Chapter 273: Mysteries in Mingsha City

Using the magic contest to stage these “miracles” in Mingsha City?

Cui Xiaozhong’s eyes lit up.

After a moment’s reflection, he realized that it made sense—while performing these miracles elsewhere would be hard to justify, staging them in Mingsha City would effectively cut off the city’s escape route! Yet after a brief pause, Cui hesitated.

“President, what if Mingsha City refuses? They might be suspicious, always on guard.”

“If they refuse, we’ll simply put our heads together. There’s always a way!”

A cold gleam flashed in Park Qi Ye’s eyes.

Like fishing, he wasn’t convinced that a huge, free lunch delivered right to Mingsha City’s doorstep would go unclaimed. After all, if the bait is enticing enough, even cautious fish will eventually bite.

“Then…”

“Tomorrow, get in touch with the International Magic Association first. Then I’ll contact Chairman Chen. We’ll set the stage, and if this sparks interest in Mingsha City, failure isn’t an option!”

“Understood, President!”

Before long, at ten in the evening, many of Mingsha City’s staff had already returned to their dorms. Tomorrow, only the traditional medicine showcase remained. Given its specialized nature, even the staff couldn’t contribute much—in their eyes, the months-long preparation for the Cultural Expo was already over.

Yet, even after the show, the chatter had barely begun. “Xiao Li, was there really no other staff behind you?”

Inside an apartment, a man in his forties couldn’t help but ask.

“Brother Zhang, I’m positive there was no extra staff with me! I really don’t understand how that so-called Guardian of Yabo popped up online!”

The young man shook his head confidently.

During today’s ancient costume performance, he hadn’t sensed anything unusual. Who would have thought that once the show ended, it would cause such an uproar?

“Could it really be what the experts call memory bias? Yet, I wasn’t even familiar with the ‘Celestial Procession of Morning Worship’ before…”

The man muttered quietly under his breath.

He was one of the performers in the ancient costume show—his act was ‘The Heavenly King Escorting the Heir.’ Incidentally, yesterday evening during a rehearsal break, he had gone to the restroom!

Passing by the ‘Celestial Procession of Morning Worship’ area, he caught sight of a remarkably imposing guardian at the end of the line. A thought flashed in his mind: ‘Where did they find an actor for the guardian role? His look and aura are simply unmatched!’

After leaving the restroom, he even told his fellow performers that they had found an outstanding actor over there.

But today, online sources debunked the existence of that actor.

Determined to confirm the truth, he came here only to find that what he recalled seeing didn’t match the reports.

“Brother Zhang, many are saying that, but I’m certain there were seventy-seven of us performers. I was right next to Xiao Li—how could I not notice if someone was behind him?”

At that moment…

Another young man, clutching a water cup, approached and said,

“Oh, maybe my eyes are just getting old.”

On hearing this,

the man said nothing more.

“Old eyes? Brother Zhang, don’t joke. How old are you now?”

“I’m truly getting old!”

The man scratched his head and left the apartment.

In truth, he wasn’t an isolated case; many other performers stared at their phone screens, lost in self-doubt.

“Could I be suffering from memory bias too?”

That question became the one they all kept asking themselves.

Little did they know, as confusion spread among the cast, at Langya Mountain’s performance hall…

Lights that had been off for two hours suddenly flickered back on with a creak!

Moments later, the hall’s main door swung open slowly. Xu Hao glanced behind him, and once sure no one was there, he stepped inside.

Experts might chalk up the uproar to a memory bias, but how could he trust that? Ever since he learned the hall hadn’t been emptied after last night’s show, he was convinced that something was amiss—not merely a lapse in memory.

Thus,

after dinner he had pored over the two books left behind by the Daoist Master, only to find instructions without any mention of late-night consequences. With no choice left, he came here to investigate for himself.

“The problem lies with the ‘Celestial Procession of Morning Worship’!”

Xu Hao scanned the vast, empty hall where even a footstep echoed clearly. In such a setting, ordinary people would never dare to enter, yet Xu remained unfazed.

Before long,

he arrived at the ‘Celestial Procession of Morning Worship’ area.

“Guardian of Yabo.”

He proceeded steadily along the performance area. Everything was as it should be—the temporary stone arch bridge mirrored the original, and props were neatly arranged in a corner.

“It all seems normal. Am I overthinking? Could it be a camera angle issue, or an illusion from some prop?”

From end to end, Xu Hao looked up at the placement of several cameras.

Snap! At that moment, a crisp sound rang out and the brightly lit hall plunged into darkness.

Immediately after, a faint murmur of surprise was heard.

Time flew by, and soon it was eight in the morning the next day! Under the experts’ deliberate guidance, netizens and the public had finally refocused on the Cultural Expo, now believing that yesterday’s incident was nothing but a memory bias.

Yet, the more they dismissed it, the more they looked forward to today’s performance in Mingsha City.

The side shows had grown grander each day. Who knew what wonders the traditional medicine showcase might unveil? Thus,

by nine in the morning, the entrance of Taiyi Hospital was teeming with visitors.

Meanwhile, the main venue and the exhibits from H Country had been relegated to mere backdrops!

“Mingsha City Taiyi Hospital.”

However, a closer look at the hospital’s layout and the sign over the main gate left many tourists puzzled.

The hospital was oriented to the south. In front of its ancient main gate lay a small square. From the square’s southeast and southwest corners, two Qing Brick Avenues led off—one connecting to the riverside guesthouses, the other to Oasis 1—and the latter even led to Qixia Town.

Beyond that,

the small square boasted dedicated spots for horse-drawn carriages, and in its northeast corner was a building resembling an ancient government office.

Yet, this building had its main door firmly shut with no signage, leaving its purpose a mystery.

Beside the office, a sign clearly showed the layout of Taiyi Hospital, marking six consultation halls, an inpatient building, doctors’ quarters, and lodgings for apprentice pharmacists.

“Is this Taiyi Hospital really a fully functioning hospital?”

Seeing this,

a tourist approached the guards at the hospital’s main entrance.

If it were merely a traditional medicine performance, there’d be no need for an inpatient building or accommodations for doctors and their assistants.

“Our Mingsha City Taiyi Hospital is officially approved and fully certified as a traditional hospital. It even boasts five National Medical Masters from the Long Kingdom, along with Dean Lin Wenian, who once was…”

The guard launched into an explanation.

“What? Five National Medical Masters? And Dean is Professor Lin Wenian? Are you sure they’re not just here for the showcase? Once the performance ends, they’ll pack up and leave Mingsha City?”

Many tourists were left speechless.

As far as they knew, even the Long Kingdom’s top traditional hospital had only four National Medical Masters. How could Mingsha City Taiyi Hospital have five? This even sparked doubts that the city was using the title to create hype.

Especially when the name Lin Wenian was mentioned!

Lin Wenian had once held consultations at the Yan City Traditional Medicine College Hospital—appointments were nearly impossible to get!

“No! These five National Medical Masters are our hospital’s doctors; they see patients every day!”

The guard shot a piercing look at the tourist who had spoken, silently implying that if these experts were mere guests after the showcase, they wouldn’t qualify as the hospital’s regular doctors.

“They treat patients daily? Then when exactly will the hospital start consultations? I want to book an appointment with Professor Lin Wenian!”

An elderly tourist from Yan City immediately exclaimed.

Despite criticism of traditional medicine in the Long Kingdom, many still turned to it when Western medicine failed.

“Excuse me, today our hospital is only holding a traditional medicine showcase. Official consultations begin tomorrow!”

The guard clarified.

This was already confirmed by internal staff, and from now on, Mingsha City’s staff would have a dedicated channel for consultations.

“Tomorrow? Great! Fantastic!”

Hearing this, the tourists, brimming with excitement, immediately pulled out their phones and dialed a number. “Hey, your second uncle, are you coming to Mingsha City tomorrow?”

“Mingsha City?”

“They’ve just opened a new Taiyi Hospital. The Dean is Professor Lin Wenian—the very one you couldn’t reach last time. He’s consulting tomorrow!”

“Really? But hasn’t Lin Wenian retired already?”

“Really! And besides Professor Lin Wenian, there are four other National Medical Masters. If they earned that title, they must be no ordinary people.”

“Alright, I’m sending my kid to pack. If appointments start going, help me book one, okay?”

“Don’t worry! Once today’s showcase ends, I’ll be right here at Taiyi Hospital, queuing up. I won’t let you miss out on an appointment.”

“Alright!”

Ten, eleven, and two-thirty in the afternoon! As news of the hospital spread, details about Professor Lin Wenian, Zong Shengcai, and the other National Medical Masters began to surface.

Thus,

a strange scene unfolded in front of the square: long queues formed at both the traditional medicine ticket booth and another entrance.

When asked, nearly everyone was waiting to register for consultations after the show.

Meanwhile, inside the hospital, host Xiao Fei turned to the camera and announced,

“Dear viewers, up next is our traditional medicine showcase—the final act of the Cultural Expo. Now, Professor Lin Wenian, in charge of the show, will introduce the details of our program!”