[{"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-719":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},2263024,4415,"Chapter 719: Ripples of the Grand Ceremony","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-719",719,"\u003Cp>“Return to the Lord, no news.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the stiff official dialect from the shadow, the short man quickly replied in the same dialect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fearing the other might rage, he added urgently: “Not long ago, the Peach Banquet was destroyed, then Master Kong Hui perished, the Wang Mansion’s chief steward was silenced, and Luo Gongsheng was beheaded at the South Gate yesterday… Zhao Qingxu’s entire network in the capital has been severed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The city is now in chaos; I am powerless and truly cannot gather any information…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he finished speaking, Jing Shang’s head was violently flung to one side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if struck by an invisible heavy palm, a clear handprint appeared on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strangely, the print clearly bore six fingers, and as it formed, frost instantly crystallized on his skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jing Shang felt his head ringing, stars dancing before his eyes, his throat sweet with blood—he couldn’t help but vomit a mouthful of spittle, yet dared not delay; he gritted his teeth, slammed his forehead against the ground, and banged it hard—“Bang! Bang!”—without uttering a single word of protest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From afar, footsteps drew nearer through the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure slowly stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man appeared to be in his thirties or forties, slender, with sharp, angular features radiating a cold malice; most striking was half his face, badly scarred as if seared by flames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his waist hung two unusual Wo swords:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One scabbard was exquisitely ornate, inlaid with silver lotus patterns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other was rusted, radiating ancient, weathered energy, wrapped Cengceng  in bloodstained white cloth inscribed with talismans, and tightly bound outside with coarse rope—clearly a powerful seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jing Shang…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man’s voice was icy, his gaze slicing like knives across Jing Shang’s body: “I heard you came from the Koga clan, chosen for your sharp wit to infiltrate Shenzhou. Yet these years, has this blade of yours been dulled by the brocade and splendor of the capital…? Or have your bones softened in this tender embrace?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forgive me, my lord!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The short man trembled like a leaf, fear rendering him speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the man said, he was a spy from the East Sea, sneaking into the capital with a merchant caravan, spending years changing identities until his speech and conduct matched those of the capital’s commoners—even marrying a wife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once something changes, it is hard to return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He usually disguised himself as a middleman, trading in words, habitually shirking blame—but he had forgotten who stood before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man before him was named “Yuyi Yuan Shi Guan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though his name was strange, his status was high: a Yin-Yang master of the Abe clan’s collateral line, a lineage of the Profound Gate, and a core member of the East Sea’s “Hundred Ghost Seat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Legend says he was sacrificed as a child to the demon god “Yuyi Yuan,” his body and soul ravaged by freezing rain and frost, his right half frozen and deformed, his right hand transformed into a six-fingered ice claw, mastering the sinister art “Frost Descends the Child Soul.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ancient sword at his waist, “Moon Coffin,” sealed the demonic soul of Yuyi Yuan—terribly fearsome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, he was a renowned swordsman of the East Sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a man—he had no right even to kneel and lick his toes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuyi Yuan Shi Guan snorted, the murderous gleam in his eyes slightly dimming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Zhao Qingxu’s line severed, many matters still relied on this spy long rooted in the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, his stern expression softened slightly; he stepped forward and lightly supported him, his voice cold and steady: “You’ve worked hard. That slap… was a reminder not to forget whose servant you are. Rise.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Th-thank you, my lord! Jing Shang… will never forget his identity!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spy felt as if granted amnesty, yet dared not stand straight—only trembled, forehead pressed against the cold ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuyi Yuan Shi Guan’s gaze swept coldly over the others, his voice dropping lower: “Zhao Qingxu, Zhao Changsheng… Hmph! These Shenzhou sorcerers are truly unreliable! The Prince long ago predicted: let them stir chaos in Shenzhou as they will—we merely watch with cold eyes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I came originally to investigate Shenzhou’s true state, to see what this so-called ‘chaos’ truly looked like, and to probe the situation on the Korean Peninsula and Da Xuan’s stance…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paused, a cruel, greedy smile curling his lips: “Enough. Since Zhao Qingxu’s side is already a dead game, further Jiuchan  is pointless. Our goal… now has only one!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The method of crafting the ‘Divine Artifact’ within the Qiankun Academy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing this, the spy breathed a silent sigh of relief and quickly replied: “My lord, this… actually presents an opportunity!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh?” Yuyi Yuan Shi Guan raised an eyebrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jing Shang explained rapidly: “From the court’s current direction, this ‘Divine Artifact’ is clearly not meant to be hidden deep in the palace—it’s poised for mass deployment! Now, every major merchant guild and faction in Shenzhou is scrambling, bribing, sending their sons—all to get a share, to glimpse the divine mechanism!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even the Wala and Southern Seas embassies…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He emphasized, “are secretly pouring money, bribing officials, trying to steal the blueprints back!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All we need do is watch these people—once they truly obtain the schematics…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jing Shang’s eyes turned fierce; he made a clean, sharp slicing motion with his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuyi Yuan Shi Guan’s eyes flashed with sharp light; for the first time, a hint of satisfaction appeared on his face: “Go do it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spy, given his order, dared not linger; he bowed low, head down, almost retreating backward into the dark tunnel he had entered through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the cavern fell silent once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bearded swordsman bowed: “He’s lived in the capital too long—he’s not trustworthy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuyi Yuan Shi Guan replied calmly: “I’ve already placed a divine curse upon him—I can kill him at any moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, he gazed upward at the cavern’s ceiling, unable to help but sigh: “Shenzhou truly is a land of heaven’s treasures—entirely encased in arrays. We cannot freely use magic here, or we’ll be trapped even if we had wings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once we obtain the blueprints, leave immediately—do not stir up trouble…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, what happened to your face?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spy had just returned home, clutching his swollen, aching cheek, when his sharp-eyed child spotted him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“N-nothing,” Jing Shang forced a smile uglier than tears, pulling the child close: “Father… just fell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze passed over the child’s head to his wife’s thin back, busy in the cramped kitchen—his eyes flickered with fierce inner struggle… until all complex emotion was swallowed by cold resolve, leaving only naked indifference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He crudely bandaged the six-fingered frost-marked palm print on his face, changed his attire, and walked as usual into the bustling tea house of Nancheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, You Er? What happened to your face?” a familiar middleman teased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, don’t mention it,” the spy rubbed his jaw, mumbling: “Wind-fire toothache—painful as hell!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He waved his hand, smoothly blending into the surrounding noise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like idle chatter, but every word revolved around the “Divine Artifact” that had stirred the entire city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, this might have raised suspicion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, the whole capital was talking about it—asking a few more questions drew no attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, he gathered plenty of information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The kiln workers around the capital heard rumors—the ‘iron monster’ can replace a hundred laborers! Many are huddled together, whispering in fear their ancestral livelihoods will be destroyed…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The tea house also says a strange red glow appeared at the academy’s gate, with frost forming—definitely the ‘demonic artifact sucking in yang energy’!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This morning, the court was in an uproar—the old censor shouted to ‘abolish the demonic artifact and restore the maritime ban’! And do you know what happened? He was stripped of his robes on the spot!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…On the black market, the bounty for the ‘Divine Artifact’ blueprints has reached terrifying heights!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listening to these gathered rumors—true or false, fearful or anxious—even the long-infiltrated Jing Shang now felt a deep, unshakable confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt firsthand how this vast capital, stirred by the creation called the “Divine Artifact,” was violently churning and boiling from within—like a massive powder keg ignited.\u003C\u002Fp>",1361,"2026-06-19T18:28:35.913Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f660e6b3ac41d838d0f442f1f8d5a6f0122255d7c9068f10c6a84d41b30dfd61","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-720","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-718",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]