How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

The soldiers watched as their former comrades lay dead on the sand, their yellow-clad apprentices stained with blood, their heads rolled aside, their expressions frozen in terror and disbelief.

Even so, not a single soldier raised any objection; they all stood in the ranks, coldly watching these people who had disobeyed military orders.

"I know you resent that I, a mere woman, can hold your lives in my hands, but I tell you today, no matter who your parents are, no matter what kind of relatives you have or what important positions you hold, the orders of the Salt Army are as firm as mountains. Those who disobey orders will be killed! Those who disturb the people will be killed! Those who injure or insult the people will be killed!" Duan An swept her gaze over the dead bodies, her eyes filled with barely suppressed killing intent.

"Tell me, do you have any objections!" Duan An stared at the crowd sternly, his voice barely concealing its icy chill.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" These soldiers were not as uncontrollable as Duan An had imagined; in fact, they could be described as obedient, which slightly eased the murderous intent in Duan An's eyes.

After seeing Duan'an skillfully establish her authority and bestow rewards upon the soldiers, General He stroked his chin and said to his eldest son, who had been lost and found again, "Your little cousin is quite capable."

He Ruilin rolled his eyes at his father before turning to look at Duan An and sighing deeply, "Only thirteen years old..."

Hearing his son say this, General He couldn't help but sigh and say, "Yes, she's only thirteen years old. In the past few years, Yancheng has been thriving under her leadership, getting better and better every day."

"Father, do you still have reservations about what Yin Rong said?" He Ruilin looked at General He with puzzlement.

General He stroked his long beard for a long time before saying, "If I hadn't found you, I would have gone without hesitation. But now your wife is carrying the next generation of the He family, and I really can't and won't take any risks."

He Ruilin disagreed, saying, "Father is confused. The six cities in the Northwest are already under our control. Do you think the one in the capital won't care? Or do you think that once the three princes ascend the throne, they will tolerate such a force under Duan'an?"

General He was speechless for a moment after his son spoke, until he saw the desire in the eyes of his soldiers, the desire to make meritorious contributions, and then he slowly said, "I am your father... I will listen to you."

He Ruilin hesitated for a long time before saying, "Father, there is no need to worry. You must believe in Yin Rong's abilities. In the past four years, she has traveled to various places with her students, writing articles almost everywhere she goes. Her writings have been so inspiring that the people have come to admire her more and more. Now, all that is left is for Duan An to reveal his identity and rise up in rebellion."

General He sighed deeply: "That's precisely why I'm worried. Rong'er is currently away from home, and the other day, Yangwang's decryption has displeased the aristocratic families. What if... what if..."

He Ruilin gritted his teeth: "Father, this is the only way. You must trust Yinrong."

As the father and son were talking, Duan An, having already won over the hearts of the people, came to their side: "Uncle, cousin, what are you talking about?"

"It's nothing, I was just praising you. You're becoming more and more impressive these days," He Ruilin said with a smile, praising her.

Duan An did not show any smugness on her face. Back then, she had only been traveling for a little over a year. She came to Yancheng when she was not even nine years old and took over the affairs of the city. How many people took her seriously? It was thanks to the help of her sister Zhu Mei and Wen Shuyun, as well as the orphans she had adopted, that she was able to take control of the situation in just a few years. Not only that, but she was even able to win over other cities in the Northwest.

It wasn't that she didn't want to be proud; it was just that her sister's advice, "Store up grain, and delay declaring yourself king," had stuck with her. She also knew that this was just the beginning, and the most arduous battle for her had just begun.

After bidding farewell to her uncle and cousin, she led her entourage to the Yancheng Official School.

The Yancheng official school at this time was no longer what it used to be. It looked somewhat like a modern school, with girls and boys attending classes together and learning almost the same things.

Next to the official school in Yancheng was a vocational school built according to Liu Yin's vision. Among them, metallurgy, military industry, agriculture, machinery and medicine were the five major specialties. Basically, graduates of the school would be snapped up by various institutions in Yancheng. However, even so, all departments were still short of manpower.

She came here precisely to discuss this matter.

"Young City Lord." Upon entering the room, Duan An looked at Wen Shuyun, smiled, and acknowledged his address before slowly saying, "Second Brother Wen, are there still not enough students?"

Wen Shuyun said with a headache, "The quality of students is not bad, but the children's foundation is too poor. I still need many people who are talented in their own right."

After thinking for a moment, Duan An said, "In that case, why don't we officially issue a recruitment order?"

Wen Shuyun frowned and said with some disapproval, "No, your sister told you not to be too hasty. We are not yet ready to make a difference. If the recruitment order is issued, your ambition will be exposed."

“But…” Duan An thought about it and realized it made sense. He stopped his impulsive idea and said, “We don’t need to issue a recruitment notice in writing, but as for poaching people, Brother Wen, do you have any close friends or acquaintances? We can try to persuade one of them to come.”

Seeing her like this, Wen Shuyun was taken aback. Then she thought of Liu Yin and couldn't help but sigh in her heart. But she said as usual, "I'll think of another way. If that doesn't work, we'll do it your way."

Seeing that he agreed, and after looking around the school and finding nothing particularly noteworthy, Duan'an didn't say anything more. After briefly discussing some other matters, she then suggested leaving.

Just as Wen Shuyun saw her to the door, she stopped and turned back to ask, "I heard from Sister Zhumei that Second Brother Wen wants to leave?"

Wen Shuyun paused for a moment before saying, "Yes, I want to go find your sister."

Duan An was not surprised. She looked at the other person, thought for a moment, and said, "Back then, my sister hoped that you could stay in Yancheng for the time being to help me stabilize the school. Now four years have passed, and it's about time."

Wen Shuyun's face showed surprise, which quickly turned into delight. He looked at Duan An and said with a smile, "That's great."

Seeing his joy, Duan'an was also somewhat relieved: "But do you know where my sister is now, Second Brother Wen? Don't let her wander off aimlessly."

“I know,” Wen Shuyun said with a smile. “Your sister mentioned in her letter the other day that her next step is to go to Weicheng.”

Seeing this, Duan An said nothing more, but carefully instructed him to be careful before turning and leaving.

Not long after, Wen Shuyun bid farewell to Hu Zi and the Anda siblings, and after a detailed discussion with General He's family, she left with her luggage and Zhu Mei.

The reason Zhu Mei followed was because after she was seriously injured back then, she had been worried about Liu Yin. However, Liu Yin left her with a letter, and now that she had the opportunity to find her, she naturally did not want to give up.