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

During the day in the Ailao Mountains, the forest is very humid, and even the smoke from the fire seems to linger.

Several college students sat around a fire, sizzling mushrooms and luncheon meat on skewers.

A dark-skinned, lean local tour guide was speaking in a low voice, spitting as he spoke:

"Those mandrills aren't like monkeys in a zoo. They love to mimic human speech, so if you hear someone calling your name in the forest, especially from behind, whatever you do, whatever you do, don't turn around!"

"When I turned around, its paw... just like that..."

"rustle--!"

Before he could finish speaking, the dense bushes beside him shook violently without warning, making a clear sound.

"Ah—!" a girl cried out in surprise, nearly dropping the skewers in her hand into the fire.

Several boys also stood up abruptly, grabbed the branches they had picked up, and stared nervously at the swaying bushes.

The director also stopped talking and narrowed his eyes warily.

There was no wind, no birdsong, only the crackling of the fire.

After waiting for a while, there was no further movement from the bushes.

"Phew... I scared myself."

One of the boys breathed a sigh of relief, scratched his head, and chuckled dryly.

"It's definitely a squirrel, or maybe a pheasant."

"Exactly, Director Xiang is so engrossed in telling the story."

The other girl patted her chest, sat down again, and glared at the girl who had been frightened.

"What a coward."

The group exchanged smiles, a hint of self-deprecation in their expressions, and prepared to continue enjoying their half-cooked barbecue.

Then they turned back, their gaze returning to the campfire.

The air suddenly fell silent.

Around the fire, they formed a circle of five or six people—

Without anyone noticing, three uninvited guests appeared: one, two, three...

A young man wearing a black trench coat, with a lazy, sly look in his eyes.

He was squatting there, casually skewering a large mushroom with a spare bamboo skewer that someone had left nearby.

Next to the young man sat a fair-skinned little girl with her knees drawn up to her chest, her big, bright eyes fixed on the roasting meat over the fire, her little nose twitching slightly.

Beside the little girl's feet lay a large dog, entirely black, with an enormous frame and glossy fur.

The dog rested its chin on its front paws, its eyes narrowed, looking aloof and indifferent to the humans and food in front of it.

Only its nose, which occasionally twitches slightly, reveals its inner thoughts.

These three appeared out of nowhere and blended into their barbecue group in perfect harmony and naturalness.

It's as if they've been roasting over this fire for eight hundred years and stringing mushrooms together for eight hundred years.

Several college students and their guide were frozen in shock, their mouths slightly agape, their eyes wide open, their minds completely blank.

Who is this?

"Hey, keep baking, don't stop."

The sly young man looked up and gave a smile that could only be described as "pure and friendly" to the nearest boy who was still holding a skewer of grilled meat and whose whole body was frozen like a statue.

He casually waved the bunch of mushrooms in his hand, his tone as familiar as a neighbor borrowing soy sauce:

"Dude, who has the salt and chili powder? These mushrooms have no flavor."

The little girl also looked up at the girl who had initially been frightened, her face serious, her voice soft and sweet, carrying a hint of cautious anticipation:

"Sister, um... is it okay to eat now?"

"Woof."

The black dog barked lazily at the opportune moment, which could be considered a vote of approval.

A mountain breeze blew by, and the flames flickered.

"Here...for you..."

A boy instinctively handed over the bottle of salt and chili powder mixture he was holding, then suddenly jolted awake, stammering, "..."

"Wait... dude, who are you guys? Where did you come from?"

"Me? I live around here."

Ji Zuodao took the seasoning bottle and skillfully sprinkled a layer on the mushroom skewers.

The movements were as natural as if they were in their own kitchen.

He didn't even look up, his tone casual:

"Hey, I was just wandering around in the mountains when I was lured here by the smell of your barbecue. Tsk, the aroma of it, the grease... I could smell it from miles away, I couldn't resist."

He then raised his eyes, glanced around at the stunned crowd, and gave them a non-threatening, even slightly embarrassed, smile:

"Um... you wouldn't mind if I joined?"

He waved the bunch of mushrooms in his hand that had already been seasoned.

Everyone: "..."

A moment of silence.

His gaze involuntarily drifted to the bunch of mushrooms he had already picked up, then back to his matter-of-fact expression.

No, brother... isn't it a bit late for you to ask "whether you mind"?

Your mushrooms are so flavorful from roasting!

However, although Ji Zuodao's hair was a bit messy, his face was really handsome, with clear eyebrows and eyes. His lazy yet slightly mischievous charm had a natural attraction for young students.

Add to that the beautiful and quiet Qiqi next to him, who looked like a porcelain doll, and it's really hard to feel any ill will towards him.

As for that big black dog... well, it is majestic, but at this moment it's lying there pretending to be a statue, so it's barely an extra.

The two girls' eyes lit up noticeably, and they exchanged a glance.

"Not at all, not at all!"

A boy wearing glasses was the first to react, scratching his head and laughing.

"It's fate that we met here in these deep mountains and forests! Come, come, sit down, we have plenty of food, don't be shy!"

"Yes, we were worried we wouldn't be able to finish it."

Another short-haired girl enthusiastically moved over to give Ji Zuodao and Qiqi more space, but her eyes couldn't help but dart towards Ji Zuodao's face.

The atmosphere became lively again.

Young people are quick to accept things and soon mistook these three "uninvited guests" for locals from a nearby village who were out having fun—

Although this combination is a bit strange.

Only the dark-skinned guide had a furrowed brow that never relaxed.

He stopped telling stories and sat silently across the fire, his eyes occasionally glancing at Ji Zuodao in the flickering firelight.

That gaze wasn't like curiosity, but more like a wary scrutiny, and even at its deepest depths, it swiftly swept over something extremely difficult to detect, something cold.

Ji Zuodao seemed oblivious, concentrating on grilling his mushrooms, and occasionally blowing on a perfectly grilled piece of luncheon meat to cool it down for Qiqi.

Soon, through food and Ji Zuodao's seemingly casual but actually engaging conversation, the college students became close friends with him.

The conversation ranged from all over the world, but eventually circled back to the Ailao Mountains from the city gossip.

"Hey buddy."

The boy who initially handed over the seasonings leaned closer, lowered his voice, and spoke with a mixture of adventurous excitement and lingering fear.

"Since you live nearby, you must have heard of the legends about mandrills in the Ailao Mountains, right? Our guide was just talking about it. Is it true? Have you ever seen one?"

Swish.

In an instant, everyone's gaze, including that of the silent guide, focused on Ji Zuodao's face.

The fire crackled.

Ji Zuodao slowly took a bite of the roasted mushroom, which was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, chewed it, and swallowed it.

Then, he lifted his eyelids and looked at the college student in front of him, whose face was full of anticipation and nervousness. Then, as if unintentionally, he glanced at the emotionless face of the director opposite him.

The corners of his mouth curved into a smile that was somewhere between "nostalgia" and "mockery".

"A mandrill..."

He drew out the words, his voice carrying an indescribable meaning in the quiet mountain forest.

I saw it when I was a child.

"That thing..." He paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully.

"It smells really good."