[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-nothing-is-taboo":3,"chapter-nothing-is-taboo-nothing-is-taboo-chapter-346":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},2310731,4514,"Chapter 346: Pig Squeal Rock (Combined Three Parts)","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-346",346,"\u003Cp>Two veteran mountain guides accompanied Master Xu, thoroughly familiar with the Cook Witch’s various tricks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, the meat aroma drifting three li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Guanzi had caught two “insects” and stuffed them into Master Xu’s nostrils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, he would remain unaffected by the scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White Old Man again emphasized to Master Xu: the Cook Witch’s “rules” lie in the very character “kitchen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She runs a shop in the mountains; all who come are guests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she must observe certain restaurant customs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more strictly she follows these rules, the stronger her own power becomes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Master Xu used excuses like “no restaurant allows guests to chat idly” and “your shop never forbade bringing your own wine” to placate the Cook Witch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Xu directly spat out his “abdominal fire” at the Cook Witch because it was time to tear off the mask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dish served, he would not eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would break the shop’s rule: you come to my shop, spend nothing, yet try to hawk your wine here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So after learning everything about “Ghost Beard Wood,” Master Xu no longer hesitated—he instantly drugged all her guests and moved against the Cook Witch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there was another crucial point:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was precisely the critical moment in the Cook Witch’s dish preparation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was about to be taken off the stove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant if the ingredients stayed on the fire a moment longer, they would grow tough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dish would be ruined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cook Witch flew into a rage: this guest had truly come to smash her shop!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I went to such trouble to cook a dish for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ingredients were freshly slaughtered, incredibly fresh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he refuses to eat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still, he drugged all my other guests—now other malevolent spirits will think I run a black shop!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this can be endured, what cannot?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cook Witch dropped the pot in her hands—but hesitated at the crucial moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She couldn’t bear to abandon such a delicious pot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she waited any longer, it would grow tough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That instant of delay allowed the flames to surge violently into the kitchen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the flames, a tortoise shell flew back into Master Xu’s hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Xu glanced at the tortoise shell and cast the divination: Great Fortune Today!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames then engulfed the Cook Witch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cook Witch was a fifth-rank malevolent spirit, among the weakest in her tier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet she had already reached the threshold of “Upper Street.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even sixth-rank abdominal fire could inflict severe damage upon her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames instantly burned away her clothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Revealing the true form hidden beneath the cook’s attire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fat, bloated black rat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, all her fur was scorched off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This “mistake” also owed much to the “Eight-Sided Harmful Star.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cook Witch let out a shriek, forgot the pot of “Stewed Human Heads,” flipped it over entirely, and roared: “You think I have no fire?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lifted the stove and hurled it at Master Xu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the stove were many burning coals; with a whoosh, they shot toward Master Xu like fiery meteors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, a cook can control fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Xu employed the body technique from the “Dragon Form Scripture,” twisting and dodging within the shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the fiery meteors missed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the Cook Witch let out a piercing scream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hidden within the surging abdominal fire were three hairpins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This set of fifth-rank craftsman artifacts pierced the Cook Witch’s chest in a “pin” formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cook Witch’s fat was thick; the damage was not severe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But immediately, the silver bells on the three hairpins began to jingle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jingle-jangle…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soul-tearing force drove the Cook Witch into a frenzy; she roared, grabbed the silver chains behind the hairpins, yanked them out, tore off a piece of flesh from the corpse nearby, wrapped it around the pins, and swallowed it whole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cook Witch”—with human flesh, she can digest anything!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anything at all!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the silver bells’ effect left her dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flames still surged inward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under cover of the fire, the set of counting rods quietly landed in the kitchen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were planted densely into the floor, stove, and pillars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cook Witch dodged the flames, stepped carelessly on one counting rod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her foot was instantly pierced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Squeak—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She screamed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Xu knew the two mountain guides had told him the truth: this malevolent spirit’s strength lay not in its body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most suitable tool to execute the Cook Witch was, of course, the Tiger Head Guillotine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now was not the right moment to deploy this imperial relic…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, Master Xu sensed something amiss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A violent gust of hot wind struck from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Xu stumbled forward in panic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A burning coal, wreathed in blood flame, slammed into his back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, his entire back burned with searing pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His clothes and a layer of skin were burned away!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Xu immediately wrapped himself in his Dantian skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This body’s defense now rivaled a wild boar’s tusks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coal meteor, after striking Master Xu’s back, kept flying and hit one of Deng Linyue’s companions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coal exploded directly into his body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood flame erupted, and in moments, the man was reduced to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Xu’s eyes darted…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cook Witch controlled all the burning coals, chasing Master Xu from all sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Xu unleashed his body technique again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The technique resembled an eel or a spirit serpent—perfect for dodging chaotic projectiles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he dodged, he unknowingly found himself beside a malevolent spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, timing it precisely, his upper body bent sharply sideways like a rope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A burning coal whooshed past and struck the malevolent spirit’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the Mud Spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood flame erupted, instantly igniting the spirit’s entire body of corpse oil!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Mud Spirit, writhing in agony, could not extinguish the flames; it shrieked and charged out, desperate to leap into the river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cook Witch screamed: “You haven’t paid yet!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shop’s open door slammed shut—click, click, click—all automatically sealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Mud Spirit crashed into it and bounced back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cook Witch stepped forward to demand payment from the Mud Spirit—then stepped on another counting rod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aaargh—” She screamed in pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Cook Witch was utterly enraged, teeth grinding, roaring: “Once you enter my shop, you must pay to eat my food!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Xu immediately sensed violent changes around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These changes originated from the Cook Witch—she had shattered her own “rules,” turning her shop into a “black shop”!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the Cook Witch herself, this carried enormous long-term consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, as a black shop, her power surged dramatically!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ruined pot of “Stewed Human Heads” automatically sank into the soup basin and floated toward Master Xu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Xu could no longer use his body technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was suppressed by the black shop’s power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as you’re still in this shop, you cannot escape this suppression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you truly eat this dish, you’ll fully fall under the rules of the Human Chef Granny—your life becomes payment to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the soup bowl arrived, the burning coals had already chased after and slammed toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan was suppressed and couldn’t dodge—the coals struck his body one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom! Boom! Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clusters of blood flames erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, the Pi Dan protected him—he could still endure the blood surge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside his body, the Medicine Dan activated, rapidly healing Xu Yuan’s wounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Human Chef Granny immediately sensed a force resisting her black shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan pulled out the Dog Head Gold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is my stall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the “Merchant Law” was only sixth-tier—it barely held back the “Black Shop,” slowing the soup bowl slightly, yet it still drifted irresistibly toward Xu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan also opened his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soup bowl reached his face, poured into his mouth, and slid straight into his belly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Human Chef Granny rejoiced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xu Yuan said: “This is truly a black shop—forcing sales! You want this life? Here it is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Human Chef Granny reached out—her arm elongated, seized Xu Yuan’s neck, and yanked him close—but when she looked closer, it wasn’t Xu Yuan, it was Deng Linyue!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan used the Dog Head Gold to delay the Black Shop’s effect, then activated “Dragon Spits Mist,” placing Deng Linyue in front of himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tortoise shell divination showed great fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Eight Directions Injury Star” subtly activated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, the Human Chef Granny failed to see through “Dragon Spits Mist.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Human Chef Granny flew into a rage, yet felt confused: How did this brat trick me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wounds across her body continuously oozed foul blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Human Chef Granny began to feel a creeping weakness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She also sensed something wrong: This level of injury shouldn’t make me feel weak so quickly…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she had no time to find the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Human Chef Granny’s hand materialized a flesh-removing knife—she slashed a strip of meat from Deng Linyue’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she offered it to Xu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today’s feast, third dish: Fresh Human Slice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her arm stretched longer and longer, straightening before Xu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Black Shop, you must eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once you eat, your life is mine to control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I won’t waste time with you—I’ll just stab the knife straight into your mouth!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Linyue took the slash, jolted awake by agony, but his throat was gripped—he couldn’t cry out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain made his eyeballs bulge as if they’d pop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the next moment, his left eyeball actually popped out!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a Guidan .\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While using “Dragon Spits Mist,” Xu Yuan also activated “Merchant Law,” trading this Guidan  to buy his left eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Guidan  had been hidden inside Deng Linyue’s left eye socket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rotten Gui technique—activate!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stare at the target for two finger-snaps, and it infects the body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four finger-snaps, and it infects the soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two finger-snaps had already passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Five wounds on the Human Chef Granny rapidly rotted!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A seventh-tier Guidan  struggles to inflict major damage on a fifth-tier anomaly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she was already injured—the Rotten Gui technique slipped in through the cracks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four finger-snaps passed—the Human Chef Granny’s soul began to show minor rot, spreading relentlessly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three hairpins’ silver bells had already damaged her soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Again, exploiting weakness!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And under the effect of “Ghost Doctor Steals Life,” damage to both body and soul intensified further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Human Chef Granny’s bloated body swayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She felt more and more wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why am I so weak?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could I be so easily tricked by a Gui technique?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked down and saw the Guidan —furious: So it was you all along!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Human Chef Granny squeezed harder—snapped Deng Linyue’s neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Deng Linyue’s sleeve, a thin rope suddenly shot out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh—it wrapped around the Human Chef Granny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Beast Sinew Rope thinned to hair’s width, coiling tighter and tighter, sinking deep into her flesh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, from her other sleeve, three swords flew out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each pierced one of the three wounds made earlier by the hairpins!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Linyue had eaten two dishes—his life was already in the Human Chef Granny’s hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having taken him, she let her guard down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan had hidden all his killing moves on Deng Linyue’s person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Dragon-Slaying Sword didn’t counter the Human Chef Granny, and the sword pellet was only sixth-tier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the wounds had already been opened by the three hairpins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Rotten Gui technique had exploited them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These three swords slipped in easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hairpins were short—the wounds they made weren’t fatal to the Human Chef Granny.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, with these three swords piercing in, the effect was vastly different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Squeee—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Human Chef Granny shrieked in agony, her whiskers trembling violently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the hand holding the knife had already reached Xu Yuan’s face!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan had to open his mouth—if he did, the knife would stab in!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan had already pulled out his begging bowl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Lotus Fall” chant began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Please, kind sir, give me something to eat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What Xu Yuan begged for was precisely the “Fresh Human Slice” on the knife’s tip!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he could beg for the flesh-removing knife itself, it would do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tortoise shell divination: today’s fortune is great—let this great heart’s wish come true!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Human Chef Granny endured her wounds, still extending the knife toward Xu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because once it reached his mouth, everything would end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This unknown brat had forced her to this point—how infuriating!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he still underestimated the great evil of Ghost Witch Mountain!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, dozens of recipes flashed through the Human Chef Granny’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kill this brat—I’ll savor his flesh and blood thoroughly, not a single scrap wasted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the “Fresh Human Slice” on the knife’s tip vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Human Chef Granny froze—its disappearance was inexplicable; she didn’t even understand how.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Fresh Human Slice” had fallen into the other’s hand—into that broken bowl!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan looked down and smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today’s fortune was truly great—my wish came true!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Human Chef Granny roared in fury and thrust the knife forward—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan released his carriage to block in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hiss!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The carriage was pierced through!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan broke into cold sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Good thing he hadn’t relied on the Pi Dan to block this blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pi Dan’s defense was roughly equal to a wild boar’s tusk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Human Chef Granny’s knife was surely razor-sharp!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her flesh wasn’t particularly tough—yet she held firm at fifth-tier; her offensive power must be devastating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan felt the timing was right, tucked away his begging bowl, and shouted loudly as he unleashed the Tiger-Head Guillotine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lower the blade—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The blade’s gleaming edge rose upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now was the perfect moment to use this imperial Zhenwu .\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply releasing the guillotine did not guarantee the destruction of the malevolent spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Woman Chef was too powerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had the ability to prevent Xu Yuan from ever raising the blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he raised it, she could resist the heavenly and earthly forces binding her for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Xu Yuan held the blade aloft too long, he would collapse under the strain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would be worse—she would seize the chance to kill him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, whenever the Three Courts of the Strange Affairs handled the guillotine, they operated as a team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One person served as the main force to lift the blade, while others attacked the malevolent spirit, cooperating with the heavenly and earthly forces to pin it beneath the blade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan, alone, needed a way to exhaust the Woman Chef.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had to weaken her severely enough that she could not interfere with his blade-lifting, nor resist the heavenly and earthly forces with much strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Woman Chef was startled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had never imagined this wild boy carried the Tiger-Head Guillotine!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She swallowed Deng Linyue whole, then reached for the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more people she devoured, the faster she recovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three swords still embedded in her chest were drilling deeper!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All the counting rods flew up and pierced her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavenly and earthly forces seized her, pinning her beneath the guillotine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan pulled down with all his strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive, fat rat’s head was severed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, a chorus of ghostly wails and wolf-like howls erupted outside!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The river, the grass, the bamboo groves—all erupted in a rushing, splashing din.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless water rats, earth rats, and bamboo rats burst forth from every direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black, gray, and brown rats covered the ground in dense, unbroken waves, sending chills down anyone’s spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They shrieked and wailed, rushing toward the restaurant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were all the offspring and descendants of the Woman Chef.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The restaurant had been sealed by the Woman Chef; these rats ranged from the size of wild rabbits to wild boars.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They slammed repeatedly against the outer walls and doors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without the Woman Chef’s control, the windows and doors soon shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rats’ eyes glowed blood-red, drool streaming from their mouths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan spat out a blast of inner fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rats shrieked in agony as they burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even as their bodies caught fire, they stubbornly surged forward, writhing onto the Woman Chef’s corpse to begin gnawing!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan understood at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By consuming the Woman Chef’s flesh, they could transform into great malevolent spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they had barely bitten a few times before the inner fire turned them to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fire also ignited the Woman Chef’s corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoosh—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoosh—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoosh—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan spat fire several more times; the sixth-rank flames were unstoppable against the rats, and soon they were reduced to piles of ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief rest, Xu Yuan sent out his sword pellets to slay the other two still-unconscious malevolent spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He retrieved all his crafts, external elixirs, and other items.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he grabbed Deng Linyue’s two companions, flashed out of the restaurant, and spat one final blast of fire inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The restaurant had already been burning; now it roared fiercely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From within, a strange, squeaking noise echoed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Certain objects in the kitchen, long used by the Woman Chef, had also become malevolent spirits—this fire cleansed them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Lao and Gao Guanzi, upon seeing the rats burst forth, immediately rushed over from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They happened to meet Xu Yuan as he stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan glanced behind them: “Where’s Dafu?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dafu had not followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sea of giant rats had terrified him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was cowering in the grass, too afraid to emerge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So many giant rats—I couldn’t possibly eat them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too dangerous… too dangerous…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Guanzi bowed to Xu Yuan: “My lord, I must offend you, but the worms in your nostrils must be removed quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan tilted his head back: “Go ahead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Guanzi took out a small tool, like a pair of fishhooks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his other hand, he held a small vial of medicinal powder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He inserted the tool into the nostril and slowly pulled the two worms outward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Usually, by this point, the worms had fused with the nasal passages and resisted extraction fiercely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was said that if they remained in the nostrils for more than a day, forcibly pulling them out would drag out the entire brain with them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they refused to come out, the medicinal powder would be needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This substance was extremely difficult to prepare; Gao Guanzi normally would never waste it on ordinary people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The worms in the lord’s nose had been there nearly an hour—he assumed they’d be stubborn… Gao Guanzi prepared the powder, then gave a gentle tug—and the two worms slid out obediently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were strange creatures resembling loofah fibers, each half the length of a pinky finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once pulled out, they fell to the ground and wriggled desperately toward the grass.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if fleeing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Guanzi stared in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan asked: “What’s wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“N-nothing,” Gao Guanzi dared not ask or say anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan knew perfectly well—it was the effect of “Boundless Taboo.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The roaring flames consumed the shop entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cloth banner hanging outside, “Cooked Life Aroma,” turned to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stone walls collapsed with a thunderous crash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fire burned for a full hour before finally dying out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan entered the ruins and retrieved the three hairpins the Woman Chef had swallowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this craft had been heavily corrupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was already partially uncontrollable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he held them, he felt them squirming incessantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their texture no longer felt like metal, but like a slimy, nauseating slickness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if he were gripping a leech.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They needed to be refined quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Xu Yuan searched further and found four good materials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blood-red wolf’s fang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A worm’s limb, as long as an arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A lump of pitch-black oily mud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lastly, a pale white bone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first three were sixth-rank; the fourth was fifth-rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan happily stowed them in his stink-pouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially the last bone—he could feel immense power contained within it as he held it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Woman Chef possessed many potent strange arts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He eagerly wondered how many of them had condensed into this material.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan searched the ruins a while longer, and finally found Deng Linyue’s spiderweb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Linyue’s sword pellet and some external elixirs as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Set the rest aside for later; this spiderweb he held in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Lao’s eyes kicked the two unconscious men and asked, “What do we do with them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wake them up, I’ll ask them again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two men were revived, still trembling with shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan expanded the carriage into a room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he stuck the lantern outside and dragged the two inside for questioning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, they answered everything they knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they knew little—only that Deng Linyue was from Shunhua City and a well-known alchemist there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had close ties with many in the Shanhe Office of Shunhua City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan handed the two over to Gao Wanli: “Take them back to the village. I’ll decide what to do when I return.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.” Gao Wanli thought this solution was poor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a man of the mountains—he never hesitated to strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Master Xu was an official; he couldn’t act as recklessly as they did. He could understand that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli led the men away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had his own plans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some things Master Xu couldn’t do himself—I’ll do them for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far west from here lies another great evil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was an old customer of the Witch Cook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two great evils stayed so close because one knew how to deal with people, and the other loved to eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli didn’t lift a hand himself—he simply failed to warn the two when they entered the great evil’s territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They walked in—and never came out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli turned and left; his ears twitched, and he clearly heard Da Fu’s footsteps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That “ba-ba-ba” sound was unmistakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli caught up with him in no time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master…” Gao Wanli looked ashamed: “I’ve failed your trust—I let them slip away, and the evils devoured them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan glanced at him, asking no further questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forget it. Let’s go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than an hour later, they reached the hilltop opposite Pig Squeal Rock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This massive rock stood over a hundred zhang tall, its shape bizarre, with four enormous holes on its surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was called Pig Squeal Rock not because it looked like a pig, but because wind blowing through those four holes emitted a shrill, pig-slaughtering wail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From here, one could clearly see everything below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, there were no trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From top to bottom, and for five li around, Pig Squeal Rock was utterly barren.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not even a blade of grass grew there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Strange…” Xu Yuan muttered inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought for a moment, pulled out his folding tablet, wrote a line, and summoned the Dragon to meet him at Pig Squeal Rock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After writing, he waited a moment—no response came—so he tucked it away in his robe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is there anywhere nearby to spend the night?” Xu Yuan asked the two veteran mountain guides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Lao’s eyes was about to answer when Gao Wanli suddenly paled and raised a hand to signal silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Lao’s eyes and Xu Yuan fell quiet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli strained his ears, listening intently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately dragged the two up into a thick, towering tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone’s coming!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The noise from Pig Squeal Rock is loud—I only heard them when they were two li away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three sat motionless in the tree, stifling their breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not long after, four figures appeared, each carrying a bamboo basket, moving swiftly and lightly. They passed beneath the tree without pause, heading straight for Pig Squeal Rock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the rock’s base, they set down their baskets and carefully removed something from inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",3920,"2026-06-20T12:07:24.624Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","30a349983d66467df923d2e89c7d1637ac4ec587483947dcdff0b0b2f6cbe8dd","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-347","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-345",413,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnothing-is-taboo-cover.jpg"]