No taboos

Chapter 344 Pig-Calling Rock (Three-in-One)

With two experienced mountain runners accompanying him, Master Xu was well aware of all the tricks and methods used by the cook.

For example, the aroma of meat that wafts for miles.

Gao Guanzi caught two "insects" and stuffed them into Master Xu's nostrils.

Then one can be unaffected by the fragrance.

Old Bai emphasized to Lord Xu again: The "rules" of a cook are all about the word "cook".

It runs a shop in the mountains, and all who come are guests.

Therefore, she also has to follow some of the rules for running a restaurant.

The more a cook follows these rules, the more solid the foundation of her power will become.

Therefore, Xu Yuan used excuses such as "no restaurant allows guests to chat" and "your restaurant has never prohibited bringing your own wine" to appease the cook.

Xu Yuan unleashed his "internal fire" at the cook, because it was time to break off all pretense of civility.

If that dish is served, I definitely won't eat it.

That would break the store's rules: you come to my store but don't buy anything, yet you're still trying to sell your wine?
Damn!

So after Xu Yuan found out everything about "Ghost Beard Wood", he no longer hesitated and directly charmed all its guests and made his move on the cook.

And another very important point is:
Now is precisely the crucial moment for cooking this dish by the cook.

It's almost ready to be taken out of the pot.

This means that if food sits on the fire for too long, it will become tough.

This dish was ruined.

The cook was furious: This guest really is here to cause trouble!
I put so much effort into cooking a dish for them.

The freshly killed ingredients are incredibly fresh.

He actually refused to eat!

What's even worse is that he actually drugged other customers, and if word got out, other evil spirits would think I was running a shady business.

Tolerable or unbearable?
The cook dropped the pot she was holding—but hesitated for a moment at the crucial moment.

I can't bear to part with this pot of delicious food.

If it's not cooked soon, it'll get too old.

In that brief moment of delay, the fire had already surged into the kitchen.

Amidst the flames, a tortoise shell flew back into Xu Yuan's hand.

Xu Yuan examined the tortoise shell and interpreted the divination: Today is very auspicious!
The flames then engulfed the cook.

The Human Chef is a fifth-rate evil spirit, but she is relatively weak among the fifth-rate ones.

This level has already reached the threshold of "going out on the street".

Even a sixth-rate fire inside its belly can still cause it great damage.

The flames instantly burned his clothes to ashes.

Revealing her true form hidden beneath her cook's attire.

It was a bloated, fat black rat.

Then all the mouse fur on its body was singed off.

This "mistake" was also partly due to the influence of "Eight Directions of Injury".

The cook yelled, forgetting all about the pot of "decapitated human heads," and overturned the pot, cursing, "Did you think I didn't have a fire?"

It picked up the stove and splashed it at Xu Yuan.

There were many embers in the stove, and with a whoosh, they shot towards Xu Yuan like fiery meteors.

Of course, a cook can control the fire.

Xu Yuan used the movement techniques from the "Dragon Appearance Technique," twisting and dodging around the shop.

All the fireballs missed their target.

The cook let out a scream.

Xu Yuan hid three hairpins in the raging fire inside his belly.

This set of fifth-rate craftsmanship items was tattooed in the shape of the Chinese character "品" on the cook's chest.

The cook was quite plump and flabby, so the injury wasn't too severe.

But then, the silver bells on the three hairpins started to shake together.

Ring ring ring...

The force that tore at the soul drove the cook into a frenzy. In a series of roars, she grabbed the silver chains behind the three hairpins, yanked them out, and then tore a piece of flesh from the corpse of the man she had just met, wrapped it around her skin, and swallowed it.

"Human chef" means that as long as it is made with human flesh, anything can be eaten!

It can digest anything!

But the effects of the silver bell made it somewhat drowsy.

The flames still surged in.

Under the cover of the flames, the set of counting rods quietly fell into the kitchen.

They were densely packed together on the ground, the stove, and the pillars.

The cook dodged the flames, but accidentally stepped on a counting rod.

The sole of his foot was immediately pierced.

"squeak--"

It let out another scream.

Xu Yuan then realized that what the two mountain runners had told him was correct: the evil spirit's strength did not lie in the physical body.

The most suitable tool on my person to execute a cook is, of course, the tiger-head guillotine.

But now is not the most appropriate time to use this national treasure...

Suddenly, Xu Yuan felt that something was not right.

A strong gust of hot wind swept over me from behind.

Xu Yuan stumbled forward in a disheveled state.

A burning ember, wreathed in blood, slammed into Xu Yuan's back.

Xu Yuan immediately felt a burning pain all over his back.

The clothes and a layer of skin were burned away!
Xu Yuan wrapped himself in the leather without hesitation.

Its defensive capabilities are comparable to those of a wild boar.

The meteor, a streak of embers, passed over Xu Yuan's back and continued its trajectory, striking one of Deng Linyue's companions.

The burning coals were blasted directly into his body.

Blood flames erupted, instantly turning the man into ashes.

Xu Yuan's eyes darted around...

The cook controlled all the burning charcoal, chasing after Xu Yuan everywhere.

Xu Yuan then unleashed his movement technique.

This movement technique is like that of a loach or a nimble snake, making it ideal for dodging these kinds of random attacks.

Xu Yuan dodged and weaved, and before he knew it, he was next to an evil spirit.

Then, seizing the opportune moment, his upper body suddenly bent sharply to one side, as if by a rope.

A burning ember flew past with a whoosh and struck the evil spirit's body.

It's that mud monster.

A burst of blood-red flames erupted, quickly igniting the corpse oil covering the evil spirit's body!

The sludge monster awoke in agony, but no matter what it did, it couldn't extinguish the flames engulfing its body. It screamed and rushed out, trying to jump into the river.

The cook shrieked, "You haven't paid yet!"

The previously open shop doors suddenly and automatically closed with a series of clicks.

The mud monster crashed into it and bounced back.

The cook stepped forward, intending to demand payment from the mud monster, but ended up stepping on the counting rods again.

"Ouch—" it cried out in pain.

The cook was furious. She gritted her teeth and roared, "Once you enter my shop, you have to pay to eat my food!"

Xu Yuan immediately sensed that a drastic change was taking place in his surroundings.

This change originated from the cook, but it was the cook who broke her own "rules" and turned the shop into a "black shop"!
For the cook herself, doing this would have huge consequences.

But after turning into a black market shop, its capabilities have increased dramatically!

The pot of "dismembered human heads" that had been ruined earlier fell into the soup bowl on its own and floated towards Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan could no longer use his movement techniques.

They were suppressed by the forces within the "black shop".

As long as one remains in this shop, one cannot escape this oppression.

If you actually eat this dish, you will completely fall into the cook's rules and have no choice but to give your life to the cook as payment.

Before the soup bowl even arrived, the rest of the burning charcoal had already come hurtling towards it.

Xu Yuan was suppressed and unable to dodge, so Huotan kept hitting him.

Boom boom boom...

Clusters of blood-red flames shot up.

Fortunately, with Pidan's protection, Xu Yuan was able to hold on even after taking a mouthful of blood.

Inside his body, the medicinal pill took effect, quickly healing Xu Yuan's injuries.

But the cook immediately sensed a force opposing her shady business.

Xu Yuan took out the gold nugget.

This is my stall.

However, "Business Law" was only sixth-rate, barely managing to hold off the "black shop." The soup bowl slowed down a bit, but it still inevitably floated towards Xu Yuan.

Xu Yuan also opened his mouth.

The soup bowl was placed in front of him, poured into his mouth, and slid directly into his stomach.

The cook was overjoyed.

But Xu Yuan said, "What a rip-off! They're forcing you to buy! You want your life? Here you go."

The cook reached out, her arm lengthening as she grabbed Xu Yuan by the neck and pulled him close. But upon closer inspection, it wasn't Xu Yuan, but Deng Linyue!
Xu Yuan used the gold nugget to delay the effect of the black market, and then used "Dragon Spits Mirage" to shield Deng Linyue in front of him.

Divination using tortoise shells is very auspicious.

The "Eight Directions Injury" is working in secret.

The cook made a mistake this time, failing to see through the "Dragon Spitting Clam".

The cook was furious, but also puzzled: How did I get fooled by this kid?
Blood gushed from the wounds all over his body.

The cook couldn't help but feel weak from the points system.

It sensed something was wrong: the injury shouldn't have made me feel so weak in such a short time...

But there was no time to find the answer.

The cook produced a meat-slicing knife and with a swift motion, cut a strip of flesh from Deng Linyue's body.

Then it was handed to Xu Yuan.

"Today's banquet begins, the third dish: slices of raw human flesh."

The arm stretched out longer and longer, until it reached straight in front of Xu Yuan.

You have no choice but to eat at this shady restaurant.

Once you've eaten it, your life is in my hands.

I won't bother with you anymore, I'll just stab you in the mouth with one stroke!
Deng Linyue was stabbed and woke up in excruciating pain, but the cook was holding his neck and wouldn't let him wake up.

He was in so much pain that his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

However, the next moment, his left eyeball really popped out!
This is a strange pill.

When Xu Yuan used the Dragon Spits the Mirage, he also used the "Business Law" to buy his left eye in exchange for this strange pill.

This strange pill was then hidden in Deng Linyue's left eye socket.

Rotten Technique - Activate!
Staring at the target for the time it takes to snap your fingers is enough to infect the body.

It takes only four snaps of the fingers to infect a soul.

The time it takes to snap two fingers has long since passed.

The five wounds on the cook's body quickly festered!
A seventh-rate ghost pill is unlikely to cause significant damage to a fifth-rate ghost.

However, it was already injured, and the festering, treacherous technique took advantage of the situation.

Four finger snaps of time have passed, and the cook's soul has begun to fester and spread!

The silver bells from the three hairpins had already damaged its soul.

They're still taking advantage of the situation!

Furthermore, under the influence of "Ghost Doctor Stealing Life," the damage to the body and soul was amplified.

The cook's plump body swayed a few times.

It increasingly felt that something was wrong.

Why am I so weak?

How could I fall for such a trick so easily?

It looked down and saw the strange pill, and was furious: So it was you who did this!
With a sudden burst of strength, the cook snapped Deng Linyue's neck.

Suddenly, a thin rope emerged from Deng Linyue's sleeve.

With a whoosh, it entangled the cook.

The animal sinew rope transformed into something as thin as a hair, wrapping around her in circles, tightening more and more until it dug deep into the cook's flesh!

Then, three swords flew out from the other sleeve.

They were inserted into the wounds created by the three hairpins!

After eating two dishes, Deng Linyue's life was now in the hands of the cook.

Once the cook takes it, she won't be too wary of him.

Xu Yuan had hidden his trump card in Deng Linyue.

The Dragon Slayer Sword is no match for the Human Chef, and the Sword Pellet is only a sixth-rate weapon.

But the wound had already been opened by three hairpins.

They were then exploited by the corrupt and treacherous techniques.

The three swords pierced through easily.

The three hairpins were short, and the wounds they caused were not fatal to the cook.

However, the effect of these three swords piercing in was quite different.

"squeak--"

The cook screamed in agony, her beard trembling uncontrollably.

But the hand holding the knife was already outstretched in front of Xu Yuan!

Xu Yuan had to open his mouth; if he did, the knife would definitely stab him!
Xu Yuan had already taken out his begging bowl.

The song "Lotus Flower Ballad" begins.

Please, have some food!
What Xu Yuan wanted was precisely this "slice of strangers" on the edge of a knife!
If you can get this butcher's knife, that would be fine too.

According to the tortoise shell divination, today is an auspicious day. May all my wishes come true!
The cook endured the pain from her injuries, her hand holding the knife still reaching forward. Because once she fed Xu Yuan, it would all be over.

This wild brat who appeared out of nowhere actually managed to push me to this point; he's utterly despicable!

However, he still underestimated the great evil spirit in Ghost Mountain!

The cook instantly conjured up dozens of recipes in her mind.

Kill this bastard, and I will feast on his flesh and blood, without wasting a single drop.

Suddenly, the "slice of a stranger" on the tip of the knife disappeared.

The cook was stunned, because her disappearance was so inexplicable that she couldn't figure out what had happened.

That "life story" fell into the other party's hands, into that broken bowl!
Xu Yuan looked down and smiled.

Today was indeed a very auspicious day; all my wishes came true!
The cook was furious and thrust her knife forward with all her might—

Xu Yuan released the carriage to shield himself.

laugh!
The train carriage was pierced!

Xu Yuan broke out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, Pidan didn't try to withstand the blow head-on.

Pidan's defensive capabilities are roughly equivalent to those of a wild boar tusk.

But the cook's knife must be extremely sharp!
Its physical body isn't particularly strong, but it's still considered a fifth-rate fighter, so its attacks must be incredibly powerful.

Xu Yuan felt that the time was right, so he put away his begging bowl and released the tiger-head guillotine with a loud shout.

"Execute!"

The gleaming blade of the guillotine was raised.

Now is the perfect time to use this national treasure.

Simply releasing the guillotine does not guarantee the slaying of evil spirits.

The cook is too good.

It has the ability to prevent Xu Yuan from having the chance to lift the guillotine.

Even with the guillotine raised, it could withstand the immense power of heaven and earth that restrained it for a long time.

If Xu Yuan holds the guillotine up for too long, it will fall down.

That would be even worse; the cook would take this opportunity to kill him.

Therefore, whenever the Three Offices of Strange Affairs used the guillotine, it was always a group of people working together.

One person took the lead in lifting the guillotine, while the others surrounded and attacked the evil spirit, using the combined power of heaven and earth to press it under the guillotine.

Xu Yuan, being alone, needs to find ways to consume the cook.

Severely injured, it could not interfere with its own opening, nor did it have much power to resist the immense power of heaven and earth.

The cook was startled.

It never expected that this wild boy would actually be carrying a tiger-head guillotine!
It swallowed Deng Linyue whole and then went to grab the others.

The more people eat it, the faster it recovers.

Unfortunately it was too late.

The three swords in its chest were still drilling into its body!

All the counting rods flew up at once and stuck into its body.

The immense power of heaven and earth seized it and pressed it under the guillotine.

Xu Yuan pulled downwards with force.

click-

A huge, fat rat's head was chopped off.

Suddenly, a cacophony of howling and wailing erupted outside the shop!

The river, the grass, and the bamboo grove all made a gurgling sound.

Countless water rats, soil rats, and bamboo rats scurried out from all directions.

The ground was covered with a dense mass of black, gray, and brown colors, which was enough to make one's scalp tingle at first glance.

They screamed and cried as they rushed toward the restaurant.

These are all the descendants of the old cook.

The restaurant was previously closed down by a cook. These rats range in size from small rabbits to large wild boars.

It kept banging against the outside walls and doors.

Without the cook's control, the doors and windows were quickly smashed.

The rats had bloodshot eyes and were drooling.

Xu Yuan spewed out a mouthful of fire from his stomach.

The rats squeaked and screamed as they were burned.

But even with their bodies ablaze, they stubbornly rushed out and struggled to pounce on the cook's corpse, beginning to devour it!
Xu Yuan then understood.

Those who eat the flesh and blood of the human cook can become great evil spirits.

However, they only took a few bites before being burned to ashes by the fire inside their bellies.

They even set fire to the cook's corpse.

"call--"

"call--"

"call--"

Xu Yuan breathed fire several times in succession. The fire from the sixth-rate rats was irresistible to them, and soon they were reduced to ashes.

Xu Yuan rested briefly, then launched his sword pellet, slaying the other two unconscious evil spirits.

He retrieved all his own artifacts, elixirs, and other valuable items.

Then he grabbed Deng Linyue's two companions, slipped out of the restaurant, and breathed fire into it one last time.

The restaurant was already on fire, and now it burned even more fiercely.

A strange creaking sound came from inside the shop.

Some things in the kitchen, used by cooks for many years, have become evil spirits, and this fire will wipe them all out.

When the rats rushed out, Bai Laoyan and Gao Guanzi also rushed over from a distance.

They happened to run into Lord Xu, who was coming out of the shop.

Xu Yuan looked behind them and asked, "Where's Dafu?"

Dafu did not come along.

The huge rats that roamed the mountains and fields startled Dafu.

It huddled in the bushes, too afraid to come out.

There are so many big rats, I could never finish eating them all.

Can't afford to provoke...

Gao Guanzi bowed to Xu Yuan and said, "Sir, I apologize for the inconvenience, but the worm in your nose needs to be removed as soon as possible."

Xu Yuan raised his head: "Let's get started."

Gao Guanzi then took a small tool, which looked like a pair of fishhooks.

In his other hand, he had prepared a small bottle of medicine powder.

The tool was inserted into the nostril, hooking out the two insects and slowly pulling them out.

By this time, the worm is usually already fused with the nasal cavity and is very reluctant to come out.

It is said that if you leave them in your nostrils for more than a day, you will pull them out by force, along with their entire brains!
If they refuse to come out, then we'll have to use that powder.

This stuff is extremely difficult to prepare, and most people with high-ranking officials wouldn't be willing to use it.

The two insects had been inside the adult's nose for almost an hour, so it must be difficult for them to get out... Gao Guanzi thought to himself. He had prepared the medicine powder, and with a gentle pull, the two insects obediently slid out.

This is a strange insect that looks like a loofah sponge, only about half the size of a little finger.

After being pulled out, it fell to the ground and struggled to wriggle into the grass.

It seemed as if they were fleeing.

Gao Guanzi looked surprised.

Xu Yuan asked, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing." Gao Guanzi dared not ask or say anything.

Xu Yuan knew perfectly well that this was the effect of "no taboos".

……

The raging fire burned the shop to the ground.

The cloth sign that read "Cooking Fragrance" hanging on the long pole outside was also reduced to ashes.

The stone wall collapsed with a crash.

It took a full hour for the fire to go out.

Xu Yuan entered the fire scene and first retrieved the three hairpins that the cook had eaten.

However, this piece of art was severely contaminated.

It's already getting out of control.

Xu Yuan held them in his hand and could clearly feel them wriggling incessantly.

It no longer feels like metal; instead, it has a slippery, nauseating feel.

It's like holding a leech in your hand.

It needs to be refined as soon as possible.

Then Xu Yuan searched again and found four good pieces of material.

A blood-red wolf fang.

An insect limb as long as an arm.

A lump of pitch-black sludge.

Finally, there was a pale white bone.

The first three are sixth-rate, and the fourth is fifth-rate.

Xu Yuan happily stuffed it into the fishy-smelling bag and put it away.

Especially the last bone; Xu Yuan could feel the immense power contained within it as soon as he held it in his hand.

The cook possesses many formidable and cunning skills.

I'm really looking forward to seeing what kinds of materials are incorporated into this piece.

Xu Yuan searched the fire scene for a while longer and finally found Deng Linyue's spider web.

There were also Deng Linyue's sword pellets and some external pills.

He put the others away for later, but picked up the spider web.

Old Bai kicked the two unconscious men and asked, "What should we do with them?"

"I've woken you up, let me ask you again."

The two were rescued and regained consciousness, still shaken.

Xu Yuan enlarged the carriage, treating it as a room.

Then they stuck the lantern outside and dragged the two inside for questioning.

The two of them naturally answered all the questions they knew.

However, they didn't know much to begin with, only that Deng Linyue was from Shunhua City and was a well-known alchemist in the city.

He had close relationships with many people in the Shanhe Si Yamen (official residence of the Shanhe Si) in Hue City.

Xu Yuan handed the people over to Gao Guanzi: "Take them back to the village, and I'll deal with them when I get back."

"Okay." Gao Guanzi felt in his heart that this approach was not good.

He's from the mountains, and he never hesitates to strike.

But since Lord Xu is an official, he can't act as recklessly as they do, which is understandable.

Gao Guanzi left with his men.

He has his own ideas.

There were some things that Master Xu was unable to do, so I did them for him.

Not far to the west of here, there is another great evil spirit.

It was a regular customer of the cook.

The two evil spirits are so close together because one knows how to behave, and the other likes to eat.

Gao Guanzi did not personally take action; he simply did not warn the two when he stepped into the territory of that great evil spirit.

They went in and never came out again.

Gao Guanzi turned to leave, but as soon as he heard it, he heard Dafu's footsteps.

That "beep beep beep" sound is so distinctive.

Gao Guanzi caught up with them in no time.

“My lord…” Gao Guanzi said with a look of shame, “I have failed you in your trust. Before I knew it, those two people were eaten by evil spirits.”

Xu Yuan glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions.

"Alright, let's go."

More than an hour later, they arrived at the mountain peak opposite Pig Call Rock.

This giant rock is over a hundred feet tall and has an extremely strange shape, with four huge holes on it.

The rock is named "Pig Screaming Rock" not because it resembles a pig, but because when air is blown through the four holes in the mountain, it produces a shrill sound like a pig being slaughtered.

Standing here, you can clearly see everything below.

There were indeed no trees.

The entire Pig Calling Rock, from top to bottom and extending for five miles around, is completely barren.

There wasn't even a blade of grass.

"Strange..." Xu Yuan muttered to himself.

After thinking for a moment, he took out a folded document, wrote a line, and asked Jiao to come to Pig Cry Rock for a meeting.

After writing it, he waited a moment but received no response from Jiao, so he put it away and kept it in his bosom.

"Is there anywhere around here where we can spend the night?" Xu Yuan asked the two old mountain runners.

Just as Bai Laoyan was about to answer, Gao Guanzi's expression suddenly changed, and he raised his hand to make a shushing gesture.

Bai Laoyan and Xu Yuan then fell silent.

Gao Guanzi listened carefully for a while.

They immediately pulled the two of them up and hid them in a large, lush tree.

"somebody is coming!"

"The noise from Pig Gyalt Rock was quite loud; I only heard it when those people were about two miles away."

The three of them remained motionless in the tree, holding their breath.

Before long, four people appeared, each carrying a bamboo basket on their backs. They moved nimbly and swiftly, passing under the trees without stopping for a moment, heading straight for Pig Cry Rock.

Once they reached the foot of the rock, they took down the bamboo basket and carefully took some things out of it.

(End of this chapter)