Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

Chapter 202 Who Said He Was Adorably Silly?

Having trouble sleeping at night!

Since everyone's stomachs were empty and their intestines were rumbling, they took out several large flatbreads from their bundles, heated them over the fire, and prepared to fill their stomachs.

Hu San'er took out several flatbreads from his cloth bag and handed them to Li Xingzhi.

Li Xingzhi waved his hand, "I'll go find something to eat myself."

These past few days, I've been chewing on this big, hard, and tasteless flatbread every day. At first, it felt novel, but later, it was even more unbearable than taking bitter medicine.

Bamboo is abundant in Sichuan, and there is a bamboo grove not far away.

Bamboo is a plant that usually grows very aggressively—wherever it grows, apart from a few stubbles and short grasses, there are no other plants, only a lush green mass reaching towards the sky. And under a bamboo grove, there is always a quiet and empty space, with fallen leaves piled up deep inside. When you step on it, it's soft and yielding, and you don't have to worry about any thorns or prickles.

But ironically, despite being such a vast and easily accessible woodland, few of the old Sichuanese are willing to go in.

Before Hu San'er could stop him, Li Xingzhi had already entered the bamboo forest.

In the darkness, the bamboo forest seemed even more desolate. A strong wind blew, and the bamboo grove rustled and swayed from side to side, howling incessantly, casting shimmering shadows on the moon. Apart from a few occasional slivers of moonlight, the entire area was filled with dense, dark shadows, and further away, it was a complete black hole.

Although Li Xingzhi had not reached the level of "empty room giving rise to light," he was able to clearly see the bamboo grove by the few slivers of moonlight that had leaked through.

He flicked his thumb, and a sharp whistling sound pierced the still night, striking the towering bamboo pole to his left. With a thud, a long, curved shadow snapped in two, twisting and turning in the air before falling to the ground. Just then, moonlight streamed down, illuminating the shadow and revealing a bright, fresh green. The still-twisting, green body, broken in two, presented a striking contrast of scarlet and green, quite unsettling.

If Hu San'er were here, he would definitely shout, "Bamboo Leaf Green!"

The bamboo viper grows in summer, its body as green as a leaf; in autumn and winter, it slowly turns yellow and withered, just like bamboo leaves. Even the most discerning snake catcher would find it difficult to spot on ordinary days. They often lie motionless in the lush green, but any movement they make is always accompanied by the loss of a life.

This snake contains highly venomous venom; those poisoned by it will die within seven steps, hence its other name, the "seven-step snake."

This is precisely why countless people from Sichuan turn pale at the sight of bamboo forests.

Although the bamboo viper is poisonous, its flesh is a hundred times more tender than that of other snakes. Moreover, because it lives in bamboo forests year-round, its flesh also carries a faint fragrance of bamboo leaves.

Li Xingzhi looked at the bamboo leaf green broken in two and only about a foot long on the ground, sighed helplessly, and did not reach out to pick it up.

"what?"

He looked at the swollen snake neck on the ground with a puzzled expression, then slashed forward with his sword, splitting open the snake's skin and flesh to reveal a small, furry, grayish creature inside the snake's body.

"How could I have forgotten about this?"

Thinking this, he gripped the hilt of his sword and repeatedly struck the large bamboo stalks beside him with the blade, producing an irregular "bang bang bang!" sound. Instantly, the entire bamboo grove came alive with the scurrying of rats and snakes, and the occasional crowing of roosters and chirping of birds.

While tapping the bamboo with the blade of his sword, Li Xingzhi focused his energy on his ears, listening to the sounds around him. At this moment, the sounds of chickens crowing and snakes slithering were no longer audible to him; his trembling ears could only hear the grinding of teeth and the anxious, uneasily whimpering of birds.

He drew his sword and followed the sound, striking it with his longsword.

"Brush!"

Amidst the lush green bamboo, the bamboo was smashed to pieces, the long bamboo stalks and branches leaning to the side, leaving only a bamboo stump at the bottom. Inside that round bamboo tube were two large, fat gray bamboo rats.

Li Xingzhi cut out a long bamboo tube, emptied it, and then, holding the rat-like creature that had been stunned upside down, threw it into the long, straight bamboo tube.

Following the proper procedures, the long, straight bamboo tube was soon filled to the brim, and within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, dozens of bamboo weevils were caught in the trap.

He weighed the bamboo tube, which probably weighed several dozen kilograms, with satisfaction, and then walked back.

"boom!"

With a soft thud, a dark shape fell from the bamboo grove above Li Xingzhi's head. The ground below was thick with withered leaves, and the little creature slowly crawled to its feet, moving to the side with an air of utter disdain.

"hiss!"

A large snake, about half a meter long, clung to a bamboo branch with its tail, moving as if swimming in the air, and quickly chased after the dark shadow that had just fallen, aiming straight for the top of the head.

The dark shadow slowly extended its hind leg, and just as the snake's body slid rapidly down from the air, it slashed across. The movement was not fast at all, but the back-and-forth, opposing movements created a considerable speed.

Caught off guard, the giant snake brushed past him. Li Xingzhi's sharp eyes could even see the red seeping from beneath its emerald green skin.

The giant snake was somewhat angry, writhing restlessly, its red tongue flicking in and out rapidly. However, this time, it behaved itself, watching the mass before it warily, waiting for its opportunity.

The dark shape seemed frightened, slowly and clumsily moving its body backward, occasionally waving its claws as if to bluff.

Li Xingzhi looked at the dark figure, initially unsure, but when the figure emerged from the dense, sparse bamboo leaves, he could clearly see it—it was a giant panda, a national treasure, with black ears, black hands, black feet, a black rump, a white body, and a white head, looking adorable!

This was a juvenile panda, only about three feet long, with long, gleaming black claws on its hands, and a cunning glint in its large, dark eyes. It slowly retreated.

Li Xingzhi looked at the large snake, which was being entangled by the panda and tightly bound to the bamboo pole, and couldn't help but be surprised.

At this moment, the giant snake's long body was tied to the bamboo pole, and the panda, which had been cuddly and slow, suddenly became faster, circled behind the snake, and bared its long teeth to bite.

Teeth are far superior to ordinary weapons.

"Sizzle!"

The snake's body, which was wrapped around the tree, was completely severed, and blood was dripping from it!

Provoked by this, the giant snake, which was already tense, exerted even more force, and its entire long, curved body trembled.

At this moment, the giant panda's mouth was full of blood, and it no longer had any of its adorable appearance. Instead, its bared teeth revealed a somewhat ferocious look, which made Li Xingzhi, who had been happily reaching out to join in the fun, feel a chill in his heart and quickly pull his hand back.

The adorable image of giant pandas in his mind instantly crumbled!

He thought to himself: "National treasure, national treasure, how could you be so cruel!"

After sucking the snake's blood, the giant panda ignored the mangled snake and, shaking its head and sticking out its paws, began rubbing against a bamboo pole to destroy the 'evidence'. The poor bamboo pole was now a pitiful sight; the bloodstains on its surface were like streaks of blood and tears, accusing the panda of its brutality.

The giant panda shook its head, its bright, intelligent eyes curiously examining the creature in front of it. It then wobbled over to Li Xingzhi, its black nose twitching as if there was something about Li Xingzhi that interested it. It stretched out its paw and put it on Li Xingzhi.

Li Xingzhi naturally knew that the Longevity Green Wood Qi he had cultivated was full of vitality, making many creatures feel close to it. However, he hadn't yet recovered from the transformation from "honest and cute" to "cunning and ferocious," and with a flick of his sleeve, he conjured a wave of energy that slapped the giant panda away.

The giant panda fell to the ground, but it didn't look aggrieved or pitiful. Its round eyes stared at Li Xingzhi with a look of confusion like a human's. It tilted its head and rubbed its paws, as if it couldn't figure something out.

Ignoring the panda that was ruining its image, Li Xingzhi grabbed the bamboo viper, which was severely injured by the panda, and turned to leave.

Li Xingzhi showed no remorse whatsoever for stealing the giant panda's prey—he felt he had suffered a blow to his spirit and naturally wanted to make amends.

The憨厚 (honest and simple) giant panda tilted its head, watching the departing figure, its doubts still unresolved. It slowly followed the scent.

----

Two thousand words per chapter, any extras are freebies.

Honestly, the subscription rate is truly appalling, with a subscription-to-receiver ratio of 1:100, isn't it? However, I will still persevere and finish writing it, at least I will finish writing the plot that I have already thought of in the outline.

Once I started earning money for this novel, the pressure increased, even though the retail price per thousand words is still less than one yuan -_-||| (To be continued).