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

"Alright, alright, stop bragging about your White Bone Temple. They've all been wiped out, and you're still bragging?"

Ji Zuodao waved his hand, interrupting Huang Da's flashback.

He picked up the little brat and shook him in his hand. The little brat was dizzy from being shaken, but he wasn't afraid. Instead, he giggled and found it quite amusing.

"Where did you pick up this little brat?"

Huang Da hesitated for a moment, but then confessed honestly:

"We found him...we really found him. A few years ago, we were hiding in Caiyun and found him in a ravine. He was covered in blood and barely alive. We felt sorry for him, so we took him with us."

"Found it? You three are actually kind enough to do that?"

Ji Zuodao raised an eyebrow, looking incredulous.

Huang Da felt a little guilty under his gaze, lowered his head, and muttered softly, "It's mainly because he has good potential, and we want to train him so he can take over in the future..."

"That's more like it."

Ji Zuodao snorted, then put the little brat down, squatted in front of him, looked him in the eye, and asked with a smile:

"Kid, hanging out with these idiots will get you nowhere. Want to come with me?"

The little brat tilted his head and looked at him, blinked, and then turned his head to look at Huang Da and the other two.

The three Huangs were staring at him with pleading eyes, their expressions like those of a pitiful young wife about to be abandoned.

The little brat thought for a moment, then shook his head: "No."

Why?

"My uncles and aunts are good to me."

Ji Zuodao paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Okay, you have a conscience, not bad."

"He's quite filial, just like me, Daoist Master. He suits your taste."

Ji Zuodao reached out and ruffled the little brat's messy head again, making his bird's nest-like hair even messier.

The little brat was being rubbed and swayed all over, but he wasn't annoyed. Instead, he squinted his eyes, like a kitten being stroked, and seemed to be enjoying it.

"In that case, let me give you a heads-up: sword bones aren't so easy to cultivate. This thing requires a lot of resources to nurture."

"Look at this little brat, all skin and bones, like a bean sprout. That's because his bones are competing with his flesh for nutrients."

"If you raise it like this, in a few years this little rascal will be nothing but a skeleton."

Upon hearing this, Huang Dayi's round face immediately fell:

"Master Daoist, we know that too! That's why we're here today, aren't we? Look at the Yin-Yang Bureau here, they're utterly useless. It'll be easier for us to kill people and refine pills, won't it?"

"We didn't eat a single one of the pills we refined; they all went into this little brat's stomach. But it still can't keep up with his consumption rate. He's getting thinner and thinner every day, and we're getting anxious!"

Ji Zuodao waved his hand dismissively.

"What kind of lousy alchemy technique do you use? The pills you produce have only a tiny bit of effect. It's better to just feed them to humans! Don't you think about it? People in this world are already stunted. How much nutrition can an ordinary person get? You could refine a hundred ordinary people and it wouldn't be as effective as refining one Qi cultivator. You've gone astray from the very beginning."

Huang sighed, looking dejected.

"Master Daoist, the three of us are incompetent. Our techniques for refining human pills are just the tip of the iceberg from ancient books. Those advanced techniques for refining Qi cultivators were banned by the Han Dynasty long ago; those who knew them are either dead or imprisoned. Where are we supposed to learn them?"

"I know how. Want to learn? I'll teach you."

Huang Da, Huang Er, and Huang San were all stunned at the same time, all six eyes staring at Ji Zuodao as if they had seen a ghost.

Huang Da was the first to react. He swallowed hard and asked cautiously:

"Uh...Master Dao, didn't you come here to arrest us?"

"You lot think you're worthy?"

Ji Zuodao rolled his eyes, his disdain undisguised.

"The big man's exact words were—'We'll take care of our little lives and deal with you all in the process.' You understand? You're just a side issue. To put it bluntly, you're no big deal."

Huang Da, Huang Er, and Huang San looked at each other, their expressions quite fascinating.

That's a bit heartbreaking.

So all that trouble and killing so many people on Xiao Rizi's side was just a "side thing" for Da Han?

That's so damn hurtful to my self-esteem!

Ji Zuodao waved his hand, interrupting their emo moment.

"You bunch of big guys are just troublemakers, but even troublemakers have their uses. Throw your troublemakers into my bowl and stir it up, hey, perfect."

"Alright, let's find a prestigious family to experiment with first. I'll personally teach you how to refine human pills. I guarantee it will open your eyes to what real pill refining techniques are."

"Also, you can't use your current identities anymore. We'll put on a show to make it seem like you're really dead."

"Perfect. Since you're going to die anyway, you can choose yourselves later. I'll put their skins on you so you can take their place. That way, you'll be proper scions of a noble family, one of our own!"

"From now on, if you're careful when you commit murder, no one will be able to trace it back to you."

Huang Da and the other two listened with their eyes wide open.

Holy crap?

This bastard not only wants to teach them alchemy, but also wants to change their identities?

That's so incredibly thoughtful!

Huang Er rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "Master Dao, you're being too kind to us! I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable."

Stop flattering me.

Ji Zuodao kicked him and said irritably.

"I'm making the most of you. Although the three of you aren't very skilled, you're still at the Spirit Palace Realm, which makes you quite a few experts here. Rather than letting you die, I'd rather you keep working here. After all, it's not Han Chinese who are dying, so why wouldn't I be happy to do it?"

Huang Da and the other two nodded repeatedly, their heads bobbing like chickens pecking at rice.

"Master Dao is right!"

"Master Dao is wise!"

"Long live the Taoist Master!"

The little brat, perched on Huang Da's neck, joined in the commotion, waving his tiny fists and shouting in a childish voice, "Long live the Taoist Master!"

Ji Zuodao was amused by him and reached out to pinch his dirty little face: "You little rascal, you know how to get things done."

—Let's go back to the present.

In the hotel lobby, Sato was slumped in a chair, his eyes glazed over, looking completely lost.

An official suddenly rushed in from outside, clutching a phone, his voice trembling:

"Sato-san! Great news! Incredibly great news!"

Sato slowly raised his head, staring blankly at him, his expression seeming to say: My family is all dead, what good news could there be?

The official rushed up to him, holding his phone up to his face. The screen showed several photos of three middle-aged men and a young girl sitting in a police station. Although they looked somewhat disheveled, they seemed to be in relatively stable spirits.

"Sato-san! Your parents! Your uncle, and your sister! They're not dead! They happened to be out of the house at the time and escaped!"

Sato was stunned.

He blinked, then blinked again, and then suddenly snatched the phone, staring intently at the photo on the screen.

It really is his parents!

It really is his sister!

It really is his uncle!

They're still alive!

Sato's tears streamed down her face like a burst dam, unstoppable.

He clutched his phone, crying like a child, his face covered in snot and tears, repeating the same sentence over and over:

"To be alive...it's good that you're alive...it's good that you're alive..."