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

The days just dragged on, one after another.

In the blink of an eye, several months have passed.

That morning, just as dawn was breaking, a burst of wild laughter suddenly echoed from Lion Camel Ridge.

The laughter, carrying a sense of exhilaration that seemed to say "I've finally succeeded," echoed through the valley in the early morning, startling a grove of birds.

Shen Qianjie rushed out of the laboratory.

Yes, it did rush out.

The speed and the momentum were like a firecracker being lit behind them; they shot out in a flash.

He held a stack of documents in his hands, his face displaying a fanatical expression, his eyes shining like two searchlights.

Xiao Ji Zuo Dao was hanging on his back in a baby carrier, which was sewn by Dog Master and made of the finest animal hide, soft and comfortable.

"Hahaha! It's done! It's done!"

Shen Qianjie waved the pile of documents in his hand, laughing like a madman.

"With this information, our success rate in overcoming the five tribulations has increased by a full 30%! Within a hundred years, we can finally expect to be free!"

Zhou Langchen was stunned for a moment, then he realized what was happening.

"Holy crap, it actually worked?"

He leaned closer and looked at the pile of documents in Shen Qianjie's hand. Although he couldn't quite understand them, he could sense that what was recorded on them was extraordinary.

"Wow, Old Shen, that's awesome! Putting everything else aside, if those bald monks in Buddhism knew you'd figured out this stuff, they'd be groveling all the way to you! I heard that one of their Buddhist disciples is really entangled in a love triangle and's been trying to disrobe lately!"

Shen Qianjie proudly raised his head: "That's right! Don't you know who I am!"

The three people and the dog were gathered together, making a lot of noise, and the atmosphere was quite lively.

Behind Shen Qianjie, Xiao Ji Zuodao let out a few weak sobs before falling silent again.

The sound was very soft and faint, as if it came from a very, very far place.

Zhou Langchen's laughter came to an abrupt halt.

He moved closer and looked at the little thing hanging on Shen Qianjie's back.

Xiao Ji Zuo Dao's face was paler than before, her lips were completely bloodless, and her breathing was so weak that it was almost imperceptible.

He closed his eyes and remained motionless, like a tattered, abandoned rag doll.

"Hmm? That's strange?"

Zhou Langchen frowned.

"Why is this debt collector being so well-behaved today?"

His voice carried a hint of doubt and unease.

Shen Qianjie untied Xiao Ji Zuodao from the strap, held him to his chest, looked at his complexion, and checked his pulse.

There was a long silence.

Then he spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse: "This little thing is going to die."

"Given his congenital deficiencies and his fate as a sick child, it's already a miracle that he's survived this long."

"The day I found him, he was actually on the verge of death. I used a thousand-year-old purple lingzhi mushroom to pull him back from the brink of death. But that only temporarily kept him alive; it was not a cure."

Zhou Langchen fell silent.

He reached out and gently pinched Xiao Ji Zuodao's cheek.

That little face was ice-cold, without a trace of warmth.

"Old Shen, this little debt collector, judging by his appearance and bone structure, isn't born with any inherent weakness. It's more like his innate energy has been plundered."

Shen Qianjie was stunned for a moment, and then he also carefully looked at Xiao Ji Zuodao's bone structure.

After watching for a while, he slowly nodded:

"You're right. Someone took away his innate vital energy when he was just born."

"Damn it, who's so wicked?"

Zhou Langchen cursed, his voice filled with anger.

"To harm a newborn baby, aren't you afraid of divine retribution?"

Shen Qianjie shook his head: "I don't know. But it doesn't matter anymore."

He raised his head and looked at Zhou Langchen, his eyes filled with a calm and accepting indifference.

"Alright, there's no point in discussing this anymore. He's beyond saving anyway. One of you should just go and give him a quick death. He can only hold on for two more days. He'll suffer terribly during those two days."

As he spoke, he handed Xiao Ji Zuo Dao forward.

The movement was calm and natural, like handing something over.

But his fingers were trembling slightly.

The three people and the dog remained silent.

As heretical cultivators, they have killed countless people, their blood debts are numerous.

It's possible to kill a child...

Zhou Langchen looked at the baby Ji Zuodao lying in the swaddling clothes, at his pale little face, at his weak breath that was almost imperceptible, and a feeling he couldn't quite describe welled up in his heart.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but the words caught in his throat.

Chu Hengdao stepped forward.

He drew the long sword he always carried, its blade gleaming with a chilling light in the morning sun.

He walked up to Shen Qianjie, raised his knife, and brandished it at Xiao Ji Zuodao for a long time.

The blade traced arc after arc in the air, yet it never fell.

"Go ahead and chop it, you fucking bastard!"

Zhou Langchen couldn't help but curse.

Chu Hengdao's face flushed red, and a rare hint of embarrassment appeared on his usually cold face.

He sheathed his sword, returned it to its scabbard, and muttered, "My sword will not harm the old or the young."

"He's not an old man, you can chop him without worry."

"Go to hell."

Chu Hengdao cursed, turned around, and faced away from them without saying a word.

Zhou Langchen sighed as he looked at him.

He glanced at Shen Qianjie, then at Dog Master.

Dog was squatting in the corner, head down, tail tucked between his legs, not saying a word.

"Never mind, I'll do it. After all, I'm the one who brought it back."

Shen Qianjie spoke, his voice carrying a weary, resigned calm.

He stretched out his right hand, and a large black tendon emerged from his sleeve, like a black venomous snake, slowly writhing in the air, its tip gleaming with a dark luster.

The thick black vein was aimed at Xiao Ji Zuo Dao's brow.

Once the stab is made, it will all be over.

Shen Qianjie took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Then, he stabbed down suddenly—

Just a second before that large black tendon was about to pierce Xiao Ji's left brow—

A small hand caught it.

That hand was small and soft, with a sickly pale skin that looked like a thin sheet of paper, as if it would break at the slightest touch.

But it did indeed grab that big black tendon.

The force wasn't great, but it was very firm.

Shen Qianjie was stunned.

He opened his eyes, looked down, and saw that Xiao Ji Zuodao was looking at him with his eyes open.

Those eyes were dark and clear, like two pools of mountain spring water, without a trace of impurity.

Xiao Ji Zuodao looked at him, opened her mouth slightly, and then uttered a vague, indistinct word:

"dad……"

The voice was very soft and indistinct, as if it had used up all its strength.

But in the quiet of the morning, it was exceptionally clear.

The three people and the dog were all stunned.

They looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief and shock.

"What...what did he just call out?"

Zhou Langchen was the first to react, his voice filled with a look of utter astonishment, as if he had seen a ghost.

"It sounds like... he's calling... 'Dad'?"

Shen Qianjie was also somewhat uncertain. He looked at the little thing that was grabbing his black tendons and felt his brain go blank.

"Who taught you?"

Zhou Langchen turned his head and looked at Chu Hengdao.

Chu Hengdao shook his head: "It wasn't me."

He then looked at Dog Master.

Dog also shook his head.

Finally, he looked at Shen Qianjie.

Shen Qianjie shook his head as well: "It wasn't me either. I'm in the lab every day, how could I have time to teach him to speak?"

"That's strange..."

Zhou Langchen scratched his head, looking confused.

"Who did he learn from?"

No one can answer this question.

The three people and the dog stood in the courtyard in the early morning, surrounding a baby, staring at each other, none of them knowing what to say.

Xiao Ji looked at them, opened her mouth again, and said it again: "Dad... Dad..."

This time, it was clearer than the last time.

Then, he grinned, revealing a toothless smile.

That smile was pure and clean, carrying the innocence and naivety unique to infants.

Like a ray of sunlight, it pierced through the thick clouds and shone on this valley that was shrouded in gloom all year round.

Looking at that smile, Zhou Langchen felt as if his heart had been violently struck by something.

"Damn it, kill, kill, kill! What the hell are you talking about! I'm not killing anymore!"

"I refuse to believe that the three of us evil cultivators and the dog, with our extraordinary abilities, can't snatch someone from the clutches of the King of Hell!"

He got more and more excited as he talked, and his voice got louder and louder.

"Damn it, I'm going to steal some rare and precious life-extending herbs to prolong this little debt collector's life for a few more years. When he reaches the right age, I'll teach him our evil magic and reform him properly. I refuse to believe anyone can take this little debt collector's life!"

"Although he's a sickly child, he's also destined for greatness, so his talent for cultivation is bound to be excellent. That's settled then. Who agrees? Who disagrees?"

After he finished speaking, he put his hands on his hips and looked at the others.

Chu Hengdao was the first to speak: "I have no objection."

Dog nodded and barked twice.

Shen Qianjie stared at the little thing that was clutching his black tendons and grinning foolishly at him, and remained silent for a long while.

Then, he smiled too.

"Alright. Let's keep it then."

He reached out and gently poked Xiao Ji Zuodao's cheek.

Xiao Ji Zuo Dao didn't cry when he poked her; instead, she laughed even harder, making "giggle giggle" sounds.

The laughter echoed through the valley in the early morning, like a string of silver bells, breaking the long-standing silence of this land.

In the distance, the sun is slowly rising over the other side of the mountain, and the golden sunlight shines on Lion Camel Ridge, giving this land, which is often shrouded in gloom, a warm glow.

A new day has begun.