Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

Li Xingzhi had finally made up his mind about Wang Xiucai!

Li Xingzhi placed the beef near the fire, and then, as if by magic, produced three small white porcelain bowls from somewhere.

As soon as Wang Xiucai held the bowl in his hand, he felt its exquisite thinness; gently stroking it, he felt its exceptional delicacy, truly embodying the description "the river water is as lustrous as piled-up fat." The smooth, translucent blue-and-white glaze paired with the white body created an even more elegant and refined effect.

Although Wang Xiucai had fallen on hard times, he was still a scholar, and he was particularly fond of these refined trinkets, handling them over and over again. Little Dog Egg watched Li Xingzhi's magic tricks with starry eyes, his adoration making Li Xingzhi a little embarrassed. While Little Dog Egg was quite fond of the delicate porcelain bowl, he didn't forget the most important thing—

Li Xingzhi first served the little dog a bowl of soup that was said to be made by Huang Rong, then served himself a bowl and drank it happily, ignoring the demon-possessed scholar.

Good Match Soup: The soup that Huang Rong specially prepared in order to trick Hong Qigong into giving her the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms; it is made with cherries, pigeons, bamboo shoots, lotus leaves and other ingredients, and is beautiful in color, fragrant and delicious!

Drawn by the aroma of the soup, Wang Xiucai saw dozens of bright red cherries floating in the clear, emerald-green broth, along with seven or eight pink petals, and tender bamboo shoots at the bottom. The red, white, and green colors shimmered beautifully, and the soup exuded the delicate fragrance of lotus leaves. Seeing this, he forgot everything else, ladled out a bowl of soup, and took a delightful sip. He felt utterly blissful, like a god. He thought to himself, "This delicious soup is worth more than an emperor!"

Li Xingzhi ignored him and grabbed a large piece of beef, chewing it heartily. The beef was fragrant, juicy, and flavorful! It was absolutely delicious!

Cooked beef: sourced from renowned restaurants and inns, like Yue Lai Inn. Add a touch of top-quality Daughter's Red wine, and it becomes a favorite among countless martial arts heroes! Li Xingzhi ate a few bites of beef and glanced at the jar of wine beside him. He picked up the jar, removed the seal, and the aroma of the wine immediately filled the air, attracting the attention of the two people beside him.

"Top-grade Daughter's Red!" Li Xingzhi said. Then, turning to the little dog Egg who was staring at the wine jar, he said, "You're too young to drink!" He then produced two milky-white, lustrous cups from somewhere, poured two cups of wine, and handed one to the scholar.

Wang Xiucai carefully picked up the cup and saw that the wine inside was fragrant and enticing, amber in color, transparent, clear, pure and lovely.

He gently picked up the wine glass, carefully took a sip. It tasted slightly sweet at first, then a bit sour and bitter, followed by a spicy kick.

But it also reminded him of that flower-like woman—so sweet when he first met her, but later, when he heard that she had married, he felt bitter. And when he thought of her death, tears flowed down his face along with the burning sensation in his mind, and he could not stop them!

Seeing the scholar's fluctuating moods—sometimes laughing, sometimes crying, and sometimes bursting into tears—Li Xingzhi didn't bother with him. After all, everyone has their own story and secrets, and he didn't like others prying into their lives, nor did he want to.

Li Xingzhi took a sip of Nu'er Hong wine, but found the taste to be just so-so. It was a bit too sweet, and the bitterness and spiciness that followed were even more unpalatable to him. It seemed that this product was just famous for its name!

Some things, you can never truly understand until you experience them. Just like Li Xingzhi can never truly taste the bittersweet flavor of that Daughter's Red wine, he doesn't understand why Wang Xiucai is crying and laughing like that. Later lives may seem exciting, but the actual experiences are often less. Stories are just stories; you can't truly empathize with them!

The three of them ate and drank, and time passed quickly.

Only after the three of them finished eating did Li Xingzhi notice Da Huang and Diandian, who had been faithfully guarding the door, and felt a little apologetic. He then prepared a large bowl of cooked beef and a small bowl of delicious soup for them. He truly treated them like family!

Li Xingzhi wasn't worried about wasting food. Putting aside how much beef was in the store, the system's automatic replenishment function was enough to keep him eating forever! He also got a bottle of jade honey for the two little snakes, which was just right for them.

Just as Li Xingzhi was about to go find Xiao Jinzi, he turned around and saw a chubby little mouse practicing drunken boxing next to a wine jar. The mouse had overturned the wine jar, but luckily there wasn't much wine left inside.

Looking at the messy little temple, it seems it needs to be tidied up properly.

Li Xingzhi first extinguished the fire and piled the firewood in the back corner. Then he used a long feather duster to remove the dust from the temple roof and Buddha statues, and wiped the tables and chairs in the temple clean with a rag. Finally, he exchanged the old monk's broom for the broom and swept and mopped the floor clean.

Looking back at the small temple, which was dilapidated but clean and tidy, a sense of accomplishment welled up inside me.

Li Xingzhi couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the little dog's face, a patchwork of black and white, along with the few bits of grass on his head. As for the scholar, he remained lying in the corner like a lump of mud, drawing circles to himself.

Li Xingzhi ignored him and exchanged a large wooden tub of bathwater from the system's miscellaneous items. The bathwater was steaming hot! There were too many of these things in the system, and most of them had been used, which was really an eyesore!

The two stripped off their clothes and immediately plunged into the hot soup. The temperature was just right—hot enough, but not scalding. Li Xingzhi first washed the little dog, Dan, thoroughly cleaning him, even his genitals. Then he had Dan scrub his back, using an absolutely all-natural cleaning agent!

Soon, the two finished showering. Li Xingzhi had already placed the clothes he had selected from the system on the altar outside, ready for them to use.

Li Xingzhi wore a dark blue round-necked robe, with hidden buttons connecting the front and a leather belt around his waist. After putting on the robe, Li Xingzhi straightened the hem, his long hair flowing over his shoulders, and he looked refreshed! Li Xingzhi looked around, took a few steps, and was very satisfied! To an outsider, his actions would have resembled those of Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, dressed in human clothes.

Shaking off his clothes, Li Xingzhi felt quite satisfied with the fabric's friction against his skin. What he found regrettable was that this type of clothing had disappeared in later generations.

Most people no longer know what Hanfu is; they only see some people wearing incongruous so-called "Tang suits" and parading around! In later generations, Chinese people often refer to themselves as Huaxia.

What is Huaxia? It is said that "Hua is a great nation with magnificent ceremonial robes and ornaments." It is also said that "China is called Xia because of its great rites and ceremonies; and it is called Hua because of its beautiful ceremonial robes and ornaments."

The so-called "beauty of clothing" has been lost even in the clothing of their own ethnic group, so how can they still be called "Hua"? The so-called "great etiquette" has been lost beyond hypocrisy and politeness, even the basic moral bottom line has been lost, so how can they still be called "Xia"?

What a cruel irony this is about China!

"After the Battle of Yamen, there was no more China!" While this is an exaggeration, it's not entirely untrue. Since the Song Dynasty, the traditional culture of the nation has gradually been lost, and it has never been able to reach another peak. Since the Manchu Qing Dynasty's "shaving the head and changing clothes," Han Chinese clothing has disappeared into history; thereafter, the Chinese civilization was no more!

Li Xingzhi shook his head vigorously. He had already returned to the Tang Dynasty, and there was no point in thinking about these things anymore.

At this moment, Xiao Gou Dan's clothes were also ready. Li Xing's clothes were similar, also dark blue. His hair was short, so it was simply tied up with a wide cloth strip, making him look very energetic.

As the saying goes, clothes make the man. With his newfound style and the good food he'd been eating lately, Li Xingzhi looked radiant with rosy lips and white teeth, exuding an ethereal, otherworldly charm. The little dog, Egg, standing beside him was a veritable little fairy.

Li Xingzhi then redeemed a bucket of hot water from the system, placed the clothes he needed to change into on the offering table, and then woke up the scholar, urging him to take a bath.

The scholar, not one to fuss, readily took off his clothes and entered the bathtub. While the scholar was bathing, Li Xingzhi threw out his own and Xiao Gou Dan's worn-out burlap clothes, along with the scholar's cloak and belongings. Then he spread several large tiger skins behind the Buddha statue and finally started a fire nearby. He felt fine after the bath, but now, even squatting by the fire, he felt a bit cold, so he simply exchanged his clothes for three more mink fur coats.

The fur coat: The idiom "collecting fur from the armpits makes a whole coat" originates from this—this coat is made entirely from the armpit fur of wild sables, and it would take more than ten years to make even with the combined resources of the entire nation, making it extremely precious. Legend has it that when Lord Pingyuan stole the tally to rescue Zhao, he bribed the queen with the fur coat, which led her to risk everything to steal the military tally.

Li Xingzhi put it on and found it indeed soft and comfortable, neither too hot nor too cold—just right. Leaning against the wall and sitting on the tiger skin, he felt that even the life of an immortal couldn't be better!

At this moment, Wang Xiucai also came out dressed. Because he hadn't brought his cloak, Li Xingzhi saw what he looked like.

Wang Xiucai was only in his thirties. He had a handsome face, with a mustache and a small mustache on his chin, giving him a scholarly air. His face was pale, showing signs of hardship, and his temples were slightly gray, making him look older than his age, probably due to years of travel and worry.

Wang Xiucai was also observing Li Xingzhi—he felt that although the young man before him resembled 'her,' his temperament was completely different, unlike that of ordinary people. With his red lips, white teeth, and handsome face, coupled with his clothes, he was clearly no ordinary man. The little dog beside him, influenced by Li Xingzhi, also possessed a different temperament. Wang Xiucai walked to the fire and discovered several intact tiger skins spread on the ground. He picked up the remaining fur coat and found it soft to the touch, large but not heavy; wearing it, it felt gentle and calming. Although he didn't know what kind of wild animal's fur it was made of, it was definitely not an ordinary item!

Wang Xiucai, dressed in a fur coat, sat cross-legged on a tiger skin and warmed his hands.

"Do you have a jade pendant with a picture of mountains and flowing water on one side and the character 'Qing' engraved on the other?" Wang Xiucai asked, sitting down in his distinctively hoarse voice. Li Xingzhi could sense the unease in Wang Xiucai's heart from his slightly trembling voice!

"Is this it?" Li Xingzhi was prepared and calmly took out a round jade pendant from his pocket. It was carved from top-quality mutton fat jade!

With trembling hands, Wang Xiucai carefully took the jade pendant, examined it closely, and gently stroked it as if he were caressing his most beloved person, which sent a chill down Li Xingzhi's spine.

"Could this person have some kind of fetish?" Li Xingzhi thought to himself.

The two real Tang Dynasty people sitting next to him naturally had no idea what Li Xingzhi was thinking.

With a solemn expression, Wang Xiucai returned the jade pendant to Li Xingzhi and said, "It seems you are the person I've been looking for."