How to become a Taoist priest starting from a brothel

The weather was perfect that day, with a clear autumn sky and crisp air. Liu Yin, dressed in casual clothes and with her hair loosely tied up, sat in the corridor, feeling rather bored. Seeing that the sunlight was just right and the chrysanthemums in the courtyard were in full bloom, she couldn't help but become interested and called on Zhu Mei and the others to play shuttlecock.

"Miss, Madam said that you have just recovered and should rest well." Zhu Mei looked at the sky, which was still a bit chilly, and went back into the house to get a jacket for her to put on.

Liu Yin pursed her lips, straightened her clothes, and said to Zhu Mei jokingly, "Yes, I'll listen to whatever our Miss Zhu Mei says."

"Miss!" Zhu Mei was a little embarrassed and annoyed. She was about to turn her temper, but then she remembered that Liu Yin had just recovered, so she could only roll her eyes at her before picking up the parrot from the other side of the corridor. "You should just play with it quietly."

Liu Yin was at her wit's end; she couldn't play anymore today. All she could do was hold a stick and tease the parrot inside, making it flutter up and down while cursing, "Bad guy! Bad guy!"

Liu Yin burst into laughter, completely abandoning any semblance of ladylike demeanor.

The noise also woke up Madam Liu, who should have been resting in her room. She looked at Liu Yin with a hint of doting on her face: "Look at you, you're becoming more and more unruly. Are you going to be like this after you get married? Aren't you afraid your mother-in-law will dislike you?"

"Get married?" Liu Yin's lips twitched slightly. She never expected to be pressured to get married after coming to this world. "I have no intention of getting married. What's so good about getting married?"

"If you don't get married, what will you do in the future? Are you going to be a courtesan for the rest of your life?" Madam Liu had already come to her side at this time, and upon hearing this, she couldn't help but poke her head in annoyance.

"What's wrong with that? I write books and compose lyrics and music. There are no complicated rules, and I still have money. How carefree and comfortable is that?" Liu Yin replied casually.

Madam Liu, sitting beside her, couldn't help but mutter a few more words as she listened: "What's so good about being a rich, single woman? You're not living a carefree life; you're just constantly on edge."

Seeing that Liu Yin still seemed unconcerned, she said, "Do you think all women in the world want to get married?"

"So what if I don't marry?" Liu Yin still looked completely indifferent.

"If you don't marry, ha! If you don't marry, you'll be watched closely by the local gentry, the local ruffians, the relatives, or the neighbors. They'll wait for you to slip up, then drug you and throw you into a brothel. You'll lose everything, along with all your property." Madam Liu raised her eyebrows, waiting for Liu Yin's reaction.

Unfortunately, Liu Yin showed no surprise whatsoever. Instead, she said seriously, "Mother, if a society cannot allow half the world's genders to live freely, then it is not the problem of those half the people that is the problem of society."

“If women’s freedom to protect their own property is not even protected, then institutional and ideological changes are needed. I can’t change the system, but I can try to change the mindset.”

“When I made the decision, I knew that in order to achieve my goal, this era needed a role model, a woman who could live freely without marriage. I couldn’t find such a role model, so I chose to become such a role model.”

"What's the point? Have you thought about how you'll protect your property from those who covet it?" Although Madam Liu was moved by Liu Yin's words, she also raised a more realistic point.

“That’s why I want to try step by step to find a viable path for women everywhere.” Liu Yin smiled at her and continued, “Mother, you should know that relying on others is the most vulnerable thing to do.”

Madam Liu was moved by this last sentence. Yes, she relied on her father and brothers when she was young, but they couldn't protect her family. Later, she wanted to rely on her fiancé, but he was unreliable. Then she relied on her confidant, but he ran away as soon as he saw her daughter was not doing well. In the end, she relied on herself.

“That may be true, but the only single women in this world who are rich are either high-ranking officials or women like us who come from brothels but no one wants them and have a little money.” Thinking this, Madam Liu continued, “Your master and I are among the very few survivors; most of us lost both our money and our lives.”

“I know that change doesn’t happen overnight, but Mother, I’m still young. I have a lot of time.” Liu Yin took her hand and comforted her silently.

“I know, but what if nothing changes?” Madam Liu looked at Liu Yin with worry.

"It doesn't matter. Just consider it as me planting a seed; it will bloom eventually." Liu Yin gazed at the sky, as if she could see a vision of her past life, an era when women could freely choose their marriage partners...

Today was perhaps an auspicious day; Shengyuan Trading Company was bustling with activity. The manager on the second floor handed a letter to Cui Heng, who had just returned.

Cui Heng opened the letter, glanced at it, and a cold smile appeared on his face: "Someone is coming tonight. We'll take him directly to my room."

The shopkeeper didn't know what was written in the letter, but he knew he couldn't ask too many questions, so he just nodded in agreement and then reported on the recent business. Cui Heng also put the letter aside and focused on his business.

While most people were asleep at night, the red-light district was still bustling with activity. The back door of Qingyin Hall quietly opened, and a figure wearing a cloak walked out and hurried away into the distance.

In a room on the second floor, a pair of eyes witnessed everything...

"What do you want to see me for? Do you want me to help you take control of Qingyin Hall?" Cui Heng didn't even glance at the woman kneeling in front of him.

The woman was Xu Yueling. She was trembling all over, as if she still had the fear she had felt for Cui Heng: "Master Cui, we sisters really can't go on like this. Please have some pity and stop Madam from making us continue to entertain customers like this."

"Why should I?" Cui Heng glanced at her and asked with some amusement, "Since you know that your mother is backed by me, you should know that my goal is to make money. Since it's all about making money, why would I choose the lesser option instead of the more?"

Xu Yueling bit her lip, thinking of a piece of information she had inadvertently obtained, and spoke without hesitation: "Master Cui, ever since Qingyintang started soliciting customers on the street, some distinguished guests have become less fond of coming. Instead, they prefer to have the courtesans perform in the hall. The other day, the prefect, the headmaster of the academy, and others came to tell Madam Xu that there is no need to reserve rooms in the future, and the fee for performing in the hall will be increased by 10%."

"Um, so?"

Seeing that Cui Heng's expression remained unchanged, Xu Yueling was unsure whether her information was accurate, and couldn't help but feel a little uneasy: "They don't want to come anymore, so we haven't received any useful information from the quiet room for a long time."

Upon hearing the words "quiet room," Cui Heng's expression immediately changed, and his murderous gaze shot towards Xu Yueling.

Xu Yueling knew she had made the right bet, and hurriedly explained, "I overheard this by accident, and no one else knows. Master Cui, please save the sisters. We will try our best to let the guests stay in the brothel."

Cui Heng closed his eyes briefly to suppress the murderous intent in his heart before opening them to look at her: "I own more than one Qingyin Hall. If one is destroyed, there are others. I don't care about you at all."

Xu Yueling knew that the other party was telling the truth, but she couldn't think of any other way to persuade her. Just then, her eyes caught sight of a letter on the side, and two words on it pierced her eyes: 'sister'.

She instantly thought of the news she had heard from Xu's mother about Cui Heng looking for someone, and a figure immediately flashed through her mind. She gritted her teeth, her heart filled with conflict.

"Alright, since there's nothing else, get lost." Cui Heng lost his patience when he saw that she hadn't spoken for a long time.

"Yes!" Xu Yueling had no time to care about her guilt at this moment. All she wanted was to save the sisters in the brothel. Even if she had to die to atone for her sins, it would be worth it.

She looked into Cui Heng's eyes, suppressed her fear, pointed to the letter, and said, word by word, "I...I know...where that girl is."