Chapter 141: A New Dawn for Mingsha Tourism

The next day, the sun rose.

The trending topic about the Yeguang Cup unearthed in Mingsha County showed no signs of fading, still dominating the trending list.

Nothing else.

Simply because almost everyone who went through nine years of schooling had memorized that poem, the topic was impossible to drop from the trends in the short term.

Apart from debating Mingsha County’s luck, discussions also centered on where the Yeguang Cup would eventually be displayed. Some viewers even declared that if an official announcement came out, they’d rush to see the cup the moment it was revealed.

Not for any other reason.

They just wanted to witness firsthand whether the Yeguang Cup lived up to the magical description in the poem.

Some speculated that such a prized artifact might be placed in the Dragon Kingdom Museum, while others guessed it could end up in the Su Province Museum—each opinion backed by its own reasoning.

However,

Just as everyone expressed their opinions, one comment suddenly caught many viewers’ attention.

“Breaking news! We’ve just received insider information from Mingsha Tourism: they plan to rebuild the Protectorate of West Liang on its original site, to a one-to-one scale with full mortise-and-tenon construction!”

“At the same time, Haofang Culture will begin shooting its third historical drama on the desert plot—a top-tier production! Some staff even revealed that the set for this drama has already started construction in secret.”

Once this comment appeared, the number of replies soared instantly.

Whether it was the plan to rebuild the Protectorate of West Liang or Haofang Culture launching a third drama, everyone was extremely interested.

The buzz over the Protectorate of West Liang was undeniable. With Snowbound nearing its end, the sudden leak of a third historical drama trailer naturally raised viewer expectations.

“If this is real, then it’s definitely something to look forward to!”

“Absolutely! Mingsha Tourism’s mastery in ancient architecture is well-known, especially with Xu Hao at the helm. After all, the wooden Tengwang Pavilion was his creation. It’s a pity he’s no longer streaming—if Xu Hao kept streaming, combined with Mingsha County’s hype, he might have easily become a million-plus influencer.”

“Don’t worry; Xu Hao earns far more at Mingsha Tourism than he ever did streaming. Otherwise, he wouldn’t still be there.”

“Honestly, I’m more excited about Haofang Culture’s third historical drama. Since my company won’t give me time off, I missed checking out Qixia Town and Wudi City before, but once the drama is out, I’m definitely going to visit!”

“Being able to hit three major IP landmarks in one trip is just exhilarating.”

“Right now, I’m not sure if some netizens are just speculating wildly or…”

“I know, it might be a bit too idealistic!”

Yet, amidst all the chatter, some netizens maintained a note of skepticism.

Both of these projects, taken alone, were massive undertakings. Could Mingsha Tourism really launch them at the same time? Remember, during the last renovations at Wudi City and Tingchao Pavilion, they went over two months without hosting a single visitor. And now, with deep autumn setting in and winter approaching, it was uncertain if construction would continue smoothly.

“It’s absolutely real! In just a few days, Mingsha Tourism will officially announce it! If you don’t believe it, check their official Weibo now.”

“Mingsha Tourism truly has the capability!”

Noticing some doubts, the original commenter added another note.

“Real capability? Juggling two massive projects at once—can Mingsha Tourism’s funds keep pace? I heard that recently, the city walls on both sides of the ancient city gate have been extended, from over 200 meters to over 500 meters, and that cost isn’t trivial.”

“Rest assured! Mingsha Tourism is far more robust than you think; funds are never an issue.”

“Oh!”

“So, everyone, just sit back and await Mingsha Tourism’s next move.”

“If Mingsha Tourism really goes through with it, it will surely be worth the wait.”

In Su Province, Lanshi, around eleven in the morning, Xu Chen and a middle-aged man had just finished savoring 20 genuine bowls of Lanshi beef noodles and were taking a break.

“General Zhu, should we head over to Mingsha County this afternoon or tomorrow morning?”

Xu Chen paused before asking.

The man seated across, named Wang He, was a contact recommended by a friend to introduce them to the boss of Mingsha Tourism.

For this introduction,

Xu Chen not only covered all the expenses along the way but also tossed in an extra 20,000 as a token of appreciation.

“Let’s go the day after tomorrow, or perhaps the following day.”

After putting down his phone, Wang He stated.

“The following day? General Zhu, didn’t you mention that several top companies in historical drama production are eyeing contracts with Mingsha Tourism? If we go too late…”

Hearing ‘the following day,’ Xu Chen couldn’t help but feel a twinge of urgency.

On the way, he had gathered plenty of intel. Rumor had it that Mingsha Tourism might need hundreds of different historical costume designs, totaling around 20,000 sets.

Historical costumes aren’t like the cheap tees on Taobao. With design and production fees, even the simplest set would cost at least 500 or 600, if not more.

That meant this was a multi-million project.

A project this large might not have meant much for the Xu Family a year ago, but now, for them, a multi-million project was a huge deal.

After all, the Xu Family’s processing plant was only valued at around 30 to 40 million.

“General Zhu, I just saw news that Mingsha Tourism is taking on two major projects simultaneously. Even if we go tomorrow, Zhu might not even have time to discuss costume procurement.”

Wang He shook his head.

“Two major projects at once? What projects?”

Hearing this, Xu Chen was momentarily taken aback.

He knew that Mingsha Tourism had just wrapped up the Tourism Festival and uncovered some ruins—other than that, he was in the dark.

Of course,

when it came to the ruins unearthed at the site, Xu Chen could only sigh in amazement without overthinking it.

That desert had originally been purchased by the Xu Family for Old Six, but later Old Six transferred it to Mingsha Tourism. Admittedly, if the desert had remained with Old Six, development might never have occurred—and with no development, there’d be no ruins to discover.

In any case,

every sip and bite was predestined! Mingsha Tourism’s lucky streak was unstoppable.

“It seems they plan to rebuild the Protectorate of West Liang on its original site and also develop a set for a third historical drama. I reckon the total investment for these projects will be substantial—it might even break Mingsha Tourism’s unblemished reputation!”

Wang He remarked wistfully.

“Unblemished reputation? What do you mean?”

“Industry insiders say that during its early days, Mingsha Tourism managed to develop a huge project in the desert without borrowing a single dime from any bank or obtaining funds from any investor. All the shares remained with the initial stakeholders.

I heard that when Mingsha Tourism first started gaining recognition, venture capitalists were practically waiting for their first funding round—only to be left waiting in vain.”

“Not a single borrowed dime? So Mingsha Tourism is really that formidable?”

Xu Chen paused.

If what Wang He said were true, it was indeed quite formidable. Nowadays, hardly any company undertaking major projects avoids bank loans.

“What do you think? Some insiders estimate that Mingsha Tourism has already pumped over a billion into the desert. Judging by this pace, they don’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.”

Wang He brushed his hair back and added, “Many insiders believe that a major backer is supporting Mingsha Tourism, though when this big shot will appear remains unclear. Some even speculate that if Mingsha Tourism takes on projects worth tens or even hundreds of billions, it might finally force that capital shark to show his face.

As for these two projects, Mingsha Tourism will likely rely on its own cash flow.”

“Can we see the shareholder details?”

“Mingsha Tourism has chosen not to disclose their shareholder equity. As long as they don’t raise funds or go public, outsiders can’t see their share distribution.”

“That’s right; with tight regulations nowadays, even insiders wouldn’t dare leak company information.”

“So, meeting the boss of Mingsha Tourism these days is really a tall order.”

Wang He sighed.

“Then, if it’s the day after tomorrow, so be it. We won’t meet the boss of Mingsha Tourism, nor will the heads of those other major companies.”

After a moment’s thought, Xu Chen added,

“After talking with you, I’m more convinced than ever that my brother Xu Hao is just an ordinary worker. Once I meet him, that’ll be enough—no need to bring up work issues.”

“Alright!”

At the Ancient Building Courtyard in Hongsha Gang Village 256, at the heart of Wudi City,

Xu Hao, Zhu Qiang, Luo Peng, and Fang Hou were deep in discussion.

It was fortunate that Xu Chen wasn’t present—otherwise, he would have been utterly shocked to see that Mingsha Tourism’s boss, Zhu Qiang, was meticulously jotting down every word Xu Hao uttered.

“Some leak must have occurred. Online, rumors about our plans are swirling, and netizens are relentlessly commenting on our official website, demanding confirmation about the Protectorate’s rebuild.”

Luo Peng looked on in puzzlement.

The decision to rebuild the Protectorate had only been finalized last night, and only Mingsha Tourism and top officials in Mingsha County were in the know. Yet by the next day, it had spread online like wildfire.

“That’s normal. In this digital age, information in a group chat can easily hit the trends—especially when so many people were involved just yesterday.”

Xu Hao waved his hand dismissively, not giving it a second thought.

After all, it wasn’t something to be ashamed of; knowing it was enough, and it even served as indirect publicity for the guesthouses.

“Monkey, how much cash does Haofang Culture still have on hand?”

Xu Hao paused and looked at Fang Hou.

“They currently have 350 million!”

Without missing a beat, Fang Hou reported the number.

“Then let’s lend all 350 million to Mingsha Tourism. Otherwise, our funds here might become tight.”

Xu Hao immediately agreed.

Next, the desert required large-scale groundwork to lay out a grass lattice and to rebuild the Protectorate of West Liang on its original site, along with reconstructing the ancient structures at Langya Pavilion. Mingsha Tourism’s daily revenue alone wouldn’t be sufficient.

“Agreed!”

Fang Hou nodded.

Although he was the legal representative of Haofang Culture, Xu Hao was the boss—so naturally, Xu Hao called the shots.

“Transfer everything? That won’t work! What about Haofang Culture? They still need funds for their third historical drama.”

At these words, Zhu Qiang quickly waved his hand in dismissal.