I, a prison guard in the Heavenly Prison, secretly became invincible thanks to the system.

Ancestral hall in Jingshui Village.

A group of people gathered here, kneeling on the ground with utmost respect.

In front of the ancestral hall, a yellow altar had been set up, and a Taoist priest with a goatee was constantly brandishing a peach wood sword.

Ye Kang and the scholar also came to the back of the crowd. Neither of them knelt down, but watched the scene with great interest.

Ye Kang could tell at a glance that this Taoist was a first-rate master, but he didn't know why he was pretending to be a ghost here.

The Taoist priest then stuck his wooden sword into two talismans, muttering some unintelligible words. The talismans then burned, forming a monstrous phantom in the air before quickly dissipating.

This scene shocked all the villagers present, who kowtowed and cried out, "Lake God, spare our lives!"

The Taoist priest's expression was cold, and he said in a shrill voice, "The Lake God said that you have been fishing without restraint, causing heavy casualties among the aquatic creatures of the Pure Water Lake. That is why the old man has manifested himself to punish you!"

Immediately, some villagers turned pale.

"Lake God, spare me!"

"We won't do it again! We will definitely be more restrained from now on!"

"Please, Lake God, stop your powers and let us live!"

The villagers began to cry out one after another.

The Taoist listened coldly, and after a moment said, "How could the Lake God not understand reason? As long as you offer up young boys and girls, the Lake God will naturally show mercy and spare you this time."

"We'll offer it! We'll offer it right away! Please, Celestial Master, put in a good word for us!"

Immediately, two villagers came over, each carrying an infant still in swaddling clothes.

The elderly village chief said, "Master, these two children are a newborn boy and girl from the village. Please perform a ritual to offer them to the lake god!"

"Well, you all know what's good for you. Then let's wait until nightfall to hold the ceremony. Why don't you burn incense and light candles to worship the lake god?"

"Yes Yes Yes!"

The villagers immediately rushed to get incense, paper money, and candles.

It was not long before nightfall, and Ye Kang wanted to see what tricks that guy would pull, so he waited on the side.

The scholar beside him couldn't help but sigh.

"Oh, what a tragedy..."

"Why do you say that, brother?"

"You don't know, this boy and girl are twins, a boy and a girl. Their father was the first person eaten by the water monster. Poor mother, her husband just died, and then the villagers snatched her infant child and offered him to the water monster. Now she's half-mad..."

As the scholar spoke, tears welled up in his eyes.

Having read countless books of sages and worthies, I am still helpless against this utterly absurd situation.

Ye Kang also frowned deeply, his anger flaring.

Even the system couldn't stand it anymore and directly issued a task.

【Ding】

[Task Issued: Expose the Taoist Master Scam]

[Quest Reward: Unlock the Demon Forge]

"!!?"

Ye Kang was shocked.

The sun has risen in the west! The stingy system has actually started issuing gold bars!

So the system rewards more than just comprehension!

Demon Forge?

What the hell is this?

Ye Kang shook his head, deciding to ignore it; anything the system sent was bound to be good.

He suppressed his excitement and patted the scholar on the shoulder.

"Brother, let's go see that poor woman."

"Are you sure? She's gone mad!"

"It's alright, I happen to have a way to calm my mind, it might come in handy."

"Thank you very much!"

The scholar bowed respectfully, then led Ye Kang to the end of the village.

In the distance, there was a small hut, chained to the door with a large iron chain, and guarded by two burly men holding harpoons.

"Please wait a moment, I will go and speak to them on their behalf."

"It doesn't have to be so troublesome."

Ye Kang picked up two pebbles and threw them casually, and the two burly men passed out.

The scholars were stunned.

"You know martial arts!"

"I have a slight understanding of it."

Ye Kang smiled, then ripped off the chains. Inside, a woman with a desperate expression was sitting on the edge of the bed, her face blank, seemingly lost in thought.

The scholar walked in, his eyes filled with a hint of heartache and an indescribable emotion.

"She's my cousin. She's been incredibly kind to me since I was little, and she's always helped me out as I grew up. I never imagined such a good person would end up like this..."

"let me try."

Ye Kang walked straight over, reached out and grabbed the woman's hand. The woman remained dazed and offered no resistance whatsoever.

Ye Kang circulated the Yi Wood Heart Sutra, infusing it with vital Yi Wood True Qi.

This true qi is weak in combat, but it has endless uses, and is extremely convenient for healing and calming the mind.

In no time, the woman's eyes became much clearer.

She opened her eyes in horror and saw Ye Kang, then the scholar.

She then lunged at the scholar's left foot, grabbed his leg, and burst into tears.

"Awen! Awen! Please save my children... save them... I don't want them to be eaten..."

The scholar embraced the woman tenderly, tears streaming down his face, but he couldn't utter a single word.

He wanted to save them, but he didn't have the power to fight against the entire village.

Ye Kang's expression remained unchanged upon seeing this scene.

"Tang Wen, you stay here and take good care of her. I'm going out to check on things."

"Brother..."

"It's okay, I'll be right back."

Ye Kang closed the door and walked out with a sullen face.

It was already dark when the villagers began to hold a festival on the dock.

Ye Kang took out a black robe and mask from the ancient treasure, concealed his aura, and blended into the night.

The Taoist priest mumbled a bunch of mysterious words, burned a pile of talismans, and then put plates of fruits, vegetables, beef, and mutton into wooden trays and pushed them into the lake.

After doing all this, two villagers placed the two babies in a wooden tub and pushed it into the lake, where it floated away with the waves.

The Taoist priest spoke with feigned profundity: "Alright, the ceremony is complete. Now that the Lake God has accepted your apologies, the matter will naturally be resolved. Everyone, please disperse. Remember to stay home and close your doors and windows. If anyone sneaks in and disturbs the Lake God, all our efforts will be in vain."

"Thank you, Celestial Master!"

The villagers quickly dispersed, closed the windows and blew out the lights, and the entire village was plunged into darkness in an instant.

Ye Kang remained motionless, observing from the shadows.

Sure enough, after all the villagers had left, the Taoist priest revealed a disdainful smile, casually took off his robe, and threw it on the ground.

The next second, he pulled a thin rope from his waist, with an iron eagle claw at the end.

He threw it forcefully, and the eagle claw rope hooked onto the wooden basin, pulling the two babies back.

Seeing that no one was around, he waved his hand and sprinkled a few drops of sleeping incense, and the two babies fell into a deep sleep and stopped crying. Only then did he pick up the babies and quietly leave.

Ye Kang's expression was cold, and his eyes were filled with intense killing intent.

He really was a fake Taoist priest!

He followed, only to find that the man wasn't leaving the village, but heading towards the largest house in the village. The door opened, and the old village chief cautiously peeked out.

"Stop looking, no one saw us. Hurry up and go inside, lest something unexpected happens."

"Okay, okay, okay!"

The two carried the child inside.

Ye Kang's anger was growing, but he still wanted to know what tricks those two bastards were up to.

So he suppressed his murderous intent, quietly climbed inside, and eavesdropped from the shadows.

Inside the house, besides the fake Taoist priest and the old village chief, there was also a middle-aged couple.

Upon seeing the child, the couple were overjoyed and immediately tried to take the child away.

The fake Taoist's expression changed, and he shouted angrily, "What are you doing! You haven't paid me yet!"

The old village chief immediately said, "Oh, right, right, hero, here's the silver note I promised you, please take it!"