[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-nothing-is-taboo":3,"chapter-nothing-is-taboo-nothing-is-taboo-chapter-36":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},2310421,4514,"Chapter 36: Covert Agent","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-36",36,"\u003Cp>Zheng Rongkui lowered his head, hiding his startled eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that remark, Zheng Rongkui confirmed another thing: Qiao Ziaang was also killed by this boy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey—” Xu Yuan had already reached the stairs, but Zheng Rongkui hurriedly called out to him: “The Demon Extermination Army—will you join? Give me a straight answer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan did not hesitate: “No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No?” Zheng Rongkui was stunned. Was he really giving up such a golden opportunity?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t listen to those rumors outside. Life in the Demon Extermination Army is tough, but if someone powerful is protecting you, it’s a different story. Your second uncle now holds an official post, and since he has no son, he’s definitely grooming you as his successor. At the very least, you’ll end up like him—maybe even a Commandant…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan still shook his head: “No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A Commandant gets five hundred mu of high-quality land, fifteen hundred mu of medium land, and an annual salary of three hundred taels of silver!” Zheng Rongkui unleashed his final card—he’d never met anyone who truly didn’t care for money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan hesitated, then sighed: “I really can’t go. Zheng Rongkui, please thank my second uncle for his kindness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan went upstairs and slept again in Zhao Yong’s room, lying on his back with his hands under his head, staring at the ceiling and thinking silently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What will happen to my stepmother after I leave?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan knew nothing of the details of family matters—his father had never spoken to him about any of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xu Yuan always sensed those matters were no ordinary affair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, on certain specific holidays, his father would grow extremely tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d secretly prepare in advance, doing all sorts of things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If nothing happened, the following days would find his father cheerful; Xu Yuan could ask for any toy or snack, and his father would happily buy it for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xu Yuan faintly remembered that in the year he turned seven, his father lay in bed for three full months.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thick cotton curtains completely blocked the windows and doors, letting in not a single ray of sunlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What stuck with Xu Yuan most was how the stench of medicine couldn’t mask the blood smell on his father’s body, and how his father’s coughing at night often woke the neighbors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Rongkui failed to persuade Xu Yuan. He drank a few cups of wine alone downstairs, thought it over, then gave up eating. He went to the back door, peered out, then slipped a crack open and vanished into the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan, upstairs, saw Zheng Rongkui heading toward the southern end of the street, and silently chuckled: “What a lustful old lecher.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night travel was rarely forbidden today, but going out at night still carried great risk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Rongkui slipped into the house in darkness and immediately heard a delighted giggle, followed by soft, warm hands slipping inside his robe, moving with practiced ease downward, seizing control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Rongkui forcibly suppressed his desire and said: “I have urgent business.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Use your channel to deliver a letter back for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang the Widow lit a lamp; Zheng Rongkui wrote the letter and handed it to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang the Widow smiled: “Now that the business is done, let’s do something enjoyable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Rongkui naturally gave his all—he knew that after tomorrow’s departure, they’d likely never meet again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the window, Xu Yuan quietly withdrew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Rongkui was lustful, but when Xu Yuan pressed the dagger to his throat during the day, it was clear he feared death more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t risk sneaking out at night to meet Yang the Widow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang the Widow was a covert agent of the Demon Extermination Army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such low-level agents were numerous in the Demon Extermination Army’s network.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially in places like Qihé Terrace, where official authority couldn’t reach, they were highly effective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Extermination Army used them to gather and transmit intelligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On ordinary days, they had no specific tasks—just lived their own lives. The army offered limited protection and small cash subsidies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if exposed or eliminated, these agents caused the Demon Extermination Army no real loss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They formed a vast grassroots network capable of gathering massive amounts of intelligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And their network transmitted information with remarkable ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan returned to the Zhao Family Leather Shop and truly fell asleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Rongkui was in such a hurry to send word to his second uncle, even unwilling to wait until tomorrow to reach the county seat, that Xu Yuan suspected this “recruitment” had ulterior motives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ooooh—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah Hua flapped her wings and leapt onto the roof, letting out today’s first loud crow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Rongkui emerged from Yang the Widow’s house with dark circles under his eyes and unsteady steps, tying his belt and fastening the buttons on his collar as he walked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the entrance of the Zhao Family Leather Shop, Xu Yuan stepped out just as he arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s go now,” Xu Yuan said. “Buy something to eat at the western end of the street.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the western end of the street, a breakfast stall operated by a father-son duo had a large oven; they baked buns for two cash apiece, offering free hot water and pickled vegetables. Many passing merchant caravans ate there in the morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two bought four buns, ate them, then negotiated with a merchant caravan: ten cash for both of them to ride along to the county seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The caravan’s cart carried goods; the two climbed atop the load.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no comfort, and they had to watch out not to fall off—but the price was cheap, better than walking back themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pulling horse moved slowly; the cart rocked gently. The two simply lay down on top, and Zheng Rongkui chatted idly with Xu Yuan, half-heartedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This fat man never stopped talking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Being a soldier on the imperial payroll isn’t a good path. Hundreds of years ago, common soldiers already stopped receiving full pay. Those corrupt officers drained the troops dry—by the time pay reached their hands, two-tenths was a miracle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our Demon Extermination Army is the same, but we’re not regular troops—we’re genuine Embroidered Uniform Guards! Our pay is far better than those common soldiers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As a Squad Leader you get twenty taels, a Platoon Leader fifty, a Company Commander one hundred and fifty—and from Company Commander upward, you’re granted land.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here in Jiaozhi, it’s all real grants. In newly conquered territories, we’ve slaughtered most of the local gentry and tribal chieftains—leaving behind only the finest irrigated fields.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan bit a stalk of dogtail grass, ignoring everything Zheng Rongkui said. As the sun rose, its glare made his eyes ache, so he pulled his thick felt hat over his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Rongkui kept droning on about the benefits of the Demon Extermination Army, when suddenly he heard snoring—he could only sigh in resignation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forty li along the imperial road, the cart moved slightly faster than walking; by mid-afternoon, Xu Yuan finally saw the low, dilapidated walls of Shanhe County.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This wasn’t a “strategic stronghold.” The walls were built only to deter bandits—neither the County Magistrate nor even the Son of Heaven had any interest in repairing them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the city gate, Xu Yuan and Zheng Rongkui jumped down from the cart and parted ways with the merchant caravan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two queued up, paid the head tax, and entered the city; the merchant caravan, however, had to undergo detailed customs calculations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just by the merchant’s sour expression, it was clear the tax rate was high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan paid his tax and saw the caravan’s drivers shouting, driving their animals toward the left side of the city wall, clearing the gate area—clearly, they wouldn’t be entering today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bit too risqué a chapter gets banned…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sigh, still asking for monthly votes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1311,"2026-06-20T12:07:23.516Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","69f71007f300aa8433e83d19c4a00c5183304ad1e91a646065e95ebb5445982e","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-37","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-35",413,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnothing-is-taboo-cover.jpg"]