[{"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-20":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},2262325,4415,"Chapter 20: Ancient Xianyang City","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-20",20,"\u003Cp>How could this be!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many passengers waited for the ferry; the old man’s tobacco smell, the woman’s perfume, sweat, fish stench, and the rotting wood of the dock all surged into his nostrils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smell was utterly nauseating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan nearly stumbled from the stench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood: his sense of smell had once again surged unexpectedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since that night’s life-or-death battle with the Cold Altar’s demon soldiers, this was the third explosive surge in a short time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides these ordinary odors, he detected many unusual scents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several hundred meters from the dock, a cold, sticky stench lingered—something sinister had left its mark, and despite the waves crashing against it, the smell refused to fade…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the large riverboat of the Cao Gang, someone at the bow burned incense, tied red cloth, scattered spirit money, and poured animal blood; a fierce heat swirled around the prow…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even more terrifying was the distant city of Xianyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a monstrous beast resting on the plain, it emitted an ancient, desolate odor, and within its walls, countless incense offerings rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each one was dozens of times stronger than the incense at Li Family Fortress’s land god shrine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this the real world…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan was shaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since awakening his sense of smell last year, he had never set foot in Chang’an City, not even in Lantian County—he had always stayed holed up in Li Family Fortress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he had come to Xianyang, he immediately sensed the difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder Wang the Widow and the others hid in the remote village of Li Family Fortress; if they had gone to Chang’an, they would have been exposed immediately, drawing their enemies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Li Yan suddenly saw black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Waves of dizziness surged, and his astonishing sense of smell vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan grabbed a nearby willow tree and took a long while to recover.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face turned grim; he cursed silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, this divine sense came at a cost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang the Widow hadn’t mentioned it—perhaps she hadn’t realized his sense of smell would surge explosively so many times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still, his ability had gone out of control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any loss of control was a major problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be resolved quickly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The ferry’s coming—!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ferryman’s voice broke his thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, his sense of smell had shut off; though his head spun and sweat soaked his back, Li Yan walked toward the ferry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ferry was small, about seven or eight meters long, with no canopy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After paying the fare, Li Yan found a random spot to sit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cool breeze blew across the river; the chatter of the townsfolk filled his ears:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auntie Wang, why aren’t you harvesting your wheat? Why go into the city?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hired wheat harvesters from Longyou—I must go into the city to burn incense, pray for no rain these days, then hurry back…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve got plenty of able-bodied men at home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t mention it—my second and third sons went to Jinmen, saying the factories there earn more money, and they won’t even come home for the New Year. I figured, since our land isn’t much, the eldest got his share, so the second and third need some hope…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan knew these things from his village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Ming Dynasty had stood for a hundred years and now stood at its peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet beneath this golden age, hidden currents stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Large-scale land consolidation had begun; refugees multiplied across the land, and in the past decade, numerous uprisings had erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, the court had opened the seas for trade; major artisan workshops rose in port cities, absorbing many refugees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the imperial court, rumors said unrest brewed—factions formed, attacking one another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Li Yan had no interest in any of this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He only wanted to resolve his own predicament as soon as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After crossing the Wei River, Li Yan’s mind cleared noticeably; his sense of smell returned, but now it was weak—roughly as it had been before confronting “Blind Old Three.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan didn’t bother to dwell on it; he lowered his straw hat and entered the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it was an ancient capital of the Qin dynasty; ancient texts described it as having “palaces and pavilions, terraces and towers, stretching over three hundred li, blocking out the sun and sky.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though battered by war and rebuilt multiple times, the city had shrunk considerably, yet it remained prosperous; as soon as he entered, a wall of noise and bustle hit him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike Chang’an’s orderly grid of 108 wards, Xianyang’s layout was irregular; Li Yan entered through the South Gate, where the area near the dock was a tangled maze of old commercial streets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shops lined the road, banners fluttered, vendors shouted incessantly; mules, carts, and pedestrians interwove, creating a scene of bustling chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, beggars were everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps because Li Yan carried a sword, no one bothered him—but other unfamiliar travelers were immediately surrounded by a gang of beggar children as soon as they entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They wore tattered clothes; some were missing limbs; they clung to people, pleading, “Kind sir, may you gain a thousand taels this year!” “Madam, bless me with sons and grandsons…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan glanced at them and turned away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the beggar sects of the jianghu, there were Eastern and Western factions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Eastern faction were soft beggars, mostly performing arts on the streets—songs like “Singing the Tunes,” “Literary and Martial Tones,” “Worshiping the Deities,” “Wandering the Five Lakes,” and more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These beggars wandered the land, drifting with the tide. The Western faction were mostly stationary beggars, typically entrenched in a single city under a beggar boss who took a cut of their daily takings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eastern beggars, when arriving in any city, had to first pay homage to the Western beggars’ den, gain permission to perform, and pay their cut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they didn’t know the rules, they’d be dead before nightfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among Western beggar bosses, many were “fake beggars”—families who passed down control of the city’s beggar dens; by day they wore rags, by night they changed into brocade robes and enjoyed themselves in brothels and theaters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still, some engaged in kidnapping, human trafficking, and body mutilation, closely tied to the city’s human traffickers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their specialty was hard begging; though those beggar children looked pitiful, they were ruthless—ordinary people dared not provoke them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, when the unfamiliar merchant refused to give money, the beggar children instantly changed their faces, banging their broken bowls and chanting the Lotus Sutra curses:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No money, no blessing—spend your remaining cash on a coffin!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You won’t give? Then I won’t beg—see how desperate you get, you little brat!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The merchant flew into a rage and chased the beggars—but didn’t notice his money pouch had already been stolen…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there were many Eastern beggars too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan walked through the streets and saw a blind beggar telling stories on the roadside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes were clouded, his voice ancient and weary, carrying a deep classical flavor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Glory and profit come and go, wealth and splendor vanish like mist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The world rolls like a tide—how many attain immortality…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To cultivate the Dao!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excuse me, is Master Wang Daoxuan here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside a small shop, Li Yan asked the shopkeeper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near Xianyang’s City God Temple, aside from snack stalls and breakfast vendors, nearly every shop sold paper offerings, incense and candles, coffins, funeral garments—there were also many fortune-telling and divination booths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, the shop Li Yan asked about was an incense and candle shop, stocked with everything from ordinary earth incense to thick arm-length sticks, from plain red and white candles to ornate dragon-and-phoenix candles, and every kind of spirit money and ingots imaginable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan had come here because the temple’s incense smell was so thick it made him dizzy, so he hadn’t approached it directly—he followed the address given by Sha Li Fei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Sha Li Fei, Wang Daoxuan ran a shop offering character divination, feng shui, fortune-telling for weddings and funerals, exorcisms, and demon hunting—anything and everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the shop at the address had changed owners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan had no choice but to ask around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wang Daoxuan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The incense shop owner, a squint-eyed fat man, frowned in confusion, then suddenly brightened: “You mean Old Wang the Quiet!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He smiled knowingly: “He’s buried in debt—sold his shop to me. Now he runs his business from home.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang… the Quiet?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s face froze; anger surged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li Fei was utterly unreliable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he’d mentioned Wang Daoxuan took any job, likely a fool, at least he was a Daoist who might know something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But from the shopkeeper’s words, Wang was probably worse than imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In debt, couldn’t even keep his shop…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wang Daoxuan” was surely just a self-styled alias, like Sha Li Fei’s!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s ability was already out of control; now his temper flared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeeper noticed, quickly stepped forward, bowed with a smile: “Sir, are you seeking character divination, feng shui, or help with weddings or funerals? Tell me—I know every shop on this street, and I can give you a better price…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, I’ll decide later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words sounded polite, but Li Yan didn’t believe a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d seen too many like this—merchants who’d tear down each other’s walls; with customers, they’d be even more ruthless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, the items in this incense shop—he smelled them at once—were all ordinary junk; even the deity statues had no incense aura. Just an amateur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, when Li Yan showed no interest, the shopkeeper’s attitude turned cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s mind stirred; he feigned anger, bowed, and said: “I have a debt to settle with Old Wang the Quiet—please tell me where he lives.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boss glanced sideways, saw the knife at his waist, and a hint of malicious delight flashed in his eyes; he raised a finger and said, “Easy enough—guest, see that alley? Walk three hundred meters inside, and the Questioning Dao Hall will be on your right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeeper’s direction led to an old residential lane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan entered it, and all he saw were ancient, simple houses; though each stood alone behind its own walls, they were secluded and narrow, clearly the dwellings of common folk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many of these houses had walls built from reclaimed Qin bricks of old Xianyang, and the ground was paved with weathered blue stone slabs, lending the place a distinct antique charm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked three hundred meters ahead and soon found the place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above the gate of an old house hung a wooden sign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Made of ordinary jujube wood, coated with a thin layer of lacquer—worse than even a tavern’s sign—but the three characters “Questioning Dao Hall” were ancient, forceful, and remarkably distinguished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s anger subtly lessened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he sniffed the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small courtyard carried several unusual scents…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1800,"2026-06-19T18:28:32.159Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5518d4e6ab402198bf9623d962975ee5527bb545a99788c9c8619f9a5eb2bdea","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-21","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-19",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]