[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-nothing-is-taboo":3,"chapter-nothing-is-taboo-nothing-is-taboo-chapter-19":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},2310404,4514,"Chapter 19: Lantern Ghost","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-19",19,"\u003Cp>Master Qiao swiftly released several talismans with his other hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One bore dozens of different forms of the character “fire”; it burst into flame, and Master Qiao controlled the flames, splitting them into three fire snakes that coiled around the cage—his command over fire rivaled that of a Ninth-Rank Alchemist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as the flames burned, the bamboo cage turned crimson and scorching hot; the arm swallowed by the cage hissed and smoked as it was burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Qiao screamed and waved his hand to disperse the flames, then activated a second talisman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This talisman bore his name and birth details:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiao Ziaang, Gengyin Year, Yichou Month, Bingyin Day, Mao Hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These talismans were Master Qiao’s last-resort survival techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This one’s power: substitution of fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the talisman burned, all calamities befalling Master Qiao would be transferred to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If trapped in prison, it would transform into a substitute body and instantly swap him out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before the talisman could become a substitute, the bamboo cage suddenly expanded, growing enormous and swallowing Master Qiao and the talisman whole!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Qiao broke into cold sweat and cried out: “How could this be?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could this brat possess such a master-craftsman’s treasure?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My Ba Zi substitution talisman should handle disasters up to Eighth-Rank level—yet it cannot escape the confinement of this tiny cage!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bamboo cage began contracting rapidly; Master Qiao threw out his final talisman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It unfurled into a painting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The painting depicted a lantern ghost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its lantern face was pale human skin; its lantern frame was human ribs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Green ghostfire burned within, and on its surface, a massive character “Mourning” was written in blood, still dripping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the scroll unfurled, the lantern ghost leapt down, igniting ghostfire that silently spread across a hundred zhang in every direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lantern ghost hung suspended one zhang above ground, radiating an aura that tugged at souls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan glanced at the lantern ghost—his eyes glazed, his movements slowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a pitch-black ghostly claw erupted from behind him, silently stabbing toward his spine!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the claw pierced flesh, surrounding tissue was instantly drained; skin turned black-gray.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Overwhelmed by agony, Xu Yuan snapped awake and lunged forward with all his strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hiss!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The claw dragged downward, leaving five deep gashes on Xu Yuan’s back!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flesh around the wounds turned black-gray and dead, radiating faint ghostly energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan rolled on the ground, twisted, and spat out “Abdominal Fire”; the claw was scorched, recoiled in pain, and vanished into thin air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the moment Xu Yuan stopped, a sharp danger surged—he sidestepped instantly—the claw reappeared, slicing silently through the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he not dodged that final time, the claw would have seized his throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This lantern ghost was bought by Master Qiao through Old Locust, from Guanghuo Street—living people could only pay for goods there with blood offerings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was irrefutable proof of his collusion with the uncanny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan dared not pause; he dodged repeatedly, then spread “Abdominal Fire” to cover his entire body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ninth-Rank Alchemists’ Abdominal Fire was limited—shielding his whole body would not last long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan stared at Master Qiao; the bamboo cage kept shrinking, and Master Qiao still struggled desperately. Xu Yuan estimated—his outlook darkened: Master Qiao would outlast him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan spat out a pill!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Puff! It struck the lantern ghost, punching a hole through its human-skin face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan prepared to press the advantage—suddenly, nine more lanterns rose from the ghostfire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They floated up to one zhang high, spinning rapidly, their flames flickering and merging into a single blur, making it impossible for Xu Yuan to distinguish the real lantern ghost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan gritted his teeth and sprinted outward—he must escape the ghostfire’s range as soon as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lantern ghosts made no move to stop him; as long as they remained within the ghostfire, their illusions could not be destroyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan burst out of the ghostfire’s range, his guard lowering slightly; his Abdominal Fire weakened. Instantly, a ghostly claw appeared behind his neck and lunged!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan whirled, turned to face the claw, and spat: Puff!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pill pierced the claw without resistance—the claw had no physical form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ten lantern ghosts swayed above the ghostfire like dancers, mocking the living man’s folly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pill, having passed through the claw, kept flying—until it suddenly exploded, becoming a giant spider that spat a massive web, engulfing all ten lantern ghosts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The web tightened, passing straight through the illusions—inside it remained only the true lantern ghost!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lantern ghost panicked, but it was too late; the spider tightened its web. Xu Yuan dodged the claw, sprinted toward the lantern ghost, retracted all his Abdominal Fire, condensed it into a fire pill, and spat it out—Puff!—striking the lantern ghost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Flames erupted violently; the claw chasing Xu Yuan vanished, and the lantern ghost shrieked in the fire, gradually burning to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan examined the wounds on his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still dead tissue, swirling with ghostly energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan spat out another medicinal pill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was refined last night from villagers’ herbs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This one was an antidote pill—he rolled it over the wound, but the ghostly energy showed no reduction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan shook his head: ghostly energy acted like poison, but antidote pills could not dispel it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He released a healing pill—but as it neared the wound, it showed signs of corruption by ghostly energy; he retracted it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Try Abdominal Fire again—earlier, when he briefly spread it thinly over his body, the ghostly energy reacted little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, Xu Yuan condensed it into a fire pill and rolled it over the wound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ghostly energy indeed feared Abdominal Fire—but when stimulated by the fire pill, it burrowed deeper into his body like a venomous insect!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan quickly withdrew; this was dire—he could only contain it for now, and find a solution after leaving Ghost Witch Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside him, the bamboo cage had shrunk, pinning Master Qiao tightly inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan walked over—the cage still contracted; several bamboo slats had pierced Master Qiao’s neck, drilling deeper into flesh, blood dripping down them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Qiao could no longer move; his eyes bulged, fixed on Xu Yuan with his last strength, gasping: “The people of Riverwork Alley… are truly… strange…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Qiao died, filled with endless regret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the county town, an ancient legend warned: never provoke the people of Riverwork Alley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumors swirled about Riverwork Alley and its inhabitants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Master Qiao had lived in the city for decades and never witnessed anything strange there—he always dismissed the tales as nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he had paid for it with his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1102,"2026-06-20T12:07:23.516Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ff96707cb50e9bc1206a7cc8a480d1d3fac435fcf25d283bd7bb44cb4a9d11fd","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-20","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-18",413,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnothing-is-taboo-cover.jpg"]