Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

A lone wind howled, and heavy snow fell in a flurry, covering the sky and the ground!

On the snow-white ground, dozens of large mounds bulged out, but from a distance, they were not very distinct on the boundless ice field.

A night has passed.

The next day, the wind still blew fiercely, but the world was clear and bright. The ground was white, and the sky was a deep, clear blue. A somewhat pale sun still hung in the azure sky. Although the weather was cold, the sun offered a glimmer of hope and warmth.

On the vast, pristine white snowfield, where only a few dozen protrusions remained, a certain spot suddenly collapsed. Then, the protrusions turned into snow pits.

Li Xingzhi lifted the tent flap and looked at the snow outside, which was only knee-deep. He couldn't help but feel relieved. Yesterday's heavy snowfall had truly worried him. If the snow had continued to fall relentlessly, he himself wouldn't have been worried, but the hundred or so Tang soldiers would have been in trouble.

Those merchants who had miraculously survived, familiar with the climate of the Northwest wilderness, had few concerns and were still sound asleep in their tents. The ordeal of several dozen days, though not enough to break their weathered bodies, had taken a toll on their minds and bodies, requiring considerable time to recover.

One tent after another was opened, and everyone's face showed a sense of relief and joy. Of course, this relief was not because of the change in weather, but because they had the head of the Tuyuhun leader Fuyun in their hands. After returning to claim their reward, they could go back home and see their wives and children.

Zhao Zheng, still wrapped in bandages, pulled a worn-out sachet from his robes. His face was filled with the joy of surviving a near-death experience and a deep attachment to life. He looked at and stroked the sachet in his hand, his expression one of indescribable peace.

The war is finally over! We can finally go home and reunite with our families! This is what almost everyone is thinking.

The two cloth bags Xue Rengui carried contained the spoils of war obtained by Wang Erlang and his men. The smaller bag contained Fu Yun's head, while the larger bag held the ears of hundreds of men. This was how war merits were measured at that time.

Just then, a burly man ran over from not far away and shouted to Xue Rengui, "Chief, Chief Wang has woken up!"

Li Xingzhi heard the big man's voice and hurried towards Wang Erlang's tent. He lifted the tent flap and saw Wang Erlang sitting up.

At this moment, Wang Erlang's face was still bloodless, but his breathing was steady, and no more blood was seeping from his body. This was all the result of Li Xingzhi expending half the night's energy and using up a lot of spiritual pills.

"Erlang, are you feeling better?"

Wang Erlang hadn't heard it in a long time. Then he heard a somewhat familiar voice. Turning around in disbelief, he exclaimed, "Big brother?! What are you doing here?"

"Hey! If I hadn't happened to be here, you'd be dead by now! Poor me, a black-haired old man, sending this black-haired old man to you!" Li Xingzhi said irritably, looking at Wang Erlang's incredulous expression. "You really are risking your life! Do you want to be General Wang? Or do you want to be General Wang?"

After being lectured by Li Xingzhi with a displeased expression, Wang Erlang's face, which had been weathered and imbued with a composed air, reverted to its former somewhat naive and awkward expression. Apart from a few faint, almost invisible knife scars on his face, he looked exactly the same as before.

Just then, we heard heavy footsteps. Xue Rengui walked in.

"My lord is here too." Xue Rengui bowed to Li Xingzhi. Then, looking at Wang Erlang, he smiled and said, "Erlang, you have rendered a great service this time. I have brought you Fuyun's head!"

As he was speaking, five or six soldiers entered. These soldiers were all bound in burlap and looked like mummies, with only their pale faces showing.

Wang Erlang looked at Fu Yun's severed head, a slight smile spreading across his face. He was about to speak when he saw the newcomers enter, and as if remembering something, his expression changed drastically. He asked in a trembling voice, "Zhao Zheng, Wang Wu... are you the only ones left?"

The men who had entered, who had initially shown some joy, were jolted back to reality by Wang Erlang's words. Their pale faces turned ashen, and they cried out in anguish, "Leader—brothers, all our brothers are dead! Only a few of us are left—!"

Perhaps it was a deliberate attempt to avoid recalling the horrific scene, but now that the truth was revealed, the smiles of victory and ease on everyone's faces froze, leaving only sorrow, remembrance, and weeping for their fallen comrades!

Wang Erlang's clear eyes instantly became misty. After a long while, he regained his senses and said in a mournful voice, "Do you hate me? If it weren't for me... if I hadn't gone to save those people, my brothers would all be alive and well..."

“Our leader will always be our leader! Everyone who joins the army is bound to die; it’s just a matter of sooner or later!” Zhao Zheng comforted him. “Besides, it is only right that we help the people of our Great Tang.”

Perhaps due to their earlier excitement, the cloth binding them began to bleed again, dripping onto the ground and splashing a crimson stain.

Wang Erlang's unfocused eyes were stained crimson by the splash of blood, and he suddenly said, "Why aren't you all resting properly? Go back and lie down quickly, lest you worsen your injuries!"

When the burly men, whose faces were completely devoid of smiles, heard Wang Erlang say this, a stiff look appeared on their faces, and they bared their teeth. They all said, "We are strong! We were slashed more than a dozen times with such serious injuries. I thought we were going to die, but when I woke up today, I felt full of strength."

Several burly men were extremely proud of their robust physiques. Perhaps, in their old age, when they were telling stories to their children and grandchildren, they would recount how valiant and strong they had been in their youth, surviving dozens of wounds and bleeding profusely.

At this moment, in order to strengthen their persuasion, these burly men patted their chests, making a dull thud, which even made Li Xingzhi, who was standing next to them, cry out in pain for them.

The burly men were unaware that if Li Xingzhi hadn't generously given them elixirs to treat them, they would probably still be lying on the ground, half-dead, at the mercy of others, eating, drinking, and relieving themselves.

Seeing the blood seeping from under the strips of cloth on the bodies of the burly men, Wang Erlang's expression changed, and he shouted, "Go back and lie down! You must not get up until your injuries have healed!" At this moment, in Li Xingzhi's eyes, that rather immature face rapidly matured.

Hearing Wang Erlang's shout, the burly men dared not utter another sound and retreated. The obedient ones went to find places to lie down and die.

Just then, another series of hurried footsteps sounded outside. Shortly after, several burly men with dark complexions and thin builds appeared in the tent.

Several burly men entered the tent and knelt down immediately, saying, "Benefactor above, please accept our humble bow!" As they spoke, the men all prostrated themselves on the ground.

Wang Erlang was already grieving the loss of many brothers while saving people, but seeing these few men bowing to him brought him some comfort. He looked at them and said, "Only a few of you survived?"

“There are still quite a few people. However, I'm afraid they won't be able to get up for a while,” one person replied, lying on the ground and looking at Wang Erlang.

"That's good. You've had a tough journey, so you should rest now!"

Seeing that Wang Erlang was seriously injured, the group decided not to disturb him and prepared to leave.

One of them shouted, "I am Cao Hua, from Cao Family Village in Qin Prefecture. Though I am but a humble merchant, I will never forget your kindness. Please grant me your name so that we may worship you daily to show our gratitude!" Seeing this, the others also knelt down and joined in the shout.

Seeing the sincerity of the person before him, Wang Erlang hesitated for a moment before saying, "My surname is Wang, and I am the second child in my family. You can call me Wang Erlang!"

Upon hearing this, the men bowed and retreated, leaving the tent.

Seeing the scene before him, Li Xingzhi, though not entirely convinced, was nonetheless moved by the loyalty and gratitude shown by these men.

Unbeknownst to him, after returning home, these men indeed mobilized a group of people to repair several temples, sculpt clay statues, and call it the Erlang Temple, where they worshipped daily without ceasing. These men, who had been merchants, became quite wealthy after retiring to their hometown, wielding considerable influence. Thus, worshipping at the Erlang Temple gradually became a custom. Later, it was gradually renamed the Erlang God Temple, and many enthusiasts embellished it with numerous myths and legends…

Of course, these were all things that Li Xingzhi, who had not yet come to understand the powerful ability of the Chinese nation to create gods, could not have foreseen.

----

Haha, I've even brought Erlang Shen to life! Just enjoy the show and don't take it too seriously.

Speaking of which, our nation's powerful ability to create gods is not something I'm making up. When it comes to discussing gods and doctrines, other nations can only stand by and listen. The West, for example, can create something like Harry Potter or magic and then boast about it for a while. Unlike our country, most of the time, we ourselves can't even count how many gods and cultivation systems we have.