Chapter 56: The Pavilion Spectacle
by xennovel“That’s right. When I saw those columns, my first thought was that Xu Hao was about to stir up trouble. It’s nearly impossible to find a pavilion in the Long Kingdom with pillars this thick,” someone remarked.
At the mention of the columns, Feng Wancheng quickly jumped in.
Even as the head of the Su Province Cultural Relics Bureau—who had seen his fair share of ancient pavilions—he was taken aback by those very pillars.
“Old Feng, have a bit of confidence. Ditch the maybes! Xu Hao’s been pulling a lot of strings and hiring plenty of helpers. Could so many people really be needed for a simple pavilion?”
Li Jue took a delicate sip of his fragrant tea.
“So we just wait and see Xu Hao’s pavilion then. By the way, construction should begin tomorrow.”
“Seems like it!”
“Then get some rest early! We’re going to check it out tomorrow.”
The sun rose in the east, and the desert morning was refreshingly cool—the best time of day. One by one, the windows facing the small lake at the guesthouse were opened.
Despite the online buzz, the first wave of tourists remained unaffected—in fact, they grew fonder of the place. Waking up to a stroll by the small lake and a boardwalk overlooking a breathtaking desert sunrise was pure bliss.
“I heard a streamer yesterday was hyping up that Brother Hao doesn’t need to build another pavilion.”
Tourists, some late risers and some early birds, ambled along a brick path as two young people chatted. “Heh, I saw it. That streamer who did a challenge in Ning’an is called Zhang Chi. He built a wooden four-cornered pavilion and acted like he was unbeatable. It was actually Brother Hao who first came up with the idea of a pavilion on Shaji.”
“That’s true, but some people just love the novelty. Right now, with Brother Hao building another pavilion, it’s probably hard to draw more attention on the platform.”
“Who cares about platform views? We support him! Only by coming to the Shadou area can you appreciate the significance of this pavilion. Standing there, gazing over an endless desert—it’s simply amazing!”
“I hear what you’re saying. Is Brother Hao planning to go live?”
Just as one of them was about to add something, they suddenly noticed a commotion near the log cabin and froze in place.
It turned out that Xu Hao had already begun setting up a live broadcast rig in the small courtyard, while several workers were arriving at its doorstep.
“Let’s go check it out!”
“Let’s go!”
Within a dozen minutes, noticing the activity, Li Jue and the other tourists rushed to the fenced courtyard where workers had already gathered, packing the area to the brim.
Some tourists even gave Xu Hao a thumbs-up, shouting encouragement for Brother Hao.
At that moment, Xu Hao just went live.
He first greeted the onlookers outside the courtyard—Li Jue and the others—before turning his attention to the live chat.
Meanwhile, the live room had already exploded with activity.
Whether it was the neighbor stirring up the conversation or Xu Hao’s loyal fans rallying behind him, the audience count soared to a new high of 300,000.
That number even surpassed the count from his solo challenge days.
The comment section quickly split into two raging factions. “Why bother building another pavilion? Zhang Chi already did his!”
“Exactly. I’d suggest the streamer try something different—after all, Zhang Chi didn’t even use nails or wood glue.”
“What do you know? Brother Hao’s pavilion is meant for viewing. It simply has to be built.”
“Viewing pavilion? Zhang Chi’s creation hardly qualifies as one, and he only managed to put it up during a survival challenge.”
“Hurry up! Stop the broadcast—there’s no comparison with Zhang Chi!”
“Right, Zhang Chi did it all by himself, while this streamer seems to have hired a whole crew.”
“Heh, he’s just asking for trouble.”
Ignoring the criticism, Xu Hao nonchalantly greeted his viewers and then plunged into his explanation: “Friends, I already said that building this pavilion doesn’t require nails or wood glue. I welcome any onlookers to come inspect the wood. In fact, many have already arrived, standing right outside the fenced courtyard. Please, have a look at all the materials.”
Immediately, he shifted the live camera toward the dozens of tourists gathered outside the courtyard.
He continued, “Everyone, feel free to inspect. If you spot any issues, point them out right here on the live chat. You can even stream from your phone if you like!”
“Alright, Brother Hao.”
Wow! The tourists, who had been curious from the start, swarmed into the courtyard to inspect the wood.
A few minutes later,
the tourists began posting comments in the live chat: “Checked it out—everything’s in perfect shape!”
“Every piece is spotless, and there’s no sign of wood glue.”
“I bet those haters wouldn’t have a chance if they had even the smallest thing to complain about.”
They all confirmed to other viewers that the wood and components were flawless.
“Ha, loads of talk. So what if the wood’s good? Zhang Chi already showed us what he can do.”
Still, the hecklers couldn’t be silenced.
“Alright, since everything’s in order, let’s get to work. Li, organize the workers to move the wood.”
Not bothering with the naysayers, Xu Hao pressed on, camera in hand, and headed toward Shaji.
“Alright, Brother Hao!”
The foreman on the other side nodded gravely and shouted back to his crew, “Guys, start work now. Move the planks in order—don’t mess up the sequence!”
As the sun climbed higher,
an hour later, Xu Hao’s live room began to quiet down, with heckler comments dwindling steadily.
No other reason:
It was clear that Xu Hao’s pavilion base had taken shape—spanning a whopping 40 to 50 square meters, while Zhang Chi’s small wooden pavilion base was only about four square meters. Xu Hao’s was on a whole different level.
“One-two, lift it! One-two, lift it!”
Another hour later, with a dozen helpers hoisting and installing eight log columns as thick as a bucket, the live chat scarcely saw any heckler comments.
Built atop the highest point of Shaji and reinforced with eight solid logs, the pavilion’s grandeur was unmistakable.
At that moment, Xu Hao grabbed his hammer and climbed onto a temporary wooden platform.
“Li, place log number one!”
“Li, log number two!”
“Li, logs eight and nine!”
“Li, log number 389!”
Before anyone knew it, it was noon. Despite it being time for lunch and a break, not one tourist left—they were completely absorbed in what resembled a live ‘show of craftsmanship.’
Everyone felt the same way: absolutely awesome!
Even the big shots—Li Jue, Dong Liping, and Feng Wancheng—were equally captivated. Li Jue, in particular, was glued to Xu Hao’s every detail, determined not to miss a single move.
The audience in the live room was the same: not only did the viewer count not drop, it kept climbing, reaching 350,000. This catapulted Xu Hao’s live stream straight into the trending section on KuaiDou.
Yet none of this slowed Xu Hao down; the construction continued.
“Li, install the glazed tiles on the top—section one!”
“Li, angled glazed tile, section fifteen!”
“Li, carved wood, section one!”
By the time Xu Hao had shouted Li’s name countless times that day, dusk had fallen, and new viewers joining the stream were quick to type a time-honored phrase in the chat.
It turned out that Xu Hao’s pavilion had finally taken shape. The pavilion measured three bays across and one and a half bays deep, its roof forming an inverted treasure character in three diminishing tiers.
The design featured a double-eaved, eight-column structure with blue glazed tiles, upholding the intricate brackets. The pavilion boasted an octagonal, double-eaved roof with upturned eaves and a striking pinnacle. The ridge even sported decorative beast figures that, from afar, looked as though they might take flight.
As if that weren’t enough, Xu Hao had hung two plaques on either side of the pavilion facing the desert.
The inscriptions read, “A Decade of Conquering the Desert, Miles of Everlasting Peace. Swords Forged in the Cold Sun, Standards Swayed by Gloom.”
In an instant,
the wooden pavilion exuded an overwhelming, majestic presence.
If Zhang Chi’s pavilion could be seen as the grandson, then Xu Hao’s work was nothing short of the grand patriarch—capable of outclassing it in every way. The small wooden pavilion wasn’t even in the same league as Xu Hao’s creation.