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

Ji Zuodao squatted there grilling meat. He first tore off the tenderest leg for Qiqi, and then ignored the rest, eating with both hands, his mouth dripping with oil, his cheeks bulging out.

As for those good things that were distributed?

Feeling sorry for me? Feeling sorry for me my ass!

It's all free money anyway. What's that saying again? "Selling your father's land without a care in the world!"

Besides, once this bet is spread out, every single one of the well-known young players in each branch of Bureau 749 will owe Ji Zuodao a favor, no matter how many.

From then on, no matter where Ji Zuodao went, he would be treated like a brother by all, with people offering him cigarettes and drinks wherever he went, making him the most prestigious person in the world.

Of course, the most crucial, fundamental, and practical point is—

He, Ji Zuodao, is not short of money.

They really have plenty of money.

Before returning from the three masters in Ailao Mountain after the New Year, he made sure to fulfill his filial duties to them.

He took almost all of the masters' savings—their medicinal herb fields, their private stash of money, and their most treasured possessions.

After finishing their business, they would run off to the goddess to kowtow and wish her a Happy New Year, claiming it was to "ask for lucky money," and in doing so, they would also "borrow" the little money the little foxes had saved up.

Now, Ji Zuodao felt incredibly wealthy; everything he carried in his pockets and bags was hard currency, real treasures.

Those few monsters and spiritual herbs in the secret realm? A piece of cake!

I was enjoying my meal when I looked up and wow!

Xiang Yun led the way, followed by about twenty or thirty people, each carrying a case of beer on their shoulder, and they lined up neatly.

Ji Zuodao raised an eyebrow, forgetting to chew the meat in his mouth.

What's going on here?

Xiang Yun, you with thick eyebrows and big eyes, have you gone astray too?

Are you going to use a tag-team approach? Are you planning to make me, this Taoist priest, sing "Conquer" while hugging the toilet tonight?

Xiang Yun slammed the case of beer on his shoulder to the ground with a thud, laughed heartily, bent down and pulled out two bottles. He handed one to Ji Zuodao and kept the other for himself.

Push your thumb down on the bottle cap—

"Slap! Slap!"

With two crisp snaps, the bottle cap flew off.

Xiang Yun raised the wine bottle, his eyes gleaming like a wolf's. "Ji Zuodao, you guys in Jinghai are really something!"

After saying that, without waiting for Ji Zuodao's reply, he tilted his head back and gulped down his food.

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down like a pile driver, and a bottle of beer was empty in the blink of an eye.

"Burp~"

Xiang Yun let out a loud burp, put the empty bottle aside, wiped his mouth, and stared intently at Ji Zuodao.

Ji Zuodao was delighted.

Goodness, that's the highest honor among boys!

He's been beaten into submission, and now he's coming to the dinner table to settle scores; it's a sign he's truly open with people.

"You're not bad either!"

Ji Zuodao didn't back down. He grinned, raised the wine bottle, and tilted his head back.

"Ton ton ton ton..."

Not a single drop was left.

The two empty bottles clinked together, making a crisp sound.

Xiang Yun and Ji Zuodao exchanged a smile. The frustration and tension they had felt during their life-or-death struggle in the secret realm seemed to dissipate in their stomachs with this bottle of wine, transforming into a tacit understanding between men who had become friends through their initial conflict.

Xiang Yun patted Ji Zuodao on the shoulder and turned to leave.

But Ji Zuodao had sharp eyes and saw that this grandson had gone around in circles and quietly joined the last place in line again.

"Holy shit?"

Ji Zuodao's eyes widened, and he almost crushed the empty bottle in his hand.

"Xiang Yun! You bastard! You're cheating, aren't you?! And you even have an encore?!"

Xiang Yun, standing at the back of the line, grinned with a bright white smile that was both naive and shameless.

Ji Zuodao was amused by the situation and smashed the empty wine bottle on the ground, sending shards of glass flying high.

"Okay! Okay, okay!"

He rolled up his sleeves, placed one foot on a nearby rock, pointed to the long queue, and then to the other investigators around him, peering out and eager to try their luck. His voice rose, carrying an air of unbridled arrogance:

"Come on, come on! Every single one of you! Don't be shy with me, Daoist Master!"

"Today, whoever backs down first is a coward!"

"You won't get me drunk until I'm passed out—"

He looked around, his mouth stretching to his ears in a wide grin:

"You're all my grandsons! From now on, call me 'Grandpa'!"

These words were like cold water being poured into a boiling oil pot!

"Holy crap?! That's insane!"

"Damn it! Getting into a fight made you arrogant, and now you think you can act like that at the dinner table?!"

"Brothers! Did you hear that?! If we can't drink him under the table, we'll all be complete cowards!"

"How can we tolerate this?! Let's take them down!"

Just now, it was only Xiang Yun and his group of twenty or thirty people queuing up. But now, all the investigators who were originally watching from a distance and had no intention of joining in the fun have suddenly let out a roar and their eyes have turned red.

Whoosh—

They surged in like a tidal wave!

Even the deputy directors and senior investigators from various branches who were originally keeping a respectable air and watching the excitement with smiles, as well as a few representatives from powerful clans who had come to observe the ceremony, couldn't sit still.

"Hahaha! You lad! I haven't heard such arrogant talk at the dinner table in years!"

"Let's go, let's join in the fun! We can't let the younger generation look down on us!"

"Damn it, is this kid a firecracker? He blows everything up wherever he goes!"

"Count me in! Let's see how much this kid can drink today!"

This has completely thrown everything into chaos.

The open space next to the awards podium instantly became the focus of the entire event.

Centered on Ji Zuodao, they surrounded him in layers, making it impossible for anyone to get through.

The beer crates were stacked like small mountains, and the sounds of opening bottles, clinking glasses, laughter, and shouting filled the air.

Liu Ming was also surrounded. He could actually hold his liquor, but with so many people around, his face turned as red as Guan Yu's in no time.

Doggo was even more outrageous. I don't know which heartless bastard put a big plate in front of him and filled it with beer.

At first, Doggy was reserved, only taking two licks. But then, probably because the atmosphere was right, he got into the swing of things and started drinking heartily with his head down.

After finishing its drink, it even knew to push the plate towards people, its eyes glazed over, as if to say: "Fill it up! Keep going!"

The only one who escaped unscathed was Qi Qi, who had been given a mouthful of meat by Ji Zuodao and sent to watch the commotion from a nearby high platform.

The little girl hugged her knees, watching the chaotic scene below, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter.

The most miserable person in the whole event was Li Shuwen.

He originally intended to hide behind Liu Ming and slip through unnoticed, but then someone shouted:

"Li Shuwen is over there! Don't let him get away!"

Suddenly, at least a dozen investigators from several branch offices along the southeast coast cornered him with menacing smiles.

What they were carrying wasn't beer.

It is white.

The strongest kind of strong liquor.

The leader, carrying a case of liquor in one hand and a burlap sack he'd somehow gotten his hands on in the other, slammed it down in front of Li Shuwen with an incredibly benevolent smile.

"Brother Li, you're amazing at literature, and you're also a great painter."

"But what you shouldn't have done was draw a picture of our Goddess Mazu!"

"We've discussed it, and today, you have to choose one of the two."

He patted the case of liquor and then kicked the burlap sack.

"Let's finish this case of baijiu, and then we'll call it even."

"or……"

He shook the sack, making a "whoosh" sound; it was unclear whether it was filled with bricks or weights.

"Should we crawl inside and have our brothers carry you to the beach so that Mazu can teach you a lesson?"

Li Shuwen adjusted his glasses; the lenses were reflecting light, and sweat poured down his forehead.

He looked at the case of liquor, then at the bottomless burlap sack, and swallowed hard.

"Brothers... it's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding... that was an artistic reinterpretation of Mazu, born out of love and reverence for maritime culture..."

"Enough talk! Choose!"

"I'll drink it! I'll drink it, okay?!"

Li Shuwen almost burst into tears. He hurriedly opened a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor), and his face turned green when he smelled the pungent alcohol.

"I knew it... I knew this day would come sooner or later..."

He closed his eyes, steeled his resolve, and started pouring from the bottle opening.

"Hiss—ha—!!!"

One bite and the burning sensation went from my throat all the way to my stomach, instantly turning my face red from my forehead to the roots of my neck.

"Great! Brother Li, you're awesome!"

"Fill it up! There are still eleven boxes left!"

"..."