Chapter 266: The Superstitious Art Unveiled

This risk is still too high!

Lin Wenian rubbed his temples.

He knew exactly what Zong Shengcai was thinking, yet this issue would indeed have a massive impact.

A few months ago, Xu Hao mentioned it, but it was only after his reminder that the performance plan was changed to what it is today.

“Lao Lin, I see no problem. You saw it at the Ancient Architecture Exhibit Area today: even the ‘City Lord’ showcased the Eight Formations Array. In the end, trapping so many tourists didn’t spark any controversy—instead, it set Long Kingdom’s ancient architecture feng shui trends ablaze worldwide.”

Zong Shengcai added.

At this moment, throughout Taiyi Hospital, only Lin Wenian called Xu Hao ‘Xiao Xu’; everyone else honored him with the title ‘City Lord.’

In Zong Shengcai’s view, the traditional medicine display they were preparing simply couldn’t dominate the scene.

“It’s fundamentally different! Many people actually appreciate the feng shui of Long Kingdom’s ancient structures, but what we have is outright condemned as superstition.”

Lin Wenian sighed.

Zong Shengcai and several national medical masters intended to showcase the Zhu You Technique from the Huangdi Neijing!

In the Huangdi Neijing, the so-called Zhu You Technique—also known as the method of blessing—is a treatment that employs herbal medicine alongside talismans, spells, and incantations to cure illnesses. ‘Zhu’ stands for the incantation, and ‘You’ refers to the cause of the ailment.

The concept of ‘Zhu You’ is broad—it encompasses prohibitive rituals, incantations, blessings, talisman work, and even hypnotic therapy.

The Zhu You Technique itself is built on five elements: Qian, Yuan, Heng, Li, and Zhen.

Take the incantations used in Qian to treat gangrene, for example.

Apart from drawing talismans, it involves incantations and even the burning of these talismans at specific orientations.

Moreover, the incantations often sound too ordinary—many resemble phrases like, ‘I come from the east, cross a pond where a dragon lives, asking what it feasts on—specializing in diseased ghosts.’

Thus, the Zhu You Technique is entirely branded as superstition.

After all, nothing about it can be explained by modern science, nor does it offer any practical evidence.

“Lao Lin, perhaps we overthink this. Whether the public agrees or not, it has been a part of Long Kingdom’s history and should not be forgotten—it’s a key part of our cultural heritage.

Not to mention,

even the Ming Dynasty’s Taiyi Hospital had thirteen departments, with Zhu You being one of them! More importantly, it sometimes truly cured strange illnesses!

We’re not presenting it to promote the technique, but to let the public understand the historical evolution of traditional medicine in Long Kingdom.”

Zong Shengcai immediately continued.

In his view, there was no error in exhibiting history—even if controversial, it was an undeniable fact of the past.

“Lao Lin, I agree with Lao Zong. We’re simply demonstrating the evolution of dragon medicine’s history. There’s no need to read too deeply into it. Besides, off the record, who among us hasn’t secretly used the Zhu You Technique on friends and family when not on duty?”

At that moment, another national medical master chimed in.

“How about that?”

Lin Wenian’s expression shifted slightly.

After hearing the two analyses, he felt that interpreting the historical evolution of traditional medicine through the lens of the Zhu You Technique was perfectly reasonable.

“Absolutely! And at the conclusion, we’ll mention that the Zhu You Technique has completely phased out of traditional medicine.”

Zong Shengcai immediately urged further.

“How about this: let’s first see how tomorrow’s Palace Festival and the day-after’s Traditional Costume Showcase perform. If we can handle it, we’ll stick with the original plan; if not, we improvise. After all, everyone knows a bit about the Zhu You Technique—just pick a few cases randomly.”

After much deliberation,

Lin Wenian finally made his decision.

Regarding the Zhu You Technique, they all shared an unspoken understanding—it didn’t require prior study. A single cinnabar pen and a bundle of yellow ritual papers were enough! ‘Alright!’

The others immediately nodded in agreement.

As the moon set and the sun rose, time flew by—in what felt like the blink of an eye, it was the third day of the Traditional Cultural Expo! Although two days had passed, the Expo’s buzz only grew, mainly due to the two performance projects in Mingsha City.

In reality, just past eight, tourists who had queued all night at the North Campus of Mingsha Academy surged into the exhibit area—especially foreign visitors, whose expressions radiated a clear defiance of superstition.

Meanwhile, online discussions about the sub-venue’s project continued to dominate the top of trending topics.

As for the project in Jinlong Ancient City, it had nearly faded into obscurity!

“I heard that at eight last night, a few tourists reached Jixia Academy. True or false?”

“True!”

“Is there any trick to it? When that reporter left yesterday afternoon, many live comments were directing them. In the end, though, staff escorted the group out.”

“A trick? What trick! After these tourists emerged, some media interviewed them. They said they got lost shortly after entering, just wandering until they accidentally stumbled upon Jixia Academy.”

“Stumbled upon?”

“That’s why the feng shui of Long Kingdom’s ancient structures really works—it’s not just empty talk.”

“Agreed!”

“By the way, what do you think will happen at the sub-venue today? If Mingsha City can even put on a show with ancient structures like that, then the Palace Festival will surely unleash something spectacular to outshine H Country.”

“Today? Honestly, it’s hard to say!”

Speaking of the Palace Festival scheduled for this afternoon, some netizens unexpectedly offered differing opinions.

“Why?”

Immediately, one netizen asked.

In the eyes of some, Mingsha City has nearly become legendary in terms of ancient architecture and traditional Long Kingdom culture; you might not trust Jinlong Ancient City, but Mingsha City is rock-solid.

“After these two days of performances, you’ve seen it. Over in H Country, they’re essentially copying our projects and tweaking them slightly. So today’s Palace Festival over there will most likely be a modified version of the Feng Chan Ceremony!”

A skeptical netizen voiced his opinion.

“That’s nothing! Mingsha City doesn’t play by the usual rules—whatever they do at the Palace Festival definitely isn’t just a Feng Chan Ceremony.”

At once, many netizens replied.

They no longer trusted any online rumors about Mingsha City; nothing ever matched the truth. What Mingsha City finally presented was on an entirely different level from previous leaks.

“True! Maybe Mingsha City’s project isn’t a Feng Chan Ceremony, but what other Palace Festival performance can top the Feng Chan Ceremony?”

Another netizen added.

“Exactly.”

That comment immediately plunged many netizens into deep thought and concern.

“Indeed. What Palace Festival on such a scale could possibly outdo the Feng Chan Ceremony? If we end up losing to H Country here, wouldn’t that be a disaster?”

Meanwhile,

Just as netizens began to worry that H Country’s revamped Feng Chan Ceremony might surpass Mingsha City’s performance,

in Jinlong Ancient City, several chief leaders had already received the sub-venue’s plan for today’s performance.

Ever since yesterday’s last-minute, surprising win with the Ancient Architecture performance, they had demanded Dong Liping send over the detailed plan for the following day—not because they distrusted Mingsha City, but purely out of curiosity.

“Sacrifice to the Martyrs?”

Upon reviewing the specific items for the Palace Festival, the chief leader’s eyes lit up.

“Leader, I believe ‘Sacrifice to the Martyrs’ is even better than the Feng Chan Ceremony. This way, we can showcase our traditional memorial rituals to both domestic and international tourists, while proving our national unity!”

Beside him, a deputy leader nodded in agreement.

Ever since discovering H Country’s underhanded tactics, the leadership had reached a consensus: H Country’s performance at the Palace Festival would inevitably be a modified version of the Feng Chan Ceremony. So, as soon as they received Mingsha City’s project plan, they instinctively began comparing it to the Feng Chan Ceremony.

“That’s right!”

The chief leader continued.

“However, from the schedule, the process for the Martyrs Memorial seems shorter than that of the Feng Chan Ceremony. It begins with a commemorative reading, then the Nine Sacrifices; once those are done, the ceremony nears its end.”

After a brief pause, a deputy leader set down his schedule, a flicker of worry crossing his face.

From what he knew, the Feng Chan Ceremony was incredibly intricate, with a total of eighty-one steps symbolizing the unity of the universe! In contrast, Mingsha City’s plan featured only two major segments—a stark difference in numbers.

“Don’t worry. What we have now is only a performance schedule. We’re not sure exactly how the Nine Sacrifices will be executed or if there will be any additional minor segments, but one thing’s certain—the sub-venue will have anticipated everything!”

At these words,

the chief leader waved his hand dismissively.

Based on the performances over the past two days, not only had they addressed every conceivable issue, but even those they hadn’t anticipated were already carefully planned by the sub-venue.

“That’s right!”

Hearing this, the deputy leader nodded emphatically.

“So this afternoon, let’s simply check the scene. As long as the sub-venue can outshine H Country today, we’ll claim a resounding victory at this year’s Cultural Expo. Even if the other two projects fall a bit short, it won’t matter.”

The chief leader added immediately.

“Alright, see you at 2:30 this afternoon!”

Today was New Year’s Day—a public holiday in Long Kingdom! Coupled with the recent hype from Mingsha City, by noon the city was packed: not only was the snack street teeming with people, but even the Qingming Scroll venue was crammed, and Vermilion Bird Street and Langya Commercial Street were bursting at the seams; not to mention the base of Langya Mountain where the Palace Festival was about to commence.

However, although Mingsha City was bustling, the sky was overcast and the temperature had dropped sharply.

According to the weather forecast, Mingsha City was supposed to be mostly cloudy today—but it was clear that the clouds were too thick.

“Everyone, please line up! Ticket checking starts in ten minutes. Get ready for the grand ritual!”

At that moment, near Langya Mountain, a team of staff dressed as palace guards arrived at the ticket gate. Moreover, they unloaded a large assortment of items from a carriage—yellow silk ribbons and other memorial supplies were prominently displayed.

Brothers, there are two more chapters tonight.