How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

"Is Yin'er awake?"

"May you rest in peace, Mother."

Today is a day off. Liu Yin has been plagued by nightmares lately and has not been sleeping well. Today, she finally got a day off and woke up a little late.

As soon as she opened the door, she saw Madam Liu sitting in the corridor watching two cats fighting in the courtyard, rolling around and finding it quite amusing. She only greeted Liu Yin with a smile when she saw her.

Liu Yin, with a smile on her face, quickly walked to Madam Liu and said, "I was a little tired yesterday, so I got up a bit late today. I hope you'll forgive me, Mother."

Madam Liu pulled Liu Yin to sit on the embroidered stool beside her: "Sit for a while. It's a little late, but we're family, so don't worry about it."

"I heard from Lan Yan that you had a nightmare yesterday. Are you alright now?" Madam Liu saw Aunt Qian inviting Lan Yan to set the table and gestured for Liu Yin to help her into the house, asking with concern.

"Oh, Mother, don't worry, it's alright..." Liu Yin, supporting Madam Liu, obediently agreed, then, seemingly realizing her answer was somewhat abrupt, added, "Mother, you've heard about Hongyu, haven't you? I was truly shocked when I saw her like that the other day. She's been having nightmares these past few days, which has worried you."

"I've heard about it. Everyone has their own destiny, so you don't need to take it to heart." Madam Liu also thought of Hongyu's situation, and a trace of sympathy flashed in her eyes.

"Yes, my daughter knows."

The mother and daughter exchanged a few more pleasantries before sitting back down at the table to continue their breakfast.

"By the way, you said yesterday that you didn't need to go to the building for the next two days. Do you have any plans?" After putting down her chopsticks, Madam Liu looked at her and suddenly asked.

"Nothing much, I was just thinking of spending some time with my mother. Do you have any plans?" Liu Yin asked with a hint of suspicion.

"If you're alright, I'll take you to meet some of my friends. They took good care of you and my daughter when you were sick, so now that you're all better, we should go and thank them." Madam Liu held Liu Yin's hands in both of hers, her eyes full of affection.

This doting affection inexplicably sent a chill down Liu Yin's spine, even though it was the height of summer. She glanced at Madam Liu's still smiling face, and with a slight upturn of her lips, she adopted a docile and charming expression: "Alright, I'll listen to Mother."

Hearing her say that, Madam Liu smiled even more, and after showing Liu Yin a lot of concern, she let go and let her change her clothes.

Lan Yan held the comb and practiced for a long time before finally combing her hair into an exquisite low bun, adorning it with a few gold-embroidered pearl flowers, and then leaving it undecorated. She then picked out a moon-colored embroidered green plum blossom dress, over which she wore a sky-blue long-sleeved shirt, the gilded buttons tightly fastening around her slender neck, making her fair neck appear even longer.

Liu Yin awkwardly adjusted her collar with her hand. In her previous life, she disliked high-necked clothes. As a courtesan at Qingyin Hall, she had no need to wear such clothing, which symbolized a respectable woman. Now that she had left, she had to wear it every day, and she still found it somewhat difficult to get used to it.

Looking at herself in the mirror, the clear colors of her clothes accentuated her beautiful features and refined temperament. It was just a pity that the glaring scar on her face added a touch of fierceness to her appearance.

She couldn't help but touch her cheek. Lan Yan noticed her disappointment and quickly comforted her, "Miss, the medicine Madam sent is quite effective. I see the scar has faded a lot, and I think it will definitely heal completely in the future."

"Forget it, I'll be content if it's just a little lighter. It's not so easy to heal something that's deep enough to see the bone," Liu Yin replied with a smile, concealing her emotions.

It wasn't that she didn't care about the scar; it was just that compared to girls of this era, she didn't care as much. Besides, thanks to the medicine, the scar had visibly diminished considerably. Although she still had to cover it up with thick makeup, it was still much better than she had initially thought.

Thinking of cosmetics, a hint of hesitation appeared on her face. Most cosmetics in this era were made of lead powder. Although there were many cosmetics made from non-lead materials in this era, they were generally very expensive and not something someone of her status could afford. She was well aware of the consequences of long-term use of lead powder. Her hesitation at this moment was simply because she was thinking about whether she should research and make some harmless powder herself.

"Miss?" Lan Yan asked softly when she saw that she was in a daze.

"Hmm?" Liu Yin came back to her senses and, before Lan Yan could remind her, found that her makeup was already done, so she had to put her thoughts aside for the time being.

"Alright, let's go out. Don't keep Mother waiting." Looking up at the sky, it wasn't getting late. Liu Yin led Lan Yan outside.

Sure enough, Madam Liu was already waiting there. When she saw her coming over, she smiled and looked her over: "Not bad, this outfit looks good, and the styling is clever."

"Thank you for the praise, Mother. It's all thanks to Lan Yan. Mother, please reward her well on my behalf." Liu Yin said, pulling on Madam Liu's hand and acting coquettishly.

"Good child, you must be rewarded, did you hear me, Aunt Qian?" Madam Liu smiled and agreed without hesitation, not forgetting to remind Aunt Qian.

"Yes, Madam, Miss." Aunt Qian hurriedly bowed and smiled in response, not forgetting to add to Lan Yan's note, "Aren't you going to thank Madam and Miss?"

"Thank you, young lady, for your kind gift, madam." Lan Yan quickly knelt down to express her gratitude.

"Alright, let's go, it's getting late." Seeing the two women politely declining each other's offer, and glancing at the sky, Madam Liu hurriedly urged them on.

The mother and daughter traveled for a long time in the carriage before arriving. After getting off the carriage, Liu Yin realized that the alley was quite similar to her own alley. Seeing her puzzled look, Madam Liu smiled and explained, "This is East Alley. Although it's the same street as ours, it's actually one end and one end."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yin understood. In fact, the so-called East Alley and West Alley were collectively called Chang'an Alley, where mistresses of lowly birth like Madam Liu lived. It surrounded the entire Flower and Willow Alley, and because the alley was quite winding and was sometimes separated by rivers, the group had traveled such a long distance.

Liu Yin smiled and nodded to indicate that she understood. Before she could speak, the gate of the house with the sign "Anzhai" on it slowly opened with a creak. A middle-aged woman dressed in cloth greeted her with a smile: "It's Madam Liu. My lady has been talking about it since early this morning. Please come in."

He stepped back a few paces, then looked up and saw Liu Yin, and hurriedly replied with a smile, "This must be the young lady. This old servant greets you. Please come in, please come in."

Liu Yin smiled and responded, then followed Madam Liu inside. After carefully looking around the courtyard, Liu Yin discovered that this courtyard was much larger than her own. It was decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, and was quite lively. In one corner of the courtyard was a rockery, surrounded by bamboo and flowers, which was quite interesting. The bluestone bricks on the ground were grand and exquisite.

As she was carefully observing and marveling at how much more pampered this family seemed, their home being far more exquisitely decorated than her own, she heard a sweet, cheerful laugh: "Oh dear, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting for so long."

The voice was joyful and bright, with a touch of the delicate charm unique to women from Jiangnan. Liu Yin looked up and saw a woman dressed in a pink dress and adorned with exquisite and rich makeup walking towards her from the main hall.

Her eyebrows resembled distant mountains, her eyes were like bright pearls, exuding endless charm. Her face wore the latest trendy makeup, and her hair was adorned with several gold hairpins and velvet flowers. Beside her was a beaded tassel, and her eyes were full of smiles.