[{"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-760":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},2263065,4415,"Chapter 760: Cut Through the Tangle with a Swift Blade","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-760",760,"\u003Cp>At the third crow of the rooster, the night mist dispersed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the first pale streak of dawn touched the horizon, heavy footsteps echoed along the blue stone streets of Tai’an City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan led the way, clad in plain cloth that clung to his frame against the biting wind, hand firmly on his sword hilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him were Lin Yaozong, Zhao Bingzhong, and Zhou Xian, bound tightly with ropes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three men, once powerful merchants and officials lurking behind the scenes, now looked ashen-faced, their mouths stuffed with hemp seeds, emitting only muffled groans as they were dragged forward by Sha Lifei, Lin the Fat, and others, stumbling unevenly along the road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More heart-wrenching still was the center of the procession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ninety rescued boys and girls, the oldest no more than ten or eleven, the youngest only five or six, huddled together like frightened lambs, clad in tattered single garments, carefully guarded by Kong Shangzhao, Lu San, and others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their small faces were smudged with dirt, their eyes still haunted by last night’s terror, trembling violently in the morning breeze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This commotion was like a drop of cold water falling into searing oil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man selling spicy soup at the corner dropped his long-handled copper spoon straight into the pot, his cloudy eyes bulging wide. “Heaven above! Isn’t that Officer Zhou from the yamen? How did he get tied up?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are the soldiers with Mr. Zhao and the others… Did they do something wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An early pilgrim, basket full of yellow paper offerings in hand, froze mid-step as he headed toward Dai Temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Look at those children!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These… these are kidnapped kids!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn kidnappers!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A burly man from central Shandong roared in fury, snatching up a carrying pole leaning against a shop door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei chuckled and stepped forward to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This instantly drew even more people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Worse than beasts! Taking children to feed dark rituals!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May you die a cursed death! May your children be born without anuses! Why hasn’t the Mountain God taken you?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I recognize him—he’s from the government!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on, demand an explanation from them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long-suppressed rage ignited instantly; the crowd surged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pilgrims, vendors, travelers—all ordinary townsfolk who had merely come to watch—now burned with fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A tide of people, carrying furious curses and roaring anger, surged behind Li Yan’s group, sweeping toward the yamen like a flood unleashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, the yamen had already received word of this commotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time the pair of stone lions before the yamen gates came into view, the atmosphere was taut as a drawn bow, thick with lethal intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below the steps stood a row of soldiers from the Commandant Office, clad in black uniforms, already formed into a rigid human wall, ready for battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They held no swords, spears, or clubs—only sleek, newly issued fast-guns, gleaming with cold, dark luster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their black muzzles, icy and unyielding, locked firmly onto the advancing crowd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Yong, the Prefect of Tai’an, stood pale-faced before the vermilion-painted gates, his official robe snapping violently in the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, the massive, armored Wei-suo Commander drew his gleaming saber with a sharp clang and roared toward the mob, his voice booming like thunder: “Rebellion! Rebellion against heaven! You rabble dare to seize officials and storm the yamen?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyone who steps closer—kill on sight! Aim—now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last command was barked at the soldiers, dripping with cruelty and brutality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shhhhhhh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound of bolt actions being pulled echoed in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like venomous snakes spitting tongues, a chilling aura of death instantly pinned the frontmost men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd’s shouts of anger abruptly choked off, as if strangled by the black muzzles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few men at the front, their faces flushed with rage, swallowed hard and involuntarily stepped back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Impulse was one thing—but when faced with death, common folk still hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s gaze turned icy. He stepped forward, hand still on his sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter his status, he remained a man of the Jianghu. Some lines could not be crossed—even a Grand Master must tread carefully, lest he provoke the court’s ire and invite needless trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the situation on Mount Tai was urgent beyond delay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Mount Dai, the sects were scheming against each other, all vying to place their own patriarch on the throne of the Prefect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, installing one’s ancestral master as Prefect might catapult them into a position of decisive influence within the Xuanmen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The earth immortals hidden on Mount Tai had also stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unknown illicit cults still lingered in Tai’an City, with Japanese agents involved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And behind it all, the demon followers of Jianmu had laid their traps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the times in chaos, Li Yan had no time for careful investigation—he could only cut through the tangle with a swift blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The greatest problem now was the government’s inaction—and its complicity. So he would harness public outrage to paralyze the authorities first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last night, as they left the city, the Divine Hunter Bai Jiu had ridden hard to the post station, sending word by pigeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Jinan officials were surely on their way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they arrived, they could take control of Tai’an City and use their imperial authority to suppress the Mount Tai sects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, this was a classic game of stick, tiger, and chicken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strategy tailored to exploit each faction’s weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he hadn’t expected these corrupt officials in their robes to remain stubborn even now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan could not let them massacre civilians in broad daylight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no choice—he must strike hard, scatter the soldiers first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fingertips brushed lightly against the Yuan Chen Flower Coin hanging at his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the rooftops afar, Sha Lifei emerged, raising his firegun; Wu Ba leveled his loaded tiger-crouch cannon; Lu San blew a soft whistle, and from the large gourd at his hip, a swarm of venomous bees rose like black smoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention Long Yan’s swarm of venomous insects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Against these ordinary Wei-suo troops, they had more than enough power to crush them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How dare you! What are you planning?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A skilled fighter among the Commandant soldiers spotted the danger immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bound Commander Zhao Bingzhong strained his tongue to push out the rag in his mouth and screamed hoarsely: “Attack! Kill them—they’re all rebels—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he finished, Kuai Dayi slapped him across the face, shattering his teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that critical moment, hoofbeats thundered from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Make way! Clear the way—!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of the road, two swift horses shot forward like arrows loosed from a bow, smashing through the sluggish crowd, their hooves rumbling like distant thunder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lead rider was a scholar, about forty, dressed in a plain blue linen robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face was lean, his eyes sharp with inner brilliance; even at full gallop, his posture remained as steady as a rock, radiating the aura of a master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His attire marked him as a professor from Mingde Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One hand held the reins, the other raised a scroll tied with bright yellow silk cords, his voice clear and resonant:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the personal order of Lu Hongyuan, Head of Mingde Academy! No weapons are to be drawn!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The yellow silk cords fluttered fiercely in the morning wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before his words had even faded, the rider beside him—a green-robed official in brocade, dignified and commanding—raised a palm-sized token that glowed with pure golden luster in the dawn light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the token’s face, a seal-carved character “ De ” coiled with dragon patterns, radiating solemn authority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the decree of Prince De! The Tai’an Commandant Office shall immediately—surrender your arms!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two shouts struck like twin hammers, hammering into the hearts of the soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wei-suo Commander’s raised saber froze mid-air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Prefect’s ashen face turned paper-white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Commandant soldiers lined up on the steps trembled violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Prince’s token!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Head of Mingde’s personal order!\u003C\u002Fp>",1305,"2026-06-19T18:28:35.913Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a26a0f41f465586a1eabb1fb0a80bbc2fe2e704b4e2da53d150ba338b1a32d4b","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-761","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-759",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]