Chapter 275: Crisis of the Zhu You Technique

“Was it really chosen at random?”

The chief leader’s brow furrowed deeper.

“Leader, I’m certain! The sub-venue was just trying to showcase the Zhu You Technique to clear up the public’s misunderstanding of traditional medicine. I heard that when the patient felt completely recovered, several demonstration doctors were left staring in disbelief!”

The deputy leader shook his head slightly.

“Besides, there’s no reason for Mingsha City to have a staff member from Long Kingdom TV act as a stooge. At a grand evening gala, they might occasionally lend a hand, but they would never stoop to that!”

“The doctors were stunned?”

“Yes!”

“This…”

The chief leader couldn’t help but rub his temples.

It was the first time he’d heard of doctors being terrified when a patient recovered.

“Leader, how should we explain this to the public? With the trending topic spiking, people might really think we’re seizing the chance of the Cultural Expo to promote the Zhu You Technique.”

“Some netizens are already saying they wish Mingsha City Taiyi Hospital would set up a dedicated Zhu You Department, so they can come get treated.”

The deputy leader sighed and continued.

“If the commotion at the sub-venue was already hard to justify, this incident has truly reached a dead end.”

“Denying the tourists’ claims only damages the Cultural Expo’s reputation! But if we admit they’re right, it won’t reflect well on the authorities.”

“Had we known this would happen, we shouldn’t have let Mingsha City push themselves so hard over the details.”

“T-This… even a dedicated Zhu You Department?”

Pacing back and forth and deep in thought, the chief leader took a deep breath.

“Contact the relevant department and say that the experience some tourists had might be psychological. Once the investigation is complete, we’ll provide the public with a proper explanation.”

“Both the authorities and Mingsha City would never promote feudal superstition.”

“Also, we must quickly cool down the public’s interest in this matter.”

“Cool it down? Leader, that won’t be easy. It’s already sparked heated debate among tourists at home and abroad. Hitting the top of trending topics is only a matter of time.”

“Alright then, contact the relevant department again and see if there’s any other hot news today to overshadow this!”

“Understood, Leader!”

Meanwhile,

At the entrance of Taiyi Hospital, Xu Hao glanced at his phone before looking at the long queue outside and rubbing his forehead in exasperation.

Nearby, Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng were all smiles!

“Brother Hao, judging by this, Taiyi Hospital will never run out of patients.”

“Exactly. A hospital’s worst fear is having no patients at first. Once patients start coming in, its strength will grow along with its resources.”

The two bantered in unison, completely oblivious to Xu Hao’s expression.

In their eyes, the more powerful Taiyi Hospital becomes, the greater the benefits for Mingsha City staff as well as the residents of Mingsha County and Wei City. Soon, people won’t need to travel to the provincial capital or other first-tier cities for treatment.

Moreover, with Langya Commercial Street already established, along with Mingsha City’s elementary and middle schools scheduled for completion early next year and a high-speed rail station to be built in Hongsha Gang Village right after the New Year, Mingsha City is well on its way to becoming a permanent settlement.

Medical, educational, and transportation facilities are in place. Next up: housing!

With Mingsha City’s current status, once commercial housing is developed there, villagers from Hongsha Gang Village would undoubtedly rush to buy a home.

No matter how good the employee apartments are, they can never compare to owning your own house.

“The size of the hospital is a minor matter.”

Xu Hao glanced helplessly toward Taiyi Hospital. The pressing issue was how to defuse the trending topic surrounding the Zhu You Technique. While no one else knew, he was well aware that henceforth, the Zhu You Technique in Mingsha City would be remarkably effective! Moreover, as more tourists visited the altar to burn incense, the technique might even evolve further. This was undoubtedly challenging modern science.

Mingsha City had always insisted that the public trust science; they couldn’t afford to veer into superstition.

“Qiangzi, after today’s demonstration, release a statement explaining that the event may have led to some public misunderstandings, and that Taiyi Hospital only showcased the historical aspects of the Zhu You Technique. Once the hospital officially opens, there will be no further demonstrations.”

Coming back to reality,

Xu Hao spoke.

“For now, we need to downplay the hype and handle this matter gradually.”

“Understood, Brother Hao!”

At that, Zhu Qiang nodded in agreement.

He believed that the objective of promoting Taiyi Hospital had been achieved, and as Xu Hao pointed out, the hospital must cease using the Zhu You Technique; otherwise, they’d be seen as oddities! Not only would that fail to benefit Mingsha City, it might also invite serious troubles.

“Let’s go. The leaders will soon be returning to their offices. Let’s see them off!”

“Alright!”

However, despite the sound ideas of both the main venue and Xu Hao, the outcome was completely contrary to their hopes.

In the blink of an eye,

it was nine o’clock in the evening!

The Zhu You Technique in Mingsha City still stubbornly maintained the top spot on the trending list, with its popularity far surpassing the runner-up. Worse yet, following official statements and Mingsha City’s announcement, numerous netizens accused the city of covering up the truth. Even though unscientific events had occurred, officials were openly lying. This was not vindicating traditional medicine—it was a covert denial and suppression of Long Kingdom’s traditional practices.

At the office in Jinlong Ancient City,

the chief leader leaned back in his chair, massaging his temples incessantly, while the deputy leader wore a troubled expression.

They had spent the afternoon brainstorming various solutions,

but nothing worked—not even the closing ceremony managed to make a ripple.

The second hottest trending topic was a story about a domestic first-tier male celebrity who had an extramarital affair and a secret daughter—a scandal that would normally top the trending charts.

Yet its heat was less than a fifth of that for the Zhu You Technique.

Even more surprising, the technique sparked a series of discussions as netizens began sharing personal anecdotes of inexplicable experiences during childhood doctor visits.

These trending topics even crowded the bottom of the hot list, as if dousing a fire with gasoline only made it burn even stronger.

“Leader, at this rate, the hype might not die down for at least three to five days. If we handle this poorly, the consequences could be even more severe.”

After a long silence,

the deputy leader finally spoke up.

“Are you worried that our painstakingly built scientific framework might collapse?”

The chief leader arched an eyebrow.

“Yes!”

“I understand! The problem is, no matter how much we try, we can’t deny the existence of the Zhu You Technique in traditional medicine. Denying it would be tantamount to denying the history of Long Kingdom.”

The chief leader sighed once more.

“This afternoon, several research institutions examined the matter, but they couldn’t reach a definitive conclusion. Their final explanation pointed to psychological effects and isolated anomalies—but the public rejected that explanation.”

“Leader, I actually have an idea, though I’m not sure if it will work.”

After a moment of silence, the deputy leader straightened up.

“What’s your idea?”

Immediately, the chief leader inquired,

“Leader, since we can’t currently explain the Zhu You Technique, why not have Mingsha City stage some ‘miraculous’ acts that can be logically explained? That way, even if public suspicions about traditional medicine continue, at least our current scientific framework remains intact. Based on the current situation, controlling speculation seems nearly impossible.”

The deputy leader voiced his sudden thought,

“Miraculous acts that can be explained?”

The chief leader’s eyes lit up.

He no longer expected to achieve anything groundbreaking in traditional medicine; he merely hoped to preserve the existing scientific framework.

“Leader, think of it like some of Long Kingdom’s traditional tricks—like ‘Three Immortals Return to Their Cave’ or ‘Immortals Lock’. These would definitely capture the public’s attention!”

“We could also showcase modern magic acts, such as mid-air hovering or making large structures disappear. That way, the public wouldn’t view the Zhu You Technique as something out of the ordinary; they might even lump it together with our ancient tricks.”

“But Mingsha City just wrapped up its Cultural Expo demonstration. Wouldn’t staging ancient tricks now seem too forced? They already paused the demonstration of the Zhu You Technique, which only fueled accusations of a cover-up.”

Rising from his seat,

the chief leader paced for a moment, stroking his chin as an idea began to form.

The deputy leader’s point was valid—Long Kingdom’s ancient tricks were indeed marvelous, though some had used them to peddle superstition and scam people out of money.

“Leader, there’s an international magic competition in April next year. If we manage to secure that opportunity, everything would be justified.”

the deputy leader added hastily.

“International Magic Competition?”

“Yes!”

“But I recall that H Country already secured the hosting rights. And after Mingsha City completely outperformed H Country at the Cultural Expo, how could they possibly hand over that opportunity?”

After a pause,

the chief leader frowned and asked,

“Leader, this isn’t a major issue! The international magic competition is different from the Cultural Expo and is relatively niche. Even though it’s been decided, we might be able to renegotiate. What if it works out? Should I contact the department leaders tonight to test the waters?”

The deputy leader added,

“Let me think it through!”

The chief leader sat down, still hesitant.

Minutes passed. Seeing that the chief leader still hadn’t made a decision, the deputy leader quietly whispered,

“Leader, are you still worried? Securing the hosting rights for the magic competition isn’t as hard as it seems.”

“Worries? Honestly, I’m not concerned about the competition itself. I’m more worried that if we give Mingsha City the magic competition, they might stir up further trouble later.”

The chief leader looked over at the deputy leader.