Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

The head monk was amazed as soon as he entered the courtyard. Just a month ago, he was a little beggar, but now he had become a wealthy man. In particular, the elegant atmosphere of the courtyard made the monk even more curious. He could only attribute it to an extraordinary person and an extraordinary event. After all, an anomaly is an anomaly, and no reason could explain it!

"Hey!—Hey!" A series of loud voices rang out, followed by occasional "bang bang!" sounds of impact, which drew the attention of the head monk.

Turning a corner in a long corridor, one could see more than ten burly men relentlessly ramming into a large tree wrapped in layers of thick hemp cloth. These men were all tall and strong, their large muscles bulging, slamming into the tree repeatedly. Sweat mingled with streaks of red blood, their upper bodies turning a dark red, their lower bodies completely soaked. Their hair was tightly coiled on their heads, swaying with each violent impact. If he had been astonished before, the great monk was now utterly astonished.

"This kid is really willing to spend money!" the head monk grumbled to himself.

The abbot came from Shaolin Temple, the ancestral home of Zen Buddhism. He claimed to be a master of both medicine and martial arts. His eyesight was excellent. He could tell at a glance that these people had not been training for long, but their blood and qi were so abundant, their skin was dark red, and their temples were slightly bulging. Obviously, they had some foundation in external martial arts. Ordinary people could not reach this level without one or two years of hard work. It was clear that Li Xingzhi had used a lot of good medicine!

In particular, the abbot's exceptionally keen senses allowed him to detect a subtle medicinal fragrance in the blood and sweat of these people, indicating how much medicine Li Xingzhi had used, and that the effects of the medicine were beginning to seep out of their bodies!

The senior monk shook his head slightly, inwardly cursing the "spendthrift" and even thinking about how to make the boy feel the pinch and get some benefits from him.

The monk arrived, and Li Xingzhi was in a rare good mood. He prepared to have a meal in the backyard, where they would sit outdoors, which would create a better atmosphere, wouldn't it?

However, this meant he'd have to cook for himself again. Leveling up and running a stall outside would be enough; there was no need to torture himself like this. Li Xingzhi started thinking of ways to find a cook. After all, he couldn't possibly cook for every customer; that would be too embarrassing!

When Li Xingzhi arrived at the kitchen, Little Dog Egg came looking for him. Although he had been living there for quite some time, Little Dog Egg—oh, he should be called Wang Erlang now—was still very attached to Li Xingzhi. Seeing Li Xingzhi cooking, Wang Erlang ran over and started a fire.

"Oh dear—young sir, this is something we servants do, please let me do it." At this moment, the plump aunt ran over.

The plump aunt was originally from Zhangjia Village. She married into Zhou Wufu's family. Zhou Wufu was coerced by bandits and eventually became their servant. She was also implicated and was eventually demoted to a lowly status. After that, she was sold back by Li Xingzhi.

As for her master's family, Aunt Pang was very satisfied. They were not only kind to people, but also very generous with food, clothing, and daily necessities, much better than before. In addition, the eldest son was handsome and had a great presence, and the second son was very intelligent, making them irresistibly lovable. Although Aunt Pang, who had no son, knew that her status was low, she still couldn't help but love the second son as her own child.

However, what puzzled Aunt Pang the most was that the noble-looking eldest son did not study or take the imperial examinations, but instead preferred cooking and business. He even personally engaged in lowly occupations, which Aunt Pang found very regrettable and often sighed about.

Erlang was very approachable and liked to follow Dalang around, which was a good thing in itself. However, every time Dalang cooked, Erlang would be tending the fire downstairs. What was going on? But since Dalang was the master of the house, Aunt Pang couldn't say anything.

This time, Aunt Pang mustered up her courage. She really didn't want this handsome young man to ruin himself like this every day. As for Da Lang, although he was usually very amiable, Aunt Pang didn't dare to say much. When facing Da Lang, Aunt Zhang always felt unconsciously timid!

"Alright, Erlang, listen to Aunt Pang. You'll be studying for the imperial examinations in the future. I've been thinking about finding you a tutor these past few days. You're not a child anymore." Li Xingzhi saw that Erlang was a little hesitant.

Li Xingzhi has been incredibly busy lately, so perhaps this is a good opportunity for the two brothers to get closer. After all, he still relies heavily on Li Xingzhi. Erlang himself didn't even realize it; without noticing, he had begun to depend on Li Xingzhi as if he were a parent, after all, he's still just a six or seven-year-old child!

At this moment, Erlang's maid Xiaolan came over with a steaming towel and gently wiped Erlang's face. Her concerned expression seemed genuine.

Li Xingzhi watched from the side and nodded in satisfaction. However, a young man as fair-skinned and innocent as Erlang was simply an incredibly cute little boy in later generations. He was a heartbreaker, and no woman could resist his charm.

Li Xingzhi was cooking, and Erlang was watching beside him. Seeing Erlang's appearance, Li Xingzhi had a headache. After all, Erlang was too dependent on him. "It seems I need to find him a teacher as soon as possible!" Li Xingzhi thought to himself.

Li Xingzhi prepared a few dishes, which were then carried to the courtyard by servants for a small banquet. He also exchanged several jars of "Clear Stream Spring" from the system shop and brought them over. Only Li Xingzhi, Wang Erlang, and a senior monk were present. Wang Xiucai did not attend the banquet; in front of outsiders, he was merely a servant of the Li family and would never be seated at the table! Moreover, Wang Xiucai was not familiar with the senior monk, so Li Xingzhi did not insist.

The steaming food and wine had already made the monk's nose tingle. Luckily, Li Xingzhi acted quickly enough, otherwise the monk might have rushed into the kitchen!

Looking at the various dishes and drinks, the head monk held out his chopsticks, unsure of which to eat first. Whenever he saw delicious food, his meditative concentration vanished!

Watching Li Xingzhi and Wang Erlang keep piling food into his bowl, the monk felt his heart was bleeding. He stopped worrying about anything else and quickened his pace.

The head monk devoured the various dishes, his mind filled with astonishment. "I wonder where Li Dalang got so many clever ideas!" He had never eaten any of these dishes before, and didn't even know how many were made. After all, many cooking techniques, such as stir-frying, which is common in later generations, only appeared in the Northern Song Dynasty. Naturally, the head monk was unaware of them. In addition, Li Xingzhi's culinary skills had improved rapidly by studying various rare culinary books during this period, so it was no wonder that the head monk was so delighted with the food.

Seeing that the abbot was sweeping away the fallen leaves like an autumn wind, Li Xingzhi only tasted a little of the various dishes before starting the "Clear Stream Spring" and pouring himself a small cup.

He has never tasted this legendary wine from the martial arts world!

Actually, compared to the wines produced by the system, Li Xingzhi preferred to buy or brew his own rice wine. The beauty of wine lies in the sentiment it evokes. Although the products from the system were good, Li Xingzhi always felt something was missing, like a person without a soul; they were mostly cold and impersonal, making him feel no human connection, so naturally, he didn't like them as much.

If he hadn't been so busy lately, he would have been thinking about brewing his own wine long ago!

The monk's nose twitched, and he suddenly looked up, seeing Li Xingzhi's flamboyant expression. The aroma of the wine stimulated his large nose, and seeing Li Xingzhi guzzling it down felt like being stabbed several times. Even though he hadn't tasted it, he could imagine how wonderful the wine must be. Just the extremely clear and delicate, silky aroma alone was enough to tell that it was extraordinary!

The senior monk placed the two unopened jars of wine under his feet to protect them, and then picked up the jar that Li Xingzhi had opened, pouring a bowlful of it—the wine poured out with great force, but not a drop spilled, demonstrating the senior monk's control over his strength!

Unlike Li Xingzhi, the great monk wouldn't gulp down and waste such fine wine. He carefully took a sip. The wine was extremely light on the palate, yet incredibly clear and refreshing, like a mountain spring flowing down a rocky cliff in early spring. Once the wine touched his tongue, he could taste its natural sweetness, just like the spring water. Just as the great monk was about to swallow the wine with some disappointment, it slid down his throat, just like a clear spring flowing and splashing in the mountains!

Only then did a faint taste of wine spread from the tip of his tongue, down to the root of his tongue, and straight to his heart. An unprecedented feeling of emotion rose in the monk's heart, like a little life seeing the world for the first time!

He inexplicably sensed that the realm he had been pursuing was his Dao!

"If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening!" These words resonated in his heart like a thunderclap in a clear sky.

This is not a Buddhist saying, but the saying goes, "High monks do not discriminate against the Way, and high Taoists do not discriminate against monks." When one cultivates to their level, what is not the Way?

Li Xingzhi was still drinking wine as if it were water, Erlangren was eating food under Xiaolan's service, only the big monk was still lying in the Dao realm, unable to extricate himself, and did not even know that the wine in his bowl was finished!

Only when the cups and plates were in disarray did the great monk slowly wake up. By then, Li Xingzhi could no longer see the ever-smiling great monk; there was only a true Buddha who had attained enlightenment! Li Xingzhi looked at the great monk and sighed softly in his heart, wondering what the future held for him.

“You are too attached, benefactor. The vast sky is but a fleeting moment! All things in the world are nothing more than this!” Li Xingzhi looked at the smiling, benevolent, and wise-looking Living Buddha in front of him, just like the Maitreya Buddha enshrined in the Buddhist temple in his later life, but with a greater degree of divinity.

"I wonder where my path leads?" he thought to himself, vaguely recalling the appearance of his home from his previous life.

The great monk is gone; only one true Buddha remains here!

Li Xingzhi stared blankly at the tree opposite him, sipping his weak wine. He didn't realize that he was now all alone, with only two wine jars standing forlornly on the ground...