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

"Alright, I'll cover for you!"

Liu Ming slapped his thigh, leaned forward, and lowered his voice.

"It was Uncle Zhao, Lingling's father. He brought good cigarettes and liquor and came to my house specifically to beg my dad to transfer you to patrol the Yuehai District."

As he spoke, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he unconsciously slurped his saliva.

"Good heavens, guess what? That wine... it's older than my dad! You can smell the aged aroma even through the box! Tsk..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Ji Zuodao raised his hand and made a "stop" gesture.

Stop slurping! Get to the point.

"Oh, don't rush, let me explain it to you slowly!"

Liu Ming leaned forward and gestured with his fingers on the table.

"Look, Lingling has been tied up twice, and although she escaped unharmed both times, Uncle Zhao is still very uneasy! He's so worried he can't sleep soundly!"

"He figured that things couldn't continue like this; his daughter needed to learn how to protect herself!"

"so what?"

"So Uncle Zhao decided to let Lingling officially embark on the path of cultivation! But the cultivation method passed down in the Zhao family... it's not quite compatible with Lingling's physique!"

"It's like trying to teach a rabbit to dog-paddle—it's not cut out for it!"

Liu Ming spread his hands.

"Perfect timing. Zhao Lingling's aunt became a disciple of Medicine Immortal Valley in her early years and now has some influence in the valley."

"Uncle Zhao used his connections and pulled some strings to get the Medicine Immortal Valley to accept Lingling and let her learn from them first."

Ji Zuodao nodded.

"But is there any necessary connection between this and my patrol in the Moonsea District?"

"Yes! Absolutely!"

Liu Ming slapped his thigh.

"Think about it, the main headquarters of Medicine Immortal Valley is far away in the deep mountains and forests of the southwest. Lingling is too young to be sent there directly. But isn't it a perfect coincidence? Our Jinghai is located in the Yuehai District, where Medicine Immortal Valley has a branch!"

"The main business is selling medicinal herbs, and we also provide a foundation for promising young talents in the area. Lingling will train and learn her skills at that branch headquarters from now on!"

Ji Zuodao blinked, seemingly understanding something.

"So...you want me to..."

"That's right!"

Liu Ming picked up the conversation, with an expression that said, "You've finally figured it out."

"Uncle Zhao means, you see, don't you patrol the Moonsea District every day? It's just something that happens to be on your way!"

"In the morning, pick up Lingling from the Zhao family and take her to the Medicine Immortal Valley branch. After school in the afternoon, pick her up from the branch again and take her back to the Zhao family safely."

"With you by his side, Uncle Zhao can finally relax and sleep soundly, right?"

Ji Zuodao listened and remained silent for two seconds.

"No... Brother Liu, wait a minute. Let me sort this out. The Zhao family, isn't it a family of Qi cultivators?"

Is it really that hard for their family to produce someone at the Spirit Sea Realm or Spirit Palace Realm? Why go through all this trouble, with job transfers and transportation, just to single me out?

Upon hearing this, Liu Ming's smile faded slightly. He sighed, leaned back in his chair, and shook his head.

"Uh... Brother Ji, let me put it this way. For the Zhao family right now, finding a bodyguard who can reach the Spirit Sea or Spirit Palace level is actually quite difficult."

Ji Zuodao was taken aback:

"Down on their luck? That can't be, the Zhao family's business was pretty big, wasn't it?"

"It's not about the money."

Liu Ming waved his hand, looked out the window, seemingly lost in memories, and lowered his voice.

"A few years ago, something strange happened in Jinghai. A bizarre thing appeared, unlike anything we'd ever seen before."

That thing... it doesn't disappear on its own, it just stays stubbornly in one place and doesn't move.

The higher-ups initially thought that since it had research value, they should seal it off and study it slowly.

"The problem was that there was an investigator in the bureau at the time who was young, ambitious, and eager to make a name for himself. Without waiting for orders, he sneaked in to investigate on his own."

Liu Ming gave a wry smile.

"That investigator... his surname is Zhao."

"I don't know what happened, but instead of figuring it out, he somehow triggered something that caused the strange entity to go berserk! The previously static 'domain of rules' began to expand wildly outwards!"

Liu Ming's tone became serious, and his fingers unconsciously tapped the table.

"The situation was extremely critical at the time! It was our former director of Jinghai 749, Director Zhang, who personally led a large number of the bureau's elite investigators and risked their lives to hold them off, barely managing to suppress the spread and prevent a major disaster."

"But that's where it ends. That thing is too strange, and even now, the higher-ups haven't figured out a way to completely solve it."

There was no other way; Director Zhang and his brothers could only remain there, using their cultivation to forcefully suppress the domain and prevent it from spreading even a fraction further. This suppression lasted for several years.

Liu Ming raised his head and looked at Ji Zuodao with a complicated expression.

"Director Zhang and his brothers were essentially 'tethered' there by that strange thing, unable to move. As for the Zhao family investigator who acted on his own and caused the disaster... he was gone on the spot, his body never to be found."

"Actually, this was purely the investigator's personal behavior—reckless and disobedient—and had nothing to do with the Zhao family. If we hold them accountable afterward, they can't be blamed."

Liu Ming sighed, his tone filled with admiration but also helplessness.

"But that old man from the Zhao family... hey, he's a notoriously stubborn old man, with a stubborn temper!"

He simply didn't see it that way! He felt it was because his Zhao family hadn't raised their child properly, causing such a huge mess and implicating Director Zhang and so many 749 brothers who were still trapped!

"The old man wouldn't listen to anyone's advice; once his stubbornness kicked in, he made the decision on his own—"

"He said this trouble was caused by the Zhao family; they didn't raise their children well, it's the Zhao family's fault! We can't let Director Zhang and the brothers of 749 just have to fill this hole!"

"And then?" Ji Zuodao asked.

"Then?"

"Then the old man took all the Qi cultivators above the Spirit Sea Realm from the Zhao family, except for Uncle Zhao, who had to stay outside to manage the business and keep the family from falling into disgrace. No matter if they were uncles or brothers, he took them all with him."

"They...went into that realm too?"

Ji Zuodao was slightly moved.

"They're inside."

Liu Ming nodded, his voice very soft.

"The old man led almost all of the Zhao family's elite forces into the front lines of the suppression, standing shoulder to shoulder with Director Zhang and the others. In the old man's words..."

The Zhao family has made a mistake, and the Zhao family members themselves must stand at the forefront to atone for it! They can only reappear when this strange occurrence is resolved! Until then, the Zhao family has no experts, only those who will atone for their sins!

The office was quiet for a moment, with only the sound of Dog munching on the last cold pork chop beside him.

Ji Zuodao slowly exhaled, finally understanding.

No wonder Zhao Ping, a big boss, had no choice but to ask Deputy Director Liu to pull strings for his daughter's safety, pinning his hopes on an "outsider" like himself.

The Zhao family's top forces have all voluntarily been "sealed" on that strange front line of suppression.

Nowadays, apart from money, the Zhao family's defensive capabilities in the cultivation world probably only consist of Zhao Ping, who may not have a very high cultivation level.

"So, Brother Ji."

Liu Ming picked up the now-cold tea, took a sip, and smacked his lips.

"Uncle Zhao really has no other choice this time. He trusts you. He feels more at ease entrusting Lingling to you than hiring any bodyguard."

That's why I swallowed my pride and begged my father.

"Okay, I understand."

Ji Zuodao finally spoke, looking up at Liu Ming.

"I'll take this patrol duty. And you'll pick up the kids while you're at it, right? Okay."

Liu Ming visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and forced a smile back onto his face:

"Hey! I knew you were a good friend, Brother Ji! Well, Uncle Zhao said he wouldn't let you work for nothing, he'd give you this much as a subsidy..."

He held up a few fingers.

"Stop."

Ji Zuodao waved his hand.

"Money aside, we can talk about that later. I just want to ask, is the Moonsea District usually... quiet?"

Liu Ming felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that this man probably didn't just want to be a nanny and a police officer.

He considered it for a moment, then chuckled:

"If the water is too clear, there will be no fish, Brother Ji. It's the old city, with all sorts of people, and historical issues... there are bound to be some."

But there are no major problems. As for the specifics, you can go and see for yourself, and you'll know everything."

"become."

Ji Zuodao stood up, stretched his wrists, and a faint, elusive smile appeared on his lips.

"Then I'll go to Moonsea District tomorrow... to take up my post."