How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

For the next three years, she would deliver the news and some funds to a merchant in the city as agreed each year, until thirteen years ago when the merchant suddenly closed down and left. No one notified her or told her what to do with the news and the money. After that, she saved up the money year by year.

Until ten years ago, she watched as that money accumulated to an ever-growing amount, so much so that she became envious and couldn't resist taking a portion of it during a business crisis. She carefully altered the accounts and lived in constant fear, lest the owner return and investigate, and punish her.

Several more years passed, and the merchant still hadn't appeared. No one came looking for the money, so she grew bolder and bolder. She even started saving the money as her own private stash, intending to use it as retirement money for herself and her daughter. Naturally, she stopped being careful with the account books.

Unexpectedly, more than ten years later, someone came with the matching Tai Chi fish jade pendant. Not to mention, they had already investigated the details of her embezzlement and even dug out the account book.

She had originally intended to use the connections she had built up over the years to put up a fight, but when that person's subordinates put a knife to her neck and forced her to watch her eldest daughter being tortured, those tortures that didn't touch the skin but were excruciating made her abandon any thoughts of resistance. She only wished she could go back to the greedy version of herself from over a decade ago and strangle her.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but reach up and touch her neck, where there was still a faint bloodstain. She shuddered and then carefully considered what the other person had just said.

This brothel has existed for over a hundred years, and the number of girls bought from all over the country is countless, like grains of sand in a river. Their origins are incredibly diverse, with both legal and illegal girls operating their own ways. There's no unified management or oversight, making it impossible to know how many girls in the brothel meet the required standards. But considering the man's methods, she could only grit her teeth and try to find a solution.

Thinking of this, she suddenly remembered the feature of the red mole behind one of the ears. It sounded familiar, as if she had seen this girl somewhere before, but she could only vaguely recall who it was.

"Aunt Wang." She thought of the maid who had always been by her side and had often interacted with the courtesans in the building for many years, so she should know something about it and invited her in.

"Reporting to Mother, Aunt Wang just went to deliver medicine to Madam Yueling and hasn't returned yet," another Aunt Zhou replied as she pushed open the door to bring in hot water.

"Have her come to see me later."

"Yes."

Aunt Zhou put down the water, agreed, and left. It wasn't that Madam Xu didn't feel sorry for her eldest daughter, but the girl really deserved it today, so she couldn't really feel sorry for her. However, she wouldn't be angry that her maid had brought medicine to her daughter and taken care of her, after all, she was her own daughter.

Looking at the hot water brought to her, she took off her hairpins and let her hair down. She washed her face, thinking that she would ask questions later and then get some rest. Today, she had been busy and had a fright, which was really too much for her old bones.

But the news brought by Aunt Wang did not go as she wished, and she remained awake until dawn.

On her way back, Aunt Wang met Aunt Zhou. Hearing that Mama Xu was looking for her, she rushed over, fearing it must be something important. After hearing Mama Xu's question, she breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I wouldn't say I know every girl in our brothel inside and out, but I do know a few things, especially those who have problems with their private parts and are afraid of being punished. Who would dare to escape my eyes? I've already written down any marks or characteristics on their bodies, just in case I need them someday. Mama, you've come to the right person."

"Alright, enough talk, hurry up and say it." Mrs. Xu was already a little sleepy and had no energy to listen to her long-winded speech, so she quickly urged her.

"Yes, yes, it's all my fault for talking so much." Seeing that Aunt Wang was about to start nagging again, Mama Xu couldn't help but glare at her. Only then did Aunt Wang shut up.

Aunt Wang took out a small booklet from her bosom, carefully flipped through it, clapped her hands and said, "I knew there was such a girl in our brothel, and here she is."

"Who?" Upon hearing that there really was such a person in her family, Xu's mother instantly perked up. If she could find this person immediately and hand him over, she would definitely be able to atone for her sins.

"That's Lady Qingyin," Aunt Wang said with a smile as she put away the booklet.

"Who!?" This startled Xu's mother awake; she never expected that the search for someone would lead to Qingyin.

Seeing that Madam Xu was questioning her, Aunt Wang quickly pulled out another booklet, flipped to the page about Qingyin, and pointed it out to Madam Xu: "Look, I remember it very clearly. Because Qingyin was of superior appearance and you personally took her in, it wasn't my turn to check her at the time, so I didn't record her with the other people in her batch. I only discovered this by chance when I went to Qingyin's place to take her measurements a couple of years ago. Ordinary people can't see it. It's a small red mole the size of a sesame seed on the right earlobe. I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been so sharp-eyed."

As Aunt Wang spoke, she handed the booklet to Mama Xu, seemingly afraid that Mama Xu wouldn't believe her, and swore and vowed in every way possible.

Xu's mother waved her hand to interrupt her rambling, and after she was told to leave, she rubbed her forehead and leaned against the bed rail, looking utterly devastated.

She never expected it to be Qingyin, but upon closer inspection, the age, the time, and the red mole all matched. The only difference was that Qingyin's background was traceable in her case. But upon further reflection, the man who sold her back then claimed to be her father, yet he showed her no affection whatsoever, only guilt and pity.

At first, she thought it was just the gambling father's reluctance to part with his only child. Now, she wondered what if this daughter wasn't his daughter at all, but a stranger? A girl that the gambling father had abducted for money, so it's not impossible that he felt guilty.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Qingyin was the person Cui Heng was looking for. After all, they had joked before that this mangy father must have accumulated a lot of good karma in his past life to have such a lovely daughter in this life.

Moreover, upon closer reflection, Qingyin's physique didn't seem like that of someone raised in a neglected farming family. Thinking of her, she slapped herself. She blamed herself for being blinded by greed and ignoring so many suspicious points. Now, even if she wanted to investigate, there was no way to prove anything. That small village had long been burned to the ground by a great fire.

However, she mentally excused herself, thinking that she shouldn't be blamed. There were many people of dubious origin in the red-light district; every family had a few of them. Where would so many women sell themselves? They were all swindled and cheated, and everyone turned a blind eye. So she couldn't be blamed.

But then she thought about how she had insisted on saying Qingyin was dead for money, and she wanted to slap herself again. But she couldn't bring herself to admit that she had lied to the other party for money, since she had just denied it so vehemently. And most importantly, she couldn't let go of the money that Qingyin had brought.

After tossing and turning all night, Xu's mother still couldn't make up her mind, and only fell asleep anxiously at dawn.