Chasing Jade (Zhu Yu)

Fan Changyu had been digging earth and rocks in the camp for three days. Since the soldiers strictly monitored them during excavation, they couldn't wander freely. The only terrain she could survey was the path from their detention barracks to the mountain.

One soldier was assigned to watch every ten people, and the collective punishment system was enforced. If one person escaped, the other nine—whether aware or not—would be punished if they didn't report it. So not only were soldiers watching, but the laborers also kept an eye on each other. Escaping was no easy task.

Apart from that, the soldiers maintained strict discipline. They didn’t withhold food or harass the women in the barracks.

However, some single men among the refugees often leered at the women, whistling and making crude remarks.

Fortunately, the men’s and women’s barracks were separate. The only time the two groups interacted was during morning assembly for excavation and mealtimes.

Women who had husbands, fathers, or brothers among the refugees were rarely bothered. But those alone—whether young girls or married women—became targets of the men’s vulgar teasing.

Some even lured solitary women into joining their excavation teams, promising lighter work and more food—though not without groping and harassment.

Fan Changyu, with her striking looks, had drawn attention since her arrival, though she remained oblivious.

At first, no one wanted to team up with her. The men planned to let her struggle, hoping she’d eventually rely on them for food.

But Fan Changyu was an oddity. Instead of depending on them, she became the fiercest competitor for rations.

For the first two days, she dutifully dug earth and rocks, consistently earning two extra steamed buns per meal. Then she noticed a burly man receiving a chicken leg. Suddenly, her plain bun and porridge seemed lacking. She asked why he got special treatment.

The woman beside her bunk explained, “That man’s incredibly strong. Besides digging, he carries his own loads. A sergeant admires him and wants him to enlist, but he stays to feed his wife and child.”

Fan Changyu bit her bun. “So if we do extra work, like hauling, we get meat?”

The woman nodded. “Those baskets weigh nearly 300 pounds when full. Even soldiers carry them in pairs. He’s the only one here who can manage alone.”

Later, as Fan Changyu returned to Old Man with her porridge bowl, she suddenly said after his lecture on The Analects , “How about we eat meat tomorrow?”

Old Man scowled, snorting through his nose. “I teach you the wisdom of Confucius and Mencius, and all you think about is filling your belly?”Fan Changyu scratched her head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I did listen. You said, 'Be strict with yourself and lenient with others, and you will keep resentment at bay.' Always reflect on your own faults rather than blaming others—did I remember it right?"

After speaking, she couldn’t help but ask, "Don’t you feel like eating meat at all?"

The old man’s throat bobbed with difficulty as he closed his eyes and scolded, "Vulgar."

Fan Changyu wasn’t upset by the reprimand. That afternoon, she worked with renewed vigor digging earth and stones. Previously, she had only worked enough to earn two extra steamed buns, slacking off afterward. But now, motivated by the prospect of meat, she dug fifteen baskets in a single afternoon and even told the soldiers she would carry them herself.

The soldier overseeing them thought she had lost her mind. Pointing at the basket filled with rocks, he said, "Do you know how heavy this is? One basket could crush your legs!"

Only then did the old man realize what Fan Changyu had meant when she asked if he wanted meat at noon. Worried that something might happen to the young woman, he strode over with a stern face and snapped, "Nonsense! Aren’t two steamed buns and a bowl of porridge enough for you? If not, you can have my share too."

Ignoring the old man, Fan Changyu asked the soldier, "If I carry all fifteen baskets down the mountain, can I get a chicken leg tonight?"

The commotion caught the attention of the officer in charge of all the laborers. Hearing Fan Changyu’s question, he scoffed, thinking she was daydreaming. "Forget fifteen baskets—if you can carry just one down to the foot of the mountain, I’ll reward you with a whole chicken!"

Fan Changyu blinked in surprise. Was this for real?

With such a tempting offer, the other laborers, who had been bent over digging stones, stopped working and turned to watch, leaning on their hoes and murmuring among themselves.

The woman who had spoken to Fan Changyu at noon looked worried, probably regretting that her words had led the girl to such recklessness.

The old man’s wrinkled brow furrowed into a deep frown as he glared at Fan Changyu. "Girl, don’t be foolish!"

The officer hadn’t actually expected Fan Changyu to attempt it. Seeing her hesitate, he assumed she was scared and taunted, "Well? Still going to try?"

Fan Changyu reassured the old man, "Don’t worry about me, sir."

She set down her hoe and walked over to the officer. "I’ll do it. Just make sure you keep your word."

Lifting three hundred pounds with one hand was still a bit strenuous for her, but carrying it on her back? That was no trouble at all.

Everyone watched, some frowning, others amused, as the tall but slender girl planted her feet firmly on the flat dirt, slung the basket straps over her shoulders, and gripped them tightly. Her shoes sank slightly into the ground as she hoisted the nearly three-hundred-pound load onto her back.

Gasps rippled through the crowd. The idlers who had been leaning on their hoes with smirks now gaped in disbelief, relieved they hadn’t made any crude remarks when she first arrived—otherwise, they might have ended up with more than just a beating.

The officer was dumbfounded. He had heard from his subordinates that there was a woman who worked diligently, earning extra steamed buns at every meal.

But digging stones only required skill and endurance—anyone could do it. Carrying such a heavy load, however? Even in the entire military camp, only a few generals could manage that.Fan Changyu barely used the crutch for support, gripping only the straps of the shoulder baskets with both hands as she steadily descended the mountain step by step. It didn’t look easy, but she didn’t seem particularly strained either.

Even after Fan Changyu had walked far away, the entire quarry remained eerily silent.

The Old Man watched her retreating figure thoughtfully, stroking the few grizzled wisps of his goatee as he muttered under his breath, "With such innate talent, if she were a man, she would surely achieve greatness..."

When the soldiers distributed the evening meal, Fan Changyu indeed received a whole roasted chicken. Carrying her bowl of porridge, she found a quiet spot to squat down with the Old Man. She tore off a large drumstick and offered it to him, but he didn’t take it. Instead, he looked at her with a complicated expression and asked, "How did the scouting go?"

Fan Changyu raised her head to meet his gaze. "How did you know I was scouting?"

The Old Man’s wrinkled eyelids drooped, but his aged eyes remained sharp. "Every time we went up the mountain to quarry stone these past days, you’ve been quietly observing the terrain and troop deployments here, asking all sorts of questions whenever you saw someone. You watched others eat meat the past two days—why couldn’t you resist showing off today? It’s obvious you’ve already mapped out the nearby terrain and defenses and wanted to check the troop arrangements elsewhere."

Their voices were hushed, and with no one nearby, Fan Changyu, realizing the Old Man had seen through her plan, said, "Don’t worry, Old Man. I won’t sneak off and cause trouble for you all. Carrying stones to the dam was also to see how the repairs are coming along and how much longer we’ll be trapped here. The dam looks nearly finished—we should be released soon."

If they were to be stuck here for a year or more, she wouldn’t be able to endure it.

The Old Man snorted. "Using such a foolish method to check the dam’s progress. Let me tell you, that dam must be completed before the first heavy rain of spring."

Fan Changyu was puzzled. "Why?"

The Old Man shot her a sidelong glance. "First, you haven’t paid me any tuition fee. Second, you haven’t kowtowed or served me tea to become my disciple. If you’re just going to parrot rigid questions from the Four Books, fine, but why should I teach you these things?"

Fan Changyu simply said, "Oh," and took the question at face value, dropping the subject. She began gnawing on the greasy drumstick she had offered the Old Man, which he had refused.

Seeing this, the Old Man glared in outrage. "You dim-witted piglet! That’s the extent of your wisdom!"

Fan Changyu was baffled by his scolding but didn’t want to argue with a white-haired, thin-tempered old man. Pressing her lips together, she shifted a step away and continued eating the drumstick in silence, making it clear she took offense at his words.

This only infuriated the Old Man further. His chest heaved as he barked, "No tea—can’t you even kowtow without it?"

Finally, Fan Changyu realized the Old Man’s earlier words had been an invitation for her to become his disciple.

She knew her own limitations well. After a moment of hesitation, she tactfully declined. "I’m really not cut out for studying. But my mother used to say it’s never wrong to read more, so I’ve dabbled in those books half-heartedly. I’d feel bad making you teach me for nothing. The soldiers took my belongings, but if they return them when we’re released, I’ll pay you the tuition fee properly."The main issue was that if she became his disciple, she would have to take care of this old man indefinitely. Fan Changyu had listened to him rant about his former student for so long that she guessed he had once hoped that student would support him in old age, only to be betrayed. That was why he now wanted to find someone new to rely on.

But she still had to find her sister and couldn’t afford to delay here for too long, let alone care for this old man permanently.

The old man realized his offer to take her as a disciple had been rejected. He glanced at Fan Changyu, his stubborn temper flaring up, and sneered, “Do you know how many people would pay a fortune just for me to take them as my disciple, and yet I refuse?”

Fan Changyu, who had just finished gnawing on the chicken leg, held the bone in shock and asked, “Being a teacher is that profitable?”

The old man: “…”

His wrinkled face flushed red with anger. He closed his eyes and roared, “Enough! Truly, you can’t carve rotten wood!”

Fan Changyu thought of the similarly destitute Zhao family couple and realized the old man was so furious simply because she refused to become his disciple. She couldn’t help but pity this eccentric old man—his temper was terrible, he had no children, and finding someone to care for him in his old age must be incredibly difficult.

Inappropriately, she suddenly thought of Yan Zheng and felt his foul temper was strikingly similar to this odd old man’s.

If Yan Zheng ended up alone for life because his mouth was too sharp, wouldn’t he turn out just like this old man in his later years?

Fan Changyu shook off the bizarre thought and glanced at the grumpy old man, who was now sulking and refusing to speak to her. She tore off half of the roast chicken, placed it in his bowl of steamed buns, sighed, and took the remaining half back to the women’s barracks.

That night, spring thunder cracked, and torrential rain poured down.

Puddles formed on the ground, growing deeper. Fan Changyu watched the blinding flashes of lightning seeping through the cracks in the doors and windows, listening to the deafening thunder outside and the chaotic cries of children in the barracks. An uneasy feeling settled in her chest.

She sat up, and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she realized she was stepping into water—the floor of the barracks had already flooded.

Recalling the old man’s claim that the dam would definitely be repaired before the spring floods, Fan Changyu thought back to what she had seen that afternoon while carrying earth and stones to the dam site. It seemed to align with his words.

She hoped the soldiers would release them tomorrow at the latest, but beneath the roar of the storm and thunder, there seemed to be other faint noises outside.

Hesitating for a moment, she decided to throw on her clothes and check the door.

To prevent escape, they weren’t held in tents but in the mud-walled tiled houses abandoned by fleeing locals, now commandeered by the soldiers.

At night, the main door was always locked.

Fan Changyu waded through the water to the door and, under the flashes of lightning, noticed the soldiers who were supposed to be guarding outside were nowhere to be seen. From the nearby building where the male refugees were held, it sounded like someone inside was using a hard object to smash the lock.

She quickly realized something must have happened at the military camp, and this stormy night was their perfect chance to escape.

There were no hard objects in the room except for the beds. After a moment’s thought, Fan Changyu took two steps back, charged forward, and kicked the wooden door with all her might. It collapsed outward instantly.

Ignoring the stunned women inside, she dashed out into the pouring rain, heading straight for the barracks where their belongings were stored.Soon, others snapped out of their daze and rushed out as well.

The men in the barracks saw this and stopped smashing the locks. Moments later, the gate along with its frame was knocked down. The burly man couldn’t stop his momentum in time and tumbled into the rain-soaked ground. After scrambling up, he went to the opposite barracks to find his wife and children.

In an instant, the camp holding the displaced people descended into chaos, with everyone calling out names to find their relatives.

Fan Changyu, being alone, quickly found her bundle. Struggling against the tide of people, she squeezed out of the barracks where the belongings were stored and saw the Old Man stumbling out of the barracks where he had been confined.

His soaked clothes clung to his emaciated frame.

Changyu initially thought of leaving him behind, but recalling that despite his eccentric temper, he had earnestly taught her the Four Books. There was a saying among the common folk: "A teacher for a day is a father for life." Since he had instructed her, he could be considered half a teacher.

Gritting her teeth, Changyu finally dashed into the rain with her bundle and said to the Old Man, "I’ll carry you to escape."

Before the Old Man could respond, Changyu had already slung him onto her back. Drenched like a long-necked pheasant, he still managed to sound defiant: "This old man can walk on his own! No need for you to carry me!"

Knowing his stubborn nature, Changyu didn’t argue with him now. Having memorized the camp’s layout in recent days, she swiftly carried the Old Man to the main road.

Occasional flashes of lightning illuminated the path, water droplets weighing down her eyelids. Yet, she saw the ground littered with the corpses of soldiers, the rainwater tinged faintly with the color of rouge.

In the distance, amid the pouring rain, tents were burning, as if two forces were locked in battle.

The Old Man’s expression darkened. "Disaster," he muttered. "The rebels must have discovered the dam built here to block the water."

Changyu squinted through the downpour to find the way and asked, "Did the rebels kill these soldiers?"

The Old Man replied, "Ever since the dam was built, any scouts the rebels sent to investigate this area never returned. That must have tipped them off, so they sent a detachment to launch a surprise attack—likely to cover their scouts and let them bring back the news!"

Changyu was puzzled. "What does this have to do with the dam?"

The Old Man’s face turned grim. "Have you ever seen a dam built in just ten days or half a month? This dam was hastily constructed to temporarily block the water. The rebels have besieged Lukou with fifty thousand troops. Once the dam releases the stored water downstream, Lukou can crush the rebel army without losing a single soldier. If the rebels knew in advance that the upstream waters could drown their entire force, do you think they’d fall into the trap and be lured into the valley?"

Only then did Changyu understand why the soldiers had detained them.

But in this situation, survival was paramount. To avoid detection, she murmured an apology and stripped the outer armor from two dead Jizhou soldiers, dressing herself and the Old Man in them.

Ahead, she spotted a horse nuzzling a fallen general with its nose.

Changyu hurried over to take the horse, thinking that since her own horse had been confiscated by the soldiers and never found, this one could serve as compensation from the camp.

As she turned to leave, the hem of her garment was seized by the bloodied man on the ground. Recognizing the Jizhou soldier’s uniform she wore, he choked on blood and rasped out, "Three scouts escaped via Lukou Road... hurry... chase them..."With those words, he breathed his last.

Despite having witnessed numerous life-and-death situations, Fan Changyu still felt goosebumps rise on her skin in this rainy night.

The old man stood silently in the rain with his hands behind his back. Fan Changyu led her horse over and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Will you still come with me?"

The old man looked at her through the curtain of rain and sighed deeply. "If you were a man, I would have you cross Witch Ridge and ambush those three rebel scouts at the crucial pass on Lukou Road leading into Lucheng. Their lives determine the survival of not just Lucheng but the entire Jizhou. But though you possess martial skills, you're still just a woman. The rise and fall of nations is no responsibility of women. Go flee for your life. I'll take this news back to the military camp."

Fan Changyu said, "Then we part ways here."

She mounted her horse and spurred it fiercely toward the distant official road. Rainwater streamed down her cheeks from her jaw, and the lightning splitting the sky illuminated the struggle in her eyes.

She wanted to find Changning and live their simple, peaceful lives as before.

Matters like war should be the concern of high-ranking officials. The responsibility for the survival of cities and territories could never fall on a common woman like her.

Yet the tragedies in Qingping County and Lin'an Town remained fresh in her memory. Even bandit raids had turned those places into ghost towns. If the troops sent from the camp failed to intercept the scouts, if the plan to flood the Chongzhou army failed, what fate awaited the people of Lucheng when the city fell?

Fan Changyu cracked her whip fiercely, and the warhorse galloped madly through the heavy rain. The rain and cold wind lashed her face with stinging pain.

In that instant, many faces flashed through her mind—the deceased Head Constable Wang and his wife, the neighbors from the western alleys, Zhao Mu Jiang and Yan Zheng still in Lucheng...

She had already killed many people, but the bloodshed in Qingping County and Lin'an Town still made her shudder when she recalled it.

Perhaps... if she gave chase, she could still stop those three scouts from delivering their message?

Fan Changyu took two deep breaths, then finally pulled the reins to halt her horse. Leaving her baggage behind, she took only a few butcher knives from it, fastened her vambraces, and like a leopard hunting in the heavy rain, abandoned her steed and raced toward Witch Ridge.

Lucheng.

Unlike the torrential rains upstream in Jizhou, only a light drizzle fell through Lucheng's night sky.

He Jingyuan stood on the city wall, gazing at the faint outlines of distant mountains. "How far have we lured the rebels?" he asked.

A deputy nearby answered, "Scouts report the rebels have reached the river mouth but remain cautious, refusing to advance further."

After a moment's thought, He Jingyuan said, "Raise my Commander's Flag. Continue baiting them."

Orders were immediately relayed. The city gates opened a crack to release a scout galloping to deliver the message.

He Jingyuan glanced toward the upper reaches of Witch River. Though his expression revealed nothing, his hand gripping the battlement had clenched into a fist.

If this plan failed, Lucheng would be left with only thirty thousand troops for defense—over ten thousand of them raw recruits recently conscripted who couldn't even perform a complete spear routine.

The wilderness of Yanzhou was also graced with a gentle rain.

Xie Zheng reined in his horse atop a low slope, his expression cold as he surveyed the battle below. Torchlights intertwined, only occasionally revealing whether the banners whipping in the wind and rain bore the insignia of Yanzhou or Chongzhou.The raindrops formed by the drizzle slid down his chin, yet he remained utterly focused, watching the banners of Yanzhou advance segment by segment through the firelight without even a flicker of his eyelashes.

Gongsun Yin shielded himself from the slanting drizzle with a feather fan and asked, "If you don't go down, the Chongzhou army won't enter First Line Gorge."

Xie Zheng remarked, "We've set up an ambush at First Line Gorge, so the Sui family must have laid traps elsewhere as well. Let's wait for them to cast their bait first."

Gongsun Yin's fox-like eyes lifted slightly. "You mean to take their bait and then lure them into First Line Gorge?"

Xie Zheng neither confirmed nor denied.

As Gongsun Yin pondered over the bait Xie Zheng mentioned, his eyes narrowed. Just as he was about to speak, a minor ** erupted in the battlefield below.

A young general charged out from the Chongzhou army—mounted on a white steed, wielding a silver spear, his handsome features tinged with a roguish air. Cradling a terrified little girl who wept uncontrollably amid the battlefield carnage, he arrogantly shouted at the chaotic Yanzhou Army ahead, "Where is Wu'an Marquis? Come forth and meet your death!"

Frowning at the figure standing before the Chongzhou army in the firelight, Gongsun Yin remarked, "He bears some resemblance to your former self."

Xie Zheng cast a cool glance his way with phoenix eyes. "When did your eyesight go bad?"

Before Gongsun Yin could react, Xie Zheng had already lifted the halberd planted in the ground, spurred his horse down the gentle slope. The black cloak billowed high behind him in the drizzle, like a powerful dark cloud.