Ape Demon

"Great! Wonderful! Brother Shen, you've truly surprised me."

In the Qiulin County Torture Chamber, the head of the chamber, Qian Dazhi, slammed his hand on the table and stood up, unable to contain his joy.

This kid, Shen Lin, although he'd heard about his talent before, he'd only been under Sun Zhi for a short while and had already officially become a Martial Artist.

And he even brought back a demon's body.

These were all achievements.

He looked at Shen Lin with burning eyes, as if Shen Lin wasn't his subordinate, but his benefactor.

Although he, as the head of the torture chamber, had no official rank and couldn't climb the ladder through the imperial court, if he handled demon-slaying matters well, he could still gain recognition from the prefecture.

If he got lucky and was noticed by the Demon Suppression Bureau, being transferred there as a clerk would be a fortune beyond compare.

"This achievement isn't solely mine. Kong Yu also put in a lot of effort."

Shen Lin smiled and gestured to Kong Yu beside him.

Dragging that demon's body all the way here certainly took a lot of effort.

Kong Yu, who had been looking somewhat dejected, immediately perked up upon hearing Shen Lin's words, looking eagerly at the head of the torture chamber.

"Good, good, good. I've noted down your contributions and will report them truthfully to the Demon Suppression Bureau!"

The head of the torture chamber stroked his beard and nodded with great satisfaction.

Not bad. Not arrogant, not impatient, and he doesn't forget his colleagues when he achieves something. He's a capable person.

"Speaking of which, why didn't Head Constable Sun return with you?"

Hearing the question, Shen Lin's expression remained calm. He replied, "Head Constable Sun said he had discovered other clues and we split up. He hadn't returned by the time we left. I assume he was delayed by other matters."

"I see. It's just that he..."

Just as the head of the torture chamber was about to ask more, a shout came from outside.

"Bad news! Chief Qian!" A constable ran in frantically, shouting as he ran, "Head Constable Wu discovered a demon while on patrol! They're chasing it within the city right now!"

"What?"

Chief Qian's eyes widened, and he immediately pressed, "Have the Patrol Division received the news?"

At the very beginning of the Great Wei dynasty's establishment, to deal with demon incursions, a Patrol Division was set up in every county.

With a hundred men in armor and even formidable weapons like ballistae.

They were originally the true main force for demon-slaying in a county. However, as the demon threats subsided and large-scale demon sightings became rare, they gradually lost their purpose.

Even so, they were still the biggest competitors to the torture chamber. Every time a demon was discovered, both sides would scramble to be the first to slay it.

"They should know by now. The commotion is too big, and many people have seen it."

Hearing this, Chief Qian gasped and immediately said, "Go quickly and call Sun..."

He stopped midway.

If their torture chamber could kill this newly discovered demon first, it would undoubtedly be a great achievement.

If there was any delay, the county's Patrol Division would snatch it.

He naturally wanted to send his own men to get there first.

But Head Constable Wu was also a Martial Artist. Anyone who could escape from him must be no ordinary minor demon.

Therefore, the person sent must also be at the Martial Artist realm.

However, at this moment, all his other head constables were out on other matters, and it would be too late to send someone to find them.

Wait!

Didn't they have Shen Lin, who had just been promoted to Martial Artist?

With this thought, he slowly turned his head to look, only to freeze.

"Where's Shen Lin???"

Kong Yu stood there alone, scratching his head awkwardly. "Brother Shen left right after he heard the report. He said he was going to slay a demon."

Chief Qian and Kong Yu stared at each other, their thoughts remarkably similar.

Why is this guy so proactive???

Could he afford not to be proactive?

Shen Lin moved swiftly across the rooftops, constantly observing his surroundings.

He only had one year of lifespan left.

If he wasn't proactive in slaying demons and didn't gain enough demon lifespan to further his martial arts, he would simply die of old age when the time came.

Therefore, after hearing the constable's report, Shen Lin acted even before Chief Qian could speak.

In the early morning sun, any unusual movement in the quiet county town was immediately noticeable.

Before long, he spotted rising dust in the distance and heard loud noises.

Found it!

Shen Lin didn't rush forward. Instead, he studied the situation carefully and realized that although the target was taking detours, its overall direction was fixed.

The East City Gate!

That guy wanted to escape the city!

Once they reached the wilderness, demons were naturally better at hiding than humans, and that would be troublesome.

Thinking of this, Shen Lin immediately set off, heading straight for the East City Gate.

Within the county town, a giant ape covered in black fur, its fangs still stained with blood, smashed through an earthen wall and burst out of an alley.

It didn't slow down for the vendors and commoners blocking its path. Its powerful body simply crushed them, tearing the mortals apart.

Seeing this, Head Constable Wu, who was not far behind, roared, "How dare you, demon!!!"

Despite his burning hatred, he wasn't as vigorous as Sun Zhi, who was in his prime. He could only watch as the demon gradually pulled away from him.

He had the heart to slay the demon, but time showed no mercy.

Before long, the demon reached the city gate.

Seeing this, Head Constable Wu gritted his teeth and instantly increased his speed, unwilling to spare his own vitality to stop it.

But just then, the rampaging Ape Demon suddenly stopped. It turned around and grinned at Head Constable Wu.

A sense of unease welled up in Head Constable Wu's heart.

The city gate was crowded with people preparing to enter and exit the city.

Although they had started to scatter the moment they saw the Ape Demon, they hadn't all escaped in time.

In the next moment, the Ape Demon extended its long arm, grabbed a man who had collapsed in fear, and lifted him high before tearing him in half.

Bathed in blood, its face appeared even more ferocious.

It threw the mangled remains aside, licked the blood from its face with its long tongue, and then, in a similar fashion, grabbed a young woman and held her above its head.

It glared at Head Constable Wu and grunted, "Old man! If you chase me any further, I'll kill everyone here!"

Despite the threat, Head Constable Wu didn't falter. He charged straight at the demon.

He knew that even if he complied with the demon's demand and let it go, the woman wouldn't return safely.

More importantly, if he let the demon escape, more humans would die at its hands in the future.

"I'm sorry!"

With a regretful glance at the struggling and screaming woman, Head Constable Wu drew his saber.

But just as he was about to strike, his face suddenly turned pale, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, freezing in place.

After all, he was old. His Qi and Blood Force was insufficient, and he faltered.

Seeing this, the Ape Demon's face lit up. However, it didn't leave immediately. Instead, it smiled cruelly and shouted, "Old man, watch closely, this is..."

Its arm bulged, and it exerted force to both sides, as if intending to tear the young woman in half as well.

But in the next moment, a black shadow shot over from a nearby rooftop at extreme speed.

With a flash of cold light, the figure passed by the Ape Demon.

"Ahhhhh..."

In the next moment, the woman landed with a scream, still held by two black, hairy hands.

Squelch!

Blood spurted from the Ape Demon's severed arm like a fountain, soaring over ten feet into the sky.

Perhaps because the strike was too fast, its face showed no pain, only confusion.

Slowly turning its head, it seemed to want to see who had just severed its arm.

Unfortunately, what greeted it was a blade light.

Shen Lin's Steel Saber struck its eye, piercing straight through, lifting its skull, and directly Beheading it.

With a thud, the headless corpse knelt on the ground. Shen Lin let out a long sigh and murmured, "I made it in time!"