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

As for the Wang family, it wouldn't be accurate to say they're completely brainless.

Even the most incompetent person still has a basic sense of crisis.

Just now, they were blinded by the hope that "the ancestor is coming to the rescue," and they were all like they had been injected with chicken blood, yelling that they wanted to turn the tide.

But now?

Once the initial excitement wore off, my brain started to come back online.

They thought about it again—something's not right.

Ji Zuodao has been messing around here for so long, skinning, dismembering, and cutting flesh, going through the whole teaching process, while the clan leader just stands by and watches without saying a word.

Is this normal?

Is this fucking normal?

The clan leader is usually a very domineering person. If anyone dares to run wild on the Wang family's territory, he will be the first to jump out and fight them to the death.

But what about today?

He stood there like a wooden stake, his expression worse than if he'd eaten shit, but he just wouldn't budge.

Let's talk about our ancestors.

Our ancestor was a powerful figure in the Divine Treasure Realm! Although I heard he was injured in his early years, he was still in the Divine Treasure Realm!

Having received the distress signal so long ago, even if they crawled out of their graves, they should have reached us by now.

But there's still no sign of it.

What does this tell us?

This means that either the ancestor chickened out, or the ancestor was subdued, or the ancestor is gone.

Regardless of the possibility, the conclusion is the same: the Wang family is doomed.

If you don't save yourself now, you'll really be waiting to die.

So when Ji Zuodao threw those shovels on the ground and said "first come, first served," many people's minds started to race.

He traded the corpses of several old men for his own life.

This deal is a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.

Besides, those are all dead people. Dead people don't cry out in pain. If you dig them out and hand them over to Ji Zuodao, you can save your own life. What do you call that?

This is called waste utilization, this is called the rational allocation of resources.

Moreover, Ji Zuodao was right when he said: "Opportunity knocks but once."

The Wang family only has a few ancestors; digging them out means one less to go around.

What if you're too slow and someone else beats you to it? Just wait to die?

The more astute among them have already begun to think about it on a deeper level—

There's more to dig up than just our own lineage's ancestors.

Aren't the ancestors of the other branches also buried in the ancestral graves?

If you dig up all the ancestors of your own lineage, why not dig up the ancestors of the second branch next door as well? Wouldn't that give you a chance to save a few more lives?

Wouldn't it be possible to protect more of your own relatives?

As for whether the second wife's family is willing?

Who cares about you? You're about to lose your life, who cares about reasoning with you?

Thus began a grand "First Annual Grave-Digging Competition Within the Wang Family".

A burly man from the Wang family was the first to bend down and pick up an iron shovel.

His picking it up was like the starting gun firing; everyone else rushed towards the shovel on the ground.

"This one's mine! Let go!"

"Bullshit! I got it first!"

"You fucking took two! Give me one!"

"Get lost! Whoever grabs it keeps it!"

There were only a few shovels to begin with, and with so many people, they fought over them and almost came to blows.

In the end, it was the burly man who got the shovel first who proved useful.

He swung the shovel at the head of the man who was trying to wrestle it from him, making the man see stars. Then, while the man was stunned, he grabbed the shovel and rushed towards the ancestral grave.

When the others saw this, they stopped fighting. Those who didn't have shovels simply stopped caring about their tools. Some grabbed stool legs, some carried vases, and some even took a decorative sword from the wall. They all needed something in their hands, otherwise how would they dig later?

A large group of people rushed out of the council hall and headed straight for the Wang family's ancestral tombs.

The sheer scale of it made it seem like the Wang family was going on a spring outing.

Ji Zuodao wasn't worried about them taking the opportunity to escape. With so many powerful demons at the Dharma Aspect Realm watching, anyone who tried to run would die.

The burly man in the lead ran ahead, shouting back to the others, "Don't try to take it from me! My ancestor is buried in the easternmost pit! I'll dig first!"

The person behind retorted, "Your ancestor? That's clearly my ancestor! Stop trying to claim kinship with me!"

"Bullshit! That's my great-grandfather! I even visited his grave when I was a kid!"

"You're visiting a grave? You're visiting my ancestors' grave! You've fucking gone to the wrong grave, don't you know that?"

"Pah! You're the one who's gone to the wrong grave! Your whole family has gone to the wrong grave!"

A group of people ran and cursed. As they cursed, it was unclear who started the fight, but by the time they reached the ancestral graves, several of them had bruises on their faces.

When we arrived at the ancestral graves, it became even more lively.

Some people find their ancestor's grave, and without saying a word, they pick up a shovel and start digging.

Some people can't find their ancestors' graves, mainly because they haven't been there often and can't remember the location. So they just randomly pick a grave that looks more impressive and start digging it up.

Since they're all ancestors of the Wang family, what difference does it make who gets buried or who gets dug up?

There was an even more outrageous one: he stood in front of a row of graves, hands clasped together, muttering something under his breath.

"Ancestors above, your unworthy descendant XX kowtows to you. I am truly sorry for what happened today, but as you have seen, our Wang family is doomed. If we don't dig you out and exchange your lives for ours, our Wang family will truly die out. If you agree, give me a hint—if you don't speak, I will take it as your agreement."

After saying that, he waited for three seconds, then nodded: "Alright, all of you ancestors are very understanding, then I won't stand on ceremony."

Then he shoveled it down.

Someone nearby couldn't stand it anymore: "That's the second wife's ancestor! You, from the third wife's family, why are you digging up the second wife's grave?"

The man declared confidently, "What's wrong with the second branch's ancestor? Isn't the second branch's ancestor also the Wang family's ancestor? I'm fighting for the continuation of the Wang family! If the ancestor is watching from heaven, he will surely understand me!"

"Then why did you dig up my ancestors' graves?!"

"Oh, it's just a side project. You're here anyway, you dig yours, I'll dig yours, we'll each dig our own, no interference, isn't that great?"

"Then why don't you dig up your own?"

"I haven't found it yet... Let me keep digging, I'll dig it back when I find it."

"Do you think this is some kind of vegetable market, where you exchange vegetables?"

Even more outrageous, two members of the Wang family got into a fight over the same grave.

One said, "This is my great-grandfather's grave! My great-grandfather loved me the most when he was alive!"

Another said, "Bullshit! Your great-grandfather is clearly buried on the other side! This is my great-grandfather's grave! My great-grandfather loved me the most when he was alive!"

"Your great-grandfather? Who is your great-grandfather?"

"My great-grandfather was your great-grandfather's younger brother!"

"Then my great-grandfather is your great-grandfather's brother! You dare to dig up your great-grandfather's brother's grave? You're unfilial!"

"You fucking came here to dig up graves, and you're talking to me about filial piety?"

The two argued more and more fiercely, and finally threw down their shovels and started a full-blown fight, throwing punches and kicks at each other, rolling around on the ground like two children fighting.

No one around could stop the fight; they were all busy digging their own digs.

Ji Zuodao stood at the entrance of the council hall, looking at the bustling scene at the ancestral graves in the distance, marveling at it.

"Oh my, look at this scene, how lively it is!"

He crossed his arms, a look of smug amusement on his face, and couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.

"I used to think of myself as a pretty lousy person. I've never actually done anything like betraying my master or ancestors, but I've thought about it a couple of times. But compared to them, what are my little thoughts?"

"I was just venting my frustrations, but they really did it. No hesitation, they just started digging and shoveling without even a second thought."

He turned his head and looked at Ji Zhengdao beside him:

"Brother, have you learned that? This is called execution. Thinking is useless; you have to do it. Look at them; they said they'd dig up their ancestral graves, and they did it without hesitation. That's what people who do great things are like."

Ji Zhengdao nodded repeatedly, took out his notebook and wrote down another entry: "I've learned something, I've learned something. Execution is key; you can't just think about it, you have to do it."

Ji Zuodao then looked at the few Wang family members who remained and raised an eyebrow.

These people, some old, some young, some men, some women, and their cultivation levels varied, but they all had one thing in common—

From beginning to end, they didn't even glance at the shovels on the ground.

Ji Zuodao knew perfectly well that these people weren't unafraid of death, but rather that they had something more important than death itself.

For example, dignity, and integrity.

Ji Zuodao actually admired this kind of person.

Although he himself could not do it, that did not stop him from admiring those who could.

Of course, while I admire him, he still has to be killed.

This is a matter of principle.

He turned his gaze to Wang Zhenshan, tilted his head, and spoke with a hint of curiosity:

"Hey you old codger, why didn't you stop them? That's your family's ancestral grave! They're going to dig up your ancestors' bodies and sell them for money, don't you feel bad about that?"

Wang Zhenshan stood there, expressionless, like a weathered stone statue.

He had sealed the wound at the severed arm with his spiritual power, and it was no longer bleeding, but the weakness in him was impossible to hide.

He heard Ji Zuodao's question, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke:

"It doesn't matter. They won't find anything anyway."

Ji Zuodao blinked: "Huh? What do you mean?"

Wang Zhenshan raised his cloudy old eyes, looked at Ji Zuodao, and his lips twitched, as if he were smiling, or perhaps mocking himself:

"The corpses of those old bastards from the Wang family were sold on the black market by me years ago."

The moment those words were spoken, the air in the entire council chamber seemed to freeze.

Ji Zuodao's melon seeds slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a crisp "thud".

The few remaining members of the Wang family were also completely bewildered. They looked at each other, each seeing the same message in the other's eyes:

What is that?

"You...what did you say?" Ji Zuodao's voice trembled slightly. "You...sold the corpse of your ancestor?"

"Sold it." Wang Zhenshan's tone remained calm. "The money was exchanged for spiritual herbs, spirit stones, and magical artifacts to prolong the life of the previous patriarch. The previous patriarch lived for more than ten years longer."

Ji Zuodao remained silent.

He remained silent for a full ten seconds.

Ji Zuodao blinked his eyes repeatedly, his facial expressions were truly fascinating.

He felt like his mind was a little foggy.

He was just praising the Wang family for their exceptional filial piety, but it turns out the most filial one was waiting here.

Good heavens, he exclaimed.

He always thought he was bad enough, having done all sorts of despicable things, from ransacking homes and killing entire families to destroying evidence.

Compared to this old man, his little troubles seem like child's play.

While I can only think about it, others have already put it into practice.

This is a truly ruthless person.

What kind of operation is this? This is maximizing the value of the dead! This is true circular economy!

Ji Zuodao remained silent for a long while, then sighed deeply:

"Sigh, I used to think I wasn't a good person. Now it seems I'm as innocent as a white lotus. Compared to you, my little bit of malice is nothing. You are truly wicked, wicked to the core, wicked in a unique style, wicked in a sophisticated way."

Wang Zhenshan ignored Ji Zuodao's frivolous remarks and asked calmly, "Are you really going to let those people go?"

Ji Zuodao looked at him with a smile, a smile that was innocent and harmless, exactly the same as when he was teaching him how to skin animals with bare hands.

"How could that be? These kinds of scum who sell out their ancestors for personal gain, why wouldn't we kill them? Today they're willing to dig up their own ancestral graves to save their own lives, tomorrow they'll sell their own parents to a brothel to save their own lives. What would I do with this kind of trash? Just to cause myself trouble?"

Wang Zhenshan paused for a moment, then asked, "What about those who stayed behind?"

Ji Zuodao turned his head and looked at the few Wang family elders who were standing there.

Although the old men looked unwell, they still stood up straight, their eyes filled with fear, but even more so with a sense of determination.

They chose to stay, chose not to associate with those people, and chose to preserve the last bit of ridiculous and pathetic dignity that belonged to the Wang family.

Ji Zuodao looked at them, sighed, and the smile on his face faded, revealing a rather worried expression: "Alas, such integrity makes me uneasy about living."

Several elders of the royal family: "…………"

So, no matter which option you choose, you're doomed?