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

With the long-standing problem finally resolved, Ji Zuodao breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a weight lifted from his heart.

These days he's been so worried. He has no appetite, can't sleep well, and even dreams of towering waves of blood.

Now that the general direction of "seizing the palace and filling the sea" is set, the gloom in my heart has been dispelled, and that familiar, restless, and sinister energy has surged up again.

The spiritual sea is not yet complete?

It's alright, it's a good opportunity to stretch my muscles, familiarize myself with the "materials" market, and incidentally...

To identify potential, high-quality stone suppliers for future land reclamation projects.

Damn it, it's all those useless Wang family members' fault! Couldn't they have held on a little longer? The living and the dead are ultimately different. If I had refined it while it was still alive, the medicinal effects wouldn't be so bad.

"Hey, you brat."

Dog walked over to the sofa, scratched at his trouser leg with his paw, and stared at him with dead fish eyes.

"It's mealtime, Doggy's hungry, let's cook."

"Okay, same as always, pork sashimi, all you can eat."

"Oh shit!"

Dog immediately became unhappy and stopped wagging its tail.

"Why is it sashimi again? I'm so tired of it! My mouth is practically boiling with spiciness! I want it cooked! Fried! Deep-fried! Grilled! With a hint of smokiness!"

"Dog Lord, are you getting too cocky?"

"Have you forgotten the days when we had to eat a lame mandrill raw when we were in the mountains? If you cook it, how much of its resentment and blood energy will dissipate? Isn't that a complete waste, a terrible loss?"

"I don't care!"

Dog-Grandpa lay down on the ground and started acting spoiled, glancing at him sideways with his dog eyes.

"If you don't do it, I'll post it on the bureau's internal network. I've already thought of the title."

"Shocking! A newly promoted investigator in Bureau 749 has been abusing working dogs for a long time, feeding them only raw meat!" @AnimalProtectionOrganization and the Discipline Inspection Commission! Let's see how well you can keep your official position!

"you……"

"Fine, fine, you're the boss! Fried pork chop, that's all! Take it or leave it...!"

"eat!"

Dog leaped up instantly, its tail wagging and leaving afterimages.

"Hurry up! Add plenty of pepper!"

A moment later, the pleasant sizzling sound of frying meat came from the makeshift kitchen, and the rich aroma of meat filled the air.

Dog was squatting at the door, his drool almost dripping into a stream.

Just then—

"Knock knock knock".

A knock came at the door.

Dog was intently watching the kitchen when he heard this. Without turning around, he barked angrily:

"Who is it! Can't you see I'm busy?"

"It's me, Liu Ming. Is Brother Ji there?"

"Take your pork chop and open the door."

Ji Zuodao gave instructions from the kitchen.

Reluctantly, Dog got up, carefully picked up the first freshly fried, golden-brown, crispy pork chop from the plate, and took demure little steps over to pry open the door latch with his paws.

Liu Ming peeked in with a smile:

"Hey, brother Ji, eating? It smells delicious!"

As he spoke, he squeezed in with remarkable ease, his gaze instantly locking onto the plate of golden, crispy fried pork chops on the table.

Ji Zuodao blinked, but before he could speak—

Liu Ming has already begun his smooth "questioning and answering" performance:

"Huh? Asking if I've eaten? Oh, not yet, I just finished something and my stomach is empty."

"Want some? Oh, that's too kind of you..."

"However, since Brother Ji is so hospitable, I shall respectfully accept and have a few bites."

Before the words were even finished, the person had already sat down at the table with an air of familiarity, picked up a spare pair of chopsticks, precisely picked up the largest piece of pork chop, and stuffed it into their mouth in one gulp.

Ji Zuo said: "..."

No, Brother Liu, I didn't say anything...

Which comedian did you learn that smooth combo from?

"Ugh! Hmm!!!"

Liu Ming chewed twice, then his eyes widened suddenly, and he exclaimed in a muffled voice.

"My goodness! Brother Ji, your pork chops are amazing! Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and bursting with juice! Where did you buy the pork? The quality is top-notch!"

"444 Yong'an Road".

Liu Ming's hand, which was holding the second pork chop, suddenly froze in mid-air.

He slowed his chewing, his brow furrowed slightly, and he murmured repeatedly:

"Yong'an Road... No. 444? This address sounds so familiar..."

Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, he froze, slowly and extremely slowly turning his head to look at Ji Zuodao, his eyes filled with unbelievable horror.

"Wait... I saw the mission report you submitted earlier."

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was a little dry.

"It says the bizarre entity... is a pig-headed monster? This meat... could it be...?"

"Um."

Ji Zuodao nodded, his expression completely natural, even showing a hint of sincerity in sharing the food.

"It's that guy's flesh. The best part, I specially saved it. Eat it without worry, just remember to circulate your internal energy to refine the blood and residual resentment inside, otherwise you might have an upset stomach tonight."

"Cough cough cough!!!"

Liu Ming suddenly burst into a violent cough, his face turning red, and he frantically spat out the remaining bits of meat from his mouth.

Then he desperately tossed the trembling, oily, and fragrant pork chopstick from the tip of his chopsticks back onto the plate.

It was as if it weren't food, but a piece of burning coal.

"I'm not eating anymore! I really aren't eating anymore! I'll just have a few bites! I'm full! I'm really full!"

He waved his hands repeatedly, picked up the glass of cold water on the table, and gulped down several mouthfuls to suppress the nausea.

After finally catching his breath, Liu Ming wiped his face and looked at Ji Zuodao with a complicated and indescribable expression. He silently moved his chair back half a meter.

"Well... Brother Ji, actually I've come here on business."

He tried to make his expression serious again, took out a tablet computer from his pocket, unlocked it, opened the task interface, and pushed it in front of Ji Zuodao.

"There's a new assignment, and you're specifically needed. Would you like to take a look?"

"Task?"

Ji Zuodao's eyes lit up instantly.

He took the tablet and licked his still-greasy lips.

It's like my wish came true.

My spiritual sea is not yet full, and I am worried about where to "nourish" it.

Under the guise of "upholding justice and upholding righteousness," isn't this the perfect opportunity for thieves to double-cross each other?

Let me see what kind of mission it is... Hmm?

Ji Zuodao swiped the tablet screen, raising his eyebrows.

"They've assigned me a fixed jurisdiction? Moonsea District... Does this mean I'm going to be a local police officer, patrolling the area?"

He looked up at Liu Ming, his face full of confusion.

"Wait a minute, I remember you saying before that all the positions for patrol investigators in Jinghai's districts were filled ages ago, one radish per hole. How can a newbie like me possibly squeeze in?"

"Ah, that's how it is."

"It's quite a coincidence. It turns out that the brother in charge of the Moon Sea area has reached the bottleneck of the Spirit Sea Realm Perfection stage and can't hold back anymore, so he's in a hurry to go into seclusion to break through to the Spirit Palace."

"So, I submitted a report to the higher-ups, requesting a transfer so I could focus on making a breakthrough."

"oh--"

Ji Zuodao drew out his words and nodded, indicating his understanding.

Breaking through in cultivation is of paramount importance, and the reasons are quite valid.

But then he tilted his head again, his eyes filled with even more suspicion.

"Even so, with a patrol vacancy now open... there are so many brothers in the bureau, it doesn't matter who goes, why specifically choose me?"

"This kind of work, no matter how you look at it... doesn't deserve the word 'designated,' does it? Brother Liu, is there something else going on here? Don't try to fool me."

Liu Ming coughed twice, his eyes starting to dart around.

"Well... um... it's mainly because Brother Ji, you have outstanding professional skills, a strong sense of responsibility, flexible thinking, and are good at handling emergencies, making you very suitable for training in a grassroots patrol position..."

"Stop, stop!"

Ji Zuodao raised his hand, made a pause gesture, and rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Brother Liu, can we speak in a more human way? Save this bureaucratic language for your father's reports."