[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-nothing-is-taboo":3,"chapter-nothing-is-taboo-nothing-is-taboo-chapter-377":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},2310762,4514,"Chapter 377: The Old Bastard Isn","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-377",377,"\u003Cp>During Gao Guanzi’s healing, Xu Yuan closed his eyes and guided Pipelong back from the underground river beneath the lake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan knew Qidou Village was dangerous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only place in Ghost Witch Mountain that didn’t bow to Ruan Tianye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How afraid of death is Master Xu—so Pipelong wasn’t even lowered into the water by Xu Yuan himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He summoned the Ghost Infant leader and forced him to search the surroundings for underground rivers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They finally found one—a waterway leading underground to Qidou Village’s small lake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan sent Pipelong through this underground river.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Guanzi delayed a bit precisely because Master Xu’s Pipelong hadn’t yet taken position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last time they spent the night in the Divine Mother’s Shrine, Gao Guanzi and Bai Lao had discussed this lake in Qidou Village, thinking it formed from rainwater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But rainwater alone couldn’t sustain a lake for decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since no surface river flowed into the lake, only an underground river remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it couldn’t be large, or the lake’s surface wouldn’t appear so still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ghost Infant leader was afraid too—even underground, he dared not approach Qidou Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Isn’t that all because Master Xu forced him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Ghost Infant leader couldn’t find a waterway underground, Xu Yuan would force the Corpse Sparrow to carry Pipelong over from above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The underground river was narrow; Xu Yuan slowly guided Pipelong back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Guanzi woke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A journey past the Gates of Hell,” Gao Guanzi murmured to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he shook his head and opened his ears wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His face twisted in pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because a blow to his forehead damaged certain special organs inside his skull, his uncanny hearing had been impaired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gao Guanzi was wise enough not to beg for sympathy from Master Xu again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Master Xu had already paid him “blood money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he was alive, and only his hearing was damaged—this was already a great gain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan saw he wasn’t seriously hurt and said, “Let’s go. Back to the treehouse.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About half an hour after Rongrong was snatched away by that mysterious presence, the Crown Princess far away at the Zhancheng Canal dock suddenly felt a sharp pain in her eyes and burst into tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her heart jolted; she immediately shut her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scenes flashed before her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All were things Rongrong had seen in life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But influenced by that mysterious presence, some parts were missing, others fragmented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the entire “chain of evidence” could now be pieced together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crown Princess approved of Rongrong’s mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By nature cold and detached, she was satisfied—so she decided not to delay or withhold the compensation for Rongrong’s family this time; she would issue it immediately upon returning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ruan Tianye’s permits—hah, useless after all,” the Crown Princess sneered inwardly, yet felt a twinge of relief:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Xiao Si had just set out and hadn’t yet met up with Rongrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, he’d have been lost too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crown Princess paused, then ordered, “Go fetch Uncle Seventeen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The maid Ruirui bowed and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after, a plump old man was brought in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing Uncle Seventeen, the Crown Princess couldn’t just issue a command and expect obedience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She detailed every clue Rongrong had uncovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally she said, “I intend to go to Ghost Witch Mountain myself and capture this thief who dares to practice the Dragon Transformation Art.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan’s entire setup—the fabricated thief—was in fact a bait for the Crown Princess!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Chongjiu wanted to devour Fu Shuanghui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crown Princess had been stuck at her current level for years—how could she not crave “devouring that person”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These past years, the Crown Princess had suffered immensely—this suffering wasn’t merely physical pain or the torment of a cultivation bottleneck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a woman of breathtaking beauty, being unable to show her true face was a cruel torment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Song Lu complained constantly during “no heavy makeup” periods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How much worse for the Crown Princess, forced to wear this monstrous visage every day?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon hearing her words, Uncle Seventeen immediately understood her true intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked, “If that man hides in the lake, what plan does Your Highness have to force him out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crown Princess frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She understood—Uncle Seventeen’s words carried two layers of meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first, naturally, was the surface meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without a proper plan, even going to Ghost Witch Mountain would leave her powerless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second… was a reminder: how could such a dangerous lake support cultivation?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This might be a trick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crown Princess praised, “Uncle Seventeen, steady and thorough in thought.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she smiled suddenly: “To force that man out of the lake is easy. Didn’t you forget Gao Wanli is a new artisan? Have her come along and craft self-moving devices to dive in and drive him out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Seventeen nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As for how he can cultivate in the lake…” the Crown Princess shook her head, “I can’t guess. If this is a trick, Uncle Seventeen, help me think—who might be behind these schemes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Seventeen carefully reviewed the entire sequence of events since the Crown Princess arrived in Zhancheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why not send someone secretly to the Purification Office? See if Xu Yuan has even been there during this time?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crown Princess’s gaze darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If this was truly a trap, Xu Yuan in Zhancheng was the prime suspect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as Uncle Seventeen suspected,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan would surely need to personally go to Ghost Witch Mountain to direct this scheme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But… the Seven Sects have many methods to completely alter a person’s appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Send someone to test him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Seventeen nodded: “Exactly. He can easily hire someone to impersonate him, but finding another fifth-rank alchemist to impersonate him? Nearly impossible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crown Princess nodded: “Good. I’ll arrange it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Seventeen bowed: “If Your Highness decides to go to Ghost Witch Mountain, I will gladly accompany you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Uncle Seventeen rose to take his leave; the Crown Princess stood and paced the room in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now there was a problem: insufficient personnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Wu was dead; Xiao Si was sent to Ghost Witch Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from Uncle Seventeen, everyone around her was sixth-rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one could test whether the Xu Yuan in the Purification Office was truly fifth-rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crown Princess calculated: she still had four sixth-ranks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if they were to test him… Xiao Wu had only recently assassinated Xu Yuan in public.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To do it again so soon would surely make the Purification Office explode in outrage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It would be hard to clean up later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another way to confirm was to find someone who knew Xu Yuan well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Have them secretly observe his every move.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many methods can alter appearance, but personal habits are hard to mimic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if one tries hard, small slips always appear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To use this method, she’d need to bribe someone in the Purification Office who knew Xu Yuan well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crown Princess thought and thought, then gritted her teeth and abandoned the second plan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though feasible, it was unreliable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it would take too long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man in Ghost Witch Mountain determined whether she could ascend to fourth-rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This matter was too vital to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if she angered the Purification Office beyond repair, she would not let this chance slip away!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Send all four sixth-ranks!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he’s not fifth-rank, he’ll die for sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though not perfectly secure, it was nearly certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crown Princess called Ruirui, gave orders, and said, “Go arrange it quickly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Your Highness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1237,"2026-06-20T12:07:24.624Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","34c5ab037181104e90e26f0b5ec5d6f94a1eccd8526b57564beeeef1e3b631c6","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-378","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-376",413,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnothing-is-taboo-cover.jpg"]