Chasing Jade (Zhu Yu)

Kang City, inside the central military tent.

A scout hurried in from outside, kneeling on one knee with a fist salute: "Marquis, the rebels in Kang City still stubbornly defend the gates and refuse to come out!"

The man seated at the head wore dark robes instead of armor, his figure tall and slender. His long, pale fingers held a military manual, his phoenix eyes calm and unruffled, as if he had anticipated this situation. He simply said, "Continue the siege until the rebels can no longer even fill the gaps on the city walls with heads."

The scout quickly accepted the order and left.

Xie Zheng tossed aside the military manual and called for his personal guard: "Bring me my armor."

Gongsun Yin, standing nearby, asked, "Are you going to challenge them to battle?"

Xie Zheng replied, "The remaining forces in Kang City are no longer a threat, but Sui Yuanqing remains a hidden danger. With morale crumbling inside the city, if I challenge him, he won’t dare refuse."

Gongsun Yin understood the stakes. Sui Yuanqing was the only capable fighter left in Kang City, and Xie Zheng intended to eliminate him before leaving.

Challenging Sui Yuanqing after two days of siege was like placing him on a burning pyre. If he accepted, it would play right into Xie Zheng’s hands, allowing him to remove this major threat on the battlefield. If he refused, the already low morale within the city would plummet further.

Below the city walls of Kang City, the Yanzhou Army, which had been fiercely attacking, suddenly halted. Before the defenders on the walls could catch their breath in relief, they saw the Yanzhou Army’s formation shift.

The black ant-like ranks split apart, creating a narrow path wide enough for two men. Through the swirling dust and sand, a single rider on a black horse slowly advanced from the rear to the front of the formation. The qilin-shaped shoulder guards gleamed solemnly and fiercely under the scorching sun, while a dark cloak trailed behind him over the horse’s back. In one hand, he held a black-shafted halberd adorned with golden dragon patterns.

The sight of this black-armored warrior on his steed alone sent shivers down the spines of the defenders on the walls, their legs trembling uncontrollably. When they recognized the dark iron halberd with its dragon-patterned blade, their faces paled further in terror.

"The Black Golden Dragon Halberd—it’s the Wu'an Marquis!"

"If the Wu'an Marquis has come personally, Kang City will surely fall today!"

Ordinary generals would never dare wield weapons bearing dragon motifs. That black-and-gold dragon halberd had been forged by hundreds of craftsmen under imperial decree, bestowed upon the Wu'an Marquis after he reclaimed Jinzhou and avenged the humiliation of ceding territory seventeen years prior, greatly pleasing the emperor.

When he was enfeoffed as the Wu'an Marquis, the emperor declared, "With a Martial Marquis like this, our Great Yin shall be at peace."

In today’s court, any proud and ambitious military officer aspired to surpass the Wu'an Marquis. Yet, his long list of battle achievements remained an insurmountable peak none could ever hope to reach in their lifetimes.

Below the city walls, two rows of war drums were set up on chariots. As the deep, resonant drumbeats echoed across the open battlefield, the defenders on the walls broke out in goosebumps, their hands shaking so badly they could barely grip their swords.

The archers stationed at the battlements trembled like chicken claws, their arrows losing all accuracy. Amid the drumbeats, the young general on horseback lifted his head to gaze at the city walls. His strikingly handsome, jade-carved features were framed by cold, indifferent phoenix eyes as he raised his halberd and pointed it at the walls, shouting arrogantly, "Sui Yuanqing! Come out and face your death!"

The messenger on the walls scrambled away in panic to deliver the news.

Though Kang City had only been under siege for a few days, the lord’s residence was already shrouded in gloom.It was common knowledge that the one besieging Kang City was the Wu'an Marquis. Not only were the low-ranking soldiers terrified, even the servants in the city lord's manor knew it was only a matter of time before the city fell.

But fear aside, no one dared discuss the war. Over the past few days, several servants who rashly claimed Kang City wouldn't hold for long had been beaten to death with clubs in the manor.

The messenger who had rushed back from the city gates hurried through the deep courtyards and was finally led to Sui Yuanqing.

Kneeling on one knee, his voice trembling, he said, "Young Master, the Wu'an Marquis is challenging you to battle at the city gates, demanding you come out and fight."

As summer approached, the sunlight was scorching. Half of the bamboo curtain by the study window was rolled up, letting in a blaze of light at the entrance, while the inner part remained untouched by the sun, casting a gloomy shadow.

Sui Yuanqing sat on the floor with disheveled hair and bare feet. The low table in front of him was cluttered with books, brushes, and ink.

After falling into Xie Zheng's hands and suffering greatly, he had been rescued and spent many days recuperating. Though his physical wounds had healed, he had grown much thinner, and the gloom between his brows had deepened. Hearing the messenger, he replied darkly, "No. Just keep defending the gates."

The messenger hesitated. "Young Master, the morale of our soldiers is collapsing. If this continues, Kang City might fall without a fight. You once defeated the Wu'an Marquis on the Chongzhou battlefield. If you go out to fight, it could at least rally the troops' spirits."

Sui Yuanqing sneered. "If I truly go out to fight, I’ll be falling right into Xie Zheng’s trap. He abandoned Chongzhou to come here and capture me—isn’t it because he’s desperate to escape the court’s factional struggles? As long as Chongzhou remains unbroken, he won’t dare step through Kang City’s gates."

The messenger had no choice but to withdraw.

Once alone in the study, Sui Yuanqing suddenly let out a furious roar, sweeping the books and scrolls off the low table. The inkstone filled with ink crashed to the floor, spilling black ink across the wooden boards.

Sui Yuanqing braced his hands against the table, the veins on his slender hands bulging. His pale jaw was clenched tightly, his teeth gritted.

Once upon a time, surpassing Xie Zheng had been his obsession. After all, for so many years, he had lived in Xie Zheng’s shadow, studying what he studied, practicing the techniques he mastered.

When they first clashed on the Chongzhou battlefield, he thought he had won—that Xie Zheng was now his defeated foe.

Only now did he realize how naive he had been.

He even had a premonition—that he might die by Xie Zheng’s hand.

This feeling was like a fog settling over his heart, making him grow gloomier by the day. Lately, he had shut himself in his study.

He needed to stay calm. As long as he found Xie Zheng’s weakness and the reason for his sudden attack, he could still find a way to counter him.

Sui Yuanqing closed his eyes heavily.

Footsteps approached hesitantly from outside.

When Sui Yuanqing lifted his gaze, the young girl startled, nearly dropping the plate of pastries in her hands.

Trembling, she set the plate of exquisitely made snacks on the low table and stammered, "It’s me, cousin."

A pampered girl from the inner chambers, her face was no larger than a palm, her skin smooth as fine jade. Her almond-shaped eyes glistened with tears, timid and delicate—like pear blossoms battered by rain.

Sui Yuanqing narrowed his eyes. This was a beauty entirely unlike the wildcat he had encountered—that one had a fierce temper, clawing, scratching, biting.The woman before him resembled a delicate flower trembling as it bloomed in the rain, just waiting to be plucked.

She was too fragile, as if anyone could do anything to her, and she would be utterly powerless to resist. Even if she did resist, it would likely only be with those tearful eyes silently weeping at her tormentor.

When Sui Yuanqing raised his hand to grip her chin, she trembled all over, flustered as she picked up an exquisitely crafted pastry from the tray to offer him. "Mother said... that Cousin has been exhausting himself to defend Kang City these past days, so the kitchen prepared some pastries and asked me to bring them over."

Sui Yuanqing didn’t open his mouth. Gazing at that delicate, beautiful face, he asked indifferently, "Why are you trembling so much, Cousin? What are you afraid of?"

The woman shook her head in panic.

Sui Yuanqing released her chin, took the pastry she had tried to feed him, and examined it. Suddenly, he smiled and instead brought it to her lips. "I don’t care for sweets. You should have it, Cousin."

Her face instantly paled, and she shook her head frantically. "I... I don’t like them either."

Holding the pastry, Sui Yuanqing lowered his head, his smile still lingering but his expression darkening as he asked softly, "Why?"

The woman’s nerves finally gave way, and she broke down in tears. "Cousin, you must flee! Father heard that the Wu'an Marquis himself is challenging us at the city gates. Fearing our family would be executed if the city falls, he had the kitchen prepare these poisoned pastries to kill you. He planned to cut off your head and surrender it at the gates."

Sui Yuanqing grinned, his smile widening. "Is that so?"

With that, he strode straight to the sword rack, took his blade, and walked out.

The Yan army was attacking the city, and the main forces were concentrated at the four main gates. Only a few hundred household guards remained at the city lord’s residence.

The woman thought Sui Yuanqing had taken his sword to escape the estate. Weak-limbed, she stumbled out of the study, her mind in turmoil as she wondered how to report back. But then, she heard a chorus of agonized wails from the front hall.

Her heart lurched. The delicate shawl draped over her arm fell to the ground, but she didn’t stop to pick it up. Lifting her skirts, she rushed toward the source of the cries. When she entered the hall and saw the room filled with corpses, she nearly fainted on the spot.

The sight of her parents lying in pools of blood made her legs give out, and she collapsed to the floor. Overwhelmed by grief and terror, she couldn’t even cry—only tears streamed down her face like broken beads. It took her a long moment to regain her voice, and she let out a heart-wrenching scream: "Father! Mother!"

She looked at Sui Yuanqing, standing in the center of the hall with his sword dripping thick blood, as if he were a demon. Her voice was choked with sobs. "Why... why did you kill my parents? With your skills, you could have escaped! You could have just left the estate..."

Sui Yuanqing watched coldly as the fragile woman wept herself nearly breathless, his lips curling slightly.

This cousin of his—he couldn’t tell if she had been raised to be this naive or if she was simply foolish.

Or perhaps the Liu family knew all too well that nobles only married women groomed by prestigious families to be matriarchs, while a beauty taken as a concubine ought to be gentle, submissive, and simple-minded. That was why they had raised their daughter to be this weak and easily bullied.

In a way, this woman had been a discarded pawn of her family long ago.

Pitifully, she was still weeping like this for parents who had been ready to give her away as a plaything at any moment.He crouched down before her, touching her face with his bloodstained hand as he countered, "They were all ready to offer my head in surrender. Why shouldn't I kill them?"

Liu Wan'er's snow-white cheeks bore the bloody imprint of his fingers. Her lips parted, but no words came out. Her long lashes fluttered as tears streamed down her face, making her appear even more fragile and pitiful.

She was breathtakingly beautiful—the kind of beauty that would soften any man's heart.

Yet, for some reason, Sui Yuanqing suddenly recalled the cold, ruthless look in Fan Changyu's eyes when she had stabbed him with a blade.

In the past, he had always favored beauties like Liu Wan'er—docile, delicate, clinging to him like vines that would wither without a tree to support them.

But after seeing so many of these identical beauties, their faces blurred together in his memory. They all had the same temperament, the same fragility. Whether one more or one less lingered by his side, he likely wouldn't even remember.

Among the nobility, the only thing worth competing over was which of these beauties was the most stunning. But beauty was fleeting. In just three to five years, fresh-faced girls, tender as spring onions, would catch the eyes of the powerful again.

Who still remembered what the beauty they had once fought over looked like?

It was no different from the courtesans in brothels—once one grew old, another would take her place.

After encountering so many identical beauties, it was the wildcat that knew only how to wound that lingered in his thoughts.

Sui Yuanqing withdrew his hand, looking down at the woman collapsed on the floor, her body trembling with sobs. "You're a good girl," he said. "You told me the truth. I won't kill you."

He sheathed his sword and stood, walking to the door before pausing. Without turning back, he added, "From now on, you are no longer the daughter of the Liu family. Hide among the common folk and live well."

Liu Wan'er stared blankly at Sui Yuanqing's retreating figure, then at her parents' lifeless bodies, their eyes still wide open. In all her sixteen years, she had never faced such upheaval. Now, beyond weeping, her mind was filled only with fear and confusion about the unknown.

She didn't even think of how he had just slain her parents—instinctively, she scrambled to her feet, clinging to the doorframe as she staggered after him, sobbing, "Cousin..."

The midday sun blazed fiercely. Sui Yuanqing hadn't left his study in so long that when he passed through the moon gate, he stopped, squinting at the bright orb in the sky.

The glare momentarily robbed his vision of color, plunging the world into darkness.

He smiled lazily, as if calmly accepting his fate.

There was another way to live in this world—by embracing death.

The Yanzhou Army had been taunting below the city gates for hours, yet Sui Yuanqing never appeared. Instead, they were met with a truce banner hung from the battlements.

The soldiers below only jeered louder, while the defenders atop the walls looked haggard, their expressions almost numb. After enduring the daily torment of siege, they now wished the Yanzhou Army would just take Kangcheng swiftly and be done with it.

When Xie Zheng and Gongsun Yin returned to camp, the latter fumed, fanning himself furiously. "That coward Sui Yuanqing! He dared challenge you so arrogantly at First Line Gorge, and now he hides behind his walls like a dog with its tail between its legs! The shame of it!"Xie Zheng said, "He didn't take the bait to engage in battle, which means he understands that I'm stalling him here while waiting for Chongzhou to fall first. But after today, the rebel morale in Kang City is completely shattered. If there are any dissenters in their ranks, internal strife will keep them occupied for a while. They won't dare to launch another offensive anytime soon."

Gongsun Yin suppressed his anger and said, "Alright, alright. You're planning to go to Chongzhou now, aren't you?"

He clicked his tongue twice. "We agreed on three days, but you can't even wait two and a half?"

Xie Zheng replied calmly, "This Marquis has some private matters to attend to. Since Sui Yuanqing knows I'm here, he won't act rashly. After I leave, have someone impersonate me in the tent."

Gongsun Yin couldn't help but be suspicious. "Going to see her is already a private matter. What other private matters do you have?"

Xie Zheng said, "I had a weapon custom-made for her."

He had long heard from Xie Wu about how Fan Changyu was nearly overpowered by Shi Hu during their last encounter due to lacking a proper weapon. Almost immediately after descending the mountain, he had ordered a blacksmith to forge a weapon for her, intending it as a surprise. Little did he expect she'd have her own plans to join the army and head to the Chongzhou battlefield.

By his calculations, the weapon should be ready by now. He planned to retrieve it and deliver it to her personally.

Remembering his last humiliating experience, Gongsun Yin cut him off at the mere mention of the topic. "Enough, enough! Just go already!"

Just then, a personal guard entered the tent holding a rolled-up letter. "Marquis, the Gyrfalcon has returned with a message."

The Gyrfalcon had been taken by Fan Changyu, so its sudden return likely meant news from her. Xie Zheng took the letter and scanned it quickly. His previously composed expression darkened instantly. He tossed the letter into the brazier used for burning important documents and said coldly, "Prepare my horse!"

Gongsun Yin's curiosity was instantly piqued. "What happened?"

But Xie Zheng didn't answer. He simply lifted the tent flap and strode out.

Noticing the letter in the brazier hadn't completely burned and had been blown out by the wind, Gongsun Yin couldn't resist picking it up to look. Though most of the letter had been charred, the words at the end remained clearly visible: "Li Huaian has improper intentions toward your wife."

Gongsun Yin burst out laughing, unable to suppress his schadenfreude. "Xie Jiuhang, oh Xie Jiuhang! Your karma has come for you far too quickly!"

Meanwhile, far away in Chongzhou, Fan Changyu had just finished running over ten miles around the mountains with the training troops. The exhausted soldiers collapsed like overcooked noodles. When someone spotted a river ahead, the sweat-drenched soldiers scrambled up, clamoring to wash off in the water.

The weather was growing increasingly hot, and Fan Changyu had worked up quite a sweat too. But as a woman, joining them in the river wasn't an option. She stood in the shade of a tree, drinking some water instead.

Initially, she had thought Grand Tutor Tao securing her the rank of squad leader was rather ostentatious. But after being assigned her own tent—something only squad leaders and above were entitled to—she realized his thoughtful consideration.

When she went to thank him, Grand Tutor Tao explained, "If I'd made you a squad leader of ten, with Xie Wu gone, you'd only have eight to manage—something you could do blindfolded. Once you've learned one plus one equals two, relearning it would be a waste of time. That's why I started you as a squad leader."She needed to learn how to manage an increasing number of people—dozens now, but soon hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands.

With so many under her command, she couldn’t personally oversee each one, so she had to promote those who could serve her purposes.

This involved something even more complex—winning people’s loyalty.

Xie Zheng had once said that Fan Changyu wasn’t good at this. She was used to being straightforward, and suddenly having to consider so many twists and turns was indeed a challenge for her.

But on the battlefield, the low-ranking soldiers first sought survival before they could pursue prospects, wealth, and other worldly things.

Compared to that, the hearts of the people here weren’t all that complicated.

Fan Changyu now resembled a toddler just learning to walk, stumbling along this path.

Her earlier duel with Guo Baihu had turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it had earned her some authority in the army. At least among the hundred men under Guo Baihu’s command, no one dared to look down on her anymore.

The squad leaders and platoon leaders under her also held her in high regard.

Xie Wu had told her that among these people, some might become her trusted aides in the future, or perhaps none would be suitable.

She had to figure out for herself who could be used and how; for those who couldn’t, since they were already under her command, how should she handle them…

Nowadays, Fan Changyu spent her days following drills, squeezing in time to study military texts under Grand Tutor Tao. At night, when she lay down to sleep, she either pondered the parts of the texts she didn’t understand or mulled over the art of employing people.

But perhaps because she was too exhausted, she often fell into a deep sleep within moments.

During this rare moment of leisure, Fan Changyu stared at the few men under her who hadn’t gone to the riverbank, once again contemplating the selection of trusted aides when she suddenly sneezed several times in a row without warning.

Xie Wu, who was standing guard beside her, quickly asked, “Squad leader, have you caught a chill?”

Fan Changyu waved her hand. “The old saying goes, ‘One sneeze means someone’s thinking of you, two means they’re cursing you, three means they’re talking about you.’ Maybe Ning Niang is missing me.”

No sooner had she spoken than she sneezed again.

Fan Changyu froze for a moment.

Xie Wu, recalling the letter he had Xie Qi send back, suddenly felt a pang of guilt.