Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

In less than fifteen minutes, the two pots of soup would be ready, but it seemed that God didn't want Li Xingzhi to have it too easy.

Just as Li Xingzhi was anxiously waiting, "Bang—" the temple door was suddenly kicked open. Li Xingzhi's heart skipped a beat. He picked up a sharpened bamboo pole from the side, cautiously on guard, while waking up the little dog, Dan.

"It smells so good, big brother! We're going to have something good to eat today!" A rather shrill voice rang out, making the already somewhat eerie dilapidated temple even more terrifying! Little Dog Egg was startled and carefully clutched the hem of Li Xingzhi's clothes, standing behind him.

"Hmph, shut up, or your dog head might get used as a drinking bait one day." This time the voice was fierce and rough, clearly that of the boss.

"Ahem~ Big brother, third brother, let's go inside first." At this moment, a low, somewhat deep voice came, and the temple immediately fell silent.

"Humph!"

As the footsteps drew closer, Li Xingzhi grew increasingly nervous, and Xiao Gou Dan clung tightly to his clothes. At that moment, a figure emerged from behind the statue. Upon closer inspection, Li Xingzhi saw a lean, thin-skinned man with a fierce and wiry air about him.

"Haha, brother, there are two tender-skinned little ones here. Tonight's going to be fun." The man entered, his eyes fixed on the two pots of soup on the fire. He took a deep breath before noticing the two young men beside them. He then clicked his tongue, "How much silver would they fetch if sold in Chang'an?" His eyes were fixed on Li Xingzhi and his companion, as if he wanted to strip them naked and see them clearly. Li Xingzhi tensed, his hair standing on end. In later times, the internet was a place where anything was possible. This seasoned internet user immediately understood the man's intentions, and a chill ran from his feet to his head! This was followed by anger at the humiliation, but the still somewhat rational Li Xingzhi felt a slight sense of relief. If the two young men were valuable, they wouldn't have been killed outright; he would have had time to prepare. What Li Xingzhi feared most was that these men would say nothing and simply "snap" them both!

At this moment, the two men behind had moved behind the Buddha statue. Li Xingzhi sized them up. Both were wearing fur coats, but one exuded a fierce and menacing aura, with several deep scars on his face, clearly not a good person! The other wore a large cloak that completely concealed him, but by the firelight, one could vaguely see his gleaming eyes. Upon seeing him, Li Xingzhi immediately thought of four words: "a cunning strategist!" These three men had no idea that Li Xingzhi had figured them out at a glance. However, even if he did, he would only be surprised and wouldn't care too much.

"Indeed, not bad!" The fierce-looking man, clearly the leader, sized up the two and said. But Li Xingzhi felt a chill run down his spine; he was now certain this group was a bunch of ruthless scoundrels. Little Dog Egg didn't understand what they were talking about, but seeing Li Xingzhi's tense expression, he was even more terrified. Looking at the glistening in his eyes, it seemed tears were about to fall.

The older man looked at Li Xingzhi and then at Xiao Gou Dan as if he were inspecting some goods, and said, "These two are both very good, but one of them is a bit too big."

"Hehe! Big brother, how about we..." The skinny monkey had a lewd look on his face. Looking at that look, Li Xingzhi knew that nothing good was coming. His heart was pounding, and his hand holding the bamboo skewer was trembling.

"Hmm..." The older brother seemed to be considering something, and he seemed to agree somewhat.

"Brother, I think we should keep it. After all, it's a good piece of merchandise. We're sure it'll find a good one there." A gloomy, hoarse voice came from inside the cloak.

"Scholar, you—" The skinny monkey was quite resentful that his good deed had been ruined, but he was also somewhat afraid of his elder brother and the person in the cloak.

"Alright!" The elder brother seemed to have quite a bit of faith in that "strategist," and turned to the skinny monkey, saying, "Third brother, go tie them up, so they won't get in the way."

Upon hearing this, Li Xingzhi tensed up, gripping the bamboo spikes even tighter.

However, his body was far too weak, and he was also hesitant to harm the bandits, fearing it would provoke their ferocity! The skinny monkey leaped forward, dodging Li Xingzhi's thrust with a swift movement, then grabbed the bamboo splinter and yanked it, knocking Li Xingzhi and Xiao Gou Dan to the ground. Next, he produced a rope from somewhere and bound Li Xingzhi's hands and feet, then tied the defenseless Xiao Gou Dan to Li Xingzhi's side. He then pinched Li Xingzhi's cheek hard, clicking his tongue twice, "Hehe, delicate skin, not bad at all." This disgusted Li Xingzhi. A surge of humiliation and rage almost overwhelmed his fear! Li Xingzhi had been pampered since childhood, and because of his contentment with modest wealth and his reluctance to contend with others, he had never suffered any hardship in society. Today, to be so humiliated, to be treated like a plaything and touched like that, and yet not to be angry! As a modern person living in peacetime, although we often see some of the darker side of society on television, that's all. But facing it in person is a completely different story.

The elder brother glanced at the earthenware pot on the fire, took a deep breath of the overflowing aroma, then looked at Li Xingzhi and said, "You made this, didn't you? Your craftsmanship is quite good. With this skill, you can fetch a good price!" His words almost overwhelmed Li Xingzhi's last remaining rationality! The elder brother stretched out his hand, which was wrapped in thick cloth, and prepared to take the earthenware pot.

Li Xingzhi was shocked to see this. If he were captured now, all his plans would be ruined!

"Wait a minute!" Li Xingzhi shouted as he saw the hand approaching the pottery jar.

The skinny monkey glared at him fiercely, as if he would tear Li Xingzhi apart alive if he didn't give a good reason. The eldest brother's hand was suspended in mid-air, his face calm, but the occasional glance he gave Li Xingzhi sent chills down his spine! However, in order to get out of trouble as soon as possible, Li Xingzhi had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "The big one will take almost a quarter of an hour, and the small one will be ready to eat in only half a quarter of an hour. If we eat it now, the taste will be a bit worse."

"Hmph! Why all the fuss about eating!" the skinny monkey said, reaching for the small pot of soup. "Big brother, let me get it for you." Li Xingzhi broke out in a cold sweat under the stares of the three men. These were all ruthless killers, and hearing the skinny monkey's words, his heart sank. He was afraid he wouldn't escape this time.

Seeing the skinny monkey's hand approaching the pottery jar, Li Xingzhi thought all hope was lost.

The scholar sitting next to Li Xingzhi glanced at him, his eyes, hidden beneath his cloak, revealing a thoughtful expression.

At this moment, the older brother next to him reached out and slapped the skinny monkey's hand down. He glanced at Li Xingzhi and said, "You've got some nerve. If you weren't still useful, I'd want you to work for us!"

Skinny Monkey was somewhat unwilling when his hand was slapped away, but he was helpless against his elder brother. He turned around and glared fiercely at Li Xingzhi, saying, "Kid, if the taste isn't good later, you'll be in for a surprise!"

Li Xingzhi felt relieved, cursing inwardly, "Once the two pots of soup are cooked, you'll be in for a world of hurt!" Seeing the skinny monkey looking over, he lowered his head slightly. Li Xingzhi knew the saying "the more you say, the more mistakes you make," and dared not do anything more, fearing further complications.

The soup in the earthenware pot gurgled and bubbled. The three men sat around the fire, adding a piece of firewood every now and then. In the firelight, the scars on the fierce man's face looked even more terrifying, while the skinny monkey appeared much more gloomy and seemed less carefree than before. Only the scholar's face was faintly visible in the firelight, and no one knew what he was thinking.

The little dog, Egg, clung tightly to Li Xingzhi, gripping his clothes with both hands, too afraid to look. Li Xingzhi simply sat quietly, waiting patiently.

As the soup simmered in the earthenware pot, Skinny Monkey seemed to be getting impatient, while Big Brother remained calm and composed, only glancing at Li Xingzhi occasionally.

"The soup in the small earthenware pot is ready to drink, but the big one will have to wait a bit." As soon as Li Xingzhi finished speaking, the skinny monkey took the earthenware pot down and placed it in front of his elder brother.

The elder brother lifted the lid, and a fragrance different from before wafted out, instantly filling the entire small temple and dispelling the remaining chill. At that moment, the voice that appeared in his mind made Li Xingzhi's heart stop beating:

"Ding—Player has created a level 4 dish, gaining 16 experience points and increasing chef career growth." A huge surprise filled Li Xingzhi's heart; now it all depended on the last pot of soup.

The three bandits each took out a bowl and a small bag of dry rations, and divided the small pot of soup among themselves. The eldest brother took a bowl, while the scholar, for some reason, only took half a bowl, and the rest was taken by the skinny monkey.

Before long, the soup in the large earthenware pot began to boil, and it looked ready to drink. Li Xingzhi saw that the three of them were enjoying their soup, but for the sake of his plan, he had no choice but to remind them, "If you don't drink the soup in the large earthenware pot soon, it will boil dry."

Skinny Monkey was startled by Li Xingzhi, and his hand trembled, spilling half a bowl of soup, scalding him and making him scream.

"What are you yelling for? If you yell again, I'll show you what your grandpa's got!" Saying this, he walked over, raising his foot to kick, but was stopped by the scholar. The skinny monkey could only glare fiercely at Li Xingzhi, as if he'd get him sooner or later! The scholar gave Li Xingzhi a deep look, then sat back down. Li Xingzhi hadn't noticed at first, but now, calmer, he felt something was strange. That "dog-headed strategist" seemed to know him, having defended him several times.

The fierce-looking older brother seemed quite satisfied with what Li Xingzhi had cooked. After listening to Li Xingzhi's words, he took the large earthenware pot down again, but did not open the lid.

Li Xingzhi watched anxiously from the side, but dared not speak, nor did he dare show any sign of it, for fear of arousing the vigilance of the three men, especially the "dog-headed strategist," whom he was particularly wary of, even though he seemed to have no ill intentions towards them.

Li Xingzhi watched the three people eating and drinking, ignoring the pot of soup, and there was nothing he could do but wait...