No taboos

Chapter 497 Lian Zhu Kang Rui
Xu Yuan wouldn't dare say he's "always bold and outrageous," but he certainly can't escape being described as "daring to think and act."

Inside the carriage, behind the beaded curtain, the scrutinizing gaze made Xu Yuan very unhappy.

So Lord Xu also raised his head and stared intently at the figure behind the beaded necklace!
Why is it that only you can see me, but I can't see you?
However, Mr. Cao, Mr. Lan, and several key advisors standing nearby were furious and shouted, "Insolence!"

"How dare you, you madman!"

A silvery laugh came from inside the carriage, and the figure spoke, saying in a somewhat sarcastic tone, "Wishful thinking. You are not worthy to see my true face."

Xu Yuan's lips twitched slightly.

Indeed, he couldn't see clearly, because the beaded curtain was obviously a craftsman's work. It looked sparse, but it diffused the light in a certain way, so Xu Yuan couldn't see the face of the figure inside at all.

His Highness said calmly, "The beast you raised beat my beloved dog and offended four cultivators from the Northern Capital. Moreover, the female general in that military camp over there seems to have a close relationship with you. How dare you refuse me and refuse to hand over that beast?"

Think about how you're going to apologize.

Xu Yuan frowned, not expecting that this matter would also involve Xu Miaozhi.

Xu Yuan remained composed and said, "My Dafu will not cause trouble."

Xu Yuan didn't say the rest of the sentence: But when trouble comes, I, as the master, cannot be afraid of trouble.

"Hmph!" The people around His Highness all sneered.

Upon arriving in Champa, they encountered two "atypical" Ming Dynasty officials.

Xu Miaozhi and Xu Yuan clearly didn't know how to flatter their superiors or curry favor with the powerful.

He even has a bit of pride?!
With your attitude, you won't go far in the officialdom of my Ming Dynasty.

Princess Ruicheng does not need Xu Yuan to confess his guilt.

She witnessed everything herself, and that was enough for her to accept.

Xu Yuan refused to apologize, so the princess made him be punished.

"Xu Bo." Princess Ruicheng called out, and Xu Bo immediately stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Highness."

“That beast also offended the four of you. You should settle this score with its owner yourselves.”

Xu Bo smiled and praised, "Your Highness is wise."

He turned around and called out, "Luqiu Yan, Sun Shou, Meng Zhi, His Highness has given us a chance. If we fail to seize it, then we are simply useless."

Princess Ruicheng's words were very clear: All of you come at me together!

Give this lowly border official a good beating!
Lu Qiuyan grinned and stepped forward. He walked with the demeanor of a casino thug, arms outstretched and shoulders raised.

They were truly "ruthless and domineering".

His gait was somewhat arrogant and unapproachable. With each step, his muscles twitched, and a layer of yin energy emanated from his body, forming a five-foot-thick layer of yin mist around him.

In the mist, various ghostly soldiers appeared and disappeared, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws!
Sun Shou thought for a moment, then took a piece of animal skin and draped it over himself.

But actually, there are three layers of this skin.

It is his most prized work of art made of flesh and blood to date!
The innermost layer is the skin of three deceased cultivators!

He sewed them together and wore them, thus allowing him to borrow one of the three cultivators' "abilities".

There is an insect shell in the middle.

It is made up of more than a dozen strange insects.

Not only is it extremely hard and sturdy, but it also contains the venom glands, limbs, and other parts of some strange insects, which can be released at any time to kill opponents.

It was completely unexpected.

Needless to say, the outer animal hide was made from the strange hides of four giant beasts.

It could give him strength surpassing that of a giant bear, speed exceeding that of a startled bird, and unparalleled vitality.

This piece is of great importance.

Once Sun Xiaoshou put on this item, all the other crafts had to be abandoned. His life was too heavy, and he could only barely hold down this one item.

Xu Bo suddenly felt something was amiss and looked around: "Where's Meng Zhi?"

Even Princess Ruicheng, inside the carriage, suddenly remembered: Oh right, where is Mengzhi?

This guy always hovers around me like a fly, but it seems like I haven't seen him in a long time.

Meng Zhi, his face ashen, limped over from a distance.

"You still remember me?" The words were almost squeezed out from between Meng Zhi's teeth, filled with deep resentment.

Xu Bo slapped his forehead. Oh no, he had forgotten about Meng Zhi!
Mengzhi was struck in a vital spot by Dafu's hard, flat beak.

He rolled around in the grass, clutching his lower body and screaming in agony.

But Xu Bo and the other two were too busy chasing after Dafu.

Later, His Highness's carriage also went straight to the military camp, heading there in a menacing manner to demand an explanation.

Not a single person bothered to take care of Mengzhi!
After Meng Zhi finally recovered, he had to endure the pain and limp through the wilderness and through the forest to reunite with the others!

This is because Meng Zhi was a martial arts practitioner with a good foundation; otherwise, he probably would have collapsed halfway there!

Xu Bo quickly waved to Meng Zhi: "Come quickly!"

We can't do without you. You're a martial arts practitioner, tough and resilient. Once a fight breaks out, you'll have to be at the forefront and take the damage for everyone.

With a stern face, Meng Zhi came to the middle of the three, went to his carriage first, and put on a special set of armor.

This armor has repeating crossbows on the back, under the armpits, and on both sides of the thighs!

Then he took a shield as tall as a person and a heavy battle sword.

This battle sword gives you the feeling that: even if it can't kill you with a cut, it can still crush you to death!
Then he returned to the middle of the three.

He pulled down the metal visor of his helmet, revealing only his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Let's begin. Let's finish off this clown as soon as possible and then go into town to rest."

From the dark mist surrounding Luqiu Yan, several ghostly heads emerged, their eyes flashing with bloodthirsty red light, already showing signs of impatience.

Lu Qiuyan grinned and said to Sun Shou, "Little Sun, the previous bet was inconclusive. Let's bet again. Whoever takes down this kid first will bet 30,000 taels!"

"So, do you dare to accept?"

Sun Shou glanced at him, very confident, and said, "Fifty thousand taels, do you dare to accept it?"

"Hahaha!" Luqiu Yan burst into laughter: "Fine, fifty thousand taels it is!"

He struck first, exhaling a sharp breath that caused the surrounding yin mist to burst open. Within it, countless yin soldiers appeared, howling and wailing, their armor clanging as they charged towards Xu Yuan.

His skill level certainly couldn't possibly support a massive army of ghost soldiers.

This display of power was merely created by those lonely ghost soldiers.

Those lonely ghost soldiers were his unique method, making him a powerful ghost.

Sun Shou was faster than the startled bird, but even faster than the ghost soldiers. He appeared to Xu Yuan's left as if he had flashed, and with a single move, a burst of flames shot out!
This is one of the abilities of the three layers of human skin at the bottom, the fire in the abdomen of a Dan cultivator!

Mengzhi galloped wildly, the earth trembling with a thunderous roar, like a war elephant launching a charge.

Xu Bo, who was at the very back, felt that he was very "clever".

I am a scholar, why should I charge into battle?

He held a pen in his hand, and a blank calligraphy template lay open in front of him.

He wrote:

Be timid before fighting!
As the calligraphy book flew high into the air, an invisible and intangible yet real force enveloped Xu Yuan.

Xu Bo smiled confidently, wanting to see the fear and cowardice that would appear on Xu Yuan's face next.

Just then, Mr. Lan suddenly slapped his forehead: "Oh no, I forgot to remind them..."

Mr. Lan scratched his bushy beard, puzzled, and said, "Strange, how could I have overlooked such an important thing?"

Just now, at the gate of the Champa government office, he ordered his men to seize Xu Yuan.

The four who made the move were all sixth- or seventh-rate individuals.

Xu Yuan simply shook his shoulders, sending them flying.

All four suffered either broken arms or dislocated wrists.

Xu Bo and his three companions were all sixth- or seventh-rate individuals.

They surrounded Xu Yuan, thinking they had it in the bag...

Mr. Lan couldn't understand why, when His Highness ordered Xu Bo and the other three to "teach Xu Yuan a lesson," he should have thought of this point...

Mr. Lan called out loudly, "Young Master Xu, be careful..."

But then the calligraphy scroll that Xu Bo had released suddenly burst into flames and was quickly burned to ashes.

The phrase "cowardice before battle" written on the calligraphy copybook directly backfired on Xu Bo!

Xu Bo immediately felt as if he had fallen into a terrifying battlefield of flesh and blood.

His pen broke, and his calligraphy practice books were torn to shreds!
His literary skills are completely useless here!
Thousands of enemy soldiers, their faces contorted in agony, roared and charged toward him, their blades and spears almost piercing his body!
"what--"

Xu Bo let out a piercing scream, his whole body trembling with fear as he curled up into a ball, clutching his head and crouching on the ground, repeatedly crying out, "Don't kill me! Please, don't kill me! I don't want to die..."

Princess Ruicheng, Mr. Cao, and Mr. Lan, who were in the carriage, were dumbfounded.

Xu Bo, who was hiding at the very back, was the first to suffer.

Mr. Lan scratched his beard awkwardly again.

The reminder came too late; it's too late to say anything now.

Xu Bo has already made a huge fool of himself in front of His Highness.

As the fire spewed out from Sun Shou's abdomen, Xu Yuan reached out and caught the ball of fire. With a squeeze of his palm, the flames vanished!

Sun Shou's expression changed: This guy is a pill cultivator.

They had just arrived in Jiaozhi and had been on a ship the whole way, so they were not well-informed and knew nothing about Xu Yuan.

Sun Shou immediately switched to another method.

Using the fire in one's abdomen to deal with a Dan cultivator is clearly not a wise choice.

Moreover, the alchemist in the human skin was only a seventh-rate cultivator.

As Sun Shou's mind turned, a strange insect resembling a locust unfolded from under the animal skin—four slender, serrated legs that were about to stab at Xu Yuan's neck from different directions.

Another trick of the worm is used.

On the insect's shell, a mouthpart appeared, spitting out invisible cocoon silk towards the void where Xu Yuan was.

These silken threads are invisible and formless, yet they can entangle the target layer by layer.

At first, the target only felt somewhat constrained and had difficulty moving around.

Gradually, more and more silk will be produced.

Ultimately, the target was entangled and unable to move, leaving them at the mercy of others.

But Sun Shou suddenly felt that his craftsmen were not obeying his commands!
The once vibrant artifacts suddenly became lifeless.

The outstretched insect legs disappeared.

The mouthparts that had already emerged were tightly shut!

"what happened……"

Before Sun Shou could think any further, he once again activated the craftsman's tool and used the power of the animal hide to transform into a three-zhang-tall monster!
With just his claws and teeth, he could tear Xu Yuan to pieces!

But the black fur on the animal hide fluttered a few times, and then there was no further response!
Sun Shou was genuinely astonished this time, exclaiming, "How can this guy possibly counter my craftsmanship?!"

Xu Yuan's "unfettered" destiny is about to undergo a major transformation.

Sun Shou's artifacts are also part of the strangeness.

Moreover, they use only bizarre methods against the enemy.

Completely restrained by "no taboos".

Sun Shou is unaware that if he continues to linger by Xu Yuan's side under these three layers of disguise, this craftsmanship will be completely ruined.

Now, Xu Yuan raised his hand and grabbed Sun Shou.

He tore the animal hide off his body, then picked up Sun Shou like a chick and used him as a weapon, smashing him down at Meng Zhi who was charging at him.

Meng Zhi desperately wanted to raise his shield to block Xu Yuan's "weapon" regardless of the consequences.

Sun Xiaoshou would be shattered to pieces with just one touch.

This reduces one competitor for yourself.

But he still had some sense and knew he couldn't do that.

He could only sheathe his shield, catch Sun Shou with one hand, and cleverly cushion the fall, saving Sun Shou's life. Meng Zhi felt incredibly resentful and roared at Xu Yuan, "Using someone else to kill you is not the act of a hero!"

Xu Yuan laughed and replied, "Okay!"

He then abandoned Sun Shou.

Sun Shou also escaped death, his clothes soaked with cold sweat.

If Xu Yuan doesn't let go, and he pulls on Meng Zhi, he might actually experience the ancient but famous game of "being torn apart by five horses" in his own body!
He had lost all courage. As soon as Xu Yuan let go, he scrambled away several feet away and dared not approach again.

Meng Zhi was overjoyed to see Xu Yuan release Sun Shou! He raised his shield again, and the repeating crossbow in his armor was ready.

But then Xu Yuan stepped forward, about to rush into his middle lane.

Then one arm was raised high, the palm like a long knife, and it came down on his head.

Meng Zhi was furious: "This fellow is extremely arrogant!"

They actually used their flesh and blood to fight against my heavy shield?

With a roar, Meng Zhi gathered all his strength and pushed his shield forward.

Meng Zhi was very confident that even if there was a mad bull running wildly in front of him, it would be broken by his collision!
But Xu Yuan used his hand as a knife, and with a snap, his "Splitting Mount Hua" move from the "Fighting Generals Technique" struck the shield.

The shield shattered with a crack!
Meng Zhi felt a terrifying force crashing down upon him.

As the shield shattered, his arm holding it broke off as well!

He saw the hand amidst the shards of the shield flying in all directions!

The hand continued its relentless march towards him.

With a snap, it struck his own chest again.

This special suit of armor has a bright breastplate on its chest.

This breastplate's defensive capabilities are no less than those of a heavy shield.

But under the hand chop, it was as fragile as a piece of glazed tile, and it shattered with a crack!

The hand slash continued forward, finally striking Meng Zhi in the chest.

Mengzhi's body was strong and powerful, like an impenetrable fortress, no less formidable than a giant shield.

But it still couldn't stop the hand that shattered the heavy shield and the breastplate.

boom--

Meng Zhi's massive body was cleaved away, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood in mid-air.

However, it was blocked by the steel mask, and it was all covered up on his face.

He flew three zhang away and crashed heavily to the ground.

His chest had collapsed, and he lay there unable to move.

Meng Zhi is a sixth-rate martial artist, but Xu Yuan is equivalent to a fourth-rate martial artist.

When a high-level martial artist faces a low-level one, that's pure crushing!
In just a moment, only Luqiu Yan remained of the four.

Lu Qiuyan's ghost soldiers were very fast, and he thought he would be the first to engage Xu Yuan in battle.

Unexpectedly, before his ghostly soldiers even arrived, all three of his companions were defeated!

Lu Qiuyan's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately lost confidence.

The dark mist surrounding him had spread to a width of ten zhang, and its edge had reached Xu Yuan's front.

In the gloomy mist, several shrill ghosts poked their heads out and extended their claws—Lu Qiuyan took several steps back, preparing to forcefully suppress the ghost soldiers and recall them all.

But Xu Yuan casually tossed out a "handkerchief".

The handkerchief fell, and an eerie atmosphere descended!

It enveloped Luqiu Rock and his dark mist completely.

Luqiu Yan wanted to escape, but found himself surrounded by darkness and confusion, unable to distinguish east from west, north from south, up from down.

I want to run away, but I don't know where to go.

After wandering aimlessly for a while, I felt my mind becoming increasingly foggy and my senses gradually being clouded.

The handkerchief swallowed the dark mist of Luqiu Rock and the ghostly soldiers within it whole.

The craftsmanship of this artifact is extremely high. The ghost soldiers of Luqiu Rock look like "a vast army with an astonishing presence," but in reality, Luqiu Rock is only a sixth-rate craftsman.

These ghost soldiers aren't even enough to fill a tooth gap with a handkerchief.

The three-headed demon in the handkerchief hadn't opened any lucky money in a long time and was truly starving. It emerged from the yin energy, and its three ferocious demon heads appeared on Luqiu Yan's head, opening their blood-red mouths to devour him.

Lu Qiuyan was so scared that he wet his pants!
He was a divine cultivator and had done this kind of thing many times: using ghost soldiers disguised as ghosts to scare people.

I experienced it firsthand today—it really is terrifying!
The three terrifying ghost heads fell from different directions, and Lu Qiuyan truly felt that his life had come to an end.

Xu Yuan reined in the three giant demons and tucked the handkerchief away.

Xu Yuan could clearly sense that the Yin energy on Lu Qiuyan's body was extremely thin.

He made a bet of 50,000 taels with Sun Shou.

Therefore, they wanted to be the first to capture Xu Yuan.

Every move is made with all strength.

This is all of his ghostly soldiers in the dark mist.

It was all swallowed up by the handkerchief.

Lu Qiuyan is basically finished now.

He couldn't possibly raise a new batch of ghost soldiers in Jiaozhi, at least not in Jiaozhi.

As soon as he put the handkerchief away, Lu Qiuyan felt the whole world become clear and bright again.

He was a divine cultivator, destined to spend his life in darkness.

But he had never realized in his life how wonderful light could be!
Lu Qiuyan was no longer as arrogant as before, and quickly darted back to Mr. Cao's side.

He believed that Mr. Cao was the strongest in the entire team.

He desperately wants someone to protect him.

So he hid behind Mr. Cao.

But Mr. Cao frowned and smelled a foul odor.

Looking back, he moved a few steps away in disgust.

But Luqiu Yan followed closely behind!
Moreover, they stood very close to Mr. Cao from behind, as if they wanted to hang on him.

Mr. Cao: ...

There was silence all around.

Even the prince's three hundred armored soldiers remained silent.

From the moment His Highness spoke, Xu Bo and the other three made their move, and Lu Qiuyan arrogantly made a bet with Sun Shou, only a few breaths had passed.

Xu Yuan defeated one person in almost the time it takes to breathe.

Xu Bo and the other three were all renowned young "prodigies" in Beidu.

Xu Yuan dealt with them with ease, leaving him with plenty of energy.

Xu Bo and his three companions not only lost, but their Dao hearts were truly shattered by the blow.

Look at these four. Xu Bo is still huddled on the ground with his head in his hands, Sun Shou is covered in cold sweat and his face is ashen. He is keeping a great distance from Xu Yuan and doesn't even dare to look at him again.

Meng Zhi lay on the ground, still without uttering a sound, his fate unknown.

The most arrogant of the four, Lü Qiuyan... peed his pants.

They hid behind Mr. Cao, too afraid to come out.

After a long while, a low sigh was heard from inside the carriage.

His Highness remained silent.

His Highness was wallowing in self-pity again: Why are all the people who like me this kind of scum!

They're nowhere near as good as Jinxi's!
His Highness had heard some news about Jinxi in Jiaozhi, and naturally concluded that Xu Yuan was also an admirer of Jinxi.

If you ask her what evidence she has, she has no evidence and doesn't need any.

Because it's always been like this since I was a child.

As long as an outstanding man appears by Jinxi's side and spends some time with her, he will fall at her feet.

Without exception.

His Highness, of course, also felt that this time would not be an exception.

Xu Bo and his three companions suffered a crushing defeat, their Dao hearts shattered, and His Highness was also greatly shocked.

In the Northern Capital, there is no such dragon or phoenix among men!

His Highness was even more frustrated!
Everyone here is a top noblewoman of the Ming Dynasty, so why does Jinxi always get the best?

In what way am I inferior to her?!

Suddenly, Her Highness's beautiful eyes shifted, and she looked through the beaded curtain at the tall, imposing figure of the young man outside the carriage. Ripples spread across the lake of her heart like peach blossoms...

Among all of Jinxi's suitors, the person in front of her was the most outstanding!

However, their backgrounds were quite different.

But I have the Emperor Ming Dynasty, the best background I could ever have!

A perfect match!

He is the head of the Exorcism Bureau, and if he wants to advance further, he needs the support of a powerful figure.

I can be his benefactor.

Jinxi, that little girl, is always indifferent to her suitors.

As long as I give him a little something sweet... mmm!

His Highness is very interested in taking Jinxi's things.

“Xu Yuan…” Princess Xu Yuan, having made up her mind, spoke from inside the carriage.

Xu Yuan was taken aback.

His Highness's voice contained no anger or blame, but rather a soft, gentle tone.

Xu Yuan had a subconscious feeling that something was wrong.

"Come forward," His Highness said again.

Xu Yuan steeled himself and went to the carriage.

Mr. Cao guarded the carriage closely, protecting His Highness.

Luqiu Rock closely followed Mr. Cao, hoping to be protected.

Your Highness's carriage is a work of extremely high craftsmanship; all the "disturbances" from the outside world, such as unpleasant smells, will not drift in at all.

But Xu Yuan smelled it.

Xu Yuan couldn't help but frown.

The prince inside the carriage noticed, which only fueled his competitive spirit: What do you mean? You're not happy that I let you get closer?
Are you looking down on me?
“Your Highness,” Xu Yuan began, “My Dafu is by no means the type to cause trouble. Even if he has truly offended Your Highness, there must be some misunderstanding…”

However, His Highness was not interested in Xu Yuan's explanation.

His Highness's focus has long since shifted from geese to people.

"I'm hungry. Go and hunt some wild game. Consider it your apology to me."

Xu Yuan looked up blankly, puzzled, at the figure behind the beaded curtain: just a few prey?

Just forget it?
Inside the carriage, His Highness scolded, "What are you looking at? Hurry up and go! What, you're not willing? Do you insist that I report this to His Majesty and have you punished for disrespect?"

Xu Yuan quickly shook his head: "I am willing, Your Highness. I will go hunting for you right away."

On the other side of the Exorcism Division, Liu Hu, who had come out with the captains, was already eager to show off his skills when he heard about "wild game".

On the high walls of the military camp, Xu Miaozhi's face was ashen!
A noblewoman of the Emperor, acting coquettishly with Xu Yuan in front of so many people?!
Your Highness, I have a word of advice: Please have some self-respect!

Xu Miaozhi placed her hand on Dafu's head and unconsciously rubbed it. An idea popped into her mind: Should she... even contact Zhu Kangrui?
Even though it might be like inviting trouble, I'm afraid I really can't handle it alone...

(End of this chapter)