[{"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-33":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},2262338,4415,"Chapter 33: The Beggar","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-33",33,"\u003Cp>“Idiot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slap!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a sharp slap, Meng Haicheng fell to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood mixed with broken teeth dripped down, dust clung to his body, and the blood-stained bandage around his neck made him look utterly disheveled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Meng Haicheng dared not even breathe heavily; he scrambled up and knelt on the ground, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a fairly sizable blacksmith shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside in the courtyard stood a row of worn-out forges, their fires glowing red, the ground littered with iron slag and coal cinders; a group of men, bare-chested, swung hammers of varying sizes in alternating strikes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding! Ding! Clang! Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the piercing clang of hammering, sparks flew everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the inner courtyard, a group of men, dressed differently and covered in tattoos, stood or squatted; under the dim candlelight, their faces looked grotesque.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air reeked of heavy sweat, tobacco, and the sour stench of days-old unwashed clothes, intertwining to make one nauseous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the Iron Knife Gang’s base.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Directly above the inner courtyard’s steps sat a man on a large armchair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man was exceptionally tall, with a scruffy beard, dark skin, and brutally coarse features, giving him a fearsome appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he wore a bright red robe, improperly fastened, exposing his right arm and shoulder, where a black tiger was tattooed across his dark skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wore a small cap and had flowers pinned to his ears, making him look absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man was Zheng Heibei, leader of the Iron Knife Gang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had once been a blacksmith in Xianyang, born with extraordinary strength, trained in his family’s Tongbei Fist, and with a fiery temper, he gathered a band of troublemakers who frequently brawled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After offending someone and spending several days in jail, he finally woke up, bowed his head, and joined Zhou Pan’s sect, then founded the Iron Knife Gang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The West City was far less prosperous than the East City, but his Iron Knife Gang bullied merchants and monopolized the city’s blacksmith trade, making it extremely profitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Zheng Heibei sat sprawled in his chair, idly turning a walnut in his hand, coldly eyeing the kneeling Meng Haicheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know where you acted like an idiot?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Haicheng inwardly groaned: “I shouldn’t have agreed to the death match.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was an old hand, but only after leaving did he realize he’d been tricked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our side had the numbers advantage—we should’ve just reneged then and overwhelmed Li Yan, killing him on the spot; who would’ve known Li Hu’s son was in Xianyang?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But back then, he’d been truly terrified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, thinking of Li Yan’s eyes, his spine still chilled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Heibei above didn’t know his thoughts; he coldly said, “A greenhorn just out of the Jianghu has you dancing like a puppet—no wonder you’ve sunk to this level.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s he worth? Just cut him to pieces and have someone else take the blame. Now look—you turned it into a martial arena fight. Whether you win or lose, you’ve slapped your master’s face!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Haicheng grew even more frightened; he gritted his teeth and said, “Then let me take men now and flay him alive!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Too late!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Heibei said calmly, “Everyone on the Xianyang roads is talking about this. If you kill him now, won’t you just make a laughingstock?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Haicheng had no reply; his inner anguish deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If only he’d pretended not to know the boy from the start.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above, Zheng Heibei fell into thought, then turned to the side, his tone softening considerably: “Master You, I heard the boy followed an Xuanmen Daoist. Do you know what they’re planning?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just summoning a spirit, nothing more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The speaker was a middle-aged man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His appearance and accent were utterly unlike those of the Guanzhong people—he bore features of the Jiangzuo region, dressed in a black robe, with unkempt hair and a long mustache.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More peculiar still, his forehead bore a Taiji symbol drawn in cinnabar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man was You Laosi, a sorcerer from Jiangzuo skilled in dark incantation magic; no one knew who he had angered, so he fled everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After learning of him, Zheng Heibei secretly took him in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over the years, several of his rivals died mysteriously—this You Laosi was behind it; Zheng Heibei relied heavily on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sorcerer You Laosi gently stroked his beard and sneered: “That Daoist is Wang Daoxuan—mediocre at best. All he’s doing is trying to summon a yin spirit to protect them while they take on some brutal jobs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Summoning a yin spirit requires going to the mass grave—likely tomorrow night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And the mass grave is the territory of those Westbound beggars. Boss, send someone to cause trouble during the ritual—those beggars won’t escape death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once they’re all dead, who cares about some stupid martial match?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excellent idea, Master You!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Heibei pondered a moment, then said, “Er Gou, go there. Remember—be polite. Those beggars are strange.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Brother!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A narrow-faced, monkey-eyed man stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sorcerer You Laosi suddenly spoke: “Go like that, and you won’t even see them—you’ll lose your life. Let me tell you how to do it...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Gou memorized every word, bowed, and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Iron Knife Gang’s base was in Xianyang’s East City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After leaving, the narrow-faced, monkey-eyed man Er Gou mounted a fast horse, passed through Changping Warehouse, rode past the Horse King Temple, and exited Xianyang through the Northwest Gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the southern ancient ferry, this northern gate was far more desolate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the autumn rain, a towering archway stood alone in the wilderness; on the muddy road, occasional civilians were from nearby villages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Gou wore a bamboo hat and spurred his horse forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near dusk, he arrived near a small hill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or rather, it wasn’t even a hill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Guanzhong Plain was surrounded by mountains—whether the Qinling, Zhongnan, Huashan, Lishan to the south and east, or Liangshan behind—all dwarfed this little mound by far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet its notoriety was no less.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether from war, famine, plague, or Jianghu killings, Xianyang City produced countless unclaimed corpses daily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These corpses could not be casually discarded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the executed criminals from the execution ground were buried by someone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This task fell to the Westbound Beggar Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They wouldn’t bury them properly—mostly just wrapping them in straw mats, unless a kind soul donated a cheap, dog-bitten coffin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They didn’t care about feng shui—just buried them randomly on the hill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place was Xianyang’s mass grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Years of accumulation had turned the hill into a sea of unclaimed graves, tangled with gnarled old trees, crows flying wildly, and packs of stray dogs roaming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the autumn rain and mist, it was dim and gloomy, like the netherworld.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary Xianyang citizens never dared come here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even this Iron Knife Gang man, Er Gou, felt his skin crawl at the sight; he spat in disgust, muttering: “A bunch of pus-ridden cowards, living in this ghost place...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he only dared think it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xianyang’s Beggar Sect had always been dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the great drought and plague years ago, after the Miler Sect rebelled, the beggars’ nest moved into these hills—and their movements became highly mysterious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They claimed it was to avoid war, yet even in peace, they never returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some suspected they secretly colluded with the Miler Sect; even a Wuqi Wei of Xianyang secretly sent men to investigate, then led troops to search, hoping to earn merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet they found nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gradually, people grew accustomed to the beggars’ nest on the mass grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the Jianghu, legends about these beggars multiplied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like their ability to steal souls, their collusion with human traffickers to kidnap women and children...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like their mastery of snakes and scorpions, even commanding the wild dogs here...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several Jianghu swordsmen had died mysteriously after offending the Beggar Sect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, these beggars were deeply sinister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, near dusk, night had fallen, and autumn rain and mist made the light extremely dim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Er Gou’s skin crawled; he dismounted, lifted a lantern, and crept forward cautiously, constantly glancing left and right, alert to every sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing at the countless unclaimed graves around him, even though he was a man who’d faced three cuts and six punctures without blinking, his scalp tightened and every hair stood on end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Woof! Woof! Woof!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he stepped onto the path, the wild dogs howled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the dark, misty gloom, pairs of blood-red eyes appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man startled, instantly drawing his waist sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wild dog packs of the mass grave were legendary horrors in Xianyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These beasts fed on corpses, brimming with ferocity; some claimed they’d attacked wolf packs—and eating a man was nothing to them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remembering You Laosi’s warning, Er Gou, though terrified, quickly sheathed his sword and raised his fists, calling out loudly: “We drink from the same river, share the same eternal green—I, Lu Er Gou, come to pay respects. I beg you all to appear!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The words had barely left his lips when a reprimand echoed from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the sound of beasts running, those pairs of red eyes vanished swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ErGou watched with silent unease—these beggars truly could command wild dogs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, another dark figure emerged through the rain and mist, no lantern in hand, hunched and stooped, speaking in a low voice: “Where do you noble guests come from?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The old capital of the Qin Prince.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know the weight of the Jianghu?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Precisely four jin, twenty-three liang, five qian, four fen, nine li, and eight hao!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are fen, li, and hao?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Four Seas, the Nine Rivers, and the Eight Rivers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where do your fellow travelers make their fortune?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I dare not claim that—I merely follow Master Zheng for my meals.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After exchanging these Jianghu coded phrases, he had roughly sized them up—the figure ahead finally lit a lantern, revealing an old beggar in tattered clothes, unkempt and filthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>ErGou exhaled in relief and followed closely behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, he kept feeling something watching him from the darkness, yet dared not look back, thinking to himself—these beggars were truly uncanny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, after entering the mountains, a faint glow of fire appeared ahead…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1702,"2026-06-19T18:28:32.159Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a652aa5161f19fed63b21bebf9bba6fe18bb0589eab7cfa72e9e505f0387d5df","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-34","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-32",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]