Chapter 398: Mingsha City’s Triumph

As each minute passed, it was suddenly 10 in the morning.

Either from incessantly refreshing the website out of boredom, Cole grew increasingly dazed—nearly dozing off—until urgent, heavy knocks on the door jolted him awake.

Startled, Cole sat up with a jolt.

“What’s wrong?”

Once he recognized the visitor at the office door, he quickly asked.

The one knocking was none other than Adam, the deputy director of Dino Park! “Leader, it’s over at Mingsha City,” he announced.

Adam swallowed hard, his throat constricting with effort.

“Have the first wave of feedback on the Peach Banquet from Mingsha City come in?”

At these words, Cole instinctively leaned forward.

“Yeah!”

“So…did we fail to capture the surge?”

Cole’s face beamed with anticipation; it was the news he had most longed for in nearly a month.

Until now, he had been more excited about this National Day tour than even the die-hard fans of Mingsha City.

“Leader, they not only caught it, but—”

Adam’s expression darkened as he murmured quietly.

“What? They caught it? How is that even possible?”

In an instant, Cole sprang to his feet, disbelief etched on his face.

After a moment, still seeking confirmation, he blurted, “A mythical scene straight out of a Long Kingdom drama—the Peach Banquet in Mingsha City caught the flow?”

“Leader, according to the first batch of visitors at the Peach Banquet, the online reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. Just check the forum comments,” Adam explained, taking a deep breath.

“Comments.”

Cole paused, suddenly recalling his computer. He hurriedly began typing, and soon his eyes were locked onto the screen.

Minutes ticked by. As time passed, his expression shifted like a palette of colors—growing increasingly complex.

“Wha-what? How did Mingsha City pull this off? In just a month, they even built a Yaochi?”

After a long while, Cole slowly leaned back in his chair.

Meanwhile, the forum was flooded with posts and on-site photos from the Peach Banquet at Mingsha City.

From the images and short videos, visitors in gracefully designed ancient costumes were seen either wandering through a celestial Peach Garden to snap photos or admiring a performance by ‘fairies’ on a mist-enshrouded lakeside stage, all while savoring ‘celestial wines’ and ‘celestial fruits.’ Around the lake, cranes circled majestically.

The scene was nearly identical to a peach banquet sequence in a Long Kingdom TV drama featuring immortals.

Visitors couldn’t stop raving!

One comment read, “After half a lifetime, I finally understand what the celestial Yaochi and Peach Banquet are like.” Others claimed that merely the special, elegant costumes designed for the event made the trip to Mingsha City worthwhile.

In short,

So far, only a few netizens had given Mingsha City a bad review.

Their complaint was unusual—they argued that hosting such a grand event without charging an entry fee was unfair and would lead to ungrateful visitors damaging the facilities.

“You’re not wrong. Even the origin of those peach trees is a mystery! The peaches look uncannily real. No wonder—Mingsha City’s Yaochi is destined to become a permanent hit.”

Adam rubbed his brow, then, with a worried glance, whispered, “Leader, this time Mingsha City isn’t just putting on a Peach Banquet! It turns out our decision to preheat the Magic Academy event by steering clear of Mingsha City was absolutely the right call.”

“The Peach Banquet was probably masterminded by that Director Luo Peng—the guy who does this best! Wait, you said there’s more than just a Peach Banquet? What else?”

Cole’s heart skipped a beat as he instinctively looked at Adam.

“According to some visitors, the city walls of Mingsha City officially opened at 9 AM this morning!”

“City walls open? Weren’t Mingsha City’s walls always accessible?”

“This time it’s different! Staff there say that all four walls are now open, and you can ride a sightseeing wall car to circle the city.”

Adam subconsciously pursed his lips.

Mingsha City covers an area far larger than Dino Park; with 200 kilometers of walls, tourists will never be in short supply.

“So they managed to complete 200 kilometers of walls? Does that mean Mingsha City is now a true ancient city?”

Cole fell into a daze.

Just as he was about to speak, a frantic staff member suddenly appeared at the office door.

Before he could steady himself, the staff member blurted, “Leader, fresh news from Mingsha City has exploded online!”

“More news? What now?”

Both Cole and Adam instinctively turned toward the staff member.

“Leader, according to a self-media report, Mingsha City has exhibited the Yongle Encyclopedia at that previously unnoticed Cultural Relics Exhibition!”

The staff member hurried to relay the news, “What? The Yongle Encyclopedia?”

This time, it wasn’t just Cole who was stunned—Adam was frozen too.

“Yeah! And that three-volume Yongle Encyclopedia is the same one that appeared at Christie’s auction earlier,” the staff member added.

“Christie’s auction? Wait, wasn’t that edition snapped up by a foreign company? How is it now appearing in Mingsha City?”

Cole couldn’t hold back any longer. “I don’t have all the details, but that’s what the self-media report said.”

“Phew! In that case, get me some tickets to Mingsha City for tomorrow morning—I need to see it all for myself,” ordered Cole.

After a moment of silence, Cole gritted his teeth and continued, “If Mingsha City managing to capture the Peach Banquet traffic was acceptable, this is absolutely not.”

He thought, the Ross Consortium might lose to any international giant, but it must never lose to a mere Mingsha City.

“Leader, it’s a bit late now. Ever since the self-media broke the news, tickets for the Cultural Relics Exhibition have been snapped up. From ticket numbers one to seven, there’s not a single one left,” the staff member noted in a low voice.

He added, “No tickets? I don’t care! No matter the cost, you must secure tickets for tomorrow morning’s exhibition. Otherwise, get out!”

Unconsciously, Cole’s eyes turned bloodshot, like those of a wild, unhinged beast.

Meanwhile, in Yan City’s Second Ring, during a document signing, Qi Jianwen, after hearing Zuo Ping’s report, dropped his pen without even noticing.

“What did you say? The Yongle Encyclopedia from the last auction is now on display in Mingsha City?”

“Yeah!”

Zuo Ping, visibly excited, clenched his fists and nodded emphatically.

No one knew the mix of emotions they felt when that auction ended, but at that moment, all pent-up frustrations were finally washed away.

It was, without a doubt, the best National Day gift ever!

And it was all thanks to Mingsha City.

“Wha-what? How did they do it? Was it Xiao Xu’s plan?”

Without further hesitation, Qi Jianwen jumped up, declaring, “The Yongle Encyclopedia is back home! That means our face has been restored—and how could we not be thrilled?”

He continued, “Let’s go, book the tickets to Mingsha City!”

“Alright!”

“Wait, we’ll go without any fanfare; no need for any spectacle that might disturb Mingsha City’s visitors,” someone cautioned.

“Okay!”

Indeed, the staff member’s words rang true.

At that moment, the internet exploded. Mingsha Tourism’s ticket hotline was bombarded until it shut down, and some even called the Long Kingdom Tourism Department, pleading for more tickets for Mingsha City.

Compared to the leaders, ordinary people expressed their excitement and opinions even more passionately.

“What? The Yongle Encyclopedia from the last auction is on display in Wudi City?”

“Absolutely true! We thought Mingsha City’s big move was the Peach Banquet and Yaochi, but this is the ultimate trump card! It’s an incredible surprise!”

“Oh my God, this is the most exciting news I’ve heard all year—it fills us Long Kingdom folks with pure exhilaration.”

“I couldn’t agree more! Mingsha City’s secrecy was so spot-on that it left me frustrated for ages. I even heard on-site visitors burst into tears, and some went to Langya Mountain Altar to pay homage to the Nine Cauldrons!”

“There must be a special reason behind it—otherwise, Mingsha City would never hide something deliberately,” someone observed.

“Yeah!”

“It’s a pity there are no tickets left; otherwise, I’d definitely go see the Yongle Encyclopedia in person.”

“Honestly, even if tickets are sold out, I’m going to Mingsha City—to indulge a little and, in effect, show support for the city because this display was just so brilliant and uplifting!”

“No doubt about that!”

In this 5G internet age, anyone can be a media person. In under an hour, news about the Yongle Encyclopedia exhibition in Mingsha City dominated major headlines, even prompting the Central Ministry’s press corps to rush there.

Meanwhile, the once-acclaimed Peach Banquet had been completely overshadowed.

“Xiao Xu, how did you pull this off? Just now, department leaders called saying they’ll fly directly to Mingsha City tomorrow to check out the Yongle Encyclopedia,” someone exclaimed.

In Wudi City’s Ancient Building Courtyard, as Xu Hao was observed, Li Jue was so excited he hardly knew what to say.

No one could imagine the emotion when he saw the Yongle Encyclopedia quietly displayed in the exhibition hall—it was a blend of excitement, emotion, and tearful joy. In short,

it was a feeling beyond words.

For a native of the Long Kingdom, it was as though his dignity had been restored.

And just as expected, the leader who had called earlier shared the same sentiment, his voice trembling.

“Exactly! Kid, your discretion was absolutely on point.”

Nearby, Liu Shan added excitedly.

In recent days, even he had received several calls from department heads lauding Mingsha City’s brilliant handling of the situation, with some promising hefty rewards for the city.

“Originally, we planned to go directly, but fearing that foreign consortia might target us in Mingsha City, we registered several companies so that, in the end, the Yongle Encyclopedia would be safely returned to Mingsha City.”

Xu Hao nodded subtly.

Seeing Li Jue and Liu Shan appear suddenly touched him deeply, as he knew exactly why they were there.

“Exactly! Without this, our entry would have been thwarted by some ill-intentioned foreign forces. But no matter what, the artifact is back.”

Li Jue and Liu Shan exchanged a glance, then said, “Yeah! It will be permanently displayed in Mingsha City from now on.”

Xu Hao glanced at his phone.

Since the exhibition began, he had received nothing but messages and inquiries about the Yongle Encyclopedia and its future whereabouts.

“This is great—Mingsha City now has its own city treasure.”

Li Jue nodded emphatically.

“By the way, Dean, we just got a call from Su Province. They want to see you tonight—look.”

Here,

Xu Hao suddenly recalled something and added, “Alright! Perfect timing—some other leaders are coming tonight. We’ll discuss our support for Mingsha City together.”

“Great!”

Days passed, and before anyone knew it, a week had flown by. National Day Golden Week was officially over.

Throughout the Golden Week, all focus was on Mingsha City—especially the Cultural Relics Exhibition, which pushed public passion to its peak. In that moment, Mingsha City was unbeatable—even the Forbidden City couldn’t compare.

Meanwhile, Xu Hao, Li Jue, Zhu Qiang, Luo Peng, and others stayed busy, hosting one group of department leaders after another every day until things finally eased on the evening of the 8th.

“Brother Hao, host one more group tomorrow morning—there’s nothing more for now!”

Behind the core construction barriers, Xu Hao and Zhu Qiang heaved a sigh of relief.

No one knew how they managed it all during the week—it was the busiest and most exhausting period ever.

“Tiring but rewarding! The high-speed rail station is set to launch before the year ends, Mingsha City’s airport will finish by June next year, and the surrounding green projects are already underway,”

Xu Hao stretched briefly.

This time, Mingsha City not only gained visitors and substantial revenue but also laid the foundation for future growth.

“Absolutely!”

Zhu Qiang nodded.

“By the way, Brother Hao, I heard that things at Dino Park nearly fell apart—especially when they learned that we secured the Yongle Encyclopedia. They felt utterly humiliated on the international stage,”

Nearby, Luo Peng suddenly interjected, “Fallen apart?”

“Exactly! Dino Park completely lost its composure. They even posted an announcement on their website, claiming that Mingsha City’s secretive moves were nothing special, and they challenged us to a head-to-head during next year’s May Day holiday.

Rumor has it that this time the Ross Consortium, the Child Family, and the Buffet Consortium have joined forces to launch the Magic Academy,”

Luo Peng added, “Looks like these three were hit hard—they feel we played them for fools.”

“These three are ready to go head-to-head with us? Now that’s interesting,”

Xu Hao glanced at the last set of white marble stairs cut through by lingering mist, stretching skyward.

A slight smirk tugged at his lips. “Western consortia are always like that—if they can’t compete, they throw all decorum out the window and lash out hysterically.

“Alright then! Since they want a showdown, let’s see whose attraction wins—next May Day, will it be their Magic Academy or Mingsha City’s?”

“Of course! This morning, disciples from Biyou Palace told me that Daoist Yougong will return in a few days, meaning he can finally have that celebratory drink with Dino Park ahead of schedule!”

Luo Peng nodded in agreement.

“Huh? Daoist Yougong is coming back? This time, he won’t be away for long.”

“Yeah!”

“By the way, Brother Hao, can I ask you something personal?”

“What’s up?”

“Brother Hao, when do you plan to get married? Sister Xiaoqing has been worried about you lately.”

“Just wait—when you get married, we’ll pull together all of Mingsha City to throw you the wedding of the century.”

“Marriage? I haven’t even met Sister Xiaoqing’s parents yet. We’ll see when I do.”

“Then you’d better hurry up,”

“.”

In the setting sun, Xu Hao, Luo Peng, and Zhu Qiang walked away together, their shadows stretching long and far.

ps: Brothers, this book officially ends here. Everything that needed explanation has been provided. Lao Ba had so much to say but didn’t know how to express it. This book faced many restrictions; numerous chapters were censored and revised before re-release. Making it this far wasn’t easy.

In short, thank you all for your unwavering support. Lao Ba is deeply grateful and bows in thanks! Also, my new book ‘My Abandoned Petrochemical Town Became a New First-Tier City’ is now on its way. Brothers, check it out—it’s linked to this one…