[{"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-753":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},2263058,4415,"Chapter 753","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-753",753,"\u003Cp>When they first left the city, the sky was clear for ten thousand li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after only half a day’s journey, a light drizzle began, then grew heavier and heavier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creak-creeeak~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cart wheels crushed through the muddy road, leaving long ruts behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two carts covered with tung oil canvas, five fine horses, the party trudged toward Tai’an beneath a leaden sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan flicked rain off the brim of his hat and turned to look back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jinan City had long vanished into the mountains and rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he wasn’t looking at Jinan—he was recalling his earlier conversation with Lu Hongyuan…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kill someone? Master Lu, just say it plainly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Li, have you heard of Zhou Zhao, the ‘Gentleman’s Sword’ of Mingde Academy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve heard of him—he was your prized disciple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s an embarrassing matter: three years ago, he broke into the academy’s forbidden grounds, stole a banned scripture, and murdered his fellow disciples.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why didn’t you go after him yourself?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s changed his appearance and vanished somewhere. But last year, he showed himself on the Jianghu, calling himself ‘The Vermilion Brush Judge,’ and now he’s obtained a Living Yin Official’s death warrant. He’s even threatened that if I kill him, he’ll drag hundreds of academy disciples down with him in his final breath.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why choose me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Master Contest is about to begin…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This contest will last at least several years. You’re already well-known—even if your skill is still shallow, others will come seeking you. If they delay you even slightly, the opportunity may slip to someone else. My unworthy disciple’s lifelong dream is to become a Master—he will come for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Kong family, three generations, will be under the protection of Mingde Academy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you kill this villain, I can guide you in the true essence of martial cultivation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Deal!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Killing wasn’t a problem for Li Yan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially not someone who slaughtered his own brethren and would inevitably come after him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Lu Hongyuan’s protection, Kong Shangzhao could travel with them in peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even more crucial was the Master Contest!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d heard of it many times before, but outsiders only saw shadows through fog. Even the Master he met in the capital, Huo Yin, was distant and rarely spoke with him. Now, from Lu Hongyuan’s lips, he finally learned the truth behind the Master Contest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master” was both a title and an implicit rule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten was the number of completion; throughout Shenzhou’s history, there had always been exactly ten Masters—never more, never less.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once more than half of the previous generation of Masters had died or stepped down, the new Master Contest would open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each time, it took years, with countless battles to rise above the rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, it wasn’t about defeating a single opponent—it was about breaking the will of every challenger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a kind of despair: recognizing your own inferiority, your Dao heart damaged, unable to advance further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, victor or vanquished—either you rose through struggle, or you faded into obscurity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan had no intention of challenging anyone himself—he just didn’t know who would come for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, he turned his horse, tugged the reins, and caught up with the group…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they traveled southward, the sky grew lower, distant mountains drowned in bluish-gray mist, their outlines like swollen paper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wind rolled in from Mount Dai, carrying the scent of earth and rotting leaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wild chestnut trees on either side of the road thrashed their branches, filtering down an even denser curtain of rain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rainwater pooled in the cart ruts, forming small streams, only to be shattered moments later by hooves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Ba was too large for any horse to carry him far, and since he had to guard the luggage, he drove the cart; the rear storage chest was covered entirely in oilcloth, and the tiger-crouching cannon, wrapped in thick felt, was lashed behind the saddle, its barrel gleaming cold in the rain and mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The weaker members—Kong Shangzhao, Fatty Lin, Wang Daoxuan, and Long Yan—were all inside the second cart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bohai Qiu Mu…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fatty Lin frowned as he flipped through the Shanhai Tu Kao. “‘The Bohai Qiu Mu connects to the Nine Abysses’—that’s the only line in the whole book. Kong brother, have you found any other clues?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike Kong Shangzhao or Kuai Dayi, he had no desire to join the Twelve Yuan Chen—he cared only about finding a spirit wood for his family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All I know is the last time it appeared was in Jinling.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kong Shangzhao replied honestly: “Years ago, a foreigner arrived and offered the Bohai Qiu Mu as tribute. It was said to be over fifteen feet tall, its bark like dragon scales, hard as iron, floating on the sea for years without rotting or decaying—just like the finest dragon’s saliva incense. Only by sheer chance could one find it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one knows where the tree originally grew. It’s called ‘Bohai Qiu Mu’ because the foreigner claimed to come from Bohai, and traded this object for an ancient scripture hidden by the imperial family. After that, the Bohai Qiu Mu vanished entirely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did the Great Xuan imperial family take it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unlikely. This treasure is too large—transporting it to the capital would have been impossible to hide. It’s probably still in Jinling…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listening to their discussion, Wang Daoxuan spoke up: “Young Master Lin, is your family in bad shape?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I won’t hide it from the Daoist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fatty Lin sighed bitterly: “The Lin family’s business isn’t mine alone. Due to Japanese pirates, most of our best men died at sea. If we can’t rebuild the treasure ships and resume profitable voyages, we won’t be able to hold our people together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t care about that—but my elders and younger kin may suffer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry—things will work out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Daoxuan didn’t know what to do, so he offered only words of comfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he looked out the cart canopy and changed the subject: “I misjudged the weather—I thought we’d only have overcast days. I didn’t expect such heavy rain. The shifts in celestial patterns are becoming harder to predict.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Li Yan rode up, leaning over: “Daoist, we won’t reach Tai’an today. Night’s coming—let’s find shelter from the rain. Aren’t you familiar with this area?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Daoxuan had once wandered the Jianghu, spending most of his time in Jizhou and the lands of Qi and Lu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At one point, he even set up a fortune-telling stall in Tai’an City for months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me think…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Daoxuan leaned out, scanning the surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keep going—I remember there’s a ruined temple and abandoned shrine…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night fell like spilled ink; the rain lessened but turned to a clinging, damp mist that clung to clothes and wouldn’t shake off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the left side of the road ahead, a narrow overgrown path branched off, half-hidden behind a crooked locust tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following Wang Daoxuan’s direction, the party turned left onto the wild trail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, they saw a low temple gate half-collapsed, embedded between crumbling walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plaque had rotted into two pieces; only a faded, patchy “Tai” character remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here it is! At least it has a roof!” Sha Li-fei shouted behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The abandoned shrine was small—the main hall could barely fit two or three carts, so they left the vehicles outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, the central altar held an unknown mountain god or earth spirit; the clay statue had mostly crumbled, revealing rotting wooden bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The altar lay tilted, its candles hardened into tears, dust piled thick enough to bury the feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scattered around the walls were tattered straw mats, soaked black by damp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most striking were the holes in the roof—faint beams of daylight, threaded with fine rain, slanted into the hall, carving deep, dark puddles into the earthen bricks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dripping eaves tapped on broken tiles, their rhythm like a water clock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Li-fei and Lu San hurriedly unloaded the food barrels; Wu Ba drew his blade and chopped up the fallen altar for firewood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flint sparked—suddenly, a glow of orange-red light burst through the gloom, illuminating the faded murals of gods and demons on the walls, flickering dimly.\u003C\u002Fp>",1354,"2026-06-19T18:28:35.913Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d9321f99ea8db784d582f678a335e2de48b3f9389711239233adaece53195738","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-754","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-752",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]