Chapter 802: The Lishui incident again

Li River has become so prosperous, and many professions have disappeared, while many new professions have emerged, but there is still one old profession that has always existed.

That is—the brothel.

In this world, there are always Young Masters who are passionate and wealthy, thus they are met with a spring breeze, as if remembering three lives, and in summer, their lovesickness is hard to dispel for a day. They lavishly spend a thousand gold pieces for half a song from a beauty, and when the curtain is drawn, money is alluring, and when seated, drunkenness shields their heart.

Within the pleasure grounds, there seems to be love and no love, heartlessness and affection; in any case, silver and gold clink, and with the frequent gathering of beauties, joy is shared with guests.

Countless people seek pleasure in taverns, reciting poems of enchanting women; they hear sounds in song halls, recognizing the tunes of the 'Niannu' style; with ornate prose and Phoenix-like beauty, powdered faces and rouged cheeks, courtesans from Yan and Zhao; if a person is admirable, then grand lanterns are hung everywhere, urging flowers to pass on messages, drinking until dawn, and with a twist of the waist, three-sleep soft jade branches, generally presenting a pair, and five-night gold-consuming tents; karmic connections, as if having a past root, with delicate powder and soft red, closer than common beauty, a thousand gold pieces spent and a hundred charms born.

Brothels can be said to have witnessed all this prosperity, from the barbaric era of the Li River to the rapidly developing days of today, all personally witnessed by this oldest profession.

However, sixty years is a very long time for a brothel. A new generation replaces the old, and this is especially true for brothels, an industry with extremely fast personnel turnover.

In over sixty years, it is likely that nearly twenty generations have been replaced.

Xiao Chan is the current newly appointed courtesan queen of this generation.

Rumor has it that when she rests, she is elegant and serene, gentle and meticulous. But when she sits with guests, she immediately illuminates the whole room, making those in her presence feel as if they are bathed in a spring breeze or drinking fine wine, comparing her virtue to jade, truly a peerless beauty. When debating with others, she can discuss from dawn to dusk, tirelessly and eloquently.

Though her nature is gentle, she is proud; she does not bow to guests, speaks eloquently and forcefully, startling those in her presence and inviting criticism, but no one minds, all because she was only fifteen when she became courtesan queen.

Xiao Chan was currently entertaining a guest, and it wasn't a banquet, but an intimate meeting.

She gently stroked her upper arm, her movements almost cat-like, bowing her neck and lowering her head, her black hair falling down. When she raised her eyes again, her gaze met that of the guest in front of her.

It was an old man, sitting beside her.

She said nothing, but a maid beside her proactively stepped forward and handed the man a bottle of fine grape wine.

Xiao Chan turned her shoulder towards him, waiting in silence.

If one looked closely, they would notice her skin was mottled, with tiny purplish bruises extending back to where her clothes covered her.

The old man poured a few drops of wine into his palm and skillfully rubbed it onto his hands.

Xiao Chan instinctively stiffened her body.

Ignoring them, she stared intently at the bed, where some plant and flower petals were imprinted, in various shades of green, white, red, and purple, just like her skin.

The old man's skin was loose and sagging, and although his hands were skilled, due to his age, they trembled slightly, appearing clumsy, but with a kind of concentration, as if what he held in his hands was not a fifteen-year-old newly appointed courtesan queen, but a precise Spiritual Artifact.

Xiao Chan gently turned her shoulder, creating space and revealing more of her bruised skin.

The old man poured more wine into his palm.

Throughout this process, Xiao Chan remained silent, allowing the sunlight from outside the window to fall upon the table.

The sound of breathing was constant, as if giving her the illusion that she had fallen asleep.

Receive it kneeling, as it should be, the Dao comes naturally.

— — — — — — — — — —

When she came to her senses, she was already in a wooden tub, with maids around her helping her bathe.

A maid beside her was washing her. Her slender dancer's body, with elegant shoulders slightly emerging from the water, was enveloped by warm mist below the shoulders.

Beneath the white mist, her skin was like a delicate and thin printed cloth from the Western Regions, colorful and patterned.

Even the renowned and proud Xiao Chan, the courtesan queen who could only be seen for a thousand gold pieces, who did not bow to guests and engaged in eloquent debates, still could not escape many things within this brothel.

Proud? Eloquent?

These were merely rhetorical skills taught to them by the madam. As long as they acted this way, their value would steadily increase.

A courtesan queen would fade after four or five years; chosen at fifteen, by twenty at most, she would be 'untraceable'.

Five years at most was the professional lifespan of these women; five years was already very long, most actually faded into obscurity after only two or three years.

Courtesan queens flow like water; an patron who lasts two years is considered long-lasting. When loved, they throw away a thousand gold pieces; when unloved, they discard them like worn shoes. These are truths that brothel women learn from a young age.

If you don't understand these things, you won't survive. You must earn enough money to eat and drink for a lifetime within your limited professional career, otherwise, the future won't be very good.

The courtesan queens are young, but the current madam is already eighty years old. Having lived from that era when there was nothing until now, what doesn't she know, what isn't she clear about?

Courtesan queens are just batches of goods, and the madam is the true artisan, responsible for producing batch after batch of courtesan queens.

As Xiao Chan was thinking about these things, a creaking sound suddenly came from outside.

It was the sound of a door opening.

The maids nearby seemed not to have heard the sound, continuing with their tasks. These maids were also around forty or fifty years old, and they had served at least seven or eight courtesan queens.

If the madam was the artisan, then they were the maintenance technicians, responsible for keeping the exquisite products beautiful and well-preserved.

As the door opened, a voice from outside, sounding rather displeased, said, “It’s not the first time you’ve received a guest, why are you still so stiff, like a dead person?”

Xiao Chan flinched, but still straightened her spine and softly called out, “Mama…”

As she spoke, she looked at the madam.

Though said to be eighty, in reality, this matriarch of the pleasure quarter in Li Prefecture City looked only about thirty.

This was all thanks to the marvel of cultivation method; her cultivation had already reached the eighth rank, practicing a fragmented Shaman Dao method. Its anti-aging effects were astonishing, and upon reaching the eighth rank, she already had inner body spirits protecting her. Cold, heat, and miasma could not approach her, and without these external Qi interfering with her inner world, her body naturally aged extremely slowly, her lifespan like that of a minor god, able to live for three hundred years.

Being only eighty years old now, she naturally would not appear old.

The madam continued, “How can you act like this and still be called a courtesan queen? Last night’s gentleman was from Qingwu City, a man who has seen and experienced much. If he goes out and talks, your value will drop. If you suffer because of this later, don’t come begging me again, pulling at my trousers, asking Mama to give you another stage so you can play the pipa.”

“Oh, I’ve seen too much. I understand that you worked hard when you were learning, but once you’ve learned, it must be converted into money. In this world, for people like you and me, nothing is reliable. Heaven is unreliable, earth is unreliable. What can be relied on is only your own skill and the silver in your pocket. With these, everyone is your daughter; without these, everyone is your mother.”

“Even if it’s for nothing else, just for this, you should know to move and act. Why is cultivation so hard, but on stage you become so timid?”

The madam babbled on, causing Xiao Chan to bury her head, as if she wanted to drown herself.

But she couldn't control herself; every time this happened, her mind felt empty, as if everything had been scooped out, she couldn't think of anything, couldn't do anything.

The madam finally gave a few last instructions: “Alright, looking at you, you know what’s going on in your heart. Lift your head, don’t really suffocate yourself. And, as for your injuries, Mama hitting you is for your own good. Your cultivation and skill now, they all came from this. Remember not to be lazy again in the future. Once you enter the ninth rank, you will no longer be a Mortal.”

After speaking, she walked away, fanning herself, her steps graceful and elegant.

Actually, the madam also had a price. Just as she said, in this world, only one's skill and money are trustworthy. For a madam from this profession, this sentence must have come from the bottom of her heart.

But for Xiao Chan, it was not like that.

After she finished washing and cleaning up, the maids left.

Xiao Chan stayed alone in the pavilion. She looked left and right, and after confirming that no one was around, she took out paper and a pen.

Then, she began to write a letter.

She wrote very briefly, not even including the subject or her own name.

“Maritime soldiers, from March 15th to September 15th, each soldier receives 3.6 piculs of rations, which is 2 liters per day. From January to the end of November, there is not a day without transportation.”

“And limited to three piculs of rations, faster transport saves expenses, slower transport costs more. Based on this, there is a twofold difference in labor and food. This means about 9 ge of rice per day for washing clothes, firewood, salt, medicine, and annual gatherings, all of which come from this.”

“The amount of silver for light provisions is divided into three grades. The East Sea is the farthest, with an additional 3 liters of depleted rice per picul accompanying the ship. From the North Prefecture, which is slightly closer, an additional 2 liters of depleted rice per picul accompanies the ship. And Gougou is the closest, with an additional 1 liter of depleted rice per picul accompanying the ship. Each liter is equivalent to one fen of silver.”

“Squads must not exceed Gangs, Gangs must not exceed Guards, Guards must not exceed the General Command. If four ships remain, they form a Squad. If three ships remain, they are assigned to the various Squads under the thousands of households, who direct and supervise their respective Squads, while the Commanders-in-Chief oversee them all. After the rice is loaded onto the ships, the round tokens are immediately sent to the supervising official for endorsement.”

“Approximately three million piculs are transported each year, with one million consistently sold for profit. Each picul is exchanged for eight qian, and released for five qian. This amounts to three qian per picul, so one million piculs would yield three hundred thousand gold. Additionally, there are over 3,250 military ships in reserve. Recent inspections of the left and right granaries show over 2.2 million piculs of rice, with even more stored, the granaries are full, even piled openly.”

Just a glance was enough to see that this described the transportation situation of the Li River and the distribution of various granaries.

This was… military intelligence!

Why would a prostitute record such things? One must know that, besides occasional leaks from conversations among high-ranking officials, this also required constant observation from a window, secretly noting the number of boats on the river outside.

A normal prostitute would not do such a thing; if caught, it would be very difficult to explain.

But it didn't matter, because for Xiao Chan herself, these were all things she willingly did.

Mama said that in this world, only one's own skill and money are trustworthy.

But for Xiao Chan, it was not like that.

There were other trustworthy things in the world, such as the organization that wanted to help her escape her predicament and help the countless suffering people in this profession escape their plight.

The name of the organization was… the Self-Salvation Society.

Self-salvation, saving people, ultimately rescuing these unfortunate souls.

This name was straightforward and very effective.

Xiao Chan encountered this organization when she was ten years old.

At that time, it was her third year after being sold to Mama. She had to practice cultivation method every day, and Mama told them that practicing cultivation method was a blessing. Where else would people outside have the opportunity to practice such cultivation method?

She felt that what was said made a lot of sense, so she worked very hard, because she knew that only this way could she survive.

Practicing cultivation method was indeed very hard, but compared to the outside, it was still much better.

They lacked neither food nor clothing, and even had various precious delicacies to eat.

So, for three years, she, like her other sisters, was obedient to Mama, regarding her as an ideal in life. No matter how hard the cultivation method practice or how tiring the studies, they endured it all.

Later, Xiao Chan became even more arrogant, because she discovered that she and her sisters were all exceptionally talented, eloquent, proficient in all arts including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, capable of all forms of poetry and song, and even their cultivation and combat power far surpassed many so-called Gang leaders and prominent merchants outside.

This brothel, though called a brothel, was in fact a large School itself, which also aligned with the past situation in Baiyue.

Every industry had a cultivation method barrier; without the corresponding cultivation method, you simply couldn't join that industry. To obtain a cultivation method, you also had to undergo various screenings and tests.

Thus, at the age of nine, Xiao Chan gained her reputation, which was: “Though her nature is gentle, she is proud; she does not bow to guests, speaks eloquently and forcefully, startling those in her presence.”

Mama liked this very much and told her that having such a reputation was very good, and she had done well.

Xiao Chan became even happier then; at that time, she greatly admired Mama.

But later, when Mama discovered that she was truly ‘proud,’ she severely disciplined her.

At that time, she knelt on the ground, not knowing why Mama was so angry.

However, Mama grabbed her hair and told her that she could be arrogant, but she couldn't truly be proud.

Things are liked for a reason, thus they are produced. Such high-end, fashionable, elegant, and respectable appearances are merely means to attract customers. No matter how outsiders and they themselves portray prostitution as noble and refined, it is still just for matters of the bed. The lower path will always be her primary job.

These words were extremely blunt, startling Xiao Chan, who had previously been immersed in high-minded fantasies, awake.

At that time, she chose to ‘run away from home.’ Mama watched coldly, not stopping her, but telling her that she could come back anytime.

In the days she was out, she was very happy at first.

But soon, the cruel life of Baiyue dealt her a heavy blow.

After all, she was just a nine-year-old girl who hadn't even entered the ranks. She was abducted, raped, and even narrowly escaped death several times.

Finally, after narrowly escaping death, she really wanted to return ‘home.’

Her arrogance was completely gone. Mama was right, she was wrong.

At that time, she was ten years old.

She was dejected, preparing to return ‘home.’

However, at this moment, she met the Self-Salvation Society.

The Self-Salvation Society told her that there were still good people in this world.

She didn't understand this difference. She asked the Self-Salvation Society if they, like Mama, wanted her to do something.

The people from the Self-Salvation Society told her that they didn't need her to do anything, they just wanted to ask her where she came from and how a little girl was out alone.