The Ape Calamity Draws Near

"I'll fucking... kill... you..."

Chen Ji's whole body tensed as he let out a beastlike roar.

Shen Yi simply smacked him across the face with the scabbard. The sharp crack left the other man stunned.

"Pick up your saber and stand properly. What good are empty threats after you lose? Do you have some old-timer to come bail you out?"

Chen Ji was completely dumbfounded as he watched his saber skid over to him.

The other man had already sheathed his blade and turned away. To Shen Yi, that meant Chen Ji posed no threat at all.

Chen Ji had always thought he was the most deeply hidden man in the whole yamen. After a private conversation with a Demon Suppression Division Lieutenant, his insight and strength had long since left his colleagues far behind.

The only reason he still had to put up with Shen Yi was that he hadn't been given enough time to grow.

If only he had been given a few more years...

But reality dealt him a crushing blow.

If he hadn't seen wrong just now, Shen Yi's seemingly casual movements had clearly carried the essence of the Demon-Subduing Blade Technique. It was as if the technique had long since become instinct, mastered to perfection.

Shen Yi had drawn faster than him, struck harder, and knew the technique better. That was how he had so easily broken Chen Ji's attack.

"But... the Demon Suppression Division Lieutenant only taught the technique three years ago. How could you have already mastered it?"

Chen Ji picked up his saber and muttered to himself.

Shen Yi walked over to the constables sprawled on the ground. "Where are they?"

Zhang Dahu opened his mouth, but for a long while he couldn't get a whole sentence out. "Th-they're..."

Their boss had always been incredibly good at drinking, playing finger-guessing games, and sleeping with women. Since when had he learned to use a blade?

Shen Yi sighed and kicked him, sending him half a meter away. "I asked where they are."

His predecessor had sure left him a lot to deal with.

It was fair to say Shen Yi was like a broker, drawing a salary from the yamen while wholeheartedly catering to the demands of all sorts of demons.

Unlike the dog demons under the Yellow Weasel, who were so simple-minded that they wanted nothing but to eat people.

There was another group, the Old Apes, who craved beauty and preferred girls who hadn't yet come of age. But they were brutal by nature, and the women his predecessor sent them were played to death within months. They had a voracious appetite.

This time, the two sides' demands had clashed.

His predecessor had originally prepared six girls for the Old Apes. All were underage, and one of them was that girl from the Liu Family.

But the dog demons had taken a liking to the Liu Family's girl too.

With no other choice, his predecessor had turned his attention to Chen Ji's younger sister. She was a little older than the others, but far prettier than those malnourished, scrawny girls.

"What a beast."

Shen Yi shook his head, his gaze sharpening.

He'd thought he'd suffered enough in his previous life to understand the world's cruelties. It was only after being thrust into this troubled age that he realized suffering had degrees.

Zhang Dahu realized his boss was truly angry, not just putting on a show for that kid surnamed Chen.

Rubbing his stomach, he got up and quickly led the way.

Chen Ji, anxious and flustered, followed them out of the yamen.

They hadn't gone more than two streets when Zhang Dahu turned into a teahouse on a street corner. Behind the latrine, in a vegetable patch, several girls lay bound hand and foot, caked in mud and barely breathing. They had clearly been starved for a long time.

"The old women from the brothel haven't had a chance to come over and dress them up. They look a little plain, but with a bit of powder, they'd be presentable."

A constable stepped forward to explain, worried that their boss would think they'd been slacking off.

He'd barely gotten halfway through when Zhang Dahu shoved him aside. "Boss, here are the deeds of sale. Their parents all pressed their fingerprints on them. They're all someone's children, and we feel for them too. We really had no choice..."

Shen Yi took the stack of papers and fell silent for a moment. "Go buy some rice, flour, and salt. Get some pork too. Buy plenty, and hurry."

"On it!"

Zhang Dahu turned to leave. He'd followed Boss Shen for years and knew how ruthless the man could be. Back when a few brothers had dared to question him, they'd ended up in the bellies of demons.

There were questions you simply didn't ask.

"I said... buy it."

Another cold reminder came from behind him. Zhang Dahu froze, then turned to meet Shen Yi's clear eyes. There was none of his former ruthlessness in them, nor any hint of a threat.

For some reason, though, Zhang Dahu suddenly felt the urge to piss. He pressed his legs together. "This subordinate understands. I'll spend silver to buy it. Don't worry."

Shen Yi turned his gaze back to the girls.

Chen Ji's face was gloomy. Without a word, he reached out and untied one of the girls.

As the saying went, beauty was all in the comparison.

Among these dark, skinny girls, Chen Jinyu's slender frame looked frail, but she didn't have the look of someone who'd been starved. Even covered in mud, her fair, delicate skin still showed through.

She'd also only just been captured, so she didn't look as weak as the others.

Her delicate features carried a scholarly air, along with a touch of heartbreaking vulnerability.

It was no wonder his predecessor had set his sights on her.

With a constable for a brother to look after her, she'd had an easier life than the other girls.

Chen Ji clenched his jaw and helped his younger sister sit on a flat stone. Under normal circumstances, if anyone dared hurt her, he'd have seen red and drawn his blade without hesitation.

But now, he could only silently vent his fury by digging his nails into his palm.

"..."

Shen Yi looked away and crouched to untie the other girls. As they watched him in terror, he gently brushed the back of his hand across each girl's forehead.

The weather had turned chilly lately. Catching a cold would be trouble.

Fortunately, they were only suffering from hunger and thirst. Otherwise, they seemed unharmed.

"Master Shen..." The youngest girl looked only twelve or thirteen, yet her voice trembled.

Shen Yi gave a wry laugh. Even a child this young knew his predecessor's terrible reputation.

He wiped the mud from her face with his thumb, then gently patted her head. "Rest for a while. I'll take you home."

Before long, the constables returned, carrying bundles and bags.

Shen Yi stood up and glanced at Chen Ji, who was crouched nearby, gripping his hand so tightly it looked as if he wanted to drive his nails into his palm. With a helpless sigh, he said, "That's enough. It's not even quitting time yet."

With that, he led the girls out of the teahouse.

"The rest of you, get back to the Constabulary Office. Put the supplies down and let him carry them."

Chen Ji nearly laughed in anger. After what you'd done to my sister, you still expect me to be your pack mule?

Chen Jinyu looked dazed, her lower lip caught between her teeth. Perhaps because she was a little older, she seemed calmer than the other girls, who were terrified. "Brother, I'm fine. Go take care of your business."

She knew her brother's temper better than anyone. In a situation like this, even she would have a hard time talking him down.

That was why she couldn't let herself panic. It wouldn't solve anything and would only bring more trouble.

"Hurry up. It'll be dark before long if you keep dawdling." Shen Yi's voice came from outside again.

His blunt words made Chen Jinyu's heart clench, and worry crept into her eyes as she looked at Chen Ji.

To her surprise, her brother rose without a word and actually hoisted the rice and flour onto his back. "Stick with me. Once we're off duty, I'll take you home."

Chen Jinyu stared at him for a moment, then turned to look outside, curiosity welling in her eyes.