Chapter 218: A Fusion of Culture and Ambition

“Leader, no wonder Mingsha Tourism has skyrocketed—they’re incredibly dedicated! Mr. Fang mentioned that the talismans on the tower were hand-painted by top experts from the Su Province Road Association. And get this, they even used a Tesla coil for the lightning!”

“Besides the Demon-Locking Tower and Blood Lake, the Nanzhao Ancient Capital has been rebuilt to its original splendor—just like the Qingming Scroll.”

After a brief pause, He Ruozhou spoke up again.

“Did Mr. Fang say when this area will be opened to the public?”

Understanding the full story, Cui Fangshan couldn’t help but remark.

Even as a seasoned veteran, he felt an urge to check it out for himself—and he was completely baffled at the moment.

He couldn’t tell if Nanzhao had always been part of this xianxia drama or if Mingsha City had forcefully woven it in.

Now, experts in Yun Province have received an invitation from Mingsha City and will soon kick off an Intangible Cultural Heritage certification.

If the certification goes through, Mingsha City will create a legend in entertainment by filming a TV drama alongside an intangible heritage project. Who else could pull that off?

“It should be in June! Typically, Mingsha City opens filming sites right after a drama launches. Given the buzz right now, they might be overwhelmed with tourists.”

He Ruozhou smiled and added, “But if you go over, there should be no issues. Mr. Fang said Yun Province really came through for Mingsha City—in gratitude, a stone tablet has been erected in front of the Nanzhao Ancient Capital’s city gate, carved with Nanzhao’s history and its original site!”

“And Mr. Fang also dropped another hint,”

“Oh? What’s the news?”

“Mr. Fang said that any Yun Province-registered tourist who climbs the Demon-Locking Tower at Nanzhao Ancient Capital will get free entry, as a token of appreciation for the support.”

He Ruozhou continued,

“I must say, Mingsha City really knows how to get things done!”

Cui Fangshan paused for a moment.

This way, Yun Province also gets some face—truly a win-win situation.

“Mm!”

“By the way, any update on our costume light comedy project with Haofang Culture?”

Back in reality.

Cui Fangshan couldn’t help but ask again.

“As for Legend of Swords and Heroes, there isn’t much more to say. If the drama maintains its quality, it’ll undoubtedly be a smash hit, and star Hu Xiao will soar to A-list status.”

“Mr. Fang said they’ve already started preparations over there!”

Mentioning the joint project, He Ruozhou quickly interjected.

“It’s enough to just get things rolling! This project doesn’t need to match the heat of Legend of Swords and Heroes—as long as it reaches half that impact, it’ll do.”

“Heat? Honestly, leader, it all depends on how Mingsha City treats our collaboration. If they care enough, it’ll definitely draw attention!”

“Care? Since it’s a joint project, they’ll obviously want to skyrocket the ratings.”

Cui Fangshan raised an eyebrow.

“Under normal circumstances, it’d be fine. But with Mingsha City hosting a branch of the Traditional Culture Expo at the year’s end—potentially monopolizing their efforts for seven months—I’d wager our project might not kick off until after the expo.”

“The Expo nearly slipped my mind! Mingsha City needs to be fully prepared. Even though there are only five performance projects, they represent the pride of the Long Kingdom; we can’t let them falter!”

Cui Fangshan nodded, then added,

“After the expo is the expo—good things aren’t rushed!”

“I agree. We’ve already established a tie with Mingsha City; there’s no need to hurry.”

Knock, knock, knock! Just as He Ruozhou was about to continue, the office door was suddenly knocked.

“Come in!”

Cui Fangshan and He Ruozhou both turned around and said in unison,

“Leader, Haofang Culture just released an announcement!”

Creak!

The office door swung open slightly as a staff member leaned in and said,

“What announcement?”

“Haofang Culture announced on their website that the project in collaboration with our station will start filming soon, and they’re also planning a costume myth movie!”

The staff member hurriedly added.

“Huh? They’re launching our project and a movie at the same time?”

Cui Fangshan and He Ruozhou were both dumbfounded.

“Mm!”

“Running two projects simultaneously—what about the Long Kingdom Traditional Culture Expo? We can’t let our project delay the expo.”

Back in reality.

The two exchanged confused glances, each seeing bewilderment in the other’s eyes.

Cui Fangshan and He Ruozhou stood stunned.

Meanwhile,

the moods of Niu Hongchang and Zhang Si at Jinlong Ancient City were equally conflicted.

“Isn’t it just a concrete iron tower? Why go to such lengths? If we weren’t pouring every effort into the Long Kingdom Traditional Culture Expo, we could handle this too.”

After reading the online comments and news, Niu Hongchang remarked with a hint of sarcasm.

“Ah, it seems netizens and the public are hooked. After Yan City TV released the trailer for that xianxia drama, rooms in Mingsha City are impossible to book—even those at the Longmen Inn!”

Zhang Si sighed.

“Longmen Inn? The one where guests dare to take on challenges?”

Niu Hongchang raised an eyebrow.

As the head of a tourist site, he normally kept track of new projects launched by the Long Kingdom’s major attractions, and Mingsha City was a key focus.

If it weren’t for Mingsha City’s unique projects—either unreplicable or tied to exclusive IPs—many similar ventures might have already appeared at Jinlong Ancient City.

“That very inn! As expected, Mingsha City is set to rake in another tidy profit!”

At that,

Zhang Si’s voice dripped with envy.

For a fleeting moment, he even considered whether Jinlong Ancient City should produce a xianxia drama to lure in tourists.

Mingsha City’s xianxia drama had only released a trailer, yet the buzz is already immense. One can only imagine the frenzy when the TV drama officially launches on the 31st! Plus, with the eternal influence of the Qingming Scroll and the Protectorate of West Liang, Mingsha City will never see a slow season again.

“And just now, Haofang Culture—Mingsha City’s subsidiary—announced two more projects on their website: a costume martial light comedy and a myth movie.”

After a pause, Zhang Si added,

“Two more projects?”

Niu Hongchang was momentarily taken aback: “I guess they’re trying to capitalize on the momentum. With the announcement, the public and netizens have naturally tuned in, giving these projects a head start in publicity.”

“So, are they canceling the expo performance projects? Even if it’s just five minor items, they still need preparation. We can’t have the main venue shine while the branch falls short!”

Niu Hongchang furrowed his brow.

He hadn’t interacted much with Mingsha City before—only watching their moves online. Although many claimed they didn’t play by the rules, he never believed it!

But now, he could sense a hint of it.

Everyone knows Mingsha City’s productions are always shot on location. With these two projects, who’ll have time for anything else?

“I guess they’ve lost sight of money!”

“Lost sight of money? Some money can be earned, but eventually it all has to be spent. If they mess up the expo, Mingsha City is in for a rough time. How are netizens reacting? Any criticism of Mingsha City?”

Niu Hongchang scoffed coldly.

“Mainly, those five expo projects of Mingsha City aren’t that significant! If we had 25 competitive projects like ours, just imagine how arrogant they’d look!”

As for netizens, they’re so focused on the xianxia drama that Haofang Culture’s announcement has largely flown under the radar—otherwise, there’d be an uproar.

Zhang Si continued, “General Niu, but as you said, if heaven wants to bring about its downfall, it must first go mad! Just like you mentioned—if we lose face at the expo, everything will come crashing down.”

“I, for one, hope that netizens continue to support and encourage Mingsha City’s film and television projects.”

“I second that! Let’s not worry about them. We’ll focus on our own project—let Mingsha City revel for a while.”

Upon hearing that,

Niu Hongchang nodded in strong agreement, his mood inexplicably lifted.

“Mm!”

“By the way, General Niu, our traditional wedding is nearly wrapped up. We’re planning to decorate the ancient city for the Lantern Festival. Should we start early?”

After a bitter comment, Zhang Si got down to business.

“Lantern Festival celebrations? That should be simple—just hire some extras to showcase traditional lantern riddle activities in the ancient city.”

“That’s what I was thinking too.”

As the moon set and the sun rose, while Jinlong Ancient City assumed that Mingsha City had lost its mind to money, Xu Hao had already arrived at Yan City International Airport.

He wasn’t alone—Fang Hou was with him.

“Haozi, you go back to the office first. I’m heading to Yan City TV!”

Fang Hou glanced at his watch and said,

“Mm! If that expert really has what it takes, and manages to lure him to our Mingsha City—right now, with the traditional culture expo already taking shape in terms of ancient architecture and traditional medicine, and traditional costumes all set—the only missing pieces are traditional cuisine and palace rituals! Once we nail the food aspect, even if the last part takes another month, we’ll be in time.”

Xu Hao nodded.

Originally, he intended for Fang Hou to stay in Mingsha City to manage the projects.

Before leaving, he handed Fang Hou two ‘shooting scripts’—one for the TV drama project with Yun Province TV and one for the movie project.

The movie project is simply to enrich the tourism resources of that desert area. Of course,

more importantly, this costume myth movie doesn’t require complex settings—most of it takes place in the desert with just one cave dwelling. With the current capacity of the Mingsha Engineering Team, it should be an easy task.

In the end, just when Haofang Culture announced their upcoming project plan on their website, a call came in from Yan City TV. They said that while recording “A Taste of the Long Kingdom,” they encountered an amateur expert who claimed his ancestors were Imperial Chefs capable of preparing a full Manchu-Han banquet.

With that,

How could Xu Hao sit still? He insisted that Fang Hou go over in person! Regarding the Long Kingdom traditional cuisine showcase, he decided to implement Han Lijun’s earlier concept—headlined by the Four Great Banquets, along with historically themed feasts such as the Hongmen Banquet, Toast of Heroes, the Eight Immortals Banquet of Chang’an, and the Banquet for the Elderly.

The Four Great Banquets will focus on traditional dishes, while the remaining feasts will involve extras to portray history from another perspective.

And the full Manchu-Han banquet is undoubtedly the toughest challenge of all.