Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

Li Xingzhi packed his belongings and, together with Wang Xiucai, Erlang, and several strong servants, headed west. After leaving the city gate, they soon arrived at the banks of the Xiaoxiang River.

There were already quite a few people here, all with relaxed expressions and leisurely paces, appearing quite carefree!

Walking along the riverbank, watching the water flow northward, sometimes calm, sometimes swift, Li Xingzhi suddenly felt a surge of pride. No wonder some, upon seeing this great river, exclaimed, "He would brave the rapids, his boats halting the current!"

Li Xingzhi and his party traveled north along the river. As they moved further from the city, they gradually saw only a few scattered figures. Occasionally, a woodcutter or a fisherman would pass by, and perhaps they would see two or three scholars sitting cross-legged under a tree or standing with their hands behind their backs by the river, raising their cups to drink and gazing into the distance, expressing their deepest feelings!

Seeing such figures always moved Li Xingzhi. He thought of the busy, ant-like masses of later generations. Did they still possess such spirit? How many such figures were there?

Reaching a hillside, Li Xingzhi looked back and was struck by the vastness of the universe. The mighty river, like a jade ribbon, meandered and disappeared among the mountains; the mountains stretched endlessly, connecting heaven and earth; and the enormous sun rose, radiating its rays in the distance, quietly illuminating the earth!

He looked down and saw everything in the world. The city of Tanzhou was nothing more than a toy made of mud. People the size of ants came out of the city gate and then spread out in all directions. The shadows of the trees were dense, the houses stood alone, and the paths crisscrossed. It was like a chessboard, a magnificent sight!

A gust of wind blew by, causing Li Xingzhi's clothes to flutter. A strange feeling lingered in his mind, and the Longevity Green Wood Qi began to stir again.

Seeing Li Xingzhi stop and look back at something, Wang Xiucai and Erlang were puzzled. They also looked back curiously and saw that the world was vast and boundless, with all things in the world contained within it. Their hearts were suddenly enlightened!

Seeing their master stop, the servants, though unsure why, dared not disturb him. They placed their belongings at his feet and rested for a while. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew, and the three figures before them, their robes fluttering, appeared like immortals, as if they were about to ride the wind away! The servants were stunned, remaining silent and not daring to make a move.

After a long while, Li Xingzhi finally came to his senses.

He turned his head, pointed to the tree a dozen meters away, and said, "Let's sit down there." At this moment, everyone came back to their senses from their astonishment. The servants hurriedly set out the tables and chairs, placed several couches on them, and then laid out food and wine, not daring to make the slightest noise.

Li Xingzhi sensed something was off, but couldn't figure it out, so he left it to avoid causing himself trouble.

After laying out the items, Li Xingzhi dismissed the servants, letting them go off to play and have fun, so as not to disturb their enjoyment.

There weren't many things on the table: a few plates of fresh fruit, a few plates of dried fruit, a few plates of cold dishes, and a jar of good wine that I had found this morning. It was quite satisfying!

After Li Xingzhi picked up his chopsticks, Erlang and Wang Xiucai began to eat. Li Xingzhi ate some cold dishes and drank a few cups of wine, and soon he was quite tipsy.

Normally, with Li Xingzhi's drinking capacity and the effects of his longevity energy, even drinking a thousand cups wouldn't be a problem. But alas, "the wine doesn't intoxicate, the person intoxicates himself!"

Li Xingzhi drank his wine, listening to the sound of the wind rustling through the trees, and felt quite lonely. He stood alone in this world, yet no one understood the meaning in his heart! He suddenly felt a sense of emptiness.

Li Xingzhi looked up and saw Wang Xiucai leisurely sipping his wine and enjoying the delicacies, seemingly without a care in the world. Li Xingzhi's mood suddenly improved, and a saying came to mind: "If there is pleasure here, then I have nothing else to worry about." The meaning of those words was perfectly apt!

Li Xingzhi glanced at Erlang sitting next to him, who was also holding a small cup of wine and sipping it in a rather pretentious manner. To be honest, he actually looked quite dashing. However, his occasional furrowed brows and the way he looked around now and then suggested that he was rather bored.

Originally, Li Xingzhi forbade Erlang from drinking alcohol. However, firstly, most wines in the Tang Dynasty were light and not very strong in flavor; secondly, at this time, banquets were not held without wine, and it was a tradition that Li Xingzhi could not go too far in disobeying him. Therefore, he allowed Erlang to drink some light wine occasionally.

Seeing this, Li Xingzhi smiled inwardly, stood up, and said, "Erlang, let's go fly a kite!"

Upon hearing this, Erlang immediately stood up, ignoring the remaining wine in his cup.

Li Xingzhi took the kite he had made himself the day before, went to a flat area, and had Erlang hold the fish-shaped kite. Li Xingzhi held the string and ran against the wind. As soon as Li Xingzhi uttered the word "release," the kite tilted and flew into the sky!

It was on a windward slope with a strong wind, so Li Xingzhi didn't need to do anything; he simply let out the line, and the kite floated away into the distance. Li Xingzhi slowly let out the line, tightening and loosening it repeatedly, and the kite, which had been tilted in the distance, quickly rose higher. Occasionally, the sound of a zither could be heard from the kite, as if someone were playing music in the sky! It was truly fascinating!

People in the distance were quite amazed to see this flying object. Some even walked over, wanting to find out what it was all about! Wang Xiucai also stood up, looking at the kite that was rising higher and higher, his face deep in thought, a hint of sadness and nostalgia hidden between his sips.

The first kite had already taken flight, leaving only one. Li Xingzhi had Erlang run alongside holding the kite string, while he followed behind, ready to release it.

The swallow kite was easier to fly than the fish kite, and it took off very quickly.

As Li Xingzhi watched the kite gradually rise higher, suddenly, a gust of evil wind blew from the left, causing the kite to tilt to one side and plummet to the ground, crashing heavily into Erlang's heart.

Erlang looked at the broken kite with a dejected expression, his face pale and somewhat forlorn, which made Li Xingzhi feel quite sorry for him.

Li Xingzhi patted Erlang's head and said with a smile, "It's alright, the kite isn't broken yet. I'll teach you, it'll be easy for you to fly."

Under Li Xingzhi's guidance, the swallow kite took flight smoothly. After all, it wasn't difficult; one just needed to pay attention to the wind direction when launching and retrieving it.

Watching the kite soar higher and higher, Erlang also began to feel happy. He looked at the kite with longing on his face, lost in thought.

"Yay! Look! It's already flying!" A rather childish and cute voice broke the atmosphere.

The voice sounded familiar, prompting Erlang to turn around. A cute little figure wearing a thin veil appeared on the hillside. Behind her followed a maid and several strong servants. When Li Xingzhi turned around, he saw a woman wearing a long veil and Magistrate Cui, whom he had met in the dilapidated temple that day.

As the group approached, Li Xingzhi went to greet them, smiling and clasping his hands in greeting, "How have you been, Magistrate Cui?"

"Good, good, it's all thanks to Li's eldest son!" Magistrate Cui returned the greeting with clasped hands.

At this moment, Erlang walked over and bowed to Magistrate Cui with neither arrogance nor servility.

When Magistrate Cui saw the young boy before him, he noticed his refined manners and a complete change from the timid and unassuming boy he had been in the temple. Magistrate Cui nodded in satisfaction. "Second son, are you studying diligently? Have you hired a tutor yet?"

"We invited Master Shi over to teach him some classic texts," Li Xingzhi said from the side.

Erlang and the young lady from the Cui family were a little unfamiliar with each other at first, but soon the two little ones started whispering to each other, making quite a scene.

Li Xingzhi was also taken aback by Magistrate Cui's rambling, but he was quite impressed by Magistrate Cui's erudition. Li Xingzhi didn't dare to discuss classical texts, poetry, or prose with Magistrate Cui, as he had recently read some books, but he was afraid he would slip up if he did. So he chose to talk about unofficial literature and anecdotes, which broadened Magistrate Cui's horizons!

Erlang had already taken the curious young lady from the Cui family to see kites. They chatted and laughed all the way, and when the topic turned to kites, Erlang's eyes would light up as he talked about Li Xingzhi. The two little ones asked and answered questions, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Madam Cui watched from the side, not stopping them. Perhaps her daughters were so happy, and the two were so young, that there was no need to concern herself with formalities.

"Li Dalang, is that the kite that can send messages?" Magistrate Cui asked, pointing to the kite that had already flown high and was now just a black dot in the sky.

"Yes, that's a kite."

As they talked, the two walked to the kite string. Li Xingzhi flicked his finger, and the two strings broke, allowing the kite to drift away in the wind.

Magistrate Cui was startled and asked, "Li Dalang, what is the reason for this?" The two children who were talking were also very surprised, wondering why Li Xingzhi had broken the kite string. The others also looked at Li Xingzhi with great curiosity. Even Wang Xiucai, who was usually taciturn and had a deadpan expression, looked at him in surprise.

At this moment, Magistrate Cui had recovered from his surprise and felt a chill in his heart. He had never expected that the thin and somewhat frail eldest son of the Li family would have such a unique skill!

"I've heard that if a kite's string breaks, all the bad luck of the year will leave with it. I don't know if it's true or not, but I'll try it today."

"Haha! I never expected Li Dalang to have such refined tastes," Magistrate Cui said with a smile.

At this moment, Li Xingzhi paused again and said softly, "Legend has it that if a kite with a broken string can keep flying upwards instead of falling to the ground, then your loved ones in another world can see the blessings you drew on the kite."

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, as if some inexplicable force, along with Li Xingzhi's soft voice, had entered everyone's hearts.

Wang Xiucai stood to the side, his face still expressionless, but a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes; Magistrate Cui and his wife fell silent and pondered for a moment, and even the chattering Erxiao beside them sensed the change in atmosphere and stopped talking.

The idea that kites bring bad luck isn't necessarily true, but it was a tradition in Li Xingzhi's time. However, the following statement was fabricated by Li Xingzhi; perhaps, it represented his deepest hope!

Just as everyone fell silent, Li Xingzhi suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and his hair stood on end! A figure suddenly appeared behind a large tree, wielding a large sword, a cold glint flashing as it slashed towards Li Xingzhi…

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There will be another update around 6 PM!

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