Chapter 249: Night of Plans and Revelations

The more he thought about it…

Xu Hao increasingly felt that his idea was viable!

After all, the Forum Hall over there already had an otherworldly aura, so he didn’t mind trying it again during the Palace Festival.

So then…

A few minutes later, Xu Hao reopened Self-Cultivation.

Plain and simple.

Simply because setting up the ritual altar required finishing the first fifty pages of Self-Cultivation – and the book only has a little over a hundred pages! ‘If it makes an impact during the Palace Festival, it’ll easily outdo H Country’s heritage-registered event—worth a shot!’

Gritting his teeth,

Xu Hao grabbed a teacup from the table and gulped down a hearty sip. Tonight, he was resolved to pull an all-nighter!

Ding-a-ling. Just as Xu Hao was about to buckle down, the phone suddenly rang.

“Hmm? Who’s calling at this hour?”

Startled, Xu Hao immediately answered his phone.

Most people were already asleep, except for the rotating shift workers in Mingsha City. Could something have happened at the construction site? But when he saw the caller ID…

Xu Hao was unexpectedly pleased.

It wasn’t one of his subordinates—it was his Third Brother, Xu Chen.

“Third Brother, what’s up?”

Coming back to his senses, Xu Hao quickly connected the call.

By the way, New Country and Long Kingdom share the same time zone. Over there, it was still the wee hours.

“Old Six, yes… yes. I didn’t mean to wake you up!”

In the next moment, Xu Chen’s voice came through, laced with a slurred tone from too many drinks.

“What’s the matter?”

Xu Hao exhaled a small sigh of relief.

It didn’t sound like anything serious.

“Old Six, tonight Grandfather set up a get-together and made me keep company with some clients. The banquet just ended, and I’ve had a bit too much to drink.”

Soon, Xu Chen spoke again.

“Oh!”

“At the banquet, Grandfather brought up the topic of financing. I casually mentioned that I knew a Boss from an investment company who was interested in chip foundries.

Hearing that, Grandfather wanted me to arrange a meeting. So, whenever you can, send a manager over from your end.”

Xu Chen continued.

“No problem! When exactly?”

Hearing this, Xu Hao immediately replied.

As it turned out, even during their last call, preparations in Mingsha City had already begun. The investment company’s president was also a local elder from Mingsha City named Fu Qiong, set to take the helm.

Although he belonged to Mingsha City, Fu Qiong reported directly to Grandfather. In a way, he was almost on par with Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng.

“In ten days!”

“Good! I’ll have him contact you then.”

“Also, at tonight’s dinner, while chatting with Grandfather, he mentioned he’d been quietly following Mingsha City’s progress. He was thrilled to hear the city had become a branch of the traditional Cultural Expo. He even said if possible by year’s end, he’d like to spend New Year in Mingsha City.”

After a brief pause, Xu Chen continued.

“Come spend New Year in Mingsha City?”

Xu Hao was genuinely surprised.

Originally, he had planned to visit Grandfather in New Country for the New Year, but now Grandfather intended to come to Mingsha City.

“Mm, if Grandfather comes, then Sister, Brother-in-law, your Fourth and Fifth Sisters and their partners will likely follow. You’ll have to host them.”

Xu Chen added.

“That’s for sure. If Grandfather is coming, how could I not host him? And what about you?”

Unable to hold back, Xu Hao asked.

Among all his siblings, his bond with Xu Xin and Xu Chen was the closest. The other three sisters, having always been abroad and rarely in touch, were merely nominal elder sisters.

When they met, they were as close as family; once apart, years would pass with little contact.

So, a family reunion for New Year would feel incomplete without Xu Chen.

“I’ll see how things go. If it’s calm, I’ll come over; if not, I’ll stay in New Country!”

“No! Make sure you adjust your schedule. We can’t do without you.”

Xu Hao immediately assured him.

“That’s fine! Oh, by the way, Grandfather is quite interested in your partner. If there’s a chance, have your partner meet him.”

After a brief silence, Xu Chen’s voice returned.

“My partner?”

Xu Hao was taken aback once more.

“Mm, Second Sister mentioned over the phone that my partner is apparently a college professor.”

“Uh…”

The next day, as dawn broke, Xu Hao slipped back into his three-shift routine, just like Zhu Qiang, Luo Peng, and the rest. Even within Mingsha City’s established districts, the management was scarcely seen.

Meanwhile, the public buzzed over every move in Mingsha City—especially the challenge zone on the food street, which had unwittingly become the new social media hotspot. Many tourists went there not just to eat, but to snap photos of how disastrously overindulged some visitors looked.

At the same time…

Tourists from Wei City, Lanshi, and other areas flocked to the snack street to savor the local cuisine.

Before long, both sides of the city gate in Mingsha City turned into bustling hubs, even outshining Pansi Cave and Demon-Locking Tower.

Time flew, and another five days passed.

Although the snack street was no longer trending, more and more tourists from across the country kept arriving. Guesthouse reservations in Mingsha City were booked up to two months in advance.

Still, despite the daily crowds on the snack street, the entire city of Mingsha City never relaxed. Every project continued around the clock, including several initiatives in Mingsha County.

On August 30th, the small wall and main gate of Mingsha Academy were officially completed, although the outer barriers still remained.

At the same time, an ancient cuisine street in Old Architecture reopened with two traditional dishes from F Province and Xiang Province.

Additionally, at the suggestion of Tan Mianhua, the head of the snack street, a second challenge zone was opened simultaneously.

This zone primarily featured some of the country’s most notorious foods, including silkworm pupae, scorpions, bean curd, preserved eggs, locusts, and grilled moths.

At this point,

the two major ‘horror’ zones on Mingsha City’s food street had firmly established their reputations.

On September 10th, Teacher’s Day, a primary and middle school—built chiefly by Mingsha County—broke ground on a plot in Mingsha City. The design standards mirrored those of the Mingsha Tourism offices and employee dormitories, combining a modern interior with an antique exterior.

As for the kindergarten and high school, solely funded by Mingsha City, construction had not yet started for unknown reasons!

On September 13th, the wall guesthouse on the south side of the city wall officially opened to the public, beginning to welcome tourists. Meanwhile, plans for Weng City, located 13 kilometers east at the City Gate, were set in motion.

Unlike the northern Weng City, designated as a water protection area, the southern Weng City would retain a small city gate for future use.

According to the plan,

once Weng City is finished, construction on the north side of the city wall will resume, extending all the way to the northern boundary of the Mingsha area, only stopping then.

On September 25th,

the six-hall consultation area of Taiyi Hospital was completed. Xu Hao, along with Engineer Li, then headed to Oasis 4 to focus on Lutai and Zhaixing Pavilion.

Meanwhile…

the two Qing Brick Avenues linking Wudi City and Langya Pavilion to Oasis 4 officially broke ground.

However, all areas were still hidden behind high construction barriers, leaving tourists clueless about what lay within. On October 1st,

Long Kingdom’s National Day arrived. Under the leadership of Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng, the two campuses of Mingsha Academy were finally finished, though the barriers still blocked most views. Observers could only guess that Yuelu Academy’s construction was nearing its end.

Later that afternoon,

Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng, along with their team, arrived at Taiyi Hospital to take over the remaining work there.

That same day, the construction of Mingsha City’s traditional snack street reached its conclusion.

The entire street stretched about five kilometers, hosting over three thousand vendors offering various traditional dishes. Incomplete statistics revealed that on National Day alone, around 80,000 visitors poured into the snack street, setting a new record!

Media outlets hailed Mingsha City’s snack street as Long Kingdom’s longest, most diverse, most honest, and must-visit spot for local flavors.

On October 20th, the annual Su Province Tourism Festival kicked off! This year, because Mingsha City was hosting the Cultural Expo, the Su Province tourism department handed the festival over to a long-established scenic area.

Not surprisingly,

the festival’s debut was lukewarm, evoking nostalgic memories of the previous year, and Mingsha City trended on social media once again.

Meanwhile, Jinlong Ancient City announced that all 25 of its traditional performance projects were complete, promising not to disappoint Long Kingdom’s audience.

On October 30th, Mingsha City’s four major banks officially opened. On opening day, more than a dozen merchants signed cooperation agreements with the Industrial and Commercial Bank, allowing tourists to exchange silver coins and loose change.

Before long, the banks became a hive of activity, with long queues of visitors eager to spend their money.

On November 10th, a large shipment of ancient costumes was sent from New Country to Mingsha City!

On November 20th,

Under the guidance of Meng Yuan from the Ancient Architecture Institute and several ancient architecture teachers from Mingsha Academy, the river guesthouse was completed, passed inspection, and officially began welcoming guests.

On December 1st,

Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng’s team converged on Oasis 4 to join Xu Hao for the final project: Zhaixing Pavilion.

At this time, there were exactly twenty-eight days left until the opening of Long Kingdom’s traditional Cultural Expo. In both public opinion and reality, the Expo was now firmly on the agenda.

Early morning, at 7:30 AM,

dawn had barely broken.

Although the winter desert was cold, Mingsha City was a few degrees warmer than last year—perhaps thanks to the renewed buzz and vitality.

“Brother Hao, Secretary Qin just called. He said we need to submit the project performance area and related promotional videos for the Cultural Expo before the 10th!”

In front of a massive bluestone platform,

Zhu Qiang came up beside Xu Hao and said.