Chapter 222: Rivalry and Renovation in Mingsha City

H Country Jinlong Ancient City

Both sides were fired up for the year-end traditional cultural expo, each determined to crush the other at the fair—while completely overlooking Mingsha City with its mere five exhibition projects.

Or maybe they’d already agreed that Mingsha City’s five displays were best left to run their own course.

And on the surface, Mingsha City had seemingly forgotten all about the expo—never a single word mentioned!

A mere ten days slipped by in the blink of an eye!

As the hit show Legend of Swords and Heroes soared in popularity, the tragic romance of Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling’er tugged at the viewers’ hearts, dominating every discussion on fan forums.

This frenzy even spurred a nonstop influx of visitors into Mingsha City.

And with Mingsha City working overtime to welcome guests, every day brought something new! —June 5

The waterway from the Qingming Scroll has officially been diverted to Oasis 1, with its waters slowly meandering into the oasis’s small lake.

—June 7

The newly built office building, staff activity center, and dormitory have been fully renovated and handed over—a sign that more staff will soon be moving into the Mingsha City work zone.

—June 9: The land transfer fee and construction funds for Mingsha Academy were credited to Mingsha Tourism’s account.

—June 10

The designated area for Mingsha Academy and the Imperial Hospital has been cordoned off by construction barriers. Late at night, huge machinery rolled in covertly, and batches of wood and Qing bricks began arriving.

Since preparations for wood and Qing bricks started long ago, by June 18 all the building materials had reached their destinations—just waiting for Xu Hao to return and kick off construction.

Without Xu Hao,

none of these two major projects could have been managed by anyone else.

Consequently, Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng found themselves with a bit of downtime.

They had handed the metro project entirely to the construction team—once the funds arrived, everything would fall into place.

At least Zhu Qiang was holding his own.

He then headed over to the southern city wall and the sand brick pre-fabrication area. After all, the faster the wall went up and the more sand bricks they had, the better—there was no risk of running short.

Luo Peng, unable to oversee the ancient guesthouses along the riverbanks, spent his days wandering Mingsha City’s major districts, juggling emerging issues and making calls to traditional medicine inheritors.

Before he knew it, three or four days had slipped by!

People can be so paradoxical—when busy, they dream of lazy days spent binge-watching shows, but when free, they feel completely out of rhythm.

At dusk,

a bored Luo Peng, fresh from wandering Nanzhao Ancient City, made his way to the edge of Blood Lake.

At that very moment,

even though dusk hadn’t fully set in, scores of tourists had gathered nearby, planning to wait until nightfall to snap shots in front of the ‘Lightning-Struck Iron Tower.’

Today, the Iron Tower has become nothing short of a ‘super influencer check-in spot.’

On KuaiDou, a search for ‘Iron Tower’ returns nearly ten videos, most showing tourists’ own clips—a trend that has flooded Nanzhao Ancient City’s guesthouses with scalpers.

Originally, rooms in Mingsha City went for 800 a night, but scalpers hiked the price to 2,000.

Mingsha Tourism has been cracking down on these scalpers!

However, the scalpers are elusive, always using different IDs, making it hard to tell genuine tourists from touts. To make matters worse, some last-minute visitors pleaded with Mingsha Tourism not to interfere, preferring high-priced guesthouses over the poor experience in Mingsha County.

Eventually, the matter fizzled out; Mingsha City can only hope to build more guesthouses, though a complete fix seems unlikely in the short term.

“I wonder what Brother Hao will do next? With only Blood Lake and the Demon-Locking Tower here, the area feels a bit too sparse!”

Leaning against the railing and watching the sun dip lower, Luo Peng muttered to himself.

In truth,

he wasn’t the only one thinking so—many comments on Mingsha Tourism’s official feedback board echoed similar sentiments.

They all said that the daytime appeal of Blood Lake and the Demon-Locking Tower somehow fell short, especially compared to their nighttime allure.

Clearly, the visitors shared the same feeling.

Just as Luo Peng was about to leave after his self-commentary, a faint voice called from behind: “These talismans are so-so. They might fool ordinary folks, but compared to genuine demon-repelling charms, they leave a lot to be desired!”

Hearing the voice,

Luo Peng’s curiosity was piqued, and he instinctively turned around, ready to explain.

After all, this was just a tourist spot—did anyone expect talismans to actually ward off demons? Besides, this is the modern era of advanced technology, not a mythical world filled with monsters.

But then his words died on his lips.

The speaker turned out to be an itinerant Taoist in his seventies, sporting a long beard and a messy topknot.

After a quick once-over, Luo Peng addressed the Taoist,

“Old Man, we’re just running a tourist spot here—no need to be so serious. Relax and enjoy; everyone’s out to have a good time.”

With tourists in ancient and other period costumes everywhere in Mingsha City, he assumed the man was merely an enthusiast of traditional dress.

“Serious? Well, not entirely. By the way, who are you? From your comments on the talismans, it doesn’t seem like you’re all that involved.”

At this, the Taoist gave Luo Peng a full once-over.

He replied, “Old Man, I’m a staff member from Mingsha Tourism. I was just roaming around to check if any tourist services were lacking. If we find any issues, we’ll fix them immediately! But as for what you mentioned—it really is beyond repair.”

Noticing a flicker of annoyance on the Taoist’s face, Luo Peng quickly clarified.

“A staff member?”

The Taoist glanced at him again and said, “I really am a staff member—I just dashed out today and forgot my badge!”

“Oh, if you’re with Mingsha City, then you can tell your leader that there’s room for another Taoist temple here. It doesn’t have to be grand, just adequately equipped.”

After a pause, the Taoist asked,

“Build a Taoist temple?”

Luo Peng paused, eyes lighting up. Indeed, the old man’s idea was quite appealing. Even though this is the Xianxia Zone, a Taoist temple near the Demon-Locking Tower would enrich the area.

Besides, a temple would perfectly complement the Demon-Locking Tower! Yet after a moment, Luo Peng shook his head and looked at the old man.

“Old Man, as great as your suggestion is, building a temple isn’t as simple as it sounds. Even here in Mingsha City, it needs someone qualified to manage it. Without a genuine Taoist in charge, what’s the point? Perhaps if someone from the Taoist Association could handle the operations, it might be worth a try.”

“In charge? That’s simple! Once built, I’ll manage it for you. Besides, this location is excellent—I could even stay on afterward!”

The old man immediately responded,

“You?”

“Yes! At the very least, if the talismans on the tower deteriorate, I’ll redraw them for you, so you won’t need to hire other Taoists.”

“You—you’re really a Taoist? Not just a tourist in disguise?”

It was only then that Luo Peng, slightly oblivious until now, sensed something was off.

“Genuine as can be. Want me to prove it?”

The Taoist glared sharply.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I really apologize—I thought you were just another tourist.”

Coming back to his senses,

Luo Peng hurriedly apologized.

Though not a believer himself, he respected the traditional state religion of the Long Kingdom. Judging by the old man’s reaction, the man truly seemed to be a Taoist.

“It’s no big deal. So, what do you think about building a Taoist temple?”

After a brief pause, the Taoist replied,

“To be honest, I can’t decide on that. How about you leave me your contact information, and I’ll ask my leader? He’s not in Mingsha City right now. If he agrees, I’ll get back to you. How does that sound?”

When questioned about the temple, Luo Peng was taken aback and immediately said,

“Call your leader? You can just call him now.”

The Taoist fixed Luo Peng with an unyielding stare.

“I…”

Stumbling for words, Luo Peng was momentarily at a loss.

After a brief silence,

Luo Peng finally relented, pulling out his phone. “Alright, I’ll call you. If our leader has any other suggestions, then…”

“Fine!”

The Taoist nodded in agreement.

No sooner had Luo Peng turned to leave than the Taoist grabbed his arm.

“Don’t go! Make the call right here—it’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I…”

Luo Peng scratched his head, hesitated, and finally dialed Xu Hao’s number.

Beep, beep, beep. Soon, Xu Hao answered.

“What’s up, Little Luo?”

“Brother Hao, here’s the situation: I came to the Xianxia Zone today to check on things and ran into an old man who said our Xianxia Zone is missing a Taoist temple!”

Glancing at the Taoist, Luo Peng reported honestly.

“Missing a temple?”

Xu Hao fell silent for a moment.

“Yes!”

“That old man’s suggestion is quite sound. Taoist studies are part of our Long Kingdom’s heritage. We’ve been committed to traditional architecture; building a Taoist temple fits perfectly with the Xianxia Zone’s theme. The catch is that temples need proper management—something I’ve never handled before.”

After a long pause, Xu Hao’s voice returned,

“I can manage that!”

At that moment, the Taoist’s eyes lit up as he added, “Brother Hao, this old man claims he can oversee the temple’s construction.”

Luo Peng quickly interjected,

“Oh? The old man can really do it?”

Xu Hao’s voice wavered with surprise,

“Yes!”

“In that case, discuss the details with him further. Our Xianxia Zone does seem a bit sparse, and with no new Xianxia show on the horizon, an addition like this might be just what we need.”

Xu Hao continued,

“So, Brother Hao, does that mean you’re on board?”

Luo Peng was momentarily stunned.

“I suppose it’s also a way to promote the Long Kingdom’s traditional culture. You and Qiangzi decide. And when negotiating, be sure to arrange for top-notch guesthouses for the old man.”

Xu Hao’s voice came through promptly, without hesitation.

Clearly, he had already mulled over the temple idea in secret, or he wouldn’t have agreed so decisively.

“Alright then!”

“Anything else? If not, I’ve got a meeting to attend.”

“Nothing more!”

“Okay.”

After hanging up, Luo Peng couldn’t believe that such a major decision had been wrapped up so quickly. Or perhaps Xu Hao trusted him completely, thinking it was his idea and that he’d chosen the most reliable people!

“Old Man, so… what do you think?”

After a brief pause,

Luo Peng came back to his senses and joked, “Your leader’s got a name like ‘Fated and Fractioned’—but with you, it’s just fate with no match!”

The Taoist stroked his beard, clearly amused.

“Xu Hao!”

“Xu Hao, got it. Not bad at all.”

At the sound of the name, the Taoist paused and squinted his eyes.

“Er, well…”

Observing this,

Luo Peng felt a mix of confusion and regret.

“Fated and fractioned—sounds even more mystical than the hermits in Legend of Swords and Heroes. Based on experience, such types are usually nothing but swindlers.”

He wondered if his earlier call had been too hasty.

If the temple gets built, fine; if not, Zhu Qiang and Fang Hou will have a field day laughing at him.

Maybe he should have contacted some traditional medicine inheritors or even considered the palace rituals in the traditional culture exhibits instead of wandering around aimlessly.

Sometimes, people really shouldn’t be so idle.

Or at least check if he had the required credentials—but somehow…

“Didn’t your leader say earlier? Arrange for better guesthouses, start delivering wood and Qing bricks tomorrow, and then begin constructing the temple behind the Demon-Locking Tower to finish it as soon as possible.”

At this, the Taoist’s eyes narrowed intensely.

“Uh…”

The conversation split into two threads.

Just as Luo Peng was casually strolling near the newly erected temple, in the Desert Zone, Fang Hou glanced at the staff and the makeshift setup, sighed in exasperation, and massaged his brows.

By the way,

ever since the film project was officially approved, he had asked Luo Peng to bring over a professional team from Mingsha Labor to assist.

When Xu Hao left, he left behind a screenplay titled A Chinese Odyssey—the film’s shooting location is four sand dunes away from Longmen Inn. According to the terrain model, it sits at the heart of Mingsha City’s designated Desert Zone.

Currently, the Axe Gang’s set has been completely built, with only one more heavily featured scene remaining: Pansi Cave! Once that’s ready, filming can officially begin.

But when it came time to construct the scene, Fang Hou found himself in a bind!

How on earth should they build Pansi Cave? Theoretically, it belongs in the Xianxia Zone where creativity runs wild. But this is the Wuxia Zone, and if the cave is too fantastical, it might break the immersion for tourists.

PS: Brothers, today Lao Ba isn’t quite on form, so I’m posting just one chapter. I’ll make some adjustments tomorrow morning and update before noon.