First-Year Internship—And You Went to Site 749 to Contain Monsters?!

.....

Wind and rain blurred the western region.

Few people knew about Qian Jin’s sins.

But every single one of them, without exception, chose to keep their mouths shut, letting those secrets scatter with his death in today's downpour.

Many people knew about Qian Jin’s contributions.

In their hearts, that busy figure carrying documents around seemed to be still active, just yesterday.

During the severe shortage of clerical staff in the western region, Qian Jin, a native son, had practically propped up half of the western region's administrative workload.

It wasn't that the other bureau chiefs couldn't do the job.

It was just that Lu Ding trusted him more.

Some classified matters couldn't pass through anyone else's hands.

Lu Ding knew he was tired.

Lu Ding himself was also very busy.

But being caught in this whirlpool, many things were dictated by fate, leaving little room for personal choice.

The word *Jianghu* felt distant—the stereotypical impression was always the ancient world of quick vengeance and fierce grudges, or the chaotic youth of old streets.

But in reality.

Jianghu was everywhere.

And Jianghu wasn't just about fighting and killing.

Behind Lu Ding’s rise in the new city, his dominance over the western region, and his ability to summon wind and rain, it was people like Qian Jin and Fu Xinghe who silently helped him manage the odds and ends behind the scenes.

Success was never the effort of a single person.

Lu Ding couldn't have done it alone either.

He never denied the efforts of others.

So he never denied Qian Jin’s contributions.

White Ridge 749 extended ten li out, red carpet laid on the ground. Lu Ding carried Qian Jin’s body, walking the length of this ten-li-long street.

Hoping that his true spirit could still take one last look at this place that gave him life and raised him.

Walking through the rain, he finally stopped in front of White Ridge 749.

Qian Jin’s family had long since collapsed into a sobbing mess.

Lu Ding walked over.

He handed Qian Jin’s body to the young man whose eyes were bloodshot.

The young man received it steadily, the corners of his mouth trembling.

He held back, forcing himself not to cry out loud.

Until a sharp wail broke through.

“Old Qian!!!”

The mother’s cry finally shattered the young man’s composure.

“Dad!!!!!”

Lu Ding sighed.

He turned around without looking back.

He came alone to the rooftop of White Ridge 749.

Overlooking the western region.

He took out three cigarettes, lit them, and placed them down.

“Old Qian, you can rest now.”

He lit one for himself, sat down beside it, and wiped the wet hair off his forehead. “You’ve worked hard during this time.”

“Sometimes, that’s just how fate works—a single choice decides your future. People can’t resist temptation. Neither could I. It’s just that back then, temptation led me into 749, while it led you out of 749.”

Lu Ding never hid himself.

When he first joined 749, it was because they offered benefits and information that could help him find monsters.

In his heart, he only loved himself.

His gratitude toward Great Han was genuine.

But the saying, “If a man doesn’t look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him,” was also real.

Suddenly.

The rain above him stopped.

Lu Ding looked up.

Bai Hemen stood beside him, holding an umbrella. The aura of the Three Restrictions rippled around him. It seemed he had just broken through.

Even though Lu Ding had given him plenty of rare natural treasures.

Such talent was undeniably terrifying.

No one knew where the ceiling of his talent lay.

But for Bai Hemen, the overall environment of the Third Circle was indeed a shallow pond trapping a true dragon.

Bai Hemen forced a stiff, deliberately awkward smile.

“My grandma said getting caught in the rain makes you itch.”

Lu Ding looked into the distance at the young man holding Qian Jin’s body. “See that, Xiao Bai? People really do die.”

Bai Hemen seemed to ponder the thought, but his expression came off as slightly vacant.

“I didn’t know him very well. I don’t really understand him, and I can’t figure out why they have to cry so miserably.”

“When Grandma left, I cried too. But Grandma told me I should be happy for her, because she was finally going to meet her parents.”

“Being an adult is exhausting. When Grandma was still here, I was a child. I was happy. When Grandma was gone, I became an adult. Exhausting.”

“If I die one day, don’t let anyone cry for me. They should be happy for me, set off a few firecrackers, because I’m going to meet my grandma.”

His words left Lu Ding momentarily unsure how to respond.

The kid was single-minded, but he had his own worldview.

If that was how he thought, then when that day came, Lu Ding really would be happy for him.

He stood up.

“I don’t like hearing about life and death. Don’t say that again, or else I might actually have to teach you a lesson since I’ve never hit you before.”

Bai Hemen was instantly intimidated.

If Lu Ding wanted to smack him around, he really couldn’t fight back.

In that instant.

Bai Hemen became as docile as could be.

Over at Qian Jin’s side, Lu Ding had left enough space for the family.

As for himself, he brought Bai Hemen to the prison.

At that moment.

Xing Xing was just getting ready to host Yu Liuli, letting her have a real taste of 749’s hospitality.

Seeing Lu Ding’s sudden arrival.

Xing Xing immediately snapped to attention.

Yu Liuli also instantly snapped back into her combative stance.

“Lu Ding! If you’re here to laugh at me, I’m telling you, I will never—AHHHHH!!!!!!”

Before she could finish.

Xing Xing frowned and jabbed her directly with a needle.

The needle was so thick it was even more outrageous than the ones used on pigs.

A whole tube of bright green liquid was injected straight into Yu Liuli’s body.

Listening to her screams, seeing the expression on her face as she endured heart-wrenching pain,

Xing Xing finally spoke up. “Don’t challenge my professional skills in front of the Grand Guardian, or I’ll make you understand what true cruelty means before your time!”

Lu Ding laughed.

All that tough talk, and he thought she was made of sterner stuff.

He couldn’t be bothered to waste words on this Yu Liuli either. He sat down to the side. “Let’s begin.”

Xing Xing: “Yes!!”

He put on his headphones, pointed at the boiling hot water kettle on the stove beside him, and made a hand seal with a single finger.

Xing Xing picked up his jars and bottles, pouring them in one by one.

“Add a bit of this to suppress Spiritual Energy, toss in some of this to increase pain sensitivity, pour in more of this to stimulate muscle activity, add a little more of this to heighten nerve pain reception...”

Finally, he splashed the entire kettle of boiling water directly onto Yu Liuli.

A spine-chilling scream exploded immediately.

“AHHH!!! AHHHHHH!!!!!!”

Holding an iron comb, Xing Xing listened to his music, swaying with each step as he walked up to her. Comb after comb, he scraped off strips of flesh and let them spread out naturally in the water.

Even though Bai Hemen had seen plenty of macabre things—corpses and seas of blood were like everyday occurrences to him—he still found it hard to stomach this kind of magnified, detailed brutality.

How old was he?

Just managing not to throw up was already impressive.

It was only Lu Ding, whose Way of the Jinche had built a solid foundation for him, whose skills were in the same family but a different branch from Xing Xing’s, who could watch with genuine interest.

He didn’t speak, didn’t provoke. He just watched, thoroughly entertained.

Pure psychological torment.

It inflicted double the pain—both mental and physical—on Yu Liuli, whose trembling voice kept cursing Lu Ding.

Until daybreak the next morning.

The gaps in the stone floor were soaked through with blood.

The final song ended.

Xing Xing took off his headphones.

“Whew...”

“Grand Guardian, time’s up.”

Lu Ding set down his teacup. Fu Xinghe, who had been waiting for a long time, walked in from outside. He had been there for quite a while but had stayed outside the door, not wanting to disturb Lu Ding’s amusement.

“Brother Lu, a document has arrived from above. It requires your personal review.”