How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

Sure enough, the group arrived at the alley where the courtyards were clustered together, and after walking only three or four hundred meters further in, they stopped at a courtyard that looked slightly dilapidated from the outside.

Compared to other houses, the black gate was covered with mottled marks, and the two stone drums next to it were covered with fallen leaves that had never been swept. Every now and then a gust of wind would blow the fallen leaves and roll them onto the steps, making a rustling sound.

The brass lock on the door was rusty, indicating that no one had painted or decorated it for a long time. Above it hung a plaque that read "Liu Residence," which was now covered in dust.

Before Liu Yin could examine her closely, Xu Mama instructed the maid who had come with her to go and knock on the door.

"Clang, clang, clang." The sound of brass locks striking wood echoed several times in the quiet alley. After a while, they heard slow footsteps coming from inside the door.

With a creaking sound as the door opened, an elderly woman with a full head of white hair poked her head out and looked at the group of guests. "Who are you...?"

"My surname is Xu. I've come to visit Sister Liu before." Before Xu's mother could give a signal, the maid who had come with her stepped forward and politely replied.

"Oh, please come in, please come in..." the old woman said, opening the door and stepping aside.

As everyone entered one after another, Liu Yin stumbled and lagged behind. When she stepped over the threshold, she found the old woman who opened the door staring at her with a mysterious yet curious expression.

The look in her eyes sent a chill down Liu Yin's spine. She quickly looked away, failing to notice the old woman's hunched figure and tattered clothes. She also failed to see that the woman's gaze grew increasingly intense after she looked away, with a strange smile playing on her lips.

She quickened her pace and caught up with the person in front of her. Only then did she notice the scenery in the courtyard. Although it was summer, the courtyard had a desolate feel to it. There was not a single green plant. The water in the water tank in the courtyard was dark and not transparent at all.

A middle-aged woman dressed in brown came forward, exchanged a few words with Xu's mother in a low voice, and then led the group towards the east wing. The attendants waited outside the door, while Xu's mother and Liu Yin went in with the middle-aged woman.

Upon entering, Liu Yin found the room extremely dark, with thick curtains covering the doors and windows, preventing any light from getting in. Looking closely, she saw a woman who appeared to be in her thirties lying on a canopy bed not far away.

Upon closer inspection, the woman's face was pale and she looked ill. Seeing Xu Mama and her group approach, she hurriedly forced herself to sit up. Liu Yin thought to herself, 'This must be Sister Liu.'

The woman who had led the way quickly stepped forward and placed a blanket behind her.

"This is my daughter...?" As expected, the woman's words confirmed Liu Yin's thoughts. Seeing Xu Mama nod, she turned her gaze to Liu Yin.

Xu Mama pushed Liu Yin in front of Madam Liu, who immediately grabbed Liu Yin's wrist. Liu Yin nervously pulled her hand back, but surprisingly, the usually frail woman suddenly displayed a rare strength.

Liu Yin looked down and saw the hands holding hers, white and slender like green onions, with three-inch-long fingernails, the red color of which had faded and darkened. Looking up, her slender wrists looked as if they would break if she exerted too much force, and a gold bracelet hung from them.

'Shrimp whisker bracelet...' Liu Yin didn't know why she suddenly uttered such a sentence.

Then, Madam Liu glanced at the servants, gave them a meaningful look, and said to Liu Yin, "She remains calm in the face of honor and disgrace, and her appearance is also similar; she is quite good."

Before Liu Yin could ask any questions, she looked at Xu's mother and continued, "Thank you for your concern, she's a good child."

"You're too kind. I do have something to ask of you, after all. It's fate that you two became mother and daughter." For some reason, Mrs. Xu's face showed a rare hint of tenderness.

'It seems that my relationship with the madam is not simple.' Liu Yin looked thoughtfully at the exchange between the two.

"Qingyin, from now on this is your mother. She can explain some things to you later. You can move in in a couple of days." After talking with the other party, Xu's mother glanced at Liu Yin before giving her instructions, and then added, "Oh, and remember to sign the indenture."

"What?! A contract of servitude?!" Liu Yin looked at Xu's mother in surprise, her brows furrowed and her face showing displeasure. "Mother, I said I wanted to change to a clean identity. If I sign another contract of servitude, what difference will it make from my current identity?"

Before the other party could respond, she continued, "If I were to sell myself to Qingyin Hall, wouldn't it be better for me to use Qingyin's reputation? We're all courtesans, so who's worse than whom?"

“It’s not a contract of indenture.” Mrs. Xu knew she wasn’t being fair, but remembering what her daughter had said earlier, she had to harden her voice and continue, “It is a contract of sale, but it’s not a contract of indenture.”

"That's a slave contract, which is worse than a prostitute's contract." Liu Yin didn't want to be fooled by such a simple thing.

"However, it's only temporary. I'll return it to you later." The other person's expression was displeased.

"When is 'later'?" Liu Yin asked.

“Five years!” Mrs. Xu gestured with her hand.

"One year," Liu Yin continued to haggle.

"Impossible! Four years!" the other person continued, frowning.

"One year!" Liu Yin insisted firmly.

"Four years!" Madam Xu was a little angry and Liu Yin didn't give her any face. She threatened, "Qingyin, don't forget, your indenture is still in my hands. If you really piss me off, I'll throw you into the second-class brothel, and you'll have to suffer!"

Liu Yin stared intently at the other party, her heart filled with doubt. But seeing a hint of guilt flash across Xu Mama's face, she gritted her teeth and decided to take a gamble: "Impossible. At worst, I'll go to Yanxia Courtyard. Anyway, I won't lose out. I can save up for a few years and get married like my sisters."

"you……"

"Alright...cough cough..." Madam Liu coughed lightly twice, looking at Liu Yin with satisfaction, and said to the madam, "Sister Xu, please do this favor for my sake. After all, she will be your niece in the future."

"This..." The madam hesitated when she saw Madam Liu speak, then gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, consider it paying off a debt. If you don't want to sign, then don't! I'm only doing this for your sake, but the contract must be signed. You have to serve me as a teacher for three years."

She then interrupted Liu Yin before she could finish speaking and continued, "Qingyin, that's enough. People should be content. Either you follow the proper rules for a courtesan's marriage and use the money to redeem yourself, or you'd better listen to me, Sister Zhang, what do you say?"

Madam Liu naturally nodded in agreement and turned her gaze to Liu Yin. Liu Yin didn't want to push her too far, so since her goal had been achieved, she naturally had to give a good nod in agreement.

"Of course, here you go." With that, Xu's mother took out a piece of paper from her bosom.

Liu Yin took the paper and saw a small, childish handprint on it, with a name that was still faintly visible on it—Zhang Qiao'er.

She felt as if a mountain had been lifted from her heart, and breathed a deep sigh of relief. She had finally fulfilled one of the original owner's wishes. Although there was still a betrothal letter, she could at least be considered an innocent person.

With a smile, Xu's mother took out the prepared letter of appointment and urged Liu Yin to sign it. Only then did Liu Yin realize that the other party's real purpose was to make her the teacher. She couldn't help but curse inwardly, "What a cunning old fox! I was too naive."

She lowered her head and thought for a moment before writing Qiao'er's name on it. She didn't notice that Xu Mama glanced at the betrothal letter with a nonchalant look and then looked at her with a calculating gaze. She also didn't notice that Madam Liu looked at Xu Mama with a slightly guilty look after she had been thinking for a while.

At that moment, she had no idea that her contempt for the ancients would lead to her downfall...

"Alright, your name is Qingyin, right? Now that it's over, let's not mention it again." Madam Liu had recovered her spirits and stopped coughing. She gently instructed Liu Yin, and then, without waiting for her reply, she continued, "From now on, your surname will be Liu, and your name will be Jianniang. From now on, you will be my daughter who has been frail since childhood, and I will be your mother."

"Yes, Mother." Liu Yin looked at the other party and agreed without hesitation. Since things were as she wished, why should she be coy?

“Good child, you should go back with Sister Xu for now. We’ll move here in a few days, and I’ll tell you some things then,” Madam Liu said after catching her breath.

Only after Liu Yin nodded did he call over Wu Ma, who was waiting outside, and ask her to take the money to the county government office before letting the group leave.

Liu Yin followed Xu Mama and the maid who came with her back to Qingyin Hall.

She exchanged a few polite words with Mrs. Xu and was about to go back to her room to continue sleeping when Mrs. Xu called out to her, "You..."

"What's wrong, Mom?" Liu Yin looked at her suspiciously.

"Never mind, it's alright, go and rest." As she spoke, she sighed as if she had just remembered something, and waved for Liu Yin to go upstairs.

As Liu Yin walked up the stairs, she noticed that many of the rooms already had guests. She listened to the hushed chatter of women in the rooms as she walked.

Compared to the brothels of the old society in my previous life, the first-class brothels here have an extra hall for casual patrons. They come to drink, listen to music, and arrange entertainment. There is no decadence like the second or third class brothels. At first glance, it looks like a tavern with performances, quiet and leisurely.

In such places, people are usually mindful of their status and rarely behave inappropriately. However, today seemed different. A burst of noise and commotion shattered the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere that should have been filled with music.

"Old Xu, are you even up to the task?" A wild voice rang out, its tone laced with mocking banter.

"I can't do it, but you can? Young Master Liu, want to give it a try?" Another voice rang out, clear and arrogantly nonchalant.

"No, no, what if you try it and then lose it if you like it?" the voice in front continued.

The two men's boisterous drinking and the cheers of their friends nearby shattered the peace, causing many to frown and look at them. Unfortunately, the group paid no attention to those stares.

Liu Yin frowned slightly as she glanced at the group of people, then looked at Xu's mother, who was about to lead people forward to dissuade them. After thinking for a moment, she decided to continue walking towards her room.

Before they had taken two steps, a piercing scream rang out. The sound was extremely shrill, almost the limit of what a human body could produce, like the roar of a wild beast, the final lament of life.

Liu Yin immediately stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. It came from the corner on the first floor. The scream echoed throughout Qingyin Hall. At this moment, the entire Qingyin Hall fell silent. Many guests and courtesans were frightened by the sound and looked in that direction. Even guests who were chatting in their rooms came out to see what was happening.

Just as everyone was astonished, a "bang" was heard, and a person was thrown out from around the corner. She looked to be no more than eight or nine years old, with extremely delicate features, a beauty mark between her eyebrows, and an undeniable air of elegance. Her eyes still held a childlike innocence, but at this moment, the girl was pale, her body was covered in bruises, and blood was flowing continuously from her lower body. She was barely breathing. Just as everyone was filled with surprise and confusion, a man dressed in silk clothes, wearing a jade crown, and with a fierce expression walked out.

"Young Master Cui, this is no good! It hasn't even been a quarter of an hour yet!" A voice rang out as everyone was shocked by the scene.

Liu Yin looked and saw that it was the young master who had been playfully fighting and talking wildly in front of her.

“Yes, Your Highness, that won’t do. Wouldn’t that just be showing off your power? Let’s try another one.” The one who spoke was a man with a clear voice, but what he said made people frown.

"Get lost! I haven't even had a chance to move a few times and you're already crippled. Is this what you call a famous brothel in Qinhuai? Is this all the stuff you've got?" The ruthless man, referred to as the young master, kicked the girl on the ground, sending her flying several steps away. He didn't care about the condemning gazes around him and said with a look of disgust.

"Young Master, you'd better take it easy. They already said, no one stays up right after arriving. If you break their rules, you'll be the one to pay for it, hahaha." The man with the clear voice continued.

"Hahahaha, yes, young master, be careful you don't end up with a prostitute." The other men who came with him also laughed.

"Hmph, a bunch of trash don't even deserve it. Guards!" Prince Cui glanced at the girl on the ground with a look of disdain.

At a shout, four men carrying long swords came over. One of them stepped forward and handed a handkerchief. Prince Cui took the handkerchief, wiped his hands, and threw it at the girl. He then asked a question, and the man nodded in response. He then waved for someone to drag someone in. Liu Yin took a closer look and saw that it was Da Chahu, who served in the hall.

The "big teapot" refers to the men who serve the courtesans. They are only responsible for waiting in front of the courtesans' doors every day to wait for them to order tea and to handle some matters for the courtesans. They do not serve them personally. Some of them are also skilled in martial arts and also act as bodyguards and thugs.

Generally speaking, people in first-class establishments are self-respecting. Although people like Big Teapot are not kind and gentle, they would not beat someone up like this.