How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

But Liu Yin knew that human classes had always been pyramid-shaped, especially in ancient times when scholars held the power of discourse, reading became a luxury, and there was no room for ordinary people to rise in ancient times. The spiritual world of the common people was extremely impoverished. If she could follow the example of her predecessors in her previous life and write simple and easy-to-understand vernacular novels for them, she thought it would be able to attract many people.

Moreover, she also harbored a personal motive: she hoped to influence more people through her writing, to spread the story further, and even better if it could bring about a small change to the world.

So she wasn't surprised by Xu's mother's disdain for ordinary people when she asked her question, but she didn't care: "Why not? Aren't stories meant to be read? For me, the more people who read them, the better. I don't care who they are or what class they belong to. I just hope that everyone can understand them."

“That’s true, but… if you want commoners to understand it, it means that scholars won’t read your stories and might even criticize you.” Madam Xu was worried that Liu Yin might overlook the power of the gentry because of her youth, which would then affect her. “If you affect Qingyin Hall, don’t blame me for not helping you.”

"Mom, you can rest assured. I am a woman from a brothel. Writing some short stories about brothels won't cause any trouble, let alone attract the attention of those gentlemen." Liu Yin had already discussed this with Liu An. They both felt that if the stories were all short ones like "Candy," they wouldn't attract the attention of those high and mighty men.

Hearing her say this, and then asking if Liu An and the other two agreed with the matter, she finally felt a little relieved. It wasn't because she was confident in Liu Yin's actions, but because she believed that Liu An and the other two wouldn't do anything foolish that would cause trouble. After all, being able to have such a peaceful life was already much better than most courtesans, and they wouldn't easily disturb her peaceful life.

She never imagined that her trust in the two of them had made her overlook their youthful impetuosity, leading Liu Yin to do something even more dangerous and serious, almost burying her and Qingyin Hall together.

"So you're planning to find a bookstore to print and sell it on your behalf?" Mrs. Xu held the booklet and shook it up and down curiously, as if she wanted to see what good ideas Liu Yin had.

“Of course not. A story is only a few tens of thousands of words long, and you can finish it in a quarter of an hour. If I were to go through a bookstore, I would probably lose a lot of money. I was thinking of finding a bookstore to print some pamphlets and putting them in the hall or giving them to my sisters to distribute. But…” Liu Yin hesitated for a moment, but then continued, “I think my sisters are in contact with high-ranking officials and wealthy young men. I’m thinking of distributing these to the outside world. I might need to find some storytellers to read them.”

"A storyteller?" Mrs. Xu asked, puzzled.

Liu Yin thought for a moment before realizing that since vernacular novels were not very popular in the Li Dynasty, professional storytellers like this had never appeared in teahouses. Recalling similar professions in her memory, she said, "It's like a storyteller, but I don't need to sing, I can just talk."

Mrs. Xu nodded in understanding: "Just telling stories isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are storytellers, after all. But if I had to say, it would be better to find a storyteller. Your story is too short. If you finish telling it in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, it's not very interesting. Why don't you write some lyrics and compose a melody to accompany the storyteller?"

Hearing what Xu's mother said, she was stunned for a moment, then realized that this was the predecessor of storytelling. However, the storytelling of today had not yet formed the rules of later generations, nor did it have a special place for storytelling. It was more like a street performer who would mark out a spot and start telling stories. After finishing, he would receive a pen reward. Some of the better storytellers would be invited to brothels or to people's homes.

Liu Yin believed that as time went by, these people would eventually become professional storytellers like those in her previous life. She had also seen storytellers before, similar to those who sang drum ballads or sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument) in her previous life, only they performed more storytelling than the storytellers of today.

After careful consideration, she said, "How about this, let the 'Candy' be performed by a rapper for a few shows to see how it goes. Mom, please keep an eye on the rapper's delivery. After I finish writing the other stories, I'll compile a collection for them. I'll also rewrite the lyrics and music for this book for singing only, so the prostitutes in the brothel can sing it."

"That's great! You can leave everything else to me. I'll definitely handle it all neatly and efficiently. But as for printing the booklets, I'm not sure what I can do. People don't respect us because we come from brothels." When Madam Xu heard that she could even write lyrics and music specifically for her brothel, she clapped her hands in delight and took on the task herself. Now she knew Liu Yin's ability to write lyrics and music, and she believed that with Liu Yin's talent, this song would definitely cause a stir in brothels again and bring more reputation to her Qingyin Hall.

"I'll handle the printing," a woman's voice came from outside the pavilion. It was Madam Liu who had come over.

Although she didn't know how much Madam Liu had overheard, Liu Yin figured there was nothing to hide, so she didn't worry about it and hurriedly went to greet her: "Does Mother have a suitable candidate?"

It's no wonder Liu Yin was surprised. As a courtesan who had been redeemed from the redemption process in the brothel, Madam Liu was still regarded as a prostitute in the outside world, to put it bluntly. Various bookstores took pride in printing scholars' essays and policies, and each of them held themselves in high regard. Who among them who could decide on printing books was not the manager of the bookstore? Such people would never respect women from the brothel.

"You don't need to worry about that. I have my own way of doing it. You just need to tell the story well, polish it up, prepare the music and lyrics, and wait." Madam Liu patted Liu Yin's hand, which was supporting her, and said with a smile.

Hearing her say that, Liu Yin had no choice but to agree. Madam Liu and Xu Mama had a very unpleasant falling out because of something that happened years ago. Although they had reconciled somewhat because of Liu Yin, they hadn't reached the point where they were sitting down to try to build rapport. After exchanging a few questions, they quickly ended their awkward time together.

Before leaving, Madam Xu reminded Liu Yin to finish the lyrics and music as soon as possible, as she would arrange it quickly. Liu Yin readily agreed and then explained the arrangements to Madam An in detail. Neither of them offered any suggestions, but simply told her to make the arrangements herself.

For the next month, Liu Yin spent her time either teaching the pipa at Qingyin Hall every few days or at home meticulously refining her works. During this month of seclusion, Luanqin's performance of "Ambush from Ten Sides" and Xu Yinling's performance of "Pitying Jade" had already become popular in brothels.

Qingyin Hall is always packed on the days when the two performers play. Even those who cannot become guests of the duo still come to experience the lyrics and music that are said to be rare in the world. Not to mention the previous masterpiece "Pipa Language" by Qingyin. The three extraordinary pieces each have their own unique charm, leaving everyone who hears them with a lingering dream.

As for Luanqin and Xu Yinling, their value skyrocketed. They spent lavishly to have their faces turned red, making Xu's mother very rich. She was all smiles every day and almost praised Liu Yin to the heavens, wishing that this golden child could train a new courtesan or learn a new song every day.