[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-nothing-is-taboo":3,"chapter-nothing-is-taboo-nothing-is-taboo-chapter-11":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Nothing Is Taboo",{"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},2310396,4514,"Chapter 11: Die a Wretched Death","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-11",11,"\u003Cp>Wu Haishan stepped forward, examining all the traces: “That boy ran into Ghost Witch Mountain—I’ll find a guide right away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We didn’t know him before, but now we know every detail—he’s just a low-tier Alchemy Cultivator. The moment we find him, it’s his death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Haishan spoke with full confidence, but the solution he came up with was still using his own potion—to control a villager as a guide and then enter the mountains to track him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhao’s Leather Shop was the Pingtian Society’s outpost in town; Zhao Yong and his men sat inside, buying pelts from anyone who brought them, and ignoring anyone who didn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They never risked entering the mountains, nor did they need to, so they knew nothing about Ghost Witch Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they knew the town well. Wu Haishan asked: “Who in town knows Ghost Witch Mountain best?” Someone answered: “Liu Laoguan’s senior disciple, Aguang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Laoguan was the proprietor of “Liu’s Village Wine” across from the leather shop; his crude, strong liquor was popular throughout the town and surrounding villages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mountain villagers always carried a gourd of Liu family wine whenever they entered the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aguang often delivered goods to the villages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Haishan led his men into “Liu’s Village Wine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the bronze cannon exploded, everyone in town was startled and locked their doors, hiding inside their homes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Haishan went to Liu’s Village Wine to seize Aguang, causing another uproar of chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Laoguan and his wife had no children and had raised their senior disciple like a son; they knelt on the ground, weeping and pleading desperately, but Wu Haishan and his men, hard-hearted as stone, kicked them down, pried open Aguang’s mouth, and poured in the potion—Aguang became dazed and numb, then followed them away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old couple wept behind them, tears streaked with blood: “You’ve lost all conscience—you’ll die a wretched death…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Holy Maiden had been waiting beneath Meiren Dam all along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those field-snail beauties, for some reason, were born with a fear of the Holy Maiden and dared not appear to cause trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Holy Maiden suddenly remembered: “Where’s Chang Xunbei?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chang Xunbei was an eighth-tier Spell Cultivator, the strongest among the subordinates she brought along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He should’ve returned long ago—this was only a ten-mile official road.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan didn’t go far after entering the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t a firewood-collecting path, and Xu Yuan wasn’t very familiar with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chang Xunbei’s spell had truly been unexpected—he somehow swapped their positions, leaving himself directly in the ambush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Xu Yuan’s expression turned strange: “So it really was a swap of fates…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, Xu Yuan had fled, running along the official road back toward the county.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t expected to run straight into Elder Qiao!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Qiao usually traveled by carriage, but this time he walked alone, with two talisman slips tied to each leg, inscribed: “Ride the Clouds,” “Ride the Wind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He strode forward with his hands behind his back, his feet hovering three to five feet above the ground, each step covering ten zhang, his robes fluttering—truly an immortal bearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his face looked grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Xu Yuan, his face grew even darker: “Where are you running to…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan leapt off the official road and plunged into Ghost Witch Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Qiao chased after him without pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan quickly realized: Elder Qiao seemed even more familiar with Ghost Witch Mountain than he was!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ungrateful wretch!” Elder Qiao shouted from behind, then gritted his teeth and swiftly wrote a “receipt.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Capture Xu Yuan alive, present this receipt, and claim ten blood rations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elder Qiao tossed the “receipt” into the air—no one knew who he was showing it to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan was trapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before him, the earth churned as a giant mole cricket burst from the ground, its upper body rising three zhang high!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its entire body was clad in tattered armor, but its head was a massive Buddha statue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the left lay a ghostly stream; childish laughter rang out as dozens of pale, hairy infant heads surfaced, eyes blood-red, fangs protruding from their lips, staring fixedly at Xu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the right slope stood a massive rock shaped vaguely like a tiger; it suddenly trembled, then opened its eyes, tore its enormous body from the mountain, and stepped forward, closing in on Xu Yuan!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the sky, a flock of bone-faced vultures descended, circling endlessly above Xu Yuan like carrion crows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Xu Yuan was cornered, a loud bang—he was back in Qihe Town!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Holy Maiden had laid a heavenly net, Xu Yuan still escaped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now I can only detour through Ghost Witch Mountain—it’s extremely risky…” Xu Yuan muttered to himself, trying to plan a relatively safe route.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the end, he found no route he could be certain of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Xu Yuan set out decisively—neither the Holy Maiden nor Elder Qiao would spare him; staying near the town meant certain death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after Xu Yuan left, Wu Haishan and his men arrived at his resting spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Haishan asked Aguang: “Which way did that boy go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aguang answered obediently: “This direction—he’s probably heading toward Taitou Valley.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Haishan: “What’s special about Taitou Valley?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First, anything with a human head inside is a malevolent spirit. Second, never step on those stone steps.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chase!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan circled around Taitou Valley, then hid nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, voices came from behind—Pingtian Society’s men caught up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan waited about fifteen minutes—no screams sounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan rose quickly and dashed into the deep mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pingtian Society’s men have a guide—they know every dangerous spot in Ghost Witch Mountain.” Xu Yuan confirmed this—so his plan to use the mountain’s malevolent spirits to ambush his pursuers was useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan took a distant look and narrowed his eyes: “Their guide is Aguang—this is troublesome.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan rubbed his chin: “Aguang grew up in town—he knows Ghost Witch Mountain better than I do. What advantage do I have over him…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Haishan and his men kept chasing, but soon realized the boy had led them in circles—then suddenly turned around and fled back toward town!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That little brat’s mocking us! Notify the Holy Maiden—block him in town!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Holy Maiden didn’t come—she stayed in town because today, the Society’s brothers would deliver the “bait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of Wu Haishan’s men immediately pulled out a crafted parrot, spoke quickly, then released it—the parrot flew toward town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan didn’t enter the town—only reached a valley just outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the valley was a cave, from which grew a thousand-year-old vine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Centipedes, scorpions, ticks, giant ants—various poisonous insects crawled out along the ancient vine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large rooster with bright feathers stood proudly in the valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It ate one whenever one came out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially loved centipedes and scorpions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Occasionally, a giant “Insect King” would emerge from the cave—a centipede three feet long, a scorpion as big as a wooden basin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At such moments, the rooster would become wildly excited, flapping its iron-like wings, its comb standing tall, crowing loudly, then swiftly pecking the so-called Insect King to death, snatching it in its beak, flying up to a high branch, and shaking it around to display its trophy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the rooster’s daily hunting ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah Hua!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan called out a few times. The rooster had just killed a large scorpion and was showing it off on the treetop; hearing his voice, it tilted its head and spotted Xu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan waved urgently—the rooster reluctantly flew down and dropped the scorpion at Xu Yuan’s feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan laughed and sighed: “Thanks for your generosity, but I don’t eat this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rooster immediately brightened, gobbled up the scorpion in a few bites.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan pulled out some silver fragments: “I need to buy something from Granny—I need you to bring it back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rooster clucked softly, reluctant to return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan understood: “I’ll catch insects here for you—I’ll make sure none escape. You go get the things for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rooster grabbed the silver with its massive claws, tucked it under its feathers, and marched off proudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan waited by the cave entrance, broke a few bamboo branches, and skewered each insect that emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once strung together, he used his “Inner Fire” to roast them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first he wasn’t skilled—he burned a few—but soon he could roast each one perfectly, crispy outside, tender inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the rooster Ah Hua returned carrying a bamboo basket; Xu Yuan opened it—it was exactly what he needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan grinned and bowed to the rooster: “Thanks.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he took off his outer robe, wrapped the items, returned the basket to Ah Hua, crouched low, and slipped back into Ghost Witch Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah Hua stared at the roasted insects on the bamboo sticks, cautiously tasted one—eh! Surprisingly delicious!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah Hua was satisfied—this boy knew how to treat a rooster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1479,"2026-06-20T12:07:23.516Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","09b343c415b843d3a6a04ea8cabe6fdc5f34272c555e8aed3529c179dfa16345","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-12","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-10",413,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnothing-is-taboo-cover.jpg"]