How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

On a rare autumn morning, a thin mist rose over Huaicheng. The tall city wall of Huaicheng stood majestically, appearing and disappearing in the mist. As you approached, you could see that the thick city wall was covered with mottled marks. The long river of time has brought vicissitudes to this impregnable city. The alternation of old and new decorations seemed to tell that it had been carefully repaired not long ago.

Although it is autumn and the weather is bleak, the roads leading into Huaicheng are still covered with all kinds of flowers. The red ones are dazzling and the pink ones are delicate. The sea of ​​flowers looks like a fiery cloud welcoming the guests.

Because of Liu Jianniang's fame, which spread throughout the surrounding cities and prefectures, many people came to visit. In addition, Huaicheng had a famous and the oldest brothel, which was already frequented by many people seeking beauty. Now, it became even more popular.

Therefore, people come and go on this road into the city every day, and the surrounding people also began to set up tea stalls on both sides of the road to do some small business to supplement their family income.

As dawn broke, villagers from the surrounding area hurried along both sides of the main road to sell vegetables. Perhaps due to the heavy loads on their shoulders and their eagerness to get on their way, one of the women carrying a load stumbled and almost tripped over her skirt. Her husband quickly steadied himself with one hand on his carrying pole and the other on his wife. Seeing that his wife was already covered in sweat, he could only say, "Why don't you take a break? It won't hurt to delay for a moment."

After thinking for a moment, the other person shook his head: "Never mind, we're almost there. If we get there a few steps earlier, we might be able to grab a good spot."

The group found a shady spot under a tree and sat down without hesitation. They took out some flatbreads and water bottles from their pockets to fill their stomachs. They had just finished eating and were about to get up to continue their journey when they heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from behind. In this day and age, anyone who could ride a horse must be rich and noble, so they quickly moved to the side of the road, fearing a collision.

Sure enough, a few moments later, a rather exquisite and beautiful carriage clattered up, followed by an ordinary carriage. Behind the carriages were two more carts carrying boxes of various sizes, clearly the luggage of the passengers. As the caravan passed by, a gentle breeze blew past, leaving behind a lingering fragrance. Only after the caravan had passed did they catch their breath and continue their journey.

After several days of travel, the caravan finally arrived at their destination. The young girl sitting in the carriage lifted the curtain and looked outside. It was still early, but the streets were already lined with stalls of all sizes, vendors haggling and hawking their wares, and drunken prodigals returning home. It was bustling and lively.

"Master, shall we go deliver the invitations today?" The girl looked at the commotion outside with reluctance in her eyes.

"Let's find an inn first," said the woman sitting opposite him. She looked to be in her early thirties, with delicate features and rich attire. She could tell that her apprentice wanted to go out and have fun, but she still advised, "We've just arrived here, so let's rest for a few days. Your senior brother can show you around these days, just don't cause any trouble."

"Great!" the girl exclaimed, only to quickly sit up straight and regain her composure when the woman glanced at her.

A few days later, Li Mozhu and Zhang Ziheng were enjoying new dishes at a restaurant when they heard a voice from next door: "Hey, have you heard that rumor lately?"

"You mean that Liu Jianniang?"

"Yes, that's the one... I heard..."

The sound was somewhat intermittent, but Li Mozhu and Zhang Ziheng could still hear the key point about Liu Jianniang. The two of them were stunned for a moment. In the past few days, the academy had been busy with the assessments, and no one had paid attention to what was happening on the street. At this moment, they were both a little confused. Without prior arrangement, the two of them stopped what they were doing and decided to listen to what rumors were circulating.

Just then, the two men were about to pay their bill and leave, and they kept their voices down as if afraid of being overheard, so the two men could only stare blankly and not hear a thing.

Li Mozhu frowned slightly, seemingly hesitant about whether to step forward and ask, but Zhang Ziheng raised an eyebrow and called over a waiter: "Waiter, come here."

The waiter heard the call and quickly ran over: "What can I do for you, gentlemen?"

"I'm asking you, have you heard any strange or unusual things happening in the city lately?" Zhang Ziheng glanced at the two men beside him, seemingly casually.

The waiter glanced at it briefly and immediately understood. He took the money Zhang Ziheng handed him and muttered, "Sir, there are many things happening in the city lately, but the most unusual one is the infamous Liu Jiaosi from the red-light district."

"Oh? Could you tell me more about it, brother?" Zhang Ziheng saw the waiter look around and wait until he was sure that no one was at the next few tables before continuing in a low voice, "I heard that a few days ago there were rumors on the street that the lyrics and music of this Teacher Liu were written by someone else. She herself has been bedridden for more than ten years and has been told by doctors several times that she cannot be saved. How could she suddenly recover and become a teacher?"

After the waiter finished speaking, he looked up and carefully observed the surroundings before whispering, "It is said that Qingyin Niangzi of Qingyin Hall did not die back then, but was taken away by Instructor Liu. These lyrics and music were all written by her."

“How could that be? Qingyin Niangzi’s funeral was held in full view of everyone by Qingyin Hall, and she was buried in the bamboo forest three miles west of the city.” Li Mozhu couldn’t help but refute the rumors.

"What you say is true, sir. That's why no one dares to say it openly, for fear that Master Liu will come knocking on their door. Besides, if the courtesans redeem themselves, they have to report to the government. If it's false, Qingyin Hall won't agree to it either. So now everyone is just spreading it secretly." The waiter didn't want to offend the customer, so he nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Having obtained the information he wanted, Zhang Ziheng gave the waiter another silver ingot and waved for him to leave. However, the waiter had only taken two or three steps when he returned and hesitated for a moment before saying to the two men, "There is something I don't know if it's true or not, but you two gentlemen can listen to it for now."

"Tell me what you think," Zhang Ziheng said, seeing that Li Mozhu was not in a good mood.

"I heard that Master Zhang from the north of the city was eagerly anticipating the day Lady Qingyin would be publicly listed for marriage, hoping to become her lover. But unexpectedly, Lady Qingyin's face was ruined by that tigress from Master Chen's family the day before she was to be married. He's been lamenting about it every day, and now that he's heard the rumors, he insists on seeking justice for Lady Qingyin." The waiter, knowing that the two were generous, readily explained the situation.

"How does he plan to ask for it?" Zhang Ziheng asked curiously.

"I don't know, but I vaguely heard that Master Zhang plans to exhume Lady Qingyin's body for an autopsy..." The waiter hesitated for a moment before speaking softly.

"What! How dare he?" Zhang Ziheng was stunned and didn't react. Li Mozhu, on the other hand, was so angry that her face turned red. She couldn't help but scold, "How arrogant! He and Qingyin Niangzi were not related. She died of illness. It doesn't meet the criteria of murder reported to the authorities for autopsy, nor does it meet the criteria of relatives opening the coffin. It's simply outrageous! Qingyin Niangzi was a virgin even though she wasn't registered. Did he think she was a pure and innocent person and would be insulted by him after death?!"

Before the waiter and Zhang Ziheng could react, Li Mozhu stood up and was about to leave. Zhang Ziheng quickly paid for the meal and then instructed the waiter, "Deliver the meal to Wenyuan Academy and say it's from Zhang Ziheng of Class B, Liyanzhai." He then hurried after her.