Chapter 138: Relics, Revelations, and Race for Recognition

“Is it something incredible? You mean an ancient relic?”

The voice on the phone instantly grew excited.

“By the way, remember to bring the carbon element detector.”

After a pause, Feng Wancheng added.

“Got it, boss!”

Beside him, Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng exchanged looks as they observed the earnest Feng Wancheng. Xu Hao was absent, busy accompanying other officials.

“Boss, is this really an ancient relic?”

Noticing Feng Wancheng had hung up, Zhu Qiang whispered.

“Absolutely! But what a shame.”

Gazing at the decayed timber, regret was evident on Feng Wancheng’s face.

“Is it because these woods are just too old?”

“Yeah, they’re so badly decayed that restoration is impossible. No one really knows what kind of structure once stood here!”

Feng Wancheng sighed.

All that had been dug up was a corner of a building — it was clear this was no ordinary farmhouse.

“So which dynasty does it belong to?”

Zhu Qiang sighed in response.

Its irreparable state means it won’t be saved as a cultural site; eventually, a mere plaque will mark it as an old ruin.

If it were preserved, however, this desert area could become another major tourist hotspot.

“We won’t know the specific dynasty until tonight when our team arrives. Tomorrow, we’ll organize further digs and see what we can uncover.”

Feng Wancheng shook his head.

“As for the dynasty, the carbon detector will reveal its age as soon as it’s set up.”

“Oh!”

“General Zhu, I need another favor. Once my team reaches Mingsha, could you arrange for a guide from Mingsha Tourism to meet them?”

Feng Wancheng paused to think before continuing,

“No problem!”

Meanwhile, at Oasis 1, as the opening ceremony concluded, all the tourists had already left. Only the broadcast crew and a few local news teams remained, packing up their gear and preparing to leave Mingsha.

Yet just then, a young man in a vest hurried over to a middle-aged woman.

Both had the “Long Kingdom Variety Channel” logo emblazoned on their clothes.

“Captain, I just heard something. Should we check it out?” he asked.

The young man spoke up.

“What’s up?”

The middle-aged woman looked at him in surprise.

Their team had already wrapped up the live broadcast and was on the move to another location—time was tight.

“Captain, someone mentioned that remnants were unearthed at a construction site managed by Mingsha Tourism.”

The young man continued.

“Remnants? What kind of relics?”

“They’re not sure yet. Staff from the Su Province Cultural Heritage Department are on their way, and excavation might begin tomorrow.”

“Excavation tomorrow?”

The middle-aged woman frowned.

“Our channel’s history segment desperately needs material like this,” he added.

The young man explained.

Even though they were the live broadcast team, they enjoyed a good rapport with other segments on the channel. Often, when they stumbled upon interesting material, they’d help record extra footage for the history team.

“Alright, I’ll call the history segment. If they’re interested, we’ll stick around to record some material; if not, we move on.”

After a moment’s thought, the woman agreed.

“Alright!”

Time flew by; before they knew it, it was 8 p.m. Several songs performed at the Mingsha Tourism Festival had already gone viral online. However, since the KuaiDou platform lacked the rights, viewers could only catch the first half of each song live—leaving them wanting more.

Oddly enough, the more incomplete the live play was, the hotter the songs became. Soon, even those not following the festival began searching for the full versions online.

Mingsha Tourism even trended as a hot search term.

Haishi

In a uniquely decorated tea house, two men sat across from each other, savoring their tea.

“You want to meet the boss of Mingsha Tourism?”

At the question, one man’s face registered surprise.

“Yeah!”

The young man across nodded.

He was none other than Xu Chen, one of Xu Hao’s three sons. The other man was Xu Chen’s friend, Fan Jianghe.

“Old Fan, didn’t you mention having a friend who’s connected with General Zhu of Mingsha Tourism? Ask him for an introduction. If it works out, there’ll be a handsome reward!”

Xu Chen straightened up and quickly added.

“Are you planning to get into period costume manufacturing?”

Fan Jianghe casually lit a cigarette.

He and Xu Chen had been friends for years and were well aware of each other’s business moves.

“Yeah, I’ve heard the demand for period costumes is huge over there. If this pans out, our company could add an entirely new line of business.”

Xu Chen nodded in agreement.

“Back in the day, with the Xu Family name, it would’ve been a sure thing—but now…”

After a pause, Fan Jianghe looked at Xu Chen and asked,

“Is the boss of Mingsha Tourism hard to deal with?”

Xu Chen frowned slightly.

“Not exactly. It’s just that Mingsha Tourism is riding high right now; their tourism festival is the biggest move by the Long Kingdom Tourism Department in years.

You can tell they’re strong in both hard and soft power. Even with my friend’s introduction, it might still be a long shot.”

“Frankly, instead of wasting time here, we should look into expanding other channels.”

Speaking of Mingsha Tourism, Fan Jianghe couldn’t help but sigh.

He was in the small commodities business. He had hoped to secure an order for custom souvenirs from the revived ancient architecture market, but by the time he called, it was too late.

Mingsha Tourism claimed the contract had already been snapped up by Long Kingdom’s largest souvenir manufacturer.

That clearly

also meant that small companies had little chance of working with Mingsha Tourism.

“Should we give it a try? Who knows—it might just work out.”

After a brief silence, Xu Chen gritted his teeth.

“Are you really up for this?”

“Yeah!”

“Alright then, I’ll call my friend right now. You just ask him – if it goes through, great; if not, there’s nothing we can do.”

Fan Jianghe stubbed out his cigarette.

He knew Xu Chen’s stubborn nature—he wouldn’t give up until he hit a wall.

“Alright!”

And so, Fan Jianghe dialed a number on his phone. Once connected, he quickly explained the situation before handing it over to Xu Chen.

“General Xu, this is Wang He. Old Fan mentioned you wanted to meet General Zhu of Mingsha Tourism?”

A middle-aged man’s voice promptly responded from the other end.

“Yeah!”

“For period costume manufacturing?”

“Yes, so I need your help, General Wang. If it goes through, there’ll be a handsome reward.”

Xu Chen rushed to explain.

“Hey, since you and Old Fan are friends, let me be frank: Right now, demand for period costumes at Mingsha Tourism is even greater than at the Southern film cities. China’s leading period costume manufacturers are all in on it.

I suspect they might favor more established companies.”

After a pause, General Wang replied,

“General Wang, I get that, but some things are worth a try. Even if it doesn’t work, no regrets.”

Xu Chen continued,

“If that’s the case, I’ll try to set up a meeting. I heard that in a few days, General Zhu of Mingsha Tourism will meet with several period costume manufacturing bosses. Then you and I can head to Mingsha County and try our luck.

If it falls through, so be it.”

General Wang sighed.

“Thank you so much!”

Hearing there was a chance, Xu Chen was overjoyed.

“No need to mention it. We’re all friends. Let’s touch base in a few days.”

“Yeah!”

Before long, the skies over Mingsha County turned a vast blue, and tourists began to pour in. Although the festival had ended, the peak was just starting. Ever since the hit song “Desert Camel” emerged, visitors eager to ride camels had formed long queues—surpassing even those lining up for ostrich rides into town.

Elsewhere, about ten kilometers north of the city wall, crowds had gathered.

Besides the cultural department officials carefully excavating at the pit, several media crews—none other than the Long Kingdom TV Variety Channel’s team—were filming by the excavation site.

After contacting the production team the previous day, they had decided to stick around.

“Director Feng, are the results in?”

Next to the pit, Xu Hao looked at Feng Wancheng.

Since the officials had engagements the following day, no one stayed overnight in the desert. After escorting the leaders and seeing them off at 10 p.m., they even accompanied a group from the Ancient Architecture Research Institute this morning.

Once done, they hurried over.

“They’re out!”

Feng Wancheng nodded.

After his unit’s team arrived overnight last night, they began carbon element sequencing and preparations for further excavation.

“Which dynasty does it date from?”

Xu Hao’s face lit up with anticipation.

At a time when guesthouses were desperately needed in places rich with historical heritage, if this proved to be a relic, guesthouses could become bona fide tourist attractions!

Not just trendy selfie spots.

“Tang Dynasty!”

Feng Wancheng nodded.

“Tang Dynasty?”

“Yes, but the exact type of building remains unclear. According to historical records, this desert marked the border between Ancient Liangzhou and the old Heishui Kingdom, so it might not be a massive relic complex!”

Feng Wancheng glanced at the busy workers in the pit.

After several hours of clearing, the excavation had officially begun.

“Not a large Tang Dynasty relic complex?”

Xu Hao couldn’t hide his disappointment.

Just earlier, when he heard it was a Tang structure, he had high hopes.

“Though it’s not an enormous ruin, judging by the decayed timbers unearthed, the building isn’t small. Perhaps there are more relics nearby.

I’ll head down the pit to take a closer look.”

Seeing Xu Hao’s expression, Feng Wancheng patted his shoulder.

In archaeology, nothing is certain until the very end.

“Director Feng, be careful down there!”

Xu Hao glanced at the pit.

“I’m fine!”

And so, after a quick tidy-up and donning his specialized gloves, Feng Wancheng descended into the pit to carefully clear away the sand from the decayed timber.

Minutes turned to two, half an hour, then an hour—as time passed, more timber emerged and the structure grew increasingly complex.

Just then, an excited call rang out from within the pit.

“Boss, we found something! It looks like a Yeguang Cup!”

“Yeguang Cup?”

In that instant, the workers paused in surprise before quickly gathering around.

“Guys, sorry for the chaos last night. We’ll make up for it today.”