[{"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-46":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},2262351,4415,"Chapter 46: Fists and Feet Will Not Yield","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-46",46,"\u003Cp>“Good!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below, the crowd erupted again in thunderous cheers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Bai’s display was visually more impressive than Li Yan’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Monkey tricks, dog taming, pole climbing, tightrope walking—these were things the common folk had seen street performers do at temple fairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this skill of running along eaves and scaling walls was rare to behold; especially the series of claw marks left on the thick wooden boards as Zhou Bai passed, leaving them marveling in awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, amateurs watch the spectacle; experts watch the technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only true martial artists knew how astonishing Li Yan’s earlier move had been in demonstrating his lower-body foundation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were merely interludes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone’s attention quickly turned to the fighting platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even watching a spectacle has its rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, a condemned man on the execution ground who stays silent and is beheaded without a word might chill the heart, but afterward feels dull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if he shouts curses as he’s led out—cursing the court, cursing corrupt officials, cursing the dog emperor—and then sings a verse declaring he’ll be a brave man again in eighteen years, that’s what’s called flavor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Likewise, a fighting platform match must be judged by the rivals’ pre-fight taunts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like modern combat matches, you always bring the two enemies together, force them to glare at each other, and build up the atmosphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the crowd held their breath, eyes wide, eager to see how the two would taunt each other—ideally with a scene from opera, singing a few lines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the stage disappointed them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan and Zhou Bai merely sized each other up, cold and silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, on a life-or-death duel, there was nothing left to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Zhou Bai, this was just a naive country boy, relying on his father’s reputation to provoke the Zhou family for fame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan knew the Zhou family’s grudge could never be resolved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving aside past grievances, his father’s death was tied to Zhou Pan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Zhou Bai wasn’t the killer, he was an accomplice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two studied each other, searching for weaknesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both were martial artists, young but trained since childhood, intimately familiar with the human body, able to discern from subtle signs whether the opponent had recently suffered serious injury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A martial artist’s body was as precious as gold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It required not just training and fighting, but also care; one misstep could end a career unless one forged a new path, like mastering the one-armed sword technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A life-or-death duel knows no courtesy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once you spot an injury, you strike to kill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing no obvious flaw, Zhou Bai grew impatient and gave a slight bow, coldly saying: “I hear you specialize in Hong Quan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come, let’s test each other—see how many guts you’ve got to challenge the Zhou family in Xianyang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, Zhou Peide among the Eight Golden Warriors turned pale and slammed his fist on the table. “Ridiculous!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone now saw Zhou Bai’s intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhou family’s Monkey Fist was a branch of Hong Quan; Zhou Pan had studied the Back-Reach Monkey Fist, absorbed strengths from both lineages, and built his own renown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, the parent art, Hong Quan, was also mastered deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This young man, arrogant, abandoned his own strength to use Hong Quan to suppress Li Yan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was entirely different from the original plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Qu’s eyes flashed with anger, but he suppressed it, smiling: “Big Brother, don’t get angry. Zhou Bai has trained hard in Hong Quan too; with his talent, defeating this opponent is effortless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is a life-or-death duel—do you want fame so badly that you’ve lost your mind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Peide remained furious, barking: “When we return, lock him in solitary confinement. And you—keep him away from faction affairs. Stay clear of Zhou Bai!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He held himself in high regard; though nominally brothers with Yuan Qu and Zheng Heibei, he looked down on them as mere servants of the Zhou family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now enraged, he spoke without restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Big Brother is right to reprimand us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Qu immediately bowed, hiding the venom in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above, Zhou Bai had already moved first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ten-meter platform was small; he pushed off with his feet, twisted his body, closed the distance, raised his left palm in a feint, and his right hand shot straight toward Li Yan’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This move, White Tiger Washing Face, derived from Hong Quan’s Six Harmonies Spear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arm moved like a spear blossom—only shadows visible—aiming for surprise, striking the eyes and the central brow point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Hong Quan: techniques forged on the battlefield, each move meant to draw blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fear not a hundred refined moves; fear only one brilliant one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If perfected, this move would erupt like a spear-blossom thunderclap; the enemy couldn’t react, eyes blurred, and died instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Yan had anticipated it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t dodge; his left hand blocked Zhou Bai’s arm, then shifted his shoulder and twisted his waist, using abdominal power to drive his right fist down like a hammer, striking Zhou Bai’s Baihui point at the crown of his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Quan’s opening move: Block-Chop-Hammer!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looked like a wild punch, but it was guarding the center while attacking the center—deflecting and countering in one motion. If it landed, one punch could shatter the opponent’s skull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Opposite, Zhou Bai had trained with many masters since childhood; his experience surpassed Li Yan’s. He merely tilted sideways, twisted his shoulder, raised his arms, crossed his fists in a cross-lock, and seized Li Yan’s right wrist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Peide on the distant winehouse balcony relaxed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hong Quan techniques came from the battlefield; this wrist-lock was crucial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In battlefield combat, when weapons clashed, a master needed only a light tug to unbalance the enemy, leaving him defenseless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wrist-lock worked the same way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once locked, countless follow-ups could deliver a killing blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, as Zhou Bai seized Li Yan’s wrist, he immediately launched a vicious groin kick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan reacted swiftly, countering with a side kick that sent Zhou Bai’s leg flying back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment they connected, he sensed something wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Bai’s kick was limp, weak—just a feint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Li Yan lifted his leg to counter, he stood on one foot, off-balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True enough, Zhou Bai leaned sideways, wrapped his arms around the back of Li Yan’s right knee, crossed his hands, and unleashed a burst of force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sword-Carrying Leg!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A brutal move, instantly unbalancing the opponent to throw them down, followed by a killing strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Zhang Shi had been knocked flying by Li Yan’s Leaf-Hidden Flower precisely to avoid this move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without surprise, Li Yan fell backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Bai’s follow-up came instantly: a side whip kick, perfectly timed to strike Li Yan’s temple as his head neared the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this critical moment, Li Yan’s extraordinary foundational skill showed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He twisted his waist mid-air, dodged Zhou Bai’s side kick, then locked his legs around Zhou Bai’s waist in a scissor grip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, the force was applied mid-motion—he couldn’t lift and throw Zhou Bai like he had in the Zhang family’s training hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Hong Quan had specialized countermeasures for falling: the Nine Rolls, Eighteen Tumbles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using Zhou Bai’s waist as leverage, Li Yan pushed off the ground with his left hand and executed a horizontal Rabbit Kicks Eagle, kicking straight into Zhou Bai’s leg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Bai had rich experience in breaking techniques, but perhaps because his training had been too rigid, his adaptability was poor, his responses stiff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t react to Li Yan’s move in time and lost his balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan, meanwhile, pushed off with his left hand; as his legs came down, he bent and surged forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This move was called Pushing the Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a tiger pouncing on prey, Li Yan wrapped his arms around Zhou Bai’s waist, stepped forward several times, and slammed him to the ground, then straddled his waist sideways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fists rained down like linked cannons, crackling rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse, because the platform was narrow, Li Yan’s shove pushed Zhou Bai right to the edge—his chest hanging over empty air, his waist unable to generate power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing this barrage of cannon punches, Zhou Bai desperately shielded his head, but still took several hits; his vision blurred, blood spurted from his nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan showed no mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This series of cannon punches—if one landed on a vital point—could snap the opponent’s neck outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In moments, Zhou Bai was on the defensive; as he struggled to block, fear rose in him—but more than fear, rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had intended to crush Li Yan with Hong Quan, yet Li Yan, younger than him, fought with such seasoned, ruthless skill, humiliating him before the entire crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martial artists naturally carried a fierce aura.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Bai trained Monkey Fist, which bred a wild nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anger and pain drove him to reckless abandon—he grabbed Li Yan’s clothes, rolled over, and both tumbled off the platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many onlookers gasped sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The preceding exchange had been relentless—no evasion, pure collision, lightning-fast, dazzling to watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A platform over three zhang high—if they fell, wouldn’t they be half-dead?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the martial artists watching weren’t worried.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martial artists trained since childhood; rolling to dissipate impact was basic skill. Even falling from five zhang, they could roll and land unharmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some masters even dared to jump from city walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What troubled them was that the rules of the arena stipulated that falling off meant defeat—could this match really end in a draw?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, the situation took them by surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Zhou Bai fell, he curled his body, revealing his monkey form, then dug his claws into the wooden wall beside the platform and clung to it, stopping himself dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s claw technique was inferior to his opponent’s, but he had his own way to respond.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flicked his left hand, punched through the wooden plank, gripped the crack to halt his momentum, and turned to look at Zhou Bai across the way, a faint sneer on his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, wanna go up and fight again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go fight your damn self!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Bai roared in fury, leaping forward like a monkey…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1683,"2026-06-19T18:28:32.159Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","fd25ac03b015b9eee2f543e3d630ad5d32b653c745a0348b2facde83ba6d1a45","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-47","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-45",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]