No taboos

Chapter 357 Born to Be Ox and Horse (Three-in-One)

Xu Yuan silently packed a pipe for Grandpa Shen and handed him the pipe bowl.

Grandpa Shen lit it and took a deep breath—

It's a bit hard to suck.

Ah Yuan is really something, he put in way too much tobacco.

But Grandpa Shen didn't mind.

The families in Hegong Lane were all leaders, big and small, of the uprising back then.

Those who can stand out from hundreds of thousands of people are undoubtedly outstanding individuals.

That riot will likely only be mentioned briefly in history books in the future.

The official documents from local authorities to the imperial court also downplayed the issue.

But in reality, the scale is enormous.

Everyone was suffering in Hegong Lane. The Xu family had already discussed with each other: the line would be passed down only to one son.

For example, in a family like the Xu family, where there are two brothers, only one needs to stay in Hegong Lane, while the other siblings can go out and make their own way in the world.

But every family had a tacit understanding: the child left in the alley must be the one with the most talent in the family.

Over the generations, although fewer and fewer people live in Hegong Lane, their talent and skill level have only increased!
Dan Xiu is rarely seen outside, even among those who are only at the middle or third rank.

However, they are not uncommon in alleyways.

Outside, when one ascends to the fifth rank, the "true seed" is planted in the inner elixir, and the initial fusion should be about half complete.

It depends not only on the alchemist's own talent, but also on the compatibility between the true seed and the alchemist, as well as the quality of the true seed itself.

But the more initial integrations there are, the more successful it will undoubtedly be.

For alchemists, this means they can save more time at the fifth-rate level.

The future holds even broader prospects for development.

The average level of initial integration among the people in Hegong Lane is 20%.

When Aunt Wang was young, it was 25%.

Don't underestimate the fact that Xu Yuan only increased it by half a percent.

The elders in the alley had reached a consensus: Aunt Wang's level was already the limit for a genius alchemist.

Any achievement that pushes the limits further is great!

That's why Grandpa Shen was so agitated.

Even when Aunt Wang mocked him, he didn't care at all.

The tobacco was packed too tightly, making it difficult to smoke, but he didn't complain to Xu Yuan. Instead, he felt that it was a sign of the child's filial piety and that the gift was genuine.

All because...Uncle Shen had a vague feeling that I, the old man, might have made the wisest decision in the history of Hegong Lane!
His decision to involve Xu Yuan in family matters, based on his seniority, actually made him somewhat uneasy.

But now it seems... Ah Yuan might actually be able to completely solve the problem left by our ancestors!

Before Grandpa Shen had even finished his pipe of tobacco, Lin Wanmo had already prepared the meal and brought it to the table.

Xu Yuan looked at the food and saw that it was all his favorite food, so he couldn't help but smile.

We all had another meal together.

During the meal, Xu Yuan quietly asked Uncle Mao, "Does my Aunt Wang have some special abilities?"

Uncle Mao felt guilty as soon as he heard the name "Aunt Wang." He kept shoveling rice into his mouth and mumbled, "What? I don't know. Why are you asking me?"

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes at him and said, "The Dafu she gave me is quite unusual. I want to find an opportunity to ask her about the details of Dafu."

Uncle Mao remained silent and ate his rice even more diligently.

But his usually honest and simple eyes were now darting around rapidly.

Xu Yuan said, "Fourth Uncle, you'll come with me then."

"I'm not going..." Uncle Mao said in a muffled voice as he ate, and Xu Yuan couldn't quite hear the "no" clearly.

After finishing his meal, Grandpa Shen smoked the half-smoked cigarette he hadn't finished, then walked away with his hands behind his back, looking quite pleased with himself.

He even specifically emphasized to Xu Yuan: "Remember to visit me before you leave."

“Okay.” Xu Yuan never stood on ceremony with his elders.

One should not refuse a gift from an elder.

After dark, Xu Yuan washed the dishes and came back to find his stepmother had locked him in the room again.

Xu Yuan knocked on the door: "Lin Wanmo."

The stepmother opened the door, and Xu Yuan handed her the fabric he had collected over this period of time: "You decide what to do with it. Keep anything you can use."

Lin Wanmo glanced at the fabrics, her eyes flickered, and she took them all.

Just as Xu Yuan was about to take the opportunity to say a few words of advice to her, his stepmother waved her hand and slammed the door shut.

Xu Yuan shook his head helplessly and went back to sleep.

Dafu was in the yard outside, looking for insects to eat by turning over bricks along the ditch at the base of the wall.

As it flipped through the stones, it lifted up a stone slab.

With a gurgling sound, like bubbles rising to the surface of water, a sinister creature with a rat's head and a snake's body emerged!

Dafu was taken aback.

The other party was stunned with fear.

I finally managed to sneak into the yard, and then I encountered something!
Daifu doesn't like to eat this.

And because he saw rats all over the mountains outside the cook's "Fragrant Cooking House", Dafu now feels nauseous whenever he sees anything related to rats.

It spat at the object.

The evil creature visibly fell ill very quickly, and then died.

The body fell back into the ditch.

A spark flew out of Xu Yuan's window, landed on the corpse with a bang, and instantly burned it to ashes.

Xu Yuan scolded Dafu: "Don't you dare spit indiscriminately anymore!"

The corpse, riddled with disease, fell into the ditch—I fear that by tomorrow morning, everyone in Qihetai Town will have died of the disease.

Dafu shook his head, his eyes staring blankly.

You may have heard it, or you may not have heard it.

It neatly turned over the drain in the corner, which was only enough to fill its stomach.

Now he has an enormous appetite.

Fortunately, I had a very good meal in Ghost Mountain a few days ago.

Dafu huddled in the corner of the room and fell asleep in no time.

Xu Yuan also went to sleep.

In the middle of the night, the stepmother got up, lit an incense stick for her master, and then sat in front of the memorial tablet for half the night in a daze.

Thought a lot.

……

The next day was New Year's Eve.

Xu Yuan has been eating June worms for several months now, and it's rare to have such a leisurely day.

Everything remains the same as before, according to tradition.

The small county of Shanhe was filled with a joyous atmosphere.

Xu Yuan went early in the morning to invite Aunt Wang and the others over.

The courtyard was bustling with activity.

Then, Xu Yuan left the alley and arrived at the gate of a courtyard.

From afar, you can see a large rooster with bright, colorful feathers standing proudly above the door, shaking its feathers and looking around majestically.

Xu Yuan chuckled: "Ahua!"

"Ooh ooh!" Ah Hua called out twice, indicating that she still remembered you.

Xu Yuan knocked on the door: "Grandma, Grandma, open the door."

Grandma Ying, whom we hadn't seen for a long time, walked out shakily, opened the door, and squinted, as if her eyesight wasn't very good anymore.

“Ah Yuan.”

"Grandma, come to my house for the New Year, we can all have a lively time together."

"No need..." Grandma Ying refused verbally, but she raised her arm slightly so that Xu Yuan could take her arm and "insist" on taking her home.

Xu Yuan glanced at the yard, which was piled up to the brim.

Grandma Ying's hoarding habit persisted.

I've accumulated a huge pile of stuff, some useful and some not.

Ahua jumped down from the door and followed behind Xu Yuan.

It had clearly forgotten about that bastard Dafu.

Upon entering the courtyard, the two birds immediately glared angrily, spread their wings, and adopted a posture that suggested they were ready to fight to the death!

Grandma Ying hurriedly hugged her Ah Hua, while Grandpa Shen grabbed Da Fu by the neck.

Xu Yuan had a vague feeling that he had discovered something.

However, as the two birds fought, Xu Yuan calmly released his tendon pill.

The animal sinew rope landed in the center of the courtyard, extending to both sides until it reached the courtyard wall.

It's like a "boundary" dividing the yard in two.

Grandma Ying and Grandpa Shen didn't understand what the point was.

Then, the animal sinew rope suddenly began to weave rapidly, turning into a large net that blocked the middle of the courtyard.

Grandma Ying and Grandpa Shen's eyes lit up, and they each released Ahua and Dafu.

The two birds started hurling insults at each other across the net.

But that net had a fine mesh, and it wasn't a flat surface.

Instead, it's layered and intertwined, as thick as a palm.

Both birds had wings and wanted to fly over the net.

But as they fly higher, the net rises with them.

As they fell, the net also lowered.

Ahua and Dafu had no choice but to stop arguing after a while.

The idea of ​​transforming the animal sinew rope into this three-dimensional net structure was inspired by Xu Yuan's experience of being "netted" during his advancement to a fifth-rate alchemist.

Xu Yuan speculated that the three "I"s were his three destinies, a concrete manifestation of some kind of world origin, or rather, the foundation of rules.

But it doesn't seem to be that simple.

"Net Me" corresponds to "Eight Directions of Injury," which seems to indicate a complex relationship between things, events, etc.

Xu Yuan couldn't quite grasp the complex mystery at first, but he did gain something: he was able to use animal sinew rope to imitate the "net".

Animal sinew ropes used to be used only for wrapping and binding, but now there are more and stronger ways to use them.

Then, Grandma Ying and Grandpa Shen went into the house together with smiles on their faces.

Today is Chinese New Year, and Lin Wanmo really showed off her skills by preparing a huge feast.

Xu Yuan ate until his belly was round, and Uncle Mao Si had a big appetite.

Xu Yuan secretly wondered if he should tell Uncle Mao later: "My Aunt Wang lives alone in Miaopo Village, lonely and with no one to keep her company during the holidays..."

Will Uncle Si immediately feel that nothing tastes good anymore?
Hey hey hey.

The two people who ate the most at the table were Xu Yuan and Uncle Mao.

As a result, there was still a lot of food left over, which was given to Ahua and Dafu.

These two guys also like to eat insects, and they especially like evil insects.

They wouldn't even look at the food served in ordinary households.

But the two of them ate happily what Lin Wanmo made today.

The evil spirits inside and outside the city were very cooperative today and did not come out to cause trouble.

It could also be because... children in the city would set off firecrackers every now and then, starting in the morning.

As evening approached, firecrackers were set off loudly throughout the city.

This traditional activity of driving away the legendary Nian beast has suddenly come to have a real purpose in this era.

Ordinary evil spirits are indeed somewhat afraid of the loud sound of firecrackers.

But it can only serve to "drive them away".

For ordinary people, buying a string of firecrackers is a luxury they can only afford during the Lunar New Year.

Therefore, while this method may be somewhat useful against evil spirits, it is not something that can be used under normal circumstances.

Xu Yuan prepared some more things and went to four other houses in the alley to invite Uncle Chen, Aunt Zhou, and the others to have New Year's Eve dinner.

Xu Yuan had visited the Bureau of Purification once before joining it.

At that time, I thought I wouldn't be able to come back for the Chinese New Year.

Now that we're back, let's have one more meal.

Xu Yuan spoke his heart to his elders alone.

He asked everyone to help him persuade his stepmother if they had the chance. Aunt Zhou didn't reply, but Uncle Chen agreed.

……

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Xu Yuan left home and returned to Champa.

Xu Yuan's holiday only includes New Year's Eve and the first day of the Lunar New Year.

I have to go on duty on the second day of the Lunar New Year, so I can only go home early today.

Aunt Wang wasn't in a hurry to leave.

The people from the Third Sister's Society stayed with her in Shanhe County.

The good materials that Xu Yuan brought back are still being processed by his stepmother.

Once the craftsmanship is finished, Aunt Wang can bring it to him.

Not long after Xu Yuan left, the former county lieutenant, now the county magistrate, dressed in plain clothes and accompanied by four servants carrying gifts, came to pay his respects to Magistrate Xu.

It's a pity I missed it.

The magistrate, filled with regret, chatted briefly with Lin Wanmo, insisted on leaving a gift, and took his leave.

In Shanhe County, ever since the Chen family was exorcised by the judicial authorities, Xu Yuan has become the highest-ranking official currently serving outside the city.

It was pure luck that this county lieutenant managed to become the county magistrate.

He had no powerful backers and desperately wanted to find someone to rely on.

……

Xu Yuan traveled alone; he had a horse but no calligraphy copybooks.

So after running around all morning, I still didn't make it to Champa.

"I also have some literary scholars under my command. I must have them make more calligraphy copybooks later," Lord Xu secretly decided.

Writing calligraphy is a form of self-cultivation.

"Therefore, I am not exploiting my subordinates, but rather encouraging them to improve!"

"What a loving father's heart!"

Lin Wanmo brought Xu Yuan some dry food. Xu Yuan loosened the reins and let the horse trot for a while, passing between two mounds and then around a camphor grove. Not far ahead, there was a small village by the roadside.

Smoke rose from the chimneys, and the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking drifted from afar.

Several water buffaloes strolled leisurely along the field ridges, turning their ears and letting out a long moo.

At the entrance of the village, there is a simple tea shop, which is not a house but a thatched shed.

A triangular cloth banner was hung on a long bamboo pole in front of the door.

There was a large "tea" character written on it.

There are many tea stalls like this along the pipeline, providing a place for passersby to rest and eat.

Ordinary travelers could enter and buy a bowl of hot tea for just three coins, then tear up the cakes or other snacks they carried with them and soak them in the tea.

Take a break while you're at it.

If a caravan passes by, the shop can also provide some simple, freshly made food.

The prices are much cheaper than in the city.

Xu Yuan spurred his horse and soon arrived at the tea shop.

I thought the shop might not be open during the Chinese New Year.

Unexpectedly, from afar, they saw a middle-aged woman dressed in faded coarse cloth clothes with an apron tied around her waist, who came out early to greet them and wave: "Sir, please take a rest. We have freshly made noodles, as well as pickled vegetables and cured meat."

She had a pair of big, round, dark, and watery eyes, gazing at Xu Yuan with anticipation.

Xu Yuan dismounted, but only said, "Bring me a bowl of tea."

The middle-aged woman was inevitably disappointed; seeing someone on horseback, she had assumed a wealthy person had arrived.

"Just tea, nothing else?"

Xu Yuan waved his hand: "A bowl of tea is enough. Also, please feed the horse for me, and add extra beans."

"Okay, please come in and have a seat."

Xu Yuan entered the teahouse, but it was empty.

However, it's clear that this woman is very diligent; she wiped the tables, chairs, and benches exceptionally clean.

The ground has been swept as well.

On the row of stoves at the back, there were kettles, most of the water already boiled and steaming.

There were four large water vats next to it, all of which were full of water.

Xu Yuan sighed: "The officials of my Ming Dynasty are also very hard-working. Even the caravans are resting during the New Year, but I still have to travel alone on this official road."

The woman brewed a bowl of hot tea and brought it to Xu Yuan.

"Guests, please go ahead and eat. I'll go prepare hay for your horse."

She was the only one in the tea shop, yet she was remarkably capable.

He carried a bundle of hay to the outside manger and used a chaff cutter to chop the hay.

Snap, snap, snap...

Cut it into small, even pieces, one slice at a time.

Then the woman glanced at Xu Yuan and, finding that he wasn't looking this way, quietly slipped her little finger under the guillotine.

chap!
A piece of a little finger fell into the hay.

The woman showed no signs of pain, and no blood flowed from her wound.

After chopping the fodder, the woman fetched a large bucket of roasted soybeans and poured it in, filling it about halfway.

Upon hearing the voice, Xu Yuan laughed and said, "Shopkeeper, you're being too honest; you're going to lose money."

The woman mixed the fodder and led the horse over.

As the horse ate, she gently stroked its neck and said softly, "These big animals work so hard; they should be fed better."

Xu Yuan said no more and told the shopkeeper to give him more copper coins later.

Xu Yuan only ordered a bowl of tea, because he firmly believed that the dry food made by his stepmother was better than the freshly made food from these street stalls.

After finishing his dry rations at a leisurely pace, Xu Yuan quickly finished a large bowl of tea in a few gulps.

Although alchemists are not as physically strong as martial artists, their appetites are almost on par.

Almost all seventh-rate alchemists are fat.

Because they can't get promoted, but their appetite remains enormous.

You gain weight without even realizing it.

The horse had finished eating, and Xu Yuan called out, "Shopkeeper, settle the bill."

The woman began to do the accounting.

"A bowl of tea costs three coins, feeding the horse costs one coin, and adding bean fodder costs ten coins, totaling..."

She doesn't seem to be very good at math; she has to count on her fingers to do even this simple addition.

But she found it strange that although she had five fingers on one hand, she only used two of them, as if the other three did not exist.

Two hands can only use four fingers, which is obviously not enough.

The more she counted, the more confused she became, and the more confused she became, the more anxious she got.

Several times, her eyes kept glancing at her feet—as if she couldn't resist counting the toes on both feet as well.

Xu Yuan suddenly smiled and said, "I have a set of counting rods here, would you like to borrow it?"

The woman was overjoyed: "Great! Lend it to me quickly, and I'll give the guest a discount."

Xu Yuan then tossed the set of fifth-rate abacuses onto the table.

The woman reached out to take it, and as soon as her fingers touched the counting rods, they flew up with a "whoosh," spun rapidly around her, and fell down one by one, pinning her to her body!

"Moo—" The woman cried out in pain, but it was a cow's moo.

With the shoddy workmanship nailed to her body, she could no longer move.

In her haste, she called out to the horse not far away, "Come help me!"

The horse snorted loudly, ignoring her completely and not even glancing at her.

The woman was puzzled: "You ate it...you should have awakened by now."

As Xu Yuan raised his hand, a rope as thin as a hair, wrapped around the severed finger of hers, rose up.

"Is this what you mean? It didn't eat it."

The woman's large, round eyes turned fierce.

Its appearance has also changed somewhat. Although it still looks like a human face, it already resembles a cow by three or four points.

"How did you tell?"

Xu Yuan was somewhat speechless and said, "People who do manual labor often do wear aprons—but your apron is tied at the back! Why? To cover your cow's tail?"

As planned, the apron's rope was cut, and the apron slid down, revealing a cow's tail coiled behind the woman.

The woman's face turned bright red.

Xu Yuan didn't know what to say.

Thinking back to how this guy did the accounting just now... he really wasn't very smart.

Xu Yuan then pointed to the distance, where several cows were still strolling on the ridge of the field.

They leisurely ate wild grass.

But not a single cow touched the rice seedlings in the field.

“Even though it’s Chinese New Year, no one would just leave their cattle in the fields like that.”

"Cattle are very important assets for farmers, and they must be carefully looked after and cared for."

The woman shouted, "That's all to make us do more work! It's not really for our own good!"

She then looked at the cows on the ridge of the field with a disappointed expression and angrily scolded them: "A bunch of stubborn fools! They're still the same as before, not daring to eat a single seedling."

"The rice seedlings are tender and taste much better than those weeds!"

Xu Yuan ran his finger across the table, not a speck of dust in sight: "And what about you? You think oxen and horses work so hard, but you've become a monster yourself, yet you still work so diligently..."

Xu Yuan's fingers then pointed to the stove and the water vat one by one.

The woman was taken aback.

She had no idea about this before.

She's always busy; she'll start working as soon as she sees any job available.

Completely unaware, the tea shop under her management was much cleaner and tidier than when it was the original owner's.

She deeply resented her former master, who whipped her every day, leaving her exhausted.

But these past few days, no one has been whipping me from behind... yet it seems I haven't slacked off at all!

how so? !

The woman felt like the sky had fallen...

Xu Yuan felt something was strange when he saw the village from afar.

It appears vibrant, but lacks human presence.

When they arrived at the tea shop, the woman immediately noticed the problem.

"Where are the villagers?" Xu Yuan asked coldly. "Did you eat them all?"

"No!" the woman cried out. "How could I have eaten them? They didn't intend to eat me. I put nose rings on them and tied them to the cowshed."

They will farm the land and feed us.

After all, all I know how to do is plow the fields; you guys are the experts at farming.

The woman's expression was one of "it should be this way," and there was even a hint of disdain in her eyes, as if she thought, "Why do I need to explain such a simple principle?"

Xu Yuan was annoyed. Had this stupid ox insulted him intellectually?!

Lord Xu then secretly controlled the counting rods, twisting them twice.

"Moo—" the woman screamed in agony.

This time, the cows on the distant ridges finally realized something was wrong. They huddled together, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly ran towards them.

"You've transformed them all?"

The woman was quite distressed: "I also gave them a piece of my flesh. But I don't know why, although they changed somewhat, they couldn't transform into human form like I could."

Xu Yuan snorted and cursed, "Idiot! Because you're feeding them too little meat."

The animal sinew rope was still wrapped around that severed finger.

This amount is indeed enough to make the livestock mutate, but the degree of mutation is limited.

This woman was far less "crazy" than ordinary evil spirits.

The amount of yin energy contained in her flesh and blood is not large enough.

This raised a question in Xu Yuan's mind: What was the reason for this woman's strange behavior?

It seems to be different from the normal transformations of beasts.

How did you become like this?

The woman had a stern face, and her two round eyes rolled upwards as if she hadn't heard Lord Xu's question.

"You called me stupid, so I'm not talking to you anymore!"

Xu Yuan: ? ? ?
(End of this chapter)