Myriad Paths

(The review failed and was reposted. Anyone who has subscribed can tell me that the chapter was swallowed and the starting point coins were refunded?)

Lishui has become so prosperous, many professions have disappeared, and many new professions have been born, but there is still an old profession that has always existed.

That is - brothel.

In this world, there are always young gentlemen who are sentimental and have a lot of money, so they will save their lives in the spring breeze and forget about their three lives. In summer, they miss lovesickness for a whole day, so they spend a lot of money to exchange half a piece of Fangge for you, and a Du for playing the curtain. It is flirtatious, and when you sit down at the table, you will be intoxicated and shelter your heart.

In the joyous scene, there seems to be love but not love, ruthlessness and affection. Anyway, the gold and silver are ringing, and the two ladies always gather together to have fun with the guests.

Countless people came to the restaurant to express their interest, recited Meizi's poems, listened to the music in the singing hall, and recognized the songs of the slaves, Mandarin and Phoenix algae, gold powder and rouge, Yan Ji and Zhao Nu, they were all desirable, but they saw lanterns all over the place, urging flowers to pass through the tubes, Drinking heavily for a long time, between waist twists, three nephrite branches are sleeping, roughly in pairs, five nights are selling gold tents, orchids and fruit, seem to have front roots, greasy pink and crisp red, close to ordinary beauty, thousands of gold sold and a hundred Charming is born.

It can be said that the brothel has witnessed all this prosperity. Lishui's barbaric era and today's rapid improvement are all personally witnessed by this oldest profession.

However, sixty years is also a long time for a brothel. A new generation replaces an old one, especially in an industry like brothels where employees change extremely quickly.

Over sixty years, I am afraid that nearly twenty generations have changed.

Xiao Chan is the newly appointed courtesan of this generation.

According to rumors among the people, it is said that when resting, he is elegant and leisurely, warm and thoughtful. If he sits down to accompany guests, he will immediately be illuminated by the surroundings. It is like sitting on the spring breeze, drinking mellow wine, being as virtuous as jade, and worthy of being a jade man, debating with others, and making speeches. Dan, tirelessly.

Although he has a gentle nature, he is arrogant. He does not bow to guests when he meets them. He speaks loudly and eloquently, shocking the people in his seat and trying to attract others to pass him. However, no one cares about him because he was only fifteen years old when he won the first prize.

Xiao Chan was entertaining guests at the moment, and it was not a banquet, but a wedding reception.

She stroked her upper arms gently, her movements were almost cat-like, she arched her neck and lowered her head, her black hair hanging down. When she raised her eyes again, she met the eyes of the guest in front of her.

It was an old man sitting next to her.

She said nothing, but the maid next to her took the initiative and handed her a bottle of wine.

Little Toad turned his shoulders towards the other party and waited silently.

If you look carefully, you can see that her skin is mottled, with small purple bruises extending back to the area covered by her clothes.

The old man poured a few drops of wine into his palm and rubbed it on his hand with familiarity.

Little Toad stiffened subconsciously.

Regardless of that, she stared intently at the top of the bed, where there were some plant flowers printed there, in various colors of green, white, red and purple, just like her skin.

The old man's skin was sagging, and although his hands were familiar, due to his age, his hands were trembling a little and looked clumsy, but with a kind of concentration, as if what he held in his hands was not a fifteen-year-old new oiran, but an old man. Like a sophisticated magic weapon.

Little Toad gently turned his shoulders to make room, revealing more bruised skin.

The old man poured some more wine into his palm.

During this process, Xiao Chan remained silent, letting the sunlight outside the window shine on the table.

The sound of constant breathing seemed to give her the illusion that she was asleep.

Kneel down and accept it, as you should, the way will come naturally.

——————————

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

There was a maid washing her next to her. Her slender body, which only a dancer has, slightly exposed her elegant shoulders in the water. Under her shoulders, she was shrouded in warm mist.

Under the white mist, her skin looked like a piece of delicate and thin Western print cloth, colorful and colorful.

Even if Xiao Chan is famous outside and has a proud personality, and it takes a thousand dollars to meet him, and the oiran who refuses to greet guests without bowing, and talks eloquently, he still can't hide from many things in this brothel.

arrogant? eloquent?

It's just the words taught to them by the madam. As long as they do this, their worth will rise steadily.

An oiran will become obsolete in four or five years. If he is selected at the age of fifteen, he will not be found until the age of twenty.

Five years in Ding Po Tian is the professional lifespan of these women. Five years is already a long time. Most of them actually only last two or three years before disappearing from the public.

Courtesans are like running water. A customer who can last for two years is already a long-lasting love. When you like someone, you spend a lot of money on it. When you don't like someone, you throw away the old shoes. This is what brothel women have to understand since they were children.

If you don't understand this, you won't be able to survive. You have to earn enough money to eat and drink for a lifetime in your only career. Otherwise, the future will not be good.

The courtesans are young, but the current madam is already in her eighties. She has lived from the era when there was nothing until now. What does she not know and what is unclear?

The oiran is just a batch of goods, while the madam is the real craftsman, responsible for producing batches of oiran.

While Little Toad was thinking about this, there was a sudden creaking sound outside.

That was the sound of the door opening.

The maids nearby seemed not to hear the voice, and just did what they had to do. These maids were almost forty or fifty years old, and they had served seven or eight courtesans.

If madams are craftsmen, then they are maintenance technicians, responsible for maintaining beautiful products.

As the door opened, a voice that sounded not in a good mood came from outside: "This is not the first time to entertain guests, why are you still so reserved, like a dead person?"

The little toad shrank, but still straightened its back and whispered: "Mom..."

As she spoke, she looked at the Madam.

She is said to be in her eighties, but in fact, the romantic godmother of Lizhou City looks like she is only in her thirties.

These are all the wonderful effects of the exercises. She has reached the eighth level of cultivation. She practices incomplete shamanism. The effect of keeping her appearance is astonishing. And when she reaches the eighth level, she already has the protection of the gods in her body, and the miasma of cold and heat are close to her. Without the body, without the interference of these external energies on the small world, the body will naturally age very slowly, and the lifespan is as long as that of a small god, who can live for three hundred years.

He is only eighty years old now, so naturally he does not look old.

The old bustard continued: "How can you say that you are an oiran with such a pretentious attitude? The man who came from Qingwu City last night is a master I have met before. Let me go out and tell you your worth. But it fell down. If you suffer from this in the future, don’t beg me again, pull my trouser legs, and ask mom to give you another stage to play the pipa. "

"I've seen it a lot. I understand that you had a hard time learning skills before, but after you learn, you have to turn it into money. In this world, for people like you and me, nothing can be relied on. The sky is unreliable and the earth is unreliable. The only thing you can rely on is your ability and the money in your pocket. With this, everyone is your daughter. Without this, everyone is your mother. "

"For nothing else, just for this thing, you should know how to move. It's so hard to practice, why are you so timid when you go on stage?"

The old bustard was chattering so much that the little toad buried his head as if he was going to drown himself.

But she couldn't control herself. At this time, her mind felt as if it had been hollowed out. She couldn't think of anything or do anything.

The madam finally gave a few words: "Okay, look at your appearance, I know what's going on in my heart, raise your head, don't really suffocate yourself to death, and for the injuries on your body, my mother beat you for your own good." , Your cultivation and abilities are all from this. Remember not to be lazy anymore. Once you reach the ninth level, you will no longer be a mortal. "

After saying that, she waved her fan and left, walking gracefully and gracefully.

In fact, the madam also has a price. As she said, only money and ability are trustworthy in this world. For a madam who comes from this industry, this sentence definitely comes from the bottom of her heart.

But this is not the case for Xiaochan.

After she washed and cleaned up, the maids left.

Xiaochan stayed alone on the attic, looking left and right. After confirming that no one was around, she took out a pen and paper.

Then she began to write.

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

"Marine transport sergeants, from March 15th to September 15th, each army branch will carry three stones and six measures of food, which is two liters a day. From the first month to the end of November, every day is not in transportation. ”

"If you transport only three stones of grain, you will save money if you transport it quickly, and it will cost you more if you transport it later. In terms of work and food, there is a difference of twice as much. About nine tons of rice a day can be used to starch clothes, wash clothes, and use medicine. Every year when I drink wine, I go out of it.”

"The amount of silver is light, and it is considered to be the third grade. The East China Sea is the farthest, and each stone is left with three liters of rice to accompany the ship. It is closer from Beizhou, and each stone is left with two liters of rice. A liter of stone will be left with the ship, and each liter will be converted into one cent of silver."

"A cannot exceed the gang, the gang cannot exceed the guard, and the guard cannot exceed the general. The remaining four ships will be the first armor, and the remaining three ships will be assigned to the thousands of households under each armor to command the admiral, and the general will be assigned to the general. After tearing the rice into the boat, the round card will be sent to the supervisor to redeem the monogram. "

"Every year, about three million stones are put into the transport and one million stones are always taken out to collect the surplus. Each stone is folded at eight qian and released with five qian. If you get three qian, you will get one million dan. You should get 300,000. Gold. In addition to the reduction of more than 3,250 warships, a closer inspection of the warehouses on the left and right revealed that there were more than 2.2 million stones in storage. The warehouses were full and the accumulation was exposed. "

Just by glancing at it, you can tell that it describes the traffic situation in Lishui and the layout of various granaries.

This is...military information!

Why would a prostitute remember such things? You know, in addition to the occasional leaks of the chats and jokes of the dignitaries, you also have to observe by the window at all times and secretly note the number of boats on the river outside the window.

A normal prostitute would not do such a thing. If someone saw her, it would be difficult to explain.

But it doesn't matter, because for Xiaochan herself, these are all things she did voluntarily.

Mom said that in this world, only your own abilities and money are worthy of trust.

But for Xiaochan, this is not the case.

There are other things in the world that are worthy of trust, such as organizations that want to help you get out of trouble and help thousands of suffering people in this industry get out of trouble.

The name of the organization is...the Self-Rescue Society.

Save yourself, save others, and finally save these poor people.

The name is straightforward and useful.

Xiao Chan came into contact with this organization when he was ten years old.

At that time, it was the third year after she was sold to her mother. She had to practice Qigong every day. Her mother told them that practicing Qigong was a blessing. How could people outside have the opportunity to practice this kind of Qigong?

She felt that what she said made sense, so she worked hard because she knew that this was the only way to survive.

Practicing Qigong is really hard, but compared to the outside world, it is still much better.

They have no shortage of food, clothing, and even all kinds of precious delicacies to eat.

Therefore, for three years, like other sisters, she obeyed her mother's advice and regarded it as her ideal in life. No matter how hard she practiced or how tiring she studied, she endured it.

Later, Xiao Chan became even more arrogant because she discovered that her sisters and others were all talented, well-spoken, proficient in all kinds of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and could do anything in poetry and song. Even their cultivation and combat prowess were far superior. Many so-called gang leaders outside, everyone in the Chamber of Commerce.

This brothel, said to be a brothel, is actually a large sect in itself, which is also consistent with Baiyue's past situation.

All walks of life have skills barriers. Without corresponding skills, you have no way to join this industry. If you want to obtain skills, you must also undergo various screenings and tests.

Therefore, at the age of nine, Little Toad gained her reputation, which is: "Although she is gentle in nature, she is proud, refuses to greet guests, and speaks with eloquent words that amaze everyone in the room."

Her mother liked it and told her that it was good to have such a reputation and that she was doing well.

Little Toad became even more happy. She admired her mother very much at that time.

But later, when her mother found out that she was really 'arrogant', she beat her hard.

At that time, she was kneeling on the ground, wondering why her mother was so angry.

However, her mother grabbed her hair and told her that she could be arrogant, but not really arrogant.

Good things come from something. Such high-end atmosphere, fashionable elegance, and appearance are just a means to attract customers. No matter how outsiders and themselves describe prostitutes as high-end, they are still nothing more. It's just for the bed. Going down the third road is always her job.

These words were so explicit that Little Toad, who used to be immersed in the fantasy of being tall, suddenly woke up.

She chose to 'run away from home' at that time, but her mother looked on coldly and did not stop her. Instead, she told her that she could come back at any time.

When she went out, she was very happy at first.

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

After all, she was just an unworthy nine-year-old girl who was kidnapped, raped, and even nearly died several times.

In the end, after she narrowly escaped death, she really wanted to go back 'home'.

Her pride was gone. Her mother was right, but she was wrong.

At that time, she was ten years old.

She was devastated and prepared to go back 'home'.

However, at this time, she met the self-help society.

The self-help club will tell her that there are still good people in this world.

She did not understand the difference and asked the self-help group if it was the same as her mother and asked her to do what she wanted.

The people from the self-help society told her that they didn't need her to do anything. They just wanted to ask where she came from and why a little girl was alone outside.