How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

About seven or eight days later, the boy returned home looking dejected.

Seeing the disappointment on his grandson's face, the old man couldn't help but smile, stroking his beard, and asked, "What's wrong?"

The boy leaned against the old man's leg, looking pitiful, and said, "They only listened for one day at first, and then didn't come for the next two days. I thought they were just old-fashioned, but unexpectedly, in less than three days, they actually came with books, begging me to teach them to read, and even... even..."

"Even what?" the old man asked his grandson gently.

The boy sniffed and said, "In fact, they actually learned it!"

The old man burst into laughter, but seeing the boy pout, he sighed and asked with a sigh, "Do you understand now?"

The young man pondered for a moment before frowning and asking, "What is the reason for all this, Ancestor?"

The old man patted his head before speaking in detail: "Her book seems to be written in simple language, but the words she uses are the ones that people use in their daily lives. Moreover, because the words in her book seem as simple as ordinary people's speech, it is easier for people to understand."

"Is that all?" the young man asked hesitantly.

"Moreover, because her books are easy to read, they are more readily accepted by the common people. In addition, her books have a great appeal to people, including the common people. In order to enjoy them as soon as possible, the common people will naturally try to understand them and even learn them."

"How did you do that?" the young man asked in a low voice, pursing his lips.

"Emotions," the old man said. Seeing that the young man was still confused, the old man continued to ask, "When you read that book, did you feel joy or sorrow along with the characters in the story?"

The young man nodded.

The old man continued, "Are you eager to read the next volume?"

The boy continued to nod.

The old man thought for a moment before continuing to ask, "What if you first hear someone read this story to you, but you can't go to that person's place every day, nor can you listen to it all the time, and you want to buy a copy for yourself from time to time?"

The young man nodded without hesitation at first, then suddenly realized and exclaimed, "This person is incredibly shrewd; she has a complete grasp on people's hearts. No wonder she's from the red-light district..."

"Ahem!" The old man coughed lightly, interrupting the boy's next words.

Seeing the young man look up at him with a puzzled expression, the old man continued, "One's background has nothing to do with character or talent. Didn't the hermit write that in his book?"

The boy's face flushed instantly. He scratched his head awkwardly and stammered, "It's...it's my fault."

The old man patted his head and said, "This woman is no ordinary person. I've heard that a Princess Duan'an has emerged on the frontier, a woman studying agriculture has appeared in Jiangnan, and a woman in Qinhuai has been passed down for her talent in investigating things. I wonder if the appearance of these prodigies is good or bad for the world..."

The old man's sentiments seemed incomprehensible to the boy, but he didn't think much of it and pulled the old man aside to ask, "Grandpa, can I take this book with me? It's so hard to find on the market."

Seeing his innocent appearance, the old man stroked his beard, smiled, and nodded in agreement.

After seeing the young man off, the old man sighed deeply and murmured, "Women are valued for their talents; the world is truly changing..."

Liu Yin's book caused a bigger and more far-reaching stir than she had imagined. More people read books and became literate. The common people finally understood the benefits of being literate, and at least they were no longer afraid of being cheated when they went out to work.

In this era, it was all too common to use employment contracts to trick people into selling themselves into slavery.

And Liu Yin's second book was finally published.

With the help of others, Lin Wan escaped the brothel, but was seriously injured during her escape. She was barely alive and hiding in the alley, where stray dogs were crouching not far from her, waiting for a feast that was about to be served.

Just when she was in despair, a carriage passed by the alleyway, and a pair of beautiful eyes met hers through the carriage window.

Thus, she found her salvation, another noble lady, Yu Niang, who was known as the most beautiful woman in the family.

The other person was a very kind person who not only saved her but also treated her body.

Lin Wan was very grateful to her, but she had nothing of value. She wanted to become Yu Niang's maid, but she also knew that being a maid in a noble family was not something someone of her current status could do.

Just when she was feeling helpless, she learned that Yu Niang had been chosen by a licentious and cruel head of a higher-ranking noble family, who was forcing her to become his concubine.

Lin Wan took over her identity, not only marrying in her place but also helping Yu Niang escape her hometown to prevent any accidents.

Lin Wan suffered endless torment in the aristocratic family, but she refused to reveal Yu Niang's whereabouts. As a result, the head of the family threw her into a private dungeon. In the dungeon, Lin Wan met an old man and followed him to practice some martial arts.

"I am a prostitute, why should I fear your humiliation?"

"If they are not afraid of me, then what about them?"

……

"You want to learn kung fu? Your natural talent is only good enough for some basic punches and kicks."

"I want to learn, even if it's just a basic skill, it's better than being a woman who can't even kill a chicken!"

……

Luck was on Lin Wan's side. She lived in the dungeon in oblivion until one day, the dungeon door was opened and she was taken out. Only then did she realize that the person who had once held immense power in her eyes was nothing more than an ant in the eyes of someone of higher status, and she was the ant among ants.

But because of this, nobody cared about her, and she escaped that hellish world.

They then discovered that the news of Yu Niang being forced into marriage had already spread far and wide, and everyone believed that Yu Niang had lost her virginity and should atone for it with her death.

Meanwhile, as Lin Wan received comfort and gratitude from Yu Niang and her family, she was thinking about how to clear Yu Niang's name.

The new book ended here, largely due to public discussion.

"What happened next?" Unable to contain themselves, they headed straight for the bookstore.

"Yeah, what's next? Why isn't the shopkeeper releasing it yet?"

The bookstore owner, looking at the various young masters and stewards whom he couldn't afford to offend, wiped the sweat from his brow and hurriedly said, "Gentlemen, gentlemen, really, there's nothing. If there's any follow-up, we'll release it ourselves."

"Then hurry up and send a message to the hermit!" a quick-thinking person reminded him.

The shopkeeper gave a wry smile: "We would like to contact the hermit, but... but we have no way to do so."

The crowd realized at this moment that the hermit had always been elusive, and left in disappointment.

The prosperity of the major bookstores was something that the people at Shen Family Bookstore both envied and resented.

However, they had already been explicitly rejected by the reclusive masters, and each book even had a note printed on the back stating that it was not sold by the Shen family bookstore. Outsiders naturally made all sorts of guesses, but no one in the Shen family dared to say anything.

Ultimately, it was the Shen family's fault for being dishonest. The eldest daughter of the Shen family, the head of the family, was immediately reprimanded by her elders, who not only stripped her of her power but also forced her to get married.

Even so, the Shen family still fell into decline. As for the eldest daughter of the Shen family, after being hastily married off, she directly turned against the Shen family and supported her husband's family to fight against her own family. Apart from the head of the Shen family, there was no one else capable in the Shen family, and now it is in a terrible state.