How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

"Are you all packed?" Wen Shuyun came to Liu Yin's place early that morning.

"That's about it." Liu Yin sat on an embroidered stool by the door, drinking a cup of tea.

Wen Shuyun leaned closer for a look and realized that the tea wasn't made of common tea leaves, but rather contained several Chinese medicinal herbs. He raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "What's this?"

Liu Yin raised the teacup slightly higher so he could see it more clearly.

As soon as the teacup came close, an indescribable sweet and sour taste rushed into his nose, making him sniff involuntarily before stepping back.

After dodging him, he asked curiously, "Is this medicinal tea?"

Liu Yin held the teacup in both hands, nodded, and looked as if she was more resigned to her fate than to death.

Seeing this, Wen Shuyun smiled and said, "Did Dong Feng mix this for you? Is it hard to drink? It smells alright to me."

Liu Yin rolled her eyes at him before letting out a deep sigh and saying, "Soy sauce flavored honey-glazed pastries, that's hellish cuisine."

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyun burst into laughter.

The laughter startled Mei Wu and Zhu Mei, who were tidying up inside. The two women exchanged a glance, shook their heads, and ignored the commotion outside.

Liu Yin stepped directly on Wen Shuyun's foot, making him jump up with a "whoop".

Seeing him wince in pain, Liu Yin felt a pang of guilt; she hadn't expected her kick to be so hard.

After thinking for a moment, she cautiously asked, "I didn't realize your foot was so fragile. Are you alright? Should I call Uncle Dong over?"

Wen Shuyun hugged her feet, pretending to be enduring the pain, and said, "It's okay, it's okay, I'll find him later."

"Are you really alright? Why don't you grab a stool and sit down to rest?" Liu Yin pursed her lips, her guilt barely concealed.

Wen Shuyun was already fine; he had only wanted to tease Liu Yin. Now, seeing her genuine concern for him, he suddenly felt caught in a dilemma.

He rubbed his nose, awkwardly put his leg down, and pretended to limp on the bench in the corridor next to him, still in pain. He coughed lightly before speaking, "It's okay, I'll be fine in a bit. By the way, is Dong Feng sure she's going with you?"

After confirming several times that he was alright, Liu Yin nodded and said, "Yes, I've already spoken with Uncle Dong. Uncle Dong will be going to Yancheng with the caravan tomorrow."

"That's good. If they're all in Yancheng, we can rest assured while we're away." Wen Shuyun nodded, then frowned slightly and looked at Liu Yin with concern, saying, "But... is your body capable of long-distance travel?"

Liu Yin nodded and reassured her, "It's alright, we don't need to go far anyway, we can just avoid Weicheng for now."

Wen Shuyun nodded, sighed deeply, and looked at Liu Yin with some reproach: "You're so foolish. I've reminded you before not to write about recent events in your travelogue, but you just wrote it by date, and even ended it in a small town. Which of those aristocratic families isn't shrewd? Didn't they immediately guess that you were nearby?"

Liu Yin touched her cheek somewhat embarrassedly before saying, "I didn't expect them to arrive so quickly. I was so engrossed in writing that I forgot..."

Wen Shuyun sighed before continuing, "Alright, if they're coming, they're coming. We'll just try to hide as soon as possible."

Liu Yin quickly nodded in agreement, and then said, "Duan'an sent a letter saying that they have already captured three cities?"

Wen Shuyun's face lit up with joy: "Yes, as expected of the person you chose, he is truly remarkable."

Liu Yin nodded, and after confirming the information she had received, she said nothing more.

She fell silent, and Wen Shuyun said nothing more. For a moment, apart from the sounds of tidying up the room, there was nothing else, and a rare warmth appeared between the two of them.

Princess Duan'an, whom Liu Yin was worried about, had just conquered the fourth city and walked into the city lord's mansion with a face full of resentment.

"What's wrong?" General He asked her, puzzled.

Duan An sat down in a chair, took a few sips of tea, and said, "Those aristocratic families are utterly despicable; they deserve to be slaughtered."

General He rubbed his temples and advised, "Just two days ago you were advising me not to get angry, saying that you would deal with the powerful families in the future. Why are you so upset now?"

After setting down the cup and leaning back, he said, "I was just being sarcastic; I couldn't possibly kill them all. What you say, sister, is right."

General He raised an eyebrow: "What did your sister say this time?"

Duan An sighed softly: "My sister said that the world does not need aristocratic families, but we cannot stop the formation of aristocratic families, especially now. At least until talents are cultivated, aristocratic families are the best place to provide me with talents."

“That makes sense,” General He said.

Duan An continued, "I know that, but these aristocratic families are truly hateful."

"Kill some, surrender some, reward some. Didn't you do a good job before?" General He looked at her in confusion.

Duan An coughed lightly before saying embarrassedly, "I was forced to, so I naturally came to my uncle to say a few words when I was really angry."

"So you think this is a place just for you to complain?" General He raised his eyebrows and glared at Duan An with his fierce eyes.

If it were someone who didn't know him, they would definitely be intimidated by General He's murderous aura. But Duan An was someone who had known him for many years. He was not afraid of such things and just sat to the side drinking water, ignoring him completely.

Seeing that his niece wasn't afraid, General He gave her a helpless look and said, "Alright, alright, you've finished complaining. Now you should leave."

When Duan'an saw him trying to send him away, he quickly sat up straight and said seriously, "I really have something important to discuss with my uncle today."

Seeing her like this, General He had no choice but to nod and say to her, "Speak, what is it?"

Duan An stroked the teacup in his hand, hesitated for a long time, and then looked up and said, "Uncle, what do you think about me just killing those princes?"

General He frowned, his mind full of questions, and looked at Duan An with puzzlement.

Duan An sighed softly before continuing, "I've gathered a lot of information these past few days. Behind those wealthy families and merchants who exploit the people for profit are several princes who need large sums of money to vie for the throne. If they die, the emperor will have no successor, and then..."

General He naturally understood the meaning behind her unspoken words, but he did not agree with Duan An's idea. Even though Duan An pretended to be calm, his eyes still showed signs of irritation.

He couldn't help but think to himself, "He's still just a child."

After thinking for a moment, he said, “No, we should proceed slowly and carefully. Do not act rashly. You should know that even if you kill them, it will be useless. Your father has no sons, and his brothers are either dead or have no descendants. But your grandfather’s generation still has several princes who still have offspring. When the time comes, the court officials will naturally ask for adoption.”

Duan An closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, and then slowly opened them, saying, "I understand. Let me think about it some more. It's not that we can't use the emperor to command the nobles, but it's not that we can't..."