Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

Spring breezes rise over the Wei River.

The water was clear and blue. Li Xingzhi stood at the bow of the ship, watching the large ship cut through the waves and sail away. The spring breeze, carrying a few drops of rain, brushed past his ears, making him feel refreshed.

Suddenly, a tall, slender figure appeared on the opposite ferry crossing. His face was weathered, and he carried a long sword on his back. He moved like a shooting star, rushing out of the dock with a whooshing sound. With a heavy stomp of his foot, he leaped onto the large ship to everyone's astonishment!

With a soft "bang," the ship rocked a few times before returning to calm.

Those around looked away at the sword-wielding man, as if they had seen something ominous. Li Shun, a burly man standing not far from Li Xingzhi, quickly pulled him into the boat. "Stay away, lest you get yourself into trouble," Li Shun whispered. Seeing Li Xingzhi's bewildered expression, fearing he was acting rashly, he quickly explained, "We merchants traveling the Western Regions, though we also live on the edge, generally won't resort to violence if money can be used to negotiate. Those people just now were ruthless killers. Money and fame couldn't sway them; they'd draw their swords at the slightest disagreement! I've seen many like that in my years of travel. And even more have been killed inexplicably."

Thinking back to the man he had just seen, whose eyes were filled with murderous intent and whose face exuded a chilling aura, Li Xingzhi couldn't help but feel convinced.

The man carrying the sword did not enter the cabin, but stood outside, letting the ship rock as it did, his body remaining steady and calm.

Going downstream was much easier than coming, and in just one day they reached a ferry near Chang'an. During this time, Li Xingzhi was kept under Li Shun's watchful eye, and although he was curious, he was not allowed to go out and see for himself.

Once the boat had stabilized, the boatman opened the wooden door to the cabin. The area outside was empty; there was no one in sight, only a string of copper coins left on the deck. Li Xingzhi felt a pang of disappointment.

Once again, they boarded the carriage and arrived in Chang'an City in just a few hours.

Sitting in the carriage, watching the passing crowds and vehicles, Li Xingzhi felt a sense of belonging for the first time; like a rooted duckweed, like a fish in water, the emptiness in his heart had found its home. Perhaps this was the greatest gain of his trip—he didn't know whether the world had accepted him, or he had accepted the world.

Just as Li Xingzhi was lost in thought, the carriage suddenly jolted, and the coachman's repeated apologies came from outside, followed by a painful scream.

"You old geezer, are you blind? How dare you ram into Alang's carriage?! Who in Chang'an doesn't know that Alang has gained favor with the Crown Prince?" A haughty and vulgar voice rang out.

"The Crown Prince?" Li Shun and the old man sitting in the carriage were both shocked—if this wasn't handled properly, there could be big trouble! The two quickly moved forward, preparing to get out of the carriage, but were stopped by Li Xingzhi, "Grandpa, Uncle, it's better if I handle these matters."

Hearing Li Xingzhi's words, Li Gao felt somewhat reassured, recalling the distinguished guests who had visited the Li family in recent months, and stopped insisting. Li Shun, seeing his grandfather's composed demeanor, was slightly surprised—he had underestimated his young nephew. He recalled how he had been on the boat earlier, constantly pulling Li Xingzhi along like a spoiled child, afraid he would cause trouble. While finding it amusing, he felt more comforted that his elder brother had a worthy successor.

At this moment, another voice, both childish and fierce, rang out: "Well done! This kind of slut deserves a good beating!"

Li Xingzhi stepped out of the carriage and saw a handsome young man peeking out from the gauze-covered carriage. He looked at the coachman covered in bloodstains and saw that the people around him were keeping their distance. His eyes were full of fear and dread, but also revealed a hint of excitement.

The boy thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of controlling other people's destinies. Seeing the fear in their eyes gave him a strange sense of pleasure.

Through the thin veil, another boy who looked almost identical poked his head out, looking at the coachman who was rolling and screaming on the ground, with a hint of interest on his face.

Li Xingzhi had excellent hearing and, from the voices of the people around him, he understood the identities of the two young men in front of him—the Crown Prince's male favorites, named Ruyi and Chengxin.

The two were brothers, born into a poor family. They were extremely handsome, with fair skin, and were chosen to be sent to the Eastern Palace. At that time, the Crown Prince had just fallen from the back of an ox and developed a foot injury, and his favor was gradually waning. Ruyi and Chengxin were also very good at pleasing people, which allowed Li Chengqian to run wild and do whatever he wanted in the Eastern Palace.

Originally, male favorites and homosexual relationships were not uncommon among high-ranking officials and nobles in the Tang Dynasty, and were even more prevalent in the military; it wasn't considered a big deal. The problem arose because Ruyi and Chengxin, after gaining favor, became extremely arrogant in Chang'an, abusing the power of the Crown Prince, which caused a great uproar throughout the city…

Just as the burly man with the whip was enjoying the most, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right hand!

"Ah—!" he cried out in agony.

It turned out that a pebble had shot out from somewhere at some point, severing the big man's hand holding the whip along with the whip itself! Whether intentional or not, the pebble was now embedded in the big man's bone, tormenting him from time to time.

The two men in the carriage, seeing the burly man's miserable state, turned pale and immediately fell silent. Just as they were about to leave, they saw Li Xingzhi pouring wound medicine on the fallen coachman.

Although Li Xingzhi was not as handsome as they were, his physique and temperament were ten times better. That gentle, refined air cultivated by years of wealth felt like a thorn in their hearts, igniting their jealousy and hatred! They immediately forgot their earlier terror, their minds filled with only one thought—to destroy him!

I've only ever heard of beautiful women causing trouble, but I never imagined that even handsome men could be a problem in this Tang Dynasty, especially when they encounter these two teenagers whose minds are completely twisted.

Li Xingzhi felt the burning gazes on his body and turned around. He was slightly taken aback when he saw the malice flash in the eyes of the two men. He couldn't understand what deep grudge he had against these two! Seeing the coachman lying on the ground, the bleeding had stopped but he had fainted from the pain, he ignored the two 'handsome' young men in front of him. He just hummed softly, the sound forming a line that exploded like thunder in their ears!

Hearing the voice coming from who-knows-where and seeing the bewildered expressions of everyone around them, the two were terrified! Forgetting their resentment towards Li Xingzhi, they immediately ordered the carriage to turn back.

After the perilous experience, the Li family continued their journey, but Li Shun's gaze toward Li Xingzhi had changed slightly.

Ruyi and Chengxin, utterly terrified, fled in a disheveled state. They had only gone a few dozen feet when Ruyi, sitting in the carriage, suddenly noticed the eerie smile on Chengxin's face, and a chill ran down her spine. She asked in a trembling voice, "What are you laughing at?"

Chengxin, however, looked at the strange smile on Ruyi's face and exclaimed in surprise, "I wasn't smiling! Your smile is terrifying!"

“I wasn’t laughing, but you—” Ruyi was about to say something when Chengxin’s smile disappeared.

Upon arriving at the East Palace, the two hurried inside, where they encountered Li Chengqian, dressed in foreign attire, reveling with beautiful women. Li Chengqian looked at them and said, "What brings you such joy? Let this Crown Prince share in your happiness!"

"Happy?" The two were puzzled, then suddenly felt a chill run down their spines. They looked at each other, only to see a strange smile on the other person's face—at this moment, they couldn't feel happy at all.

Seeing their strange expressions, Li Chengqian was about to say something when the two men's eerie smiles reappeared, and they uttered strange "giggle giggle" laughs. Just as he was about to reprimand them, their smiles froze, and they fell backward to the ground; their heads slammed heavily onto the stone slab, blood gushing out, and they never woke up again…

Li Chengqian stared in horror at the two men lying on the ground. "Witchcraft! Witchcraft! Someone is using witchcraft to harm me! Father, take me to Father!"

Another storm is brewing in Chang'an...

----

I was writing this chapter in a large, empty classroom, with the curtains drawn, and I was all alone. Towards the end, I felt a chill run down my spine, so I quickly drew the curtains open—

Could it be because some bad people told ghost stories last night?