Standard Service
Lin Qingcheng had doubts whether the Tear of Chang Xi was a real treasure. How could a weak mortal kingdom have a heavenly treasure gifted by a goddess?
She thought it had to be a hoax at first. From the stories her master told her, immortals constantly searched the world for anything that could help them advance. If the gem a true treasure, it would have definitely been taken by a wandering immortal long ago.
On the other hand, if the gem was a hoax it could have never enthralled the ruling class of the Moonlight Kingdom like this. Mysterious and unexplained phenomena that seemed fake often had extraordinary causes. For example, the talking ghost that liked to befriend children was actually Chen Mo who had gained wisdom. There was also herself and her unique power that even Chen Wentian could not explain.
She could not come up with any other explanation to refute Mingyue Jian's words and she could only follow along silently.
Mingyue Jian led the three women through the crowds while enthusiastically described the effects of tear's blessing. As a prince, he had his fair share of opportunities with priestesses and the aid they provided to his cultivation was incredibly effective. He was twenty-eight years old and already at the 3rd Level of the Spirit Initiate Realm. This kind of progress was comparable to average disciples in an immortal sect and it was all due to the blessing.
The priestess positions were also directly tied to the power dynamics of the kingdom. It just so happened that the three princes each held onto one priestess each for the last few years. The other three priestesses switched between various noble clans but the fact that all three princes were deadlocked meant a complicated political battle was brewing. The king was old and would die soon. The three princes had already started to jockey for support and influence among the nobles in the inevitable battle for the throne.
Lin Qingcheng suddenly realized something and asked, "That woman in the carriage, is she part of your plan?"
"Indeed, my lady has a sharp intuition!" Mingyue Jian praised her, "I apologize once again for that evening. That woman is extremely important to me. But let's not talk about that. Look here, we've arrived at the first competition event."
They had arrived in front of the strange booths that were covered by thin curtains. Close up, Lin Qingcheng could distinguish silhouettes of the people inside. There were two people inside each booth. The booths also had crowds of men standing around, like they were all waiting for something.
Mingyue Jian led them over to the nearest one in which a woman with a thin and limber body was wildly riding on top of a heavyset man. Both of them let out an abundance of erotic sounds as they fucked without regard for their surroundings.
Mingyue Jian pointed out the sign hanging on the wooden frames of the booth. It showed her name as well as some markings showing the number fourteen.
"This one is named Nanfeng Qingruo from the Joyous Union, an exclusive brothel and one of the best in the city. She serves only nobles and is quite excellent. She has even been a priestess in the past. It says here that her score is currently fourteen. That is an impressive number for this event, which is called 'Standard Service'. She might even be able to win again." He said.
"What do you mean?" Lin Qingcheng didn't understand what he was implying.
"This event is about who can provide the best standard prostitution service which is using their pussy, ass, or mouth to pleasure their customers. As a madam, I'm sure you are familiar with this?"
She wanted to punch his smug face but held back and said through gritted teeth. "Yeah… so?"
"Well, the aim of the first competition is to see who can service the most men in a certain amount of time. In this case it is one hour. Winning this event means they have the skill and ability to spread the goddess' blessing to the greatest number of men in the following month."
He then moved over to an elderly woman in an eye-catching white robe who stood nearby.
"Honorable judge, how long does Nanfeng Qingruo have left?" He asked respectfully.
The woman bowed and said with a raspy voice, "My prince, she has eleven minutes left."
Soon after she said this, the fat man emerged from the booth with his clothes worn haphazardly and a silly grin on his face. He went over to the sign and added a mark to make it fifteen. At the same time, another man entered the booth and quickly embraced Nanfeng Qingrou.
Lin Qingcheng watched half in shock and half in amazement as that woman pushed down the second man and started to ride him without a moment of hesitation. She was indeed a fierce competitor…
While Lin Qingcheng was in a daze, Mo Yanmi took the chance to speak up. "Lord Prince, if I may ask, it is already extremely difficult and tiring for a woman to serve so many men in one night. Will she have to work like this for a month? She will kill herself from exhaustion."
"Miss Mo, do not worry. The priestesses are prized and cherished above all else." Mingyue Jian said, "They can accept as many or as few customers as they want. They are allowed ample time to rest and they are well compensated. I believe that on average, the winner of this event can make five thousand gold in one month."
Now it was Mo Yanmi and Huang Ruyan's turn to be shocked. What concept was five thousand gold? Even if the pimps took half of that or even three quarters, it was still thousands of gold in total. With that amount they could buy a mansion and comfortably retire as a rich lady!
Prostitutes like them could only make around one gold per month in the middle district, and this was with the improved salary from the House of Paradise. Their eyes shined as they daydreamed about what it would be like to have so much money…
Mingyue Jian noticed their wistful looks and chuckled, "Miss Mo, Miss Huang, are you are interested? I can give you two booths to compete. There's still plenty of time. If you don't try, you won't know if you can win."
"Really?" They both cried excitedly.
"Ahem!" Lin Qingcheng coughed loudly and pinched their arms.
"Ow, ow! Madam… we're sorry!" They yelped and retreated behind her obediently.
Lin Qingcheng gave them a stern glare before rounding on the prince, "And you, don't try to corrupt my people. They are prized members of the House of Paradise, understand?"
Seeing the fire in her eyes, Mingyue Jian knew he had overstepped his bounds.
"Golden Madam, I sincerely apologize." He said quickly, "Please, follow me to the next event…"