[{"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-53":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},2262358,4415,"Chapter 53: The Treasure-Seeker Zhao Lüzi","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-53",53,"\u003Cp>Thud! Thud-thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky had not yet brightened when the courtyard gate was suddenly knocked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei had already changed his clothes and hurried to the door, speaking softly through it: “Who’s there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We tunnel through mountains and woods, eating under Old Man Wan’s table.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the gate, a hoarse voice replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei quickly opened the door and saw a young man standing outside—ordinary features, save for a single horizontal brow, dressed in a sheepskin coat, black trousers bound with bandages, looking rustic and unrefined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this the treasure-seeker?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei muttered to himself, but dared not show even a hint of contempt, smiling warmly and gesturing: “You must be Brother Zhao—please come in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan also stepped out, both dressed for a long journey, both wearing wide-brimmed hats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the newcomer, Li Yan’s eyes flickered with surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could detect no scent whatsoever from the man!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was strange indeed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Wang the Shopkeeper of the “Wen Sheng Pavilion,” this treasure-seeker came from a family lineage known as Zhao Lüzi, whose ancestors had roamed the great mountains, specially helping Daoist craftsmen locate superior timber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though not a top expert among treasure-seekers, he was still of the Daoist sect and must possess something extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could he be carrying some treasure that masks his scent?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This raised Li Yan’s caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed his Nascent Nose Divine Skill was not infallible—if a master used such a treasure to conceal his presence for an assassination, Li Yan might not detect him until he was already at close range.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. Ancestral rules forbid entering any dwelling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man flatly refused Sha Lifei’s invitation, remaining firmly outside the gate, not stepping a single step inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei was puzzled and opened his mouth to speak, but Wang Daoxuan stepped forward and blocked him with a smile: “Then let’s follow Brother Zhao’s lead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan and Sha Lifei immediately understood: this was likely a sect taboo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some Daoist lineages, due to their traditions, held strange rules—seemingly odd, yet rooted in deep reasons; breaking them brought trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Lüzi said nothing more, nodded, and turned away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You two go ahead—I’ll meet you there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan gave a reminder, lowered his hat, and slipped into a dark alley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan said nothing, shut the courtyard gate, slung their packs, and followed Zhao Lüzi down the old street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, Li Yan slipped into the alley, hugged the wall, moved swiftly, yet made not a sound, soon circling around to a small courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He leapt up, gripped the wall’s edge, used it to flip over, landed inside, and dashed straight into the left side room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, a man slept soundly; hearing the noise, he jolted awake, instantly shoved off the bed with his right hand and kicked out at Li Yan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The motion was swift, hinting at monkey-like agility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s face remained expressionless; he sidestepped and bent low to dodge, while the Guanshan Dao flashed out with a clang, slicing upward at an angle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pfft!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood sprayed; the man groaned and collapsed, his right leg gushing blood. He tried to rise, but a blade was already pressed against his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan asked calmly: “Who sent you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That morning, the White Monkey Gang’s thugs across the courtyard had already withdrawn; they’d assumed the Zhou family was too busy with major affairs to care. Who knew someone had come to spy again in the dead of night?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man moved lightly, but he couldn’t hide his scent from Li Yan’s nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan had tracked him here last night; to avoid alerting the enemy, he waited until just before departure to slip in and deal with the threat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man on the ground gritted his teeth: “Who the hell are you? I’m sleeping in my own home, and you come in to kill? Don’t you fear the authorities?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan frowned. “Enough talk. I’ve just seen the Zhou family’s Monkey Fist. Your leg still bleeds—if treated promptly, you might still live.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing hesitation in the man’s eyes, Li Yan smiled warmly. “Brother, I’ve got no grudge against you. We’re all just trying to survive in this world—why die for someone else’s cause?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you willing to trade your life for a cheap coffin from the Zhou family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You won’t kill me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not worth it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling the weakness from his bleeding leg, the man finally spoke: “It was Third Master Zhou—Zhou Peide—who sent me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan raised an eyebrow. “Not Zhou Pan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man shook his head. “The private secretary said: stay indoors, endure everything, wait until this storm passes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan nodded. “Zhou Peide is Zhou Bai’s father—seeking revenge on me is understandable. Why didn’t he come himself?” The man hesitated, then, seeing Li Yan’s impatience, gritted his teeth: “Third Master Zhou hired a blade master. He had me follow you—once you leave Xianyang, he’ll have you killed outside the city.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So that’s it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan smiled. “With the city in chaos right now, if I vanish quietly outside, no one will trace it back to the Zhou family. Clever plan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he swung his blade to shake off the blood, sheathed it, pushed open the door, and strode out, leaping over the courtyard wall and vanishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man exhaled in relief, frantically bandaging his wound…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep autumn had arrived; the air grew colder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the southern gate with its ferry, Xianyang’s northern gate was far quieter, yet still saw local villagers coming and going, driving ox-carts to sell firewood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan, hat pulled low, exited the city gate and followed the main road. Less than a few li down, he spotted Wang Daoxuan and the others beside a grove by the roadside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since arriving in Xianyang, they’d been poor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the Gu Shui Village job, only Li Yan had gotten a horse—and sold it. Wang Daoxuan and Sha Lifei hadn’t earned a single copper coin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Spring Wind Troupe’s spirit-invoking job had been paid off with the Divine Drum’s Cloud Thunder Sound, and luckily Sha Lifei had won some bets—barely enough to live on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They couldn’t afford a horse, but luckily the Tai Xing Horse and Cart Shop in Xianyang sided with Zhang Yuanshang, so they rented several without a deposit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three said nothing more, mounted their horses, and by noon arrived near Chunhua County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At last, the silent Zhao Lüzi spoke, pointing to a distant mountain range: “That thunder-struck jujube tree lies ahead, in those mountains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it’s Yetai Mountain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and smiled. “This mountain has some fame in Daoist circles—since ancient times, many temples have stood here. The people of Guanzhong call deities ‘Yé,’ so Yetai means ‘Divine Platform.’ Tang people often gathered tea here, calling it ‘Divine Rabbit Ridge.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also, there’s a lesser-known legend: in Daoist lore, the site where the Grand Master Wen died at the end of the Shang Dynasty—the Dragon-Slaying Ridge—is right here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei’s eyes lit up. “Treasure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Daoxuan chuckled. “Even if there was, someone else got there first. In Guanzhong, everything on the surface has long been scoured clean.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for what lies underground—those worth disturbing have already been emptied; those too dangerous to touch lead only to death. Only the Qinling still holds some undiscovered things.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’d know best, young Zhao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at Zhao Lüzi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Lüzi was clearly not talkative; seeing everyone look at him, he scratched his head and spoke in his hoarse voice: “My family’s lineage is the Mountain Guide—never dealt with tomb raiders. But Qinling is dangerous. My father went into Qinling and never came out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My condolences, Brother Zhao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan was deeply interested in the treasure-seeking trade—his Great Luo Body needed heavenly and earthly treasures to repair itself. Seeing Zhao Lüzi finally speak, he quickly tried to bond with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao Lüzi was shy; after Li Yan’s flattery and Sha Lifei’s support, he mumbled some details about treasure-seekers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The treasure-seeking trade had existed since ancient times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In remote antiquity, tribal shamans discovered the wonders of heavenly and earthly treasures, regarding them as divine gifts, but didn’t understand how to obtain them—so they communicated with spirits and ghosts for guidance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They recorded these secrets on oracle bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later, during the Qin and Han dynasties, the Fangxian Dao flourished; those alchemists, searching for immortality elixirs, traveled countless mountains and rivers, strange and hidden realms, gradually compiling their knowledge into texts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was said the lost Imperial Jade Seal was made from a heavenly and earthly treasure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The treasure-seeker lineage split into three branches: Mountain Guide, Sea Explorer, and Cave Seeker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mountain Guides only ventured into mountains; Sea Explorers excelled at underwater treasure hunting; Cave Seekers specialized in ancient tombs, caverns, and ruins—each had their strengths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Also, because Shenzhou was vast and climates and landscapes varied, treasure-seekers only operated in regions they knew well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, a Guanzhong treasure-seeker who wandered into the white mountains and black waters beyond the pass would be utterly lost when encountering unfamiliar phenomena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the Cave Seekers, they differed from professional tomb robbers—their main goal was heavenly and earthly treasures born within ancient tombs and caverns; finding silver coins or antiques was merely incidental.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they encountered an inauspicious object, no matter how valuable, they never took it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group entered Chunhua County and headed straight for a horse-and-cart inn, planning to leave their horses there and arrange ahead of time for someone to transport the timber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, according to Zhao Lüzi, the thunder-struck jujube tree was large—once found, they couldn’t possibly carry it out themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they discussed this, a nearby attendant couldn’t help speaking up: “Gentlemen, if you’re going to Yetai Mountain, forgive me for speaking out—it’s not safe up there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan raised an eyebrow. “How so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The attendant glanced at the innkeeper; seeing no objection, lowered his voice and said: “Have you heard of… the Red-Haired, Blood-Faced One?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1665,"2026-06-19T18:28:32.159Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","11d7e31997a65d16cbe0bdf1a5a9c9fd0c2043545036cee713283bbf903dd4df","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-54","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-52",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]