The Ape Calamity Approaches

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

Chen Ji's entire body was taut, and he let out a roar like a wild beast.

Shen Yi simply slapped him across the face with his scabbard. A crisp "crack" rang out, leaving the other man stunned.

"Pick up your blade and stand straight. What's the point of spouting threats after losing? Do you have some old geezer to stand up for you?"

Looking at the saber kicked toward him, Chen Ji was completely bewildered.

The other man had already sheathed his blade and turned away, which meant that in Shen Yi's eyes, he posed no threat at all.

Chen Ji had always believed that he was the most well-hidden person in the entire yamen. After his private conversations with the lieutenants of the Demon Suppression Division, his vision and strength had long since surpassed all his other colleagues.

The only reason he still endured Shen Yi's abuse was that he had been given too little time to grow.

If only he were given time...

But reality dealt him a massive blow.

If he hadn't seen it wrong just now, Shen Yi's seemingly casual movements clearly contained the essence of the Demon-Subduing Blade Technique, a sense of perfection so profound it had already merged into his instincts.

The man was faster, stronger, and more familiar with this martial art than he was! That was why he could dismantle his offensive so easily.

"But... the Demon Suppression Division lieutenants have only been teaching this martial art for three years. How could you have possibly cultivated it to perfection?"

Chen Ji picked up his saber and muttered to himself.

Shen Yi walked over to the group of bailiffs slumped on the ground. "Where are the people?"

Zhang Dahu opened his mouth, unable to form a complete sentence for a long time: "Peo-peo-people..."

His own boss was incredibly skilled at drinking, gambling, and sleeping with women, but when had he ever known how to play with a blade?

Shen Yi sighed, kicked him half a meter away, and asked, "I asked you, where are the people?"

The predecessor had certainly left him with a lot of baggage.

It could be understood this way: Shen Yi was like a broker, drawing a salary from the yamen while wholeheartedly solving the needs of various demons and monsters.

Unlike the dog demons under the Yellow Weasel, whose minds were so simple they wanted nothing but to eat people, there was another group: the Old Ape. They craved beauty and preferred young girls who hadn't yet blossomed. However, they were cruel by nature; the women the predecessor had sent over were played to death within months, and the demand was high.

This time, the demands of the two sides had clashed.

The predecessor had originally prepared six girls for the Old Ape, all of them not yet of age, and one of them was the girl from the Liu Family.

As it turned out, the Liu girl had also caught the eye of the dog demons.

With no other choice, the predecessor had set his sights on Chen Ji's younger sister. Although she was slightly older, she looked far better than those malnourished, scrawny little girls.

"What a beast."

Shen Yi shook his head, his eyes growing sharper.

He had thought he had suffered enough in his previous life and had seen through the warmth and coldness of human nature, but only after finding himself in this chaotic world did he realize that suffering also had its depths.

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

He rubbed his lower abdomen, climbed up from the ground, and nimbly led the way for everyone.

Seeing this, Chen Ji also followed in a rush.

They left the yamen, and before they had gone two streets, Zhang Dahu turned into a teahouse at the corner. In a vegetable patch behind the latrine, several girls were tied up tightly, covered in mud, and breathing weakly; they were clearly starving.

"The old hags from the brothel haven't had a chance to dress them up yet. They look a bit ugly, but they'll look decent once they put on some powder."

A bailiff stepped up to explain, worried that his boss would think they were slacking off.

Before he could finish, Zhang Dahu shoved him aside: "Boss, here are the indentures with their parents' thumbprints. They're all someone's daughters, and we feel bad too, but we really had no choice..."

Shen Yi took the stack of papers, remained silent for a moment, and said, "Go buy some rice, flour, and salt. And buy some pork—plenty of it. Be quick."

"You got it!"

Zhang Dahu turned and left. Having followed Boss Shen for many years, he knew the man was ruthless; the brothers who had questioned him in the past had all ended up in the bellies of demons.

Don't ask questions you shouldn't.

"I said... buy."

A cold reminder came from behind. Zhang Dahu's body stiffened. He turned back to meet Shen Yi's clear eyes, which held neither the previous ruthlessness nor any hint of a threat.

But for some reason, Zhang Dahu suddenly felt the urge to urinate and involuntarily squeezed his legs together: "This subordinate understands. I'll spend silver to buy it, don't you worry."

Shen Yi looked forward again.

Chen Ji, his face gloomy and silent, reached out to untie the ropes on one of the girls.

As the saying goes, beauty is all about comparison.

Among this group of dark, thin girls, Chen Jinyu's slender frame was delicate. Even though she was covered in mud, it couldn't hide the fairness and smoothness of her skin.

Because she had just been captured, her complexion wasn't as weak as the others.

Her refined features carried a scholarly air, and she looked quite moving.

With such looks, it was no wonder the predecessor had set his sights on her.

Having a brother who was a bailiff meant she had lived a much easier life than the other girls.

Chen Ji gritted his teeth and helped his sister sit on a blue stone. In normal times, if anyone dared to hurt this girl, he would have been blinded by rage and drawn his blade to kill.

But now, he only silently vented his anger into his palms.

"..."

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze, crouched down to untie the other girls, and under their terrified gazes, he brushed his hand over their foreheads one by one.

The weather had been cold lately; it would be troublesome if they caught a chill.

Fortunately, they were just suffering from extreme hunger and thirst; otherwise, they were fine.

"Master Shen..." The youngest girl, who looked only twelve or thirteen, spoke with a trembling voice.

Shen Yi let out a dry laugh. The predecessor's notoriety was so great that even such a young child knew it.

He used his thumb to wipe the mud off her face and gently patted her head: "Rest for a moment. I'll take you all home."

Soon, the bailiffs returned with bags and packages.

Shen Yi stood up, glanced at Chen Ji—who was crouching there, clenching his fists so hard his nails were digging into his palms—and said helplessly, "That's enough. The workday isn't over yet."

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

"The rest of you, get back to the office. Put the stuff down and let him carry it."

Hearing this, Chen Ji was almost amused by his own anger. You treat my sister like this, and you still dare to make me your laborer?

Chen Jinyu was dazed, biting her thin lip. Perhaps because she was a bit older, she seemed slightly calmer than the other panicked girls: "Brother, I'm fine. You go ahead and do your work."

She knew her brother's temper best; in this situation, even she would find it hard to talk him down.

Therefore, she couldn't show any panic, as that wouldn't solve the problem and would only invite more trouble.

"Hurry up. If you dawdle any longer, it'll be dark," Shen Yi's voice came from outside.

The blunt words made Chen Jinyu's heart tighten, and her gaze toward Chen Ji held a hint of worry.

To her surprise, her brother stood up sullenly and actually reached out to shoulder the rice and flour: "Follow me. When the workday ends, I'll take you home."

Seeing this, Chen Jinyu was slightly stunned, and then she couldn't help but cast her gaze outside, curiosity welling up in her eyes.