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

"Haha, I won again!"

Ji Zuodao pushed the cards aside, grinning from ear to ear:

"Big Four of the Dragons, Big Three of the Dragons, Green One, Nine Lotus Lanterns, Four of a Kind, Seven Pairs, Thirteen Orphans—Oh my, I'm almost embarrassed by how I won."

He picked up his little notebook and waved it in front of the pig-headed monster.

"Come on, let's settle the score. One hand of cards equals one pound of meat, so you now owe us 872 pounds."

The pig-headed monster's face was covered in white strips, and its fangs were trembling with rage.

It glared at the three guys opposite it—

Ji Zuodao's face was clean, the young man next to him who looked exactly like him was also clean, and even the black-haired mongrel's face was clean!

"Snapped!"

The pig-headed monster slammed its fist on the mahjong table, instantly cracking several lines on the solid wood surface.

"Damn it! I'm not playing anymore!"

It ripped off the white stripe from its face, spitting high into the air:

"Why am I the one who always wins? Why do you always get three wins in one go? Huh?!"

"This is absolutely a scam! Cheating! You guys definitely cheated!"

Ji Zuodao, Ji Zhengdao, and Gouye exchanged a glance.

"Hey?" Ji Zuodao raised an eyebrow.

"Still dare to bare your teeth?" Ji Zhengdao laughed.

Dog-Grandpa had already stood up with a "whoosh," his tail wagging like a propeller, and drool was almost dripping onto the ground.

"Dog Master, take the pot out of the pot, boil water, and prepare the scallions, ginger, and garlic."

"Brother, the usual way? Bind the hooves, scald the hair, and roast the whole pig?"

"Okay."

"etc!"

The pig-headed monster panicked, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, okay?! Meat...meat, I can eat slowly, okay?!"

"It's too late."

Ji Zuodao exhaled a smoke ring and smiled, "There are rules at the gambling table, and there are ways to deal with defaulting on debts. Over 800 pounds of meat, with your physique... we can eat you until the Lantern Festival."

Ever since Ji Zuodao returned from Caiyun, he hasn't stopped in the city of Jinghai at all, heading straight for this eerie area in the eastern part of the city.

I was worried that my little brother would be too miserable spending the New Year in this godforsaken place, unable to eat or sleep well.

When the results came, I discovered—

Good heavens, this kid is living a life more comfortable than an emperor.

The Epang Palace was built in a magnificent manner, with carved beams and painted rafters, pavilions and towers, and everything that should and shouldn't have been there.

Ji Zhengdao sat down on the white jade steps, and calling him a "local emperor" would be an understatement.

Moreover, the cooperation between Ji Zhengdao and the Han government has actually progressed quite well.

They wholeheartedly cooperated with the research here, and in return, they provided resources and policies as requested.

It is said that the 749 General Bureau has already designated this eerie area as a "key friendly observation zone".

The words "special contribution" were prominently displayed on the approval document.

"You're doing pretty well. You're doing even better than me, a proper investigator."

Ji Zhengdao just chuckled, revealing a set of white teeth.

The campfire crackled, and the aroma of roasted whole pig wafted for miles.

Dog was squatting by the fire, his eyes wide open, his tail wagging so hard it looked like it was about to take off.

The two Qiqi chased after Dog's tail in circles, having a great time.

They ate and drank their fill.

Ji Zuodao picked his teeth, and he and Ji Zhengdao each lit a cigarette, leaning against the white marble railing in front of the Epang Palace, watching this scene.

The aroma of cooking mingled with the scent of meat, creating a strange yet comforting warmth.

"Damn, so this is what Chinese New Year is like," Ji Zhengdao suddenly said, exhaling a puff of smoke.

"I used to look at it in my mind, but I couldn't quite grasp its meaning. Now that I've experienced it myself, I understand."

Ji Zuodao glanced at him sideways: "How are you feeling?"

Ji Zhengdao grinned, his eyes narrowing as he smiled:

"It's really great!"

"I used to think that Chinese New Year should be lively, crowded with people, and with firecrackers going off everywhere."

Ji Zhengdao flicked his cigarette ash. "Thinking about it now, it was all just a facade."

He pointed to Qiqi, who was playing around, then to Gouye, who was happily gnawing on a bone, and finally to Ji Zuodao:

"Having company, eating meat, and having time to smoke a cigarette and chat—that's what celebrating the New Year is all about."

Ji Zuodao nodded in deep agreement.

The two remained silent for a while.

"Brother, do you think... we've figured out how to live our lives now?"

Ji Zuodao did not answer immediately.

He finished his last puff of cigarette and stubbed it out on the railing.

Whether you understand it or not is not important.

He turned his head, looking at his own inner demon, his face unusually serious:

"The important thing is to know what you want, know how to make yourself comfortable, and know who is around you—that's enough."

"No matter how great the reasoning, it can't be greater than your own happiness. No matter how many rules there are, they can't be more important than your own inner peace."

Ji Zhengdao was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter and patted his brother's shoulder forcefully:

"Brilliant!"

That's why I say you're my brother!

At the bottom of the steps, Dog suddenly stood up and shouted towards the top of the steps:

"Woof! You two brats! Still playing cards? I think that pig-headed guy's recovered!"

Ji Zuodao and Ji Zhengdao exchanged a glance and laughed at the same time.

"Fight!" Ji Zuodao threw down his cigarette butt and stomped it out.

"Let's go!" Ji Zhengdao stood up, stretched, and said, "If we win another 800 jin, we'll have hot pot tomorrow."

The two people and the dog wobbled down the steps.

In the distance, the faint sounds of the pig-headed monster's mournful cries and the clattering of mahjong tiles could be heard again.

In this eerie realm, a touch of the bustling, sizzling human warmth of the "Year" also emerges.

Perhaps, the so-called reunion, peace of mind, and comfort have never been about whether a place is good or evil, or whether it is a place of humans or ghosts.

It depends on whether you have a few people around you who you'd be willing to be unreasonable with.

After being a local tyrant under Ji Zhengdao for a few days, Ji Zuodao truly experienced what it meant to be thoroughly satisfied.

He roamed freely in the Epang Palace, dominating the mahjong table, never repeating a meal, smoking cigarettes, drinking wine, and having a "brother" to chat with—

I wouldn't trade this life for being a real emperor.

However comfortable he was, Ji Zuodao had a clear understanding of the situation.

Zhang Yucheng granted him two weeks of leave, with a written approval document.

But he knew better than anyone how this fake came about.

Bureau 749, when has the concept of "proper annual leave" ever existed?

I'm always working non-stop when cases come up, and I can only catch my breath when I'm not busy.

This time, he was able to enjoy his freedom for so many days entirely thanks to the Venus hanging over Jinghai, which single-handedly shielded the Jinghai investigators from all the overt and covert pressure and tasks.

"Alright, that's about enough."

Ji Zuodao finished his last cigarette and stubbed it out on the white marble railing.

"I'll head back to the bureau tomorrow. Spending a few days chatting with family is fine, but ten days or half a month is just freeloading. The sooner I go back, the lighter the burden on Uncle Zhang's shoulders will be."

Ji Zhengdao was squatting nearby, playing with Xiao Qiqi. Hearing this, he looked up and said, "What's the rush? You haven't finished your leave yet. Since Director Zhang approved it, you can rest easy."

"You know nothing," Ji Zuodao laughed and scolded.

"That's called being self-aware. If the leader is kind to us, we should know when to be appreciative. If we take politeness for granted and become arrogant, then we'll be fools."

"To be honest, the right path is simply that feudalism isn't popular anymore. If we went back a few hundred years, to a chaotic era, someone like Uncle Zhang..."

"He doesn't even need to say it himself. If he frowns or sighs even slightly, he just reveals the idea that 'the emperor's throne changes hands.'"

"Believe it or not? The very next morning, his investigators will have stolen a yellow robe embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon from some opera troupe and shoved it into his room! Then a bunch of people will kneel outside, yelling and begging him to become emperor 'for the sake of our brothers' future'!"

"A humanoid succubus," Ji Zhengdao exclaimed.

"Alright! It's settled then! We'll head home first thing tomorrow morning! And we'll bring back some local specialties while we're at it!"

Dog-Old Man's ears perked up: "Woof! Local specialties? What are you bringing? How about that pig's head? Kid, a roast suckling pig is perfect for the road!"

Somewhere, the faint, desperate cries of a pig-headed monster could be heard.

Ji Zuodao laughed heartily, put his hands behind his back, and strolled leisurely toward his bedchamber.

My steps were light, and my mood was bright.

These days, it's not easy to find a boss who makes you willingly give up a couple of days of vacation and even feel good about it.

Zhang Yucheng is one of them.

For this reason alone, it's worth going back to work as soon as possible.