[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-nothing-is-taboo":3,"chapter-nothing-is-taboo-nothing-is-taboo-chapter-347":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},2310732,4514,"Chapter 347: The Mysterious Figure","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-347",347,"\u003Cp>Several small beasts ran out of the bamboo basket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their bodies were covered in abscesses, afflicted with various illnesses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pain made them wildly agitated; as soon as they were released, they scattered in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was also a small snake, its head scales fallen off, cracked into bloody fissures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It lunged suddenly and vanished into a hole in Pig Scream Rock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four men withdrew swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three on the tree stared in confusion: Where had these people come from?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Villages in the mountains had secret ways to communicate with one another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even old mountain runners with grudges between them would stand united against “outsiders.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If an outsider lived in a village and acted suspiciously, the mountain runners would always find a way to warn each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So these four men appeared as if out of thin air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the diseased beasts they released had vanished completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan couldn’t help thinking of the “Ju Crow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Guanzi and Bai Laoyan wanted to follow them, but everything depended on Master Xu’s decision, so they stared hopefully at Xu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan considered for a moment and whispered, “Follow them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two immediately slid down from the tree, relying on Gao Guanzi’s two ears to trail the four men from afar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even without Gao Guanzi, Xu Yuan could see the lifelines of the four men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All four were Eighth Stream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And all were Wu Xiu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their strength was considerable, but their attire and behavior suggested only a group of laborers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It naturally raised the question: what manner of person could be their master?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After following them for seven or eight li, they crossed a mountain ridge, and the four ahead stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan and the other two crept forward slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On a sloping hillside, Xu Yuan saw two tents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four men slipped into one of the tents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Guanzi raised his ears and whispered, “They’re reporting to someone that the task is done.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the four emerged and entered the other tent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Guanzi added, “There are seven people total.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two men emerged from the first tent; outside it hung a wild deer they had hunted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They lit a fire, cut off pieces of venison, and began roasting them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night was falling; it was time for dinner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wild beasts in this mountain, affected by yin energy, all bore some strangeness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, several insects crawled out from within the deer’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They rapidly grew wings and long, slender mouthparts, then lunged at the two men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man tending the fire was a Dan Xiu; he remained calm, drew forth fire, split it into several flames, each wrapping one of the strange insects, and in an instant burned them to ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan’s eyes brightened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Dan Xiu was a Seventh Stream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But his control over fire was exquisitely refined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it followed an entirely different path from my “Five Cauldrons Cooking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most Dan Xiu, including myself, manipulate “fire” from their dantian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this Dan Xiu first used his dantian fire to ignite the wood on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the flames that consumed the insects were drawn from the firepit itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meaning this man can control ordinary fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He likely needs his dantian fire as a spark to ignite it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But even so, it’s an original path.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan, seeing a rare treasure, felt eager for a chance to exchange insights on this technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other man clearly trusted his companion completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the strange insects flew out, he remained unaffected, still focused on curing the venison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Laoyan frowned and whispered, “I may be mistaken, but beneath us lie two great evils—and these people can coexist with evils?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Guanzi froze: “Evils? Where are the evils?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan’s mind shifted instantly—he smiled: “It’s the two tents.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He elaborated: “These people ventured deep into Ghost Witch Mountain and don’t need to borrow lodging in villages because of these two tents.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To the evils, these two tents appear as two fairly powerful evils.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The principle is the same as my clay mask—both can disguise as evils.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Guanzi fell silent immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Say more, and Bai Laoyan’s secrets would be exposed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the moment he first met Bai Laoyan, he’d sensed something odd about his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the tents appeared as evils to the evils—why did Bai Laoyan see them as evils too?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Gao Guanzi’s ears—no normal human grows ears like those.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More broadly, every villager in Wangxiang Village carried some strangeness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villagers and mountain runners of this mountain have lived here for generations; their bodies have inevitably been altered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like the wild beasts in this mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan watched a while longer, focusing mostly on the Dan Xiu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he roasted the venison, the Dan Xiu manipulated the flame like a brush, sweeping it repeatedly across the meat’s surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan nodded repeatedly, deeply approving of this “fire control.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the meat was done, they called the others out to eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their leader appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a Sixth Stream Fa Xiu; Xu Yuan couldn’t tell what kind of Fa he cultivated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He carried himself with an air of nobility, clearly long accustomed to command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan gestured to the two old mountain runners, and they quietly withdrew together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We need to find a place to spend the night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Laoyan and Gao Guanzi exchanged glances; finally Bai Laoyan said, “We can only go to the Divine Mother’s Niche.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place is near Guanghuo Street.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even mountain runners rarely come here, so no shelters have been built nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if we built one temporarily… the evils here are too powerful; a shelter wouldn’t be safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two old mountain runners led Xu Yuan to a towering cliff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Laoyan unfastened a rope from his waist, found the right spot, lowered the rope, and gripped it as he told Gao Guanzi, “You go down first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Guanzi slid down the rope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan stood at the cliff’s edge, leaning forward to watch Gao Guanzi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Guanzi descended about ten zhang, where a small stone niche lay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one knew when it had been carved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no path up or down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Guanzi crawled inside, then stuck his head out a moment later and tugged the rope, calling up to the cliff: “It’s habitable. Come down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Laoyan tied the rope to a nearby large rock and descended first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan manipulated the Fire Wheel and followed, flying down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stone niche was extremely narrow—originally meant for one person alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All three entering made it cramped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Laoyan said, “Master, we’ll have to make do for one night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He told Xu Yuan its history: “Decades ago, near Pig Scream Rock, there was a village called Qidou Village…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village’s old mountain runner possessed the greatest skill of all mountain runners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He carved out several such stone niches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But eventually, the village suffered disaster—overnight, everyone, including the old mountain runner, vanished without a trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where the village once stood, only a massive claw print remained!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…As if the entire village had been snatched clean off the earth by some unknown giant monster!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bai Laoyan pointed in a direction: “About twenty li that way. Now, that claw print has filled with rainwater and springs, becoming a small lake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Guanzi added to Xu Yuan: “You can spend the night here, but there’s one problem—tonight, the ‘Ancient Thread Mother’ might come to measure your length.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1241,"2026-06-20T12:07:24.624Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d64e85fe602a6082618bd4500cc8d8aceda441f7afa0daa9f22c24c88e3d3b02","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-348","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-346",413,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnothing-is-taboo-cover.jpg"]