[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-cursed-blade-s-walk":3,"chapter-the-cursed-blade-s-walk-the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-15":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Cursed Blade's Walk",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2262320,4415,"Chapter 15: Bandits and the Monster Snake","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-15",15,"\u003Cp>In the jianghu, people can smell each other from miles away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a proverb, meaning that among those of the jianghu, their tricks and deceptions might fool outsiders, but never fellow travelers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for Li Yan, this scent was literally detectable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that night, his sense of smell grew keener.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These men galloped along the official road, still a hundred meters away, yet their thick stench of blood could not escape Li Yan’s nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the smell of human blood!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still, it carried the reek of corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Li Yan could tell these odors were real, unlike the strange scents of the Changbing or the Earth God temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could see that Sha Li-fei, the old jianghu hand, was instantly alert—he rose to his feet and whispered to those around him: “Something’s off, stay careful…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he quickly stood, adopting a stance—feet neither fully aligned nor fully apart, elbows slightly bent, palms just three inches from his saber’s hilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a swordsman’s defensive posture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing unfamiliar jianghu peers, it avoided drawing the blade to prevent misunderstanding, yet allowed the first strike to be drawn instantly, seizing the upper hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s swift saber technique came from the same school as Sha Li-fei’s—he recognized it at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still, he could tell the old fox had his center of gravity shifted backward, clearly ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grain harvesters hired swordsmen not just to secure work, but for safety—Guanzhong’s folk were fierce, and bandits never lacked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Sha Li-fei clearly had no such courage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grain harvesters around him grew tense, gripping their sickles tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some had trained in martial arts; the rest, though unskilled in sickle techniques, had handled farm tools for years and could wield them deadly well in desperation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Added to their numerical advantage, they stood their ground, not turning to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hoofbeats drew near; the riders halted, lifting their heads to study them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath their wide-brimmed hats were faces weathered by wind and sun, each grim, eyes either mocking or brimming with contempt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan now knew for certain: these men were bandits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter their attire or weapons, each wore a loose black cloth strip around their necks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the bandit’s mark—pull it up, and it covered their faces when they struck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even bandits had rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To parade openly in broad daylight—were these fools insane?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Sha Li-fei forced himself forward, laughed loudly, and bowed with clasped fists: “Mountains have the Five Peaks, rivers have the Five Lakes; the northwest has its own blade. You look unfamiliar—where are you from?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was jianghu code—others heard only nonsense, but Li Yan understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mountains have the Five Peaks, rivers have the Five Lakes” referred to the Four Directions of Shenzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei sensed these men were strangers, not from Guanzhong, and subtly asserted his own jianghu identity to unsettle them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, there’s a saying: strong dragons don’t overpower local snakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei wasn’t even a dragon—he couldn’t claim to be a snake either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the jianghu, you bluff first, then see if it works.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Usually, after Sha Li-fei asked, the others would reply, naming their mountain, river, or patron deity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was called “pan dao”—mutually probing each other’s background to avoid misunderstandings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the strangers gave no reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few even toyed with their blades, eyes hostile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the leader barked: “Move on. These are just poor peasants—don’t waste time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His accent was utterly unlike Guanzhong’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qilu bandits!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s heart lurched—he instantly recognized them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green woods held many notorious gangs: Guandong lianzi, Guanzhong saber bandits, Central Plains gangsters, Qilu bandits, Taihu water pirates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All were outlaw clans who kidnapped, extorted, and plundered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Usually, each had its own territory, rarely crossing borders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For them to come so boldly here must mean something strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei saw it too—his legs trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, at the leader’s command, the bandits rode on without pause, vanishing in a cloud of dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a short wait, Sha Li-fei suddenly stepped forward, drew his saber with a clang, and pointed at the distance, cursing: “Ignorant bastards who don’t know the rules! If I weren’t leading these villagers, I’d teach you a lesson today!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan was speechless, rolling his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’re gone—what good is shouting now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grain harvesters rushed over, pulling and pleading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Sha, calm down…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, don’t bring them back!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei still glared, sheathed his blade, and grumbled: “A bunch of bandits? I, Sha Li-fei, don’t fear them! If not for fearing you’d get hurt… hmph!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An old man, still shaken, said: “This year’s been uneasy—shouldn’t we hurry on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hurry where?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei glared. “They just left—might be heading to a fight ahead. You want to rush to your death? Wait a bit, avoid them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan nodded inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man was a coward, but his jianghu experience was undeniable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The grain harvesters all nodded in agreement—they were here to earn money, and no matter who these people were, they avoided trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet soon after, Li Yan sprang up like a leaping carp, drew his saber with a clang, and stared tensely into the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei startled, rushing over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan gripped Guanshan Dao tightly, voice low: “Something’s coming!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t mean people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shortly after the bandits left, he smelled another scent—cold, icy, thick with fishy stench—far stronger than “Xia Laosan’s.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s skin crawled—had his spiritual root awakened, and now something was tracking him again?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What powerful thing dared appear at high noon…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei also jumped, drawing both sabers and scanning left and right—but the land was flat, no figures, no hoofbeats. He doubted: “Are you hallucinating? Where’s anyone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s that!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he finished speaking, Hei Dan pointed left in alarm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All looked up—the wheat field to the left rippled violently, parting as if something huge raced through it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And its size was unmistakably massive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they stared, a giant snake, as thick as a sea bowl, slowly lifted its head from the wheat, hissing, scales glittering in the sunlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stranger still, its head bore something like a rooster’s comb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cockcomb Snake!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many harvesters turned pale with terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Folk tales claimed: the cockcomb snake, with a rooster’s crest on its head, kills anyone it bites.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This snake is yin and evil, fond of burrowing into tombs and ancient graves—old folks’ stories often told of grave robbers who met their doom upon encountering it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More crucially, it was said to be a demon snake with spiritual cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s skin prickled—he felt it more acutely than others; the cockcomb snake radiated a cold, fishy stench stronger than the incense of the Earth God temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that icy gaze seemed fixed on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan reached for the red cloth bundle holding the Three Talismans Demon-Suppressing Coin tassel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good—it had a physical body; perhaps with this treasure he could slay it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But would killing it turn it into some cursed thing that clung to him…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t move!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Sha Li-fei barked, eyes locked ahead, voice trembling: “I’ve heard that snakes with spiritual cultivation measure their opponents.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’re taller than it, it’ll die of fright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Quick—stack yourselves!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many had heard this legend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even storytellers referenced ancient texts: “A snake with cultivation loves to compete in height with humans. If it wins, it bites; if it loses, it dies—but it must see its opponent face-to-face, never ambush. Those who see it on mountain paths should thrust an umbrella upward—it will lose and die.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether true or not, they had no choice but to obey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They weren’t fools—they’d seen how fast the cockcomb snake moved. Escape was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quickly, the harvesters stacked themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A childhood game they knew well: the strong stood below, the leaner climbed onto their shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They weren’t as skilled as jianghu performers, but in moments, they formed three layers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To their relief, the cockcomb snake merely stared from afar, hesitating, not advancing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It worked! I told you it would!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei, strong and sturdy, bore two men on his back, grinning triumphantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet his face quickly froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rooster-headed snake suddenly raised its head, its upper body straightening, growing taller and taller until it surpassed their human pyramid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hurry, more people on top!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who… who the hell just shat themselves!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd panicked; Li Yan leapt forward, stepping onto the nearby locust tree, and sprang to the very top of the human wall, sword in hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this unknown thing, he could only trust Sha Li-fei’s method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for some reason, he strangely felt the snake was mocking them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the rooster-headed snake suddenly twisted its neck, as if listening to something, then slithered into the wheat field—like a gust of wind—vanishing in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind stirred the wheat waves; in the distance, a faint flute wailed…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd finally exhaled in relief, each of them trembling with fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One old wheat worker couldn’t help cursing: “What’s going on this year? Bandits and strange snakes—did we step on the Year God?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan stared into the distance, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had a feeling: the rooster-headed snake’s target had been those bandits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this series of shocks, the group was clearly shaken and disoriented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing their morale crumbling, Sha Li-fei launched into another round of boasts and chest-thumping, reassembling the group before continuing onward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their original plan had been to take a remote mountain path as a shortcut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But under these circumstances, Sha Li-fei himself was spooked, so he led them onto the main road—inevitably adding a full day to their journey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, no further strange events occurred along the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei was an old hand; he naturally asked at tea stalls and of passersby about the bandits’ whereabouts. Thankfully, the bandits had not appeared again after turning off the main road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, after several days, they finally saw Xianyang City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They did not enter the city; instead, under Sha Li-fei’s guidance, they headed toward a nearby village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei then boasted proudly: “The family we’re going to this year is incredibly generous—wages higher than any other, and more land too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it weren’t for me, Sha Li-fei, you’d never have had this chance…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan, however, was distracted, glancing left and right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei had promised that after settling the wheat workers, he would take him to Xianyang City to meet Wang Daoxuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t know if the man truly had skill—or if he’d even be willing to take him on as a disciple…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1757,"2026-06-19T18:28:32.159Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","38abed9ee846b519bb2fe039f57494f2971c9076c08cb8abbbdb87e88f927989","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-16","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-14",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]