Chapter 340: Rumbles in Mingsha City

In this world, some people believe that sheer numbers can resolve any issue. Especially when dealing with celebrated enterprises or powerful conglomerates, if you stir things up enough, they eventually buckle under public pressure.

But these agitators seem to have forgotten that Mingsha City has always thrived on trending topics and isn’t fazed by so-called “negative news.”

“Brother Hao, the county just called. Lots of locals are boycotting our ticket policy. The government building is swarming, and some even want to negotiate with us.”

Wudi City, Ancient Building Courtyard

Xu Hao furrowed his brows as he listened to the phone call.

“They all just want free tickets?”

After a brief pause, Xu Hao spoke up.

“Yeah! Mostly nearby residents. They even claim they’re the backbone of Mingsha City’s commerce—without them, the city wouldn’t be this popular.”

Zhu Qiang’s voice chimed in again.

“Have all those working in Mingsha City and their immediate family members been registered in the access system?”

After a short pause, Xu Hao glanced at the sand table.

“Brother Hao, everyone’s been logged in! Plus, any merchants collaborating with Mingsha City, along with villagers from Hongsha Gang Village and staff with their families from Mingsha County’s related units, are all in the system. Essentially, anyone associated with Mingsha City is safe.”

Zhu Qiang immediately replied.

He had done a tremendous amount of work on this ticket policy and had thought it was foolproof. Yet, problems still emerged.

“In that case, tell the county staff that Mingsha City is private property—there’s no public right of way.”

Xu Hao frowned deeply.

It turned out that implementing a ticket system in Mingsha City was a bit overdue; many had grown so accustomed that they subconsciously assumed it was a public attraction.

As for the city’s commercial areas?

As long as enough visitors flood into Mingsha City, its commercial scene won’t suffer.

“Understood, Brother Hao. So should we issue an announcement or…?”

Zhu Qiang’s tone carried newfound confidence.

This matter hinged entirely on our boss’s decision. Once he gives the nod, not even the fiercest local protest—or the pleas from bigger entities—can sway Mingsha City’s stance.

“No announcement. Just let Mingsha County know our position, and they’ll handle the rest. As for public opinion, we’ll see if anyone dares to escalate it.”

“Got it!”

At midnight, Xu Hao sealed the decision as if it were trivial. After hanging up, he returned to studying the blueprints for the Technology Expo venue.

He checked the time.

The Technology Expo was fast approaching, and after the sandstorm, construction had to ramp up with no slack whatsoever.

Interestingly, aside from Xu Hao, two others in Mingsha City weren’t concerned about the dust storm—in fact, they were even a touch excited.

Wuzhuang Temple, Rear Wing

Daoist Master Cangshan studied the territorial map of Wuzhuang Temple spread across the table, his eyes lighting up as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

“Junior Brother, is this ancestral blessing working in our favor?”

After a brief pause,

Daoist Master Cangshan grinned widely.

“You bet—it’s a godsend! With this dust storm, everything we need is falling into place. Our Wuzhuang Temple’s visual impact will easily eclipse that of Mingsha Fudi.”

At these words,

Canghai burst into laughter as well.

To ordinary people, a sandstorm is a demon to be avoided at all costs. But in their eyes, it was pure gold.

Both rootless soil and rootless water take significant effort to obtain.

Especially this “unlimited” rootless soil.

“So, will three days be enough? I heard nearly all visitors have already left the city.”

Canghai’s eyes narrowed.

“That should be sufficient! By tomorrow afternoon, President Luo’s pear trees and some evergreens will also be here.”

“Alright! Then we start tomorrow!”

“Yeah!”

Meanwhile, at both Wuzhuang Temple and Biyou Palace, You Gong Taoist and a few disciples were deep in discussion. “When will our order arrive?”

After a moment’s thought, You Gong turned to his senior disciple, Wu Yun.

“Master, they’ll arrive by just after ten tomorrow morning. I’ve already alerted the staff. The fifty koi and two hundred lucky bamboo will be delivered to Biyou Palace first, and the lotuses and water lilies can simply be tossed into the lake.”

On hearing this,

Wu Yun immediately replied,

“Alright!”

You Gong nodded in agreement.

“Also, tomorrow, round up all the white deer and red-crowned cranes at Biyou Palace. I’ll sort them out later.”

After a brief hesitation,

You Gong spoke again.

“Uh? Master, you’re going to rearrange the white deer and cranes? What if these deer and cranes—”

Before he could finish, Wu Yun’s expression darkened.

He clearly understood what his master meant by rearranging them.

“No choice. A dust storm produces rootless soil—it’s exactly what the Cangshan lineage needs. As expected, Wuzhuang Temple will make a significant move leveraging this storm. If we’re to keep Mingsha City’s status as the ‘First Immortal’ site, we must hustle hard.”

Of course, Master, I have my limits! I would never cross the City Master’s bottom line.”

You Gong sighed softly.

It wasn’t his fault; blame Wuzhuang Temple’s overwhelming strength that forced their hand.

“Alright then.”

At that, Wu Yun fell silent.

Time flew by, and soon it was the next day at nine in the morning.

Though most visitors had left Mingsha City, the crowd in front of the government building only grew larger. “What? Mingsha City refuses to negotiate, claiming it’s private property?”

Upon hearing the staff’s reply, Liu Zhiren—the leading figure among the guesthouse merchants—was momentarily stunned.

“That’s right! So everyone, just go about your business. Don’t disrupt public order any further. If the gathering continues, the authorities will take measures.”

A staff member gave a sidelong glance at the local residents at the front.

“Not planning to negotiate?”

Coming back to himself,

Liu Zhiren grew anxious.

“Negotiate? Why would Mingsha City negotiate with you? Do you have a labor agreement or did they seize your space?”

“No negotiation? Fine then!”

Glancing at the staff member, Liu Zhiren immediately pulled out his phone and stepped aside to call someone.

Beep beep beep. After a short moment, the call connected. Before the other party could speak, he launched into a lengthy tirade.

“Hey, Second Uncle, it’s Zhiren! Mingsha City is rolling out this ticket policy—can you believe it? This is outrageous! I think we locals can’t just sit by and take it. We need to show Mingsha City some resistance.”

But as he spoke, Liu Zhiren’s eyes widened further. “What? Your whole family is unaffected? Even my aunt and grandparents?”

“Yeah!”

“But we are affected. Can you try to negotiate on our behalf?”

After a moment’s pause,

Liu Zhiren’s voice softened noticeably.

“Negotiate? I’m just a small foreman—I still depend on Mingsha City for my living! And you’d better not get any ideas. Mingsha City is private property. Whether they charge a fee or not, if they don’t entertain a single person, it’s none of your business! Alright, I’ve got work to do. Talk later!”

The line went silent almost immediately.

“Uh, well…”

When Liu Zhiren rejoined the crowd, the atmosphere had shifted ever so slightly.

In Haishi, at Dino Park’s President Office, Cole stared at his computer screen, a rare smile creeping onto his face.

The screen displayed the aftermath of the sandstorm across various regions. Some residents, having forgotten to close their windows, ended up with several pounds of dust swept from a modest 30-square-meter area within just over an hour—a testament to the storm’s might.

“Controversy over charging fees, plus a sandstorm—ha ha ha!”

Leaning back in his chair, Cole lit a cigar casually.

“Boss, Mingsha City’s ticket policy will drive away locals, and with Mingsha Fudi devastated after the storm, that area’s foot traffic is destined to be slashed in half!”

Across the desk, Vice President Adam laughed along.

“Exactly. Remember that top attraction in a scenic spot of the Long Kingdom that was ruined by an earthquake, reduced to a mere decoration?”

Cole nodded slightly.

After a brief pause,

he added,

“By the way, how’s it going with Fengdu County?”

“Boss, we’ve had initial talks. They’re in contact with other Long Kingdom scenic spots. Once the duststorm passes, they’ll unite to target Mingsha City. By then, restoring its former glory will be impossible.”

Adam replied.

“Yeah, let’s do what we can. If we force Mingsha City to tear down the Second Entertainment City and a few other buildings, their cash flow will definitely suffer. How can they then compete with Dino Park?”

Cole squinted his eyes.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking!”

“Then we just wait for the duststorm to pass.”

“Right!”

As the sun set and rose again, news of the sandstorm’s passage spread across the internet, with short video bloggers livestreaming the unfolding scenes.

On the following afternoon, the duststorm reached Su Province, a sand wall hundreds of meters high looming like an ancient beast that slowly devoured every building in its path.

At eight in the morning on the third day, the duststorm, watched by tens of millions online, entered Tengli Desert.

Perhaps due to the desert’s nature, the storm’s power only intensified after entry. One short video blogger, initially intent on continuing his live broadcast, abruptly ended it with a cry for his mother as daylight turned to darkness.

By noon, the duststorm steadily consumed Mingsha City before moving eastward to engulf the county town of Mingsha County. “Sigh! What a pity!”

On a forum, many netizens, witnessing the scene, couldn’t help but express their astonishment.

To them, with a duststorm of this intensity, the issue with Mingsha City had shifted from ticket charges or the ruin of Mingsha Fudi to whether it could reopen normally post-storm.

Qing Brick Avenue, buried beneath yellow dust, was a foregone conclusion.

Just clearing the roads was a colossal task, not to mention the dust blanketing other buildings.

“Now, let’s just wait for the duststorm to subside a bit and see what announcement Mingsha City comes up with.”

After a long while,

a netizen commented.