Chapter 239: Schemes at Dawn

President Qi, understood. I’ll head over first thing tomorrow morning!

Deputy Director immediately nodded emphatically.

“Mm.”

Qi Haoyong glanced at the computer screen again, lost in thought. “Could it really be an inside job at Mingsha Tourism? Xu Hao isn’t that stupid! But if it’s not his doing, then who else could have such detailed plans? It’s baffling!”

In the middle of the night.

In Mingsha City, aside from the streetlights lining Qing Brick Avenue and those along other roads, all landmark buildings were dark.

That’s the rule in Mingsha City.

When midnight passes, the Ancient City slips into rest mode.

Yet at this time, the Ancient Building Courtyard in Wudi City was still lit. Xu Hao had just returned to his own courtyard.

Over at Jixia Academy, work continued around the clock. Today’s tasks weren’t critical, so he began a rotation of rest with Engineer Li.

“Feels good!”

After a shower, Xu Hao let out a long, relieved sigh.

Opportunities like this were rare these days—not that he didn’t want a shower, but sometimes he didn’t even get a chance to return to Wudi City.

“The toughest part of Jixia Academy is the Debate Hall. Once that’s sorted, the rest will be simpler!”

Lying in bed,

Xu Hao had planned to sleep but his mind kept racing about Jixia Academy, leaving him wide awake.

“How can the hall be designed to radiate that ethereal vibe?”

After a pause, Xu Hao mumbled to himself.

He was confident about the hall’s structure; after reviewing countless historical texts at the Long Kingdom Library, his only worry was its imposing aura.

Just as Luo Peng had said, in the eyes of the people of the Long Kingdom, Jixia Academy wasn’t merely an academy—it carried a mythical quality. Without a touch of celestial elegance, even a well-built hall would seem ordinary.

After all, Mingsha City boasted many majestic ancient buildings, not to mention landmarks like the Demon-Locking Tower and Pansi Cave!

Once accustomed to those, the Debate Hall might seem rather plain.

“If all else fails, why not channel a small stream around the hall, then funnel dry ice in through hidden pipes?”

Xu Hao mumbled again.

It appeared this was the only way to create that ethereal ambiance.

“Huh?”

Just as Xu Hao decided to go ahead with the plan, he noticed two books left on his desk by Daoist Master before departing.

These past few days, his focus had been on Jixia Academy. With Wuzhuang Temple’s materials yet to be delivered, construction was on hold, so he hadn’t examined the books closely.

“By the way, don’t many Daoist temples have that ethereal feel once you step inside? Maybe these books hold some clues!”

A spark of inspiration hit Xu Hao, and he immediately grabbed ‘Questions on Building a Daoist Temple’ and flipped it open.

Goodness! It was astonishing—so many issues regarding temple construction, and after just over a dozen pages, one question perfectly matched his current challenge.

The book read, “Question: How can the main hall of a Daoist temple be made to radiate a celestial aura?”

“Answer: Bury thirty-six Kunlun Jade stones, each one square foot in size, around the hall’s five sides, and supplement them with the appropriate talismans! (Refer to page 78 for talisman details.)”

“No way? A few jade stones and some talismans—is that really enough?”

Xu Hao was both shocked and intrigued, compelled to read on.

The book continued, “Note: Those pre-burying the Kunlun Jade must meet all the requirements outlined on the first 32 pages of Self-Cultivation for Building a Daoist Temple.”

“They must also satisfy the conditions on the first 32 pages of Self-Cultivation?”

Instinctively, Xu Hao picked up Self-Cultivation, opening it to find a succinct text—unlike the densely packed temple guide.

The first page contained fine print: “Those who build a Daoist temple must internalize all thirteen classics of Long Kingdom Daoism, including The True Classic of Dao, The True Classic of Southern China, The True Classic of Emptiness, The True Classic of Profound Mystery, The True Classic of Spiritual Insight, The Classic of Peace, the Secret Edict of the Saintly Emperor, the Inner Chapters of Bao Puzi, the Yin Symbol Classic, the Classic of Everlasting Serenity, the Classic of Transcendence, the Heart Seal Classic, and the Jade Emperor Classic.”

“This is simple enough!”

Seeing that, Xu Hao quickly turned to the second page.

With his current memory and understanding, he could read through these texts in less than two hours.

However, despite his confidence, many found it nearly impossible to master these thirteen Daoist classics in such a short time.

But then, on the second page, Xu Hao paused in astonishment.

The page resembled an exam paper, filled with blanks to complete.

“So does that mean the first page must be fully completed to move on to the second?”

Curiosity piqued, Xu Hao opened his laptop and began searching for the thirteen Daoist classics.

Long Kingdom’s time zone is one hour behind H Country. While it was midnight here, it was already 1 a.m. in H Country. In an office of a certain building, the lights were still on. “Are you saying that for the Traditional Cuisine and Court Ritual exhibitions, Mingsha City plans to challenge the intangible heritage projects we’ve already applied for?”

Coldly, Park Qi Ye, head of the H Country Traditional Culture Expo, asked.

“Boss, based on the news coming out of Long Kingdom, that seems to be the case! Mingsha City not only wants to assemble every local snack, but also plans a grand enfeoffment ceremony.”

His assistant, Cui Xiaozhong, nodded.

“Mingsha City really is ruthless. Had these details not leaked in advance, we might have faced serious challenges with these two projects!”

Park Qi Ye furrowed his eyebrows further.

They also planned to use these projects to submit additional intangible heritage applications, such as for cold noodles and court music.

“Well, now that we know their plan, there’s no need to worry! Mingsha City has even helped resolve many of our issues.”

In a low voice, Cui Xiaozhong added.

“What do you mean?”

“Boss, it’s simple. We just need to replicate their offerings, rename them, and add some of H Country’s signature cuisine. With quality being equal, whoever has more will win!”

Cui Xiaozhong smiled confidently.

“And the enfeoffment ceremony?”

After a moment, Park Qi Ye looked at Cui Xiaozhong again.

“Boss, that’s the same. We’ll first have them check the specific steps for the grand enfeoffment in Long Kingdom, then add our own twists to come out ahead.”

Cui Xiaozhong interjected quickly.

“Considering our past experience with such projects, this is second nature to us. We know exactly how to handle it.”

“Then let’s proceed as you suggest. But we must remain cautious of Mingsha City. They already have five exhibition projects in Traditional Cuisine and Court Rituals, which exceeded our expectations. I suspect their Ancient Buildings, Traditional Medicine, and Traditional Costumes are equally impressive.”

After a moment of contemplation, Park Qi Ye nodded and added:

“Boss, rest assured. I bet someone will eventually leak details of the remaining three exhibition projects from Mingsha City. When that happens, we can mirror their strategy to secure an unbeatable position.”

Cui Xiaozhong waved his hand confidently.

“Are you sure about that?”

Park Qi Ye cast a quick glance at Cui Xiaozhong.

“Boss, I’m positive! Several national celebrities went to Long Kingdom for a Film Festival, and later they said Mingsha City rocked the festival with one blockbuster film!”

“Also, during its early days, Mingsha City had offended many companies. How could those people possibly let it get away unscathed?”

Cui Xiaozhong offered his own guess.

“So according to you, why were only two projects leaked this time? Shouldn’t all of them be exposed?”

Park Qi Ye’s eyes, already narrowed, nearly squinted into a slit.

“Boss, that’s the genius of Mingsha City—they leak two projects first and then, one or two months later, reveal the remaining three, leaving them no chance to alter their plans at the last minute.”

“That does seem possible!”

“So boss, rest assured. Mingsha City is no longer a problem. If we can nail the exhibition projects at Jinlong Ancient City, we’ll clinch a decisive victory!”

Cui Xiaozhong subconsciously clenched his fist.

“By the way, how’s the search for contacts at Jinlong Ancient City going?”

Park Qi Ye seemed to recall something. “They’ve been found, but the information hasn’t come in yet. Rest assured, the freelancer we hired is extremely reliable and will send us details about Jinlong Ancient City’s events.”

“That’s great! The 25 exhibition projects at Jinlong Ancient City are key this time.”

“Yes, boss. It’ll be smooth sailing.”

The next morning, at 7 a.m., Mingsha City’s employees had already washed up and left, while Xu Hao’s door remained closed until 9 a.m., when he suddenly opened his eyes.

“How did I fall asleep so quickly?”

He checked his watch, then glanced at the Self-Cultivation book by his pillow, muttering to himself.

He recalled that last night, after reading the thirteen Daoist classics online, he reopened the second page to fill in the blanks. At first it went fine, but as he progressed, his eyelids grew heavy.

Before he knew it, he woke up to the present moment!

“Today, I’ll resume filling it in, aiming to complete the first 32 pages so I can bury a few jade stones and experiment with talismans at Jixia Academy to see if that creates the temple vibe.”

“At the same time, I’ll design an internal stream as extra insurance!”

Coming back to his senses,

Xu Hao got up immediately, began his morning routine, and packed his things.

Remarkably, that sleep had been incredibly refreshing—he felt energized as if he had endless vitality!

Meanwhile, just as Xu Hao was about to head to the construction site, Fang Hou was standing by a small barrier, talking on the phone.

“Master Zhan, what time will you arrive this afternoon?”

“Mr. Fang, around 5 p.m.!”

Soon, a middle-aged man’s voice came through the phone.

“Five o’clock? Alright! I’ll send someone to pick you up then!”

Fang Hou added.

It turned out that the caller was none other than the self-proclaimed expert in hosting the Manchu-Han Feast, Master Zhan Zuliang.