[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-nothing-is-taboo":3,"chapter-nothing-is-taboo-nothing-is-taboo-chapter-410":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},2310795,4514,"Chapter 410: The Mysterious Constable (Combined Three Parts)","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-410",410,"\u003Cp>When Xu Yuan brought Shun Dong back to the county yamen, the young lady’s lips parted slightly in surprise, and she whispered to Wei Shi beside her: “That thing… just followed him back like that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wei Shi was not optimistic: “It’s probably not this simple. Still…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Shi secretly glanced at the young lady—better to stay cautious, so he wouldn’t praise Xu my lord in front of her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still what?” the young lady turned to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Shi smiled and shook his head: “Nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young lady gave her aunt a little side-eye of playful annoyance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What Wei Shi wanted to say was that this Xu my lord had real ability—getting that thing into the yamen so easily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan did feel a certain sympathy for Shun Dong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But bringing Shun Dong back to the yamen so smoothly was because, in the past six months since joining the Purification Office, Xu Yuan had handled many cases.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had a precise grasp of the personality of suspects like Shun Dong—who were both “victim” and “perpetrator.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calling them “pitiable people with hateful traits” was inaccurate and too harsh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But people like Shun Dong were always stubborn and extreme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he decided something, he never believed it was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So when he wanted to work for pay, Xu Yuan used a simple hiring excuse to lead him all the way into the yamen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Shun Dong eventually stepped into the main hall,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>with the plaque “Bright Mirror Hanging High” above and the Tiger Head Axe beside it, the evil spirit had no escape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the evil spirit refused to surrender.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The instant the skin on Shun Dong’s forehead split, every person present—including the five hiding behind the side hall—heard a voice in their minds:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pedantic and absurd!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu my lord released his sword pellet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shun Dong’s stubbornness grew even more extreme.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third eye’s glass bead turned clumsily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, it wasn’t Shun Dong controlling the third eye—it was the third eye controlling Shun Dong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third eye scanned everything around, searching for targets to corrupt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, it saw the plaque hanging above the hall: “Bright Mirror Hanging High.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It tried to corrupt those four large characters into an evil spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it encountered a mysterious force resisting it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twisting those characters into an evil spirit proved difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third eye gave up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably the power of the imperial mandate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were many other corruptible things nearby—no need to waste energy on this plaque.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third eye turned its gaze to the two rows of fire-and-water staves on the racks beside the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It activated its twisting power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But those fire-and-water staves emitted strong resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third eye was puzzled—this shouldn’t be. In any county yamen, how many innocent people had been beaten senseless under these staves!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They should’ve been easy to corrupt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third eye grew stubborn and exerted great effort—the two rows of staves rattled violently on their racks, yet finally fell still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Corruption failed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third eye was stunned, turning sharply to stare at the threshold beneath its feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Corruption of—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The threshold was heavy, firmly locked in place at the doorway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, not even a tremor occurred—it failed outright!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s going on?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third eye was truly bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was it because this was the county yamen’s main hall, and my power was suppressed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shun Dong spun around to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His foot caught on something, and as he stumbled forward, the thing wrapped around him, binding him tightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third eye fixed its gaze on what bound him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Artisan object? Lure it into corruption!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Artisan objects were the easiest targets for the third eye to corrupt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, artisan objects were forged from “materials,” inherently possessing strange inner qualities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what bound him was beast-tendon rope—not Filth Net.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it had been Filth Net, Xu my lord couldn’t have guaranteed he’d suppress the artisan object’s corruption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu my lord guessed this, so he used tendon pills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop wasting your effort,” Xu Yuan’s voice came from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The beast-tendon rope lifted Shun Dong into the air, then twisted him around, pulling his head forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Directly ahead, the sword pellet split into a hundred tiny needle-like blades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These needles were finer than cow hairs, piercing the edges of the glass bead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Together, they forced the glass bead out of Shun Dong’s forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The glass bead assumed its inability to corrupt objects in the yamen was due to imperial suppression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was truth to that—but the greater reason was that Xu Yuan secretly activated his “Nothing Is Forbidden” destiny, suppressing its power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan’s destiny cultivation was only seventh stream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the yamen, “Nothing Is Forbidden” alone couldn’t restrain the glass bead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But combined, they gained a slight edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan brought Shun Dong back to the yamen precisely to find a battlefield favorable to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, today’s “Internal Fire” had been banned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hundred needle-blades, having cut the glass bead free, instantly transformed into a hundred hooked blades, firmly gripping the bead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when they pulled the bead out, they discovered it was still connected to Shun Dong’s soul!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a true eyeball linked to the optic nerve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shun Dong screamed in agony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood-tears streamed from his eyes, his whole body convulsing uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The glass bead had kidnapped Shun Dong—if I pull it out, Shun Dong must die!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young lady grew anxious and turned to Geng Jiu: “Uncle Jiu, can you help?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geng Jiu was a spirit cultivator—souls were his specialty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geng Jiu frowned in deep thought, racking his brain for a way to separate them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xu Yuan suddenly gestured—and one of the fire-and-water staves flew out of the hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the glass bead, it suddenly corrupted into an evil spirit and struck Xu my lord’s head!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The glass bead had just tried to corrupt the stave—and now it succeeded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the glass bead sensed something was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Shun Dong’s soul was detaching from it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Trade Law!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It traded Shun Dong’s soul for the corrupted fire-and-water stave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shun Dong’s life was worthless—a single corrupted stave bought it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bam!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stave came crashing down—but was effortlessly sliced apart by the Dragon-Slaying Sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The glass bead sought another corruption target—when a hide suddenly enveloped it from above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its “vision” was completely blocked by the hide pill—it could see nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It could only desperately unleash its power against the hide pill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the hide pill, like the tendon pill, was a fifth-stream external pill of a pill cultivator.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The glass bead was also fifth-stream—its power couldn’t overpower the hide pill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shun Dong collapsed, drenched in sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a clarity arose in his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Recalling his actions, he still stubbornly believed none were wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he finally felt they had gone “too far.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, in Yunmiao Temple, many innocent people had perished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They, like him, came from poverty; lured by vague hopes, they entered the temple to pray—and never walked out again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan stored the hide pill in the carriage, adding an extra layer of security.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thing was strange—he planned to study it carefully later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It might be usable…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lang Xiao Ba and Ji Shuangqiu rushed out from either side of their lord and seized Shun Dong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan put away the beast-tendon rope, and the two of them fastened the shackles onto Shun Dong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan waved his hand: “Interrogate him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such trivial matters don’t require Master Xu’s personal involvement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lang Xiao Ba looked around: none of the Police Inspectors had come; he searched for Yu Yunhang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he remembered: oh, Old Yu didn’t come either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You can’t expect a rough man like me to interrogate a prisoner, can you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Xu has gone to rest in the back courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Young Lady was eager to try, but Wei Shi and Wei Ershi held her down firmly together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate stepped forward: “I’ll conduct the interrogation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lang Xiao Ba immediately felt the County Magistrate had done him a great favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was quite ambitious, quietly listening and learning from the side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Zhancheng Office, such interrogations never fell to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now Xiao Ba felt his abilities still needed improvement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shun Dong still believed he wasn’t a bad person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So whatever the County Magistrate asked, he answered truthfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he was ten, his father went into the mountains with others to blast rocks, but an accident happened—the gunpowder was too much, and his father and four others were crushed to death by falling stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The proprietor fled immediately; the five families received not a single copper coin in compensation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two years ago, his mother, worn down by labor and illness, died without treatment, leaving behind the three siblings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shun Dong took odd jobs doing anything he could, trying to raise his younger brother and sister.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But heaven took them away, one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few days ago, he went to Honglin Village to pound rice for a wealthy household; the next day, the neighboring village was buried by a mudslide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wealthy man still had a debt there, so he took Shun Dong along to check—naturally, they returned empty-handed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shun Dong accidentally picked up this glass bead, thought it was something valuable, and hid it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after working hard for three days for the wealthy man, the man refused to pay, tricked him into going to the Little Black River, and hoped the Lion-Head Toad spirit would devour him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shun Dong barely escaped death; when he returned to demand his wages, the wealthy man made excuse after excuse, and finally paid only three-tenths of what was agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone in Honglin Village shares the same surname.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shun Dong left in silence, and on the road saw a small snake; he couldn’t help thinking: let this snake become a spirit and devour me—then that bastard who wanted the Lion-Head Toad to eat me should be devoured by a spirit himself!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After he left, the small snake became a giant python.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It devoured the wealthy man’s entire family of five.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other spirits born from him were all the same way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate revised the case file, stamped it with his seal, and handed it to Lang Xiao Ba.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once this file bears Master Xu’s seal, it can be sent to the Cleansing Bureau’s Jiaozhi South Office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan returned to rest, naturally to secretly study the glass bead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This spirit was very peculiar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was wrapped in a Pi Dan; aside from desperately trying to corrupt the Pi Dan, it had no other abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its power was nearly miraculous—it could transform ordinary objects and living beings into spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It could also make ordinary spirits fiercer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But beyond that, it had no other abilities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant python was Seventh-Flow; later it became Sixth-Flow, and finally it was on the verge of breaking into Fifth-Flow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After studying it for a while, Xu Yuan realized: when this thing transforms another into a spirit, it gains strength itself!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it can transform something into a Fifth-Flow spirit, it will ascend to Fourth-Flow!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fascinating!” Xu Yuan immediately thought of two entirely different uses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I send this thing to Guanghuo Street…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Would those great spirits know how to use it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First, it could cultivate a group of powerful subordinates; second, the more subordinates it cultivates, the higher the glass bead’s level becomes…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ruan Tianye was not alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Jiao and Tian Jing arrived at Guanghuo Street, Xu Yuan learned Ruan Tianye had nine “Ye”-ranked spirits and fifteen “Ba”-ranked spirits under him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Spread throughout the entire Ghost Witch Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, the crow’s eye at Laoyakou was a “Ba”-ranked spirit; the spirits on Guanghuo Street even called it “Wu Da Ba.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ghost Witch Mountain wasn’t the imperial court—these named spirits obeyed Ruan Tianye but wouldn’t do things like patrolling or maintaining order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With this kind of aid, will those great spirits still be willing to remain beneath Ruan Tianye?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who doesn’t have ambition? Especially spirits, who are inherently mad and impatient.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But…” Xu Yuan stroked his chin: “This thing is hard to control.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I decide to send it into Ghost Witch Mountain, I must plan carefully—lest I remove Ruan Tianye only to cultivate an even more dangerous anomaly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the second use of this thing was for Xu Yuan to consume and refine it himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To nourish the Dragon Pearl’s inner core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His alchemical cultivation level would rise significantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what Xu Yuan truly anticipated was the strange art he might gain after consuming it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, Xu Yuan really wanted to take the gamble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which path should he choose? He hesitated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was no rush to decide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master.” Lang Xiao Ba’s voice sounded outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan carefully put the bead away: “Come in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lang Xiao Ba presented the case file.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan glanced through it briefly; since it contained no mention of that noble person, he relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was thinking of that “noble person,” the Young Lady appeared at the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside her stood Wei Shi and Geng Qi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan’s door was open; the Young Lady knocked lightly: “Master Xu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan rose, bowing properly: “Miss, please come in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three entered; the Young Lady said: “We helped you find the spirits in the county, but it delayed our own matter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan immediately said gravely: “I’m ashamed! If I can assist you in any way, please speak freely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Shi and Geng Qi looked helplessly at each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course we don’t need your help—it’s just a Ding Tou Jie. We’re just accompanying the Young Lady for a stroll.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Young Lady didn’t think so…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Young Lady said: “We’re tracking a spirit wanted by the Cleansing Bureau—Ding Tou Jie. Originally, we had a crafted item that could be used once daily to pinpoint its approximate location.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But today we used it for you; tomorrow, who knows where Ding Tou Jie will flee to.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan was well aware of the Cleansing Bureau’s “bounties.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, not long ago in Zhancheng, the spirit Shu Bi Chong had killed Zhang Tong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After escaping Zhancheng, the Cleansing Bureau issued a wanted notice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Zhang Tong’s relatives wished to avenge him, they could post a bounty through the Cleansing Bureau.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another case: if a spirit committed a major crime—like devouring an entire village’s population—even if it escaped, the Cleansing Bureau would never let it go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They would pursue it relentlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such bounties were issued directly by the Cleansing Bureau.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only for killing spirits, but even for providing accurate leads, one would receive a reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Cleansing Bureau had too many bounties; Xu Yuan rarely paid attention to them, so he didn’t know what Ding Tou Jie actually was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Young Lady explained: “This spirit is extraordinary. Last year, our dynasty quelled a rebellion in Siam.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A great plague broke out, turning one of Siam’s cities into a dead city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterwards, many plague spirits emerged from that city—Ding Tou Jie was one of them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan’s heart stirred—he remembered this incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last year, a man named Qiu Ningtai had battled Ju Ya in Ghost Witch Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was trying to obtain an antidote from Ju Ya to save the entire city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiu Ningtai ultimately failed and died in Ghost Witch Mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So there was a sequel to this story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ding Tou Jie differs from other plague spirits—it can parasitize inside a human body, then multiply endlessly; its offspring can parasitize other humans.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And many of our dynasty’s current methods cannot detect whether someone is infected by Ding Tou Jie.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve tracked this spirit here and already eliminated over a dozen people who had been parasitized by it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan probed: “Are you asking me to help you capture Ding Tou Jie?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly.” The Young Lady clapped lightly: “We’ve pursued it all this way; thanks to that crafted item, we always find the spirit—but for some reason, it always escapes at the last moment…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Young Lady suddenly realized she had let slip too much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The excuse they gave for needing help was that the artifact had helped Xu Yuan today, thus losing track of the Nail-Head Abscess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in truth, even if they used that artifact again today to relock the Nail-Head Abscess’s range, the malevolent spirit would likely still escape, as it did before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Young Lady came to Xu Yuan hoping to leverage his abilities to try and capture the Nail-Head Abscess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind her veil, the Young Lady quietly stuck out her tiny pink tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, Xu Yuan seemed unaware of this, lost in his own thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss, are you out here playing ‘Spirit Hunter’?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Young Lady clapped her hands again, cheerfully saying: “Exactly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geng Qi and Wei Shi exchanged a covert glance, both deeply exasperated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Huangming Empire originally had no such thing as a ‘Spirit Hunter.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But over these years, Huangming has repeatedly waged war with foreign barbarians, and exchanges between them have grown increasingly frequent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some foreign items spread over, causing the Artisan Cultivators to split into two factions: ‘New Artisans’ and ‘Old Artisans,’ showing how profound the influence was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Similarly, it is said that among the barbarians, a large group of so-called ‘enlightened minds’ are loudly calling for self-reflection and urging adoption of Huangming’s ways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huangming’s vernacular tales are called ‘novels’ among the barbarians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some of these barbarian novels have been translated into Huangming’s Han tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And among the barbarians, there is a profession called ‘Bounty Hunter,’ and novels featuring Bounty Hunters as protagonists are wildly popular.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About seven or eight years ago, one such novel was translated and brought into Huangming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It unexpectedly became a sensation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following this, a number of ‘Spirit Hunters’ emerged in Huangming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Young Lady is a devoted reader of this kind of ‘novel.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reading too many, she began to identify with them, and a few months ago, she suddenly begged her father to let her go out as a ‘Spirit Hunter.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her father could not withstand her pouting and pleading, so he agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he was, of course, deeply concerned for his daughter’s safety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He not only assigned these four to closely guard her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also consulted with her master and had the map’s southern Jiaozhi region specifically allocated to her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That map is a divine artifact for tracking spirits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it also confines her movements strictly to southern Jiaozhi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Ma Tianshou is stationed there, and he has deep ties to the family—he will surely watch over her secretly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of them are merely accompanying the Young Lady for fun, with no real interest in tracking the Nail-Head Abscess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet they never expected her to seek help from this Xu Zhanglu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is not good at all…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Beidu, they’ve heard countless stories of noble ladies and noble young masters who, upon accidentally encountering outstanding figures from the lower classes, began out of curiosity, then slowly became hopelessly entangled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So even though the Young Lady has always been sensible and swore she had no special feelings for Xu Yuan, the four still felt they must remain vigilant!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan had made his decision: “Since the artifact you hold can track the Nail-Head Abscess, use it again tomorrow to locate the malevolent spirit—I will attempt to act and help you capture it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Young Lady nodded in satisfaction: “It’s settled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But…” Xu Yuan added, “I am, after all, the Zhanglu of the Purification Office, with many official duties. You helped me today; I will help you tomorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether or not we capture the Nail-Head Abscess, the day after tomorrow, I must return to Champa.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind her veil, the Young Lady pouted slightly: “Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geng Qi and Wei Shi both exhaled in relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This young Zhanglu is a clever man, knows when to advance and when to retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That is good.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geng Qi even felt a flicker of admiration, silently thinking that upon returning, he would mention this young Zhanglu to his master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the master mentions “Xu Yuan” even once in the right setting, it would be a great fortune for the young Zhanglu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With matters settled, the Young Lady did not linger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan also changed into civilian attire and went out to secretly observe how the County Magistrate was settling the refugees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The County Magistrate worked hard: after finishing the Shundong case, he took the yamen runners into town, first visiting the homes of local gentry to solicit donations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He collected silver to house the refugees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan was quite satisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then returned to the yamen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Entering the compound, he went straight to the Young Lady’s courtyard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geng Jiu stood guard at the gate; seeing Xu Yuan approach, his face darkened slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The family dislikes any young man who lingers near the Young Lady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xu Yuan did not enter the courtyard; instead, he gestured to Geng Jiu, asking him to step outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two walked farther away, and Xu Yuan said: “I’m here to see Seventh Uncle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geng Jiu was puzzled but went back to summon Seventh Brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan spoke bluntly: “I wish to discuss tomorrow’s pursuit of the Nail-Head Abscess with you. You’re deliberately not capturing it, aren’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geng Qi looked at Xu Yuan in surprise: “How did you figure that out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan smiled faintly: “Just now, the Young Lady said you’ve been chasing it all along. Though she didn’t detail the process, I could tell—the Nail-Head Abscess sounds fearsome, but it’s a coward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as it senses pursuit, it only thinks of fleeing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So you’ve been leisurely trailing her, letting her enjoy the chase.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once she’s had her fill and is satisfied, you’ll all strike together to capture the spirit, so she can claim the reward at the Purification Office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This experience will then end smoothly and perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if you capture it now, she hasn’t had enough fun—what if she then chases something even more dangerous? That would ultimately endanger her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Am I right or wrong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geng Qi gave a bitter laugh and admitted: “You’re absolutely right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",3663,"2026-06-20T12:07:25.031Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b8476a1cf48a98a2f0900b6fbacf921457bad4e472ca2b28fd2861f5ec7ccb9f","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-411","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-409",413,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnothing-is-taboo-cover.jpg"]