Chapter 271: The Enchanting Exhibition of Long Kingdom’s Traditional Costumes

“Dear friends, this showcase of Long Kingdom’s traditional costumes isn’t based on ancient texts. Everyone’s interpretation of the classics differs, so this exhibition is primarily inspired by renowned ancient paintings. The second part—the dance performance—is also based on those masterpieces!”

After entering the exhibition hall, Luo Peng walked while explaining things to a reporter.

“All inspired by famous paintings?”

At these words,

the reporter’s interest was immediately piqued.

“Yes. To make the exhibition more vivid, our staff will perform interpretations of these paintings. In other words, you’ll see each famous painting come to life, with each having its own dedicated display area!”

Luo Peng nodded.

He recalled that last night, after returning to the staff quarters with Xu Hao, he never came back. It wasn’t until this morning that he learned several staff members had stayed the night.

Regarding this,

Luo Peng dismissed it with a few casual words, not bothering to mention it to Xu Hao.

In his view, it was a trivial matter, not worth bothering the big boss about. After all, it takes real effort for the staff to show such dedication! “So, which famous paintings are on display then?”

At that, the reporter asked again.

“There are many masterpieces on view. Not far ahead is ‘The Celestial Procession of Morning Worship’; further back, we have ‘The Heavenly King Escorting the Heir’, ‘Spring Dawn in the Han Palace’, ‘The Spring Outing of the Lady of Guo’, ‘The Fan-Waving Beauties’, ‘Palace Music’, and more.”

Luo Peng gestured toward the front.

“The Celestial Procession of Morning Worship?”

The reporter gasped in surprise.

She had never imagined that Mingsha City would even include such ancient paintings.

For context, ‘The Celestial Procession of Morning Worship’ depicts the Eastern Huadi, the Southern Pole Great Emperor, and the Great Emperor of Fusang joining the procession to pay respects to the Primordial Supreme, who presides over the celestial realm.

Strictly speaking, it’s a painting of deities and immortals!

“Indeed, in a way, celestial and divine culture forms the first part of Long Kingdom’s traditional heritage. Please take a look!”

No sooner had he spoken than Luo Peng led the reporter to the display area for ‘The Celestial Procession of Morning Worship’.

“Oh my goodness. This is incredibly lifelike!”

The next moment, as the reporter surveyed the first display area, she was dumbfounded by the scene before her.

And she wasn’t the only one;

audiences in front of computers and TVs couldn’t help but express their amazement repeatedly.

Inside the display area, over eighty staff members, dressed as deities, were slowly advancing.

Among them were three emperors, eight armed gods, ten male immortals, and sixty-seven female immortals.

With calm expressions and flowing robes, the deities meandered along the winding temporary corridor built over the display area.

At the very front on the left, a celestial warrior in armor led the way; on the far right, armored soldiers, indomitable divine generals, kings, and strongmen formed a rear guard. Behind them, attendants, officials, and a band marched with flags, umbrellas, and delectable treats in hand; at the forefront, the three emperors, resplendent in elaborate attire with halos crowning their heads and flanked by cherubic figures, exuded dignity.

Each one carried a calm, gentle, and majestic aura, their costumes and headpieces perfectly complementing their grace.

At the end of the procession were the civil and military officials, each with their own distinct look.

Soft white smoke wafted through the display, lending an ethereal, dreamlike quality, plunging the scene into a 5D reality that completely engrossed the audience!

It was almost as if, in a true heavenly realm, the deities would move in exactly this fashion.

“Excuse me. Next, let’s check out ‘The Heavenly King Escorting the Heir’.”

As the reporter regained her composure, Luo Peng spoke again.

“Alright.”

The reporter, a bit reluctant, glanced back at ‘The Celestial Procession of Morning Worship’.

One masterpiece followed another, each sparking a chorus of exclamations from netizens watching the live stream—especially when the dance performance at the Tang Palace Banquet was showcased, fueling heated discussion.

For many, although the ancient costume display wasn’t as extravagant as the first three days, following the exhibition path felt like stepping into otherworldly realms. It was an experience even more immersive than the previous three projects. Not only did it showcase the charm of Long Kingdom’s traditional costumes, but it also offered visitors a second glimpse into the nation’s history and its timeless treasures.

In short,

to bring the traditional costume exhibition to this level is truly the pinnacle—surpassing it seems nearly impossible now!

However, at that moment, a controversial online post began to stir up debate.

The post’s title was unmissable:

“Major Incident at the Mingsha City Sub-Exhibition of the Ancient Costume Project!”

The post was made by a foreign viewer.

He argued that in the original ‘Celestial Procession of Morning Worship’, there were only eighty-seven deities—the last, a commanding general, was absent due to damage in the painting.

Thus, if the sub-exhibition were to perfectly recreate the scene, there should be eighty-seven performers. Yet the live stream clearly showed eighty-eight!

Consequently, many Long Kingdom netizens took notice of the post, and after counting the deities in the live stream, they too gave it a thumbs up.

Some observant netizens even numbered each deity captured in the live feed from one to eighty-eight—claiming not a single error.

Of course, many others believed the original painting did indeed depict eighty-eight deities, and that Mingsha City had rightly filled in the gap.

With the Cultural Expo sub-exhibition drawing high attention, combined with such an eye-catching title and solid evidence, it was hard to avoid the heated discussion.

Half an hour later, amid the online debates, the trending topic “Mingsha City Sub-Exhibition Had a Performance Incident” naturally surged on the trending list, catching the attention of on-site visitors.

Numerous onlookers immediately began recounting the number of deities they saw.

It wasn’t long before they discovered a discrepancy, prompting an urgent post under the trending topic: “They’re deliberately slandering the sub-exhibition. I counted clearly at the scene—there were only eighty-seven deities, not eighty-eight!”

Thus,

a war of public opinion broke out. Some claimed Mingsha City hired water army, while others condemned it as deliberate defamation. In the end, everyone had their own opinion. Before long, it was six in the afternoon.

In Wudi City, upon seeing the online headlines, Xu Hao couldn’t help but frown. “Eighty-eight? Weren’t there supposed to be only eighty-seven actors? How on earth did the camera capture eighty-eight? Could it be a miscount?”

Although he hadn’t been closely monitoring the ancient costume exhibition recently,

Luo Peng had shown him his contingency plan for the celestial performance just two days ago—and had specifically stressed that the ‘Celestial Procession of Morning Worship’ be performed exactly as depicted in the original painting. Not one more, not one less!

After a moment’s thought,

Xu Hao pulled out his phone and dialed Luo Peng’s number. By now, the live broadcast had ended; only visitors remained in the exhibition hall.

Beep beep beep. The call connected quickly.

“Brother Hao, I definitely arranged for eighty-seven performers. It’s not as the online rumors state—there aren’t eighty-eight!”

Luo Peng, as if anticipating Xu Hao’s question, replied before he could speak.

“Really? You arranged for eighty-seven?”

Xu Hao paused.

“Brother Hao, I remember it clearly! The project manager even showed me the payroll, confirming that there were exactly eighty-seven performers. More importantly, several on-site visitors confirmed that they counted only eighty-seven!

I have no idea where the notion of eighty-eight came from. Is someone deliberately trying to defame us?”

Luo Peng was deeply frustrated.

He never imagined that the traditional costume exhibition he managed would make headlines and trend online in such a manner—especially with that glaring “performance incident” label, which felt utterly unjust.

“I saw a screenshot from the live broadcast!”

Xu Hao’s mind raced as he casually rubbed his chin.

If this were a case of photo manipulation, it would have been obvious at a glance. But then, why did the live stream show eighty-eight when we arranged for only eighty-seven? Sighing deeply,

Xu Hao continued his call while pulling up the screenshot posted by a netizen.

“Wait a minute… this…”

At first glance it seemed fine—but a closer look made Xu Hao’s eyebrows furrow instantly.

PS: Brothers, my wisdom teeth are seriously inflamed. I’m not at my best! This chapter is a bit short; I promise to make it up once I get them removed.