Chapter 325: The Call for Daoist Canghai

Leader, this man is a cultivator from the Long Kingdom, known as Daoist Canghai. In recent years, he has been active in the deep mountains of southwest Long Kingdom. With him on board, resolving the issue at the Magic Academy should be a breeze.

The next moment, a man’s voice crackled through the phone.

“Daoist Canghai? Where is he now? Is he truly that formidable?”

At the mention of the name, Cole brightened noticeably.

There are no secrets in this world. Although everyone at the construction site was warned not to discuss what happened, the news still spread like wildfire internally and even affected the overall progress of the project.

Honestly, he now regrets it deeply! If only he had known earlier that instead of ‘arresting’ characters like in films, he should have been steadily advancing his own project. He’d even spend a fortune to settle this immediately.

“The friend I found is very reliable. You can be sure the person he recommended is solid,” the man stated firmly.

The man replied with unwavering certainty.

“When can we bring in Haishi?”

“Leader, our team is already there. I heard he’s staying at a Taoist temple on the southwestern border. Once we arrive, we should be able to bring him over. My friend commands a lot of respect locally,” he explained.

After a brief hesitation, the man continued,

“Alright! No matter what, we must find a way to bring him over as soon as possible!”

Hearing this, Cole immediately replied,

“Okay!”

“By the way, Leader, I’ve also heard some news: it seems the Magic Association we helped cultivate has run into trouble.”

After a pause, the man added,

“Trouble? I did wonder why I couldn’t reach them later.”

Cole furrowed his brows, though his expression remained steady, as if he had seen it all before.

“Then…”

“Forget them! They don’t have any concrete evidence anyway – let them fend for themselves. What matters most right now is Daoist Canghai.”

“Alright!”

A few minutes later, Cole hung up the phone.

Phew! Cole let out a long, relieved sigh, his expression noticeably lighter.

“Canghai – just his name speaks volumes! If we can resolve this issue, maybe we can stir things up over in Mingsha City as well,” he mused aloud.

Muttering to himself, Cole glanced back at his computer screen.

“You think just because of ‘Dreaming of the Past’ you can act high and mighty? Just wait and see!”

As tides come and go, two days passed in the blink of an eye. Outside Mingsha City, two parking lots – one to the south and one to the north – were filled with cars arriving from every corner, with more still rolling in.

Ever since ‘Dreaming of the Past’ went viral, visitor numbers in Mingsha City have soared to new heights. From the city gate, the packed crowd of tourists resembled the chaos of the peak travel season.

At this moment,

Xu Hao stood before a roughly 100-square-meter brick platform in the backyard of Wuzhuang Temple, letting out a small sigh of relief.

The platform was divided into five sections, each painted in a different color.

“Finally finished. That should fulfill our promise,” he remarked.

After glancing at the blueprints in his hand and surveying the platform, Xu Hao turned and headed toward the front yard.

These blueprints had been left behind by Daoist Cangshan before his hasty departure. At this point, Wuzhuang Temple’s construction matched them perfectly—even the exterior bricks were identical.

Ding-dong! Xu Hao had barely taken two steps when his phone rang.

He picked it up immediately and answered.

It was Fang Hou calling.

“What’s up, Monkey!”

“Haozi, we’re wrapping up ‘Joy of Life’ this afternoon. I just spoke with Yan City TV and they said they can schedule it at any time. When are we launching it?”

Fang Hou’s voice came through promptly.

“Finished filming?”

Xu Hao’s expression shifted.

“Mm, with your script, it’s a piece of cake!”

“Once filming is complete, it all hinges on Yan City TV – the sooner it airs, the better.”

After some thought, Xu Hao replied,

“Haozi, Yan City TV said the same thing. I’m just worried that the momentum of our Entertainment City might falter if there’s any delay.”

Fang Hou hesitated for a moment.

“Don’t worry!”

Xu Hao quickly added,

“It can’t be helped. Even if there’s some impact, we have to air it as soon as possible. The set for ‘Joy of Life’ represents Nanking Capital in the drama – located east of Lutai and west of Wudi City.”

It covers a vast area.

Most importantly, Nanking Capital features numerous ancient-style guesthouses and street-side shops.

According to rough estimates, once Nanking Capital opens, Mingsha City could see an addition of at least 6,000 guesthouses and 500 shops, greatly boosting its capacity to welcome visitors.

So, the sooner it opens, the better.

“Alright, I’ll get back to Yan City TV right away. By the way, once this show wraps, what’s next? A movie or a TV series?”

After a pause, Fang Hou replied,

“Actually, the reason I called to report on the ‘Joy of Life’ wrap-up was secondary. My main goal was to ask about Haofang Culture’s next plan.”

At present, all departments in Mingsha City are ramping up their efforts,

and Haofang Culture certainly isn’t idle.

“What do you think?”

Xu Hao paused in his tracks.

“To be honest, I’ve been so busy with the tech expo venues that I don’t really have any specific plans or ideas for films or TV shows right now,” he admitted.

“Haozi, how about we develop a myth-themed movie or series? It seems audiences have become more discerning. A regular martial arts drama might not cut it. Of course, if we want to expand our guesthouses and shops further, a standard wuxia or historical drama might be the best bet.”

After a moment of contemplation, Fang Hou shared his idea.

The success of ‘A Chinese Ghost Story’ had left a sweet taste in his mouth. Although the movie had been released for nearly ten days, spurred on by the buzz at Lanruo Temple, it still pulled in over a hundred million at the box office every day.

Sure enough, the film’s final gross was expected to exceed three billion.

By then, Haofang Culture would pocket at least another billion! And considering the minimal cost of building a Lanruo Temple, ‘A Chinese Ghost Story’ truly was a jackpot.

“So, think it over and see if we can come up with a good mythological concept – preferably one that incorporates guesthouses. The current plot is stronger on the east and weaker on the west; we need to draw more visitors to the Xianxia Zone,” he suggested.

After some deliberation, Xu Hao shared his own ideas.

With the opening of Entertainment City No. 1 and Nanking Capital, Oasis 1, Oasis 2, Oasis 3, and Oasis 4 have merged into one continuous block. Add to that the expanding Taiyi Hospital, riverside guesthouses, Mingsha Fudi, Qingming Scroll, and more,

and the eastern section of the area is now nearly fully developed.

In contrast, the western side still boasts vast, undeveloped tracts.

Especially the Xianxia Zone!

Once that area is developed, the northwest corner will no longer be barren. With the north city wall extending over, Mingsha City will become even more vibrant – just one step away from fully uniting its four walls.

“A myth theme that incorporates guesthouses?”

After a moment,

Fang Hou spoke up, “Alright, I’ll mull it over and see if I can come up with a good story or concept. If I do, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Mm!”

Meanwhile, over at Yan City TV,

Han Lijun sat at his desk, poring over a document.

“Leader, Leader!”

Just as Han Lijun’s brow furrowed deeper over the document, Editor-in-Chief Ren Long burst into the office with a broad smile.

“What’s going on?”

Seeing Ren Long, Han Lijun immediately set his document aside.

“Leader, Mr. Fang from Haofang Culture just called. He said that ‘Joy of Life’ will wrap up today, and at the latest, the raw footage will be edited and sent to our station within ten days.”

Ren Long could hardly contain his excitement.

Even though Mingsha City has been trending non-stop, Yan City TV has been silent for a while! Their last collaboration with Haofang Culture was the ‘Legend of Swords and Heroes.’

“Finished filming?”

Han Lijun went from stunned to delighted.

“Mm!”

“Then what are we waiting for? Contact the review team immediately! Once approved, schedule it for prime time without delay. The sooner it airs, the better! Our ratings have already slipped out of the top tier, and this show is coming at just the right moment!”

“Okay.”

Ren Long nodded emphatically.

“By the way, did Mr. Fang mention Haofang Culture’s next project?”

After a pause, Han Lijun couldn’t help but ask again.

“Leader, I asked. Mr. Fang said there are no plans for now,”

Ren Long shook his head.

With Mingsha City and Dino Park currently in the midst of various audits, coupled with the tech expo in September, he believed that even if new projects were on the horizon, they wouldn’t come to fruition until after September.

“None?”

Han Lijun slowly leaned back in his chair.

“In that case, keep in touch with Haofang Culture and try to supply them with some potential themes or ideas. I think their lack of a next project isn’t due to a shortage of time—it’s simply a lack of good material, since construction projects fall under Mingsha Tourism, not Haofang Culture.”

After a moment’s thought, he added,

“Good material?”

Ren Long scratched his head.

“Well, he does have a promising TV series concept—a traditional myth from the Long Kingdom. I’m just not sure if they’ll be interested in the story, given its grand scope. But whether it fits Mingsha City or not, it’s worth a shot! Once it takes off, that will secure our next project with Haofang Culture,”

Han Lijun added,

“Leader, I’ve got it!”

Coming to his senses,

Ren Long nodded immediately.

“By the way, let’s hold a meeting later to discuss the external promotion of traditional culture—new directives have just come down from above,”

Han Lijun replied,

“Ah, cultural promotion? Leader, wasn’t it already decided that four TV stations would adapt the four great classics? How does this involve us?”

Upon hearing this,

Ren Long’s face registered surprise.

“This is a new round of assignments; no one can avoid it! We’ll go over the directives in detail at the meeting.”

Han Lijun waved his hand dismissively.

“Alright.”

As the capital of the Long Kingdom, Yan City is bustling day and night – especially near the 49 Imperial City, where tourists abound. Locals from various provinces and plenty of foreign visitors swarm the area.

However,

at that moment, a certain Chief Leader in the Second Ring, watching the occasional blond, blue-eyed tourist stroll by, couldn’t muster any joy.

“Sigh! What can we do? The situation is only getting worse!”

After a long pause,

he turned to face the Deputy Leader.