Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

In the backyard of the Prince's Mansion, there is a study.

The yellow light flickered on and off.

An old man and a young boy sat cross-legged on the ground.

"Has Erlang gotten into trouble again?" A somewhat aged voice rang out, devoid of any emotion.

"Hmm." The young man sitting cross-legged beside him seemed unwilling to talk about it, and said in a clear voice, "I saw a few things today and I'm a little unsure about them. I would like to ask my grandfather for advice."

As the boy spoke, he recounted everything about the monks and laymen he had met that day, as well as the story of Li Qing.

The aged voice remained silent for a long time.

"If I had known earlier, I would have gone to greet him, even if it meant bowing a few times." He paused, then continued, "That wandering monk is an old immortal in the Taoist sect, of extremely high seniority; as for that monk, though I don't know him, being with that person must mean he's not simple either! As for that young man, you'd better stay put. My Wang family might rise to prominence from our branch in the future... You've got a good opportunity!"

The young man was terrified! Although he was inexperienced in the ways of the world, he had some understanding of the various forces at play—in the Central Plains, besides the Five Surnames and Seven Families, there were also the Buddhist and Taoist sects. And only people like him truly understood the power and influence of the Buddhist and Taoist sects; the more they understood, the more wary they became.

His Wang family was merely one branch of the Taiyuan Wang family, one of the five surnames and seven families.

However, in recent years, the Wang family's power has gradually declined, falling behind other families, while his branch has continued to grow, becoming not much weaker than the main branch...

***

When Li Qing awoke from his deep sleep, he felt a throbbing headache and excruciating pain in his head! It felt as if countless ants were biting him all over his body! He inwardly cursed himself for his greed.

He shook the black gourd and thought: There's still a small half-full gourd left; I'll leave it for Li Linzhi.

Seeing that it was still pitch black outside, Li Qing simply sat on the bed and began to meditate, just like the Buddhist and Taoist priests he had seen on TV.

My thoughts were in a daze, and I felt a cool sensation flowing through my body.

Wherever his breath passed, all the pain in his body disappeared. After circulating it several times, he felt refreshed all over, and his mind became clear.

Li Qing tried to control the energy flowing within his body and was surprised to find that the cool energy was as easy to control as his own limbs!

He seemed to have discovered something interesting, directing the cool air to surge and circulate within his body, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, endlessly, having a great time! In the end, wherever his thoughts led, his breath flowed and changed within him, truly wondrous.

If Li Qing hadn't possessed extraordinary skills, after several such incidents, he would likely have been crippled or even killed, and there wouldn't have been any chance for him to play around with him like this.

"Li Qing, Li Qing! The sun's shining on your bottom! Get up now!" A playful voice called from outside, pulling Li Qing out of her reverie.

Li Qing felt a surge of joy upon hearing the girl's voice.

The girl had learned exactly how he woke her up the other day.

"Coming! Wait a minute!"

Li Qing straightened his clothes, opened the door, and a slender young woman in a tight-fitting blue dress appeared in front of him.

The girl's almond-shaped eyes widened, her lips pouting, as she demanded, "Didn't you say we'd go sightseeing in the city together? Why are you sleeping in all night?"

"Isn't she up now? Hehe, I'll give you a surprise tonight!" Li Qing thought he would return in the evening and give the girl half a gourd of wine.

He dared not drink that stuff again.

After tidying themselves up, the two went out through a small side gate next to the Prince's Mansion, and continued walking along a small alley. After a few turns, they arrived at the main road of Luoyang.

The avenue is nearly 100 meters wide, with water flowing continuously in the ditches on both sides. The leaves of the elm and willow trees along the ditches have all fallen, leaving only a few silver trees. Against the backdrop of the continuous flow of people around, there is no sense of desolation or bleakness, but rather it adds a unique scene to Luoyang!

The long road leads to the sky, and the surrounding houses are like vegetable plots, crisscrossed like a chessboard, all neat and uniform, which is awe-inspiring!

Occasionally, amidst the low, similar-looking houses, a Buddhist or Taoist temple with upturned eaves and red walls would stand out like a crane among chickens, drawing the two curious onlookers...

"what?"

Li Qing looked at the pavilion that suddenly appeared among the low, black-tiled houses around him.

The building is octagonal with upturned eaves and painted beams. It rises from the ground like a pavilion in the sky, transforming into a four-story building that commands a view!

Despite its elaborate and magnificent appearance, it doesn't exhibit the extreme extravagance of wealthy merchants and nobles. Instead, it exudes a unique elegance that makes it dazzling and impossible to ignore, even in Luoyang, the second most beautiful city in the land!

Hearing Li Qing's voice, the girl followed his gaze and saw the elegant, dilapidated building inside the neighborhood. Her curiosity piqued, she disregarded the matters of men and women and pulled Li Qing into the neighborhood.

Next to the gate stands a small stone tablet with the three characters "Qingjingfang" written on it.

The neighborhood was quiet and sparsely populated. Even the few people you encountered were either in a hurry or seemed lost in thought, fiddling with things as if they were pondering something.

After a short drive, we arrived at the Octagon.

Inside the building, there was a golden plaque with the words "Library Pavilion" written on it.

Li Qing, however, felt that the font of those words was somewhat strange yet familiar.

"Hey—Li Qing, those characters look just like yours! They're awful!"

Li Qing was about to answer when he saw a frail, sickly-looking man walk over and say indifferently, "Women and petty men are the most difficult to deal with!"

The frail-looking man seemed disdainful of arguing with the two, and without warning, he headed into the attic.

The girl was annoyed by the frail young man's words and was about to chase after him when Li Qing grabbed her arm!

He didn't want this little miss to cause any more trouble. Looking at that person's small frame, he might not even be able to withstand a single punch from her.

The girl glared fiercely at Li Qing, then looked at the wooden couplet on either side of the pavilion door.

There were two wooden signs, one of which read "No Trespassers Allowed" and the other read "Thieves Keep Out!"

"Hmph! Nonsense! I think you're much better than this person!" The girl was fuming, finding the four characters on the door particularly irritating.

Hey! No admittance for unauthorized personnel, isn't that exactly what they're talking about?

Looking at the angry girl, Li Qing felt happy—it seemed that the girl had gradually emerged from the shadow of her grandfather's death and regained her former temperament.

He looked at the two couplets at the entrance, and they were incredibly familiar to him! He didn't remember many couplets from his previous life, but this one was one of them. The full couplet was: "Idlers are not allowed to enter, virtuous people are allowed to enter; thieves stay away, righteous people come!"

It's just a mystery who cut off the tail, leaving behind this couplet, which is quite amusing.

"Li Qing, what brings you here?"

Just as Li Qing was thinking about how to sneak into the building to take a look, a clear voice suddenly brought him back to his senses.

Li Qing turned around and saw that it was Young Master Wang, followed by several people who were positioned slightly behind him, clearly following Young Master Wang's lead.

"Hehe, Zhi'er and I came over out of curiosity," Li Qing said with a smile.

The people behind Young Master Wang looked at the two people in front of them. Although they had an extraordinary demeanor, their tightly clasped hands were rather indecent, which made them lose the desire to go up and get to know them.

Although scholars also curry favor with the powerful, they value their reputation the most!

Young Master Wang already knew their personalities and didn't take it to heart. "In that case, let's go in and take a look together!"

The men following behind him frowned, but not wanting to offend Young Master Wang, they remained silent.

Li Qing was just worrying about how to sneak in and take a look when, sure enough, his wish came true! His impression of Young Master Wang improved even more.