Chapter 7: The Ape Calamity Approaches

"Your mother... I'll kill... you..."

Chen Ji's whole body tensed, letting out a beast-like roar.

Seeing Shen Yi simply smacked him across the face with the scabbard—a crisp "smack"—leaving the other party stunned.

"Pick up your blade and stand properly. What good is mouthing off after losing? You got some old thing to stick up for you?"

Watching the saber kicked over to him, Chen Ji was completely dumbfounded.

The other 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 he was the one hiding deepest within the entire government office. After his private talk with the Captain of the Zhen Mo Si, both his horizons and his strength had long since surpassed those of his colleagues by leaps and bounds.

The only reason he still had to take abuse under Shen Yi was simply that he'd left himself too little time to grow.

If only given a little more time...

But reality had dealt him a tremendous blow.

If he hadn't misread it just now, within Shen Yi's seemingly casual movements there was clearly the flavor of Demon-Slaying Saber technique—even that kind of perfection already fused into instinct, the consummate mastery of it.

The other drew faster, struck harder, and was more familiar with this martial art! That was why he could so easily break through his own attack.

"But... it's been only three years since the Zhen Mo Si Captain taught you martial arts. How could you possibly have cultivated to perfection?"

Chen Ji picked up his saber, muttering to himself.

Shen Yi walked up to a group of constables collapsed on the ground: "Where are the people?"

Zhang Dahu opened his mouth, unable to spit out a single complete sentence for the longest time: "P-p-p-people... people..."

His own boss was a past master at drinking, finger-guessing games, and sleeping with women—when on earth had he learned to play with a blade?

Seeing Shen Yi sighed, kicked out, and sent him flying half a meter: "I'm asking you where the people are."

The things the former host had left behind really were plenty.

One could understand it this way: Shen Yi was like a broker, drawing the government office's salary and wholeheartedly solving demands for all manner of demons and monsters.

Unlike the pack of dog demons under the yellow weasel, whose minds were so simple they wanted nothing beyond eating people.

On the other side there was a group of old apes, thirsting for beauty, fondest of women who hadn't yet grown up, yet violent by nature—any girl the former host sent over was toyed to death within a few months, so the demand was great.

This time, the demands of both sides had collided.

The former host had originally prepared six women for the old apes, all of an age before the coming-of-age ceremony—one of them was precisely that girl from the Liu family.

But the Liu family girl had been taken a fancy to by the dog demons.

With no choice, the former host had set his sights on Chen Ji's younger sister. Though her age was slightly over, her looks were worlds better than those malnourished, scrawny girls.

"Truly a beast."

Shen Yi shook his head, his gaze sharpening considerably.

He had thought that having tasted much bitterness in his past life and seen through the warmth and cold of human feeling, it was only upon being in these troubled times that he discovered suffering too had its depths.

Zhang Dahu realized the boss was truly angry, not putting on an act for that kid surnamed Chen.

He rubbed his belly, scrambled up from the ground, and nimbly led the way for everyone.

Seeing this, Chen Ji also followed, his heart burning with anxiety.

Walking out of the government office, no more than two streets later, Zhang Dahu turned into a teahouse on the corner. Right behind the latrine, in a patch of vegetable field, several girls bound tightly were covered in mud, their breathing faint—clearly starved for some time.

"The old women from the brothel hadn't had time to come dress them up yet, so they look a bit ugly, but really, with a little powder they'd still be presentable."

A constable stepped up to explain a few words, worried the boss would think them lazy.

Before he could finish, Zhang Dahu shoved him aside: "Boss, these are the indenture contracts their fathers and mothers pressed their seals on, all right here. They're folks' own flesh and blood, we feel for them too, but there really was no other way..."

Shen Yi took a stack of paper contracts, was silent for a moment, then said: "Go buy some rice, flour, and salt, and buy some pork too—buy plenty, and be quick."

"Right!"

Zhang Dahu turned and left. Having followed Boss Shen for years, he knew well how ruthless the man's methods were—any brother who'd dared question him in the past had ended up filling a demon's belly.

Never ask a single question you shouldn't.

"What I meant was... buy it."

Another cold reminder came from behind. Zhang Dahu stiffened all over, turned his head, and met Shen Yi's clear eyes—neither the old ruthlessness nor any hint of threat.

But for some reason, Zhang Dahu suddenly felt the urge to urinate, his legs unconsciously clamping together: "Understood, sir. Spend silver to buy it, don't you worry."

Shen Yi looked forward again.

Chen Ji, face dark and brooding, silently reached out to untie the ropes on one of the girls.

As the saying goes, beauty is all in the comparison.

Among that group of dark, scrawny girls, Chen Jinyu's slender frame, though delicate, lacked that malnourished look; even smeared with mud, it couldn't hide the fairness and fineness of her skin.

And because she'd only just been seized, her complexion wasn't as weak as the others'.

Her delicate features carried a touch of bookish air, with a hint of pitiable charm.

Looks like this—no wonder the former host had his eye on her.

With a constable brother looking after her, she had always lived a little easier than the other girls.

Chen Ji clenched his jaw, helped his sister sit up on a slab of bluestone. In ordinary times, whoever dared hurt this Miss would have him boiling with blood, saber drawn and slashing on the spot.

But now, he could only silently vent his fury into his palms.

"..."

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze, crouched down, and untied the remaining girls. Under their terrified stares, he gently brushed the backs of his hand across each of their foreheads.

The weather had been cold lately; if they caught a chill, that would be trouble.

Fortunately, luck was good—apart from being famished and parched to the extreme, they had no other major issues.

"Master Shen..." The youngest of the girls looked only twelve or thirteen, yet even now her voice trembled.

Seeing Shen Yi gave a wry laugh. The former host's evil name had reached even a child this young.

He used his thumb to wipe the mud from her face, and gently patted the top of her head: "Rest a while. I'll take you home."

Soon, a group of bailiffs returned carrying big and small bundles.

Shen Yi stood up, glanced at Chen Ji, who was squatting there gripping his palms so hard he seemed ready to dig his nails into them, and said helplessly: "That's about enough, we haven't even knocked off for the day yet."

Having said that, he headed out of the teahouse with a few maids.

"The rest of you get back to the duty room, put the things down, let him carry them."

Hearing that, Chen Ji nearly laughed out of sheer fury — you treat your own sister like this, and you still dare ask me to be your laborer?

Chen Jinyu looked dazed, gently biting her thin lips. Perhaps because she was a little older, compared to the panic of the other Misses, she appeared somewhat calmer: "Brother, I'm fine, you go ahead with your work."

She knew her brother's temper best — in a situation like this, even she herself would have a hard time talking him down.

Therefore, she absolutely could not show any panic; doing so would not only fail to solve the problem, but would invite even more trouble.

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

Those utterly unceremonious words made Chen Jinyu's heart clench, and a hint of worry crept into her gaze as she looked at Chen Ji.

What she hadn't expected was that her brother rose up sullenly and actually reached out to sling the rice and flour onto his shoulder: "Follow me, once we knock off I'll take you home."

Seeing this, Chen Jinyu was briefly stunned, then couldn't help turning her gaze outward, a glimmer of curiosity rising in her eyes.

(End of chapter)