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

The jade pipe held between Yunniang's fingers remained unmoved, wisps of smoke curling upwards.

But upon closer inspection, a barely perceptible, fine white mark had been pressed into the edge of the cigarette holder by her slender, pale fingertips.

The coldness on her face vanished the moment Ji Zuodao introduced himself, as if covered by an invisible mask.

It transformed into just the right amount of astonishment, followed by a familiar warmth tinged with slight reproach.

"Oh my—who do we have here with such a big fuss?"

Yunniang's voice changed instantly, becoming soft and smooth like a honey-soaked knife—not piercing, but slippery and easy to handle.

She slowly rose from the chaise longue and gracefully descended the high platform.

The hem of the dark green cheongsam flowed gracefully, swaying with every step, as if she were walking on a red carpet.

"It turns out to be a distinguished guest from Bureau 749. I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly."

She stopped a few steps away from Ji Zuodao.

His gaze swept quickly and discreetly over his epaulets, his excessively young face, the black dog behind him with its unusually intelligent eyes, and the pale, quiet little girl in her strange little official uniform.

"This... Investigator Ji, right?"

Yunniang smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling, carrying a hint of grievance after being startled, yet also conveying just the right amount of intimacy.

"Look, our 'Drunken Dream Pavilion' is a legitimate entertainment venue that does business and pays taxes in accordance with the law. It's a well-established brand in Yuehai District with many years of history."

"All the paperwork is in order, and I'm always very respectful to the guys in the bureau, cooperating absolutely when necessary. You... did you receive some instructions from above, or... did someone below misbehave and offend you? If there's any misunderstanding, Yunniang apologizes in advance."

She bowed slightly, her cheongsam outlining her breathtaking curves, a gesture brimming with sincerity.

"Misunderstand?"

Ji Zuodao grinned, revealing his signature smile—a smile that was both shy and nonchalant.

"There's no misunderstanding. I'm Ji Zuodao, an investigator from the Moon Sea District. I was just feeling a bit intrigued today and thought your place... well, the feng shui is pretty good, so I came to take a look. Is that not allowed?"

He spoke casually, as if he were genuinely just visiting a neighbor.

Yunniang's smile froze for a moment, then she gave him a reproachful look, exuding charm.

"Oh dear, my dear Investigator Ji, you're putting me in a difficult position. If you're coming to visit, Yunniang will personally serve you and make you feel right at home. But if you're here to investigate..."

She paused, her voice softening, yet carrying a subtle, unwavering determination.

"We're in business, and we're all about following the rules. You see, this isn't a proper search warrant, it's against the rules, and it'll be hard for me to do business. With so many girls watching, how am I supposed to manage them later?"

"Rules? Hmm, that makes sense."

Ji Zuodao nodded, as if he had been persuaded. He slowly reached into the inside pocket of his trench coat, rummaged around for a while, and pulled out a crumpled A4 sheet of printed paper with frayed edges.

Then, he pulled out a pen whose nib was worn down by biting.

"You want a search warrant, right?"

He picked up the pen and gestured on the paper, seemingly deep in thought. Then, with a flourish, he scrawled a large, crooked character in the center of the paper—

"make"

The handwriting is messy, yet powerful, with a touch of white space, giving it a somewhat... unrestrained and bold feel, like a wandering swordsman.

"Here you go, the search warrant."

Ji Zuodao casually patted the still-wet paper onto Yunniang's high breasts.

The paper floated down lightly and landed perfectly in the gap between the buttons on the cheongsam.

At the same time, his other hand shot out with lightning speed, taking away the jade pipe that Yunniang had been holding between her fingers with utter ease, as if it were just a casual gesture.

The movements were so fluid and fast that Yunniang didn't even have time to react before her fingertips went empty.

Ji Zuodao didn't even glance at Yunniang, whose expression had changed slightly, and stepped directly over the broken pieces of the collapsed gate, walking up to the high platform.

He sat down on the rosewood chaise lounge with an air of nonchalance, leaning back comfortably to test its firmness.

Then, he picked up the valuable jade pipe and unscrewed the pipe bowl.

Without even glancing at it, he poured all the fine, spiritually potent tobacco onto the expensive carpet.

Then, he took out a small oil paper packet from his pocket, which contained some dark, strangely smelled homemade tobacco, and stuffed it into his pipe without any hesitation.

With a flick of the fingertips, a cluster of pale blue flames ignites, lighting the tobacco.

He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

A strange cloud of smoke, a mixture of burnt, herbal, and some indescribable fishy smell, suddenly filled the magnificent hall.

"you."

Ji Zuodao casually tapped his pipe at the purple-clad woman in the crowd below the stage—Azi—who had just been punished by Yunniang, her face pale and her clothes torn at the shoulder.

"Come here and give me a shoulder massage. Don't you have any sense of propriety?"

Azi trembled all over, raised her head in terror, first looking at Ji Zuodao, then subconsciously looking at Yunniang with a pleading expression.

Yunniang's expression at this moment could no longer be described as gloomy.

She'd seen arrogant investigators before.

But to be this arrogant.

This was truly the first time she had ever met someone like this.

This young investigator clearly only has the cultivation level of the Spirit Sea Realm, but right now in this hall, including herself, there are three people at the Spirit Palace Realm!

What makes him dare to do that?

Yunniang's mind raced, but she forced a smile and nodded almost imperceptibly to Azi.

Azi felt as if she had been granted a pardon, yet also as if she were going to the execution ground. She moved shakily behind Ji Zuodao, her cold, trembling fingers landing on his shoulder, and began to exert force.

"Tsk, haven't eaten? Put in some effort." Ji Zuodao snorted in dissatisfaction and took another puff of his cigarette.

Azi was so frightened that she trembled and immediately increased the force of her blows.

Ji Zuodao then narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, enjoying the "service," but his gaze seemed to casually sweep over the faces below the stage, each with a different expression and barely suppressing their shock and anger.

"I heard that..."

He dragged out his words, his voice eerily clear in the complete silence of the room.

"You have a kind of elixir here. It's used to enhance pleasure, and it's quite effective. I think it's called... the Ecstasy Pill?"

"hiss--"

Someone in the audience gasped very slightly.

Azi, who was massaging Ji Zuodao's shoulders, suddenly tightened her grip, her nails almost digging into the flesh of his shoulder.

The air in the entire lobby seemed to have been sucked out instantly.

The smile on Yunniang's face vanished completely.

She stared intently at Ji Zuodao, her eyes sharp as knives, as if she wanted to dissect him and see just how much he knew.

"hehe……"

After a few seconds of suffocating silence, Yunniang suddenly laughed again.

"So that's why Investigator Ji came."

She waved her hand, her voice returning to calm, even carrying a hint of relief as if she had suddenly realized something.

"You should have said so earlier! We have more than one of these little entertainment gadgets here. Since Investigator Ji is interested, then naturally we'll let you... have a good look at them."

She clapped her hands.

Immediately, a subordinate quickly stepped forward carrying a small tray covered with red velvet, on which seven or eight different colored pills were neatly arranged.

Yunniang personally took the tray, walked to Ji Zuodao, bowed slightly, and held the tray to his side with a solicitous smile.

"Investigator Ji, look, these are all specially made aphrodisiac pills from our Hehuan Sect, each with its own unique uses."

"This is Spring Breeze Dew, mainly mild and nourishing; this is Dragon Gallbladder, with potent medicinal effects; this is Albizia Pill, which is best... well, you know. Take whichever you like, consider it Yunniang's way of showing respect to you."

Ji Zuodao didn't even glance at the jade bottles. He simply stretched out two fingers and casually picked up a pale pink, longan-sized bottle of Spring Breeze Dew from the tray.

Then, under the astonished gazes of Yunniang and everyone else—

"Smack."

Gently close your thumb and forefinger together.

The pill, like a fragile clay ball, shattered instantly, turning into a pinch of fine powder that fluttered down between his fingers.