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

Qi Qi was startled and instinctively shrank behind Ji Zuodao, clutching his clothes and peeking out half her head, looking timidly at the two girls.

Ji Zuodao was also taken aback for a moment, then turned his head and looked at the street outside—

Asphalt road, utility poles, streetlights, trash cans.

That's right, it's still Jinghai, and it's still the 21st century.

He turned back and looked at the two young women in ruqun (traditional Chinese dresses) in the shop. He had only one thought in his mind: This bastard really knows how to enjoy himself.

The two girls weren't in a hurry when they saw Qiqi hiding behind Ji Zuodao. They simply smiled and stepped back two paces to make way for the inner hall.

One of the older girls, who looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, with delicate features and a soft voice, said, "Your Highness, please follow me. His Highness has prepared tea and refreshments and has been waiting for you for some time."

Qi Qi raised her head, looked at Ji Zuodao, then at the two girls, hesitated for a moment, then loosened her sleeve and followed the two girls inside with her short legs.

Ji Zuodao followed behind, thinking to himself: This pomp and circumstance is so real.

Passing through a moon gate with a bamboo curtain, there is a small courtyard behind it.

In the center of the courtyard stood a stone table with a set of celadon teaware on it. Next to it was a three-tiered food box with exquisite carvings, which looked expensive.

Zhu Cheng sat by the stone table, wearing a dark blue python robe today, with a jade belt around his waist and his hair tied up with a white jade hairpin.

He looked much more energetic and exuded an air of nobility that was hard to describe.

Behind him, Old Huang had changed into a flying fish robe, with an embroidered spring knife at his waist. He stood there straight, like a standard, his eyes fixed straight ahead, expressionless.

They really do have a bit of the aura of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

As soon as Qiqi entered the courtyard, her eyes were drawn to the food box on the stone table.

The food box was made of rosewood, carved with a lotus scroll pattern, and the lid was half-open, revealing neatly arranged pastries inside.

There are osmanthus cake, mung bean cake, almond shortbread, lotus flower shortbread, dragon beard shortbread, pea flour cake...

It's so colorful and delicious, it makes your mouth water just looking at it.

The best part was that the pastries were still steaming hot, obviously fresh out of the oven. The sweet aroma wafted through the air with the steam, filling the courtyard in the early morning and making everyone's stomachs rumble.

Qiqi's steps suddenly stopped.

She stood at the entrance of the courtyard, looking at the table of pastries, then turned her head to look at Ji Zuodao, her eyes questioning.

Seeing her looking like she was desperately craving something but still wanted his opinion first, Ji Zuodao's annoyance dissipated considerably, and he nodded: "Go ahead, it's alright."

Once Qiqi got permission, she immediately took off running with her short legs, "da da da" to the stone table, stood on tiptoe, looked at the pastries, and then looked up at Zhu Cheng.

Zhu Cheng sat at the stone table, holding a cup of tea, smiling at her. He didn't urge her or introduce her, just waited quietly, like an old fox patiently waiting for its prey to take the bait.

Qiqi hesitated for a moment, then reached out her little hand, picked up a lotus-shaped pastry, and took a small bite.

Then, her eyes lit up.

The lotus-shaped pastry melts in your mouth, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. The delicate fragrance of lotus seed paste spreads on your tongue, sweet but not cloying, with a subtle milky aroma. It's so delicious that you'll want to swallow your tongue.

He finished the lotus-shaped pastry in no time, then reached for a dragon whisker pastry, took a bite, and his eyes lit up even more.

Then came mung bean cake, almond shortbread, pea flour cake...

She ate until her cheeks were bulging, like a little hamster, her little mouth covered in crumbs, but she didn't notice, just kept stuffing one piece after another into her mouth.

As Zhu Cheng watched her eat, the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up, and a gentle smile appeared in his eyes.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "These pastries were made by the best pastry chef in the Imperial Kitchen. Come to think of it, Qiqi might have even tasted his pastries."

With a piece of osmanthus cake stuffed in her mouth, Qiqi asked indistinctly, "Hmm? When?"

Zhu Cheng smiled but did not answer.

Qiqi tilted her head, then continued to focus on the snacks in her hands.

Ji Zuodao crossed his arms, leaned against the doorframe, pursed his lips, and spoke in a sarcastic tone:

"Oh, the Imperial Kitchen? Really? You didn't just buy this from a roadside stall, did you? This pastry looks like something a sparrow would eat; it's only good for fooling little kids."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Cheng clapped his hands.

A palace maid dressed in a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) responded and walked out from the side door, carrying a tray with a blue and white porcelain bowl on it.

The bowl was overflowing with steaming hot pastries, all neatly arranged.

The palace maid walked up to Ji Zuodao, bowed slightly, raised the tray above her head, and said in a clear voice, "Mr. Ji, please enjoy your meal."

Ji Zuodao looked at the bowl piled high with pastries, then at Zhu Cheng, opened his mouth, closed it again, then opened it again, and finally swallowed back the words "sparrow food".

With a dark expression, he took the bowl of pastries, gave an annoyed "humph," turned around, walked to the stone bench at the other end of the courtyard, sat down, picked up a pastry, and took a big bite.

Yes, it really is quite delicious.

He silently picked up another piece and put it in his mouth.

Seeing that he was clearly enjoying his food but was putting on an expression that said, "I'm just giving you face," Zhu Cheng couldn't help but smile even more.

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at Qiqi, his voice gentle: "Qiqi, would you like to see the place you used to live?"

Qiqi was munching on an almond cookie when she heard this. She looked up and blinked, "The place where we used to live?"

"Yes." Zhu Cheng nodded. "The place you used to live in was very big and beautiful, with lots of flowers."

Qiqi tilted her head and thought for a moment, then shook her head: "Qiqi doesn't remember."

"It's alright," Zhu Cheng smiled. "I can take you to see it."

Qi Qi hesitated for a moment, then turned her head to look at Ji Zuodao.

When Ji Zuodao saw the look in Qi Qi's eyes, he quickly swallowed the snack in his mouth, cleared his throat, and said in a seemingly calm tone, "Go if you want to, anyway, you're just killing time."

Qi Qi nodded and turned to Zhu Cheng: "Okay."

Zhu Cheng smiled slightly, stood up, and straightened his robes: "Then let's go."

He had just taken a step when he heard a clanging sound behind him.

Zhu Cheng turned around and saw that Ji Zuodao had stood up from the stone bench at some point, holding a human skin bag in his hand, and was standing in front of the antique shelf, stuffing things into the bag with practiced ease.

A blue and white plum vase was inserted.

A gilt bronze incense burner was inserted inside.

A white jade pendant was inserted.

The movements were fluid and seamless, performed in one go, so skillful it was almost heartbreaking.

The clanging and banging noises made it seem like he was collecting scrap metal.

Zhu Cheng watched this scene, his eyelids twitched, his lips twitched, he took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, trying his best to maintain the gentle and refined smile on his face.

He told himself to be polite and cultured, and not to stoop to the level of this bastard.

But in his heart he was already cursing.

Although he can have as many of these things as he wants, isn't it a bit too much for you to take my things right in front of me?

As if sensing his gaze, Ji Zuodao turned around, grinned at him, revealing a set of white teeth: "What? Feeling sorry for him?"

Zhu Cheng took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, his smile remaining unchanged. He squeezed out two words through gritted teeth: "I don't feel sorry for you."

"That's good." Ji Zuodao nodded and continued stuffing things into the bag, his actions becoming even more unrestrained.

Zhu Cheng looked at him and suddenly realized that he might have made a wrong decision.