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

School let out early today, while the sun was still high in the sky. Zhao Lingling and Qiqi, the two little girls, held hands and skipped and hopped out of the school gate.

These two girls are a perfect match.

Zhao Lingling is straightforward and speaks her mind; her voice is as loud as a small megaphone.

Qiqi is quiet and reserved, with big, bright eyes that make her look adorable.

But when these two get together, it's like dry wood meeting a raging fire—it's ignited at the slightest spark.

Qiqi and Zhao Lingling walked hand in hand at the back of the crowd.

Zhao Lingling was walking along today, looking around, when she suddenly tugged at Qi Qi's sleeve:

"Qiqi, I heard there's a special market for Qi cultivators? It's different from the supermarkets we usually go to, right?"

Qiqi tilted her head and blinked her eyes: "You mean the market in Yuehai District is there? Qiqi has been there several times."

"Really?"

Zhao Lingling's eyes lit up. "Then take me to see it! I've never seen what a market for Qi cultivators looks like before!"

Upon hearing this, Qiqi thought for a moment, puffed out her little chest, and patted it: "Leave it to me! I know that street like the back of my hand, I could walk it with my eyes closed!"

That's true.

Previously, when Ji Zuodao was patrolling the Moon Sea District, Qiqi followed him around like a little tail every day.

Ji Zuodao was in the lead investigating cases, handling disputes, and patrolling, while Qiqi was in the back, looking around.

In just a few days, she had thoroughly investigated the entire Qi Refining Market in the Yuehai District.

She knew exactly which shop sold what, which shop owner was easy to talk to, and which shop had the best spiritual fruit.

The two girls hit it off immediately and changed course, turning into a small alley next door.

This alley looks ordinary, no different from the common hutongs in Jinghai. There are some withered vines climbing on the walls, a few fallen leaves on the ground, and a lot of miscellaneous items piled up in the corner.

Zhao Lingling was puzzled—this place didn't look like a market at all.

Qiqi walked to the end of the alley with ease and pressed her hand against the wall.

The wall rippled outwards like waves on water, and then the scene before my eyes changed as if a completely different painting had appeared—

The narrow alleyway disappeared, replaced by a wide, long street.

Shops lined both sides of the street, with all sorts of signs, such as "Laojun's Elixir Shop," "Kunlun Magic Instrument Shop," and "Donghai Spiritual Materials Pavilion," making it dazzling to look at.

The street was bustling with people. There were old Taoist priests in robes, young monks in suits, and several half-demons with animal ears setting up stalls by the roadside, their shouts rising and falling.

"Wow--"

Zhao Lingling's mouth dropped open, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "This is incredible!"

The two girls had barely stepped onto the main street when a sharp-eyed shopkeeper spotted them.

That was the owner of the first spiritual fruit shop at the street corner. His surname was Wang. He was a middle-aged man with a round, chubby face who always had a smile on his face.

The moment he saw Qiqi, his smile brightened even more, and like a blooming chrysanthemum, he skipped out from behind the counter, carrying a plate of freshly washed, bright red fruit.

"Oh my! Isn't this Little Qiqi? Come, come, try some of Uncle's newly arrived Crimson Flame Fruit, just transported from Southern Xinjiang, it's very sweet!"

Before Qiqi could even be polite, the plate was already shoved into her hands.

Zhao Lingling was still in a daze when she heard another exclamation from beside her: "Qiqi is here?!"

Turning her head, she saw the proprietress of the neighboring religious artifact shop rushing out, holding up a sparkling bracelet: "Girl, girl, look at this auntie made for you, it's for warding off evil spirits, wear it and play!"

"Me too! Me too!"

An old man from the tea shop across the street carried a steaming pot of tea. "Freshly brewed Hundred Flower Spirit Tea, young lady, have a cup to warm your stomach!"

That's great, it's like the floodgates have been opened.

All the shop owners on the street who recognized Qiqi were as enthusiastic as if they had seen their own daughter.

They sent her food, drinks, and toys, practically stuffing all the best things from their shop into Qiqi's arms.

Qiqi's two little hands couldn't possibly hold it all, and Zhao Lingling was also forced to act as a temporary shelf, holding a bunch of messy things in her arms, completely bewildered.

Zhao Lingling peeked out from behind a pile of snacks with difficulty. "Qiqi, what's going on with you?"

With a piece of spirit fruit cake stuffed in her mouth, Qiqi mumbled, "Um...they're really nice people."

Zhao Lingling's lips twitched—

Is this what you call good? This is clearly the treatment reserved for an emperor emeritus on a state tour!

Unbeknownst to her, at that very moment, the internal WeChat group for Qi cultivators had already erupted in chaos.

Group message notification

[Yuehai District Qi Practitioner Market - Serious Discussion Group]

Old Wang (Lingguo Shop): @All members, pay attention! Investigator Ji's little darling is here! Everyone, smile like you've lost your parents!

Li Cuihua (Buddhist Supplies Shop): Received! I've already brought out the best bracelets; I guarantee the little girl will love them!

Old Zhang (Lingcha Tea House): I just brewed a pot of Hundred Flowers Spirit Tea, using the first batch of flower buds from this spring. It smells wonderful!

Zhao Tiezhu (Talisman Shop): Holy crap? The little ancestor of the Ji Yanwang family is here?! Brothers, hold on, holy crap!

Old Wang (from Lingguo Shop): @Zhao Tiezhu, shut up your foul language! If that girl goes astray, the King of Hell himself will come and pull out your tongue!

Zhou Laosan (Spiritual Material Shop): Yes, yes, and you, take all the defective goods away and bring up the good ones! If that little girl buys defective goods and takes them back, you'd better pray that you can successfully take a boat to Myanmar tonight!

Widow Sun (Spirit Pet Shop): Where are those lolicon guys? Please have someone nearby give them a good shock and hide them, so they don't offend the little ones' eyes!

Wu Lao Er (Secondhand Buddhist Item Shop): Received, received. I have already put away all the bloody stuff in my shop, and I guarantee it will be clean and tidy!

Chen Mazi (Lingjiu Shop): I even put the lids on the wine jars, just in case the smell bothers the young girls!

Commands flooded the screen, and the entire Qi cultivator market sprang into action like a clockwork mechanism.

The seller of spirit fruits placed the largest fruit in the most conspicuous position.

The vendor selling Buddhist artifacts hung the most beautiful ornaments at the entrance.

Even the usually slovenly street vendors quickly tidied their clothes and shaved their beards, afraid of leaving a bad impression on the young girl from Investigator Ji's family.

There was no other way; I was just too scared.

If we're talking about the Qi cultivators in the Hai District this month, they fear nothing but one person—Ji Zuodao.

This guy is no pushover; he's got real lives on his hands.

Since he was transferred to patrol the Yuehai District, he has managed to subdue the local bullies in just a few months.

Those clueless guys had their legs broken, their cultivation crippled, and some were thrown into the 749 Bureau's cell and haven't come out yet.

His ruthless methods and viciousness made all the Qi cultivators in the Moon Sea District tremble at the mere mention of his name.

Even though Ji Zuodao is no longer patrolling here, his influence still lingers.

When the little ancestor of the King of Hell arrives, who dares to be negligent?

What if this little girl gets wronged here and goes back to complain to her husband? Then the whole street would be ruined.

Therefore, even if it means losing money to gain publicity, we must make sure this young lady is comfortable!

So, Qiqi and Zhao Lingling ate their way through the streets, and after only ten minutes, they were already half full.

Don't underestimate the power of "fullness".

You should know that Zhao Lingling's appetite is no joke.

She ate 36 hamburgers and 72 chicken legs in one go, almost bankrupting Ji Zuodao who had just come down from the mountain, and only then was she barely half full.

Now, the two of them achieved the same effect after strolling around the market for ten minutes.

It's easy to imagine how much good stuff these bosses stuffed over there.

With a string of candied hawthorns in her left hand and a fresh flower cake in her right, Qiqi's cheeks were bulging like a little hamster's, and her eyes were squinting as she ate.

Zhao Lingling was even more exaggerated, with a spirit beast leg in her left hand, a handful of dried spirit fruit in her right hand, and a piece of candied fruit in her mouth, looking exactly like a little piglet that had fallen into a granary.

"Mmm, so delicious!" Zhao Lingling mumbled incoherently. "Qiqi, can you eat this every day?"

Qiqi shook her head: "I've rarely come here since my brother stopped patrolling."

The two girls were eating and walking when suddenly Zhao Lingling stopped and sniffed hard.

"Huh? What's that smell? It smells so good!"

Qiqi also sniffed—

A faint fragrance of osmanthus wafted over, sweet and refreshing, unlike the strong scent of ordinary osmanthus. Instead, it carried a subtle, ethereal quality that whetted the appetite.

Following the scent, you'll find a newly opened shop on the street corner with a sign that reads "Gui Xiang Zhai" in large characters.

The shop wasn't big, but the decor was quite elegant, with osmanthus patterns carved on the wooden door.

A long table stood by the entrance, piled high with steaming trays of pastries.

The fragrance of osmanthus flowers wafts from here.

The shop owner was a middle-aged man in his early thirties, tall and thin, wearing a clean apron, and was tidying up the steamer.

He saw the two girls standing at the door and immediately gave them a warm smile:

"Oh, young lady, want to try some? We're a shop with a thousand-year-old reputation. Our ancestors used to make desserts for the Emperor in the imperial kitchen, and we only use century-old Lingxi osmanthus flowers!"

As he spoke, he picked up a box of freshly made osmanthus cakes and handed it over with a smile.

Qiqi and Zhao Lingling exchanged a glance, politely thanked them, and each picked up a piece and took a bite.

The osmanthus cake is soft and fluffy, with the aroma of osmanthus melting on the tongue. It is sweet but not cloying, with a refreshing aftertaste. It is truly a rare and excellent craftsmanship.

"It's so delicious!"

Zhao Lingling's eyes lit up, and she swallowed a piece of osmanthus cake in a few bites, then grabbed another piece and stuffed it into her mouth.

Qiqi nodded and ate in small bites, but as she ate, she suddenly frowned.

"What's wrong?" The owner noticed her expression and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Is it not good?"

Qiqi shook her head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "It's delicious, but... it seems to be missing one ingredient."

The boss was stunned.

He looked the young girl up and down, and a question began to form in his mind—

Whose child is this? How did you know their osmanthus cake was missing a ingredient?

You should know that the recipe for this osmanthus cake was passed down in their family and is said to be a secret recipe from the Ming Dynasty imperial kitchen.

Unfortunately, by the time it was passed down to their generation, there had been a break in the generations, and some ingredients were not passed down.

The two brothers tried their best and tried countless times, but they still couldn't recreate that flavor.

This girl can tell just by tasting it?

The boss bent down, his tone becoming more serious.

"There is indeed a problem with our family recipe. A few ingredients were lost when it was passed down from the Ming Dynasty, and that one ingredient has never been added back. Can you taste what's missing?"

After saying that, the boss thought he might be crazy. He was asking a young girl something his family hadn't figured out in generations?

Unexpectedly, Qiqi tilted her head and thought for a moment, when a blurry image suddenly flashed through her mind.

It was a large room with the windows open, letting in sunlight that fell on the countertop.

A young pastry chef, dressed in a white outfit, stood next to the cutting board, diligently preparing various ingredients.

In the video, a small figure is hiding behind a door, peeking furtively inside.

That figure...

It looks like it was her?