How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

"Ah! Mom, Mom, please, spare my life! I really don't want to be a guest anymore, please, have mercy on me, have mercy on me!"

"You wretched bastard, you think you're someone special just because we're pampering you? How dare you refuse customers? Where did you get the guts! Beat him up!" In a small stone house, the thin, cold moonlight shone through a tiny window, adding to the desolation of the cruel scene.

A middle-aged woman dressed in a dark blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and wearing a gold hairpin sat on a grand chair, sipping tea. Two burly men in front of her were whipping a girl in front of them.

The girl, already bruised and battered, was rolling on the ground, her clothes barely covering her body. She kept begging for mercy, but her words did not satisfy the middle-aged woman, who simply sat there watching coldly.

Ever since she learned about the girl's affair today, she has been in a bad mood. This girl was one of the pillars she had supported for a long time, but not only did she secretly keep someone else, she also dared to secretly take money from her own savings, pretending it was money to pay off debts.

Logically speaking, it's not uncommon for girls to do this, but this girl is really bold, actually pushing the issue onto the very god of wealth in the hall.

Especially today, when that gentleman wanted to invite a distinguished guest, he had clearly told her in advance, but she still declined. That's why the guest made a scene in front of her, and only then did she realize how audacious the girl was.

Only after the girl fell completely silent did the woman wave her hand to stop them. She then knelt down in front of the girl, grabbed her hair with one hand, and forced her to lean back involuntarily: "Sweetie, tell Mommy, will you take it or not?"

"Mom... spare... me... no..." The girl, her hands covered in blood, slightly raised and clutched the woman's clothes as she spoke haltingly.

"Ha, she's really tough." The woman stood up, took a handkerchief, wiped her hands, and threw it at the girl's face. Her eyes were full of indifference as she looked at the girl. "I've always treated you like my own daughters and never used the methods that second- or third-class brothels like to use. But today I'll make an exception for you. Someone, bring her the Dragon Tiger Fight."

The moment the words "Dragon and Tiger Fight" were uttered, the girl who had fainted on the ground couldn't help but tremble. Even the two middle-aged women serving behind the armchair stiffened, their eyes filled with fear.

This is a notorious punishment in the red-light district, usually used by second- or third-class brothels to deal with disobedient courtesans. First-class courtesans, who usually entertain high-ranking officials and nobles, never use such punishments that injure the flesh. But now, as the woman said, it is an exception.

A short while later, the two men who had been whipping the girl came in from outside carrying two stray cats and a sack. Before the woman could give any further instructions, they stuffed the girl and the two cats into the sack, leaving only their heads sticking out.

Then she picked up a stick and started hitting them. The two cats were so frightened that they scratched and thrashed about inside the bag. After this, the woman, who had already fainted from the pain, let out a series of shrill screams. The sound was so piercing that it seemed to be the limit of what a human body could produce.

The scream was carried outside and drowned out by the chirping of birds. After a long while, the stone house finally fell silent. The woman, with a cold expression, led her men out of the stone house and calmly gave some instructions to the thugs behind her. The two middle-aged women, who were already pale with fright, trembled even more. Only when the woman gave them a cold look did they hurriedly lower their heads and steady their trembling bodies.

All of this was witnessed by a girl dressed in plain clothes, with her hair loose and her face covered by a cloth, standing at a high second-floor window. She had been watching for a long time, from the moment the girl was dragged inside crying out to the moment the woman came out. On one side were shrill screams, and on the other side were seductive sounds. Her expression was full of confusion and helplessness, but she couldn't stop trembling all over. The screams became more and more piercing and gradually drowned out the seductive sounds, making her want to escape from the window even more, but she was too frightened to move.

It's not her fault. Anyone living in a peaceful era would be terrified by such a tragedy, let alone someone who had a smooth life in her previous life.

Her name is Liu Yin, a popular novelist born in the 1990s and living in the 21st century. She is best known for her short stories that satirize current events.

She did ridicule many men's absurd claims about opening up brothels online, but she lived in a peaceful era and, despite witnessing the dark side of society, had never personally experienced the hellish existence of ancient times for women.

Looking down at the stone house with only one opening, Liu Yin's fear gradually subsided. She stared at the house, wondering if she could save the girl if she went down. But after touching her face and glancing at the little girl sleeping against the doorframe, she knew she had no chance.

She sighed deeply, wondering if jumping from here would allow her to return to her past life. Glancing at the drop to the ground, she touched her face, sighing inwardly, 'What a pity about this face sculpted by the goddess Nuwa herself. I really feel a little reluctant, and besides…'

Moreover, she shuddered as she thought of the horrific way she died in her previous life. In her past life, she always loved to court death, especially by writing about the dark side of large corporations. She was blacklisted by many companies, but because her works were outstanding and she didn't name names, they didn't openly censor her because of their status. As a result, she made a terrible mistake.

One of her friends was a journalist who was retaliated against after reporting on a well-known company's tainted milk powder scandal. She originally wanted to write a novel about it, but her friend, who knew her temperament well, dissuaded her. However, she never expected that her friend would be stabbed to death by a so-called robber one night just a few years later.

After that, despite the objections of her family and friends, she wrote an article that directly mocked the other party for killing in revenge. However, because the tainted milk powder incident involved a wide range of people, even though she knew that the other party would not let her off the hook for continuing to expose the matter, she never expected that the other party would actually stage a car accident.

She witnessed her own burial after her death, so even though she is now in another hell, she dares not gamble on whether she can return to her original time and find a new body to be resurrected.

I glanced at the surroundings again. The room, which was fifty or sixty square meters, was divided into three areas. One side was the living room, with an exquisite canopy bed and a rosewood cabinet containing a dozen or so sets of clothes. On the other side was a copper washbasin, a dressing table, and a dazzling array of ornaments. On the other side was a small study, which should really be called a music room. There were only a few books, but several musical instruments. The qin, xiao, and dizi hung on an entire wall, and the pipa and guzheng were placed below.

Carvings, gold and silver, and extravagance are everywhere. The small room is not worthy of luxury and elegance, which is something only a first-class establishment can afford to afford.

Qingyintang is a building that is very similar to the brothels of old Shanghai. Each person has their own room with a nameplate. It is a small three-story building with two courtyards. The main hall is the territory of the leisure guests, while the second and third floors are the territory of the courtesans. The higher the status, the higher the floor. The back courtyard is a place for serving tea and helping out. The maids and clever girls live with the ladies.

She had only been observing for a moment when she suddenly saw the woman downstairs look up at her. Startled, she involuntarily took a step back and instinctively tried to run towards the door, but then she saw Qiaogu, who was guarding there, looking at Liu Yin: "Is there something you need, madam?"

"No... Sister Jiao, I want to go out for a bit." Liu Yin was startled by her voice.

There are always rules in the brothel. The prostitutes need servants, so they are arranged to be so-called idle people in the brothel. Older prostitutes who have lost their beauty or have been abandoned after marriage are called "Niangyi" once they have their hair done, while unmarried prostitutes are called "Qiaogu".

The attendant usually served by the maid was Qiao Gu. Once the maid was dressed up, she would be replaced by a maid for convenience. However, although she was called a maid, she was also being monitored. The maid next to her was called Jiao Jie'er.

"Mother told my wife to rest and recover well, and not to go out unless necessary. Just tell me if anything happens." Jiao Jie'er looked at Liu Yin with a hint of sympathy in her eyes.

"Knock knock knock." Several knocks sounded at the door, and Jiao Jie'er quickly turned around to open it.

The woman who entered was the same one who had just reprimanded the girl in red.

She waved for Jiao Jie'er and the maidservants to leave, then smiled and walked towards Liu Yin.

For some reason, Liu Yin felt a chill run down her spine when she looked at the other person's gentle smile. She couldn't help but take a few steps back. Suddenly realizing that her action was somewhat weak, she forced herself to look at the other person again.

"Qingyin, how have you been these past two days?" This woman was none other than Mama Xu, the madam of Qingyin Hall. She seemed oblivious to Liu Yin's fear.

"It's okay, thank you, Mom." Liu Yin's hands were sweaty with nervousness, and fearing that the other person would notice, she swallowed and replied softly.

"Alright, that's fine. Then I'll get straight to the point." Before Liu Yin could speak, she continued, "Qingyin, ever since your father sold you into this brothel when you were seven, we've done our best to raise you. You're beautiful, have a great figure, and are smart. I'd rather sacrifice my own daughter to invest my life money in raising you. Just when you were finally about to start working as a courtesan, your face was ruined. Isn't that a terrible thing?"

"Yes..." Liu Yin was about to agree when she saw that Xu's mother was looking at her with deep dissatisfaction and calculation in her eyes, so she had to change her words, "It was my fault for causing you trouble, Mother. I will definitely take good care of you in the future."

"Yes, Mom knows you're a good child, so I've found a good path for you." Madam Xu looked at Qingyin with satisfaction before putting down her teacup and continuing, "You know, Old Master Xue has always valued you. Before, I felt sorry for you and wanted to keep you for a year or two, but now that you're in this state, I can't keep you any longer. Those distinguished guests have mostly left now that they know your face is ruined. It's only because Old Master Xue still remembers the past that we've discussed it, and we've decided that you should go to Yanxia Courtyard to register your name in the next few days."

"Yanxia Courtyard...Master Xue..." Liu Yin was filled with despair. She naturally knew who Master Xue was. Not to mention the original owner's memories, she had been hearing about Master Xue all the time during her two days of recuperation.

This old man is the patriarch of the Xue family in the southern part of Huaicheng. In his youth, even the prefect gave him some face. Now, his family has fallen on hard times, and his descendants are becoming increasingly unruly. In addition, he has some strange sexual fetishes, so he often frequents third-rate brothels, such as clandestine brothels or semi-closed brothels.

The courtesans at Qingyintang, being first-class establishments, were mindful of their status. Firstly, they wouldn't serve such short-term clients, and secondly, the madams were afraid of ruining the courtesans' bodies. Moreover, they had just heard that a new courtesan had died in the Yanxia Courtyard a few days ago.

Yanxia Courtyard was no better place. The madam of Yanxia Courtyard was surnamed Liu and nicknamed Liu Sanyan. The first beauty was the beautiful courtesan under her command, the second beauty was the one who often had beautiful corpses under her command, and the third beauty was the one whose girls were sadly beautiful. The second-class brothel Yanxia Courtyard under her command was a well-known second-class brothel and third-class brothel in Qinhuai Prefecture. Although the name was not very pleasant, it still attracted many people who liked this kind of thing.

Madam Xu's arrangement clearly indicated that she was giving up on her. Liu Yin panicked terribly. She didn't want to serve the abusive old man, much less take on clients in the future. She took a deep breath, using all her strength to suppress her panic, and forced a fake smile at the madam: "Madam, with my face ruined like this, it's not good for me to take on clients now, and besides..."

"Hmm? What? You want to learn from Hongyu?" Madam Xu looked at Liu Yin with a meaningful expression.

"No... I will listen to you, Mother." Liu Yin immediately heard the shrill screams and hurriedly spoke, then forced a smile and said, "That's not what I meant. I was just thinking that if I were to suddenly start taking customers after being injured like this, those who know the situation would say that I'm good to you, Mother, but those who don't know the situation would say that Qingyin Hall has no affection for its members. Secondly, although I haven't started taking customers yet, my reputation has already spread, and I'm known as the Little Flower Queen. I'm considered a first-class courtesan. Now that I've been demoted to a second-class brothel, I'm afraid it will damage the reputation of the hall. After all, we cater to high-ranking officials and nobles. If they know that a first-class courtesan has become a second-class courtesan, they might think that I've dragged down my sisters and tarnished my status."

“Qingyin, I know you’ve always been aloof, but you’re still a courtesan. What difference does it make who you sell yourself to?” Xu’s mother looked at Liu Yin with a half-smile on her face.

"I know, I dare not hope for too much, I only ask that my mother give me a few days so that I can properly recover from my injuries..." Liu Yin felt increasingly panicked by the other woman's gaze. The sharp, piercing words she had spoken in her past life now seemed stuck in her throat. She was at a loss, only thinking of delaying, and delaying some more...

“You’ve always been the smartest among your sisters since you were little. You should know that times are tough these days, and it’s not easy for the brothel to support you all. How can we afford to support idle people?” Madam Xu felt sorry for the newcomer she had worked so hard to cultivate, but looking at Liu Yin’s disfigured face, she only thought about making some money back while she still had her figure and reputation.

"I know, I don't want to be a burden to my sisters. I'm thinking that even though my face is ruined, I still have a talent. I'd like to have my daughter perform on stage while I'm recovering. That way, I can make up for some of the losses." Liu Yin thought about her idea and tentatively voiced her thoughts.

"Go on stage?" Madam Xu held her cup and glanced at Liu Yin for a long time, until Liu Yin stood there sweating profusely, before she chuckled and said, "So be it. After all, I've raised you for many years. You can try it tomorrow. If you do well, I'll give you a free show. If you don't, you can come back tomorrow night and go to Yanxia Courtyard by yourself."

"Daughter will do her best..." Liu Yin finally breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the other party relent. Her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground.

Seeing her appearance, Madam Xu chuckled lightly and left, giving Jiao'er some instructions before she left.