[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-nothing-is-taboo":3,"chapter-nothing-is-taboo-nothing-is-taboo-chapter-407":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},2310792,4514,"Chapter 407: Buddha Skin","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-407",407,"\u003Cp>After lunch, the county yamen was gripped by tension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate trusted Xu Yuan’s judgment but truly feared another Seventh-Rank Great Evil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The losses in Xinyi Fang  have been tallied: sixty-seven houses collapsed, forty-one people killed, and one hundred five injured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three brick kilns of the village head’s family were completely destroyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xinyi Fang  is heavily contaminated and unsuitable for human habitation in the short term.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such devastating losses made the County Magistrate’s scalp prickle; he had originally hoped to maneuver for a promotion after his term ended, but now that dream was ruined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If another Great Evil appeared, bringing another wave of heavy casualties, not only would promotion be impossible—he might even lose his official hat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For two hours, they remained on edge—but silence prevailed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one came from inside or outside the city to report any incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate’s heart stirred with a flicker of hope: Had Xu Yuan guessed wrong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan was highly capable, but even the best make mistakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate kept hoping, hoping, his mind torn between fear and longing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan watched all his expressions and said: “I am here. Even if another Evil appears, I can resolve it for you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But if I leave, can you defend yourselves?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate didn’t know how to answer; he forced a smile, bitter and weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the hour of You approached, dusk was falling, yet the county remained utterly calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate’s Jiaoxing  grew stronger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He seemed slightly more relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan rubbed his chin, said nothing, and walked alone into the courtyard, then stepped down—fire wheels appeared, and with a whoosh, he shot up more than a hundred feet into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate and Wei Zhenbang and the others rushed out, gazing up at Xu Yuan in the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is Xu Yuan doing…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan activated the Vision of Fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had suspected another Seventh-Rank Evil would appear today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only a suspicion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan firmly believed another Evil would appear—but whether today or not, he lacked certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just now, it struck him: the Evil might have already appeared, but those who saw it were all dead, so no one came to report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Xu Yuan used the Vision of Fate to take a look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it could only show the entire county.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green-brick Evil from Xinyi Fang  had led him to suspect that the next Evils would appear within the city or near the county.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Vision of Fate” slowly swept across the entire county.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It began from Chengnan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it reached the northeast, Xu Yuan suddenly noticed something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was about to command the fire wheels to fly there, then remembered today’s ban on “Ri Ben”—would riding the fire wheels count as “fast travel”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to be cautious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan landed, waved to the group: “Follow me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate felt the sky was collapsing; he trembled and asked: “Xu Yuan, is there… is there really an Evil?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan nodded: “Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The poor County Magistrate turned ashen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan walked as he spoke: “This is not your fault for poor governance. I will state this clearly in my report to the court.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate was overjoyed; his career, which had plunged into the abyss, had been pulled back by Xu Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, my lord!” The County Magistrate nearly knelt down on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan continued: “But you must handle the aftermath properly. The civilians who suffered from the Evil—those without family or means of survival—must be properly cared for.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My lord, rest assured—I’d rather starve to death myself than let a single civilian go hungry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan didn’t believe this for a moment, but the assurance gave him some peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate bowed low and shuffled beside Xu Yuan, asking: “Where are we going, my lord?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan halted his steps, feet slightly apart, hands behind his back, posture upright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before them stood a vermilion temple gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above the gate hung a plaque bearing its name: Yunmiao Temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The central gate was shut; only a small door on the right was open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The walls extending from either side of the gate were painted yellow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Xu Yuan stood before the gate, the long shadows beneath the walls seemed to shrink slightly toward their bases.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate said at once: “This is an ancient site in our county, built by monks of the previous dynasty. In the back courtyard stands a seven-story pagoda, thirty-four feet tall, each level housing gilded Buddha statues—twelve hundred in total, large and small.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But after our dynasty conquered Jiaozhi, several monks came from Zhengzhou and became the new abbots; the lineage has continued for three generations…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan raised his hand—the County Magistrate fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan stared at the small door and said to the County Magistrate: “I’ll show you what’s inside this temple now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan grabbed the County Magistrate’s arm and stepped through the small door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lang Xiao Ba responded: “Yes, sir,” then turned like a iron tower, hand on his sword, standing rigidly to the left of the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To his utter bewilderment, Ji Shuangqiu made nearly the same motion, turning to stand rigidly with hand on sword at the right side of the door!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They stared at each other, then both snorted coldly and turned away, refusing to look at one another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since the lord ordered them to wait outside, not even a single fly would pass without his command!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this order didn’t apply to Dafu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dafu waddled in behind them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they crossed the temple threshold, the County Magistrate suddenly felt a chilling cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if a hide soaked in ice water had clung to his back and dragged upward over his entire body!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he realized his right eye and left eye showed two entirely different worlds!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah!” The County Magistrate gasped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his left eye, the temple was filled with incense smoke; Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arhats sat in their proper places—some benevolent and serene, guiding mortals; others fierce and wrathful, repelling evil spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in his right eye, icy winds blew from all directions, and ghostly flames rose from the incense burners!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of dark-red skeletons sat upon lotus pedestals, each draped in a Buddha-skin robe!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the two entered, the skeletons in the front hall, back hall, and even the seven-story pagoda all turned their heads simultaneously—empty, hollow eye sockets fixed unblinkingly upon them!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan pulled the County Magistrate close and shared the Yin-Yang Guillotine’s vision with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan said: “We’re too late. The believers who entered this temple today were devoured of flesh and skin, their bodies draped in Buddha-skin robes and placed upon these lotus pedestals!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan had always been puzzled: there are many temples in this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buddhist acts of mercy still occur from time to time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as door gods still guard the people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet why, for most of the time, do these deities and Buddhas remain hidden?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt as if the gods and Buddhas had grown too weak to fully protect their faithful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate’s lips trembled: “L-Lord, what… what is this Evil here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan’s gaze settled on a cassock in the main hall: “That object.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate looked—his right eye saw the cassock stitched from golden hide, gemstones, and human skin!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its Yuanqi  surged skyward; hundreds of ghostly faces flickered in and out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like a treasure—but was truly an Evil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1250,"2026-06-20T12:07:25.031Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6118b09e2ba51b8f1cde0d19e0e28a363ba63deda61833506267cfabc19b0f4f","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-408","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-406",413,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnothing-is-taboo-cover.jpg"]