Chapter 318: Schemes in Mingsha City

Director Feng, besides this, when we return, shouldn’t we also set up something like a Demon-Locking Tower? If that name doesn’t work, we could call it the Demon-Refining Tower! I find the idea quite original.

He paused, and the accompanying man shifted his gaze to Feng Xiangcai.

The man, named Shi Yun, is the Deputy Director of the Fengdu Scenic Area.

They set off overnight. Today, after arriving in Mingsha City, their main stops were the Demon-Locking Tower, Mingsha Fudi, and the altar at the peak of Langya Mountain; they weren’t very interested in the other historic sites or film-friendly landmarks.

This is because the Fengdu Scenic Area is known for its Long Kingdom ghost-themed architecture.

“Right! But we need to come up with some gimmicks like those in Mingsha City. And what about Mingsha Fudi? When we get back, let’s create a couple of lake islets with a Taoist temple on each. If not Fudi, we can call it Dongtian!”

Feng Xiangcai nodded in agreement.

“Gimmicks?”

Shi Yun was taken aback.

“Yes! I toured the area today—honestly, nothing in Mingsha City stands out. If it weren’t for that International Magic Competition, the Demon-Locking Tower and Mingsha Fudi might never have caught on.”

“And then there’s Lanruo Temple! It only gained attention thanks to a movie, with deliberate night openings.”

“If our Fengdu can launch a similar theme and open at night, our appeal would far surpass that of Mingsha City!”

Feng Xiangcai turned his head to glance at the Blood Lake behind him.

“Exactly!”

“By the way, I heard that Mingsha City has recently erected several barricades—a section north of the Qingming Scroll, another north of Mingsha Fudi, one along the route from Qixia Town to Nanzhao Ancient City, one south of Wudi City, and one in the middle of Qing Brick Avenue between Qixia Town and the Xianxia Zone. That makes five large zones. Are they planning more filming or what?”

After a pause, Feng Xiangcai asked, “What do you think they’re up to?”

“I doubt it’s filming. I heard that among the registered projects in Mingsha City, only an ancient costume drama remains—and some tourists even saw a crew moving in and out of areas near Lutai and the newly built, yet unopened, section of Wudi City.”

That means the drama is being shot here.

After a moment’s thought, Shi Yun remarked.

Although it was his first time in Mingsha City, he had been keeping tabs on it since its rise to fame.

“Not filming? Then what is it?”

Feng Xiangcai furrowed his brows.

“It’s unclear for now!”

Shi Yun shook his head.

Mingsha City’s style has always been this way. Until the barricades are taken down, the outsiders have no clue what’s happening inside. They’ve perfected the art of the ‘gimmick’.

Ah! Just as Feng Xiangcai was about to add something, a piercing scream rang out again from Lanruo Temple ahead, and two nimble Taoist gatekeepers swiftly picked up a stretcher and entered.

It turned out that…

By the time the conversation ended, it was past 11, and the first wave of tourists had already entered Lanruo Temple.

“Hmm? Fainted again?”

Snapping back to attention,

Feng Xiangcai frowned.

“Looks like it!”

“Let’s move on. This is probably another planted tourist by Mingsha City to maintain the buzz. When we return, we must quickly set up our Demon-Refining Tower and Fengdu Dongtian.”

“Right!”

Late at night, while Lanruo Temple buzzed with activity, the rest of Mingsha City had already gone dark, entering a quiet state—across Wudi City and the Ancient Building Courtyard.

Xu Hao wasn’t resting. He stayed at his desk, studying a thick stack of blueprints—thicker than any building plans he’d seen before.

“In truth, much of our modern technology stems from ancient practices—too bad most of it is lost now.”

After a long pause,

Xu Hao muttered to himself and got up to stretch.

Although he’d learned plenty from the You Gong Daoist recently, he couldn’t shake the exhaustion from a month of grueling work.

Ding-ling-ling. Just as Xu Hao brewed a cup of tea and was about to resume work, his phone suddenly rang.

“Huh?”

Glancing at the time, Xu Hao quickly lowered the volume. At this hour, Han Xiaoqing was already fast asleep.

After checking the caller ID, he left his room to answer the call in the courtyard.

“Dean! You’re still up? Is something wrong?”

The call was from Li Jue at the Ancient Architecture Research Institute.

“Xiao Xu, have you gotten any rest yet?”

Moments later, Li Jue’s resigned voice came through.

“Not yet, Dean!”

“Here’s the situation: tonight, I’ve received several calls inquiring about matters in Mingsha City.”

After a brief pause,

Li Jue’s voice resumed,

“Inquiries about Mingsha City? Is it because of our movie?”

Xu Hao frowned.

Anyone calling Li Jue this late is bound to be someone significant.

“Sort of. Many tourists visiting Mingsha City noticed new barricades and began speculating about what might be built next. Ever since Mingsha Fudi became a hit, the city has drawn a lot of attention. Last night, someone even called asking if Mingsha City planned to build another site like Mingsha Fudi, and whether it would be far from Lanruo Temple.”

Li Jue hesitated before saying,

“Another Mingsha Fudi? Dean, there’s no such plan in Mingsha City; the barricaded areas are purely entertainment projects.”

Xu Hao’s expression shifted as he spoke frankly—he had nothing to hide from Li Jue! Yet he knew there was another implication behind the question.

“They are indeed for entertainment!”

“Yes. They intend to mirror Haishi’s Dino Park. During the last magic competition, they tried something with Mingsha City, so we must respond accordingly.”

Xu Hao continued,

“Indeed! We need to make a counter-response, or else they’ll always assume they’re the only ones capable of creating entertainment and cultural exports.”

After a brief silence, Li Jue’s hesitant voice returned,

“By the way, is there any plan to build another site like Mingsha Fudi behind Mingsha City?”

“Dean, well…”

Xu Hao didn’t answer immediately.

In truth, at that moment, Xu Hao was beginning to suspect.

“Xiao Xu, let’s be frank. All the calls tonight have been about this. Many people are eager to retire at Mingsha Fudi. I managed to filter out some calls, but a few couldn’t be ignored.

They believe Mingsha Fudi is exceptional—especially given its proximity to Taiyi Hospital; it’s practically a retirement haven! I was thinking, if Mingsha City could add one or two Ancient Building Courtyards for them in the future…”

Li Jue let out a barely audible sigh, laden with resignation.

“Of course. Look at it from another angle—this might actually be a good thing! With improved transportation around Mingsha City, not to mention the likelihood of building an airport, having these influential figures based here would make administrative tasks so much easier. No one would dare to criticize Mingsha City then.”

“Dean, Mingsha Fudi is no longer viable. If they plan to roll out an entertainment project later, even if they move in, they might not agree.”

Xu Hao furrowed his brows, clearly sensing the immense pressure Li Jue was under tonight.

Earlier, Zhu Qiang had warned him that this matter was unavoidable—he just hadn’t expected it to unfold so fast. “I know Mingsha Fudi isn’t feasible; I just wanted to discuss it with you.”

Li Jue added,

“Dean, are these inquiries meant solely for their own benefit?”

After a moment of silence, Xu Hao pondered before replying,

“They’re not asking for themselves. They claim they’re helping the Long Kingdom’s top national scholars and those who have greatly contributed to our country—but as soon as they ask, they’ll definitely want to reside here.”

Li Jue asked,

“Top national scholars?”

Xu Hao’s expression shifted noticeably.

“Exactly!”

“Dean, how about this: once the Technology Expo wraps up, why not set up a National Scholars’ Retreat in Mingsha City? If they want to live here, they can—but only top-level scholars would be allowed to move in first.”

After a moment of thought, Xu Hao shared his idea,

“Better to ease the pressure than to block it!”

If establishing a National Scholars’ Retreat can even secure an airport, then Mingsha City wouldn’t be at a loss.

More importantly, having genuine national scholars and Long Kingdom heroes living in Mingsha City would serve as a real testament to the city’s commitment.

“National Scholars’ Retreat? I like that idea!”

Hearing this, Li Jue’s tone immediately lightened.

“And it could even be proposed as a project—the construction and land costs wouldn’t fall on Mingsha City. But if we do this, the standards must at least equal those of Mingsha Fudi, otherwise it just won’t cut it.”

“Rest assured, it won’t be any worse than Mingsha Fudi.”

Xu Hao immediately replied.

When Mingsha Fudi was being developed, too many compromises were made. Otherwise, not even ten Lanruo Temples could steal its spotlight.

“Alright, I’ll discuss it with them tomorrow.”

“Thanks for your efforts, Dean!”

Time passed, and soon it was the next day.

Unsurprisingly, Mingsha City trended on social media once again—this time because of Lanruo Temple. Last night, over twenty daring tourists entered consecutively, only to faint and be carried out.

After that, few visitors had the nerve to try.

Lanruo Temple has earned the nickname of the Long Kingdom’s scariest photo spot; it’s likely to remain popular for a long time.

As long as no one manages to capture the true nature of what’s inside each day, more and more visitors will flock in to test their luck.

In Haishi at the Dino Park President’s Office,

Cole sat silently before his computer for a long time. With a final forceful punch on his desk, he cursed aloud.

“Fuck!”

“Leader, I’m certain Mingsha City is up to something we don’t know about. It’s probably what you mentioned before—otherwise, how could they scare so many tourists into fainting? It sure doesn’t look staged!”

Across from him, a staff member responded with a downcast expression.

“I know, but Mingsha City and the Long Kingdom’s media stubbornly deny any connection. What can we do? By the way, has that phone been connected yet? Hurry up and get someone to handle our Magic Academy fiasco.”

Cole growled in frustration.

PS: Brothers, this partly explains why later they’ll build structures inspired by myth dramas—venturing fully into tourism.

Next, our protagonist will continue stirring things up to transform Mingsha City into the Long Kingdom’s premier cultural and tourism hub.