70: Ming Dynasty's entertainment industry

“This…” Long Yuan secretly groaned in his heart. He had planned to Cultivate at West Lake, but he never expected Geng Yun to want to go shopping with him. What kind of situation was this?

But since things had come to this, he could only pretend to be happy and exclaim, “Is what the County Magistrate said true?!”

“Of course! How could this County lie to a little kid? Hahahaha…” Geng Yun laughed heartily.

“I’m free too!”

“I also wanted to go for a stroll…”

“And me…”

Seeing that Geng Yun wanted to accompany Long Yuan to the Martial Arts Market, everyone except Luo Yunfeng, who excused himself to rest, eagerly joined in. Thus, several big figures from Fengyang County, along with Long Yuan and Luo Ying, two teenagers, went outside. They first visited the official Martial Arts Market. At this point, the shopping entourage grew to include Qin Gui of the Qin Family, Wang Chaoqi, the head of the Wang Family, and his son Wang Yu, Zhang Chong, the head of the Zhang Family, and his son Zhang Li. Even Long Bai, the head of the Long Family and Dragon Snow’s elder brother, joined in, bringing Long Xiangning with him. The large group then majestically proceeded to the Ye Family Building. Of course, Ye Yuhuang, the head of the Ye Family, also rushed over upon hearing the news, and Ye Xuan naturally followed. Such a grand display caused countless people to tremble in fear, thinking that something major had happened again in Fengyang County. It wasn't until later that they found out these important figures were all accompanying Long Yuan on a shopping trip. This news instantly spread explosively throughout the market, and Long Yuan’s reputation soared. People began to inquire about who this suddenly appearing Long Yuan truly was…

Long Yuan was unaware of this situation at the time, thinking he was merely a small, transparent figure amidst these important people. After all, in the Martial Arts world, people always focused on those in high positions of power, and a small teenager like him would naturally be overlooked. But if he knew the inside information circulating in Fengyang County’s Martial Arts circle, he would probably quickly find a place to cry his eyes out…

After touring the Ye Family Building, everyone, still in high spirits, was dragged by Qin Fu Yi to the Qin Family’s song and dance hall for KTV. That’s right, there was KTV here too. Moreover, it was said that the Great Ming Empire’s entertainment industry was quite developed and placed great importance on copyright, thereby supporting a large number of entertainment stars. For instance, the Qin Family Building regularly hosted bands and stars for performances, and often had celebrities from other regions come for guest performances, or even hold large concerts and various special shows, and so on…

In fact, it was precisely because the entertainment market was extremely developed that the Qin Family rose in Fengyang County. They almost monopolized Fengyang County’s high-end entertainment market, with at least one Advanced nightclub in each district. There was also the “Fengqing Company” founded by the Qin Family, which recruited a group of artists and talented individuals to engage in creation and performance. Because their level was quite good, they were often transferred by superiors to second-tier base cities and even first-tier base cities to participate in performances…

The arrival of the group instantly caused an uproar. Welcoming staff lined up in two rows from the entrance all the way to the song and dance hall. The men were handsome, the women charming, all dressed in vibrant attire, their eyes glancing about, smiles sweet. They continuously scattered flowers, colorful silks, and crystal paper from flower baskets, and loudly chanted auspicious greetings and blessings. What a vibrant and alluring scene…

Entering the hall, everything was already set up. The lights flickered and swayed, the images on the screen flashed incessantly, and the music from the speakers was ethereal. The tables in the hall were laden with abundant fruits, snacks, and sake, and provocatively dressed maid were already bustling about.

Long Yuan had previously been immersed in Cultivation and had never encountered information in this area. Looking at this dazzling song and dance hall and the somewhat familiar scenes, he couldn't help but feel a little dazed. Was this really the Great Ming Empire? Or was he still on Earth, and everything before was just an illusion?

At this moment, Qin Fu Yi called a popular female star from Fengqing Company to sing. The song finally brought him back to his senses. Listening to this unfamiliar song, and the slightly ancient attire and language of those present, he finally confirmed that he was indeed in another world. This was because the style of the song was completely different from those on Earth, and the lyrics were something he had never heard before. He felt that the quality was simply worlds apart compared to the classic songs on Earth!

It wasn’t that it was incredibly good, but that it was unbelievably bad, to the point where he didn't want to listen to it a second time!

Long Yuan had formed a band at a university in China on Earth, and he believed his appreciation level couldn't be flawed.

“No way, no way, is this the level of entertainment in the Great Ming Empire? Can such a sleepy song be called a hit? Or is this just the level of Fengyang County? I’m afraid any pop song I pick from Earth would be many times better…” Long Yuan secretly thought.

While observing, he checked the relevant information captured by the Heavenly Dao Eye. Before long, he gained an understanding of the Great Ming Empire’s entertainment industry, which also resolved a doubt in his mind.

Because he initially thought that with the world’s changes, people’s sense of crisis would erupt, Martial Arts would flourish, and industries like entertainment should not exist in such a world. Even if they did, they would surely be a very niche industry, as people at this time should be primarily focused on survival and Cultivation.

But he had underestimated the demand and vitality of the entertainment industry. The reason humans became Advanced life forms is because they do not simply live by instinct, but have spiritual pursuits. This Mental Energy leads the Human Race to constantly advance. Even in the most difficult times, people will find joy in hardship and seek spiritual pleasure and collision. This clearly distinguishes the Human Race from ordinary animals…

After the world changed, external pressure surged, and the Great Ming Empire’s entertainment industry was suppressed for a period. However, it did not die out; it was merely overshadowed by the rapid development of mainstream industries like Martial Arts. As the struggle between the Human Race and Strange Beast continuously escalated, people also urgently needed spiritual relaxation and motivation. It was at this time that the entertainment industry demonstrated its value.

Indeed, the days of fighting against Strange Beast were very tense, but if the warriors remained constantly stressed, this Mental Energy depletion would be extremely terrifying. They might collapse on their own before the Strange Beast even attacked. Entertainment performances, however, could play a great role in relaxing the mind and adjusting one’s state.

The lives of Mortals were also similar. To meet the needs of the front-line battles, people had to work day and night with very little rest, their bodies and minds in a state of extreme exhaustion. At such times, they needed to find joy in hardship and adjust their bodies and minds to have a better Mental Energy state to dedicate to work, and entertainment performances were an excellent seasoning in life.

Another important reason is that over the past hundred years, the intensity of Strange Beast attacks on the Human Race has significantly weakened, and the Human Race’s pressure has clearly decreased compared to before. Although beast calamities still occur frequently, their scale is basically within the Human Race’s tolerance. Moreover, due to a lack of effective organization and strategy, as long as Human Race experts strike, they can almost always quickly suppress and eliminate them. Therefore, the Human Race’s sense of crisis is also gradually weakening, and attention is gradually shifting to internal conflicts among various countries. At this time, the entertainment industry has entered a period of vigorous development…

This was not only true for the Great Ming Empire but also for other countries worldwide. Cultural exchanges between countries were also very frequent, with international artists occasionally coming to the Great Ming Empire to hold concerts or perform in other forms. In recent years, some international superstars have even held global live broadcasts during their performances, though from the effect, Long Yuan felt that it still couldn't compare to the level of live broadcasting on Earth…

……