No taboos

Chapter 382 The Mysterious Village (Three-in-One)

There are many legends of "Strange Gate Village" in the land of Huangming.

The strangeness in Guimen Village repels other strangenesses.

It was as if a small "uncivilized land" had suddenly appeared.

However, the types of evil spirits in the uncivilized areas are numerous and different from those in the uncivilized areas.

Even among the seven major sects, there is no unified explanation for why a place like "Ghost Gate Village" exists.

Moreover, such places usually appear in villages near cities, and rarely directly within the city.

Now, signs of this are emerging in Shiyang Village.

After nightfall, the officers on duty were very careful and on guard, but there was none of the usual nighttime activity outside the ancestral hall, where evil spirits of all sizes, whether in the light or in the dark, whether near or far, would pass by and keep spying.

It was always completely silent.

Even from a distance outside the village, no strange sounds could be heard.

At the time, they didn't realize it, but after being reminded by Lord Xu and Lord Xiang, they realized that the village had been confined by some strange force.

Each of the Guimen villages has its own "past story".

The evil spirits in Guimen Village are all related to this past event.

The evil tricks and strange occurrences in the Ghost Gate Village are all closely related to "past events".

For Shiyang Village, it was the gold rush of that year.

Since there were no other evil spirits in the village at this time, everyone volunteered together: "Let's go too..."

Xu Yuan waved his hand: "We don't need so many people. Too many people will only make things more inconvenient."

Xu Yuan didn't bring Xiang Qinghuai with him, as someone needed to be present in the ancestral hall. With Xu Yuan absent, everyone followed Xiang Qinghuai's orders.

Xu Yuan and Lang Xiaoba came out together, moving nimbly and silently, and headed towards the river.

Then they saw Zhao Xianze and four others earnestly and greedily washing gold dust in the river.

Its body slowly turned golden.

Xu Yuan frowned, noticing a detail: Zhao Xianze's lower body was tightly bandaged... Why was that?

Apart from Zhao Xianze and the other three, the rest of the Jin people washed out the gold dust and smeared it directly on their bodies, which made them stronger.

Xu Yuan's mind was divided in two, one half in the river and the other half on Lang Xiaoba beside him.

This is also why Xu Yuan specifically brought Lang Xiaoba out.

"How do you feel?" Xu Yuan suddenly asked in a low voice.

To Lang Xiaoba, the sound was like a thunderclap, instantly waking him up.

Xu Yuan had just noticed that when La Lang Xiao Ba looked at the golden figures in the river, his eyes gradually became dazed, and then a burning greed appeared in his eyes!

Xu Yuan's question contained a hint of the power of a "no taboos" destiny.

Once one reaches the sixth level of destiny cultivation, one can draw out the abilities within one's destiny and condense them into "destiny techniques".

Xu Yuan vaguely sensed that his cultivation level had reached the threshold of the sixth rank, and he only needed an opportunity to advance to a higher level.

Although he cannot yet use life techniques, he can already draw out a trace of the power of his destiny.

If Lang Xiaoba has already changed his ways, he is just like Zhao Xianze and the others.

This meager amount of power is unlikely to have any effect.

But since Lang Xiaoba has only just been bewitched, there's still time.

Xu Yuan felt that this advancement in life cultivation was not only due to progress in life cultivation itself, but also seemed to have a "pull" effect on life cultivation after the level of several other disciplines he was also cultivating improved.

This also seems to be a path for cultivating destiny.

Cultivating destiny is too mysterious, and Xu Yuan has been exploring it.

Furthermore, because there are so few cultivators specializing in destiny, even a high-level cultivator might not dare to claim complete understanding of all the secrets of this field.

A layer of cold sweat seeped out from Lang Xiaoba's back: "Thank you, sir!"

Then, after reflecting for a moment, he said, "I... fell into their trap without realizing it. Looking at those Jurchens, my mind was unconsciously filled with greed, which overwhelmed all other thoughts, and I lost all reason."

Xu Yuan nodded. He brought Lang Xiaoba out to use him to further observe and confirm the workings of the Jin people's evil and strange techniques.

Now it seems that, as I previously judged, the eyes directly affect the brain.

When people see gold, they will naturally feel greed.

But these golden statues were much more powerful, and even Xiao Ba, a mere seventh-rate fighter, couldn't withstand them.

Xu Yuan then said, "Go back first. Turn your back to the river and never look at these golden men again."

Lang Xiaoba hurriedly said, "This subordinate absolutely cannot leave you alone, sir..."

Xu Yuan waved his hand: "You should go back. Bringing you along will only make it harder for me to act."

Lang Xiaoba felt ashamed, realizing he had dragged the team down.

Xu Yuan smiled slightly: "Don't overthink it. These evil spirits are just too strange. You've already done a great job."

Lang Xiaoba pursed his lips and went back without saying a word.

Xu Yuan secretly watched his back and quietly escorted him all the way back to the ancestral hall.

During this time, Lang Xiaoba slowed down his pace several times, appearing hesitant and struggling.

This was within Lord Xu's expectations.

The strange skills of those golden figures must have left a "mark" in the hearts of everyone who had ever seen them.

For example, Lang Xiaoba was disturbed by external forces and regained his senses, but this mark would continue to subtly affect him, causing him to constantly feel greed and want to look back at those golden figures again.

If he looks back even once more, greed will rise again, overwhelming all his reason.

Lang Xiaoba held on and did not turn back.

Lord Xu nodded in approval, thinking to himself that this lad was a promising talent.

But then he secretly chuckled to himself: I seem to be a bit younger than Lang Xiaoba...

Xu Yuan turned and headed upstream.

When he reached the edge of the village, Xu Yuan tried to find his way out, but found that he would get stuck in a "ghost wall" state, and no matter which way he went, he would eventually come back.

Xu Yuan then secretly grasped the "Yin-Yang Guillotine" and observed it with his right eye.

In the Yin-Yang Guillotine's view, the village was shrouded in a strange cloud of dust.

Floating in the dust and mist were grains of fine dust, mostly ordinary sand, with a small amount of gold dust mixed in.

Whether it's "sand" or "golden sand," the color isn't pure; instead, it has a dark, gloomy quality.

Xu Yuan put away the Yin-Yang Guillotine and went to the riverbank again.

Looking downstream from here, several hundred feet away, the Jin people were still washing themselves in the river.

Their bodies, constantly coated with gold sand, have grown rapidly to a height of seven feet!
Originally, the tallest of them was only six feet.

Xu Yuan released Pi Long and quietly slipped into the river.

Pilong continued swimming upstream.

Let's see if we can escape from Shiyang Village through the river.

The result was the same; they encountered a "ghost wall" at the edge of the village.

Xu Yuan then controlled the leather dragon and swam towards the section of the river where the golden men were.

The river was also lifeless.

All the evil spirits and strange occurrences that once filled the river have vanished.

Just as Pilong was about to swim to the Jin people, he suddenly saw several small fish swimming by in the river.

These fish are golden yellow.

It has actually turned into a "golden" fish, just like those golden people!
They swung their tails, dived into the riverbank, swallowed a mouthful of silt, and then expelled the sand from their rear ends. The gold sand in the sand settled in their bodies, causing their bodies to grow a little larger.

Zhao Xianze, in the river, was intently panning for gold. Like the other golden figures, his hands had now turned into a golden basin.

Suddenly, he saw a small goldfish swim to his feet.

His fingers suddenly extended and pierced the goldfish with a hiss.

Then Zhao Xian grabbed a small fish, stuffed it haphazardly into his mouth, chewed it a few times, and swallowed it whole.

His body suddenly grew several sizes larger.

The other golden figures did not react at first.

They were still intently panning for gold.

But soon a second and a third goldfish came down from upstream and were accidentally caught by the golden man. After eating them, they grew much faster than when panning for gold.

So the Jin people began searching for small goldfish in the river.

Every now and then, one floats down from upstream.

The Jin people rushed at the sight of it, and whoever grabbed it first got to keep it.

They have long lost their minds and don't even consider that with so many people panning for gold here, the fish should all be scared away, so why would they swim over one by one?
This was, of course, driven by Lord Xu's leather dragon in the river.

Not only did he drive them away, but Lord Xu also secretly laid out a large net.

My stepmother gave me this net this morning.

It was finally made by combining materials such as the foul silk, the fishing net of the Fu family, and the spider silk of the Spider Lady.

The processing of the foul-smelling silk was somewhat complicated, so Lin Wanmo spent a few extra days on it.

Unfortunately, he didn't reach the fourth tier, but his level was already very high among the fifth tier, which can be considered the ceiling of the fifth tier.

Xu Yuan quietly spread the net with a leather quiver, which stretched out endlessly across the river.

This blocked the fish from swimming upstream for half the river.

In fact, the Tendon Elixir can also do this now, but this net still contains some of the original abilities of the turbid silk, making it more suitable than the Tendon Elixir.

Every so often, Master Xu would secretly open a small opening and then use a leather dragon to drive a few fish down into it.

The Jurchens lost their reason, but became even more greedy.

All that hard work panning for gold is not as fast as catching fish directly.

Soon the gold miners stopped panning for gold and instead focused their attention on the water, afraid that a fish might pass by and they would miss it.

But gradually, fewer and fewer fish appeared.

Finally, after waiting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a fish finally floated down from upstream. One of the golden men pounced on it, while several other golden men behind it grabbed it and pressed it into the river. Then they rushed to catch the fish.

Chaos erupted in the river as the golden people fought fiercely over the little goldfish!
……

Inside the ancestral hall, everyone strictly followed Master Xu's orders, and no one dared to go out.

But the village was only so big to begin with, and the sounds of fighting and splashing water came from the other side of the river... The captains looked at each other in bewilderment: What's going on?

The adults are fighting with evil spirits?
But why did it last so long?
Some of the captains couldn't contain themselves and wanted to go out and help their superior.

But Xiang Qinghuai stopped him in a deep voice: "No one is allowed to move! Do you know why your masters want me to stay? Don't think I can't see that the greed in your hearts has already spread!"

Once you get out, and see those golden figures again, you will inevitably be corrupted by evil spirits and eventually become one of them! Those people examined their own hearts... and couldn't help but feel a chill of fear.

It's really true!

Just now, they were behind the doors and windows, watching those golden figures go down the village path into the river—and at that moment, the seeds of greed were unknowingly sown in their hearts.

……

As dawn approached, the river was already in complete disarray.

The bodies of more than a dozen golden figures shattered, then turned into liquid gold and reassembled.

But it's a few inches smaller than before.

Then, as if summoned by some divine inspiration, all the golden figures stood together in the river and looked eastward.

Then they emerged from the river with a splash and followed the village roads back to their homes.

Xu Yuan left Pi Long and the filthy net in the river and returned to the village. However, instead of going to the ancestral hall, he followed several of the golden figures to the old village head's house.

These golden figures are Zhao Xianze and his five companions, along with his second daughter-in-law.

Xu Yuan then carefully observed these golden figures.

They retain human features.

The whole family gets together.

Even when they fight over the goldfish, the family stands united against outsiders and doesn't fight amongst themselves.

After catching the little goldfish, the family tore it open and shared it among themselves.

Xu Yuan could tell that only the second daughter-in-law had come to the old village head's house.

That means the other people in the old village head's family have not yet turned against him.

……

The other members of the old village chief's family huddled together in one of the rooms, trembling all night.

Old Li and his two sons stood guard behind the door and window, clutching a machete and an axe tightly in their hands.

Just as dawn was about to break, a sudden noise was heard.

Several golden figures crawled back through the hole in the wall of the house.

They peeked through the crack in the door and sure enough, there was their second daughter-in-law, but she had turned into a golden statue!

There really were five more after that.

The old village head and his family secretly lamented: What are we going to do!

Xu Yuan followed behind. If these Jurchens harmed the old village head's family, Xu Yuan would naturally step in to save them.

But after these golden figures entered the house, they suddenly stopped moving and stood there blankly.

It wasn't until dawn.

The gold on their bodies suddenly faded, and they returned to their living form!

"Waaah..." The second daughter-in-law covered her face and ran out crying.

It was as if her memory was still stuck at the moment she was humiliated.

Zhao Xianze and the other four had also recovered, but Zhao Xianze was in excruciating pain in his groin and couldn't help but let out a scream.

His four men rushed forward: "Sir!"

Zhao Xian pointed at his second daughter-in-law who had run away and roared, "You wicked woman, you don't know what's good for you! Kill them!"

The two men immediately gave chase.

Xu Yuan frowned secretly. Why did things turn out like this after dawn?
The four villagers who first turned into golden figures yesterday did so during the day.

Why did the strange changes at night return to normal during the day?
Xu Yuan did not act rashly, but wanted to see how things would develop next.

The two henchmen rushed out, one of whom was a martial arts practitioner.

He was carrying a large axe.

The second daughter-in-law ran back to her room, but no one was there.

She threw herself onto the bed, covered herself with the blanket, and burst into tears.

Wu Xiu kicked the door open and rushed in, then swung an axe at the bed.

puff!
The axe cleaved through the second daughter-in-law's body from behind and chopped into the bed board!
The second daughter-in-law's body twitched a few times, blood gushed out, and she died without uttering a scream.

Xu Yuan had a guess: "Are all these people trapped on this day?"

We'll have to wait until tonight to be sure if my guess is correct.

Wu Xiu had already drawn his great axe and strode off to find the others.

Xu Yuan, however, could not ignore it.

As soon as Wu Xiu emerged, he bumped into a flexible membrane.

He was bounced back.

The martial arts practitioner fell to the ground and, upon seeing Xu Yuan, angrily demanded, "What does Lord Xu mean by this?"

Xu Yuan, with his hands behind his back and a stern face, said, "Do you really think that the laws of my Ming Dynasty can't govern you?"

Wu Xiu skillfully framed her: "This woman assassinated my master, and he was seriously injured! This family must all be accomplices!"

Xu Yuan sneered: "Do you really think I don't know what happened last night? Zhao Xianze was incredibly audacious; he only has himself to blame!"

Zhao Xian was helped out by two subordinates. His face was pale and full of resentment. Judging from his appearance, he no longer looked like a living person!
"Xu Yuan!" he gritted his teeth and said, "Are you really going to stand up for these few commoners? I advise you to think carefully about how you're going to explain this to Lord An!"

Xu Yuan's mind raced, and he began to ponder.

Zhao Xianze, however, thought he had Xu Yuan under control and sneered, "The Crown Princess has been murdered. Such a big thing will surely cause a great shock in the officialdom of Jiaozhi!"
"You happen to be the chief law officer of Champa; if Lord An wanted to kill you, it would be as easy as turning his hand!"

Xu Yuan was still thinking when a door behind him opened.

Old Li was leading his family out, kneeling behind Xu Yuan, and kowtowing to him deeply.

The old village head said bitterly, "Lord Xu, you are a rare good official. Don't ruin your future for the sake of our worthless lives. We... this is our fate."

Xu Yuan didn't turn around or say anything, but suddenly a rope shot out with a whoosh.

As nimble as a dragon and as swift as lightning, he moved nimbly among Zhao Xianze and the other four, instantly binding them all!
Zhao Xianze and the others had no time to react.

Zhao Xian then flew into a rage: "Xu Yuan! You really want to die!"

He would never surrender easily; shadows writhed beneath him, and in the darkness, ghostly soldiers and demons poked their heads out—

Xu Yuan had already placed the sword pellet:
whoosh-

Five fine human heads crashed onto the yellow earth, kicking up a cloud of dust!
puff!
Fresh blood spurted three feet high from the five neck cavities!
The old villager and his family were so frightened that they cried out "Ah!" and fell to the ground, staring in horror at what was happening before them.

Xu Yuan was wondering whether Zhao Xianze and his evil spirits could be resurrected tonight if he, a living person, didn't test them!

Zhao Xianze, however, thought that Xu Yuan was afraid of An Chengyuan and had been intimidated.

After deciding to test the waters, Xu Yuan acted without hesitation.

It has absolutely no relation to the old village head's family behind him.

Xu Yuan knew he couldn't compare to Bao Zheng, but under the corrupt and incompetent administration of the Ming Dynasty, he was a truly good official.

The old village head was the first to recover, stammering and unable to utter a complete sentence: "M-M-Sir, this...this..."

Xu Yuan waved his hand: "Village head, don't worry, I will be fine."

Footsteps sounded outside the courtyard, and Xiang Qinghuai arrived with his men.

He was the first to enter, and upon seeing the corpses of Zhao Xianze and the others on the ground, he immediately retreated towards the door, using his back to block the captains who were about to follow.

"Retreat!" Xiang Qinghuai shouted sharply, and the captains retreated together, not daring to follow.

Xiang Qinghuai immediately closed the courtyard gate and stamped his foot at Xu Yuan, saying, "Why did you kill them directly? This matter must not be leaked!"

Xu Yuan snorted and glanced at the corpse on the ground: "A bunch of scum, they deserved to die!"

Xiang Qinghuai sighed deeply: "You...you and I know they have all become evil spirits, but how can you prove this to the Canal Administration? The people have already been killed, the Canal Administration will never believe you!"
An Chengyuan must have been waiting to find fault with you!

Xiang Qinghuai gritted his teeth and came up with a solution: "Burn the bodies! You can't admit to anyone that you killed them!"
Furthermore, the captains under your command must ensure that they do not speak recklessly.

Xu Yuan had great confidence in his subordinates.

They had previously dealt with Lu Xiang, a traitor, and later set up a private treasury to provide for and care for colleagues who died in the line of duty.

The big guys won't be bribed by the canal authorities.

Xiang Qinghuai looked at the old village head's family, his expression somewhat conflicted.

The old village head hurriedly said, "Lord Xu committed such a grave mistake for the sake of our family. Even if I were to lose all conscience, I would never dare to betray Lord Xu!"

Xiang Qinghuai sneered: "Aren't there plenty of cases of repaying kindness with enmity in this world?"

Old Li was at a loss for words to express his determination when Xu Yuan pulled Xiang Qinghuai aside: "Brother Xiang, don't worry, I'm not acting on impulse."

Xiang Qinghuai felt that he was protecting the old village head's family and couldn't help but say, "Little Xu, we can't be too kind-hearted in this line of work."

Xu Yuan waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about the body. Let the old village head and his family stay in the ancestral hall first. Also, immediately send someone to guard the entrances and exits of the village to prevent anyone from accidentally wandering in."

"Ok."

Xiang Qinghuai agreed.

Xu Yuan then asked the old village head, "Where does the old man who turned into a golden man first yesterday live?"

The old village head then said, "I'll take you there, sir."

Xu Yuan left the courtyard and called Lang Xiaoba and Ji Shuangqiu to go together.

……

Just after noon, a group of people emerged from the canal wharf, took the official road, and galloped towards Shiyang Village.

At the very front of the procession was a deputy commander from the river management battalion.

Slightly behind, there was a man and a woman.

Xu Yuan recognized the woman; she was Zhu Zhanmei.

The man was also dressed in the official robes of the Shanhe Division, but he was a law enforcement officer.

The head of the Mountain and River Division and the adjutant stood closer to them, while Zhu Zhanmei intentionally or unintentionally kept some distance from them.

Immediately, the chief lawyer said to the adjutant, "Judging by the time, Lord Zhao should have brought Xu Yuan back by noon at the latest. But he hasn't come back yet. There are only two possibilities: either Xu Yuan is unruly and disobedient, or Xu Yuan is not capable enough and has not yet solved that strange case."

Zhu Zhanmei frowned almost imperceptibly when she heard his words, which were full of belittling and slander against Xu Yuan.

The Zhu family secretly helped Xu Yuan, which enabled him to take up the position of law magistrate of Champa.

In addition, Miao Yu, Zhu Zhanlei and Xu Yuan have a close relationship, and the Zhu family has long regarded Xu Yuan as "one of their own".

The officer continued, "If it is the former, then the general must take action and lead troops to capture him."

"If it's the latter, then it's my job. I'll solve that bizarre case on the spot and let him see how our Shanhe Division handles cases!"

This lawyer is one of the most skilled investigators who came to Champa with An Chengyuan this time.

The Crown Princess had twice sent assassins to kill Xu Yuan, a deduction made by this person.

(End of this chapter)