Chapter 270: A Night of Performances

Not bad! Not bad! This actor is exactly what we need!

Half an hour later, Luo Peng watched the stage performance with supreme satisfaction, nodding before turning to a nearby staff member and saying.

The new actor on stage was far more dynamic than the previous one, truly capturing the ethereal aura of a celestial maiden.

“President Luo, the Leader has arrived.”

Just as Luo Peng was about to say something, a staff member hurried over and announced.

“Brother Hao is here?”

At that, Luo Peng immediately set down his walkie-talkie.

The ‘Leader’ mentioned by the Mingsha City staff undoubtedly referred to Xu Hao—if it were someone else, they would have used a surname or title.

“He just entered the Exhibition Hall!”

“Great!”

Luo Peng gave the staff member an affirmative nod, offered a brief reminder, and headed toward the front hall.

The vast hall behind the altar was built specifically for performances and events, making it more like a sports arena or an exhibition center.

A few minutes later

In the front hall, Luo Peng spotted Xu Hao.

“Little Luo, is everything in order here?”

Before Luo Peng could reply, Xu Hao immediately spoke up.

“Everything’s fine!”

Luo Peng shook his head.

“That’s good then.”

Hearing Luo Peng’s words and glancing at the bustling staff in the front hall, Xu Hao let out a barely perceptible, long sigh of relief.

“Since it’s getting late, let’s send the performance actors home to rest. They can return for rehearsal after 7:30 tomorrow morning.”

After a pause, Xu Hao added,

“Even though things seem normal now, who knows what issues might arise? Daoist Master’s book clearly warned that nothing happens without a reason. To be safe, we should wait until tomorrow morning.”

“Going home already? Brother Hao, it’s still early. How about we practice a bit more?”

Luo Peng glanced at his watch and murmured under his breath.

It’s only 10 PM—normally, rehearsals run past midnight.

“Don’t worry! I know that during the Palace Festival some rather odd coincidences occurred. The ancient costume performance and the traditional medicine showcase are under substantial pressure. But then again, too much pressure might not be a bad thing! This afternoon, the Leader even called, urging us to keep our sub-venue stress-free and stick to the original plan.”

Xu Hao offered a well-intended little fib.

“Alright, I’ll notify all department personnel now.”

Luo Peng hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

He wanted to add that the pressure wasn’t coming from the higher-ups, but from within Mingsha City itself. Without the explosive success of the first three performances, the traditional costume segment would never be in this predicament.

“Okay! I’ll wait for you here!”

Thus, half an hour later, Xu Hao and Luo Peng glanced back at the now-dark exhibition hall on Langya Mountain before leaving, chatting casually as they walked.

During their walk, Xu Hao looked at Luo Peng and said, “Little Luo, once the Cultural Expo wraps up, everyone deserves a good break!”

“A break?”

Luo Peng was taken aback.

Even though Mingsha City has come into its own, many projects have been delayed due to the Cultural Expo. Not to mention the TV series with Yun Province TV, and the fact that the subway from the City Gate to Qixia Town still hasn’t been built. Once it does arrive at Qixia Town, it will split into three lines—one that cuts under Qixia Town to Taiyi Hospital in the Xianxia Zone, another that continues past Mingsha Academy to Langya Pavilion, and a third that heads south through Wudi City, finally reaching Lutai and Zhaixing Pavilion.

And that’s just the underground portion!

Above ground, the canal connecting Oasis 1 must extend further, eventually funneling water through Oasis 2, Oasis 3, and Oasis 4.

Especially Oasis 4! The food festival there draws far more visitors than Wudi City, and the greenery around the subway entrances urgently needs attention.

Plus, there’s the Taoist Temple promised to Daoist Master!

Although most of the materials are ready, work on that site has been delayed—the project there seems even more complex and labor-intensive than Mingsha Academy.

So, finding time to rest is really a luxury.

“Yeah! No rest is possible when the tension’s this high!”

Xu Hao glanced at the brightly lit Langya Commercial Street in the distance. Over nearly two years, Mingsha City has been non-stop—with project after project.

There’s the Tourism Festival, the Ancient Architecture Forum, the Cultural Expo, plus several TV series and two films in production—even last year’s Lunar New Year saw non-stop work.

This has been great for the city’s development, but over time, the staff simply can’t keep up.

After all, what’s the point of working in Mingsha City if it’s just about earning money? The goal is to earn and spend! Without spending, what’s the point of all that hard work?

“Brother Hao, how long of a break are we thinking?”

After a brief silence, Luo Peng couldn’t help but ask.

Though he understood the logic, the employees at Mingsha City had grown accustomed to this relentless pace—especially the workers from Mingsha Labor, who never planned to spend their hard-earned money. Watching their bank balances grow was the ultimate joy.

“Let’s wait until after the New Year! Once the New Year is over, we’ll restart!”

After some thought, Xu Hao explained, “Today is New Year’s Day by the Western calendar and the ninth day of the lunar month. In twenty days, the New Year will be here. Unlike before, the old man at home and a few sisters are coming to Mingsha City for the celebrations, so I can’t be stuck at the site all the time.”

He added, “Better to postpone until after the New Year.”

“After the New Year? Brother Hao, what about the TV series with Yun Province TV? I discussed it with Mr. Fang last night.”

Luo Peng nodded, then couldn’t resist asking,

“That ancient costume light comedy? The plan is to have the sets ready before the New Year and start filming afterward. The set is quite simple.”

“Oh!”

“By the way, Brother Hao, when is General Zhu coming back?”

“The day after tomorrow morning! What’s up?”

“Earlier today, a Deputy Director mentioned that ever since the Cultural Expo began, visitors in Mingsha City have been overflowing, and the current staff are overwhelmed. We need to hire more personnel, but recruitment at Mingsha Tourism requires General Zhu’s signature.”

“In that case, later, call the Deputy Director and have him send the document directly to General Zhu for online approval. The paper version can be signed once we’re back in Mingsha City.”

“Got it!”

And with that, the two drifted apart. However, Xu Hao didn’t expect that shortly after leaving Langya Mountain, the lights in the exhibition hall atop the mountain flickered back on.

The actors who had already left began returning to the hall one after the other.

“The Leader wants us to rest for our own good! But we can’t waste this precious time! With just over ten hours until the performance, everyone, hang in there! We must not let the Cultural Expo overshadow our ancient costume showcase.”

“If we can make it through tomorrow afternoon, then everyone can rest as much as they want afterward.”

At the front of the hall, a mid-level leader addressed the performance staff.

“Manager, we understand!”

Many actors nodded in agreement.

“Alright, let’s get to work.”

The mid-level leader was the first to enter the exhibition hall, soon followed by a steady stream of cast and crew into the grand hall.

This time,

Xu Hao had miscalculated. He managed to leave with Luo Peng, but he underestimated the determination of the other mid-level leaders.

Tonight, the exhibition hall was destined to be a sleepless battleground!

Minute by minute, time passed.

Before anyone knew it, it was 2:30 PM the next day—exactly half an hour before the ancient costume performance was scheduled to begin.

In the morning,

the main venue showed no clear winners among the H Country projects and others, drawing only minimal attention. Many mainstream media outlets merely ran a headline.

Nothing more.

Online, all attention remained focused on Mingsha City—debating yesterday’s spectacle and eagerly anticipating today’s traditional costume showcase.

Some netizens claimed that the traditional costume showcase couldn’t match the Palace Festival, while others felt that the awe-inspiring astronomical events during the latter had set an insurmountable bar, consigning the traditional costume event to mediocrity.

Yet, despite such remarks, viewers continued to tune in to the sub-venue.

At that moment,

a large number of netizens from around the globe had already settled in front of their computers. A long queue had formed at the ticket gate of the exhibition hall on Langya Mountain, behind the altar.

Interestingly, the altar area in front of the hall was also packed—visitors there weren’t there for the ancient costume performance, but to solemnly worship the Nine Cauldrons while clutching incense.

Mingsha Tourism didn’t sell incense; visitors brought their own.

Just as Luo Peng had feared, many worshippers, after paying homage to the Nine Cauldrons, began tossing coins into it, convinced that doing so would earn them the protection of their ancestors.

Mingsha Tourism had to deploy eight extra guards around the altar to dissuade the crowd, explaining that this was merely a newly built exhibition area—not a temple or ancestral shrine that required incense burning and prostrations. Their efforts, however, hardly made a dent.

At this rate, the Nine Cauldrons would year-round bask in incense offerings comparable to even the grand temples of Long Kingdom.

If only Daoist Master were here; who knows what he’d make of this sight.

“Hello, viewers! I’m Xiao Fei, a reporter from Long Kingdom TV. Beside me is Mr. Luo, the head of today’s sub-venue ancient costume performance. Now, please welcome Mr. Luo to give everyone a detailed rundown of the event!”

Elsewhere,

the live broadcast team from Long Kingdom TV arrived punctually at the entrance of the exhibition hall.

After getting lost in Mingsha Academy before, host Xiao Fei had become an internet sensation. Now many viewers wished for Xiao Fei to experience Mingsha City’s performance projects firsthand.

Especially for today’s ancient costume segment—many netizens insisted that Xiao Fei should even don a costume himself for the audience.

In response,

host Luo Peng, the head of the ancient costume project performance, greeted the camera before launching into a detailed introduction of the sub-venue’s ancient costume showcase.

Here,

Luo Peng started by greeting the viewers and then proceeded to outline the specifics of the sub-venue ancient costume performance.