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

After finishing their media interviews, the three followed the address on the note and turned into a dilapidated alleyway cleverly concealed by an illusion array.

As soon as I stepped inside, the view opened up before me.

What appears to be a narrow alley, barely three or five steps wide from the outside, actually conceals a large, spacious, flat, and spotless bluestone square the size of a football field.

In the center of the square, there was an old rattan rocking chair. An old man wearing a faded undershirt was squinting and slowly swaying in the sun to the rhythm of the creaking chair.

Hearing footsteps, the old man didn't even lift his eyelids, and spoke as if it were casual conversation:

"Hey, Liu family kid, your Jinghai team is pretty fast this year. In previous years, you Jinghai team would only arrive around the last incense stick's time, like headless flies."

Liu Ming grinned and stepped forward: "Master Li, this year is different. This year, Jinghai is aiming for both literary and martial prowess!"

"Wow, quite the boast."

Old Man Li finally opened his eyes. His cloudy eyes slowly rolled over Ji Zuodao and Li Shuwen before suddenly fixing on them, his eyelids twitching.

"Two Dharma Aspect Realm experts... Alright, this year's martial arts competition champion will probably be your Jinghai again."

"But as for this intellectual contest... young Liu, these two beside you must be quite capable, right?"

Ji Zuodao and Li Shuwen dared not be negligent and quickly bowed respectfully.

Those old men sunbathing in the General Administration may look harmless, but they could all be retired high-ranking officials, each one a ruthless and unfathomable individual.

Being overly polite is never a bad thing.

"Sigh, that kid. These two... are they competing too?"

Old Man Li pointed to Dog Grandpa, who was squatting at Ji Zuodao's feet and yawning, and Qi Qi, who was standing quietly to the side, curiously looking at the square.

"Absolutely!"

Ji Zuoli said confidently, "Spirit pets don't take up any official competition slots; it's written in black and white in the rules."

When Dog Master and Qi Qi joined the Jinghai 749 Bureau, they were assigned to the spirit pet system.

Don't underestimate this "Spirit Pet Edition"; the benefits and treatment are incredibly attractive.

In some ways, their jobs are even better than those of Ji Zuodao and his colleagues, who are officially employed as investigators.

Qi Qi didn't care. As long as she could stay with Ji Zuodao, she didn't care whether he was a human, a pet, or a zombie.

When Dogman found out about this, he was furious for quite a while.

He cursed and swore, "You're a traitor!" and "I raised this little brat with my own hands and feet, and now I've become a pet?"

Finally, when Deputy Director Liu slapped the welfare list compiled by the spirit pet in front of it, Dog's cursing gradually subsided.

Finally, he snorted out, "Damn it, considering this treatment is passable..."—he reluctantly accepted it.

"I won't take up any spots..."

Old Li's expression was a bit complicated. He looked at Dog Master and Qi Qi more carefully, especially lingering on the black dog with its tongue lolling out and a "don't mess with me" look on its face for a few more seconds. His lips twitched.

"Two more Dharma Aspect Realm experts. Is Jinghai really not planning to leave any way out for the other branches this year?"

Tsk tsk, those kids are really lucky this year.

"Okay, let's test it first."

Old Li slowly took out a wooden box from beside the rocking chair, opened it, and inside was a crystal-clear, translucent thread that seemed to have a life of its own, faintly shimmering with red light.

"What is this thing?" Ji Zuodao asked curiously.

"A new product from the Technology Bureau, produced by Tianting Heavy Industry, part of the Yue Lao Palace series, a byproduct of the marriage thread."

Old Li picked up the red thread and explained, "A proper marriage thread connects couples, but this thing measures ties and social status."

"The more important and higher the status of each other in each other's hearts, the shorter this line will be. Once it's tied, a burst of spiritual power will forcefully shorten the distance between you two."

"According to the rules, the final distance must be within one meter to be considered qualified and for the spirit pet to enter. Otherwise, if we just randomly call in a high-level expert to act as a spirit pet, this grand martial arts competition can't be held at all."

Ji Zuodao was stunned.

"Come on, let's test you and the little zombie first."

Old Man Li skillfully tied one end of the red thread to Ji Zuodao's wrist and the other end to Qi Qi's slender white wrist.

With a gentle surge of spiritual energy.

Ji Zuodao felt a tightening on his wrist, and a gentle but irresistible force came through, causing his body to involuntarily lean forward.

Qiqi on the other side also gasped softly and was pulled forward a few steps.

The two almost collided, and Ji Zuodao quickly reached out to support the little girl.

Look at that red line again; it's taut and less than ten centimeters long.

The two were practically chest to chest, face to face, their breaths audible.

"Wow, not bad, not bad!"

Old Li leaned closer for a look, clicking his tongue in amazement, "Less than ten centimeters, yet the depth of this bond... is astounding. You two hold each other in high regard."

Ji Zuodao looked down at Qiqi, who was holding him with her little face upturned and her eyes still a little dazed. His heart was warmed and he was so moved that he almost burst into tears.

Qiqi, your brother didn't spoil you for nothing!

"Okay, keep up the good work and try to make it even shorter next time!" Ji Zuodao rubbed Qi Qi's head, full of enthusiasm.

Upon hearing this, Old Man Li's expression immediately became extremely strange. His eyes darted back and forth between Ji Zuodao and Qi Qi, hesitating to speak, and finally muttered under his breath:

"Don't make it any shorter... any shorter and it won't feel right. Could this kid be one of those lolicon types they talk about online?"

Next up, it's Doggy's turn.

"Oh dear, this is getting a bit risky," Liu Ming muttered to himself, sounding worried.

Dog is one of their hidden trump cards in their verbal battles, but the key is that the relationship between these two is really hard to define.

They have a good relationship, but when they try to sabotage each other, they can be incredibly ruthless, seizing every opportunity to torment each other.

They might not have a good relationship, but when it really matters, they're more reliable than anyone else.

In short, it's very complicated.

On the field, Ji Zuodao and Gouye had already taken their positions.

Old Man Li tied the red threads on them.

Ji Zuodao and Gouye exchanged a glance, simultaneously snorted through their noses, and turned their faces away, their expressions identically disgusted.

"Ready?" Old Man Li reminded him, channeling his spiritual energy.

The next second—

"Holy crap! What are you doing, you bastard?!"

"Woof! What are you doing, you brat!"

The crystalline red thread, driven by spiritual power, suddenly burst forth with a dazzling red light, and then tightened abruptly at a speed almost imperceptible to the naked eye!

A tremendous pulling force came, and Ji Zuodao and Gouye had no time to react. Like two nails firmly attracted by a magnet, they were pulled towards each other with a "whoosh".

"Bang--!!!"

A muffled thud.

The man and the dog collided hard without any cushioning. The dog's face was pressed against the man's abdomen, and the man's face was buried in the dog's fur. Their posture was extremely contorted, and they almost rolled into a ball.

Looking at that red line again, it has shrunk to an absurd degree—

Tightly stretched, with almost no excess length visible, the man and dog were forcibly "stuck" together, fitting perfectly.

"Holy crap?!"

Liu Ming was dumbfounded, his jaw almost dropping.

This...this level of bond?!

It's too exaggerated!

Is there a bug in this red line?!

Old Li was also stunned. Looking at the man and dog that were almost "grown together," his expression was quite interesting.

What an incredibly close relationship it must be for them to occupy such an almost non-existent position in each other's hearts?

His gaze toward Ji Zuodao and Dog Master was immediately filled with awe.

This Jinghai 749 branch is indeed a breeding ground for monsters.

Even the relationship between humans and dogs can be so shocking.