[{"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-776":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},2263081,4415,"Chapter 776","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-776",776,"\u003Cp>Night like ink, the river’s mist carried the chill of autumn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the Lin family’s treasure boat, lanterns burned brightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After seeing off the last group of villagers seeking treatment, none showed signs of fatigue, nor did they rush to rest—each went about their tasks, waiting calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as they believed the night would pass uneventfully, a turn of events suddenly appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re here!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan sniffed the air, his gaze piercing through the porthole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the dock, a line of swaying lantern shadows appeared in the distance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, noisy footsteps and hushed whispers drew near, halting at the end of the pier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the arrivals were unexpected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One man wore the armor of the Yangzhou Commandant’s Office, with a leopard head, ringed eyes, and a bulky, muscular frame. Li Yan had seen him earlier that day in the imperial envoy’s party—he was the newly appointed real-power Battalion Commander of Yangzhou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other made Li Yan’s eyes narrow slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man was around fifty, stout and powerfully built, standing like a cast-iron pillar, utterly motionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath his dark brocade robe, the sinews of his muscles coiled visibly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His square face, thick eyebrows knitted tight, radiated unmistakable reluctance; his aura was formidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sha Lifei whispered urgently: “The Yangzhou Zhang family—Zhang Tiankui!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s brow furrowed at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During his earlier investigations into Yangzhou’s prominent figures, he had learned of this martial family—renowned for the “Zhang Family Martial Jinshi Fist” and the unmatched “Seven Stars Step,” with generations producing martial champions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The current patriarch, Zhang Tiankui, was already a master of Gang Jing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could there be something amiss with the Zhang family…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The newly appointed Battalion Commander stepped onto the deck and hurried forward, clasping his fists in salute: “Greetings, Young Master Li! You’ve labored all day—we disturb you late at night out of sheer necessity!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan gave a slight nod. “Commandant Zhou, you’re too courteous. What is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commandant Zhou stepped aside, revealing Zhang Tiankui, and spoke in a low, heavy tone: “This is the patriarch of the Yangzhou Zhang family—you’re surely aware. A distant relative of his clan met with disaster near Zhangwan, just outside the city.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The entire household… young and old, men and women… all… slaughtered in a single night!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice trembled at the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned to look at Zhang Tiankui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Tiankui clearly resented being there; he merely gave Li Yan a perfunctory bow. “I’m not here for healing or medicine. But the scene of that massacre… it’s deeply unnatural. The Commandant’s Office suspects… it may be the work of Japanese pirates or those former demonic cultivators.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone was stiff; after speaking, he shut his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s gaze flickered between the two men; his mind raced with sudden insight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Tiankui was the undisputed leader of Yangzhou’s martial world, long renowned—but three days ago, during the Yangzhou chaos, he was absent. His disciples were caught off guard and became mere spectators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan had lifted the siege on Yangzhou, yet exposed their incompetence—no wonder he didn’t wish to come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Zhang family’s distant relative’s death should have been a routine report to the authorities, but now, with the Commandant’s Office being extra cautious, unwilling to risk another mishap, they had dragged him along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed these two were unlikely suspects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the massacre of the Zhang family’s distant relative occurred precisely during the Japanese pirates’ escape…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Li Yan bowed solemnly: “To confront Japanese pirates and demonic forces, I, Li Mou, accept full responsibility. Time is critical—Commandant, Elder Zhang, please lead the way. We shall depart at once by boat to investigate!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At these words, Zhang Tiankui’s eyes flickered with surprise; the Battalion Commander beamed with joy:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young Master Li, your righteousness shines! The boat is ready—right at the dock!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Lin family’s treasure boat had sustained minor damage and was under repair, so they could only board the official vessel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan gave a signal; everyone immediately secured their valuables and followed him ashore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, a swift imperial boat carried them and the Commandant’s elite forces away from the Dongguan dock, heading southwest along a tributary of the canal toward Zhangwan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night wind whipped fiercely, making their robes snap loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout the journey, the newly appointed Commandant Zhou clung to Li Yan’s side, fawning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man was a sycophant—he clearly knew Li Yan’s influence in the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Zhang Tiankui, he brought only two disciples, standing silently at the bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About half an hour later, ahead, where the river curved, a waterside village emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village lay utterly silent, swallowed by the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the fast boat neared the dock, the air carried a metallic, bloody stench.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thick, pungent, an icy dread seeped into the bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That large household ahead…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commandant Zhou forced back his nausea, pointing toward the dark outline of a wall. “The whole village was one family. The body merchant found them two days later. I ordered no one to touch the scene.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan nodded and led the group ashore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He first checked the nearest farmhouse, finding only foul stench, blackened blood, and filth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others were mangled beyond recognition, but the strong male head of the household had only minor scars—his hand gripped a chopping knife, plunged into his own throat, his eyes reduced to bloody hollows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He was possessed—killed his family, then killed himself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All present were seasoned; they instantly understood what had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next few homes showed nearly identical scenes of mutual slaughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they reached the village center, Zhang Tiankui remained silent, his figure flickering like a ghost—he stepped forward, toes barely touching the ground, leaving seven faint afterimages, landing directly on the main gate of the grand mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The footwork was sublime—the famed “Seven Stars Step.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan followed calmly, using the technique of “shrinking earth to inch,” matching his speed exactly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Tiankui’s eyes narrowed as he glanced at him, then approached the heavy vermilion gate, pressed his palm against it, and released a faint burst of Gang Qi—the gate hinges groaned with a grating “crack.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRASH!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gate collapsed, and an even thicker wave of blood and corpse stench surged forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh…” one of Zhang’s disciples couldn’t help vomiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mansion was large—and now a slaughterhouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Li Yan and the others could examine anything, Zhang Tiankui’s eyes flashed with fury. He leapt forward, inspecting several corpses, then his expression turned to shock: “‘Snakehead Sore’?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan noticed his gaze, knelt down, and examined the nearest male corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man was likely a household servant—his death was especially gruesome: blood poured from all seven orifices, his upper body turned purplish-blue, especially his fingertips, which were grotesquely distorted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan frowned and examined other corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, every corpse’s fingertips showed the same eerie decay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike wounds from blades or corrosion, it looked as if the decay had erupted from deep within the flesh and bone ends—skin peeled back, joints twisted and deformed, leaving behind blackened, rotting blood and tissue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan borrowed a silver needle from a Commandant’s officer, gently parted the rotting flesh—the unbearable stench of putrid blood, earth, and death surged forth, far more sinister than ordinary corpse odor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silver needle did not darken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not from weapons. Not from poison…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan rose slowly, his gaze sharp. “It’s a curse. A profoundly malevolent curse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A curse?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Commandant Zhou swallowed hard, glancing around. “W-what kind of curse is this vile?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yan’s eyes swept the slaughterhouse courtyard. “Vengeful energy clings to the body, poison erupting from the fingertips, piercing straight into the marrow, destroying vital energy and blood—those afflicted suffer agonizing, bone-deep torment until their blood vessels freeze and their minds descend into madness… This is no ordinary method.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1285,"2026-06-19T18:28:35.913Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7f987f8b7f62173252bcd9caf28fa0cd588579868a57048d5330c200655cd406","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-777","the-cursed-blade-s-walk-chapter-775",801,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-cursed-blade-s-walk-cover.jpg"]