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

Ji Zuodao squinted and glanced at the group of evil cultivators in front of him, whose eyes were bloodshot and who were panting heavily.

There were over forty people, and about ten of them were at the Dharma Aspect Realm.

This lineup would be a formidable force anywhere.

Tsk tsk, the Zhou family is probably in for a lot of trouble this time.

However, Ji Zuodao still had some doubts in his heart.

What exactly is the Zhou family up to?

Shouldn't one do dirty work by hiring evil practitioners secretly?

Your Zhou family, on the other hand, does the opposite.

They widely distributed "invitations to heroes," making a big fuss with gongs and drums, as if afraid others wouldn't know they were organizing a team-building event.

The head of the second wife personally stepped forward to support the cause, practically shouting through a megaphone, "Look closely, this bad thing was done by the Zhou family!"

No, brother, you've already made it so clear that you're going to hire these heretical cultivators.

Why not just gather all your Qi cultivators, yell and charge in, and you're done?

Then look at the target list that was handed out...

Good heavens, Ji Zuodao thought to himself, "Wow!" after just one glance.

This isn't a list.

This is the "roster of the King of Hell" for the core members of the other seven great families!

One or two could be coincidences, but this long list is practically written on its forehead: "I want to fight seven at once."

Is the Zhou family really that brave?

Can he single-handedly take on all the remaining aristocratic families of Caiyun?

Did your ancestor secretly practice the Big Dipper Fist, or did he suddenly find the second half of the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual?

Otherwise, where does this confidence come from?

Is it powered by love?

Ji Zuodao scratched his head. He had seen plenty of conspiracies and tricks in the world over the years.

But the Zhou family is so unconventional and has "I'm going to cause trouble" written all over their faces—that's truly unique to Scorpion Daddy.

"Never mind, I can't figure it out."

Ji Zuodao shook off this trivial question and his smile returned.

Who cares what crazy things the Zhou family is up to?

It's good that he's crazy, it's brilliant that he's crazy.

Ji Zuodao, driven mad, saw this as an opportunity to fish in troubled waters, use others to kill, and then double-cross them—a complete scheme.

On the other side, the Zhou family pavilion.

Zhou Qing held a small purple clay cup and slowly sipped her tea.

Actually, he prefers drinking alcohol. That stuff is strong; one sip and it burns from his throat to his stomach—it's exhilarating.

But the heads of the other branches of the family, including his eldest brother, all had a taste for this kind of "refined elegance".

He felt that to integrate into that circle, one had to first find common ground in their interests.

Alright, let's have tea then.

He smacked his lips, feeling utterly bland, but he still had to maintain that "refined" air on his face.

"Ah Fu."

He put down his cup, squinted, and looked at the withered lotus pond outside the pavilion.

"Tell me, how much of a piece of flesh do you think the Zhou family will be able to tear off the Li family this time?"

The butler, Afu, who was standing to the side, immediately put on a fawning smile that showed through his wrinkled face, and bowed even lower:

"Second Master is brilliant! If the plan goes smoothly, the Li family will definitely suffer a huge loss! At that time, you can take advantage of the situation and swallow up their most profitable shops in the west of the city... Not only will the Li family's power be greatly diminished, but your second branch's standing in the clan will also be several times stronger!"

"Hahaha! Well said!"

Zhou Qing slapped his thigh and laughed heartily, finding the bitter taste of the tea in his mouth much more palatable.

"Then let's see if my elder brother still dares to scold me for acting rashly? In clan meetings, let's see who dares to disregard my words, Zhou Qing!"

He could almost see himself standing in the center of the family council hall, spitting as he spoke, pointing out the flaws in the family, while the arrogant elders could only smile obsequiously and bow and scrape.

Ah Fu stroked his goatee and smiled as he echoed, "Second Master, just wait patiently for good news. This old servant estimates there's at least an 80% chance."

He flattered her verbally, but beneath his lowered eyelids lay undisguised contempt.

idiot.

Do you really think the Li family is pushovers? Can't they find out it was your second wife who did this?

When the Li family stormed in, furious and demanding an explanation from the Zhou family...

You, this self-righteous, arrogant, and conceited second wife, are the perfect scapegoat that the Zhou family will send out to quell their anger.

And the credit and property you painstakingly acquired will naturally belong to the powerful lord who turned the tide and sacrificed his own family for the greater good.

Afu sneered inwardly.

That's all the good your second wife is.

"Eighty percent?"

Zhou Qing glanced at Afu, his smugness deepening, even tinged with a sense of superiority.

"Ah Fu, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you're still too conservative, too... um, what's that word again? Right, your perspective is too narrow!"

Afu paused in stroking his beard, looked up, and seemed somewhat bewildered:

"Second Master, what do you mean by this?"

"hey-hey……"

Zhou Qing picked up his teacup and deliberately imitated those "refined gentlemen," slowly skimming off the foam with the lid, though he couldn't suppress his desire to show off.

"Ah Fu, lately I've been diligently studying a lot of military books and strategies! The more I read, the more I feel that I, Zhou Qing, might truly have the potential to become a great general who 'devises plans within the tent and wins battles a thousand miles away'!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke:

"Your original plan—to find two or three evil cultivators, sneak into the Li family's territory to cause some trouble, and kill a few insignificant nobody…—was too mild! Too petty! It completely failed to showcase the spirit of my Zhou family, and it didn't do justice to the talent that Zhou Qing was about to display!"

Afu's smile froze, and he had a bad feeling.

"Second Master... what... what have you done?"

Zhou Qing slammed down his teacup, leaned forward, and lowered his voice, but couldn't hide his smugness:

"Two or three heretical cultivators? What can they do? If word gets out, outsiders will think the Zhou family can't afford to hire anyone!"

"I directly issued invitations to heroes in the name of the Zhou family, inviting a bunch of evil cultivators! Then I had my subordinates screen them layer by layer."

He held up four fingers and waved them in front of Afu's eyes, emphasizing the number:

"More than forty! Every single one of them was on the 749 wanted list, a notorious and ruthless character! The scene, hey, you didn't see it!"

The color drained from Afu's face in an instant.

He felt a ringing in his ears and his vision blurred intermittently. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the pavilion pillar.

"That's not all—"

Zhou Qing was completely oblivious to the old butler's near-collapse and was still excited about his "great talent and strategy".

"Ah Fu, you need to broaden your horizons!"

"How much profit can we squeeze out of the Li family if we only target them? We've already invited over forty hereine cultivators! Whether we target one or seven, it's all the same! So, I've made a list of the other families I don't like!"

He waved his hand dismissively, as if surveying the world:

"It's just a side job anyway! Let those evil cultivators go all out! The more they do, the better! Then, this big cake of Caiyun... hehe."

Afu's calves started to cramp, his teeth chattered uncontrollably, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

It’s over.

It's all over.

This is no longer playing with fire.

This is like someone holding a bucket of gunpowder, dancing in front of the King of Hell's palace, and even lighting a firecracker for fun!

You must! Immediately! Right now! Go and report to the master!

"Oh, right, there's one more little thing."

Zhou Qing seemed to suddenly remember something and casually added:

"When we were recruiting, a spy snuck in; I think he was from Bureau 749."

"I was recognized by a clever heretic. I had someone dispose of it on the spot. As for the body... I threw it in the basement of the Snow Mountain Hotel. Go and clean it up when you have time, but make sure you're clean."

After he finished speaking, he picked up the now-cold tea, preparing to take another sip, when he glanced up—

"Um?"

Zhou Qing frowned, looking at Afu, who was trembling like a leaf and whose face was as pale as paper, and at the dark water stain at his feet that was spreading rapidly and continuing to expand.

He moved his chair back with disdain, his tone filled with disbelief:

"Holy crap... Ah Fu?"

"You're so old..."

"Why did you wet your pants?!"