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

The older woman led Ji Zuodao and his party through a corridor filled with dried medicinal herbs.

The air was filled with the unique aroma of aged herbs mixed with the wood, a bitter yet serene scent.

Some yellowed meridian charts and fragments of prescriptions hang on the corridor walls.

Looking at it this way, it finally has some of the atmosphere of a place for spiritual practice.

"Lord Ji, this way please. Granny Su is waiting at 'Listening to the Rain Pavilion'."

The older woman bowed in greeting.

Listening to the Rain Pavilion is a quiet room with a small courtyard visible from the window, where many rare medicinal herbs are planted. At this moment, the morning dew has not yet dried, making it even more exquisite.

Behind a large rosewood desk by the window sat an elderly woman with gray hair, a thin face, and wearing a dark blue jacket.

She was wearing reading glasses, looking at a medicinal herb in a wooden box.

She looked up, her gaze first falling on Zhao Lingling, a hint of tenderness flashing in her eyes.

He then glanced at Ji Zuodao, finally lingering on Gouye for a moment.

"Grandma Su, this is Investigator Ji from the 749 Bureau of Jinghai. She's here to escort my junior sister to school. This is... Investigator Ji's partner."

The older woman introduced the man in a low voice, but clearly hesitated for a moment when introducing him as "Dog Master".

"Okay, I understand. You can go now. Prepare some calming tea."

"Yes."

Only three people and a dog remained in the quiet room.

"I am Su Ming, and I am in charge of the Jinghai branch of the Medicine Immortal Valley. Investigator Ji, please have a seat."

Grandma Su pointed to the chair opposite the desk, her tone neither humble nor arrogant.

"Lingling, come here to Grandma."

Zhao Lingling glanced at Ji Zuodao somewhat timidly.

Ji Zuodao nodded to her, indicating that everything was alright.

Zhao Lingling then slowly walked over, and Grandma Su gently took her hand, gently felt her pulse, and carefully examined her complexion.

"Hmm, with a clear and refined constitution and a pure aura, he is indeed a rare medicinal spirit body."

Grandma Su gave Zhao Lingling a kind smile.

"She's a promising talent. From now on, she can stay here and learn from the senior students, okay?"

"Okay, thank you, Grandma."

Zhao Lingling nodded obediently.

Grandma Su then turned her gaze back to Ji Zuodao.

"I have heard about what happened downstairs. My disciple is young and inexperienced, and offended Investigator Ji. It is my fault for not disciplining him properly. I must thank Investigator Ji for his magnanimity in not pursuing the matter further."

Ji Zuodao grinned, his "shy" expression reappearing:

"Grandma Su, you're too kind. It was just a small misunderstanding, but it's all cleared up now. In our Bureau 749, we always prioritize evidence, procedure, and human relationships when we do things."

"As long as we don't break the law or violate regulations, or endanger society, we are very willing to live in harmony with friends from all walks of life and work together to build a better Jinghai."

He delivered a set of standard official platitudes with utmost sincerity, and with his upright posture, he looked every bit the fine young man.

"Investigator Hiroki."

If Granny Su hadn't known that this guy was trying to extort money, she probably would have believed he was a kind-hearted junior.

"Speaking of which, there are quite a few good things in Medicine Immortal Valley. That bronze mirror is quite magical. When I looked into it, my underwear was almost pulled off."

Ji Zuodao asked casually, as if he were just curious.

"It's just a little trinket left by our ancestors, capable of reflecting the aura of anyone who comes, to prevent unscrupulous individuals from sneaking in and spying on the valley's secrets. I hope Investigator Ji won't find it amusing."

Grandma Su paused, then added:

"However, a mirror is ultimately an inanimate object, reflecting only superficial appearances and underlying dynamics. How can a single mirror possibly determine the goodness or evil in a person's heart, or the righteousness or wickedness of their actions?"

"Investigator Ji is a law enforcement officer of the state, and her integrity is impeccable. Her slight heretical behavior is not worth mentioning."

That was a perfectly watertight statement.

It not only explained the purpose of the mirror, but also subtly defused the embarrassment of Ji Zuodao being "revealed", and even gave 749 a hand.

An old hand.

Ji Zuodao's inner thoughts were accompanied by an even wider smile:

"Grandma Su is very insightful and makes a good point. I won't bother you any longer. I'll leave Lingling in your care. I'll pick her up after school this afternoon."

"Take care, Investigator Ji."

Ji Zuodao got up and prepared to leave Tingyuxuan with Dog Master.

He had only taken two steps when he suddenly seemed to remember something, stopped, turned around, and his gaze fell on the medicinal herb lying in the wooden box in front of Granny Su.

"Oh, right, Grandma Su."

"Don't bother studying this Scrophularia in your hand. Aside from the fact that most of its medicinal properties have dissipated, it looks old, but actually..."

"They used a trick called 'grafting' to attach the old ginseng rootlets. The method is old-fashioned, but the person doing the grafting was quite skilled; the seam was handled very smoothly."

"Unfortunately, the skill is a little lacking. Right here, right here, there's this fork..."

Ji Zuodao extended his index finger and pointed to several locations in the wooden box from a distance, as if he had measured them with a ruler.

"These nodes aren't connected properly. If you look closely, the meridian pathways are broken. These few stray hairs are what gave it away."

Having said that, he didn't linger and turned to continue walking towards the stairwell.

Upon hearing this, Granny Su frowned, leaned closer, and intently examined the spots that Ji Zuodao had just vaguely pointed to.

At first, she was somewhat skeptical, but when she channeled a wisp of spiritual energy into her eyes and carefully examined those so-called "nodes"—

really!

Those seemingly vigorous and spiritually aura-filled ginseng roots, at the point where they connect with the main root, exhibit extremely subtle yet undeniable stagnation and breakage in their internal meridians!

If not pointed out, it would be extremely difficult to detect with the naked eye or even ordinary spiritual senses!

"hiss……"

Grandma Su took a deep breath, slowly raised her head, and looked at Ji Zuodao's figure that was about to disappear around the corner of the corridor. She could no longer hide the surprise in her eyes.

This young man... has such a sharp eye?!

Those few flaws, as fine as hair, were mixed in with the dense texture of the ginseng roots and the abundant spiritual energy on its surface.

He merely glanced at it as he passed by, yet he pointed it out with perfect accuracy, as if he could read the lines on the palm of his hand!

Grandma Su was shocked, and the calm expression on her face was finally broken.

Instead, there is a sense of astonishment and an irrepressible interest in discovering a prodigy.

The people of Medicine Immortal Valley all have this one "flaw" in their bones—

Encountering someone with genuine skill, especially someone who can identify medicinal herbs at a glance, is even more enticing than finding a peerless elixir formula.

"Investigator Hime! Please wait!"

Grandma Su's voice was no longer as calm and polite as before; it was noticeably louder and carried a hint of urgency.

She even subconsciously stood up and leaned forward slightly.

Upon hearing this, Ji Zuodao stopped at the corner of the corridor, turned half of his face to the side, raised his eyebrows slightly, as if to ask: Is there anything else?

Grandma Su composed herself and quickly composed her expression, but the eagerness in her eyes was undeniable:

"It was my poor eyesight! I had no idea that Investigator Ji possessed such profound expertise in the identification of medicinal herbs! My apologies for my disrespect!"

Her tone was sincere, filled with genuine admiration, then she changed the subject, adopting a humbler stance:

"If Investigator Ji were to grace our humble branch with her presence and leave without even a cup of tea, wouldn't people laugh at Medicine Immortal Valley for its lack of hospitality?"

"Xiao Shun! Don't just stand there! Get the 'Misty Heart Serenity' tea from that celadon jar on the top shelf of my cabinet! Use a purple clay teapot, spring water, and brew it fresh!"

She gave instructions to the older woman waiting outside the door, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"Investigator Ji, if you are not in a hurry to attend to official business, would you do me the honor of sitting for a while longer? I happen to have some questions about medicinal herbs that I would like to ask you."

She truly meant it when she said "I'd like to ask for your advice."

Dog Master tilted his head to look at Ji Zuodao, then at the suddenly enthusiastic Granny Su, pouted, and went to bask in the sun by the window.

Well, that brat, he's managed to get good tea again using his crooked and unorthodox skills.