Attaining Immortality, Starting From Slaying Demons

"I'm going to... kill you..."

Chen Ji's body tensed, letting out a roar akin to a wild beast.

Shen Yi firmly slapped his face with the sheath of his sword, the sharp "smack" momentarily stunning the other man.

"Pick up your sword and stand properly. Spouting threats after defeat is useless. Do you have some old geezer to fight your battles for you?"

As the kicked sword skidded towards him, Chen Ji was utterly bewildered.

The opponent had already sheathed his sword and turned away, signifying that in Shen Yi's eyes, he was no threat at all.

Chen Ji had always believed that he was the deepest hidden figure in the entire yamen; after a private talk with the Demon-suppression Marshal, he felt his outlook and strength far surpassed his colleagues.

The only reason he had to tolerate Shen Yi was that he had not had enough time to grow.

Given time...

But reality dealt him a harsh blow.

If he was not mistaken just now, Shen Yi's seemingly casual movements contained the essence of the Demon-subduing Sword Technique, even attaining an innate proficiency that spoke of perfection.

The opponent's sword was quicker, the force stronger, and the mastery of this Martial Art was more profound. That was how he could effortlessly counter Chen Ji's offense.

"But... it's only been three years since the Demon-suppression Marshal taught you martial arts. How could you have reached perfection already?"

Chen Ji picked up his sword, muttering to himself.

Shen Yi walked over to the group of bailiffs collapsed on the ground: "Where are they?"

Zhang Dahua opened his mouth, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long while: "P-pe-people..."

Their boss had always excelled at drinking, playing dice, and womanizing, but when did he become adept at wielding a blade?

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

The mess his predecessor had left him was indeed vast.

It could be understood like this: Shen Yi was like a broker, eating the yamen's salary and devotedly fulfilling all kinds of Demon demands.

Unlike the simple-minded Dog Demons under the command of the yellow-skinned one, whose only desire beyond consuming humans was insatiable.

On the other hand, there was a group of old apes, craving beauty, favoriting young females. However, they were cruel by nature. The girls sent by his predecessor were toyed with to death within months, resulting in a large demand.

This time, the demands of both sides had clashed.

His predecessor had prepared six girls for the old apes, each in the bloom of youth, and one of them was from the Liu Family.

The Liu Family girl then caught the eye of the Dog Demon.

Having no choice, his predecessor turned his attention to Chen Ji's sister, who was a bit older, but incomparably prettier than the malnourished young girls.

"What a beast."

Shen Yi shook his head, his gaze becoming sharper.

He had thought he'd tasted many hardships in his former life, seen through the warmth and coldness of human relations, but it wasn't until he was in this chaotic world that he realized the depths of suffering varied.

Zhang Dahua realized that the boss was truly angry, not just pretending to show Chen Ji.

He got up from the ground, rubbing his stomach, and quickly led the way for everyone.

Seeing this, Chen Ji also anxiously followed.

They left the yamen and not two streets over, Zhang Dahua turned into a tea house at the corner, leading them to a vegetable patch behind an outhouse where several girls, bound tightly and muddied, lay with faint breaths, clearly having gone hungry for a long time.

"The brothel matrons haven't had time to come and doll them up, they look a bit ugly right now, but with a little rouge, they are still presentable," one of the bailiffs came up to explain, worried that his boss would think they'd been slacking off.

Mid-sentence, he was shoved by Zhang Dahua, "Boss, here are the deeds of sale that their parents stamped. It's all here. They've been raised by their parents, and we feel for them, too, but there was really no other way..."

Shen Yi took the stack of paper deeds and, after a moment of silence, said, "Go and buy some rice, flour, and salt, and also some pork. Buy more, and be quick."

"Sure thing!"

Zhang Dahua turned around and left. Having followed Big Brother Shen for many years, he was well aware that the other's methods were ruthless. Those brothers who had the slightest doubt in the beginning, in the end, all ended up feeding the demons.

You shouldn't ask questions you're not supposed to.

"What I said was... buy."

A chilly reminder came from behind again. Zhang Dahua stiffened all over and, turning his head, met Shen Yi's clear eyes, which lacked the previous ferocity and carried no threatening meaning.

But for some reason, Zhang Dahua suddenly felt an urge to urinate and squeezed his legs together involuntarily: "Your subordinate understands, I'll use silver to purchase them, rest assured."

Shen Yi turned his gaze forward again.

Chen Ji's face was gloomy as he silently began to untie the ropes binding one of the girls.

As the saying goes, beauty is all relative.

Among these dark and gaunt girls, Chen Jinyu's delicate figure, though frail, did not exude an impression of malnutrition. Even covered in mud, it couldn't hide her fair and smooth skin.

She had just been captured and her complexion wasn't as pale as the others.

Her delicate features held a trace of scholarly air, radiating a certain pitiable charm.

Such beauty, it's no wonder that her predecessor had taken notice of her.

Having a brother who was an attendant to take care of things, she inevitably had an easier life than the other girls.

Chen Ji clenched his teeth tightly, helping his sister to sit on a piece of bluestone. Under normal circumstances, whoever dared to harm this girl, he would have acted impulsively and drawn his blade to strike.

But now, he was just silently venting his anger into his palm.

"..."

Shen Yi withdrew his gaze and squatted down to untie the other girls. Under their terrified stares, he passed the back of his hand over their foreheads one by one.

The weather was cool lately, it would be troublesome if they caught a cold.

Fortunately, their luck was good, and they were only excessively hungry and thirsty. Beyond that, there were no major issues.

"Master Shen..." The youngest girl, looking to be only twelve or thirteen, also had a trembling voice.

Shen Yi couldn't help but give a wry smile. The bad reputation of his former self was apparently known even to such a young child.

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

Soon, a group of attendants came back carrying large and small packages.

Shen Yi stood up and glanced at Chen Ji, who was squatting down and fiercely clenching his fists, evidently wishing he could dig his nails into his palms, and said helplessly, "That's enough, we haven't been dismissed from the office yet."

After speaking, he led the girls out of the teahouse.

"The rest of you, get back to the duty room, leave the goods, let him carry them."

Hearing this, Chen Ji almost burst into laughter from anger. To treat his sister like this, and you still dare to let me work for you as a coolie?

Chen Jinyu's expression was dazed as she bit her thin lips. Perhaps because she was a bit older, she appeared slightly calmer than the other girls: "Brother, I'm fine, go about your business first."

She knew her brother's temper well. Under such circumstances, it would be difficult for anyone, even her, to persuade him.

Therefore, she couldn't show any panic; not only would that not solve any problems, but it would also attract more trouble.

"Hurry up, or it will be dark before we're done." Shen Yi's voice came from outside again.

The blunt words made Chen Jinyu's heart tighten, and her gaze towards Chen Ji carried a hint of concern.

Unexpectedly to her, her brother got up sullenly and actually lifted the rice and flour onto his back: "Follow me. Once we're dismissed, I'll take you home."

At this sight, Chen Jinyu was slightly taken aback and then involuntarily cast her gaze outside, with curiosity welling up in her eyes.