No taboos

Chapter 1: The Ninth Day of the Seventh Month, Forbidden to the River
At dawn, Xu Yuan got up, put on a loose and tattered coarse cloth short jacket, and took a look at the almanac before going out to work:
Today is the ninth day of the seventh month in the ninth year of the Ming Dynasty's Xingyou reign.

Suitable for: traveling, cleaning, moving, and taking in livestock.

Taboo: breaking ground, buying a house, digging a well.

Prohibitions: Cold Food Festival, walking near the river, and traveling at night!
Xu Yuan remembered it carefully.

The first two items of "should" and "don't" are just for reference, but the last item of "don't" may cost you your life if you violate it!
This taboo is deeply rooted in the lives of every citizen of the Ming Dynasty; the habit of checking the almanac first thing after waking up every day is engraved in their bones.

"It's forbidden to eat cold food, so you can't eat raw or cold food. You have to go into the mountains to collect firewood to make a fire."

"It is forbidden to go near any mountain stream or creek."

"What a pity! I can't go to Meiyuetan Lake today and peek at those two water ghost sisters bathing." Xu Yuan was impressed: "Master Juren is right. Lust is like a sword hanging over your head."

Xu Yuan was a handyman in the backyard of the inn. He got up and did some odd jobs first, such as grooming the horses and unloading the goods. After breakfast, he prepared to go into the mountains to chop firewood.

Someone of his status could only eat two meals a day.

Xu Yuan put the axe into the straw rope around his waist, put another bundle of thick hemp ropes on his shoulders and was about to set off when three people suddenly appeared from the front yard.

The boy in front is the apprentice of Mr. Liu, the accountant. He is wearing a white backless coat and his hair is wrapped in black gauze.

He immediately raised his hand and called out "Hey" when he saw Xu Yuan. However, he couldn't remember Xu Yuan's name, so he said directly, "These two guests are going to Wangxiang Village to collect mountain products. You can just be their guide on the way."

The two merchants were about thirty years old. The burly one had a full beard and was missing the little finger on his left hand.

The short and fat one has different-sized eyes, but he is always smiling and seems to be easy to get along with.

The burly man said straightforwardly, "Take us to the place, and we'll give you the reward."

Xu Yuan stood at the doorway and refused to leave: "Sir, there are some things we must discuss in advance, and it's not about the amount of reward..."

Big and small eyes nodded: "We know the rules. We will obey you once we enter the mountain. If we don't obey and provoke something, just run away and don't let us get you into trouble."

Xu Yuan gave a thumbs-up, then turned and walked out: "You two are knowledgeable, please follow me."

There are evil spirits everywhere in Guiwu Mountain, and strange things appear one after another.

However, there are also various specialties in Guiwu Mountain that are more valuable than real gold, and merchants often come into the mountain to collect the goods. Xu Yuan has been here for more than half a month, and this is the fifth group of people he has brought into the mountain.

The villages in the mountains are not simple, especially those mountain runners in the village. If they don’t have some skills, how dare they make a living in Guiwu Mountain?
Xu Yuan always sent people to the village entrance and never entered the village.

Half a mile out of the town, there is an earthen dam about ten feet high, and on the other side of the dam is a river.

Suddenly, Daxiaoyan heard a voice calling: "Husband~"

The voice was gentle and melodious, as if a small white hand was gently scratching the ear canal.

Daxiaoyan couldn't help but look in the direction of the sound, and saw a beautiful head appearing on the dam. Her eyes were full of affection and looked at him deeply.

"Husband~" the beauty called out again, and Daxiaoyan immediately felt that this woman was the perfect match for him in this life, and he walked towards the woman unconsciously.

The burly man sensed something was wrong and quickly took a step forward to pull him, and then he heard a heartfelt call: "Husband~"

Another beautiful head popped up on the dam, with thin eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, an oval face the size of a palm, fair skin, and a delicate temperament that made me feel pity for her - every part of her was in line with the aesthetic taste of a burly man.

The burly man then forgot everything and unconsciously reached out his hand as he walked towards her: "Young lady, are you in any trouble?..."

Two rope loops flew over and accurately wrapped around the two men's necks, pulling them back.

The two suddenly woke up and felt a chill on their backs: "What's so weird?"

Xu Yuan plugged his ears with the rags he had prepared long ago, and signaled the two to do the same.

The two of them plugged their ears and could no longer hear the enchanting voice of "husband".

The two beautiful heads on the dam were furious. Their faces changed drastically, revealing their fangs in a ferocious manner. They cursed, "Damn you, you keep ruining our plans!"

There was a rustling sound on the dam, and a row of beautiful heads emerged neatly, crowded together, and each of them cursed at Xu Yuan.

As they cursed, they couldn't help but rush down, revealing a huge black snail shell behind them!
There was a snail shell more than one meter tall, with a beautiful head with sharp teeth sticking out from it. However, for some reason, it did not dare to leave the dam.

He could only watch the three people go away in anger, and then slowly retreated behind the dam.

A moment later, another caravan passed by, and the gentle and charming call of "Husband~" rang out again.

……

As Xu Yuan walked, he said, "That place is called 'Beauty Dam'. The dam was originally built to separate the river. Otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous if the 'no river' policy was implemented. But we didn't expect it to be occupied by a group of evil spirits."

Big and small eyes couldn't help asking, "What would happen if we walked over there?" "You two will live a happy life. Miss Tianluo will build you a house. Well, she will dig a hole for you on the dam. Of course, what you will see is definitely a grand and bright tiled house.

Then she will cook delicious meals for you every day, all made from the mud she dug from the bottom of the river.

The mud will ensure that you two don't feel any pain. They will eat a little of you every day. You two are strong and your flesh is strong, so it will be enough for them to eat for about ten days."

The two of them only felt a chill on the back of their necks. This Ghost Witch Mountain is really weird. There is such a terrible evil at the foot of the mountain!

I couldn't help but complain in my heart, is 'physical strength' a compliment?

Suddenly, Daxiaoyan remembered: "There's a legend in Huguang Province about a 'snail girl' marrying a farmer, cooking, building a house, and serving her husband..."

Xu Yuan lowered his head and smirked, "He has skills and property, and he's paying you for it? What's the point?"

The two of them also shook their heads and agreed deeply.

After walking a little further, we saw a large mound of earth on the ground in front of us, with a colorful object curled up underneath.

Xu Yuan said: "This is Mao'er's Tomb."

This huge tomb looks like a short and thick mushroom from a distance.

"It is said that this is the tomb of a princess from the previous dynasty. Because it is located in Ghost Witch Mountain, no one dares to rob it."

As they got closer, the two merchants saw clearly:

There was an old woman wearing a colorful patchwork dress. Her face was pale and thick, as if covered with a layer of wall putty. She was squatting on a bamboo chair with a brass pipe in her mouth.

The chair was small and the woman was fat, so the chair creaked under her weight, but it was stubborn and refused to fall apart.

With the experience of "Beauty Dam", neither of them dared to act rashly.

Xu Yuan whispered, "That's the corpse woman. I'm familiar with all the local weirdness. You two, please don't say anything. I'll handle it."

Seeing someone coming up the road, the old woman asked like an old crow, "Am I beautiful?"

If a burly man came alone, he would definitely scold her, "You are so ugly that it makes me sick." The old woman would then fly into a rage and say, "Your eyes can't distinguish between beauty and ugliness. It's useless to keep them." Then she would pluck out his glasses.

If Daxiaoyan came alone, he might realize something and answer "Beautiful, extremely beautiful." The old woman would then sneer and say, "Your tongue can only tell lies. It will only harm people if you keep it!" Then she would pull out his tongue.

The correct response is...

Xu Yuan took off his worn straw sandals and said to the old woman, "Does it look like the tongue you stuck out when you were hanged?"

The old woman was furious and guilty, saying, "I was not sentenced to death by Bai Ling!"

"You remembered it wrongly. Go back and check it."

The old woman would then return to the tomb cursing and look up ancient books to find out how she died.

"You must have remembered it wrongly, little thing!"

"You have no memory. Once I find out everything, I will dig out your brain and eat it!"

Xu Yuan put on his shoes and waved to the two merchants, saying, "Don't make a sound, just go!"
After passing Mao'er Tomb and passing through several dangerous places, Xu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief: "We are not far from Wangxiang Village."

Big and small eyes smiled and praised: "This journey is all thanks to you, little brother."

When he smiles, his mouth widens, and when he grins, his eyes tilt to one side, as if he is squinting at people.

He only said words of thanks but never asked for any money as reward.

Xu Yuan: "Everyone in town knows how to get to these outlying areas. But it also depends on the day. For example, if it's forbidden to 'turn over corpses' or 'call souls' today, the corpse woman will be extremely vicious and eat anything she sees. No one can escape, so this road is unavailable."

Big and small eyes asked again tentatively: "We want to hire a little brother to take us deeper, the price is negotiable."

Xu Yuan shook his head again: "I can only send you here. If we go any deeper, the only ones left are those old mountain dwellers in the village. Other than them, no one else can help. Even if a skilled cultivator comes, he will be defeated in there."

"That's fine, little brother, just take us to Wangxiang Village."

The two merchants felt a little regretful: even if they killed the boy and extracted his soul, they could only travel freely around the outskirts of Ghost Witch Mountain. If they wanted to go deeper, they would have to find those old mountain runners.

Those old foxes are not easy to deal with, unlike this kid who is stupid and easy to scheme.

　The new book is launched, thank you all for your support!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)