Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

By the time Li Xingzhi and the others emerged from the bandit camp, it was already broad daylight!

The group followed the path and walked straight down the mountain.

They walked north along the main road for a while until they reached the second hiding place of gold mentioned by the bandit leader. The group moved the large stone and dug down two meters into the ground, where they found a small box. Apart from some gold and silver jewelry, there was nothing different inside.

Li Xingzhi took all the things he thought were acceptable, and since there was still quite a lot left, he distributed them all to the strong servants of the Li family.

By this time, it was already 9 AM. Li Xingzhi simply found a flat spot, started cooking, and planned to go back after lunch.

After a night of rapid travel and a great slaughter, everyone was already starving!

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Meanwhile, Qin, the military advisor, rode a tall horse and looked quite impressive along the way!

Leading a group of soldiers of varying heights and builds, they charged toward the bandit stronghold.

At dawn, they arrived at the foot of Wulong Mountain. Seeing that the sun was rising in the east and it was still early, the soldiers were still full of energy as they marched swiftly. Qin, the military advisor, did not delay and called a few scouts to go up the mountain to gather intelligence and find the hiding place of the bandits.

Several scouts, following Qin Canjun's orders, set off for Wulong Mountain. Dressed in makeshift green clothes woven from grass and branches, they carefully made their way up the mountain.

The mountain wasn't high, but it had several peaks, and the bandit's den was nestled among them, close together on both sides and hidden by large trees, making it quite difficult to spot. The scouts were all capable, and one by one they slipped up the mountainside. Although they were hard to spot, they eventually managed to find their way out.

Although the experienced scouts felt that the trip had gone too smoothly and had a strange feeling that something was watching them, they simply went back to report now that they had found the bandits' lair.

Qin, the military advisor, didn't have to wait long. Before noon, all the scouts he had sent out returned, not one missing—a remarkably successful operation. They brought good news: their reconnaissance had revealed the location of the bandits' den.

Qin, the military advisor, didn't delay. His group was ready to fight. They didn't need any strategy to deal with dozens of bandits. Once they knew the location of the bandits' den, they just led their troops to attack!

As they marched on, the soldiers encountered several checkpoints, but there was no one there! Qin, the military advisor, felt a chill in his heart. "Could it be that the thief knew of our movements and has already fled?"

He kept urging them on, and the group quickened their pace. They could see the camp gate in sight, but they didn't see a single bandit. How could they not be disappointed? They had all thought they could gain some merit, but it turned out to be all for nothing! The soldiers following behind were also a little tired.

Before even entering the bandit stronghold, a stench of blood and filth assaulted their nostrils, making some soldiers unfamiliar with such situations feel nauseous! Qin, the military advisor, also frowned, seemingly lost in thought, and quickened his pace, with only a few soldiers beside him starting to jog.

Upon entering the village and seeing the scene before them, many people vomited on the spot—the ground was covered in red, with a strong stench of blood. There were also many pieces of limbs and flesh that had not been cleaned up. They could imagine how tragic the situation must have been!

Qin Canjun frowned even more deeply. He turned around and saw the burly men who had already turned pale. He cursed them inwardly, "Useless!" and led the few people around him deeper into the village.

The mountain stronghold wasn't large, and we quickly reached the end, but we didn't see a single person. Instead, we saw several corpses that had been slashed by sharp blades.

He kicked the blood-stained, contorted, and resentful head with its wide-open eyes at his feet, only to find that the severed head was cleanly cut off, clearly by someone with great strength wielding a sharp blade!

Qin Canjun looked at the broadsword he had carried for ten years, shook his head, and seemed lost in thought, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.

Nothing!

The soldiers following behind Qin Canjun were all listless; they had made a wasted trip.

Qin Canjun had no time to think about anything else. The bloodstains in the stronghold had clearly been left only a few hours ago. By then, they were already quite close to this place, but they hadn't seen any trace of them. They didn't know who the other group was, but they had managed to kill dozens of bandits so cleanly and efficiently. Even though he had brought several hundred men, he wasn't confident that he could wipe out this group of bandits in one fell swoop!

Although he wasn't a high-ranking official, he still wielded some real power. He wondered when such a powerful force had emerged in Tanzhou, capable of killing dozens of bandits right under his nose and then escaping without a trace!

They also ignored Qin Canjun's doubts and worries.

Li Xingzhi had already prepared the meal, and all that was left was to add some good dishes so that it would be ready to eat.

There wasn't much food, just one dish.

Several servants unloaded the large, semi-circular pot behind them and took out all the tightly wrapped ingredients from the servants' bundles.

As soon as the chubby boy saw them start cooking, he slipped out from behind and went to the front of the stove, thinking he could show off his skills. Unfortunately, those burly men were all doing their own thing and paid no attention to him, the head chef of Lou Wai Lou.

The chubby boy rubbed his hands together, feeling a little embarrassed and unsure of what to do. He looked left and right, and seeing things he didn't recognize, he was curious enough to try them out.

"Slap!" A furry hand reached out from the side, slapped the chubby little hand away, picked up the big bag of chili peppers, and went straight to the stove.

The chubby boy touched his slightly red hands, not daring to say anything, and followed along with some curiosity.

Seeing the large black pot that looked a bit different from the ones he usually used for cooking, he was itching to touch it when he suddenly felt himself being lifted into the air, and the whole world suddenly opened up before him. He turned around and saw a burly man with a full beard grinning at him.

The chubby boy froze instantly, revealing an ugly, tearful expression. He chuckled awkwardly a few times, like a thieving duck quacking.

After the big man put him down, he didn't dare stay there any longer and rolled away like a ball of flesh.

Li Xingzhi observed the chubby boy joking around in the crowd from a distance, finding it somewhat amusing. He didn't stop Zhou Da from joking with the chubby boy.

The fat man was still curious, and even after walking a little further away, he kept glancing into the big pot.

He didn't know there was a saying in later generations, "Curiosity killed the cat," especially for a fat cat like him who was so greedy!

But then he saw the burly man holding a large ladle pick up the oil packet and, with a "smack," throw that huge white lump of lard into the pot so roughly that the chubby boy frowned!

Once the oil had melted, the burly man took a packet of mixed spices, including Sichuan peppercorns, garlic, and ginger, and patted it all onto the bottom of the pan. With a quick stir-fry, the unique aromas of the spices burst forth. The fat man's nose twitched violently, and his eyes bulged out, eager to see what was going on.

It's a disgrace that a chef from such a prestigious restaurant wouldn't even know that dishes could be prepared this way!

It turns out that this method of stir-frying originated in the Northern Song Dynasty. Although it is not a profound skill and can be learned in no time, not many people actually do or even think about it. This is probably because conventional thinking keeps people out of the door.

Then, the man threw all the meat into the pot and started stir-frying it vigorously. Flames rose more than half a meter high from the pot from time to time, which made the chubby boy's mouth drop open in surprise.

Finally, some salt water is indispensable, and of course, there's that packet of dark red, dry, spicy stuff cut into thin rings that the little fat boy is most curious about.

Only Li Xingzhi's men have the strength to stir-fry such a large pot.

Li Xingzhi had already taught some basic cooking methods to several strong servants. Apart from the beginning when Li Xingzhi cooked a few times himself, they usually cooked for that group of good-for-nothings and the other servants. Although their cooking skills weren't particularly good, with the guidance of Li Xingzhi, a gourmand whose cooking techniques were a thousand years ahead of their time, they were better than most hotel chefs today.

At this moment, the crazy little girl lying on the makeshift stretcher made of tree branches had woken up. Smelling the rich aroma of the food, her stomach was empty and rumbling.

When the little girl woke up, she reached out and grabbed something, but couldn't grasp anything. Only then did she remember what had happened that day.