Ch 45: The World’s Number One Resort

Tang Huai switched to the lucky draw interface. The large wheel still displayed fifty red slots. With some experience from previous tries, Tang Huai refreshed the wheel three times and then directly pressed the start button.

“Ding, congratulations to the host for obtaining [Bianjing Style] — Intermediate.”

Three seconds later, the wheel stopped, and a palm-sized, tea-colored card appeared in front of Tang Huai. The card was smooth, with only the words “[Bianjing Style]” on it and no other information. Tang Huai opened the card’s detailed interface.

[Bianjing Style]: Scenery card, limited to intermediate zones and above.

The description of “[Bianjing Style]” was quite standard, and Tang Huai felt as though luck was on his side. Both Blue Sea Lake and Snow Village were beginner-level cards, but this time, he unexpectedly drew an intermediate card…

Tang Huai opened the island’s layout map.

Blue Sea Lake and Snow Village occupied areas 1 and 15, respectively. Tang Huai had previously divided the zones, designating areas 1 to 25 as beginner-level, 35 to 45 as advanced, and the remaining areas as intermediate. Since “[Bianjing Style]” was an intermediate card, it could only be used in an intermediate zone.

After examining the layout, Tang Huai decided to place the next attraction closer, reducing unnecessary travel. After some consideration, he placed “[Bianjing Style]” in area 26.

The island’s layout was an irregular circle, with each zone adjacent to others. Snow Village, situated in area 15, bordered four other zones, including area 26. In the future, visitors could explore Snow Village and then proceed to “Little Bianjing” without much hassle. “Little Bianjing” was the nickname Tang Huai had just thought of. Judging from the name “[Bianjing Style],” it seemed to depict ancient capital-style architecture.

With his decision made, Tang Huai placed the card on area 26.

“Conditions met… Proceed with use?” The system’s friendly prompt sounded.

“Confirm.” Tang Huai replied without hesitation.

As soon as he spoke, the card gradually dissolved. Area 26, which had previously been shrouded in a gray mist, suddenly became vivid and clear.

In a flash, a grand, ancient city slowly took shape in area 26. “[Bianjing Style]” turned out to be just as Tang Huai had imagined—an ancient Chinese city. However…

Tang Huai observed closely. The entire city was filled with many ancient people dressed in intricate clothing, all frozen in place as if someone had pressed a pause button.

These ancient figures stood stiffly in the streets and alleys of the city, completely motionless.

Tang Huai didn’t have the authority to zoom in on the island’s layout, so he could only make out rough human outlines without seeing specific details.

Something about it felt off…

It was now 8:20 PM. Tang Huai glanced at the moonlight and, after some thought, put on a jacket and headed toward the Blue Sea Road.

It was already late October, and the weather was a bit chilly. Tang Huai tightened his jacket and found a balance bike by the roadside. An hour later, he arrived at Snow Village. Although Snow Village and area 26 were adjacent, there was no direct road connecting them; one had to navigate around three mountain peaks to reach it…

After pondering for a moment, Tang Huai gritted his teeth and opened the system shop.

Purchased item: [Mountain Road], 200,000 island points.

Buy, buy, buy!

To prosper, build roads first. Tang Huai had 260,000 reputation points in his pocket. After this purchase, he was left with just 60,000.

The proximity between area 15 and area 26 was the reason the [Mountain Road] was so inexpensive. If the distance was similar to that between Blue Sea Forest and Snow Village, the price would have been at least ten times higher.

Once the purchase was complete, Tang Huai opened the island’s layout map, and a thin “rubber strip” continuously stretched out in his hand.

Starting from the endpoint of the Blue Sea Snow Village road, Tang Huai pulled a long line—although the two areas were adjacent, the Blue Sea Snow Village road was located on the northern side of Snow Village, while area 26 was connected to the east side. Thus, taking the outer route, there was a 20-kilometer distance between them.

Having already traveled 50 kilometers, another 20 didn’t seem like much. With the rubber road in place, the new route gradually took shape, and soon, the Snow Village-Bianjing road was complete.

Tang Huai grabbed a thick down jacket from Snow Village, bundled up, and continued on his way. He rode a handlebar-style balance bike, which wasn’t fast, but it was steady and effortless.

With moonlight as his companion, Tang Huai cruised along the wide asphalt road, feeling refreshed.

Thirty minutes later, he arrived at area 26.

“Bianjing City?” Tang Huai got off the bike, his expression turning a bit strange upon seeing the scene before him. About 500 meters away stood a magnificent, awe-inspiring ancient city. Mist and clouds surrounded the city, and even at night, it exuded a hazy, ethereal aura.

The three characters for “Bianjing City” were hidden within the mist.

What surprised Tang Huai wasn’t the name or the mist but the sheer scale of the city itself…

When he was in college, Tang Huai had visited many tourist attractions like Xi’an and the Forbidden City, so he had seen plenty of ancient Chinese architecture. The majesty of the Forbidden City, the grandeur of the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum… Every ancient city had its unique charm.

However, this Bianjing City resembled the ancient Bianjing of China, but its size had been magnified more than twenty times, making it look like a city straight out of a xianxia (immortal hero) novel.

This was an intermediate-level area. The road ahead was smooth, so Tang Huai mounted his balance bike again and proceeded forward.

The city ahead was so vast that Tang Huai doubted he could explore it all on foot.

Three minutes later, Tang Huai arrived at the base of Bianjing City. Looking up, the city appeared like a holy capital towering into the clouds, evoking a sense of awe and inaccessibility.

Tang Huai was momentarily stunned but then continued into Bianjing City. Contrary to its imposing exterior, the inside revealed a bustling and prosperous scene.

As seen on the island map, there were many ancient figures in the city. However, these figures were all twenty times their normal size—statues, vividly lifelike, capturing expressions of joy, anger, and laughter.

The statues, cast in a deep bronze color, were twenty times larger than usual. Tang Huai approached one of the soldier statues. Dressed in armor, the soldier looked sternly forward. Standing next to its foot, Tang Huai realized he barely reached the soldier’s ankle.

It felt as though he had entered the land of giants.

Not only was Bianjing City elevated in height, but its area was also twenty times larger than the ancient Kaifeng Prefecture of China. Tang Huai continued exploring on his balance bike. Since it was nighttime, visibility within the city was low, so he turned on his phone’s flashlight.

Directly in front of him was a long caravan of camels, scattered courtyards, and a groom escorting his bride… The scene before him felt familiar.

The detailed, lifelike statues formed a vibrant scene. After riding for another half-hour, the view suddenly opened up. In front of him was a long canal with an arched bridge.

Around the bridge were bustling docks, grain stores, flower markets, and bird shops. This appeared to be the marketplace of Bianjing City.

At the sight of the bridge, Tang Huai finally realized why the scene seemed so familiar—it was from “Along the River During the Qingming Festival.”

Bianjing City perfectly recreated the scenes depicted in the famous painting. Tang Huai felt like Gulliver, having ventured into a world of giants.

He rode his balance bike around the arched bridge for a while, and before he knew it, it was already 2 AM. The world was silent. Tang Huai tightened his jacket and entered a nearby inn named “Jixiang Ruyi” (Auspicious and Prosperous).

The inn’s threshold was almost as high as Tang Huai himself… Looking around, he spotted a small broken notch on the right side of the threshold. After much effort, Tang Huai managed to squeeze through it.

Perhaps due to its prime location, the first floor of the inn was filled with over thirty guests. They gathered in groups of two or three around ten wine tables.

Most of these guests were male, dressed in traditional Song Dynasty attire. Some were playing finger-guessing games, while others were drinking, creating a lively scene. This was an image not depicted in “Along the River During the Qingming Festival.” The [Bianjing Style] not only recreated the scenery of the famous painting but also added a touch of its own realism.

Tang Huai climbed up one of the table legs and onto the tabletop, which had several bronze-colored statue-like bowls and chopsticks. Beef, braised noodles, roasted chicken… The food laid out was quite sumptuous.

Nearby, a waiter was frozen in the act of serving wine to the neighboring table, while the innkeeper was busy with an abacus. Tang Huai waddled around on his short legs for half an hour on the first floor before heading to the second floor.

The stairs were steep, and it took Tang Huai some time to climb up.

The second floor was the guest quarters, divided into three categories: Jia, Yi, and Bing, equivalent to today’s standard rooms and luxury suites.

The guest room doors were made of wood. Tang Huai pushed one open and walked inside. The traditional room had a square Eight Immortals table and a carved bed, which wasn’t particularly luxurious. The only things made of bronze in Bianjing City were the resident statues.

On the carved bed were a jade pillow and a silk quilt. The jade pillow was a bit too high, but the silk quilt could barely cover him. Tang Huai decided to stay here for the night.

On the table, there was a red candle and a fire striker. Tang Huai struggled for a while to lift the striker.

After half a minute, the candle was lit, instantly brightening the room.

The window was open, allowing a cool breeze to flow in, making the room feel chilly. Tang Huai climbed onto the windowsill, turned on his phone’s flashlight, and looked out. Bianjing City resembled a bustling ancient capital frozen in time.

Here, everything from statues to winehouses to handcarts was magnified twenty times. Looking down, Tang Huai felt like he was standing on the rooftop of a fifty-story building.

In the moonlight, the view below was somewhat eerie… like being alone at night in the Terracotta Army pit.

Tang Huai raised his phone again.

With his experiences at the crystal bridge and the icy paths, the scene before him was manageable.

After observing for a while, he switched his phone to night mode and filmed a ten-second short video.

Tang Huai edited, trimmed, and added trending music from Douyin, then clicked send. This was the first short video posted on the @GreatTangOverseasResort Douyin account.

Douyin (also known as TikTok) is a popular short-video music social app in China with over a billion downloads. Many of Tang Huai’s friends frequently uploaded short videos on Douyin, though only a few managed to get more than a hundred likes.

After uploading the video on Douyin, Tang Huai posted a similar one on Weibo. By the time he finished, it was already 3 AM.

He climbed onto the carved bed and lifted the massive quilt. Both the quilt and the bed were so large and heavy that he felt like Thumbelina… or rather, The Thumb Prince.

Amidst these scattered thoughts, Tang Huai drifted into a deep sleep.

There was a twelve-hour time difference between China and Sora Island, so as Tang Huai slept, it was just 3 PM in China.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️