No taboos

Chapter 464 A True Warrior
"Snapped!"

Zhu Zhanlei received a solid slap on the scalp from his older sister.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Aren't you afraid that Lord Xu will hear this and laugh at our family!"

Zhu Zhanmei glared at her younger brother reproachfully.

No flaws were revealed.

Zhu Zhanlei rubbed his head, looking aggrieved, and said, "Then why are you so angry when you hear about this kid?"

Zhu Zhanmei looked at him with exasperation: "You—that thing on your neck is called a brain! Use it more, think about things!"

"What are you thinking about?"

“Miss Jinxi, Mr. Feng Si, and Master Miaoyan moved out of our place to avoid suspicion.” Zhu Zhanmei poked her younger brother’s forehead with her long, thin fingers. “But now they’ve moved into Xu Yuan’s place without any regard for suspicion. Not only am I suspicious, but others will be too!”

"But the Purification Department is a subordinate office of the Imperial Observatory!"

Zhu Zhanmei shook her head helplessly: "Why did Miss Jinxi leave Beidu?"

Zhu Zhanlei casually replied, "I was bored staying here, so I wanted to come out and have some fun."

"Your brain is useless." Zhu Zhanmei sat back down and said, "I heard that Miss Jinxi is being pursued by many young talents in Beidu, which is very annoying. So she simply left the capital to find some peace and quiet."

Zhu Zhanlei seemed to understand something.

Zhu Zhanmei had only intended to fool her younger brother and distract him, but as she spoke, she found that her analysis was becoming more and more reasonable and smoother: "Back then, when the Supervisor took on disciples, all sides wanted to send their people in."

Everyone thought that the Imperial Censor would be in a dilemma, but he was different from ordinary people. He accepted all comers as his students, as long as they could pass his test.

Moreover, over the decades, these people who used to compete with and undermine each other have become close fellow students under his tutelage.

But…"

Zhu Zhanmei lowered her voice slightly: "There is only one Miss Jinxi, and she can only marry into one family."

Zhu Zhanlei finally understood: "Is the Supervisor also in a difficult position this time?"

Then, a wisdom beyond his own level emerged: "But if we choose someone from our own Imperial Observatory or the Bureau of Purification, it would be a situation that can barely be explained to all parties!"

Zhu Zhanlei clapped his hands excitedly and said, "So Old Xu is going to have a stroke of good luck with women!"

Zhu Zhanmei found these words extremely harsh, but she could only endure them: "But this may not be a good thing for Xu Yuan."

"Isn't this a good thing?" Zhu Zhanlei was no longer listening and rushed out: "I'm going to give Lao Xu a heads-up and tell him to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Zhu Zhanmei's delicate hands, hidden under the table, were clenched into fists. This younger brother was truly unbearable.

……

Mr. Feng was somewhat domineering.

Without even asking Lord Xu's consent, they directly brought their people to move over.

Oh, so you're saying that they're the superiors and have the right to arbitrarily dispatch the Exorcism Department?

That's fine.

Miao Yan Zhenren was used to being alone.

Miss Jinxi was with Geng Qi and three others.

Mr. Feng was accompanied by two students: Xu Haoran and a girl named Zhong Die.

Mr. Feng was a very good teacher; both of his students were already sixth-rate.

A large group of people moved into the backyard of the Champa government office, and Xu Yuande personally took charge of settling them in.

Throughout this process, Mr. Feng remained mostly silent, only observing Xu Yuan in secret.

Moving into the Exorcism Bureau was a way to use Xu Yuan to attack Wei Jinyuan.

But Mr. Feng was also aware of Jinxi's current predicament.

Choosing a son-in-law from the Department of Purification was indeed a decision made after discussion among the fellow disciples.

The teacher was unaware of this.

This was something they discussed privately.

In recent years, teachers have become increasingly detached and ethereal.

They are becoming increasingly indifferent to worldly affairs.

It usually boils down to one sentence: "You can decide what to do with it."

He sat on the observation platform, gazing at the sky for longer and longer periods.

Mr. Feng could tell that Xu Yuan had the air of a great general.

But I still feel that she is "not good enough for our Jinxi".

All parents in the world are the same, and Mr. Feng is no exception. Everyone thinks that our Jinxi has married down.

After arranging accommodations, Mr. Feng asked, "Where is your mother?"

Xu Yuan said, "Please come with me, sir. I was just about to ask you to persuade your stepmother to take a proper rest and relax."

Xu Yuan led Mr. Feng to knock on Lin Wanmo's door.

After knocking five times, Lin Wanmo finally opened the door with an impatient look on her face: "I told you not to bother me... Hey, Lao Feng, what brings you here?"

Mr. Feng immediately spotted the half-finished horn in the room.

His eyes lit up, and his feet moved on their own: "Your idea is too complicated. Why use three or four kinds of materials to fuse into this part? You can just use... Don't you have suitable materials? I do..."

"I have no money!" Lin Wanmo said bluntly, "I can't afford it!"

"It's yours! You country bumpkin, you're so stingy!"

Xu Yuan smiled and left. Standing outside the door, he looked at the sky and felt that the sky was high and the clouds were light, and the weather was fine and sunny.

The air was filled with the stench of money and arrogance emanating from the wealthy and powerful.

Just one sniff, and it's intoxicating.

Dafu was lying in its nest in the corner of the wall.

This morning, I was yelled down from the sky by the sound of rice darts.

It decided to behave itself for a few days and temporarily refrain from competing with "dreams come true".

But the last time I saw it, that very clever and lovely girl, brought some millet to feed it.

Daifuku is actually not hungry.

I ate too much the other day.

However, it had a good impression of the girl and, being very considerate, ate a few more bites.

Moreover, Dafu knows how to cater to different people.

The flat-beaked creature pecked at the millet in the girl's palm, using just the right amount of force, making her palm tickle and causing her to giggle.

Xu Yuan turned his head and saw Miss Jinxi squatting next to Dafu.

Jinxi scattered the millet to Dafu, clapped her hands, and stood up: "I heard that you had many interesting stories during your trip to Pingli County. Tell me about them."

“Okay.” Xu Yuan agreed, but before he could start speaking, Yu Yunhang rushed in: “Sir, Jia Zongdao has arrived.”

Xu Yuan: "Is something wrong at the mortuary?"

"It's not a mortuary; it seems to be Jia Zongdao's own business."

"Please forgive me, Miss." Xu Yuan apologized and immediately went with Yu Yunhang to see Jia Zongdao.

Miss Jinxi was clearly afraid when she heard the words "mortuary", but she was also eager to try. In the end, she quietly followed them.

Helpless, Geng Qi and Wei Shi shrugged at each other and said, "Let's go."

……

Jia Zongdao sat in a side hall of the front hall, somewhat absent-minded.

Xu Yuan and Yu Yunhang had already entered, but he hadn't realized it yet.

"Ahem." Yu Yunhang coughed twice, and Jia Zongdao looked up in a daze, quickly getting up to greet him: "Lord Xu."

Xu Yuan looked at him and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Jia Zongdao clasped his hands together and bowed deeply: "I have come to resign."

Xu Yuan frowned: "Who can take over?"

Managing a charitable estate is of great importance, and only those who have practiced the "Two Realms Law" can take charge of it.

Jia Zongdao presented a memorial with both hands: "I have recorded the cultivation method of the Two Realms Technique, as well as the formula for the medicinal ingredient. Please grant my request, Lord Xu..."

Xu Yuan interrupted him: "Why are you leaving?"

Jia Zongdao looked troubled.

Outside the door, Miss Jinxi listened quietly and asked Geng Qi, "Does Uncle Qi know about the laws of the two realms?"

Geng Qi explained to the young lady in a low voice.

Girls are naturally afraid of ghosts and the underworld. Jinxi stuck out her tongue as she listened, and the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She was a little scared but wanted to keep listening.

Xu Yuan shouted, "Tell me the truth! Uncle Jiu entrusted the mortuary to you, and you've betrayed him like this?"

Jia Zongdao gritted his teeth, and after much hesitation, he finally said, "These past few days I've been having dreams that remind me of some things from the past, but..."

I cannot be certain whether these memories are true or false!

Xu Yuan frowned.

When I first met Jia Zongdao at the mortuary, I had some doubts about him.

Even when he knew that the master was in Champa and had arranged for an "unconscious body" to be placed there, Xu Yuan even suspected that it might be Jia Zongdao.

"What memory?"

"I..." Jia Zongdao took a deep breath and slowly said, "It might be a corpse that floated down from the canal!"

Jia Zongdao began to have strong doubts about his true identity.

Managing the charitable estate was of great importance, and Jia Zongdao himself was well aware of this.

If one were to harbor some secret and suddenly lose control, causing the gates of the underworld to open wide, it would be an absolute catastrophe for Champa.

He has been having recurring dreams these past few days, all of which depict him drifting and floating downstream in the canal.

Moreover, in these memories, although he was a corpse, he was constantly capturing the evil spirits in the river, tearing them apart and eating their internal organs!
His hands, at that moment tinged with a bluish-purple, possessed immense strength and were sharper than any blade. They could easily tear apart the evil spirits of the seven streams in the river!
After listening to him finish speaking, Xu Yuan's expression became even more solemn.

Xu Yuan first took Jia Zongdao's memorial and handed it to Yu Yunhang: "Immediately arrange for someone to find a person with five deficiencies and three lacks to begin cultivating the Two Realms Technique."

"Yes." Yu Yunhang immediately went.

Then Xu Yuan said to Jia Zongdao, "Your memories... only include the part from the canal?"

Jia Zongdao said, "It's still very chaotic right now. I'm thinking... I'll resign from this job at the charitable institution and then travel upstream along the canal. Maybe I'll remember more things that way."

Xu Yuan nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "I will go with you."

A corpse in the canal suddenly came to life, then lost all its memories and inexplicably collapsed at the entrance of the mortuary, where it was rescued by Uncle Jiu and taught the Two Realms Technique...

If someone is plotting against the Champa mortuary behind this, it is a major case that should not be taken lightly.

The two immediately got up and set off, only to encounter Yu Yunhang, who had returned, in the courtyard.

“My lord,” Yu Yunhang reported, “the search for the person has been arranged. We will work together with Third Sister, and we should have results soon. But this medicinal ingredient…”

Among the medicinal ingredients in the Two Realms Method, there are several rare drugs that are not available in the government office.

Xu Yuan took the prescription and looked at it. Then he turned his head and, unsurprisingly, saw Miss Jinxi hiding outside the door.

"Hehe." She chuckled, her eyes brimming with eagerness: "Take me with you, and I'll help you gather the prescription."

"This……"

Geng Qi and Wei Shi tried to stop her, saying, "Miss, this trip is dangerous."

"My aunt and fourth uncle are both in Champa. What danger could they be in?"

The seventh and tenth days of the month could not find an excuse.

Xu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Deal."

"Hehe." Miss Jinxi took the prescription and said to Xu Yuan, "Come with me."

She led Xu Yuan to Xu Haoran: "Let's gather all the ingredients for this prescription."

Xu Haoran took it, glanced at it, and then turned and went back to his room.

He came out again shortly after and handed several fishy-smelling packets to Xu Yuan: "The main medicinal herbs are inside. The rest are very common and can be bought at any pharmacy."

Xu Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank you all."

There must be someone who cultivates the Dharma of the Two Realms to oversee the mortuary.

This solved the immediate problem.

Miss Jinxi was both scared and excited, rubbing her little hands together as she said, "Let's go!"

Wei Shi has already disappeared. Go and inform Master Miao Yan.

If they encounter danger, they will immediately seek help.

When Xu Yuan and Miss Jinxi arrived at the gate of the yamen, Wei Shi hurriedly caught up.

Zhong Die was also with him.

More people, more strength.

As soon as he stepped out, he ran into Wei Jinyuan.

"Miss Jinxi!" Wei Jinyuan was overjoyed, finally seeing the person he had been longing for.

Then he saw Lord Xu standing side by side with the person he had been longing for.

I felt like I'd been stabbed in the heart.

The young master from the northern capital immediately looked resentful.

But Xu Yuan glanced at Uncle Xi: Such good free labor...

"We have official business to attend to. Young Master Wei, would you be willing to serve the country?"

Wei Jinyuan's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly: "It's my duty!"

Xu Yuan waved his hand: "Let's go."

As soon as Lord Xu stepped down the steps, he suddenly felt something and looked up at the sky.

A flock of geese flew by, and the first one in line was none other than Dafu!
Lord Xu was furious: Before, he would quietly follow me around, but now he's gone even further, monitoring me from above.

Miss Jinxi looked up along with Xu Yuan and couldn't help but smile again.

"Is that Dafu?"

Xu Yuan felt that the child had embarrassed him and quickly stepped forward: "Don't worry about it, it will follow on its own."

The group mounted their horses in front of the government office and headed south of the city.

Xu Yuan brought Di Youzhi and Zhou Leizi with him this time.

Lang Xiaoba and Ji Shuangqiu had just learned the "Gu Body" technique, so they were not assigned any tasks for the time being, and were allowed to focus on cultivating and consolidating their skills.

Di Youzhi was in charge of a patrol post by himself, and his income increased significantly. Unbeknownst to him, the equipment and cultivation levels of both he and his men also improved.

Zhou Leizi felt he was about to be promoted to a seventh-rate position.

These past few days, I've been staying close to the adults.

He knew that if it really came to a critical moment, his superiors would definitely lend a hand.

Miss Jinxi and her group were on the left, while Wei Jinyuan and the others were on the right.

Wei Jinyuan kept trying to bypass Xu Yuan and get closer to Miss Jinxi. Xu Yuan didn't stop him, but Geng Qi did.

After leaving the city, when they arrived at the canal, Xu Yuan found an opportunity to put Pi Long into the water.

Jia Zongdao walked around the canal dock a few times and found a spot: "This is where I climbed up."

"I was in a daze at the time, and I still can't remember how I got into the city from the dock."

Having found this place, the group then headed upstream along the canal.

We passed by the Hedaoying camp, which was under construction.

The project is almost finished. The imperial court has conscripted 1,500 laborers from the area around Champa, providing them with food but not wages. The construction site is bustling with activity.

The people of Huangming have such low demands; even if you don't pay them, as long as they have enough to eat, they will still work hard for you.

These were the conditions that Xu Miaozhi fought for for the laborers.

In most cases, conscripted laborers had to bring their own food.

After passing the construction site in Hedaoying, they continued upstream for more than ten miles until they reached a river bend, where Jia Zongdao stopped.

Memories swirled in his mind, and Jia Zongdao's face turned pale.

He once had a hearty meal here.

There was a nest of catfish monsters in the river bend.

He caught one; the evil spirit was longer than an adult.

When he tore open the evil spirit's belly, there was a child inside that was half-digested!

Jia Zongdao pointed to a bend in the river and said, "There are more than a dozen giant catfish hiding there, which often devour people who come to the river to fetch water."

Xu Yuan nodded and gestured to Di Youzhi.

Di Youzhi took Zhou Leizi with him and went over there.

Zhou Leizi scattered a handful of seeds into the water.

Soon, aquatic plants grew wildly in the river.

The stirred river water turned a muddy yellow.

A dozen or so enormous catfish monsters rolled up from the water, with black backs and white bellies, thick whiskers covered with sharp barbs, and blood-red eyes!
"Hahaha," Di Youzhi laughed loudly, "Lei Zi, tie him up properly!"

Zhou Leizi manipulated the aquatic plants, which wrapped around the catfish monster in large swaths.

The catfish monsters are incredibly strong in the water; they can even drag a bull to the bottom of the river if it falls in.

The aquatic plants keep breaking off, but new aquatic plants grow out and entangle them again.

Di Youzhi sprinted along the riverbank, leaped into the air, and plunged into the river.

But those catfish monsters were more than ten feet away from the riverbank, and he was still several feet away...

Suddenly, a burst of fire erupted from behind Di Youzhi, propelling him several meters horizontally before he slammed his feet heavily onto the head of a catfish monster.

Boom!
The catfish monster sank down, but Di Youzhi grabbed its head again.

The catfish monster immediately began to roll around, its two whiskers wrapping around Di Youzhi, trying to drag him into the river.

But the aquatic plants grew wildly again, tightly binding the catfish monster.

Zhou Leizi, standing by the river, had veins bulging all over his body; he was giving it his all.

Di Youzhi used both hands to forcefully tear open the catfish monster's huge mouth, inside which were layers upon layers of sharp fangs, just like a shark's!
Di Youzhi, facing the catfish monster's gaping maw, spewed out the fire from his belly with a whoosh.

Then it slammed its mouth shut.

The fire inside the belly burned its way from the gaping maw all the way into the catfish monster's stomach.

The catfish monster struggled a few times, then stopped moving.

Two wisps of smoke rose from his mouth, emitting the aroma of grilled fish.

The fish whiskers that had been entangled with Di Youzhi also softened and loosened.

"Hahaha!" Di Youzhi laughed triumphantly, then jumped off the catfish monster's back and landed on another one.

Do the same thing.

On the riverbank, Geng Qi nodded repeatedly, "Lord Xu has as many fierce generals under his command!"

Wei Jinyuan couldn't help but ask, "Where did that flame behind him come from?"

Everyone fell silent.

Isn't that a rhetorical question you already know the answer to?
After Wei Jinyuan spoke, he realized he had asked a stupid question.

He scratched his head, then subconsciously clenched his buttocks, and sincerely said to Xu Yuan, "This one is truly a brave warrior!"

(End of this chapter)