Chapter 172: The New Moon Legend

Ning An Cultural Tourism is producing a period romance film titled “The New Moon Legend.” It tells the story of one twin princess who, having been lost among the commoners from childhood, grows up to be sent to New Moon Building as a maid. Through a series of mix-ups where she is mistakenly identified as her twin, humorous misunderstandings ensue. Eventually, when the truth comes to light, she returns to the palace and is conferred the title of New Moon Princess.

Qi Haoyong is extremely optimistic about this film—plain and simple.

This is a classic family-friendly New Year comedy, perfectly suited for the Spring Festival season. Most importantly, the film harmonizes impeccably with the newly built New Moon Building and the Grand New Moon Hall that Ning An Cultural Tourism invested heavily in.

And above all, the film’s director is the incomparable Wan Shan! His talent for comedy is undeniable. Had the timing been right, the viewership ratings for “Explorer” wouldn’t have been so low.

“Sigh!”

After the Deputy Director left, an agitated Qi Haoyong paused before dialing the phone of Ran Xiangfei, Vice President of the Director Association.

Moments later,

the call connected. “Mr. Qi, what’s going on?”

“President Ran, I need to ask you something!”

“Go on!”

“President Ran, has Mingsha Tourism submitted an application to host the film festival? I saw some netizens online mentioning that Mingsha Tourism has resumed construction, and I’m wondering what project they might be up to.”

“Mingsha Tourism has resumed work?”

Ran Xiangfei’s tone revealed a trace of surprise.

“So, I wanted to check with you on that.”

Qi Haoyong hurriedly explained.

Since President Ran handles the film festival applications from the scenic spots, he would know best whether Mingsha Tourism has submitted theirs.

“Not yet. However, judging by what you said, it’s only a matter of time—especially with the submission deadline at the end of January.”

After a brief pause, Ran Xiangfei continued.

“Oh.”

Qi Haoyong let out a soft sigh.

“By the way, Mr. Qi, how is your project coming along? From what you’ve mentioned, you might need to be on the move. If Mingsha Tourism’s actions grow too significant, the Director Association will really be in trouble.”

Ran Xiangfei added.

“President Ran, I’m aware of that! I’ll meet you in Yan City in a few days—I might need your further assistance. As for our film, we’re pushing it full throttle. There’s no doubt we’ll hit the Spring Festival schedule!”

Qi Haoyong replied hastily.

“That’s fine, but be prepared. This Spring Festival will see many strong films competing for the box office.”

At the mention of the film, Ran Xiangfei interjected.

“Don’t worry about that. Director Wan’s talent is indisputable! Last time, we just happened to run into Haofang Culture’s ‘Snowy Series’ by sheer misfortune—don’t think we’ll be crossing paths with Haofang Culture this time!”

“Besides, we started promoting at the end of January!”

Speaking of the film,

Qi Haoyong’s voice grew louder.

While Haofang Culture’s work on TV dramas is unmatched, Ning An Cultural Tourism is making a film this time—and Haofang Culture’s third TV series hasn’t even started shooting. There’s simply no way they’ll be involved.

“Alright then, Director Wan’s talent remains solid. As for the meetings, we can discuss them when you get to Yan City.”

“Alright, President Ran! Thanks for your help.”

“No need to mention it.”

Yan City.

In a high-end neighborhood within the Third Ring, Ran Xiangfei set his phone down on the sofa and leaned back slowly, a smug glimmer briefly crossing his face.

“So you finally couldn’t sit still and decided to kick off the film festival project application? In the end, you’ve landed right in my hands! Isn’t it true you have a top-level researcher from the Ancient Architecture Institute in Long Kingdom backing you? I’ve no reason to be concerned!”

“If you don’t get Mingsha Tourism to straighten up their act and submit the proposal that the higher-ups can see, then I’d consider that a loss on my end!”

(Muttering to himself)

Ran Xiangfei lifted his teacup and took a slow, contented sip.

From the early days of “Wulin Wai Chuan” to “Snowy Series” and even the recent New Year performance by the Tiger Leopard Band in Yan City, Haofang Culture has always taken an unconventional approach that leaves people frustrated.

Now, let’s see how they’ll try to break the mold this time.

After a while, Ran Xiangfei set his teacup down, picked up his phone, and dialed another number. “Hello, is this Xiao Zhang?”

“President, what can I do for you?”

Soon, a female voice answered.

“If any Mingsha Tourism staff come by with the film festival application in the next few days, call me and have them drop the documents off at the office.”

Ran Xiangfei instructed.

“Understood, President!”

After a long, quiet night, the next morning,

Xu Hao arrived early at Oasis 3. Instead of heading to the film set, he went directly to the construction site at Langya Pavilion.

A man whose mind was filled with the entirety of “Legend of Langya,” he found little difficulty with the filming—only the locations were rare, especially the iconic Langya Pavilion.

At that moment,

the foundation for Langya Pavilion had long been dug. Around the neat, square excavation, piles of wood were arranged like small mountains—each piece numbered.

Unlike Tengwang Pavilion and Yellow Crane Tower, the TV drama version of Langya Pavilion featured a vast intelligence agency in two underground levels, complete with secret mechanisms and bookshelves. Xu Hao planned to replicate this in detail.

If it weren’t for the fact that only Xu Hao could manage such tasks, the underground section of Langya Pavilion would already be nearly finished.

“Engineer Li, have all the workers arrived?”

After circling the excavation, Xu Hao asked.

His main objective today was to speed up construction—to finish Langya Pavilion as quickly as possible so that the shooting of “Legend of Langya” could wrap up! Once done, he could focus all his energy on building the Qingming Scroll.

Meanwhile, work on the Qingming Scroll had just begun, with river channels being dug and foundations laid along the banks. Xu Hao wasn’t needed there just yet.

“Boss, everyone’s here!”

Upon hearing this, a middle-aged man responded hurriedly.

Having worked alongside Xu Hao for a long time, the man was well acquainted with him—his skills now comparable to a Level Two Researcher in Ancient Architecture, if not even more experienced.

“Alright, get into the pit and start nailing the main pillars at all four corners!”

Xu Hao nodded.

“Yes, Boss!”

The middle-aged man nodded and then turned to address nearly two hundred carpenters behind him.

“Brothers, let’s get to work!”

“Got it!”

Over in Mingsha, such construction scenes were common. Outdoors, the scene might shock passersby—whether building houses or crafting furniture, there’s usually only one chief carpenter while everyone else assists.

But on Xu Hao’s side, nearly all the carpenters were top-level, and he led them like a seasoned commander, ensuring efficiency.

Naturally, their productivity was sky-high.

By nightfall, wooden stakes had been driven into the pit, and the first underground level had taken shape.

“Turn on the lights! Set up the canopy!”

At the foreman’s shout, searchlights around the pit sprang to life, illuminating the entire area as brightly as day.

At the same time,

a massive tarpaulin was slowly drawn over the pit by two excavators.

To speed up progress, work would continue through the night! The canopy was solely for warmth, as Oasis 3’s winter night was anything but quiet.

Day after day, under Xu Hao’s leadership, Langya Pavilion transformed dramatically—at its peak, they managed to add two levels in a single day.

Finally,

on the ninth day, with Langya Pavilion’s structure measuring six units on the outside and twelve on the inside, the building was crowned with a roof. Next came installing the glazed tiles and applying fireproof and anti-corrosion coatings.

Because Langya Pavilion was constructed along an artificially raised sand hill, its overall look might lack the majesty of Tengwang Pavilion or the elegance of Tingchao Pavilion, yet it exuded a mysterious and ancient charm.

It felt as though the pavilion had long been a hidden fixture in the mountains.

“Boss, what should we do about the trees behind the hill?”

During a break, the foreman approached Xu Hao and, glancing at the rear of the hill, remarked. At that moment, large trees covered with heavy plastic tarps resembled huge white mushrooms.

Near some stones on the hilltop was an artificial spring, though it had no water at present—only icicles where the spring once flowed.

Moreover, the area around the back of the hill had been completely leveled, and a large ancient architecture commercial street stood to the side—a decent view indeed!

“No need! It’s winter now. Let’s wait until spring.”

Xu Hao shook his head.

He understood the foreman’s meaning. The trees had been carefully cultivated by Zhu Qiang as ornamental trees. Thanks to proper care, many of them remained lush and green; if uncovered now, they’d freeze.

If left until spring, they’d grow naturally with the changing seasons.

“Then, if you’re filming…”

The foreman hesitated.

“For filming, Langya Pavilion is enough. If the green trees won’t work, we can use prop trees and blur the background.”

Xu Hao added.

“Prop trees? Blurred background?”

The foreman looked puzzled.

He couldn’t understand why they’d go through so much trouble—moving sand hill soil, buying trees, laying grass, spraying vegetation, and using tarpaulins—only for them to be unused during filming!

“This small hill, with its trees and the artificial spring at the peak, isn’t really for the TV audience—it’s for our visitors.”

Xu Hao glanced back at the hill.

From now on, even the desert plot would boast a proper mountain view—with real trees replacing sand dunes. If a pavilion were built atop the hill, it could overlook the entire area.

And this was just the initial stage.

By next spring, the hill would be further raised and enriched until it captured the charm of the famed Jing Mountain in the heart of Yan City—perhaps even taller and offering a broader view.

“So, when do you plan to open Oasis 3 to tourists?”

The foreman, suddenly enlightened, couldn’t help but ask.

“Probably next spring. For one, the Qing Brick roads connecting Oasis 3 with Qixia Town and Wudi City aren’t finished yet. Besides, with the trees wrapped in plastic and the grass not yet lush, visitors wouldn’t be impressed—spring would be far more appealing.”

Ding, ring, ring. Just as Xu Hao was about to add something, his phone rang.

Glancing at the caller ID, he saw it was Zhu Qiang.

“What’s up, Qiangzi!”

Upon answering, Xu Hao asked.

“Brother Hao, the river channel by the City Gate, along with the foundations on its sides and other basic structures, are nearly complete. Should we do a preliminary inspection? If there’s any issue, we can fix it immediately; otherwise, some stones might become difficult to remove in winter.”

Immediately, Zhu Qiang’s tired voice came through.

One could easily tell he was exhausted.

In fact,

while Xu Hao was busy here, Zhu Qiang, Luo Peng, Fang Hou, and others were also hard at work.

Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng ran over two hundred excavators and bulldozers in three shifts, working day and night without a moment’s slack. Fang Hou was constantly on the move—though his main task was the Longmen Inn, he also lent a hand with the Legend of Langya.

In short,

whether it was Mingsha Tourism or the other companies, not a single employee was idle.

“Alright, I’ll be there shortly.”

Xu Hao responded promptly.

Oasis 3 was essentially complete. The remaining small tasks would be handled by a fifty-person team, after which the focus would shift entirely to building the Qingming Scroll.