A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

Director Zhang waved his hand, signaling the investigators who were still eyeing him menacingly to disperse, which was tacitly allowing this inner demon to remain in the camp for the time being.

It wasn't that he actually believed that nonsense about "surrendering to a kiln and making a living."

The main point is that a demon at the Spirit Palace Realm can't really cause much trouble in this place.

If there's any unusual activity, just crush it without a second thought; consider it a bit of fun to add some amusement to this stagnant life.

Seeing that the crisis was over, the black-and-white demon who called himself "A-Zheng" immediately scurried over to Ji Zuodao's side.

His strikingly handsome face was filled with the excitement of a long-awaited reunion, and he immediately began to speak:

"Big brother! I've missed you so much! You have no idea how hard I've suffered these past years!"

He grabbed Ji Zuodao's arm, his voice filled with such genuine emotion that it moved anyone who heard it to tears.

"Back then, your three masters forcibly pushed you back and locked you in a dark, sunless corner of the Lingtai. You were completely helpless, and your days were more bitter than bitter herbs..."

"Stop."

Ji Zuodao withdrew his arm expressionlessly, rolled his eyes dramatically, and said in a tone full of disdain, "Keep making things up."

"Ji Zhengdao, don't give me that crap. Do you think I don't know?"

He glanced sideways at the black-and-white version of himself in front of him and sneered.

"To keep you inside and prevent you from causing trouble, did your second master pass on a fragment of 'Zhuangzi's Butterfly Dream' to you? So you can make up stories for yourself in my mind's eye, whatever you want comes true, how carefree!"

"Over the years, you've probably had a more carefree time in there than I have, haven't you? Running dungeons every day, building a harem, playing the overpowered protagonist—you've probably played out that script to death by now, haven't you?"

Having his secret exposed, Ji Zhengdao's "bitterness" froze instantly, then transformed into a sheepish grin as he rubbed his hands together.

"Uh... Big brother, you know?"

He chuckled twice, then dropped the pretense and defended himself with a straight face:

"You can't blame me! Those three old men were too dirty-minded! They had to use this magic to lure me! And you know what, those old men were really good at judging people, this stuff... it really does smell good!"

Thinking back to the happy times when he could do whatever he wanted in the Lingtai, Ji Zhengdao even smacked his lips with a hint of reminiscence.

"Alright, stop bringing up those old, trivial matters."

Ji Zuodao waved his hand, too lazy to reminisce with him about the past, and his eyes sharpened as he stared at Ji Zhengdao.

"Seriously. How did you end up on this side? Don't give me that 'wholehearted loyalty to the Party' or 'pursuit of progress' nonsense. I used those phrases ages ago. They might fool outsiders, but not me?"

"I know exactly what you're thinking. You're definitely plotting something even worse."

"Hehehe..."

Ji Zhengdao rubbed his hands together, a sly, mischievous smile, just like Ji Zuodao's, appearing on his black and white face.

"As expected, nothing can be hidden from Big Brother. What 'rootless duckweed' nonsense, that's just empty talk for outsiders."

"Who wouldn't want this real, living body that can walk and jump? But I, Ji Zhengdao, have a big appetite; what I want is more than just a physical body."

He licked his lips, a glint of undisguised, almost greedy gleam flashing in his clear black and white eyes. His voice lowered, tinged with excitement:

"I'm getting tired of that small area, Lingtai. Brother, look at this place... how vast it is! Its rules are self-contained, strange things abound, it's practically a gold mine unclaimed!"

"I want it—"

"His surname is Ji, the Ji of the righteous path, the Ji of the unorthodox path."

He raised his finger and pointed to the gray sky in the distance, then to the dark brown ground beneath his feet, before finally sweeping his gaze over the people in the camp and the faintly visible black and white figures further away.

"There are two groups of people in this area that are getting in the way right now."

Ji Zuodao crossed his arms and glanced at him sideways:

"Ha, good heavens, so you're planning to claim this place as your own, become a mountain king? Aren't you afraid your appetite will get too big and you'll burst?"

"No way! Brother, this is a partnership, a win-win situation!"

Ji Zhengdao quickly waved his hand, his expression becoming "sincere".

"Isn't what they want to do is figure out those few special and strange rules governing this place?"

"My plan is simple—we'll join forces to find the 'core anomaly' hidden deep within this place. And then…"

He grinned, revealing his sharp black and white teeth.

"I ate it."

"I will replace it, become it, and control the most fundamental rules of this territory. Then, Bureau 749 can study me however they want, with firsthand, fresh, and plentiful information!"

"Are you so sure the higher-ups will agree to your outrageous request?"

Ji Zuodao raised an eyebrow.

"This is a new era, will the higher-ups even give their approval?"

"They'll agree, brother."

Ji Zhengdao spoke with certainty, his eyes clear.

"Because what they will get will not just be a bunch of dead research data. They will get the first-ever living, bizarre specimen in history—one that actively stands on the side of humanity, possesses high intelligence, and can fully cooperate with the research."

Ji Zuodao listened without immediately responding, only looking at the brother in front of him who looked exactly like him but had no color.

After a moment of silence, he suddenly sighed, raised his hand, and patted Ji Zhengdao's shoulder, his tone somewhat complicated:

"Brother."

He paused.

"After all this fuss, wanting a physical body, territory, and to replace the supernatural..."

"To put it bluntly, it's just jumping from my smaller spiritual platform into a larger one. I'm still stuck in a small space, still... trapped."

Upon hearing this, Ji Zhengdao was taken aback for a moment.

Immediately, the usual calculating and playful expression on his face slowly disappeared.

His clear, black and white eyes gazed silently back at Ji Zuodao.

Then, he grinned, revealing a smile unlike any he had ever given before, a smile that was even a little... awkward but earnest.

"Brother."

He said his voice was very soft.

"Those three old men, when I was still just a vague thought and hadn't yet learned how to be a proper inner demon, forcibly dragged me out and threw me into your spiritual platform."

"Compared to learning how to bewitch people, how to lead them astray, how to become a quintessential inner demon..."

"I think... I learned how to steal bird eggs, how to lay croton seeds, how to outwit the fox spirit in the back mountain, and how to dodge punishment under Master's stick by watching you first..."

"I learned how to feel hungry, how to feel pain, how to feel happy, how to feel bored, and how... to be a person."

"Now, finally, we have this opportunity, this body, this possibility."

He took a breath, his expression clear and resolute, unlike anything Ji Zuodao had ever seen before.

"I just want to give it a try."

"Try to fight for it with your own calculations, try to walk with this body, try to really grasp what you want in your hands."

Even if in the end, we're still trapped somewhere...

He smiled, a smile that held a hint of helplessness, a touch of self-mockery, yet also a faint but genuine light.

"But at least at that time..."

"I was imprisoned, standing and walking, as a person."

"Instead of being a shadow that can only hide in the corner of someone else's mind and live on fantasy."

Ji Zuodao stared at him for a long while.

Then, without saying anything, he simply turned around, picked up the half-eaten, disqualified meal kit from the side, broke it in half, and handed it over.

"Let's eat first."

He said.

"Try this, it's a token of industry's sincerity. Although it tastes terrible, it's a local specialty in this godforsaken place."

Ji Zhengdao looked at the half-pack of greasy "braised pork ribs" handed to him, then glanced at his older brother's disdainful face that said "take it or leave it."

He blinked.

Then, he reached out and took it, imitating Ji Zuodao, without using a fork, he grabbed a piece with his hand and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Ugh... Ptooey! What is this thing?!"

He chewed twice, his whole face scrunched up, and he almost spat it out.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Ji Zuodao laughed without any restraint and patted his back forcefully.

"It tastes awful, doesn't it? But here, there's plenty of this stuff! Get used to it, my dear brother!"

Your first lesson in being human—

"Let's start by getting used to this food that even dogs wouldn't eat!"