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

Qiqi's eyes lit up immediately.

She stared at the wooden bird, a curious expression on her small face, but she didn't immediately reach out to take it. Instead, she looked up at Zhu Cheng's face, as if to confirm whether he was a good person.

Zhu Cheng smiled, squatted down to be at eye level with Qi Qi, and handed the wooden bird forward a little more: "Take it, I made this myself, it's for you to play with."

Qiqi hesitated for a moment, then reached out her little hand and took the wooden bird.

She looked at it from all angles, then tried to turn on the small mechanism under the bird's tail—

"Chirp!"

The wooden bird flapped its wings in her hand and let out a clear chirp.

Qiqi's eyes instantly curved into crescent moons, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up, revealing two shallow dimples. She looked up at Zhu Cheng, her voice brimming with excitement: "It can bark!"

Zhu Cheng smiled and nodded: "Yes, it can fly too. You can toss it gently into the air, and it will fly a little circle before landing back in your hand."

Upon hearing this, Qiqi tried gently tossing the wooden bird into the air.

Sure enough, the wooden bird flapped its wings, circled a little above her head, and then landed steadily in her outstretched palm, sitting obediently like a well-trained little pet.

"Wow--"

Qiqi's mouth opened into a small "O" shape, her eyes sparkling as if she had discovered a new continent.

She tossed it again, and the wooden bird flew around once more before landing back in her hand. She tossed it again, and it landed back again.

Qi Qi giggled, her laughter as clear and crisp as a silver bell, echoing through the hall and drawing the attention of several passing investigators, who couldn't help but turn their heads and unconscious smiles.

Zhu Cheng looked at her and smiled, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up as well.

He squatted down in front of Qiqi, watching her play with the wooden bird, watching her eyes crinkle with laughter, watching her little face blush slightly with happiness, and suddenly felt a little dazed.

He was thinking, what if that tragedy hadn't happened back then, what if the Ming Dynasty hadn't fallen, what if the Zhu family's bloodline had continued...

Then this prince must have grown up in the palace, living a life of luxury and surrounded by servants.

Instead of having to relearn how to be an ordinary child in an unfamiliar era, as we are doing now.

Zhu Cheng sighed softly to himself, but his face remained gentle as he reached out and patted Qi Qi's head lightly: "Do you like it?"

Qiqi nodded vigorously, carefully cradling the wooden bird in her hands as if it were a priceless treasure: "I love it! Thank you, brother!"

Zhu Cheng smiled and was about to say something when suddenly, a lazy voice came from the other end of the hall: "Hey, Qi Qi, who's this?"

Zhu Cheng raised his head.

A young man, wearing a black trench coat and with a lollipop in his mouth, strolled leisurely down the corridor.

It was Ji Zuodao.

Zhu Cheng stood up, turned to Ji Zuodao, cupped his hands in greeting, and his tone returned to its previous calm and composure:

"My name is Zhu Cheng. I apologize for disturbing you. I have come today to apologize for those ignorant subordinates."

Ji Zuodao pulled the lollipop out of his mouth with a crisp "pop," looked Zhu Cheng up and down, and grinned:

"Those are your people? You're quite sincere. Okay, let's go upstairs and talk."

He turned and walked towards the stairwell. After taking two steps, he looked back at Qiqi and said, "Qiqi, you play here for a while. I'm going upstairs to talk to you about something, and I'll be right back."

Qiqi was engrossed in studying the structure of the bird's wings, and without looking up, she simply hummed in agreement.

Ji Zuodao glanced at Zhu Cheng again, his eyes filled with a mixture of scrutiny and amusement.

Then he turned around and strode upstairs.

Zhu Cheng followed Ji Zuodao upstairs.

The two walked one after the other, their footsteps echoing in the hallway.

Ji Zuodao walked ahead with a casual gait, his hands in his trench coat pockets and a lollipop dangling from his mouth, looking as if nothing was wrong.

Zhu Cheng followed behind, keeping a distance of about three steps, his posture composed and his steps steady.

Just past a corner.

Without any warning—

Ji Zuodao made a move.

He was like a bowstring stretched to its limit and then suddenly released, and with a "whoosh," he lunged in!

There was no warning, no initial stance, not even a change in his eyes.

One second he was walking forward nonchalantly, the next second his right elbow was wrapped in a cold, sharp wind, and it was aimed straight at Zhu Cheng's throat!

This was ruthless, vicious, swift, and cunning.

Elbow strikes are the most difficult to defend against in close-quarters combat. They are delivered quickly and with short distances, and if they hit, they can cause anything from a broken throat to instant death.

Moreover, Ji Zuodao's elbow strike was extremely tricky at the angle. It wasn't a straight-up collision, but rather carried a subtle arc, like a venomous snake swaying its head, making it impossible to defend against.

Zhu Cheng's pupils contracted slightly.

He did not back down.

He knew that at this distance, if he retreated, his momentum would dissipate, and he would be met with a barrage of attacks, leaving him with no chance to recover.

His right foot suddenly stepped half a step to the side and forward, his body turning at an extremely small angle, barely avoiding the fatal elbow strike.

At the same time, he closed his left hand with his five fingers together, like a sharp blade, and thrust it straight at Ji Zuodao's chest.

This move is upright and aboveboard.

No fancy tricks, no deceit, just the most orthodox martial arts style—

Avoid their sharpest attacks and strike where they must defend.

Ji Zuodao's lips curled slightly.

This is the moment he's been waiting for.

Suddenly, more than a dozen thin, black veins burst out of his chest!

Those large tendrils, like living tentacles, drew strange arcs in the air, making a "whoosh" sound as they cut through the air, bypassing Zhu Cheng's hand blade and heading straight for his face, neck, and heart!

This turn of events happened too quickly and too strangely. Zhu Cheng's moves were already worn out, and he couldn't react in time. It looked as the black tendons were about to pierce his vital points—

He took a deep breath and his body shifted half a foot to the side and back in a way that defied human biomechanics.

At the same time, he pulled his right hand out of his pocket, spread his five fingers, and pressed it lightly in front of him.

"Buzz—"

An invisible force exploded in front of him, like an unseen shield, slightly blocking the black veins.

But in that brief moment, he had already created enough distance between them.

However, he underestimated Ji Zuodao's ruthlessness.

As he retreated, Ji Zuodao's left hand shot out like a ghost, its five fingers like hooks, grabbing his right wrist before he could retract it.

Then--

"Click."

A crisp, teeth-grinding cracking sound echoed in the narrow stairwell.

Zhu Cheng's right wrist bent at an abnormal angle.

The whole process was so fast it was dazzling.

From the moment Ji Zuodao launched his attack to the moment Zhu Cheng's wrist broke, the entire process took no more than three seconds.

Zhu Cheng looked down at his deformed wrist.

His expression remained unchanged; there was no pain, no anger, no surprise.

It was as if that hand wasn't his.

He raised his head and looked at Ji Zuodao, his face still showing that gentle and refined demeanor, not even the curve of his lips had changed.

"What is the meaning of this, Your Excellency?"

Ji Zuodao did not answer.

He turned his head and looked down at the lobby.

Looking down from here, you can only see a blurry little figure squatting in the corner of the hall, having a great time.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, falling on her and gilding her with a warm, golden glow.

Ji Zuodao withdrew his gaze and looked at Zhu Cheng.

The carefree smile on his face had vanished completely. In its place was a cold, devoid of any warmth.

"He does have some skill."

He spoke, his voice not loud, even a little soft, yet it carried a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine: "I originally intended to snap your neck."

Zhu Cheng didn't speak, he just looked at him quietly.

Ji Zuodao took a step forward.

He wasn't much taller than Zhu Cheng, but when he took that step, it felt like a mountain was pressing down on him, making the air in the entire stairwell feel thick and sticky.

"I don't know what your purpose is in getting close to Qiqi."

He spoke slowly and deliberately, each word as if pulled from an icebox, "But you better remember this—"

He reached out and tapped Zhu Cheng's chest with his index finger, the pressure light but the meaning clear: "Next time, if I see you near my sister again—"

He grinned, revealing a smile that could only be described as ferocious.

"I'll kill you."

Zhu Cheng remained silent for a moment, then reached out his left hand, grasped the severed wrist, and gently twisted it—

"Click."

The bone has been repositioned.

His expression remained unchanged, as if he had just been tightening a loose screw.

Then, he raised his head, looked at Ji Zuodao, and sighed softly.