Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

Gao Yang, who stayed behind to guard the soup ingredients, was about to go looking for Li Xingzhi when she saw him not return for a long time. Just then, she saw several people coming out of the woods. When she could see them more clearly, her small mouth opened and her lips trembled, showing extreme surprise.

Those aristocratic scions who had been taught to be calm and composed since childhood looked on in astonishment as a giant man, carrying a massive beast on his back and walking towards them step by step with his large feet on the ground.

An eerie silence fell over the woods. Only the rustling of leaves in the wind broke the stillness.

"Bang!" Zhou Da, who was even more robust than the tiger, ignored the horrified looks of the crowd, walked to the fire, and, as Li Xingzhi instructed, put the unconscious tiger on the ground.

Li Xingzhi stroked the glossy tiger skin, a fur pelt spread beneath him, his body pressed against the snoring tiger. Feeling the tiger's body rise and fall was a hundred times more comfortable than any massage. With such a beast king by his side, he feared no snakes, insects, or wild animals; it was an indispensable treasure for home, travel, and even murder and arson.

The group of people, who had been standing in a daze in the forest, finally came to their senses. Listening to the giant tiger's breathing, which sounded like the wind and the drums, they suddenly realized that the tiger was still alive!

The living giant tiger was lying right beneath the frail boy, as if he were leaning on a few soft pillows—the extremely powerful visual impact constantly challenged the tough nerves of everyone's brains. If these scions of wealthy families hadn't been afraid of Zhou Da's strength and the tiger king's might, and also because they couldn't bring themselves to do it, they probably would have already pounced on him, pulled Li Xingzhi away, and sat on him themselves.

What tiger-skin chair? It may look imposing, but it's nowhere near as powerful as the living, breathing king of beasts before us!

Seeing Li Xingzhi's 'majestic' demeanor, and perhaps because it was the first time she'd seen a live tiger lying before her, Gao Yang forgot the danger she'd just experienced. She sat down next to Li Xingzhi, leaning against the tiger skin and letting out a comfortable groan. However, for some reason, the sound felt a little strange to Li Xingzhi, who had been exposed to so much pornography.

Seeing Gao Yang sit down next to Li Xingzhi, Li Linzhi, though pale-faced, leaned closer without backing down. Her trembling body pressed tightly against Li Xingzhi, her small hands clinging to his arm as if she would be devoured by a tiger if she let go.

Li Xingzhi ignored the people standing before him, holding the beautiful woman in his arms. Even in the Tang Dynasty, a time that admired foreign customs and was relatively open-minded, this sight was quite shocking, especially since there was a princess sitting next to him.

Fang Yi'ai, who was standing to the side, was already filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred!

Of course, this is not because of Gao Yang.

Fang Yi'ai had just been tricked by the tiger and fallen off his horse, which was an absolute disgrace for him, given his pride, vanity, and competitiveness. Now, however, the tiger was being ridden by Li Xingzhi—he felt as if Li Xingzhi himself had stripped him naked, trampled underfoot, and wantonly humiliated him.

Before anyone could speak, Fang Yi'ai was overwhelmed by inexplicable embarrassment and anger. Without even looking at Gao Yang sitting next to him, he flicked his hand, and a magnificent eagle perched on his arm soared into the sky. With a flap of its large wings in the air, it swooped down with the force of a great wind, its sharp, black beak aimed straight at the young man beside the tiger!

In the end, he was just an impulsive and brainless second young master of the Fang family.

Before Li Xingzhi could react, a small black eagle on his shoulder raised its head and let out an extremely piercing screech.

The cry of an eagle, though originally soaring in the sky, carried a clear and stirring quality when it came out of the forest. Within ten miles, all the beasts fell silent!

The magnificent eagle that Fang Yi'ai released showed none of the exhilaration it had displayed when soaring through the sky. This former king of the skies, under the strange gazes of the crowd, and under Fang Yi'ai's astonished, embarrassed, and indignant gaze, suddenly faltered, fell to the ground, and bowed its head to the black eagle several times smaller than itself perched on Li Xingzhi's shoulder.

"Fang Jun, what are you doing?" Gao Yang snapped out of her daze and shouted sternly. She had also been startled just now.

"Princess, Princess." Fang Yi'ai looked at Gao Yang's flushed face and eyes full of anger, and cold sweat dripped down his back.

Few know that Fang Yi'ai wasn't afraid of Princess Gaoyang, but of all women in the world. The reason for this lies entirely with his mother, whose reputation for jealousy is legendary. Others perceive his fear of Princess Gaoyang as stemming from two reasons: first, her high status and imposing presence; and second, the way she scolded his father, known for his "strategies," when angry, mirroring his mother's own anger. It was a childhood trauma, a deep-seated fear, that meant that even with his imposing physique, Fang Yi'ai could only be a pathetic submissive in the face of women.

Seeing his younger brother's embarrassed state, Fang Yizhi, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped in to ease the tension, and the atmosphere finally relaxed.

What should have been a pleasant lunch was ruined by a bear, a tiger, and a group of people. Only a pot of milky white, boneless dragon soup remained, steaming and constantly tempting and tantalizing everyone's taste buds.

Some of the girls, unable to resist the temptation, glared fiercely at Li Xingzhi, their tongues brushing against their slightly dry, rosy lips, leaving a seductive mark, while they began to complain. Even the usually obedient Li Zhi and the rarely uttering Li Xueyan looked at Li Xingzhi with incredibly resentful expressions.

"Alright, I'll make it up to you later." Li Xingzhi looked at the group of people drinking soup with unsatisfied expressions on their faces and couldn't resist any longer. He quickly offered them a big reward: "As the saying goes, you can't have your cake and eat it too. Today there's no fish, so how about you eat the bear's paw?"

The group stared intently at the enormous bear lying dead on the ground, ignored by everyone. As if by prior arrangement, their heads bobbed up and down in unison.

“Li Dalang, that’s not very kind of you. We’re guests, why aren’t you even greeting us?” Cheng Huaimo, the little devil next to them, said shamelessly when he saw that Li Xingzhi had no intention of ignoring them.

They had been lured there entirely by the aroma. He had felt a great pity that the beast had eaten the delicious food, but now, hearing that there was something even better—the renowned 'bear paw' among wild game—they naturally couldn't miss it.

Li Xingzhi was initially at a loss as he looked at the scions of wealthy and powerful families around him—he had no intention of trying to curry favor with them. But then he thought that it wouldn't be good for them to be watching him so expectantly while he ate. Unexpectedly, Cheng Huaimo's words solved the problem for him.

"Of course, you'll get your share."

Fang Yi'ai couldn't stand it anymore—he was always the one being treated to food, he had never begged someone to give him food before, even though he wasn't the one who asked.

"It's said that it takes three or four hours just to boil a black bear's paw until it's tender and cooked through. Is Li Dalang planning to make us wait until tomorrow?" Fang Yi'ai looked at Li Xingzhi with a half-smile. Although his words carried a hint of sarcasm, they were also the truth.

Several people nearby who had some knowledge of food and drink looked at the boy with only a wisp of down around his mouth with suspicion after hearing Fang Yi'ai's words.

"Don't worry, it'll be ready in half an hour. If you get hungry, cut some venison and roast it yourself; there are seasonings available. If you don't know how, then just go hungry!"

As he spoke, Li Xingzhi brandished a short, dark dagger. With a flash of black light, four enormous, black bear paws fell from the bear's body. This move drew admiring glances from several burly young men nearby—they were not like the clueless Gao Yang.

Li Xingzhi tossed aside the dagger that had attracted everyone's attention, placed the four enormous bear paws vertically side by side between his hands with a gap in between, and, to the astonishment and horror of the crowd, placed his hands, which were stuck between the bear paws, onto the bonfire that had been reignited.

He channeled his wood-attribute true energy into his hands, instantly enveloping his scorching hands in a cool current. As this cool energy overflowed, the flames, which were only a few feet high, shot up to ten feet tall! Li Xingzhi slowly used his wood-attribute true energy to penetrate the bear's paws, enveloping the delicate skin and flesh beneath the thick black fur to prevent scorching.

Under everyone's gaze, a massive, inexplicably rising flame nearly engulfed Li Xingzhi entirely. Amidst the scorching red inferno, his outstretched hands gleamed with a blinding white light; upon closer inspection, they were revealed to be flames pushed to their absolute limit!

This method of starting a fire with wood was something Li Xingzhi had recently come up with.

Originally, he had already perfected the four techniques of metal, wood, water, and earth corresponding to the first four diagrams of the Longevity Manual. However, his ever-progressing Longevity True Qi suddenly stagnated, which led him to think of using the method of mutual generation of the five elements to see if he could stimulate the True Qi of fire. Unexpectedly, this attempt, which yielded no results, brought him an unexpected surprise in the art of cooking. He had been stuck in the realm of perfection for a long time, but this time he leaped into the pinnacle of skill.

Layers of black smoke billowed from the flames, emanating a foul odor of burning protein. The surrounding crowd covered their noses and retreated, but their eyes remained wide open, ignoring the blinding light, watching to see what other miraculous techniques Li Xingzhi might employ. Even Fang Yi'ai, who had always been at odds with Li Xingzhi, remained silent—such methods were beyond the reach of ordinary people!

The gazes of the crowd toward Li Xingzhi, who was engulfed in flames, had long since lost their previous contempt, replaced by respect and a touch of fear.

Suddenly, Li Xingzhi clasped his hands together, and the fire subsided greatly; in no time, the large pile of firewood on the ground had been completely burned away!

In Li Xingzhi's hands, which everyone was watching, all that could be seen were a few bear paw-like objects that were as clear as jade. The 'jade' was translucent and glowed red from the still-hot charcoal fire, like a piece of flowing amber. The bones, large and small, had been picked out at some point. The bear paw skin, which appeared elastic and tough, had no visible cracks.

Li Xingzhi reached into the flat, empty cloth bag behind him and, under the strange gazes of the people around him, pulled out four huge clay pots with lids, a giant apple, a bamboo shoot, and some seasonings and cornstarch.

He placed the four enormous bear paws into the pot, added the previously prepared broth and salt, and simmered them under the heat. At the same time, he began slicing apples and bamboo shoots to season the broth.

Unable to contain their curiosity any longer, the two girls began their first collaboration, sneakily and stealthily opening the tan cloth bag that Li Xingzhi always carried on his back, ready to find out what was inside. The result, naturally, was utterly baffling, and they returned disappointed.

Before long, the broth evaporated. The hollows that were originally embedded with bones were now completely filled with the milky white broth, which flowed and swirled with the rising steam, seeping into the plump, glistening meat.

Li Xingzhi took out the bear paw, squeezed out the meat left after deboning, and poured in the broth from the hole. He then added golden honey glaze, seasonings, cornstarch, chopped apple, and bamboo shoots, and steamed it for a while. Steaming hot air rose up and instantly filled the air, accompanied by an indescribable and wonderful aroma. Everyone present felt as if they were in a fairyland, and all sorts of wonderful feelings kept surging into their hearts. Their whole bodies felt warm and comfortable, and they felt extremely happy and relaxed!

As soon as the lid was lifted, an even stronger aroma, a hundred times more intense, jolted everyone out of their blissful reverie. A hunger so intense it drove them mad that their stomachs surged into their brains, and their mouths watered at a hundred times the normal rate. The people around them were like vicious wolves, their green eyes fixed on the white jade bear paw, still partially obscured by the white mist, swallowing hard.

At this moment, where is the demeanor of a prestigious family?!

Sunlight streamed through the white mist from the high sky, revealing a huge, crystal-clear, golden bear paw, exuding a rich fragrance and a warm glow, like an exquisite work of art sculpted by a master artist with a lifetime of dedication, displayed before everyone's eyes.

Everyone stared in awe at the translucent bear paw, gleaming brightly in the sunlight. No matter what, they couldn't bring themselves to eat it.

Just as these people were deciding to hide the bear paws and admire them as works of art, a fragrance unlike any they had experienced before, like silk threads, entered their nostrils, traveled upwards, and penetrated their brains, constantly assaulting the area of ​​the brain that controls appetite. Instantly, an unbearable hunger, like a raging storm, crashed against the walls of their hearts.

Human reason is ultimately limited, while desire is endless! Soon, desire, like the surging tide, washed over the shores of reason and breached the dikes of defense.

Someone, with a trembling hand, cautiously reached for the glistening, jade-like bear paw. After the first, a second, a third rushed forward—once refined gentlemen, once consumed by desire, they transformed into wild beasts several times more ferocious than wolves…

Having prepared, Li Xingzhi held a plate with half a bear paw in his hand, slowly savoring his first creation since his culinary breakthrough. Watching the chaotic scene of several people in the middle, a smile appeared in his eyes...

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Ah, I always end up writing everything in one go and then I don't want to break it into chapters. This time, I guess it'll barely count as two chapters. There's one more chapter to come, I'll add it tomorrow!