No taboos

Chapter 410 The Path to Divinity (Three-in-One)

This was the first time the five young ladies had ever seen the real appearance of a nailhead boil.

We've been tracking it for a while, relying on maps to pinpoint its location.

After searching for it, they found that because they lacked a way to identify the evil spirit, it eventually detected them and escaped.

Geng Qi and his three companions were also greatly surprised. That elusive white goose was actually so powerful!
The bounty offered by the Bureau of Purification gave the nail-head boil a rating of seventh-rate.

However, this kind of evil spirit cannot be measured by standards at all.

The nail-head boil is unpredictable and difficult to guard against; it is cunning and quick-witted. Although the four fifth-rate pursuers, Geng Qi, were not very diligent, the boil did manage to escape multiple times.

This in itself proves the effectiveness of the nailhead boil.

Daifuku can not only be seen, but also eaten in one bite!
Geng Qi gave Xu Yuan a deep look: No wonder he came out just now and specifically caught Da Fu, saying that "it's time to show off."

Sparks of surprise kept flashing across the young master's body.

Hearing the sound behind him, Fu Jingyu quickly dodged to the side and turned around to see Dafu eating the nail head boil.

Fu Jingyu didn't feel any lingering fear. In his understanding, if something didn't happen, it didn't happen.

But Dafu saved his life, and Fu Jingyu smiled, thinking that Dafu deserved the title of "Goose Captain" of the Exorcism Division!

"Thank you!" Fu Jingyu clasped his hands in thanks.

Xu Yuan rode on his fiery wheels, flying across the street. With a wave of his hand, a net of foul filth swept over everything.

The pedestrians and vendors around them scattered and fled, yelling loudly.

But after running several dozen feet, he stopped and looked back: "Is that Lord Xu?"

"How could Lord Xu turn against his own people?"

"You idiot, can't you see it? Those exorcism officers must be possessed by evil spirits!"

"Yes, that must be it! You have a good eye, brother."

"Of course! I've witnessed Lord Xu display his divine power in the street three times, annihilating all the evil spirits without leaving a trace!"

This is a problem that's neither too big nor too small.

The people in the city all knew that Lord Xu of the Exorcism Bureau was highly capable, so they stopped running and watched the excitement from a distance!
But Xu Yuan couldn't worry about that for the time being; the foul silk had trapped the six captains.

All six captains have been parasitized by nailhead boils!

At the same time, he quietly opened his mouth and released all the remaining boils that had not yet found a host.

Dafu flapped its wings and charged forward with a loud cawing!

Nailheads generally do not parasitize livestock.

Even if they are parasites, they will choose animals like cattle and horses.

However, it is not impossible for it to parasitize inside a goose's head.

The remaining dozen or so nailhead boils, enraged, surrounded and attacked Dafu.

Although these nail-headed boils remained invisible, the air currents they generated as they swam together at high speed were still noticeable to Geng Qi and the others.

"Lord Xu..." Geng Qi couldn't help but worry and called out to Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan simply waved his hand: "No need to worry."

Then she added, "I can't help. My goose has a terrible temper. If I go up to help, it'll think I'm trying to steal its food..."

"This..." Geng Qi didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

However, Dafu seems to have a natural ability to ward off these insects and evil spirits.

It displayed its incredible power, devouring seven or eight animals in the blink of an eye, one after another.

Finally, a boil found an opportunity, circled around to the back of Dafu's head, and suddenly jabbed it.

Then it crashed solidly into Daifuku's feathers.

When the young lady stroked it, Daifuku's feathers were soft and smooth, even more comfortable to touch than fox fur.

However, it is as hard as iron in the face of a boil.

It's like the "copper skin and iron bones" of a martial arts practitioner!
The boil was knocked so hard it made him dizzy.

It was then discovered that this "disorientation" did not seem to be caused by the impact alone.

It's fucking poisoned!
The boil suddenly felt soft and started to fall down.

Dafu turned around and swallowed it in one gulp.

Xu Yuan then glanced at him with his "Looking at Fate" technique.

Then his expression darkened, and he urged, "Dafu, hurry up!"

Dafu cawed loudly a few times, then suddenly flapped its large wings and soared into the air, a height of ten feet.

Then it flapped its wings forcefully.

The nail-head boils that were floating in the air were suddenly blown away by a gust of wind and all drifted to one place.

Dafu rushed over and took care of all the boils one by one.

The six parasitic captains from the north wanted to rush up to help, but they were entangled in the filthy net and could not move.

After eating the boils on the nail heads, Dafu came before the six captains.

The boil, parasitic in the brain, suddenly sensed a strong sense of danger.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
Everyone's head exploded, and umbrellas opened from behind their heads!

Its face also changed, with eerie insect whiskers spreading from its eyes and mouth!

It looked extremely disgusting and terrifying.

But Daifu completely ignored their threats.

It pecked at them and tore them out of their heads and ate them.

Six bodies lay on the ground.

Xu Yuan turned and left: "Fu Jingyu! Where are the other six?"

Xu Yuan knew that the nailhead boil was a seventh-rate disease.

But I just glanced at them with the "Looking at Fate" skill, and all six of them are eighth-rate.

Fu Jingyu had no time to grieve and quickly led Xu Yuan to continue searching for the other six people.

Xu Yuan kept driving "Wangming" on.

After rushing through three streets, they found another group of six people.

Upon seeing them, Xu Yuan sighed inwardly.

All six people were parasitized.

Xu Yuan blocked half the street with his foul-smelling silk and sighed, "Da Fu, go."

The young lady followed along, and once again witnessed Dafu displaying his divine power, she rubbed her hands together excitedly.

The eyes behind the veil glanced at Xu Yuan from time to time.

Xu Yuan seemed to sense something, turned around and glanced at her, and said, "I have a friend named Zhu Zhanlei, who is Zhu Zhanmei's younger brother."

He also tried to buy Dafu from me, but Dafu found out, and the result... is too embarrassing to talk about.

The young lady was taken aback, and could only sigh softly, regretfully giving up the idea.

She has a good personality and would never do anything like bullying others or forcing people to buy or sell.

But one can't help but wonder: what was the ultimate fate?
"Ninth Uncle."

Geng Jiu immediately stepped forward: "Miss."

"Take some time to inquire about this Zhu Zhanlei."

Geng Jiu: "..."

Dafu ate all the boils.

Including that original, seventh-rate one.

That "mother" resisted fiercely!
However, there was no difference; the only difference was that the death was more heroic.

After Dafu finished eating, he burped, exhaling a faint wisp of yin energy that dissipated into the air.

Staggering back, Dafu stood in front of the rice tray.

His expression held a mixture of pride and disdain.

Only Xu Yuan understood it:
Your cooking method is no good; I'll have to go hunting myself.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and decided, "Fine, Da Fu has done a great job this time, let him be proud."

But suddenly a hand reached out from the side, pressed down on Dafu's head, and gently rubbed it a few times.

It feels so good!

The young lady smiled.

Dafu was furious and about to lash out, but when he saw that it was Miss, he narrowed his eyes. Miss smelled very sweet.

Xu Yuan accepted the foul silk.

Lang Xiaoba and his officers rushed over and, without needing any instructions from their superiors, arranged for the alchemists to handle the scene.

"Each brother should be cremated separately. Remember this and don't make a mistake."

Lang Xiaoba gave the instructions.

Di Youzhi stepped forward: "Sir, shall we provide compensation according to the regulations for those who died in the line of duty?"

Xu Yuan nodded: "The usual procedure."

"Yes!"

The usual procedure applies: in addition to the imperial court's pension, the government's private treasury will also provide a sum of money.

That's enough to ensure their families live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

Di Youzhi then asked, "Should we search the entire city to see if there are any survivors?"

Xu Yuan frowned. Even with a city-wide search, no one but himself and Dafu could find the boil.

Wei Shi stepped forward and said, "No need, we'll know tomorrow whether any have slipped through the net."

Xu Yuan suddenly realized: that craftsman's object.

"Thank you for your hard work, senior." Xu Yuan clasped his hands in thanks.

Xu Yuan then gave Geng Qi a wry smile and shook his head helplessly.

it is more than words.

It's not that Lord Xu broke his promise, but this evil spirit dared to cause trouble on Lord Xu's territory, and it was even parasitizing Xu Yuan's subordinates. Xu Yuan lost twelve brothers, so of course he had no choice but to destroy it.

Geng Qi then quietly waved his hand to indicate that he understood.

This exchange had to be done discreetly, away from the young lady.

The cleanup was handled by their subordinates, but Xu Yuan and Fu Jingyu were both in low spirits.

Especially Fu Jingyu.

Most of these twelve captains were personally brought out by him after he arrived at the South City Patrol Office.

He was not much different from his own disciples.

Xu Yuan patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "This is what we do, it's unavoidable..."

Fu Jingyu nodded silently.

No matter how many sordid things happen in the Three Offices of Ghostly Affairs, thousands of people die at the hands of evil spirits in the three offices every year!

They have made real contributions on the front lines of the fight against evil spirits.

"Let's go back."

Xu Yuan invited the young lady to stay at the government office.

The young lady agreed: "I'll go check the bounty posters at the Exorcism Bureau then."

Geng Qi was helpless, but the young lady clearly hadn't had enough fun yet.

Moreover, this boil on the head wasn't their doing.

In the afternoon, Geng Jiu went out to inquire about Zhu Zhanlei.

It was easy to ask.

The main problem was that Zhu Zhanlei's affair had become common knowledge throughout the entire Shanhe Division! Geng Jiu couldn't tell the young lady himself, so he secretly told Wei Ershiyi.

Wei Ershi told the young lady, and two red blushes rose on the young lady's fair cheeks as she quietly spat.

Instead of blaming Dafu, he complained to Zhu Zhanlei: "Knowing that Dafu has a bad temper, you young master still dared to provoke him. You deserve it."

It's just that Zhu Zhanlei was unaware of this "evaluation," otherwise he would definitely have felt wronged.

In the evening, Zhu Zhanlei and Miao Yu arrived.

However, Zhu Zhanlei had already heard that "Miss" was in the government office.

He knew the young lady's identity, so he didn't come in, but instead had someone call Xu Yuan out: "Come on, let's go have a drink."

Xu Yuan estimated that Zhu Zhanmei was moving slowly while escorting the military equipment, but she should be arriving soon.

"I will not go! I am an upright official, how could I possibly collude with you..."

Zhu Zhanlei said with a look of disdain, "We won't go to Baiyue Pavilion; we'll drink vegetarian wine."

Miao Yu was displeased: "If you had said you were going to drink vegetarian wine earlier, I wouldn't have come out."

Zhu Zhanlei glared at him: "My third sister is almost here, do you want to get caught again?"

Miao Yu shrank his neck: "The vegetarian wine is quite good. I also need to reform myself recently!"

The three of them found a restaurant near the government office, intending only to have a few drinks.

Although nighttime travel is not prohibited today, we should still be cautious and not stay out too late.

Zhu Zhanlei raised his glass and said regretfully, "Champa is still a bit lacking. There are large restaurants in Luocheng, where you can stay overnight after drinking at night."

The building was enormous, covering several acres, with all sorts of rooms upstairs and downstairs, offering a complete package of dining, drinking, and entertainment…

This is different from brothels; it can be described as "not just a brothel."

After nightfall, they were all in one building, with door gods pasted on the doors and windows, and calligraphy scrolls hanging on the walls.

With highly skilled cultivators presiding over the building, there's no danger even if we party all night.

After the three of them had a few drinks, the door to the private room was pushed open.

Zhu Zhanlei was about to start cursing, asking who was so rude—when he saw his third sister come in.

Zhu Zhanlei immediately changed his mind: "Shopkeeper, please add a few more good dishes."

Miao Yu was also very ingratiating, pulling out a chair for Zhu Zhanmei.

Only Xu Yuan sat calmly.

Zhu Zhanmei picked up her chopsticks and started eating. She was efficient in everything she did, including eating. She lacked the "quiet and refined" demeanor often associated with so-called ladies from wealthy families.

But it won't sweep away everything like the hero Ji Shuangqiu.

They ate quickly, and put down their chopsticks after they were full.

She had just arrived in Champa when she heard from the people of the Mountain and River Bureau that the two officials had gone drinking with Lord Xu of the Exorcism Bureau.

So they asked for directions and came here.

I didn't expect them to actually be here.

Zhu Zhanmei had initially guessed that Miao Yu and his underlings had simply mentioned a restaurant to deceive their men, and that they had actually taken Xu Yuan to a place like the White Moon Pavilion.

It's now confirmed that it's not true, but Zhu Zhanmei smiled inexplicably and said, "You don't know, but this time when Lord Xu was in Shiping County, the magistrate presented him with four pipa players, all of whom were beautiful and talented..."

Xu Yuan's face turned dark.

Zhu Zhanmei described the four girls as far superior to the white fox, which made Miao Yu and Zhu Zhanlei extremely envious.

Xu Yuan secretly planned to find an opportunity to discuss with Zhu Zhanmei: Let's not mention these embarrassing stories anymore.

Fortunately, Lord Miao was a man of honor. He noticed Xu Yuan's predicament and, taking advantage of Zhu Zhanmei's pause to drink tea, changed the subject, saying, "I have some news about the Indian delegation. Would you like to hear it?"

“Listen, tell me quickly,” Xu Yuan said immediately.

Once the topic turned to business, Zhu Zhanmei stopped gossiping.

Miao Yu said first, "Xu Yuan and I are going to Luocheng this time. Zhan Lei, you guard Zhancheng well."

Zhu Zhanlei nodded immediately.

He had no desire to get involved in such a thing.

The Crown Princess's case last time was quite a spectacle, wasn't it? Young Master Zhu almost lost his life.

Then Miao Yu got to the point: "My family found out some information from the demon-slaying army. Their so-called 'professions' are similar to our seven major sects. Their abilities are also varied and very strange."

This information had actually been circulating for a while, so there was no need to inquire with the demon-slaying army.

For example, they have a profession called 'craftsman', which is very similar to our craftsmanship.

However, there are some professions for which we cannot find corresponding practitioners here.

For example, the 'sailor' has a strong physical body, the ability to control water, and some abilities to dispel illusions, control strange things, and transform.

For example, the 'thief' profession is extremely fast and has abilities such as stealth, lock picking, and disguise.

It is said that more than a hundred years ago, there was a 'thief' from the Red-haired Barbarian tribe who even successfully replaced a Grand Duke in the country. It was not until after his death that it was discovered that he was an imposter.

This shows that their professional abilities are mostly multifaceted.

Moreover, unlike us, each of their professions corresponds to a supreme 'God of Profession', and all the abilities of all professionals originate from this God of Profession.

The secret medicine they use to get their jobs is said to allow them to communicate directly with the god of their profession.

However, this so-called dialogue... is mostly just sensing the power of the God of Profession to some extent.

The god of professions probably won't even glance at these insignificant newcomers.

Xu Yuan was completely unaware of this information, and his father, Xu Huanyang, had never told him about it.

The descendants of prominent families like Miao and Yu had all heard of them.

Zhu Zhanmei then added, "There are dozens of countries, large and small, in the Western Regions."

None of them had a large territory. Only the Xue Sha Gui kingdom could barely be compared with the Ming Dynasty, but the Xue Sha Gui region was harsh and cold with a small population.

We call them Snow Demons, Red-haired Barbarians, and Blue-eyed Barbarians, but in reality they don't make such strict distinctions themselves, and these countries are full of conflicts and are constantly at war.

They have a total of thirteen professions, which they call 'Divine Path', with power levels ranging from the lowest to the highest level.

But even after reaching the highest ninth rank, their goal is merely to become a subordinate god under the God of Professions, which is somewhat difficult to understand.

Xu Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Will their professional god respond to them?"

Although the door gods in Zhengzhou still protect the people, the gods of history have basically stopped performing miracles in the mortal world.

Miao Yu shook his head: "I don't know. My family has a business relationship with someone in the Demon Extermination Army, so I found out some information."

The leader of this Indian delegation was a sixth-tier 'trickster' with unpredictable and mysterious abilities. The demon-slaying army, unfamiliar with the abilities of these Western Indian professionals, suffered three consecutive defeats.

The Western Barbarians were ruthless, and seven of their demon-slaying soldiers died.

It is said that they seem to know a great deal about the abilities of our seven major sects. The Demon Extermination Army suspects that some former nobles from Siam may have fled to India and sought refuge with the Blue-eyed Barbarians, thus revealing our secrets.

Xu Yuan calculated that the sixth rank was equivalent to the fourth rank.

So I can't help but worry, did Master Ma manage to invite a fourth-rate person to oversee things this time?

If not, even a bunch of fifth-rate people probably couldn't defeat that magician.

Miao Yu continued, "There is also a fifth-level sailor in the delegation. In the competition with the demon-slaying army, he made the most moves and never lost!"
The most troublesome thing is that most of the delegation hasn't even made a move yet, and we know nothing about their abilities.

After a conversation, the group became worried and lost their appetite for the wine.

After a few more brief words, everyone dispersed.

Xu Yuan returned to the yamen, pondered for a while, and then put it aside: such a matter of national importance would surely be dealt with by Lord Ma with all his might, and his current racking of brains would not be of much use.

Tomorrow, after settling things in Champa and making some preparations, I'll head to Luocheng. I'll do whatever the old man tells me to do.

As for competing against the Blue-eyed Barbarians, if the old master allows me to participate, there's nothing to fear.

He himself possessed fourth-rate craftsmanship.

The other side can't be so shameless as to send a sixth-tier fighter to fight against them.

As long as it's a fifth-tier level, I have nothing to fear.

Then Xu Yuan took out the glass bead again. How exactly was this thing used?
Originally, we intended to send them to Ghost Mountain, but since the court is going to deploy a battalion of river troops in Champa, there are likely to be further arrangements. It's best to wait and see.

So, by consuming this thing, can one strengthen their Dragon Ball inner core?
Xu Yuan hesitated for a moment.

After being fed, their own infection rate will likely skyrocket again.

If she sheds her skin, she may also expel the millennia-old corpse poison left on her body by the Ancient Corpse Empress.

Will the Ancient Corpse Empress sense something?
Even if no connection is established, it won't be hidden the next time they meet.

Xu Yuan doesn't want to break ties with the Ancient Corpse Empress for the time being.

Xu Yuan was very tempted by the possible trickery that the glass beads might bring.

"Find ways to reduce the infection rate..."

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, then put the glass beads away again.

I was just about to go to sleep when I suddenly remembered something:
The secret medicine of the Western Regions requires the use of cocoons.

If we can get a piece of the cocoon, could we make a breakthrough in the mission and exchange it for some information about the abilities of professionals?

Where can we find cocoons to eat?
……

The next day, Wei Shi brought good news: "No one escaped the net."

She consulted the map but could not find the location of the nailhead boil.

This means that the boils have been completely eliminated.

Xu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

What are your plans next, seniors?

Wei Shi shook his head: "Miss hasn't decided yet."

Miss checked the bounty poster issued by the Exorcism Bureau yesterday afternoon.

However, the bounty notice in Champa was still from half a month ago.

The bounty orders issued by the Exorcism Bureau need to be collected from various regions and sent to the General Administration before being distributed to the local areas.

Or perhaps it is the Southern Administration, which issues the unified announcement.

The Purification Department did not have the kind of craftsmanship that could be synchronized across all the Purification Offices when a bounty was issued.

Even if there were craftsmen of this caliber, it wouldn't be the place of the Purification Department.

The canal authorities seized it first.

It wouldn't be used for things like issuing bounty orders.

The mysterious detectives were still a very small group in the Ming Dynasty and were not highly regarded.

In the afternoon, Geng Jiu came to see Lord Xu again: "Miss wants to go back to Luocheng with you first. The bounty notices here are incomplete. Miss wants to go to Luocheng to check them before making a decision."

Xu Yuan scratched his chin: "Miss, you know about the Indian delegation, right?"

Geng Jiu nodded with a wry smile.

Not only did Lord Xu think so, but Geng Jiu and the other three also felt that the young lady wanted to go to Luocheng to see the excitement.

Geng Jiu brought another piece of information: "When I was in Beidu, I talked with a naval general about the red-haired barbarians."

They fought against the Japanese in Southeast Asia.

There are also many professionals among the red-haired people.

Professionals, like us, can also change; they call it 'falling'.

Moreover, according to that general's speculation, the risk of professional corruption is much greater than for us.

Each time they are promoted, they need to take a secret medicine, but the recipe for the secret medicine is different for each profession and rank.

But every secret medicine requires the use of cocoons.

In addition, they have a large number of 'artisans' who create artifacts called props. Their professionals love to use props to enhance their abilities.

Whether they also have limitations in this regard is unknown.

"Thank you, senior, for informing me."

Xu Yuan felt more and more strongly that he needed to get a batch of cocoons to eat.

Now, not only can he exchange cocoons for intelligence, but Xu Yuan also wants to study the "nature" of cocoons carefully, hoping to glean some secrets about professionals from them.

(End of this chapter)