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

Ji Zuodao's lips twitched as he looked at him.

This guy, whenever he wants to cause trouble, he always starts with a heartfelt speech, portraying himself as a pitiful person in need of help, and then takes the opportunity to reveal his true purpose.

Hmm? How did Ji Zuodao know that?

Damn it, he used all my tricks.

"Alright, alright, stop acting."

Ji Zuodao waved his hand, interrupting his performance, "Just tell me straight, how much do you want?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Zhengdao immediately raised his head, and the sad expression on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a bright smile.

He held up five fingers and waved them in front of Ji Zuodao.

"fifty thousand?"

Ji Zhengdao shook his head.

"Five hundred thousand?"

Ji Zhengdao shook his head again.

"Five million?"

Ji Zhengdao nodded, his smile widening: "Brother, you really understand me."

"roll!"

Ji Zuodao slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "Do you think I'm an ATM? Five million? Where am I supposed to get five million for you?"

"elder brother--"

Calling him "Dad" won't help.

"Daddy~~~"

"..."

Ji Zuodao remained silent.

Ji Zhengdao's voice suddenly became somewhat aggrieved and resentful, carrying a meaning that implied, "You've changed; you weren't like this before."

"Brother, are you disgusted with me?"

"..."

Do you think I'm a burden?

"..."

"Do you think that now that I'm free, I should just get lost and stop bothering you?"

"..."

"Brother, don't worry, I won't make things difficult for you. Since you think I'm a burden, then I'll leave. I can survive on my own. At worst, I'll sleep under bridges, scavenge for food, or..."

"Alright, alright, alright! I'll give it to you, okay?" Ji Zuodao finally couldn't take it anymore.

Damn it, this bastard has learned all the tricks he used to deal with the Empress and those vixens, and now he's using them against him.

Upon hearing Ji Zuodao's agreement, Ji Zhengdao immediately raised his head, the tears on his face vanishing instantly, replaced by a radiant smile.

The speed at which they changed their expressions was faster than turning the pages of a book.

"Really? Bro, that's amazing!"

He rushed over, grabbed Ji Zuodao in a hug, and pouted, as if he was about to kiss him.

Startled by his sudden movement, Ji Zuodao kicked him to the ground and snapped, "Get lost! Don't disgust me!"

Ji Zhengdao rolled around on the ground twice, not annoyed at all. He stood up, grinned, and winked at him, "Brother, don't worry, I'll definitely bring you a gift when I get back from my trip!"

"Get out of here, don't get in my way."

"Alright!"

Ji Zhengdao responded, turned around, and skipped out of the office.

That silhouette looked so joyful and smug.

Ji Zuodao watched his departing figure, sighed, and then lowered his head to look at his wallet.

empty.

It's really empty.

During the Lunar New Year, he served the goddess in the Ailao Mountains and finally earned some hard-earned money.

Massage shoulders, pound legs, pour tea, serve water, and every now and then the Empress would force him to the ground and give him a frantic meal.

Is it easy for him?

The results of it?

That bastard stole it all.

Ji Zuodao sat in his office, looking out at the gray sky, feeling that his heart was even grayer than the sky outside.

Damn it, I can't live like this anymore.

If Ji Zhengdao's nibbling on Brother is still within Ji Zuodao's acceptable range, then the following person is someone Ji Zuodao really can't tolerate.

Zhu Cheng.

That bastard has come knocking on our door too.

Moreover, he didn't come to borrow money; he came to collect a debt.

That afternoon, Ji Zuodao was in his office calculating the month's income and expenditure.

The more I calculate, the more frustrated I feel; the more I calculate, the more I feel like I've worked for nothing this month.

Just as I was pondering whether to find an excuse to raid someone's place to replenish my funds, someone knocked on the office door.

"Enter."

The door opened, and Zhu Cheng walked in.

Ji Zuodao frowned as soon as he saw him.

It's not because I hate it, well, I do hate it.

The main reason is that this person's current appearance is so different from when we first met.

The first time I met Zhu Cheng, this grandson was wearing a moon-white long robe, holding a folding fan in his hand, standing under the old locust tree, smiling and waiting for Qi Qi.

His demeanor and bearing were exactly like those of a noble young master who had stepped out of an ancient painting—refined, elegant, and exuding an air of nobility.

What now?

He was wearing a wrinkled shirt, with one button on the collar that was fastened incorrectly, his hair was a mess, and his eye bags were so heavy they looked like he was carrying two sandbags.

He exuded an aura of decadence.

Looking at him like this, Ji Zuodao suddenly felt a surge of inexplicable pleasure.

Yeah, right!

"Section Chief Ji, I have something to discuss with you."

Zhu Cheng spoke, his voice carrying a hint of weariness, a hint of helplessness, and a sense of entitlement that said, "I didn't want to come either, but you have to take responsibility."

"explain."

Ji Zuodao leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and struck a pose that said, "I'd like to see what kind of fart you can come up with."

"The Great Ming Secret Realm is gone. I no longer need those Imperial Guards and palace maids trained by the Zhu family, so they are all unemployed."

"and then?"

"They've worked for me for so many years; even if they haven't done anything particularly outstanding, they've certainly put in a lot of hard work. I can't just abandon them like this. They deserve some kind of resettlement allowance, right?"

Ji Zuodao raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

Zhu Cheng continued, "I'm out of money. All I have left are a few courtyard houses, but those are hard to liquidate."

"In the past, when I was short of money, I could bring out some antiques from the Ming Dynasty's secret realm and sell them. Those things were all genuine, and any one of them could fetch a good price. So I was never short of money."

"But now, the Great Ming Secret Realm is gone. And you took all my antiques with you."

Upon hearing this, Ji Zuodao immediately became alert: "What do you mean by 'I dragged you away'? You can't just say things like that. When did I drag your antique away?"

Zhu Cheng's tone was calm. "Section Chief Ji, my shop has security cameras. They caught you putting the antiques into your pocket. You haven't had a chance to sell the stolen goods yet, have you?"

"What stolen goods? That's evidence!"

Ji Zuodao slammed his fist on the table, speaking with righteous indignation.

"You used the Ming Dynasty Secret Realm to illegally detain and kidnap minors, and attempted to murder state officials—I took away those antiques as evidence! It's part of the case-handling procedure! Do you understand?"

Zhu Cheng looked at him without saying a word.

Ji Zuodao also looked at him, showing no sign of weakness.

The two stared at each other for a full five seconds.

Then, Zhu Cheng sighed:

"Section Chief Ji, I won't beat around the bush with you anymore. You took those antiques, so be it, I won't pursue the matter. But you have to give me some money so I can settle those Imperial Guards and palace maids."

"On what grounds?"

"Because you took those antiques."

"That's for gathering evidence!"

"Now that you've collected the certificate, shouldn't you return it?"

"..."

Ji Zuodao opened his mouth, only to find himself choking.

He paused for a few seconds, then changed his tactic: "I have no money."

"Section Chief Ji—"

"No money is no money."

Zhu Cheng looked at him and remained silent for a few seconds.

Then, he did something that Ji Zuodao had never expected—

He sat down on the ground and began to wail loudly.

Yes, she burst into tears.

It wasn't fake crying, it wasn't dry wailing, it was real, heartfelt, and excruciating crying.

He not only cried, but he also rolled around on the ground, acting like he was on a clock.