Ch 132: The World’s Number One Resort

The sky bungee rope was made of a special material. After falling a thousand meters, the speed gradually slowed down. With the wind, Zhou Xingqian felt like a salted fish hanging on a clothesline, swaying in the breeze.

“Whoosh… whoosh…”

Zhou Xingqian was extremely frustrated. After two minutes, the bungee rope tightened and slowly lifted him back up. This was the sky bungee’s high-tech feature, requiring no manual assistance.

“What an image…” Although Zhou Xingqian was hanging upside down, the bungee equipment made him feel no discomfort. However, the thought of himself dangling like a salted fish left him speechless.

He had sacrificed a lot for this show…

Amidst his frustration, Zhou Xingqian was finally pulled back up.

Zhou Xingqian removed his protective gear and took a deep breath. That moment of descent and ascent was truly exhilarating.

“Man, you actually jumped from a height of two thousand meters, how cool is that?”

“Oh gosh, two thousand meters high! Just looking at it makes my legs go weak.”

“Zhou, that was impressive. Now you’ll never be afraid of dangerous wirework again.”

…

Zhou Xingqian returned to the group, and the other celebrity dads came forward to tease him. After witnessing his descent, they all felt relieved that they hadn’t lost.

“Mr. Zhou, how was the bungee experience?” The group bantered for a while, and Zheng Haitao curiously asked. They didn’t dare try it themselves, but watching a two-thousand-meter bungee jump was thrilling.

Everyone was eager to hear about Zhou Xingqian’s experience.

“It was thrilling but not scary, though looking down was terrifying. The view up there was incredible.”

Zhou Xingqian opened a bottle of water, thinking carefully before answering. He had indeed been scared when he jumped, but once suspended mid-air with the wind brushing past his ears, it was incredibly refreshing. It was a strange feeling. Of course, it would have been better if the rope had pulled him back up a bit faster…

“Dad, you were amazing!” As Zhou Xingqian mulled over his experience, little Kaikai ran over with a chubby smile, full of pride.

When Zhou Xingqian jumped off the cliff earlier, Kaikai had bragged a lot in front of his little friends. As Kaikai ran over, the other kids also came trotting over, all looking at Zhou Xingqian with admiration.

“You…” Zhou Xingqian picked up Kaikai, feeling a bit embarrassed. He kept a straight face, but being admired by so many little kids… it was oddly satisfying.

In this chorus of praises, the second day of filming for “Treasure travel” came to a successful end. The parents discussed among themselves and decided to visit the Sky Castle.

According to the Sora map, Sky Bungee and Sky Castle were five kilometers apart. It wasn’t exactly close, but they could walk there with the kids.

After a quick rest, the group set off in high spirits.

As the five pairs of fathers and children enjoyed their adventure, the program crew began tidying up the bungee setup.

“Director Liu, the scene went well. Do you think we need to redesign the later parts?”

Liu Ke adjusted the front camera as a staff member in his thirties with a baby face approached to ask. He was the chief writer of “Treasure travel,” mainly responsible for designing the game’s rules and flow.

With the variety shows flourishing in China, to grab attention, tactics like ‘celebrity clashes’ and ‘on-set mishaps’ were common tricks of the trade. Before the filming of “Treasure travel 3” started, the writers had planned several conflict-rich scripts, confident about the shoot. However, he found the reality quite different when the actual filming began.

From yesterday till now, aside from the house selection scene, the parent-child interactions and the celebrity interactions were smooth as could be. The writer wasn’t quite sure if a show without conflicts or drama could still attract the audience.

Liu Ke understood the writer’s concern. He stepped aside and gestured for him to look at the screen.

“Come on, Dad!”

“Look, there’s a plane…”

This was the scene right before Zhou Xingqian’s bungee jump. Due to the high altitude, the scene was vast and open. Paired with the blue sky and white clouds, it was a magnificent spectacle.

“How does it look?” The entire clip lasted twenty seconds. After watching it, Liu Ke asked.

“The setting is great and very captivating,” the writer replied honestly. It felt like watching a Hollywood scenic blockbuster.

“Let’s just do our job of following the shoot. We don’t need to forcefully arrange the script,” Liu Ke smiled. Compared to various conflict-driven plots, this might be the right way to present “Treasure travel 3.”

The young writer pondered thoughtfully.

…

“Wow, a rainbow castle! And a snowy mountain? This is so cool.”

“Is there a princess in the castle? Will she kick us out?”

“Daddy, look at these pretty flowers! Can I pick one?”

While Liu Ke and the junior director were busy organizing props, the four celebrity fathers, led by Zheng Haitao, finally arrived at the Sky Castle.

As soon as they saw the castle, everyone let out a gasp of amazement. Surrounded by seasonal landscapes, the Sky Castle felt like a kingdom straight out of a fairy tale, a world full of freedom and dreams.

“Welcome back, brave warriors.” Amidst the lively photo-taking, a group of soldiers clad in silver armor riding white horses approached. At the front was a minister dressed in a blue suit.

The minister bowed to Zheng Haitao and the others.

“Lord Zack, there’s no need for all this formality…” Zheng Haitao scratched his head. Even though he knew it was all just a roleplay, acting it out in front of so many people still made him feel a bit shy.

“Her Majesty, the Queen, has already prepared dinner for you. Your friends are also welcome to join.” Zack smiled and bowed again as three pumpkin-shaped carriages slowly rolled up.

“This is amazing!”

The five little ones’ eyes lit up at the sight of the carriages. They looked just like the pumpkin carriage from “Adeline’s Fairy Tale.” The kids felt like they were about to faint from happiness.

“Thank you,” Zheng Haitao replied, bowing in return. And so, under the escort of the soldiers, Zheng Haitao and his group rode the carriages toward the castle.

The Sky Kingdom’s commercial area was still bustling. It looked like a European medieval market with numerous residents dressed in cake-like dresses and lace hats wandering around. On both sides of the market, various vendors sold flowers and fruits, creating a lively scene.

“What a beautiful dress! Is this really a fairy tale world?”

“Are there witches here? I want to make a wish to a witch.”

“Witches are evil! You should make a wish to a princess. She’ll give you a big house…”

The five kids were amazed the whole way; this place was too cool. As they continued to experience this enchanting world, the pumpkin carriages moved forward and soon arrived inside the castle.

Everyone disembarked, and under Zack’s guidance, they headed toward the banquet hall.

The Queen’s banquet hall covered more than 600 square meters. The grand hall was lavishly decorated, with medieval-themed murals adorning the walls. On both sides stood nearly twenty maids and knights.

In the center of the hall was a massive dining table, nearly ten meters long, laden with a dazzling array of dishes. Rows of candles flickered on the table, enhancing the grandeur of the room.

Zheng Haitao and the others walked in.

Queen Kelly sat at the head of the table in a black gown, gently swirling a glass of red wine. Though not stunningly beautiful, she exuded an imposing aura befitting the Sky Queen.

“My warrior, are these your friends? I have prepared a grand feast; please enjoy.” As they entered, Queen Kelly raised her head. At the same time, the maids stepped forward and pulled out chairs for everyone.

“Unbelievable,” Zhou Xingqian and the others were momentarily stunned. Although they were famous in China, with most of them being actors except Zhang Yun, they had played roles like imperial generals and failed scholars many times.

They all considered themselves skilled actors, but standing before “Queen Kelly,” they realized they were no match.

“Thank you, Queen Kelly,” they responded after a brief pause, treating the moment like a scene in a movie.

Queen Kelly nodded slightly, and the maids pulled out the chairs, allowing everyone to take their seats.

Under Queen Kelly’s powerful aura, the five little ones, for once, behaved themselves. They accepted that they were being hosted by the fairy tale queen and felt like the luckiest kids.

“Let’s eat.”

A minute later, Queen Kelly picked up her knife and fork, signaling to Zheng Haitao and the others to begin the meal. The dishes mainly consisted of steak, fruit salad, and foie gras. Though not as good as Aunt Miley’s cooking, it was a royal banquet, and the taste was top-notch.

The royal orchestra began playing the crwth, and the filming crew captured every moment carefully.

In this serene atmosphere, everyone enjoyed the meal.

“Wow, that crwth performance was amazing.”

Half an hour later, they left the banquet hall. Zhang Yun sighed with admiration. The crwth is one of Wales’s ancient string instruments, known only to a niche group of musicians who pursue it for its historical significance. As a music student, Zhang Yun could clearly hear the depth of skill behind the seemingly simple music.

A sky castle, a crwth band… he couldn’t fathom how much the Great Tang Resort had invested in this.

After leaving the banquet hall, they wandered around for a while before reluctantly leaving the Sky Castle.

Time was running short, and next time, they vowed to explore every nook and cranny.

“Let’s head back.” Zheng Haitao stood at the castle gate to see the others off. After Zhou Xingqian and his group left, he pinched Zheng Lele’s cheek.

Zheng Lele nodded enthusiastically. That evening, he had made his presence known among his little friends.

Zheng Haitao was amused by Zheng Lele’s expression. They strolled around the Sky District for a bit before heading back to the lookout tower. With a gentle night breeze blowing, they gazed up at the starry sky and had a restful sleep.

Over the next two days, they explored Bianjing Ancient City, Snow village, and Thrilling Racing, among other various activities. The Great Tang Edition of Treasure travel was originally planned to be a three-episode series, but there was so much material to cover at the Great Tang Resort that the crew had a hard time deciding what to keep. After careful consideration, they decided to extend the shoot by two more days.

With the equipment already set up and the Great Tang Resort being a sponsor, the extra footage didn’t add much to the cost.

On the third day, the five-day Treasure travel recording came to an end. After some rest, the celebrity guests would leave the next afternoon, while the set crew would depart two days later.

Reluctant to say goodbye, everyone decided to visit the Sky Forest one last time.

They set their destination to the Sky Commercial District. The Great Tang Resort now had a daily visitor count of around 30,000. As the reputation of the Sky Forest grew, the Sky Commercial District also became one of the more popular attractions.

Visitors couldn’t enter the castle area, but experiencing a taste of medieval commerce was still a unique experience.

“Wait, where’s Teacher Zhang?”

“Haven’t seen him.” An hour after splitting up, four groups reunited, but Zhang Yun was missing.

“Hey, did you see Teacher Zhang?”

“He was at the bakery on the south side…”

Zhou Xingqian and the others checked with the production crew. After a brief discussion, the four groups headed to the coordinates sent by the crew.

“Sob, sob…”

“Xinxin, let’s stop crying.”

The Sky Bakery was a quaint little shop with a large patch of lilacs growing at the entrance. Sitting at the door was a small figure, sobbing intermittently.

A middle-aged man in his forties was patiently trying to comfort her.

“Mr. Zhang, what happened?” The man and the girl were Zhang Yun and Zhang Xinxin. Seeing the scene, Zheng Haitao and the others hurried over to ask.

It seemed Xinxin had been crying for a while.

“Well, it’s like this…”

“Woo… Queen Kelly, she’s not a real queen.”

Zhang Yun was about to explain when Zhang Xinxin pointed to the bluestone road nearby, looking utterly stunned.

Only then did everyone notice a blonde woman with European features standing at the entrance of the Sky Bakery. She was dressed in a yellow short-sleeved shirt, beige shorts, and a baseball cap, embodying a trendy style.

The woman, holding a bag of bread, looked at the group with a helpless expression.

Her nose was dotted with freckles—it was none other than Queen Kelly.

Everyone suddenly understood. It was like discovering as a child that the hero in the movies was real, only to realize the hero was just the neighbor next door. This abrupt shattering of their worldview was not a pleasant feeling…

“Daddy, is the castle fake? Is the kingdom fake too?” The scene grew quiet. Zhang Xinxin sniffled, looking up nervously.

She had adored Queen Kelly ever since the banquet in the hall. Her mother always taught her to be a princess, and while Queen Kelly was not a princess, she was even more perfect.

A queen was like a cloud in the sky; how could she wear shorts to buy bread?

“Sniff—” The thought made Xinxin’s nose sting with the urge to cry again.

Zhang Yun rubbed his forehead. Although Xinxin was usually obedient, when she cried, she was even harder to console than Zhou Kaikai.

He felt a bit helpless.

“Xinxin…”

“Little one.”

Just as Zhang Yun was about to speak, Queen Kelly picked a lilac flower from nearby and handed it to Xinxin.

“This is for you.” Kelly smiled. In contrast to her cold, aloof demeanor in the palace, she now seemed warm and kind, like a girl-next-door.

“Then, are you really the queen?” Xinxin sniffed. She was still fixated on the fairytale queen…

“Yes, even a queen has to go off duty, just like how your daddy has to get off work,” Kelly replied, her eyes curving with a smile.

“I like the queen,” Xinxin said, looking at Kelly and the small lilac flower before finally accepting it.

She liked Queen Kelly and the Sky Castle.

“Her acting…” In just a few words, Kelly had stopped Xinxin’s tears, brightening her mood. Meanwhile, Zhou Xingqian and the others exchanged glances, utterly impressed by the interaction.

Her acting was superb!

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️