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

Then, Ji Zuodao's eyes slowly widened.

The pupils dilated, and an earthquake began.

What the hell is this?!

The pages of the book contained neither text nor illustrations, but rather a series of extremely detailed, lifelike, and brightly colored paintings.

The content of the painting...

Page 1: A dignified female bodhisattva, adorned with necklaces, is with a man dressed as a scholar...

Hmm, practicing the Joyful Zen?

But isn't this meditation posture a bit too ahead of its time?

Page Two: A benevolent-faced goddess, Mazu, riding on auspicious clouds, is being approached by a fisherman...

Could you please share some fishing tips?

Isn't the use of fishing nets and boat hulls a bit too realistic?

Ji Zuodao's hands began to tremble.

He took a deep breath, tried to remain calm, and turned the page.

Page 3: Two familiar tall figures, one in black and one in white, wearing top hats and sticking out long tongues, one holding chains and the other holding a mourning stick, are pinning some unfortunate scholar down on... a judge's table? Scattered around are the Book of Life and Death and the Soul-Snatching Pen?

"hiss--!!!"

Ji Zuodao gasped, his scalp tingling, and he almost threw the notebook away!

Seventh Master! Eighth Master!

Black and White Impermanence!!

They actually dared to draw this?! And even fabricate this?!

He slammed the notebook shut, his heart pounding wildly, feeling as if his worldview had been hit by a nuclear bomb.

He, Ji Zuodao, didn't consider himself a good person; he had done his fair share of things like skinning people alive to make human pills.

But at least he maintained a basic level of respect for those "below" the bosses!

Is this something you can just draw anywhere?! Aren't you afraid of being dragged away by the soul-binding chains while you sleep at night?!

"How is it, fellow Daoist? Is the content... acceptable?"

The young man leaned closer, a hopeful smile on his face, and asked in a low voice:

"This is the latest installment in the 'Ghostly Series,' with a captivating and dramatic plot, especially the story of Black and White Impermanence, which focuses on a 'forbidden love' and 'insubordination,' and has received rave reviews..."

Ji Zuodao raised his head and looked at the young man's harmless-looking face with a very complicated expression.

The young man spoke seriously, then lowered his voice mysteriously.

"Moreover, this is not an ordinary picture book."

He extended his finger and lightly touched an inconspicuous rune on the cover of the notebook.

hum-

The pages turned rapidly on their own, even without wind.

Then, something happened that left Ji Zuodao speechless once again.

The images on the book pages seemed to detach from the paper and project into the air as a clear, three-dimensional, and even somewhat 3D-like... moving image!

It's the content from the page with the Black and White Impermanence from just now!

And it's a million times more "vivid" than a static image! Plus, it has voice-over! And it's surround sound!

"Little scholar~ Your lifespan is over, obediently come back to the underworld with me~" The image of Bai Wuchang smiled charmingly, and the chains rattled.

"Hehehe, Old Bai's chains are a bit cold, let me warm them up for you with my mourning stick~" The image of Black Impermanence was ferocious as it approached the trembling scholar's phantom.

Ji Zuo said: "..."

He quickly turned off the projector.

He now wishes he could gouge out his own eyes.

"This is... a literary magic technique?"

Ji Zuodao suddenly realized what was happening, and his eyes were filled with disbelief as he looked at the young man.

He could sense a unique power flowing within the light and shadow, similar to yet different from spiritual power, gentle and rhythmic, which should be the so-called literary energy!

"Fellow Daoist has excellent eyesight!"

The young man's eyes lit up, he straightened his back, and revealed a smile that was both proud and unruly.

"I am but a humble scholar, a cultivator of the literary path, with the Daoist name... um, and the pen name 'Jade-Faced Scholar.' These 'masterpieces' are the result of my leisure time, carefully drawn and compiled by combining some minor literary techniques."

Ji Zuodao looked at the other person's "praise me quickly" expression and remained silent for a full five seconds.

Scholars and Taoist cultivators...

Drawing in this kind of notebook...

They even drew Black and White Impermanence...

Ji Zuodao remained silent.

He recalled his three masters' evaluation of "literary practitioners"—

The head chef: "You pedant! You're so pretentious! So bookish! So rigid! Your archaic language is driving me crazy!"

Second Master: "Hypocrite! Full of empty platitudes about benevolence and morality."

The third master concluded: "A good beating will make them behave."

But the one in front of me...

Ji Zuodao recalled the vivid and sensual scene in the air just now, and then looked at the young man's elegant, handsome, and harmless face.

Pedantic? Sour tea?

This is what you call being pedantic?!

That's some nerve...

Even if you beat Ji Zuodao to death, he wouldn't dare to draw any doujinshi about the Seventh and Eighth Masters!

Not to mention they even used literary and magical arts to turn it into a short film!

This is no longer just heresy.

This is simply... a collapse of ritual and music! A disgrace to literature and morality!

Ji Zuodao took a deep breath, his emotions extremely complicated.

"You...you're selling this? Right here? Aren't you afraid of getting caught? I know to go to the black market."

He finally asked the most crucial question.

"Making money is nothing to be ashamed of."

The young man shrugged, his expression nonchalant.

"There are a lot of people here, it's secluded, and... I asked around, and Investigator Li from Bureau 749 was transferred here before, so this place is actually the safest."

"The black market? Heh, fellow Daoist, your information is outdated. The biggest black market in the East District recently offended some powerful figure, and the deputy director of Bureau 749 led his men to wipe it out!"

"Good heavens, they scoured the place thoroughly, and those bosses almost hanged themselves. The area is still reeling from the shock."

Ji Zuo said: "..."

Silently and slowly, he raised his hand and covered his face.

So it turns out... it was his fault.

Liu Shuduan's black market indirectly led this "artist" to relocate to this "safest" market for Qi cultivators to expand his market.

"So, this place is currently in a vacuum, it's safe."

The young man, oblivious to Ji Zuodao's strange silence, continued his eloquent speech:

"I heard the new investigator is taking office in the next couple of days, but who knows when he'll arrive? Even if he does, a new broom sweeps clean, and he needs to familiarize himself with the situation first, right? I'm playing the time game! By the time he finds out, I'll have already sold everything and moved on."

"Fellow Daoist, I can tell you're a discerning person. How about I get one? Fair prices, no deception, young or old. All kinds are available; if you can imagine it, I can draw it. Custom orders are welcome, and discounts are available for bulk orders."

The young man enthusiastically promoted his product, his eyes gleaming with a desire for money and confidence in his "art."

Ji Zuodao lowered his hand from his face, and his expression returned to calm.

He looked at the young man and suddenly gave him a smile that could be described as "kind".

"Fellow Daoist, you just said... the new investigator might not be familiar with the situation yet?"

"Yes, that's why it's safest to buy now!" the young man nodded.

"So what do you think...?"

Ji Zuodao slowly began to unbutton his black trench coat.

"New investigator, if I were standing right in front of you... and caught red-handed..."

"How long will you be sentenced to?"

The buttons are undone.

Underneath the trench coat—

The epaulettes, signifying a formal investigator from Bureau 749, gleamed with a metallic sheen.

On his chest was a black body camera with a dimly flashing indicator light, the lens pointed directly at the young man's face, which froze instantly.

The smile on the young man's face, like ice and snow under the scorching sun, melted and solidified at a visible speed, eventually turning into a deathly pale white.

He opened his mouth, his eyes behind his glasses widened, and the canvas bag in his hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

"You, you, you...you are..."

"Let's get to know each other again."

"Ji Zuodao, Investigator of Yuehai District."

"You are hereby arrested for allegedly producing, selling, and disseminating obscene materials, which violates Article 68 of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law and Article 12, Paragraph 5 of the Regulations Governing the Management of Practitioners."

The young man's legs went weak, and he sat down on the ground with a thud.

"I just want to earn some spirit stones to buy better writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones to improve my literary skills..."

His voice trembled, choked with sobs:

"Artistic creation... how is it illegal...?"

Ji Zuodao's lips twitched slightly.

"Your artistic standards are too high."

"And don't draw Seventh Master or Eighth Master next time. Seriously, take my advice."