed at her.

His smile remained gentle and innocent, just like the foolish young ruler he once pretended to be.

But his eyes overflowed with ambition and desire he could no longer conceal.

Running a hand over the gilded dragon head of his throne, he spoke with endless anticipation.

“Once Wei Yan falls, imperial authority will finally return to me.

“With the Marquis of Wuan on my side, what do I have to fear from that old fox of the Li family?”

Tilting his head, he smiled cheerfully.

“Considering the corruption accumulated by the Li family over these years, exterminating their entire clan would hardly be excessive.”

Never before had the Grand Princess found her supposedly gentle and timid younger brother so unfamiliar.

Goosebumps rose along her arms.

“What about the Marquis of Wuan?” she asked.

“He commands enormous military power. Aren’t you worried?”

The Emperor seemed about to answer.

Yet when his gaze landed on her, his smile deepened.

Suddenly changing the subject, he said:

“Of course I’m not worried.

“After all, I’ll have Imperial Sister watching him for me.”

“The person I trust most in this world is you.”

A chill crept from her hands and feet up her spine.

The Grand Princess forced a smile.

“Your Majesty’s trust is my honor.”

The Emperor appeared delighted by her change in attitude.

“I knew Imperial Sister would stand with me.”

“Just wait to enjoy a grand wedding.”

The Grand Princess answered,

“Very well.”

After giving a formal bow, she turned and left the Imperial Study.

Her luxurious robes trailed behind her.

Just as when she had entered, she maintained a proud posture and an expression of complete arrogance.

Sixteen palace maids followed behind.

No one knew that her inner garments were already soaked through with cold sweat, hidden beneath her dark hair.

After returning to her palace, she shut the doors and smashed porcelain until shards littered the floor.

Only after exhausting herself did she sit upon a couch, supporting her forehead with one hand.

Her beautiful brows remained tightly furrowed.

The chief maid carefully presented a cup of flower tea.

“Your Highness, please don’t make yourself ill with anger…”

The Grand Princess accepted the cup.

Yet remembering the Emperor’s words, she lost control once more and hurled it across the room.

The shattered porcelain startled every servant nearby.

“What is he?”

“The son of a lowly palace maid, with no powerful maternal relatives, and he dares drag me into this mess?”

Her beautiful face was filled with fury.

She had been the late Emperor’s favorite daughter.

Though not his first daughter, the earlier princesses had all died young, making her the eldest surviving princess.

Her birth mother had come from a distinguished family.

She and the Emperor were not full siblings.

The Emperor had likely stayed close to her all these years because he wished to benefit from her maternal family’s influence.

The chief maid had remained outside during the conversation and knew nothing of what had been discussed.

Assuming the Grand Princess was still angry about the marriage arrangement, she cautiously said:

“Your Highness, that Third Young Master Gongsun has refused to enter government service and won’t even set foot in the capital just to avoid you.

“Why continue thinking about him?

“The Marquis of Wuan possesses unparalleled military achievements. Becoming a marquis before the age of twenty is remarkable. By all accounts, he is an excellent match…”

“Enough!”

The Grand Princess’s expression instantly turned icy.

Her fingernails nearly snapped from the force with which she gripped the couch.

The chief maid was frightened speechless.

The Grand Princess seemed to realize she had overreacted.

Lowering her fan-like lashes to conceal the emotions that had briefly slipped through, she sneered.

“Do you think the Marquis of Wuan will meet a good end?”

The chief maid’s face paled.

Realizing the matter likely involved court politics, she asked anxiously:

“The imperial decree has already been issued, and the envoy has already left the capital. What can be done now?”

The Grand Princess sat silently for a long while.

Then she suddenly said:

“Prepare ink for me.”


—

Kang City.

A troop of soldiers had halted beside a river.

Bound with thick ropes, captured bandits crouched together like tightly wrapped dumplings.

More than a dozen armored guards watched over them with drawn sabers.

The riverside grass grew lush and green, though summer had begun, and many stalks had already matured.

The warhorses nudged the ground with their noses, searching for tender shoots.

When Gongsun Yin received the letter brought back from Chongzhou by a personal guard, he immediately frowned.

He asked,

“Fan Changyu killed Prince Changxin, and the court really only granted her the rank of Xiaoqi Commandant?”

Xie Thirteen nodded.

“Absolutely true. A eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial personally delivered the decree.”

Gongsun Yin muttered,

“Since when was Prince Changxin’s head worth so little?”

He waved Xie Thirteen away.

Then he glanced toward the riverside.

There, Xie Zheng stood bare-chested while a guard poured water over his back to clean his wounds.

Walking over, Gongsun Yin deliberately raised his voice.

“Miss Fan truly is a remarkable woman. After killing Prince Changxin, she was promoted to fifth-rank Xiaoqi Commandant.”

The water running down Xie Zheng’s back carried faint traces of blood.

At Gongsun Yin’s words, he merely lifted his half-lowered eyelids slightly.

Still, he said nothing.

Cold.

Detached.

Completely uninterested.

Over the past half month, he had spent his days exterminating bandits and destroying every hideout around Kang City.

The wound on his back would nearly heal, only to split open again.

Yet no one had seen him apply medicine even once.

When a guard poured another kettle of water over the constantly bleeding wound, Xie Zheng finally seemed satisfied.

Raising a hand, he dismissed the guard.

Then he took his outer robe and put it on.

Gongsun Yin frowned deeply.

“If this continues, that injury is going to kill you sooner or later.”

Xie Zheng couldn’t even be bothered to respond.

Adjusting his collar, he started walking away.

“The bandits around Kang City have been eliminated.

“I have business in Huizhou.

“This place is yours now.”

Looking at his pale, almost sickly complexion beneath the sunlight, Gongsun Yin resisted the urge to curse him outright.

Instead he said:

“I heard Li Huai’an gifted Fan Changyu several annotated military texts.

“My relationship with Miss Fan is definitely better than his.

“Since I need to escort Sui Yuanqing to Chongzhou anyway, I won’t remain in Kang City.

“I can conveniently bring Miss Fan a gift as well.”

Xie Zheng’s steps paused briefly.

“As you wish.”

Then he continued walking without turning back.

Watching him mount his horse, Gongsun Yin finally exploded.

“Xie Jiuheng! You’ve got some nerve!”

“If you’ve really let her go, then throw that ugly little doll in your room into a brazier and burn it when you get back!”

The horse galloped away in a cloud of dust.

The man on horseback never responded.

The armored guards exchanged glances before quickly following with the captured bandits.

Only Gongsun Yin remained behind, continuing to curse.


—

Xie Zheng traveled day and night with only two personal guards and eventually returned to the Xie family estate in Huizhou.

His father had once been stationed in the northwest and settled there.

In many ways, the Huizhou residence was the true ancestral home.

The Xie residence in the capital had only been purchased when his father married.

Every tree and every stone there had been arranged according to that woman’s preferences.

The family retainers guarding the Huizhou estate were shocked to see Xie Zheng arrive in the middle of the night.

Though called retainers, they were effectively lifelong servants.

Most were veterans who had lost arms or legs following his father into battle and could never return to the battlefield.

The Xie family would care for them for the rest of their lives.

Without disturbing many people, Xie Zheng went directly to the ancestral hall.

There, he knelt before the ancestral tablets for the entire night.

Only at dawn did someone open the doors.

A middle-aged man entered with a limp and a missing arm.

Though physically disabled, his appearance remained imposing.

Looking at the straight-backed figure kneeling like a pine tree before the ancestral tablets, he said calmly:

“I heard the Marquis returned last night. Why didn’t you send word?”

Xie Zheng replied,

“Uncle Zhong, I’ve come to receive punishment.”

A trace of surprise flashed through the man’s eyes before disappearing.

“How much punishment?”

The Xie clan possessed strict ancestral rules.

Any descendant who committed a serious offense was required to come before the ancestral hall and receive punishment.

During the past seventeen years, Xie Zheng had done so only once.

After reclaiming Jinzhou, he had repaid blood with blood.

Just as the Beique people had once massacred Great Yin civilians, he ordered the slaughter of every Beique resident within Jinzhou.

The Xie family had always produced benevolent generals.

After that massacre, the world remembered only his ruthlessness.

No one remembered the Xie family’s tradition of mercy.

For a commander unable to restrain his own brutality, the offense was grave.

For that single punishment, Xie Zheng had requested the harshest penalty in the clan’s laws.

One hundred and eight lashes.

Now, kneeling before his ancestors, he gave the same answer.

“One hundred and eight lashes.”

The number shocked Uncle Zhong once again.

“What crime has the Marquis committed?”

Looking at Xie Linshan’s ancestral tablet in the center of the hall, Xie Zheng replied:

“You’ll know in the future.”

Uncle Zhong had once been a soldier himself.

He was highly sensitive to the scent of blood.

The stain soaking through Xie Zheng’s back was impossible to miss.

He hesitated.

“The Marquis seems seriously injured.”

Xie Zheng answered simply:

“It’s fine.”

Uncle Zhong retrieved a python-hide whip hanging on the wall.

After silently studying Xie Zheng for several moments, he asked:

“Shall we begin?”

Xie Zheng responded quietly.

“Yes.”

“May our ancestors’ virtue forever shine in the history of Great Yin. May sons and grandsons follow righteousness and propriety.”\u00b9

As the ancestral teachings were recited, the whip cracked across Xie Zheng’s back.

His body trembled.

The muscles of his back tightened like steel.

His hands clenched into fists to keep himself from collapsing.

The strike instantly tore open his robe.

A swollen red welt rose across his flesh.

The Xie family’s rules required ancestral teachings to be recited during punishment.

Only then would the offender remember why he was being punished and engrave those lessons into his bones.

“Reflect deeply upon these teachings and pass them to future generations. Let all descendants heed these instructions.”\u00b9

Crack!

Another vicious lash descended.

This one crossed directly over the repeatedly torn wound on his back.

Blood and flesh exploded outward.

Xie Zheng’s lips turned pale from pain.

Cold sweat streamed down his temples.

The veins in his clenched fists bulged violently.

Yet he still did not make a sound.

One lash followed another.

One ancestral teaching followed another.

By the end, his entire back was a mass of overlapping wounds soaked in blood.

Sweat hung from his eyelashes.

Still, he kept his eyes open, staring unwaveringly at Xie Linshan’s ancestral tablet.

By the ninety-eighth lash, blood had soaked completely through his robes and pooled on the stone floor beneath him.

He could no longer remain upright.

His body pitched forward.

Darkness filled his vision.

The ancestral tablets were becoming impossible to see.

Uncle Zhong’s arm ached from exhaustion.

The python-hide whip was drenched in blood.

As the executioner for the current generation of the Xie clan, he was forbidden from showing mercy during punishment.

Yet this time he finally said:

“My Lord, let it end here.”

Collapsed on the floor, Xie Zheng accidentally dropped the wooden doll hidden within his robes.

His palms had already been torn bloody from enduring the pain.

When he picked up the doll again, blood stained its small body as well.

Slowly lifting his eyelids, he asked:

“How many lashes remain?”

“Ten.”

Xie Zheng planted one hand on the floor.

The other held the doll.

Then, inch by inch, he forced himself upright.

Straightening his blood-covered back once more, he said:

“Continue.”

A trace of pity flashed through Uncle Zhong’s eyes.

Yet he still raised his voice and continued reciting the ancestral teachings as he swung the whip.

Blood sprayed across the stone floor beneath them, blooming like crimson flowers.

Ten lashes.

Neither many nor few.

When it finally ended, Xie Zheng’s entire body was soaked in blood.

His fingers gripped the doll so tightly they nearly sank into the wood.

His head hung low.

Even opening his eyes had become difficult.

Fearing the severity of his injuries, Uncle Zhong hurried outside to summon a physician.

Left alone, Xie Zheng knelt there, breathing heavily.

The pain in his back had long since become numbness.

After a long while, he finally recovered enough strength to lift his eyelids.

They felt as heavy as mountains.

Looking at Xie Linshan’s ancestral tablet, he bowed deeply.

His voice was hoarse.

“Your son has been unfilial.”

Someone had taken root in his heart.

He had tried to carve out that heart completely.

Yet he still could not let go.

At first, endless battles and killing had numbed his senses.

Later, even the agony of his wound splitting open again and again could not suppress his desire to see her.

His entire body spasmed with pain.

Yet he could not wake up from it.

Or perhaps…

He had been awake all along.

He simply wanted to see her.

Wanted it so much that every bone in his body ached.

Now that he had endured all one hundred and eight lashes…

He could finally go find her.


—

\u00b9 These lines are excerpts from the Xie family’s ancestral teachings and emphasize virtue, righteousness, and passing moral conduct to future generations.<\/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-3943","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3943","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=3943"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3944,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3943\/revisions\/3944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/tr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}