[{"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-68":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},2262373,4415,"Chapter 68: Crossing the Yin, Destroying the Hall","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-68",68,"\u003Cp>The moon was dark, the wind howled high, and the sound of shoveling earth never ceased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan and Sha Lifei dug vigorously, while Wu Laosi sat in meditation beside them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His meditation posture was peculiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lay flat on his back, legs bent, soles of his feet facing each other—somewhat like the Yang-Rising Pose—but his palms were crossed, forming an odd hand seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a moment, he suddenly opened his eyes, sprang up like a leaping carp, his expression utterly transformed, his eyes now blazing with intensity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Done!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glancing at the deep pit, Wu Laosi said in a low voice: “Three feet below the surface lies the divine; three feet beneath that opens to the yin. This depth is sufficient. Lift the coffin!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Li Yan and Sha Lifei immediately dropped their shovels.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First they scattered five-colored soil, then poured a bottle of yellow wine, and finally lifted the thin-walled coffin beside them and slowly lowered it into the pit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is a thin-walled coffin?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coffins are usually seven feet three inches long, hence the saying: “The world’s coffins are seven feet three—enough to bury every man under heaven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this is merely folk custom; imperial nobles follow different rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, among commoners there are distinctions too: wealthy families use fine sandalwood or nanmu, materials that resist decay for ages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The poor cannot afford good materials; their coffin boards are less than three inches thick—hence called thin-walled coffins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because such coffins are often dug up by wild dogs, who smash the boards with their heads and eat the dead flesh, they are also called “Dog-Bump.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Laosi was not being buried, so a Dog-Bump sufficed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After placing the coffin, Wu Laosi picked up several handfuls of paper money, chanted sutras—essentially warning wandering ghosts not to disturb—and formed a hand seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan could smell several streams of underground yin-evil qi being drawn up, swirling around the coffin in the shape of the Southern Dipper’s six stars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having finished, he took off his shoes, placed them inside the coffin—one sole up, one sole down—then lay down slowly inside himself, clutching the “Hooked Warrant” in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Remember!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Laosi’s expression was grave: “When the rooster crows and dawn breaks, if the bell rings, break open the coffin at once. If the bell does not ring, burn the coffin outright—do not open it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Burn it?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei gasped, “But Master… you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Laosi shook his head: “Don’t worry about me. If you don’t want to die, burn it—because if the bell doesn’t ring…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What comes out won’t be me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he slowly closed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan and Sha Lifei exchanged glances, both feeling helpless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was their first time witnessing true Soul-Traveling art; they understood none of its secrets, so they could only obey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They slowly closed the coffin lid, but did not nail it shut.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, there was a hole in the coffin. Li Yan first shoved the hemp rope tied to the copper bell into the hole; seeing Wu Laosi grip the rope tightly inside, he and Sha Lifei then began shoveling earth to bury the coffin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following Wu Laosi’s prearranged directions, they placed six oil lamps in the pattern of the Southern Dipper’s six stars, then tied the copper bell to a tree—only then did they consider it done.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cluck-cluck!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside them, a large rooster was tied to a tree, pecking at the soil for insects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei shook his head: “This method looks strangely sinister—I wonder if it’ll work?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just follow the Master’s orders.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan said gravely: “Sha Laoshu, remember—if dark winds rise later, scatter paper money to keep the Master’s body from being preyed upon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei swallowed hard: “What if those things don’t respect it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan slowly fastened the Three-Cosmos Pacifying Coin-Sword tassel, his voice calm:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If words fail, we use force.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elsewhere, Xianyang City was also uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bang—bang bang!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Midnight has come. Dry weather, high fire risk—watch your lanterns!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old night-watchman trudged slowly down the old street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he passed a dark alley, he suddenly felt a chill, pulled his coat tighter, and quickened his pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Years of night-watching had given him sharp ears; in the silent night, he could hear the breathing of many people hidden in nearby alleys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the old man never meddled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This alley was near the Changping Granary, where government troops were stationed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If anything happened, it wasn’t his concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And across the alley, the large blacksmith shop was the base of the Iron Knife Gang—these men routinely bullied others, and he’d suffered plenty of their abuse; he had no interest in interfering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Decades of storms had taught him too much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his youth, the Wang family was a grand household, brimming with skilled fighters, even connected by blood to the palace—known as the King of Xianyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then a single imperial decree erased the entire clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In middle age, the Gao family produced several Golden Core experts, renowned across the Guanzhong region; even major outside sects had to pay their respects first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after offending some mysterious force, they were wiped out overnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to these, the Iron Knife Gang was nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This world always has someone with a bigger fist…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had the old man left than two figures slowly emerged from the alley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One wore a sheepskin jacket—the same man who had guarded the entrance to the Wendaoguan alley that night, dispatching the beggar’s attackers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was Luo Shihai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man bowed respectfully: “Master Luo, you should stay home. We can easily pluck out the last tooth of the Zhou family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Shihai snorted: “The Iron Knife Gang hides a Jiangzuo sorcerer scheming for my treasure—do not let this man escape!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, Master, rest assured.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sheepskin-jacketed man nodded, then turned, his face darkening: “Strike!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his command, a swarm of black-clad men surged out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They wore black headscarves and carried wooden short staves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each staff was about one arm’s length plus one elbow—thicker at one end, thinner at the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This weapon is called “Whip-Staff,” or “Pack-Mule Whip,” popular in Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Jinzhou; ancient in origin, many martial artists trained in it, most famously the Heart-Mind Six Harmonies Whip-Staff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But for an entire group to use it uniformly? That is the mark of the Carriage and Horse Guild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These men were from the Taixing Carriage and Horse Guild.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had they left the alley than they sprinted toward the walls surrounding the blacksmith shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Iron Knife Gang’s base, this shop was no ordinary place—it had been fused with neighboring shops, its walls raised over two men tall, like a small fortress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet it could not stop these Carriage and Horse Guild enforcers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They moved in threes: two crossed their hands, the third stepped onto them and leapt upward, then switched grips and pulled, and the other two swiftly followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>!.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Movements swift, they scaled the high walls in the space of a breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of shattered pottery rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Iron Knife Gang’s thugs had placed numerous ceramic jars beneath the walls for nighttime alerts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who’s there?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, gang members awoke, grabbing short swords and rushing out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, these thugs wouldn’t be so clustered—especially at night, each had his own haunts: brothels, gambling dens, taverns…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But lately, things had grown unstable; the White Ape Gang had been crushed by the authorities, so their boss ordered everyone to stay at base and avoid trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing a group of black-clad men leap down, the Iron Knife Gang members were startled—but when they realized there were fewer than thirty, their courage returned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where do these bastards come from?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brothers, give them some blood!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Iron Knife Gang roared and charged into battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment they clashed, they sensed something wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These black-clad men were silent, their whip-staffs striking with terrifying force—thrust, chop, lift, hook—clean, precise, snapping every wrist, sending their swords clattering to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the whip-staff: not iron, yet compact, fierce, swift, and endlessly variable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whip-staffs whirled, accompanied by thudding impacts and continuous screams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were true gangsters of the Jianghu!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Iron Knife Gang members were suddenly shaken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were mere street thugs, once trained in basic fists and feet, but long since hollowed out by wine and lust—only capable of bullying ordinary civilians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, they relied on official rules to bully and intimidate fallen martial artists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But against these true hard men, they could only take beatings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the ground was littered with fallen men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Taixing Carriage Guild was ruthless: though they avoided vital points like the Baihui or Taiyang, they shattered every limb of these thugs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they recovered, they’d be permanently maimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still, paying for the medical expenses of so many people and assigning guards to care for them would immediately cripple the Iron Knife Gang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if they ignored them entirely, the entire gang would vanish into thin air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After maiming the gang members left behind, the black-clad men of Taixing Carriage & Stable still refused to relent, searching every corner of the blacksmith shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Find Zheng Heibei quickly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And that sorcerer too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Check everywhere—look for secret passages!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black-clad men searched room by room, but when they passed one side chamber, all of them deliberately ignored it, sprinting past without even glancing inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the side chamber, two yellow talismans were pasted on the wooden window, and on a small altar table, the black spirit jar had been opened; a cold wind swirled through the room, carrying ash from incense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind the altar, a man with disheveled hair and a Taiji symbol painted in cinnabar on his forehead was none other than You LaoSi, the Jiangzuo sorcerer hiding with Zheng Heibei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clenched his fingers into a seal, murmured incantations, and beads of cold sweat covered his forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the courtyard, several shouts echoed in response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Report, Captain—we couldn’t find them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Luo, look…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forget it. They’re probably hiding with the old monkey. Let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Withdraw!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the command, the carriage stable men scattered at once, leaving behind only the wounded and moaning members of the Iron Knife Gang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did the sorcerer You LaoSi exhale in relief, dismantling the altar, his whole body trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew only curses to harm others—he had no skill in fists or feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If caught, he’d be beaten senseless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did Luo Shihai find out about my plot?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the Zhou family fallen, I can’t stay in the Iron Knife Gang anymore!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You LaoSi’s expression shifted between dark and light, as if struck by some thought; a cold smile curled at his lips, and while all the gang members in the courtyard were injured, he crept stealthily toward Zheng Heibei’s chamber…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very moment the Iron Knife Gang was raided, movement stirred in the woods by the river outside the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Zi hour arrived, a chilling wind suddenly rose, and flocks of birds took flight in panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan formed the Yang Seal, and immediately he smelled a decaying, icy odor, thick and sticky, rising from the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle Sha, hurry!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his warning, Sha Lifei swiftly grabbed a handful of spirit money and scattered it into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Passing friends, mountains and rivers follow the Dao—well water does not pollute river water…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1894,"2026-06-19T18:28:32.159Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","1beb03cd13fff9fcc2d9b45d31af25735ce953495b577c6621eb984589878e09","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-69","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-67",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]