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

Ji Zuodao tilted his head back, tapping his fingers on the edge of the table, and clicked his tongue.

"The situation varies from place to place. Eight Divine Power Realm experts... that's a bit troublesome if they raid your home and wipe out your entire clan."

Sun Zhigang, standing nearby, immediately chimed in, his expression complex:

"Right! That's why the incident a few years ago when you almost wiped out the entire Wu family caused such a huge uproar!"

"The old ancestor of the Wu family who was in seclusion was stunned. When he came out of seclusion, he was shocked to find that only a few of the core members of the family were dead, and even the guard dogs were gone."

"Brother Ji, how exactly did you manage that? Aside from the Divine Power Realm ancestor, the Wu family has quite a few experts!"

Ji Zuodao raised an eyebrow, sat up straight, and held up three fingers with a serious expression:

"Let me make this clear beforehand! I swear to God, I never intended to wipe out his entire family!"

"I took a side job on the black market, with a clear target—the head couple of the second branch of the Wu family."

"The method was simple: I gave his wife a poison called 'Red Sleeve Trick,' the kind of slow-acting poison that only spreads during sex. I swear, I wanted to send the couple to their deaths quietly."

As he said this, his expression became extremely confused, even a little aggrieved:

"But who the hell could have predicted that?!"

"Later I found out that the second wife, for some reason, went to the first husband's bedroom after they had sex that night!"

"The eldest son of the family fell for it, and then the maidservant passed it on to her lover, the bodyguard..."

"Anyway, when I wake up the next day, I'll take my breakfast and stroll over to the Wu family's neighborhood to see what's going on..."

"Well, well! The entire Wu family mansion, from the core members to distant relatives, from guards to kitchen helpers, even the big yellow dog that guards the backyard and is said to have some demonic blood, is foaming at the mouth, lying on its back, and hard!"

"This is absolutely outrageous! They wiped them all out, not a single one escaped! I'm fucking stunned!"

"I'm just a craftsman who gets paid to do things. Who would have thought that the Wu family's internal relationships would be so warm and open, and their communication so frequent and close?"

"Holy crap?! The truth is actually like this?!"

Sun Zhigang nearly dropped the thermos from his hand, and his mouth was agape wide enough to fit an egg.

"Back then, the old patriarch of the Wu family bought your portrait on the black market, and came to our station with bloodshot eyes to report it. He insisted that it was done by some old devil who was skilled in using poison, saying that you must have been hiding in the skin of a young person..."

"So... so it wasn't some old devil's scheme at all, but rather their own family playing too cleverly?"

The investigators who were listening intently nearby had expressions that were more interesting than the last.

Some people covered their faces, while others' shoulders began to tremble suspiciously.

Even Director Lin, sitting in the main seat, had his lips twitch violently twice.

"etc--"

Ji Zuodao suddenly sat up straight, his eyes lighting up as if he had discovered a blind spot.

"What about the others?"

"The Wu family suffered such a major incident, almost wiping out completely. Didn't the other seven powerful families come to our 749 to cause trouble? Didn't they demand a thorough investigation? Didn't they put pressure on you?"

"What are you doing here?"

Sun Zhigang looked completely bewildered.

"The Wu family was wiped out by evil cultivators. That was just their bad luck. At most, they can complain that our bureau has loopholes in maintaining public order and that our case-handling efficiency is low."

"In this situation, they'd be more than happy to have one less piece of the pie; why would they plead for the Wu family?"

"Snapped!"

Ji Zuodao clapped his hands suddenly, the sound crisp and clear, and a bright, dazzling smile bloomed on his face, his two little tiger teeth gleaming with wisdom.

"That's more like it!"

He leaned forward, tapping his fingers excitedly on the table, his gaze sweeping over Director Lin and a group of colleagues who hadn't quite caught up yet:

"Open your mind! Broaden your perspective!"

"We don't necessarily have to do the dirty work of ransacking homes and exterminating families ourselves!"

"We are 749, we are the official team, we are respectable people! How can respectable people resort to personal intervention and table-flipping so easily? How inelegant!"

A familiar, mischievous, and slightly wicked smile curved his lips as he gestured with his finger in the air, as if sketching a meticulously crafted blueprint:

"Dirty work, tiring work, work that might offend people... let the professionals do it!"

"For example, those lawless and unorthodox practitioners?"

"We just need to arrive a little late, like in the TV dramas, and wait until they've killed most of them..."

"No matter how righteous and awe-inspiring, strike with lightning speed!"

"Catch those audacious and wicked cultivators who dare to commit atrocities within the territory of our Great Han! Punish them severely according to the law!"

"Finally, with tears in my eyes and enduring grief, I reluctantly took over the ownerless property and embezzled funds left behind by the heretical cultivators, turned them over to the national treasury, and then returned a portion of them as investigation expenses according to regulations..."

"As for the noble families that were unfortunately wiped out by evil cultivators during that process... alas, they can only blame themselves for their lax defense, improper family traditions, and for provoking people they shouldn't have provoked."

"We, 749, have already done our best!"

After Ji Zuodao finished speaking, he leaned back, crossed his legs, picked up the half-cup of cold tea that someone had left behind, and took a sip with relish.

"How about it, Director Lin? Isn't this proposal much more favorable?"

The conference room was deathly silent.

Only a few young investigators, their pupils dilated and their breathing rapid, seemed to be realizing for the first time that this world operates under a different set of rules.

Sun Zhigang glanced at Ji Zuodao, then at the bureau chief in the main seat whose expression was gradually losing control. He swallowed hard and murmured softly:

"Brother Ji, your Jinghai 749 not only handles cases in the style of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but your methods of political infighting are also this unconventional?"

Director Lin remained silent.

He simply lit a cigarette silently, took a deep drag, let the pungent smoke swirl in his lungs, and then slowly exhaled.

Amidst the swirling smoke, his gaze toward Ji Zuodao was extremely complex.

There was shock, realization, a sense of being opened to a new world, and even more of a dangerous, thrilling feeling of "this might actually work."

After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice somewhat dry:

"Little Princess..."

"How did you even get into this brain?"

Ji Zuodao grinned, revealing his signature little tiger teeth, and spoke humbly:

"Nothing much, just good at observing, diligent in thinking, and happy to share the burden for the leader."

"as well as……"

He paused, his smile becoming even more innocent:

"In our Jinghai 749, this way of thinking is called—"

"The spirit of Director Zhang is a true legacy of Uncle Liu."

Director Lin didn't speak, but silently smacked his lips and took another drag of his cigarette with a complicated expression.

Amidst the swirling smoke, he stared at Ji Zuodao's sincere face, which seemed to say, "I'm such a good subordinate," and a surge of emotion welled up inside him.

The Jinghai 749 Bureau is known for its unique style within the entire Han Dynasty Qi Cultivator circle.

As one of Zhang Yucheng's few old friends, he knew the style of Jinghai 749 all too well.

What kind of "Jinyiwei" style? That's just outsiders' superficial understanding and exaggerated descriptions.

If Lin were to speak frankly from the bottom of his heart—

They were clearly a group of bandits who had just come down from the mountain, occupied the stronghold, and hadn't even wiped the blood off their knives yet, now dressed in the official clothes of the 749.

Rules? There aren't any.

Procedures? That depends on my mood.

Investigating a case? We do it however we can, however efficiently we can.

A conspiracy that can be shattered with a single punch is not worth wasting words on.

I would never bother leaving a problem to sprout if it could be burned away in one go.

Simple, direct, and efficient.

He originally thought that this "bandit-like style" was a special product of Zhang Yucheng, Liu Zhou and their generation, forced out and spoiled by the lawless and violent era.

As times change, peace prevails, the rule of law flourishes, and the light of civilization shines into every corner, the new generation of 749 investigators receive formal education and bask in the spring breeze of a harmonious society…

That bandit-like air should have dissipated by now, right?

We need to discuss procedures, evidence, and formalities, putting violence in a cage of propriety and bringing case handling back to a civilized track.

But now, looking at Ji Zuodao in front of him, his eyes sparkling and his face saying, "Let's arrange a divine retribution for the Zhou family..."

Good guy.

How can this be considered a break in the tradition of banditry?

This clearly demonstrates the old bandit leader's superb skills and his ability to successfully cultivate a new generation of bandit heirs through his teachings and example.

They've surpassed their predecessors, with wilder ideas, more outrageous creativity, and an air of "I'm a respectable person, I'm acting in accordance with the law."