[{"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-717":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},2263022,4415,"Chapter 717: The Instrument of Transformation","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-717",717,"\u003Cp>Li Yan’s eye twitched slightly as he held back a laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, he had imagined many possibilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court dared unveil the steam engine on this day—surely it had made great progress.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps a steam cart, or a steam-driven mill, something that demonstrated practicality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he never expected the first creation to be the Steam Dragon Chariot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chariot’s frame was entirely adorned with gilded dragon motifs, coiled relief dragons entwined along the yoke, golden scales glinting, the dragon’s head raised proudly atop the carriage, radiating imperial grandeur, yet its belly housed a massive cast-iron boiler, with exposed steam pipes and knotted connecting rods, and visible brass gear assemblies and cast-iron flywheels on both sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the chariot moved forward, it emitted a “thump-thump” roar, belching thick black smoke behind it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, this Steam Dragon Chariot clearly had no shock-absorption system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Xiao Qixuan sat atop it, relying solely on his iron-legged stability to remain steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Li Yan, the sight felt absurdly surreal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed the emperor was also fond of showing off…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He forced himself to suppress his laughter, but others could not laugh at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the sight of this unprecedented marvel, some stood dumbfounded, others stared blankly, some swallowed saliva; though hundreds had gathered, the crowd fell utterly silent, save for the roar of the Steam Dragon Chariot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Li Yan’s expression turned serious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He recalled one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He himself had witnessed many things in his past life, but others were different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roar of steam and gears was testing their very understanding of the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hssss—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a torrent of steam erupted from the chariot’s chimney, and the iron wheels on both sides came to a halt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rolling steam churned above the chariot’s canopy, creating a considerable commotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the stunned expressions of the crowd, Emperor Xiao Qixuan clearly felt satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, an official clad in blue official robes and wearing a liangguan cap stepped forward swiftly from the crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face flushed with excitement, eyes wide, he straightened his robes, knelt to the ground, and cried out: “The canopied steam rises like rosy clouds, auspicious mists swirl in the air to herald fortune; the dragon carriage exhales mist, divine machinery turns to reveal clarity. Your Majesty’s virtue moves heaven—white rainbow pierces the sun, foretelling the Son of Heaven’s majesty!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Long live His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Long live His Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others quickly snapped out of their shock and began fawning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Patak!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Southeast Asian envoy in the front row dropped and shattered the jade walnuts he had been playing with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he was oblivious, his eyes locked on the churning black smoke from the chariot, his face ashen, blood drained away, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he let out a barely audible sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to look beside him, his eyes darting, whispering low: “Alas… with this device in the Central Plains, how can we ever know peace?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man beside him wore a wide, right-over-left robe with a jade hairband, tall and burly, with a round face and full beard—clearly not Han Chinese, the Wala envoy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He too wore a grim expression, but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wala was a tribe that split from the Golden Yurt Wolf State, and to resist the Tatars, had submitted to Great Xuan as a vassal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their relationship with Great Xuan had never been good, and mutual suspicion ran deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Great Xuan’s power was at its peak; Wala could not invade southward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Likewise, the grasslands were vast; Great Xuan had no desire to exhaust its treasury campaigning, and needed Wala to counterbalance the Tatars—so both sides existed in a state of uneasy truce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that Great Xuan had produced this device, even if its uses were unknown, the Wala envoy’s mood could not be good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the Southeast Asian envoy’s insinuation, the Wala envoy let out a cold laugh: “Indeed—would your nation just sit idly by?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Southeast Asian envoy’s face stiffened, and he fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the distant Persian merchants, their eyes twitched as they feigned calm, nudging their companion with their elbow, fingers subtly pointing toward the gear gaps, whispering like mosquitoes: “Quick, note it!… If we can replicate that crank transmission…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were far from Great Xuan; their concerns were still purely profit-driven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the court officials, each harbored their own thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young official of the Open Sea faction, adorned with heron and peacock emblems, stared thoughtfully, then stepped forward, bowing to Yuan Feng with unmistakable eagerness: “Your Majesty’s blessings! May I ask, Master Director, what is the power of this divine device?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Feng stroked his beard: “In time, it may move ten thousand jin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young official swallowed hard: “If… if installed on a massive ocean-going vessel, could it sail against the wind?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Feng glanced at the emperor; seeing his calm expression, he replied: “Yes—but it will take time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, many gasped in astonishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan, listening from afar, frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This steam engine was a pivotal instrument of human transformation; though the news had leaked, its applications must remain secret—no one must deduce its true potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor might not understand, but how could Yuan Feng speak so carelessly?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he merely watched, saying nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people of this world might not understand the technologies of his past life, but they were certainly not fools.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Emperor Xiao Qixuan was exceptionally shrewd—he could think of this, so his opponents must have already considered it; the fact he openly displayed the steam engine implied deeper calculations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What other plans did the court have…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Feng’s explicit words naturally sparked great interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Kui, a wealthy merchant of the capital, shifted his bulky frame, disregarding decorum, forcing his way through the crowd to the front of the procession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face flushed red with excitement, his thick palm rubbed his round belly, his voice strained to remain steady yet trembled slightly: “Master Yuan… forgive this humble servant’s boldness—could this ‘iron ox’ drive a hundred linked grinding stones…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gestured with his short, thick fingers: “In a single day and night… how much grain could it grind? Could you give me a precise figure?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Feng pondered briefly: “Comparable to a water mill, operating day and night without pause.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then chuckled wryly: “But using it for grinding is a waste. It gains advantage from terrain—no river needed. If our Mo Men craftsmen design it properly, machines for dehusking or oil extraction would truly save labor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, Shen Kui’s excitement intensified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was one of the capital’s top grain merchants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the Open Sea faction, his entire foundation rested on “grain”—from the Ministry of Revenue to riverine guilds, from high officials to local clerks, every link required bribes; he refused to be drawn into the conflict between Open Sea and regional factions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this machine truly worked as well as claimed, saving labor was minor—the key was saving time and reducing losses at every stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some military officers were equally curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Yuan, could this device be mounted on iron armor to dominate the battlefield?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Difficult. It requires coal and water; military logistics would struggle to keep up. And battlefield terrain is complex—if damaged, no one could move it…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Feng spoke without restraint, revealing everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, many gathered around him, even interrupting the opening ceremony of the Academy; Emperor Xiao Qixuan, meanwhile, leisurely sipped tea, watching calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, not everyone was pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the noble ranks, an elderly official with white hair turned ashen, his nostrils flaring as he emitted a short, icy snort: “Wonderful tricks… decadent artifice!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was quiet, yet it pierced like a needle bursting a balloon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, another noble in a python robe stared at the ground, but his thumb, twisting a beeswax prayer bead within his sleeve, suddenly accelerated, knuckles whitening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their eyes met briefly, both filled with deep unease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The emperor’s great emphasis on this device meant it was surely a pivotal instrument of human transformation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it were merely an ordinary Daoist artifact, that would be fine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the scale of its impact was incalculable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They did not understand technology, but they understood human sentiment and the tide of history.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Human transformation might lead to the erosion of imperial power; since hearing the news, these noble families had already begun preparing in secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Retreat: form alliances to protect themselves. Advance: vie for dominance over the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For thousands of years, the land of Shenzhou had always been this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xiao family rose to power because others lifted them up—why could they not do the same?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now that the divine instrument is in the court’s hands, if they wield it to summon storms and rain, how many families will fall? And behind them still lurk a pack of wolves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Open Sea faction’s enthusiasm will surely swell further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, the old man could not help but shake his head and spoke:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When tools flourish, virtue declines…”\u003C\u002Fp>",1509,"2026-06-19T18:28:35.913Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","c6a4ccfab097272f591bc29cf8eb76797c0a695efac52ea66a9442f60fc3ccd1","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-718","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-716",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]