Dual Cultivation

"Welcome to Heavenly Massage!" Mei Xing greeted her 10th customer for the day.

"I am here for an appointment," said the pretty young woman who'd just entered the massage parlor.

"What is your name?" Mei Xing asked.

Once she got the name, Mei Xing looked at the waiting list and confirmed it.

"Okay. Please wait a little bit. The Manager should be done with his current session in less than 5 minutes. You can sit over there in the meantime."

The young woman nodded and took a seat in the lobby room that was completely silent.

Before Luo Ziyi left the place, she'd placed a formation in the massage room so that they could no longer disturb their neighbors with loud moaning from the customers.

The door to the massage room opened five minutes later, and a woman walked out of the room in an unstable manner, looking incredibly drunk.

Of course, this was a common sight in the massage parlor, and pretty much every single customer that walks through those doors after the massage walks like they are drunk, not to mention their blissful face.

Once the massage room was free for about a minute, Mei Xing said to the customer, "You may go inside now. Have fun."

The young woman nodded and stood up, walking to the massage room before closing the door behind her.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and another customer entered the massage parlor.

"Welcome the Heavenly Massage! Do you already have a reservation?" Mei Xing greeted her.

"I do not, but I'd like to be on the waiting list," she said.

"The waitlist is currently at 2 weeks if you don't mind."

"2 weeks? That's a little long… Do you think I can pay extra to receive priority? I have to leave the City of Pleasure in three days, and I won't be able to return for another month."

"Priority…?" Mei Xing didn't immediately respond, as she wasn't aware of such a program.

And as much as she wanted to refuse this young woman just in case, she also knew that more money meant better business.

"Do you mind waiting for the Manager? We can ask him after his session is done."

"Okay."

The woman proceeded to sit down and wait.

Half an hour later, after the customer walked out of the massage room, Mei Xing entered the room and said, "Manager, I have a question."

"What's up?" Su Yang asked her as he cleaned up the place.

"There's this customer who wants to pay extra to receive priority in the queue since she has to leave the city in 3 days, but I am not sure if we can do that."

Su Yang pondered for a minute and said, "Okay. I can leave the store open for an extra thirty-minute if she wants to wait until the end of the day."

Although he really didn't need the money, he also didn't want to let this young woman leave the city with a bitter feeling.

"How much extra should we charge them?" Mei Xing then asked the important question.

"What do you think? I will let you decide." Su Yang said.

"..."

After a moment of silence, she said, "I think we can triple the regular price, so 15 medium-grade spirit stones if they want priority. It would be bad if it's too cheap and everybody wants a priority."

Su Yang nodded and agreed with the price.

Mei Xing then proceeded to tell the customer about it.

"The Manager is willing to give you a priority, but it'd cause massive confusion if he pushes everyone back a slot, so he will accept you at the end of the day when we're supposed to close. However, it will cost you 15 medium-grade spirit stones instead of the normal 5 for priority." Mei Xing explained to her.

"15 medium-grade spirit stones, huh? That's a lot of money for a 30-minute massage, but if the massage is truly as good as everyone says… Sure..." The woman agreed.

"Then you may come back right before the massage parlor ends and the Manager will accept you."

"Okay. Thank you." The young woman then left the store and wouldn't return until five minutes before the massage parlor was supposed to close.

"Mei Xing, you can leave now if you want. I won't make you work overtime since that wasn't part of the agreement when I hired you." Su Yang said to her.

Mei Xing shook her head and said, "It's okay, Manager. It's only 30 minutes. I will leave when the store is officially closed."

Su Yang nodded, and he accepted the customer.

30 minutes later, the woman walked out of the room with a satisfied look on her face.

"I-It was definitely worth it…" she muttered in a low voice as she left the massage parlor.

"Manager, should we advertise the priority thing, or should we keep it a secret only for those who ask for it?" Mei Xing asked him afterward.

"Let's keep it a secret for now. News will eventually spread, anyway."

"Okay. Goodnight, Manager, and good work today," Mei Xing said to him.

Su Yang nodded, "You too."

He then retrieved a high-grade spirit stone and showed it to her.

"What's this?" Mei Xing asked him.

"It's your salary. Take it."

"Eh? My salary? But I haven't worked a full month yet, and I only started today," she said with a surprised look on her face.

"It's an advance payment. I will pay you at the beginning of every month. After all, it's better to have the money now than later."

Mei Xing was hesitant on accepting the money when she didn't feel like she'd earned it. However, Su Yang insisted, and this spirit stone would definitely help with their condition.

"Are you not worried that I might accept this spirit stone and not show up tomorrow?" Mei Xing asked him.

"If that happens, then I can only blame myself for trusting you," he responded with a gentle smile on his face.