[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-nothing-is-taboo":3,"chapter-nothing-is-taboo-nothing-is-taboo-chapter-85":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},2310470,4514,"Chapter 85: I","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-85",85,"\u003Cp>“Splash—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last bucket of water poured into the vat, the surface finally reaching just below the rim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan wiped his sweat; Old Lady Ying nodded in satisfaction: “You’re a sensible boy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan glanced again at the courtyard: “Should I help you chop firewood too?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need, Ah Hua can handle that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah Hua spread her legs, standing firm before a log, her stance solid, her waist and abdomen—maybe waist and abdomen—suddenly surged with power!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her beak let out a “clack” and split the log cleanly in two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she gave Da Fu a defiant stare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Da Fu just stared straight ahead, ignoring her completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh? Stupid bird, trying to trick me into chopping wood for you? Not a chance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Lady Ying sat down on the wooden stool in front of the house and asked: “Alright, what’s your business? Spit it out—wait much longer and it’ll be dark.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan grinned: “You really can’t be fooled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not that old and senile yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to ask: who among the evil spirits in the mountains is Qiao Zia’ang colluding with?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Lady Ying immediately replied: “How would I, an old woman, know such things…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan just kept grinning at her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Lady Ying changed her tune: “Even if I knew, an old woman like me couldn’t possibly interfere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll handle it,” Xu Yuan said. “The men who came back with me are all senior officers from the Purification Office.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Lady Ying thought again, then said: “If I tell you this, the things in the mountains won’t spare me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time Fu Jingyu spoke: “The Purification Office will protect you. If you’re willing, we can move you to the county seat and give you an annual stipend.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a major case—once solved, the court won’t hesitate to reward silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the returns will far outweigh the cost!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Lady Ying stared only at Xu Yuan; she didn’t trust this stranger, this pampered young master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Lady Ying then whispered: “There are four: the Sea Mouth Toad, the Snake Pole, the Locust Woman, and the Ghost Temple Idol. But I heard Qiao Lao Ye’s plans require the approval of those few on Guanghuo Street—yet his status isn’t high enough to reach them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guanghuo Street?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guanghuo Street isn’t a good place—it doesn’t sell things meant for humans!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan asked more about Guanghuo Street’s history, but Old Lady Ying knew little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Xu Yuan asked: “How do I find the Locust Woman?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Lady Ying gave him the route.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As dusk approached, Xu Yuan thanked Old Lady Ying and prepared to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Da Fu refused to go, still locked in a staring contest with Ah Hua to see who blinked first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan picked him up; just as they reached the door, Old Lady Ying suddenly called out: “My memory’s slipping—I almost forgot something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan turned back. Old Lady Ying shuffled close, trembling, and whispered into his ear: “There are still Qiao Zia’ang’s men in town—they’re…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at Zhao’s Leather Shop, dinner was already ready—certainly not as good as his stepmother’s, but the Purification Office had ample funds, so the meals were substantial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dinner, Fu Jingyu, Yan Lao, Lu Zhengyan, and Xu Yuan gathered to discuss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Jingyu recounted the afternoon’s findings to the two elders, then asked Xu Yuan: “Your second target is the Locust Woman?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, the Locust Woman is a malevolent spirit, not a person.” But the second person Xu Yuan truly wanted to question might not even count as human—he was the old mountain guide from Wangxiang Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, we must find the Locust Woman. I heard her mention Guanghuo Street to Qiao Zia’ang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan was still weighing whether to visit the old mountain guide first or the Locust Woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you have a way to deal with the Locust Woman?” Xu Yuan described her situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Lao quickly calculated: “Roughly seventh-rank strength—but she has countless offspring, making her tricky to handle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Jingyu said: “We do. My teacher brought the Doghead Guillotine—it’s hidden in my cart.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan mapped out the route: “Then we go after the Locust Woman first, then to Wangxiang Village.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As night fell, Yang, the widow at the southern end of the street, sighed softly—another slow day of business.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, the half-closed door swung open. A fat man grinned slyly: “Missed me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Qin and his men arrived just before dark. Ceng Si said: “My lord, I’ll send men to find lodging.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Qin pointed to the side: “No need—there’s your lodging.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone turned. A ruined temple stood on the wasteland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Ceng Si distinctly remembered—there had been nothing there moments ago!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This…” Ceng Si’s blood ran cold: “Can we stay here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Qin walked forward first: “Don’t worry—it’s perfectly safe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But…” Ceng Si asked again: “Aren’t we meeting Lin Qi?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lin Qi has another purpose.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that they’d connected with the Ghost Temple Idol, there was no need to rush contact with Qiao Zia’ang’s useless remnants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, entering Qihetai with so many men might draw the Purification Office’s attention. Xu Yuan had lived in town—who knew if any of his old contacts were still watching?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lord Qin thought the waste could be repurposed—Lin Qi’s men made good blood offerings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first light, everyone at Zhao’s Leather Shop rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan was woken too; he glanced at the yellow calendar on the wall:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today’s prohibitions: night travel, burial, mountain calling, earth-breaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once all was ready, the group stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside Lin’s Sugar House, not a single person in the group so much as glanced their way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after passing did Fu Jingyu ask: “Why not arrest him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan said: “Lin Qi is being kept for another purpose.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The previous night, Old Lady Ying had told Xu Yuan: there were still Qiao Zia’ang’s men in town—she meant Lin Qi, the proprietor of Lin’s Sugar House.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The older a person gets, the more they know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the Yitingfang Inn was destroyed, Lin Qi saw the Pingtian Society’s strength and quietly lay low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Jingyu asked again: “No one assigned to watch him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone’s watching.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Jingyu said no more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ceng Si woke with a shiver—he’d slept out in the wilds!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The small temple from last night was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ceng Si grew more suspicious: how had he fallen asleep so deeply after such a strange night?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he recalled—he’d “forgotten” to assign night watches, and everyone in the temple had skipped dinner, yawning and collapsing straight into sleep!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Qin had also woken, his clothes neatly arranged, as if he’d never slept at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Into the mountains,” Lord Qin ordered. “Eat some dried rations on the way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of his men cried out: “Where are our horses?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cart horses were gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cart was heavy—without horses, they’d never make two li before collapsing from exhaustion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Qin said calmly: “Leave the cart behind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ceng Si was puzzled; he quietly pushed the cart—it was no longer heavy. The “cargo” inside was gone!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ceng Si understood. He urged his men: “No more delays—move out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group followed the road outside town, turning onto a path beside Meiren Dam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lord Qin led the way, as if he knew the terrain well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two more chapters tonight—launching at midnight. Public version gets one extra chapter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1228,"2026-06-20T12:07:23.516Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","87498c43935e9bcab4add3e99f9538ad809e0adfab763fd937b75847fc0b1774","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-86","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-84",413,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnothing-is-taboo-cover.jpg"]