[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-nothing-is-taboo":3,"chapter-nothing-is-taboo-nothing-is-taboo-chapter-367":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},2310752,4514,"Chapter 367: Many Backers Behind","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-367",367,"\u003Cp>“I bullied it?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It shat right outside my door!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It tore my courtyard apart—am I not allowed to punish it?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Gao Wanli felt morally justified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan said casually: “Your courtyard was already torn down…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli glared at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan waved his hand: “You’re a grown adult—why are you arguing with a poultry?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, there are plenty of empty courtyards behind the yamen. Why insist on this one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, I just moved into this courtyard myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of my belongings are still in the boxes, not yet unpacked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one thing I loved most in this courtyard has been destroyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why should I fix it? And be humiliated again and again by this Xu?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli refused to admit that her rage had blinded her to the possibility of moving elsewhere…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To admit it would make her look foolish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if she didn’t admit it, she had no choice but to keep repairing this courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I… I just like it here!” Gao Wanli gritted her teeth and snarled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan looked at the dilapidated courtyard: What was so good about this place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine,” Xu Yuan suddenly became magnanimous: “If you want to repair it, go ahead. As long as the expenses aren’t outrageous, the office will cover it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, it’s the yamen’s back courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Xu Yuan brushed off the matter of Dafu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tucked away the beast-tendon rope, hugged Dafu, and smiled: “Wang Shen, stepmother, let’s go home. This place is far more spacious than the patrol post in Chengnan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good, good,” Wang Shen nodded with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli watched them from behind, noticing Lin Wanmo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had gathered intelligence on Xu Yuan and knew his stepmother was an unproven Wu Xiu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wanmo disliked her the moment she saw her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Likewise, Gao Wanli found Lin Wanmo utterly repulsive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This woman had such a slender waist, such long legs, and her face and neck skin was so pale and delicate!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Truly disgusting!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So beautiful—clearly immoral! Born to seduce men!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli was silently cursing the old craftswoman with venomous thoughts when a voice drifted over—Lin Wanmo was asking Xu Yuan:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who’s this fat-faced oaf?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli leapt up with a shriek, and behind her instantly emerged a dense array of interlocking gears, clanking sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Countless metal structures spread outward, engulfing her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She donned a suit of iron armor brimming with foreign design.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sharp claws, one and a half chi long, extended from her hands; behind her, a pair of metallic bat wings unfurled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who called me fat-faced?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She lunged at Lin Wanmo like a madwoman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wanmo pulled out a leather pouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She squeezed it toward Gao Wanli, and a spray of oil burst forth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hss—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine droplets landed on Gao Wanli’s armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the gears inside her armor spun wildly out of control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mid-lunge, Gao Wanli crashed to the ground with a thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gears continued spinning at high speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The armor tightened relentlessly, locking Gao Wanli inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli screamed and hastily retracted her craft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had no time to confront Lin Wanmo—she urgently inspected her precious craft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she found the oil had seeped into every single component.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And clung tightly to their surfaces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would require complete disassembly and careful cleaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, the craft was ruined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You—” Gao Wanli clenched her teeth, glaring venomously at Lin Wanmo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wanmo feigned confusion: “What’s wrong with this person?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You called me fat-faced!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Wanmo’s eyes flickered, slyly saying: “You’re shouting so loudly—I won’t acknowledge it. You’re a new craftsperson; I’ve heard foreign lands have devices that can record voices. Don’t you have one? Did you record what I just said?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you didn’t record it, then there’s no proof, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No proof—what are you even talking about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli was speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only were such devices impractical, difficult to make, and expensive—she didn’t own one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if she had, who could possibly record those words in such haste?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan, of course, sided with family over justice: “I didn’t hear anything about ‘fat-faced.’”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan winked at Gao Wanli: “Did you mishear?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli finally calmed down, realizing she’d taken the abuse for nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She etched this debt deep into her heart: “Fine, fine, fine! You’ll regret this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan shrugged and walked off with his stepmother and Wang Shen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli resumed repairing the courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her subordinates worked cautiously, moving quietly—any loud noise would bring their mistress’s wrath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were all cultivators; they worked swiftly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By nightfall, the courtyard was restored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli said nothing, entered the house, and shut the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The insults she’d endured these past two days exceeded all she’d suffered in her entire life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back inside, she pulled from the bottom of her trunk a jewelry box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside lay a strange seed, the size of a fist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We begin tomorrow!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When the outskirts are overrun by malevolent spirits, preying on villagers!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xu’s just taken office—his jurisdiction suffers a major incident, he fails to handle it—I’ll report him to higher authorities!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dare to provoke me? You have no idea how powerful my patrons are.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This time, I’ll have Xu removed and investigated—his entire family will be implicated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That damned old craftswoman? First, throw her into the Imperial Brothel—let ten thousand men ride her, torment her for years, then retrieve her and force her to craft for us!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli savored her cruel fantasies of revenge against Xu Yuan and Lin Wanmo—her heart felt lighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Day two’s prohibitions: Linhe, Jiechi, Nongzhuang, Taying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan read the prohibitions and rubbed his temples in pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Taying” meant not stepping on any shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Including human shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So today required extra caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was easy to imagine the city would be utterly deserted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone would stay still if possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even staying indoors demanded care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During daylight, shadows were everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Embroidered Uniform Guard captains arrived on schedule but kept wide distances from each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most dared not enter through the main gate—instead, they flew over the courtyard walls.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lang XiaoBa reported to the lord: “High Lady left early this morning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did she say where she was going?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No,” Lang XiaoBa said. “I asked from afar and got cursed at.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan waved his hand: “Ignore her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan went to his office and handled some documents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around mid-morning, Miao Yu sent someone to deliver a case file to Xu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The newcomer did not even dare to approach the yamen’s main gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A large patch of shadow fell across the front of the Zhan City Office under the sunlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After giving a brief instruction, he tossed the dossier inside and turned away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lang Xiaoba brought the dossier to Master Xu; Xu Yuan unrolled it and saw the detailed records of the Gao family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading it, Xu Yuan burned the dossier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“About what I suspected.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The dossier showed that the Gao family had deep ties with the Fu family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Xu Yuan deduced from certain clues that the Gao family was likely one of the buyers of the previous batch of cocoons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli’s arrival in Zhan City had far from simple intentions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1190,"2026-06-20T12:07:24.624Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","571a654e5a96f91ead0bd3b4fb86d60ba463e018e681b19750ba70102633f85c","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-368","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-366",413,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnothing-is-taboo-cover.jpg"]