How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

Although Liu Yin was quite close, the riverbank and the difference in elevation made it difficult for her to hear much, especially what the woman was saying to the couple.

She frowned, about to say something, when she saw the people on the shore push out two large pots.

The pot was enormous and completely black. People pushed it over, set up firewood, filled it with river water, and then carried the brother and sister into the pot.

"What are they going to do!" Liu Yin's expression changed drastically, filled with disbelief.

"They...they..." Liu Xuemei was also startled. She looked at Liu Yin and her hand involuntarily reached for the hem of her clothes. "Miss..."

"Xuemei, think of a way to save those brother and sister." Liu Yin's eyes sharpened instantly. After instructing Liu Xuemei, she shouted to the shore without waiting for a response, "Hey, what are you doing on the shore? Can you let us outsiders see what's going on?"

The solemn atmosphere on the shore, now that the firecrackers had stopped, made it easier for Liu Yin to hear her words, especially for the haughty noblewoman.

She had turned her head impatiently, about to reprimand the ignorant person from her high and mighty position, but when she saw Liu Yin dressed in exquisite clothes standing on a ship flying the royal flag, her expression changed, and she quickly walked a few steps to the shore closer to Liu Yin.

“Young lady, we are performing a family ancestral rite. Please do not disturb our ancestors.”

Although the woman was very polite, Liu Yin did not give up. She pretended to be an innocent young lady from a noble family and asked, "Eh, then why did you cook them?"

The woman was somewhat impatient, but after glancing at the royal banner, she had no choice but to suppress her anxiety and explain, "Young lady, this is the rule of our Nan family. Our Nan family originated from the water, so human sacrifices must naturally return to the water."

Seeing the woman's somewhat proud demeanor, Liu Yin glanced at the brother and sister who were already looking unwell in the large pot, and couldn't help but feel anxious: "Then why are you cooking them? Why don't you just throw them into the river?"

The woman looked at her with some suspicion, noticing the impatience in her tone.

That glance made Liu Yin realize what was happening. She steadied herself and then pretended to be innocent as she continued to try to cover it up: "Could it be that your ancestors wanted to eat boiled human flesh?"

The woman's face turned ugly at these words, but she knew in her heart that even though the Nan family was the overlord of the entire Linan Town, they were nothing but ants to a family that dared to fly the royal flag. So even though Liu Yin's words were harsh, she could only pretend that she did not understand.

"Young lady, you're joking. It's just to get rid of bad luck. If they can't hold on, it's just bad luck."

"Oh, oh." Liu Yin pretended to understand, then lifted her foot to look up, feigning curiosity, and continued, "When are you going to throw it down? We're in a hurry to set sail."

Seeing her arrogant demeanor, as if she didn't care about the lives of the brother and sister at all, the women had no more suspicions. She looked at the sky and then said with a smile, "I'm sorry, young lady, it will take another hour before we can get them into the river."

'An hour…' Liu Yin's heart skipped a beat. If they really waited an hour, the brother and sister would surely die. She pretended to be casual and said to the woman, "Alright, I'll come back to check later."

As she turned to go back to the cabin, her eyes grew even sharper, and she kept thinking about what good way to get the brother and sister thrown into the river sooner.

After thinking for a moment, she pulled Liu Xuemei aside, whispered a few words to her, and then slowly returned to the cabin.

Liu Xuemei, who was behind her, went around to a corner where no one was paying attention, jumped into the river, and then secretly came to the shore.

With a loud "bang!", everyone present was startled.

Qi Qi stared in disbelief at the spray that was blasted into the sky, and some even knelt down and kowtowed, seemingly fearing the unknown punishment.

"Oh dear, could it be that your ancestors got impatient and angry?" Liu Yin pretended to be startled as she came out of the cabin, looking curious.

The woman was already terrified by the noise, and when she heard Liu Yin's words, her face turned green with anger, especially when she saw the onlookers starting to discuss it.

She strode up to the wizard and demanded sharply, "What's going on! Didn't you choose the right time and place?"

The sorcerer had no idea what was going on. He only wanted to swindle some money. Who knew that the Nan family would ask him to preside over the sacrificial ceremony? He was already terrified because the Nan family had a custom of human sacrifice. He was just putting on a brave face. Now, he was frightened by the loud noise. He was already trembling with fear, thinking that he had really offended the gods.

However, thinking of the Nan family's methods and those chests of silver, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to say, "The birth dates of this brother and sister are extremely compatible with the young lady's. I suppose the Nan family's ancestors were also eager to have the two of them go down to serve her, so that they could save the young lady's life more quickly."

"Alright, then hurry up and get on with it!" The woman's expression softened a bit before she hurriedly urged him with a furrowed brow.

The wizard nodded, turned around and continued chanting the blessing, then instructed the strongmen to fish the brother and sister out of the pot.

The brother and sister had been boiling in the water for about ten minutes. Fortunately, it had only been two or three minutes since the water became scalding hot, so although their bodies were red from the scalding water, they were still in relatively good spirits.

By this time, the brother and sister had no strength left to struggle. They only glanced at each other deeply before being thrown into the river together.

"Ah! My son!" Their parents, as if possessed, broke through the people blocking their way and rushed to the riverbank, watching as their two children fell from the high cliff and disappeared into the water.

The shaman then led the people in continuing the prayer dance.

The woman from the Nan family looked at the vanished siblings with a hint of satisfaction on her face before saying to the despairing couple, "You should be grateful. Do you think your lowly bloodline deserves such good fortune? This destiny is meant for our eldest daughter of the Nan family. It is your good fortune to add a touch of brilliance to her destiny. Now, disperse."

Just as the wizard finished his dance, a strong wind rose from the riverbank, creating waves on the water and making the couple's desperate cries echo intermittently.

But... no one cared about them anymore. The Nan family, the wizard, the onlookers—one by one, they walked past them. Soon, the once lively place became deserted, leaving only the couple's desperate voices...

Liu Yin gave the other person a deep look before returning to her cabin, where Liu Xuemei was already waiting, along with the brother and sister...

"Send someone to see what methods she's using." Li Linfeng had already taken in everything from a short distance, including Liu Xuemei going into the river and returning with her people.

"Yes..." Fu'an agreed and went to make the arrangements.

The boat started moving, but Li Linfeng wasn't in a hurry. After all, given his position, leaving people to investigate here wouldn't be a problem, as it would also help conceal the people he had picked up from Linan Town.

As the boat moved, the riverbank receded further and further away, while Li Linfeng stared at it with growing curiosity: "What method did you use? Gunpowder? But how can it explode in water, and how did you make the gunpowder...?"