Chapter 262: Mysteries of Mingsha City

“It can’t be that bad!”

Seeing the workers’ reactions, Li Shaoqing couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

“It can’t be that bad? Engineer Li, you’ve never been in that awkward situation—lost and trapped inside, with a few grown men bawling in the dark, nearly scaring the rest of the crew to death!”

At that, the foremost worker immediately retorted.

They had been working in the ancient architecture industry for over a decade, some even for twenty years. In Mingsha City they’d worked for nearly two years. They’d participated in projects like Tingchao Pavilion and Langya Pavilion, but none compared to the bizarre experience at the Mingsha Academy North Campus!

“Hehe, got it!”

Li Shaoqing shook his head and chuckled, choosing not to elaborate further.

“By the way, Engineer Li, do you need to be here again for tomorrow’s project showcase?”

After a brief pause, a junior foreman asked.

“No need. Tomorrow, dedicated ‘guards’ will be stationed at the Mingsha Academy North Campus to handle security and other matters,” he explained.

Li Shaoqing waved his hand dismissively.

“Really? Then who will handle the maintenance?”

The junior foreman sighed in relief.

“Maintenance will be taken care of by the academy’s teachers and students when Mingsha Academy officially enrolls next June.”

“That’s great!”

“Alright, everyone, gear up. We still have plenty to do tonight, and this project is especially important,” he commanded.

“Understood!”

Night deepened and before long it was ten o’clock. Although the food showcase in Mingsha City had ended and the actors portraying historical scenes had returned to their private lounges, visitors at Lutai still lingered.

Simply put,

it was only because the illuminated Lutai and Zhaixing Pavilion at night were breathtakingly beautiful! Especially Zhaixing Pavilion—the building glowed like a starry sky, and its decorative pavilions made it seem as if you could reach out and pluck the stars.

Such a view was worth capturing in photos.

In reality,

online forums were buzzing with posts about Lutai, Zhaixing Pavilion, and the food showcase.

“The night view from Lutai and Zhaixing Pavilion is simply stunning. Dining at Zhaixing Pavilion at night would be extraordinary!”

“Absolutely!”

“I bet you’d need at least four days to check off every spot in Mingsha City!”

“Four days? Seriously, you think that’s enough for all of Mingsha City? You’re seriously underestimating it.”

“Huh? Four days isn’t enough?”

A netizen couldn’t help but ask.

In his opinion, four days should be sufficient—after all, no other scenic area in Long Kingdom has ever required four full days to explore.

“Of course not! On the first day, you’d visit Qingming Scroll, Protectorate of West Liang, Longmen Inn, and Pansi Cave. The second day would cover Qixia Town, Wudi City, and Langya Pavilion. On the third day, you’d head to the Xianxia Zone and admire the Demon-Locking Tower by night. The fourth day is reserved for Lutai and Zhaixing Pavilion.”

By then, the netizen had laid out a travel plan that echoed many visitors’ ideal itineraries.

“Isn’t four days enough then?”

“Don’t be in such a hurry. Four days work for now—but don’t forget, Mingsha City has four more showcase projects coming up! Judging by today’s food showcase, the upcoming ones promise to be just as spectacular.”

“Well…”

Many netizens were suddenly at a loss for words.

After all, it was only the first day. The opening ceremony’s panoramic video hinted that even the ancient architecture showcase zone would be impressive.

“Speaking of the project showcase, I’m really curious—why did Mingsha City choose to set the ancient architecture zone in Mingsha Academy instead of on Lutai? It seems Lutai and Zhaixing Pavilion alone could support both the ancient architecture and the food showcases, not to mention deliver a double blow to H Country!”

After a pause, another netizen steered the conversation toward tomorrow’s ancient architecture showcase. Once raised, the comments surged, many in lengthy posts.

“Honestly, I’ve wondered, too. Showcasing an ancient architecture project isn’t easy—it doesn’t make sense to display every step of traditional construction. Pairing it with the food showcase might be a better idea.”

“That’s true! I remember media reports claiming that the Mingsha Academy North Campus was modeled after Yuelu Academy, one of Long Kingdom’s four great ancient academies.

Even if Mingsha City had perfectly replicated Yuelu Academy, I’d say Yuelu Academy couldn’t compare to Lutai and Zhaixing Pavilion.”

“Yeah, from Mingsha Academy’s perspective, Yuelu Academy might be appropriate, but…”

“I believe Mingsha City has its own reasons for placing the ancient architecture showcase within Mingsha Academy.”

“Maybe they simply want to promote Mingsha Academy. College recruitment in Long Kingdom has been fiercely competitive these past few years.”

At that moment, another netizen analyzed,

“Promoting Mingsha Academy? That makes sense! Such a grand display surely beats any flashy recruitment ad, doesn’t it?”

“Alright, everyone, stop speculating. When have we ever correctly guessed Mingsha City’s true intentions? The answer will be officially revealed tomorrow at three in the afternoon.”

“Okay! Then we’ll all look forward to tomorrow’s live broadcast!”

Sometimes, the words of netizens truly reflected public sentiment.

By the next morning at nine, showcase projects in Jinlong Ancient City and H Country began, though they drew far less attention than on the first day.

For one, without the opening ceremony’s boost, the audience naturally thinned. For another, yesterday’s stunning sub-venue appearance had international netizens and media eagerly anticipating Mingsha City’s afternoon performance, making these projects seem comparatively lackluster.

And indeed, that turned out to be the case!

Each country’s showcase projects had their own merits. Yesterday, Long Kingdom made last-minute adjustments, while H Country had already infused a bit of their own flair.

So it was hard to clearly determine who the winner was among the five showcases.

Instead, by 2:50 PM, both Yan City TV and Long Kingdom TV posted record-breaking ratings—especially Yan City TV, whose ratings shattered previous records for that time slot.

This clearly demonstrated how excited the audience was for the second sub-venue showcase.

At three in the afternoon,

the live broadcast shifted as the host took the stage, maintaining the same style as the previous day’s stream.

In front of the small city gate of the Mingsha Academy North Campus, the host began, “Hello, viewers! Today we are at the Long Kingdom Traditional Culture Expo’s Mingsha City sub-venue, in the ancient architecture showcase area!

Now, please welcome the person in charge of the ancient architecture showcase to brief us on the details!”

Soon,

Li Shaoqing appeared on camera.

“Hello, everyone. Our ancient architecture showcase is divided into three sections. The first section introduces basic tools and fundamental structural elements of Long Kingdom’s ancient buildings!

This area will also serve as an internship space for Mingsha Academy’s ancient architecture students in the future.”

After greeting the camera, Li Shaoqing led the reporters through the main gate to an exhibition room located along its side.

Inside, countless tools and various mortise-and-tenon structures were on display—from the smallest to the largest, the simplest to the most complex. The sheer variety was dizzying at a glance.

Over the course of a minute or two, as time passed, many netizens could no longer contain themselves and began flooding the comments.

“While these tools and intricate mortise-and-tenon structures display the sophistication and artistry of Long Kingdom’s traditional construction techniques, merely showcasing them feels a bit underwhelming.”

“Exactly! A quick camera glance is enough—then let’s get right to the main event!”

“Yeah!”

Fortunately, at that moment, Li Shaoqing led the reporters out of the exhibition room and back to the red carpet, pointing to an ancient building behind him.

“Next, we move on to our second exhibit!”

“Is that really our second exhibit?”

The reporter asked, clearly puzzled.

Looking around, although the surrounding ancient buildings were finely crafted, after yesterday’s impressive displays at Lutai and Zhaixing Pavilion, these structures seemed rather ordinary.

“Yeah!”

“Mr. Li, a viewer mentioned that Mingsha Academy was modeled after Yuelu Academy, one of Long Kingdom’s four great ancient academies. So, is this second exhibit Yuelu Academy?”

After a pause, the reporter from Long Kingdom TV’s comprehensive channel asked.

He had his reasons—he felt that the earlier showcase of tools and mortise-and-tenon models was a bit monotonous and dull. Surely, something that could amaze overseas viewers should be unveiled now.

Even the master carpenter from H Country had already introduced these tools.

Of course,

the reporter voiced many of the questions that netizens at their computers were asking.

“No! Our second exhibit mainly showcases the layout of Long Kingdom’s ancient buildings and its traditional Feng Shui. After all, ancient architecture here isn’t just about mortise-and-tenon techniques—it’s also about Feng Shui layouts.”

Li Shaoqing smiled and shook his head in denial.

“Feng Shui layout?”

The reporter was momentarily stunned.

He hadn’t expected Li Shaoqing to answer that way, as many believe Feng Shui is nothing more than outdated superstition without any real practical value.

“Yes, although our second exhibit is set within a modest ancient courtyard, it is designed following Zhuge Liang’s Eight Formations from the Three Kingdoms period.

These eight formations are: Tian Fu, Di Zai, Feng Yang, Yun Chui, Long Fei, Hu Yi, Niao Xiang, and She Pan.”

The layout is presented as ‘a courtyard within a courtyard, big houses linked to small ones, corners hooking together, and winding passages’—overall, the area is divided into eight sections forming sixty-four mini-courtyards.

Once someone enters, it’s nearly impossible to find their way out.

That’s why we’ve established a dedicated passage to the third exhibit—to prevent visitors from getting lost and missing the core area.

Li Shaoqing elaborated further.

He recalled that when he first received the architectural distribution map of Jixia Academy from Xu Hao, he didn’t think much of it. But as construction continued and more craftsmen got lost, the issue became apparent.

In the end, he had to seek Xu Hao’s help, which revealed the true reason.

“Can Long Kingdom’s ancient Feng Shui layouts really be that mysterious?”

Coming back to the topic,

the reporter couldn’t help but ask again.

In theory, as a reporter, he shouldn’t have asked such a question, but the explanation was hard to swallow.

Of course,

it wasn’t just the reporter—the netizens at their computers were equally skeptical.

P.S.: Brothers, more updates starting tomorrow.