Chapter 327: Mysteries of Mingsha City

Listening to several young men discuss,

Keywords like “Incense Offering,” “Biyou Palace,” and “Multicolored Radiance” instantly made Cangshan and Canghai stop dead in their tracks, their faces etched with confusion.

Especially Cangshan! He fully understood what “Incense Offering” and “Multicolored Radiance” implied, and Biyou Palace needed no introduction—but these words combined in Mingsha City were puzzling.

“Hey there, young friend, pardon the interruption, but did you say Biyou Palace is in Mingsha City?”

Coming back to his senses,

After nodding to his junior, Cangshan hurriedly caught up with the men in a few brisk strides.

“Haven’t you heard?”

When questioned, one of the young men glanced at Cangshan in mild surprise and nodded.

With the rise of traditional costume culture in Mingsha City, many tourists in Mingsha County now wear ancient garb. So the young men weren’t overly surprised to see the Daoist dressed in traditional robes, thinking he was a foreign visitor new to the county.

“Young friend, could you explain further? I’m completely in the dark.”

Cangshan blurted out hastily.

“Here’s the thing: early this morning at Mingsha Fudi…”

The young man, ever helpful, continued his explanation without hesitation.

“Wait—Mingsha Fudi? Do you mean the one in Mingsha City or…?”

Before the young man could finish, Cangshan interrupted with another query.

“Huh? You don’t even know what Mingsha Fudi is?”

At this, the young men widened their eyes and all looked at Cangshan simultaneously.

These days, who wouldn’t know Mingsha Fudi? Even the children in the Long Kingdom are aware that somewhere in the northwest desert lies Mingsha City—with Mingsha Fudi right inside.

“I don’t know!”

Cangshan shook his head.

“If you don’t know Mingsha Fudi, then what’s the point of Mingsha City?”

“I…”

Cangshan hesitated, tongue-tied.

“Forget it, old man. If you really don’t know, I’ll start with Mingsha Fudi. A year ago, Mingsha City hosted a grand traditional cultural expo.”

Perhaps because Cangshan’s face looked familiar—or maybe because of his age—the young man didn’t mind launching into a detailed account of Mingsha City’s history to both Cangshan and Canghai.

“Oh? Are you referring to that magic act known as Yougong?”

A few minutes later, when the young man mentioned the name, an uneasy twitch flashed across Cangshan’s face.

“Yes! That Yougong is simply phenomenal—the magic he performs is indistinguishable from reality. He has been exalted to near-divine status in the magic world because, so far, no magician has cracked his Scattering Beans to Form Soldiers and Fish-Dragon Chaos.”

Recalling that infamous act, the young men listened with deep emotion.

However, they failed to notice the subtle twitch on Cangshan’s face.

“What happened next?”

“Well, it turns out that Yougong is actually the head of the Daoist temple on a small island in Mingsha Fudi. As a result, many tourists have begun flocking to Biyou Palace for blessings. And with what happened this morning, I’m certain even more visitors will come for incense offerings.”

“Thank you for clearing that up, young friends.”

At that, Cangshan no longer wanted to linger—his only thought was to return to Mingsha City!

“Don’t worry! Once you get to Mingsha City, you can see Mingsha Fudi for yourself. In the daylight, with swirling mists, soaring cranes, and even white deer roaming about, it’s breathtaking!”

“Uh, okay.”

But as he turned, the young man’s words stabbed at Cangshan’s heart like a sharp blade, making his face twitch again.

Really, is it just about swirling mists and soaring cranes?

For him, that was child’s play—something he could easily surpass.

“Goodbye, old man!”

“Goodbye!”

After the young men departed, Cangshan walked a few steps before realizing he was left with only his junior. Unable to contain himself,

“That Old Six Yougong… I mentioned that Mingsha City was a nice place when I left, but I never expected him to…” he ranted bitterly to Canghai, punctuating his words with a string of expletives.

He lamented his grievances to Canghai with heavy sorrow.

There was nothing he could do. Many attractions in the Long Kingdom follow the Daoist temple’s policies. Hearing that Biyou Palace’s incense offerings were booming, Cangshan automatically assumed that in the future, Mingsha City might only have Biyou Palace and nothing left for Wuzhuang Temple.

How could he not be furious?

“Senior, watch your merits!”

Noticing this,

Canghai, now alert, quickly stepped in to stop him.

But Cangshan ignored him, continuing his tirade.

“Merits? That kid actually set up his temple in Mingsha City first! I remember what he said when we first met: he vowed to defend the ancestral temple no matter what, never abandoning it!”

“Senior, don’t be hasty. Aren’t we already in Mingsha City? Let’s see what’s really going on first. Remember, it’s just the two of us versus that old man—trouble isn’t far off if we try to beat him up!”

Canghai immediately pleaded.

“Just us two against one? You’re right—let’s give him a good beating and then decide our next move.”

Upon hearing this, Cangshan’s fist clenched tightly.

“Yes!”

Meanwhile, as Cangshan dashed off toward Mingsha City,

in Haishi, at the floor-to-ceiling window of a high-rise in the CBD, a man in his fifties dressed in a suit was on the phone.

“What are you messing around for? Wasn’t the compensation from earlier enough?”

His tone brimmed with anger.

This man was Chen Yuan, a mysterious businessman with several investment companies, known in the industry as Chairman Chen.

“Chairman Chen, this time is different! I’ve hit Mingsha City’s Achilles’ heel. Things are going so well that even the authorities have taken notice. If Mingsha City fails to explain reasonably, we’re done for.”

A moment later, another male voice spoke in the phone.

“But…”

Chen Yuan hesitated.

The situation carried a distinctly familiar vibe, though the person who had previously uttered similar words hadn’t yet appeared.

“Chairman Chen, we’ve suffered losses in Mingsha City repeatedly. Isn’t it time to seize an opportunity? If we let Mingsha City off every time, as they grow stronger, our chances will vanish.”

The man continued.

“Are you sure you’ve got it under control?”

Pacing back and forth, Chen Yuan took a deep breath.

Across from him was Gao Nan, a popular online influencer with the largest fanbase under his investment umbrella.

Gao Nan’s words struck a deep chord with him.

Every appearance of Mingsha City cost them either money or ruined accounts—anyone would feel the sting.

“Chairman Chen, don’t worry! This time I’m completely confident—and we won’t lose any money. Ever since the incident in Mingsha City broke, they’ve curled up like frightened turtles and haven’t responded, which means they’re guilty! If they end up paying, I’d even write the character for ‘Gao’ backward.”

Gao Nan stated his guarantee with resolute certainty.

“Then use this opportunity. If the timing isn’t right, pull out immediately.”

“It won’t fail!”

Under a deep night sky at 11 PM, in Wudi City at the Ancient Building Courtyard,

Xu Hao pondered for a long moment before slowly setting down his tea cup and asking Zhu Qiang, “That influencer Gao Nan is still stirring up trouble?”

“Yes! Just half an hour ago he posted on social media that, in this era of global equality, Mingsha City is deliberately picking fights and creating divisions!”

Zhu Qiang nodded gravely.

For the first time, he felt that these so-called influencers truly deserved a lesson; after all, anyone typing away behind a keyboard could spout anything.

“Has Lawyer Zhang been contacted?”

Xu Hao narrowed his eyes slightly.

“He has.”

“Then have him prepare. This time, we must get Gao Nan behind bars and also find out who’s calling the shots. These influencers—constantly setting our pace—aren’t just trying to hitch a ride on the trending bandwagon.”

Xu Hao added.

“Alright, Brother Hao! So what’s our reply now? The momentum is building and many netizens are talking about it.”

Zhu Qiang nodded and whispered,

“How to reply? Simple. We’ll post a statement saying that Mingsha City isn’t discriminating against foreign tourists—it’s just that our technology is lacking. Of course, if they’re willing to let our tech team visit their country for field research and allow some of their data to remain in Mingsha City, then our Dreaming of the Past will be open to them! If they refuse and claim we’re being discriminatory, that’s defamation!”

Xu Hao slowly leaned back in his chair.

“Retaining data? Brother Hao, I see now!”

At that, Zhu Qiang’s face lit up with delight.

One must admit, a true leader can hit the nail on the head with a single sentence! How could those foreign conglomerates ever allow Mingsha City to conduct field research in their country and store data in the Long Kingdom?

“Brother Hao, when will the announcement be released?”

“After little Luo called me this afternoon, I reported the situation to our superiors. We’ll see what they decide—after all, they’re watching this closely.”

“Alright!”

“By the way, how’s the progress on that project behind Mingsha Fudi?”

After discussing the plan, Xu Hao asked again,

“I heard from President Luo that the project is completed and is now in its final phase of testing.”

Zhu Qiang interjected hastily,

“Final testing? Excellent! Tomorrow, tell little Luo to find Daoist Yougong so he can further enhance the experience of the scene. Didn’t the netizens claim that Mingsha City discriminates against foreign tourists? Once this project goes live, those tourists will get a firsthand experience. After that, Daoist Yougong should tone down the intensity—we can’t have our own people in the Long Kingdom frightened.”

Xu Hao’s lips curled up slightly.

Some matters must be done to leave a lasting impression.

Ring, ring, ring. Just as Xu Hao was about to add something else, his phone suddenly rang.

He picked it up, nodded to Zhu Qiang, and answered.

“What’s up, little Luo?”

The call was from Luo Peng.

“Brother Hao, Daoist Cangshan is back.”

A slightly anxious voice came from the other end.

“Ah? Daoist Cangshan is back?”

Xu Hao was taken aback.

“Yes! He’s currently at the Mingsha Labor office. Look.”

“All right, you and Daoist Cangshan talk for a while. I’ll come over once I finish my work here.”

Returning to his senses, Xu Hao said.

Unexpected as it was, the return of the head of Wuzhuang Temple meant a meeting was inevitable.

“Alright!”