Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

Qin, the military advisor, led a group of listless soldiers back to Tanzhou City. Governor Liu, seeing the group marching back in orderly formation from afar, had already ordered people to prepare a victory banquet.

When Governor Liu met Military Advisor Qin, he found him neatly dressed with no bloodstains from the killing, but with a furrowed brow, which made him feel uneasy.

"Military Advisor Qin, how is the matter progressing?" Governor Liu asked. Magistrate Cui, who was standing next to him, also looked deep in thought when he saw Military Advisor Qin's expression.

"By the time we got to the bandit stronghold, all those bandits had already been wiped out!" Qin Canjun said with a hint of gloom, his pimple-covered face scrunched up like a bitter gourd.

Originally, it was fortunate that all the thieves were dead, but unexpectedly, they discovered an even more powerful force lurking nearby, which made the people in the hall somewhat uneasy.

"What... what should we do?" Governor Liu was anxious. If anything else went wrong in Tanzhou City in the last two years, he would definitely not have an easy time. Being able to retire to his hometown early would be the best outcome.

Magistrate Cui also frowned. Upon hearing Qin's words, a figure flashed through his mind. He shook his head, thinking to himself that he was being paranoid.

Qin, the military advisor, was also at a loss. This wasn't about killing thieves or catching wanted criminals. If they launched a large-scale search without even knowing who the person was, they might alert the suspect, and they would definitely become a laughingstock among their colleagues!

None of them had any ideas, so they could only secretly investigate and strengthen the defenses of Tanzhou City.

When Li Xingzhi and the others returned to Tanzhou City, the sun had already set. Just like when they left the city, they dispersed and entered the city separately.

Li Xingzhi was unaware that not long after they entered the city, a squad of strong soldiers took over the duties of guarding several city gates, and began to thoroughly check all passersby, especially the tall and strong ones.

Although their desired outcome wasn't achieved, the security situation in Tanzhou City improved dramatically. Meanwhile, the government offices and the prisons at Wuhoupu were suddenly overflowing with people.

Li Xingzhi and his entourage entered through the north gate and soon returned to the Li residence. They summoned servants to settle the little fat boy and the maid, and then ordered the servants to boil several buckets of hot water.

He was covered in the smell of blood, and although he had already washed himself in the river outside the city, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

After changing the bathwater twice, Li Xingzhi scrubbed himself thoroughly before changing his clothes and getting up.

After dinner, he chatted with Erlang for a while, checked on his studies, and then went straight to bed to prepare for his cultivation that day.

Li Xingzhi habitually sat cross-legged on the large wooden bed with a faint sandalwood scent. With a thought, he routinely opened the system panel, glanced at it, looked at the changes in attributes, and then prepared to close it.

Suddenly, a thought struck him: he felt that the system panel was different today. He looked at each item one by one, and apart from a slight change in the attributes, nothing else had changed.

Somewhat unwillingly, he looked again, and when he saw the bottom of the system panel, he discovered that the "Cave" that had been silent all along had suddenly lit up! From the initial anticipation, he had almost forgotten that this thing existed.

Li Xingzhi was truly excited! This thing was essential for murder, arson, and travel. With it, Li Xingzhi wouldn't have to carry or drag too many things around when he went out.

Although he possesses many things now, they can only assist him in cultivating martial arts; they are not very useful in other ways. Only this cave is truly magical. If he is not mistaken, it is another world!

Li Xingzhi could no longer hold back. With a thought, he suddenly felt the environment change, making him feel somewhat uneasy. When the surrounding clouds and mist dissipated, a space appeared in front of him.

The space was small, like a large house, only a dozen meters long, wide, and high. It was shrouded in white clouds and mist. He reached his hand into the area covered by the clouds and mist, but there was a great resistance. Even with Li Xingzhi's divine strength, he could only go in half a meter with eighty percent of his strength.

The space wasn't large, but Li Xingzhi didn't feel cramped.

The ground was black and damp, and in the very center of the ground was a spring. The spring was very small, no more than one square meter.

Li Xingzhi put his hand into the water and found it refreshingly cool. He tried taking a sip, and it was extremely sweet. After drinking the water, he felt completely relaxed, and the vital energy in his body seemed to circulate faster, making him feel indescribably comfortable.

Without wasting any time, Li Xingzhi simply sat cross-legged on the thick, dark earth, cleared his mind, and began to meditate.

Once he entered a meditative state, he noticed something different.

It turns out that when he was outside, once he entered a meditative state, all six senses were shut down and all things were darkened, leaving only his true self sitting alone in the center.

Once inside this space, even in deep meditation, he could still sense its existence. He could even see a version of himself sitting by a spring within it. He felt that he could even subtly manipulate certain things within the space.

As usual, Li Xingzhi entered a meditative state. He curiously and carefully examined this space, which was originally desolate but somehow made him feel alive; he examined the person in the space, the person he was very familiar with, but now felt extremely unfamiliar. An indescribable and strange feeling rose in his heart...

When Li Xingzhi opened his eyes, he had already reached the ninth level of cultivation.

On a whim, he returned to the original room, only to find that it was still pitch black outside the window.

Li Xingzhi seemed to be deep in thought, then took out two more water clocks and placed them in the space and in his own room.

Before long, he took out the water clock and saw that time in that space was different from the flow rate in the outside world. According to Li Xingzhi's measurement, it was roughly one to five times the speed of travel. In other words, one day outside was equivalent to five days inside the space.

This difference in time is currently a double-edged sword for Li Xingzhi, but he feels that this change in time will be of great use in the future.

Li Xingzhi looked out the window at the sky. The moon was setting in the west, and only a few stars were still very conspicuous.

"Dong!—Dong! Dong!" Suddenly, the sound of a clapper, one fast and two slow, broke the silence of the night and struck Li Xingzhi's heart. It was already past midnight.

Since arriving in this world, Li Xingzhi has gradually gotten used to the local custom of "sleeping at the second watch and rising at the fifth watch." Although he initially found it somewhat unbelievable, as a modern person, he couldn't imagine how to get up at three in the morning every day!

Looking at the high, cold moon, Li Xingzhi sighed and suddenly felt a sense of desolation. The unexpected joy he had felt earlier faded away.

He closed the doors and windows, shutting out the cold moonlight. He pulled the long-unused blanket over himself and lay down on the bed. A familiar yet strange feeling washed over him; it was incredibly comfortable. Although meditation was exhilarating, just like sex, it's good to take a break from time to time.

He curled up completely under the covers and began the most wonderful night in the world.

The next day, Li Xingzhi didn't get up until the sun was almost at its zenith, when he finally stretched lazily.

Sunlight streamed into the room through the cracks in the window, adding a touch of languid charm to this early spring.

Li Xingzhi straightened his slightly wrinkled clothes, opened the door, and let the warm sunlight shine on him. It was so warm. He felt as if every tiny pore on his body was breathing in and out of the sunlight, as if trying to hold onto the precious light and warmth. Li Xingzhi felt his blood and energy flowing rapidly like the rushing water in a river, with a "whooshing" sound.

He closed his eyes and savored this hard-won comfort.

He opened his eyes and saw a large human face. Through the black crystal embedded in that slightly thin face, he could see his own reflection.

Li Xingzhi couldn't help but take a step back, only to find the little girl in front of him looking somewhat timid and embarrassed.

He looked at the woman in front of him; her plain face was somewhat pale, completely lacking the heroic spirit she had displayed yesterday when wielding the whip.

What are you doing here? Is something the matter?

Hu Qing'er opened her mouth, but then hesitated, unsure of what to say. She gritted her teeth and asked, "Where's my whip? Could you..." Her voice trailed off. No matter what, she had to get that whip back. It was something her mother had left her, her most treasured possession, a means of self-defense.

Li Xingzhi looked at the girl in front of him, her thin frame and pale face still bearing a hint of childishness in the chilly morning air. His heart softened, and he said, "Wait a moment."

As he spoke, he went back into the house and took out the long whip that Zhou Da had given him yesterday.

The whip was entirely silver-white, crafted from exotic gold, and was so exquisitely made that Li Xingzhi couldn't help but admire it for a while.

"Keep this safe, and don't use it carelessly in the future, or else..." He handed over the silver whip, but his words carried a warning tone. Although he was a bit soft-hearted, he still had to make things clear upfront.

Hearing the first half of Li Xing's sentence, Hu Qing'er was overjoyed and quickly took the long whip offered to her. However, upon hearing the second half, her heart tightened again. She thought to herself that she absolutely could not use her precious whip in front of these strange people.

In his eyes, Li Xingzhi was able to dodge her unexpected lashes, and Zhou Daneng was able to take several lashes from her without any injury; they were both very strange people. Otherwise, how could a little girl born in a bandit's den come to his door so timidly asking for a whip? She would probably have already come to kill him.

She gently touched the cold whip, as if sensing its life, and thought: "My little darling, I've come to find you. Did you miss me?" She then slightly furrowed her brow, thinking: "It's all those bad guys' fault. Otherwise, I wouldn't have left you. Once I've mastered my martial arts..."

Thinking about this, she started gritting her teeth.

Looking at the girl in front of him, whose adorable expression changed from frowning to gritting her teeth, Li Xingzhi couldn't tell what she was thinking. He found it both amusing and pitying.

He asked, "Young lady, what are your plans for the future? Do you still have any relatives?"

Li Xingzhi still didn't know the woman's background, or even her name. Although the girl's reaction yesterday was somewhat intense, he assumed she had been kidnapped by thieves and felt pity for her, which was why he was being so easy to talk to.

Li Xingzhi had no idea what kind of story was behind this.