Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

When he woke up, the sky was clear and bright. Li Xingzhi had never slept so well since he grew up.

He examined the Buddha statue in the middle of the temple. Although it was missing most of its head, the craftsmanship was actually quite exquisite. He didn't know why it was ruined like this.

Seeing that the little dog Egg was sleeping soundly, she didn't wake him and quietly walked out of the temple gate.

The morning air, carrying a slight chill, made my mind exceptionally clear. Strolling to the lakeside, a breeze swept by, flattening the surrounding reeds layer upon layer like waves, creating gentle ripples on the mirror-like lake. At that moment, the sky appeared exceptionally blue and vast. A thousand years later, such a clear blue sky and such a tranquil lake will be rare indeed.

For the first time, I realized how wonderful life is.

In the blink of an eye, more than half a month had passed.

That evening, Li Xingzhi and his dog, Dan, were eating wild vegetables stewed with turtle again.

Although Li Xingzhi was getting tired of the food, he had no choice but to make do. As for Xiang and Gou Dan'er, perhaps they had never eaten anything good before, or perhaps Li Xingzhi often cooked it in different ways, they still drooled at the sight of the turtle.

There were quite a few turtles by the lake, all different sizes to choose from. Li Xingzhi was initially puzzled: how come the people here have such a high standard of living that they don't even bother eating turtles? Later, Xiao Gou Dan explained that they don't eat turtles here. They usually kill them when they see them, and sometimes they use them to feed chickens.

Li Xingzhi was speechless. He didn't know if eating turtle wasn't popular in the early Tang Dynasty, or if they simply didn't eat turtle here. Indeed, in the early Tang Dynasty, when people still ate raw fish stew and didn't even know how to stir-fry, even if someone ate turtle, it wouldn't have become widespread—all that effort to prepare would only result in two lumps of meat, and especially if you didn't know how to cook it, it would be a mouthful of fishy taste that would make you want to vomit!

By this time, the aroma of the large turtle Li Xingzhi had cooked filled the entire small temple and drifted out on the wind. This was a far cry from when he first arrived, when he even drank the turtle's blood raw just to replenish his nutrition. As Li Xingzhi discovered more and more ingredients and gained more and more cooking experience, his culinary skills had reached a high level, and the turtle he cooked was naturally incomparable, even reaching the standard of a fourth-grade dish. However, his culinary skills were also improving more and more slowly.

"Wait, wait!" Just as the two were about to share the delicious giant turtle, a loud voice came from outside the temple, full of energy, which shook the dust inside the temple.

While the two were still in a daze inside the temple, a tall figure appeared and, disregarding the heat emanating from the pottery jar, scooped the scalding hot jar into his arms.

Li Xingzhi was surprised, but seeing that the newcomer seemed to have no ill intentions, he calmly said, "Who are you? Why are you even trying to steal the food from us two beggars?"

"A beggar? I didn't know there were such fair-skinned little beggars." Fair-skinned? Damn it! I, a grown man, am being called a pretty boy! Li Xingzhi felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of the man in front of him.

For the past two weeks, Li Xingzhi and Xiao Gou Dan had been eating turtle soup every day, and their health was getting better and better. Although they couldn't be called strong, their complexions were rosy. In addition, Li Xingzhi had brought his habits from modern times and had taken good care of Xiao Gou Dan and himself from head to toe. He even cleaned the temple and the Buddha statues a little. Although they were still dilapidated, they were much cleaner and tidier. Finally, with Li Xingzhi's extraordinary temperament, even if he sat on the street with a broken bowl, no one would necessarily give him money for food.

"Tsk tsk, these two young friends are truly extraordinary! The younger one is clear-headed and bright-eyed, while the older one has an unconventional demeanor and an extraordinary temperament. I wonder whose children they are. I'm already quite smitten." The last sentence sent a chill down Li Xingzhi's spine.

When the dust settled, it turned out to be a big bald monk.

The bald donkey's head was spotless, free of dust; he had a fat head and big ears, and a belly as big as a bell; thick lips, a square face, and a strange smile on his face, which was quite comical; he was dressed in a dark blue monk's robe, with a black gourd hanging from his waist and a large magnolia-colored cloth bag on his back, looking travel-worn, and one hand was protecting a large pottery jar, as if someone was about to rob him.

The little dog, Egg, also saw what the monk looked like, and the hand that had been tightly gripping Li Xingzhi's clothes loosened considerably.

Li Xingzhi dared not relax in the slightest, after all, this was the first stranger he had encountered in this world. Even though he had learned some things about this world from Little Dog Egg, it was only fragmentary information.

"Hehe, young brother, don't be so nervous. Today, I'm just here to beg for alms and find a place to stay." He seemed to have noticed Li Xingzhi's wariness and fear.

"Ha! So it's just a monk begging for alms, but I don't know how he ended up in this dilapidated temple, and he even stole our food." Li Xingzhi felt relieved after hearing this. Thinking about it, it made sense: the monk was burly and strong; what tricks would he need to deal with two teenagers?

"Haha! Your use of 'monk' is something I, the great monk, must be truly ashamed of." The bald monk didn't reply, but instead said something that left Li Xingzhi completely baffled.

In later generations, the term "monk" specifically referred to male religious practitioners and was a neutral term. However, during the Tang Dynasty, it became a highly complimentary term. The fact that the bald man dared to "accept it raw" clearly indicates that he held a significant position within the group of bald men.

Since he didn't understand, Li Xingzhi simply ignored it and treated it as if he had encountered a mad monk.

“Monk, my soup is made with turtle. It’s good for us because we’re a bit weak. You look so energetic, don’t be bored later!” Li Xingzhi said, trying to suppress his urges.

"What?! There's a turtle in here?!" The monk jumped up immediately. Just as Li Xingzhi thought his plan had succeeded, the monk said another sentence, "Turtles and tortoises look so alike, and both possess the energy of longevity, making them excellent for replenishing essence and blood. I was wondering why this turtle was edible; it turns out it was just not prepared properly." The monk said something seemingly out of the blue, then turned to Li Xingzhi and said, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. I've eaten wolf meat and tiger penis before; do you think I'm afraid of a mere little turtle like you?"

"Aren't you a monk? How come you're eating meat?! Are you some kind of monk who only drinks and eats meat?" Li Xingzhi retorted.

This really stirred up a hornet's nest.

"Hmph! Kid, from which bastard did you hear that monks can't eat meat?! I've only ever heard of abstaining from meat, never this nonsense about abstaining from meat! If you don't explain it to me clearly, I'll pester you every day." He paused, then continued, "How can you have the strength to practice your martial arts if you don't eat meat? When the sages conquered the world, did they rely on a few vegetarian bastards?"

It is said that before the Sui Dynasty, there was a brain-dead but Buddhist Emperor Wu of Liang. Once, he almost choked to death on a bone while eating. On a whim, he issued an edict to abstain from alcohol and meat, claiming that this was a blessing to all living beings and a great act of compassion and merit!

Those monks who did not follow him in abstaining from alcohol and meat were all executed by Emperor Wu of Liang. Even the few monks who ate meat left his territory and went north.

The most famous one of them is Bodhidharma, who, in order to have meat to eat, arrogantly crossed the river on a reed!

Although Emperor Wu of Liang had been dead for several decades, the "Edict Abstaining from Wine and Meat" circulated into the Tang Dynasty. With the help of certain individuals, its influence grew, and gradually, some monks in the north began to adopt a vegetarian diet. And that's why this bald, meat-loving monk in front of us started to protest!

"Hehe, I didn't know that, I just happened to hear that monks are vegetarians." Li Xingzhi saw the monk getting anxious and was afraid that if he got impatient, he would actually come over and pinch his small body, and then he would be doomed. "However, listening to the master's words today has truly enlightened me. It's really true that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles!"

"You've got some talent, kid!" The flattery pleased the head monk greatly.

"Master, I noticed that you put your hand into the fire but didn't feel the heat. Could it be that you have practiced some kind of unparalleled martial arts?"

“You’re quite perceptive, lad,” the head monk said. “I come from the Chan school, and I practice the Shaolin Yi Jin Jing!” Then he smiled and said, “Hehe, you can learn it if you join my school.”

"Am I some kind of genius? I can learn the Shaolin Temple's most treasured skill, the Yi Jin Jing, right from the start!" Li Xingzhi thought to himself. Clearly, in his eyes, the Yi Jin Jing was the most treasured skill in martial arts novels, something that only the sect leader could pass on.

"Since your Yi Jin Jing is a unique skill, why did you pass it on to me like this?" Li Xingzhi wondered before asking.

"Hey! What do you mean you can just be taught like this? You'll have to become my disciple first!"

"Could it be that I am a genius of unparalleled talent?"

"Hey! You sure know how to brag, kid." The big monk glanced at Li Xingzhi sideways and said, "Your physique is not bad, but you're far from being a genius. Besides, as for the Yi Jin Jing, as long as you can endure hardship, you can learn the entire Zen school!"

"I thought it was some kind of secret technique," Li Xingzhi muttered to himself.

Only Little Egg remained silent, listening intently from the side.

"Hmph!" The head monk snorted in dissatisfaction and said, "It's just right, hot or cold. Let's eat first." He was already incredibly hungry.

After saying that, he ignored Li Xingzhi and Xiao Gou Dan, and pulled out a black bowl from somewhere. He scooped out a large spoonful, and half of the jar was gone.

Li Xingzhi dared not let him scoop any more, so he quickly snatched the large earthenware jar and divided the rest among himself.

After finishing the giant turtle, the three of them were still somewhat unsatisfied.

"Kid, this is all you have? You're so stingy." The big monk patted his belly. Clearly, that little bit of food wasn't even enough to fill Eleven's belly.

“Big monk, you can’t just eat and drink for free all the time!” Li Xingzhi looked at the bald man’s matter-of-fact attitude and felt a little resentful.

"Hmph! What a cunning lad." The monk seemed somewhat troubled, hesitating about something. Li Xingzhi was about to give him a way out when the monk spoke first, "If you can prepare some more food for me to eat, I'll give you half of this gourd of wine."

"Alright, but don't go back on your word later!" Li Xingzhi could tell from the monk's expression that there was something good in that gourd!

"Hmph! I, a monk, would never go back on my word. But don't try to fool me with a big pot of turtle soup." The head monk seemed a little dissatisfied, probably because he was reluctant to part with the pot of wine.

Li Xingzhi didn't say much and got up to prepare the ingredients. Unfortunately, in this desolate wilderness, there was no salt or oil, so whatever he made naturally lacked flavor. Fortunately, the monk didn't ask for much; he just wanted to fill his stomach.